The Countess Page 0,66

because he worried she was now stuck in this marriage to a man who had been horrible to her the last year. Sighing, she reached out to squeeze his arm in passing and said, " 'Tis al right. He's not the man we thought he was. He'l explain everything."

Christiana then continued on into the parlor, leaving Richard to sort out Robert.

She didn't get far into the room, however; Lisa blocked her way and didn't appear eager to move.

"Shal we sit and pour the tea while we wait for the men?" Christiana suggested uncertainly. When Lisa didn't respond at once, but merely glared after Robert as he moved off with Richard, she asked, "Is something amiss?"

Lisa let her breath out on a smal impatient, huff. "He's just so . . . annoying."

"Robert?" Christiana asked with surprise.

"Yes, him." Lisa turned abruptly and stomped back to drop into a chair by the tea tray. "He wouldn't stop worrying about you. From the minute you left he was watching the door like a hawk and then started asking where you were and even sent Grace to check on you. Good Lord, he was acting like Richard was some murderous fiend.

He's your husband. What did Robert think was going to happen to you?"

"Ah." Christiana sat down on the sofa across from Lisa, unsure what to say. Part of her wanted to babble out al that had happened. However, she'd rather explain it to both sisters at the same time than have to do it twice, so merely said, "Robert is aware that things have not been ideal between Richard and myself this last year and is just worried."

"Wel , he worries too much about you," she grumbled, unappeased.

Christiana's eyebrows rose. Lisa actual y sounded jealous and it made her wonder if the girl's feelings for Langley weren't more than just the sisterly type affections Christiana and Suzette felt for the man, but merely said, "He worries about al of us: you, me and Suzette. Speaking of Suzette," she added with a frown.

"Where is she?"

"Oh, she muttered something about changing her slippers and left shortly after you did," Lisa said on a sigh.

"Oh." Christiana glanced toward the door, wondering where the girl was . . . and where Daniel was as wel . Lord Woodrow had left her and Richard upstairs some time ago and, she'd thought, joined everyone in the parlor, but it seemed not.

"We may as wel drink the tea before it grows stone cold," Lisa decided and began to pour.

Christiana murmured a thank-you as the younger girl handed her a cup.

"I knew he wasn't you," Langley muttered, peering over George's face when Richard pul ed back the blanket for him. "Not at first, or I would have warned Christiana away from him. But then I saw little of him at first. It wasn't until they were married and living here in London that I began to suspect something was amiss.

Christiana was so tense the first time I came to visit, her smile strained, her eyes constantly dancing to him as if afraid she may have said or done something to upset him. Then the next time he had the butler turn me away. The second time that happened I knew something was wrong and waited until I saw Grace come out. I made her tel me what was going on and when she told me how he was treating her .

. ." Langley's mouth tightened and then he sighed and said, "The bastard has treated Christiana like dirt this last year, and from what I recal ed of you from school, you just didn't seem the type. George, on the other hand . . ."

Richard pul ed the blanket back up to again cover George's face. His brother looked worse every time he looked at him and it was becoming obvious they couldn't keep him around much longer. While the open window was keeping the room cool, he would soon start to smel . They had to resolve the matter of who had poisoned George swiftly so they could lay the man and the matter to rest and get on with life.

"Wil you be moving him to the family vault on the way to Gretna Green then?"

Langley asked, heading for the bedroom door, apparently eager to escape the room.

"Daniel seems to think we should keep the body here until the situation is resolved, just in case," Richard admitted as they left the bedroom.

"Wel you aren't going to be able to keep him here