The Countess Page 0,28

manage it al right."

"Right," Daniel said dryly.

"Come on." Richard moved to the top of the bed. "The sooner it's done the better."

Richard bent to slip his hands under his brother's armpits, intending to sit him up, but the action put his face close to George's and he paused.

"What is it?" Daniel asked, at his side at once.

Richard straightened and stepped back. "See if you smel anything by his mouth."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, and then bent to inhale close to George's mouth.

"Whiskey," he said at once and then frowned and added, "And bitter almonds?" He now straightened slowly and turned a frown on Richard. "Poison?"

"That was my first thought," Richard admitted grimly.

Daniel blew out a low whistle. "Murder. That's a wrinkle I hadn't expected.

Although I guess I should have. We know you aren't the only one he has crossed."

"No. He crossed Christiana, and poison is a woman's trick," Richard said grimly.

"A man would have met him at dawn with swords or pistols."

"Now don't go hanging the poor woman already," Daniel cautioned. "I don't think George would have agreed to a duel. Or he may have agreed, but then he would have sent riffraff out to kil his chal enger in his bed. He wasn't the sort to risk his own hide and he had no honor to speak of." He shook his head.

"George also didn't much leave the house from what I was able to learn tonight.

Poison may have been the only way to ensure he died. Besides, I just don't see Lady Christiana poisoning him."

Richard peered at him curiously. "Why are you so quick to defend her?"

"I like her," Daniel said with a shrug.

"You do not know the woman. You didn't even speak to her," Richard pointed out with exasperation.

"I talked to her sisters though," Daniel argued at once. "And they were both lovely young women. I'm sure she is too. They grew up in the same family."

"So did George and I," Richard pointed out dryly.

Daniel frowned. "Good point."

Richard shook his head with disgust. "Come on, we need to get him moved. We can worry about who kil ed him after we have him safely away."

Richard moved back to try to shift George into a sitting position, but paused with a curse when he found the man stiff as a board.

"Hmmm, he's been dead a while," Daniel pointed out quietly.

"Right." Richard scowled at George as if he were deliberately being difficult and then said, "You take his feet, I'l take his shoulders."

Daniel nodded and moved to take the man's feet so that they could heft him off the bed.

They had both seen the ice packed around the body, but neither had considered that some of it must have melted until water began to drip from George's sopping clothes in a steady stream.

"Back, back, back," Richard said sharply, quickly hefting his end back over the bed.

"Damn," Daniel breathed as they released their burden. "We wil leave a trail of water through the house taking him as he is."

Richard scowled briefly, but then stepped back up to the bed and began to work his brother's frock coat off his shoulders. It appeared the women had dumped him in the bed without making any effort to undress him. "Find a dry blanket."

"Where?" Daniel asked, glancing around the room.

"Try that chest at the foot of the bed," Richard suggested as he final y freed the jacket and tossed the sodden cloth to the floor.

"Got it," Daniel announced a moment later and reappeared at his side. He slung the blanket over his shoulder, leaving his hands free to help finish undressing George. Once they had him naked, Daniel laid the blanket out on the floor and they quickly shifted George from the bed to the blanket. This time he only dripped a little.

"I think your bed is ruined," Daniel said wryly as they straightened from rol ing George up in the blanket. Richard glanced to the bed. The mattress was swol en with water and likely to grow more so as the remaining ice melted. Not that he particularly wanted to sleep on a mattress his dead brother had occupied anyway.

They lifted George up together, each taking an end of the blanket and then moved quickly to the door with their burden. Richard then set down his end to open the door, only to discover it was locked.

"Probably to keep the servants out," Daniel suggested quietly.

Richard grunted and glanced to a second door on the adjacent wal , this one leading to Christiana's room, he