The Heiress - Lynsay Sands [83]
“I don’t know,” Richard admitted, and then hesitated before saying, “I know Daniel wasn’t sure he wanted to marry her at first. But he knew if he said as much she wouldn’t spend time with him, so he didn’t tell her so that he could get to know her and decide.” He frowned. “I was sure he’d decided to marry her though, so—”
“You mean he was lying?” Christiana asked with dismay. “He led Suzette to think he had honorable intentions, but he—”
“He didn’t exactly lie,” Richard said lamely, and then sighed. “When Suzette caught him in her room that first night she assumed that Daniel was there to tell her yes, and he just didn’t correct her.”
“What is the difference between that and lying, exactly?” Christiana asked sharply. “He allowed her to come to the wrong conclusions and didn’t correct her.”
Suzette frowned and asked, “If he wasn’t there to tell me yes, what was he doing there?”
“We were there to get George’s body,” Richard answered quietly. “We had just collected George when you girls arrived home. We hid in your room not realizing it was occupied, and then I left him hiding in there with George while I took you and Lisa down to the office. I was trying to keep you busy long enough for him to get out with George, but then you were going to drink the whiskey, and I thought it was how George was poisoned and knocked it out of your hand and you stormed off.”
“Oh.” Suzette recalled how upset she’d been, thinking he was just trying to stop her drinking his whiskey that night. Richard had been trying to prevent her drinking what he thought was poisoned whiskey. She shook her head. That wasn’t important now. Mouth tightening, she said, “Daniel was alone in my room when I entered. George wasn’t with him.”
“He’d thrown George out the window and was trying to follow when you entered,” he explained, looking uncomfortable.
Suzette closed her eyes and turned her head away. “So he never wanted to marry me at all.”
“That’s not—I don’t know,” Richard said wearily. “You fascinated him, and he liked you and wanted to get to know you better.”
“Well, he certainly did that,” Christiana snapped. “I know he’s been kissing her and more.”
Suzette grimaced and asked, “But what about the dower? I thought he wanted the dower. Why give that up when he so desperately needed it?” The question had barely left her lips when she felt herself flush with shame. The answer was in the letter. Apparently even the chance to gain the dower and save his people was not enough to lure him to marry someone as base and lewd as she. Shaking her head she moaned, “My God, he is disgusted by me so much that he would rather give up the dower he so desperately needs than marry me.”
“He doesn’t need it,” Richard admitted, and added apologetically, “That was a lie.”
“And you knew?” Christiana asked with dismay.
“Of course he needs the dower,” Suzette protested, recalling the stories Daniel had told her of his childhood. Surely those couldn’t be lies too? Could they? Dear God, she’d believed every word. Mouth tight, she said, “He told me that his mother had sold all their furniture to survive, and even her jewelry and her wedding ring. He said they had no servants, and—”
“That is all true,” Richard assured her, appearing relieved to be able to say so. “And when he came of age his mother was pushing him to marry for money. She had worked hard to try to hide their dire straits, convincing society she was just a horrible snob rather than admit she was poor. And everyone believed it. After all, her family is extremely wealthy. But her family turned their backs on her when she married Daniel’s father, and she and Daniel were destitute after he died.”
Suzette was relieved to hear him verify the story Daniel had told her, but frowned and pointed out, “But you just said he doesn’t need my dower.”
“He doesn’t.” Richard ran a hand wearily through his hair. “Daniel blurted the whole tale to me one night, about how poor they were and what his mother had sacrificed and that she now wanted