The Countess Page 0,51

and our situation is not a common one."

"Wel Suzette is just as special and our situation is not common either," he shot back, and then sighed. "She proposed to me at the bal , and then when she found me in her room thought I had come to tel her yes. Rather than explain my real purpose in her room I let her believe it because I couldn't come up with an alternate explanation for my presence there. I am stil trying to come up with one. But I am also considering her proposal seriously in the meantime."

"Why the devil would she propose to you?" Richard asked with surprise. "She wants a husband in need of money who wil agree to her terms."

"Yes, wel , I may have misled her as to my financial status," Daniel muttered.

Richard raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because when she asked me about my income I assumed she was just another fortune seeking debutante and lied," he admitted wryly. "You can imagine my surprise when rather than scaring her off, it prompted a proposal."

No doubt he'd also been a little fascinated, Richard realized. They were both used to fortune seeking debutantes and their mothers chasing them about. Other than this last year and a half when he'd been absent, it had happened on a regular basis. A woman who wanted just the opposite would make an interesting change.

"So rather than just tel her that you have money - "

"I have no intention of tel ing her that, and you'd best not either," Daniel said grimly. "And don't even think about offering to pay off the father's gambling debts. I shal attend those myself whether I marry her or not."

More than a little fascinated, then, Richard thought with amusement, and asked,

"Why should I not offer to pay them off? It would remove the pressure the women are under."

"Suzette is not enthral ed with the idea of marrying after al she's learned about Christiana's experiences this last year. She may very wel bury herself in the countryside and eschew marriage altogether should she learn it isn't a necessity, and I can hardly get to know her better if she is at Madison Manor and I am at Woodrow."

"Ah," Richard murmured, understanding more than his friend was tel ing.

Whether he knew it or not, Daniel had already decided to marry the girl. At least that was his opinion, "Fine, I shal refrain from offering to pay . . . for now."

Daniel relaxed at once. "Thank you."

Richard waved his gratitude away and changed the subject. "The good news is that since I've decided to uphold the marriage to Christiana, we can simply dispose of you know who. I was considering our options on the way here - "

"That might not be the best idea," Daniel interrupted quietly. When Richard raised an eyebrow in question, he added, "I think perhaps it would be best not to dispose of him at al yet. At least not until we sort out this business of who kil ed him."

Richard sat back with a frown. "Why? It is not as if he can be a witness in his own murder."

"No, but we cannot prove murder without a body," Daniel pointed out and then added, "Whoever poisoned him wil soon think they failed, if they don't already. They wil try again."

"Then I shal have to be careful," Richard said grimly. "But I see no need to keep you know who around until we catch his kil er. We can charge whoever it is with attempted murder when they try to kil me."

Daniel frowned. "It just seems to me to be smarter to keep you know who around until we have it al sorted out."

"Very wel ," Richard said final y. "Have you hidden him somewhere safe?"

"Er . . . wel , actual y no," he admitted, looking uncomfortable. "I placed him in the pavilion in the back garden for the night."

"In the . . . ?"

"It was the only place I could think of. I needed somewhere cold but covered, and that was al I could come up with at the time. But he shal have to be moved before too much longer."

"Yes, he definitely needs to be moved," Richard agreed grimly.

"I had an idea about that too."

"Do tel ," Richard requested dryly.

Daniel ignored his sarcasm. "I thought it might be best to put him back in the master bedroom."

"What? You - "

"Now hear me out before you protest," Daniel insisted, and then explained, "The girls have