The Countess Page 0,53

on a sigh as she pushed the blankets away. There was no sense putting off this meeting. She may as wel get the unpleasantness over with and out of the way and see what could be salvaged from it.

"Are you sure? I could - "

The way Grace's words died so abruptly as Christiana rose from the bed, made her glance toward her curiously. The maid was staring at the bed and the smal splotches of blood that had been revealed when she'd pushed the bed covers aside to get up. The evidence of what had taken place last night, Christiana realized with a grimace and felt herself blush when Grace's sharp eyes turned her way.

"I knew he'd slept in here, his bed was ruined by the ice, but - " She paused, anger fil ing her face. "He took advantage of your inebriated state?"

Christiana grimaced and turned away, aware that she was blushing. Having no idea what to say, she moved to the basin of water and simply murmured,

"He is my husband."

Grace snorted angrily and began to strip the bed. "This blood proves he has been less than a husband this last year. I suspected he had not visited your bed since the wedding, but I thought that night, at least, he'd done his duty. The devil!"

she added with disgust. "Why could he not stay dead?"

Christiana bit her lip as she picked up the clean bit of linen, dipped it in the perfumed water and began to wash herself. She'd wondered the same thing many times last night. Wel , at least she had before Richard had kissed her. She suspected she would have protested vociferously at his dying in the middle of their exploits, but she was certainly now thinking it would have made things much simpler.

"And look what he did to you!" Grace said with dismay, leaving the bed for now and hurrying to her side. Christiana glanced around with confusion at that cry and then fol owed Grace's gaze over her body, her own eyebrows rose slightly as she saw that her body bore several dark red marks and even a faint bruise or two. She didn't recal how she'd got them and certainly hadn't felt any pain at the time. While Richard had been cruel and cold this last year, she didn't think he'd marked her deliberately last night, but the activities had got very vigorous at times and she knew she'd scored his back more than once during their more passionate moments.

" 'Tis al right." Christiana turned back to her washing. "They do not hurt."

Grace was silent for a moment and Christiana could almost hear the rant the maid wanted to let loose. Much to her relief, however, she didn't but returned to the bed, taking out her anger by almost ripping the bedsheets from it, no doubt imagining it was Richard and she was ripping his flesh off. Grace had been her mother's lady's maid before her and had become Christiana's on her mother's death. She had watched her grow up and had a great deal of affection for her, an affection that was returned. She also had something of a temper. Both women were silent as Grace helped her dress. Confused and miserable herself, Christiana did nothing to end it, but was grateful to escape the room once she was dressed and ready. She wasn't exactly eager to have the conversation she knew was coming with Langley, however, so didn't rush downstairs. Unfortunately, despite dragging her feet, she did eventual y arrive at the parlor, where Langley paced the floor as he waited. He stopped the moment she entered the room though and his first word was, "Wel ?"

Christiana felt her lips twitch into a grimace, and then turned back and closed the parlor door. It wasn't quite the done thing for a married woman to be in a room alone with a man who wasn't her husband and have the door closed. But it did seem smarter than leaving it open so that anyone passing might hear their conversation.

Turning back to the room, she moved to sit primly in a chair and then just sat there, not sure what to say or how to start.

"Wel ?" Langley repeated, sitting on the corner of the couch. "Does he have the birthmark?"

Christiana felt her lips twist and lowered her head. After al that had happened last night she should be able to say yes or no, however she just wasn't sure. She wished she'd