The Countess Page 0,114

it came to lies of omission and probably would have blurted out everything.

Her father urged her forward then and Christiana started to walk again. When they came abreast of Richard, he slid his arm around her waist, drawing her to a halt. Her father immediately released her arm and continued into the office, leaving her to smile nervously at her husband.

"Are you al right?" he asked solemnly. "Freddy didn't hurt you?"

"I have a slight headache and a lovely goose egg from when he knocked me out, but am otherwise fine," she assured him and glanced around the office as he led her inside. Her father, Daniel and Robert were there, but Suzette and Lisa were missing, as was Haversham. "Where - ?"

"Suzette took Lisa to the parlor while the runners were asking questions,"

Richard answered before she could finish the question. "Apparently Freddy's body lying here was distressing to her."

"It would be. Lisa doesn't care for the sight of blood. She wil even faint if there is enough of it," Christiana murmured, and then frowned as she noted the scrape on his forehead. "What happened to your head?"

"It's nothing," Richard assured her. "Daniel and I stopped at the tailor's after arranging for the blackmail money and a carriage came after us. I got this as we jumped out of the way."

"As he jumped out of the way and dragged me with him," Daniel corrected dryly.

"I didn't even see the thing until it was almost upon us."

"I suppose that wasn't Freddy," Christiana said with a sigh as she realized the worst was not over. While they had caught the blackmailer, they stil had a murderer to find.

"No," Daniel said, looking doubtful. Stil , he sounded hopeful when he asked,

"Unless Freddy happened to confess to being the kil er as wel as the blackmailer?"

Christiana smiled apologetical y. "Sorry. No. He thought Richard had kil ed him."

"Then who kil ed George?" Robert asked with a frown.

"I fear that would be me, Lord Langley."

Christiana turned toward the door, her eyes wide as she peered at Haversham.

The butler stood in the open door, back straight and face as expressionless as ever. The perfect servant.

"Would you care to explain, Haversham?" Richard asked quietly after several moments of silence had passed.

"Of course," the man murmured. "I suspected quite soon after the fire that the man masquerading as the Earl was not you, my lord, but your brother,

"Of course," the man murmured. "I suspected quite soon after the fire that the man masquerading as the Earl was not you, my lord, but your brother, Master George. He quite simply did not act in a lordly manner as you have always seen fit to do. He was careless with his possessions, cruel to the staff, and both careless and cruel to Lady Christiana."

"Did you tel anyone of your suspicions?" Richard asked, and Christiana felt him tense beside her. She supposed he worried that if Haversham had told anyone his suspicions their worries wouldn't be over. But Haversham shook his head.

"No. Al I had were suspicions. I could not prove anything and who would believe a servant over a member of gentry?"

"I see," Richard murmured, relaxing.

"I saw no choice but to al ow the situation to progress as it would and hope for some proof to come to light. I was rather counting on Lord Woodrow becoming suspicious himself and looking into the matter. I would have come forward then with my own suspicions, of course. However, that never came to pass. Lord Woodrow disappeared from society the week of the townhouse fire and simply did not return."

"Er . . . yes. I'm afraid I was a bit distracted with matters at Woodrow," Daniel explained apologetical y under the stern man's displeased eye.

"Yes," the butler said dryly. "So I was forced to simply stand by and wait, a witness to Master George's abuses of his position and shabby treatment of Lady Christiana, but unable to do anything about it."

"What made you stop waiting?" Christiana asked curiously, wondering that she'd had at least one al y al that time and hadn't even realized it.

"It was the morning your sisters arrived at the townhouse, my lady," he said solemnly. "Master George had been tense and expectant, almost buzzing with a certain excitement for the two weeks prior and I anticipated that he was up to something, but was unsure what until your sisters arrived with the news your father had apparently gambled again. I realized then that this must have been what Master