The Heiress - Lynsay Sands [95]
“Lord love me,” Lady Woodrow muttered, and then pointed out, “It is just as soon for you. Are you now going to try to tell me you don’t love her? Because, my son, I know you well and I can tell you right now that would be a lie. Your eyes light up when you talk about her and your face goes soft. If you were thinking that you were just marrying her because you wanted to bed her, then you were deceiving yourself. You have done nothing these last ten years but cringe every time I have brought up the subject of marriage and producing grandbabies for me. You have not changed your mind and suddenly rushed this girl off to Gretna Green just because you want to bed her. Besides, from the explanations you three just gave, you’ve already bedded her!”
Daniel blinked and frowned.
She left him to puzzle through her words and his feelings and turned to Fairgrave, saying, “Now, Richard.”
“Yes, Lady Woodrow?” He immediately stood up straighter.
“You and your friend here help my son to dress while I go have some clothing packed and a carriage prepared,” she instructed. “We will leave as soon as all is ready.”
“Yes, my lady,” Richard said smartly and Lady Woodrow smiled and patted his cheek.
“You always were a good boy,” she said affectionately and then left the room.
“Suzette’s going to love her,” Robert murmured as the door closed behind Lady Woodrow.
Daniel frowned. “Is that a sarcastic comment or do you really think they shall get along?”
“Oh, they’ll get along like a house on fire,” Robert assured him, moving to help Richard select clothes for him. “In fact, I suspect it will be the two of them against you in every argument, so you’d best start praying you and Suzette have all boys or you’ll be woefully outnumbered.”
Daniel smiled faintly at the advice, but just as quickly frowned as he thought of the letter and how callous it must have seemed after what they’d done in the stable. “How upset was Suzette?”
Richard grimaced and it was Robert who said solemnly, “I didn’t talk to her, but I could hear her weeping from the hall. I have never heard such heart-wrenching sobs in my life. I would say your mother was right and Suzette loves you, for she truly seemed brokenhearted.”
Daniel scowled at the thought and then asked, “Do you think Mother is right and the shooting and letter are connected?”
“It does seem likely,” Richard said. “It would be an odd coincidence if it weren’t. After all, had you returned as planned, you would have simply told her the letter was a fake.”
“Yes, but if whoever shot me thought me dead, why bother with the letter?”
“Perhaps they were not sure they succeeded with a mortal wound,” Robert suggested.
“All right,” Daniel conceded. “But then what purpose does the letter serve except to make her think the wedding is off, and why bother with that?”
Both Richard and Robert appeared as blank faced as he felt. It just didn’t make sense, or at least he didn’t see the sense of it just then. But it gave him a bad feeling.
“Come, give me those clothes. I think the sooner we get back to the inn and straighten this out the better. There is something afoot here that we aren’t yet seeing.”
“I do not see what the rush is. Why can we not stop at an inn and rest and continue on in the morning?” Suzette’s father asked plaintively.
“My lord, we have barely been on the road more than an hour thanks to your delaying,” Jeremy answered with what Suzette considered amazing patience. Certainly, with more patience than she had at the moment, but then she was very annoyed with her father.
After insisting on accompanying them, Cedrick Madison had then dragged his feet as much as he could to delay the departure. He’d taken forever to pack when she suspected he hadn’t really unpacked at all. They’d only stayed the one night at the inn and had planned to continue on today once Daniel returned with his mother. Surely, her father wouldn’t have unpacked anything but a change