The Countess Page 0,67

much longer," Langley said dryly as he watched Richard lock the door. "Surely he would be fine in the family vault? At least you needn't worry a servant or someone else wil come across him there."

"True," Richard murmured and liked the idea of moving his brother to the family vault. Real y it was starting to get a bit disturbing having him here, and it was becoming obvious that their efforts to keep him chil ed weren't working al that wel . "I think perhaps you're right. I wil talk to Daniel and see if he can come up with any faults in the plan."

"Faults in what plan?"

Both men turned to peer at Daniel as he strode toward them. Richard couldn't help noticing that the man was already halfway up the hal to them and yet the hal had been empty just seconds ago when they'd stepped into it. That realization made his eyes shift instinctively to Suzette's bedroom door, which was just steps behind Daniel now.

"Where did you come from, Woodrow?" Langley asked abruptly, apparently having noted the same things Richard had. Or perhaps it was the fact that Daniel's hair was a bit mussed, his jacket was wrinkled, and his cravat missing that put the displeased suspicion in Langley's eyes, he thought with amusement as he waited for Daniel to explain himself.

"Oh . . . I . . . er . . ." He waved vaguely back the way he'd come, and then paused abruptly as Suzette's door suddenly opened and she hurried out, headed for the stairs, hissing, "Daniel! Daniel, you forgot your cravat."

Richard bit his lip to hold back a laugh, and glanced to Daniel to see him rol ing his eyes. It was Robert, however, who snapped, "Suzette!"

Coming to a shuddering halt, she glanced back, her already wide eyes growing even wider as she spotted the three men in the hal .

"Oh." Straightening, she turned to face them, and gestured toward the stairs, but stopped as she noted the cravat waving about, and quickly jerked the hand behind her back as if she hoped they hadn't noticed it. "I was just going downstairs."

Richard coughed into his hand to hide the laugh that would not be held back and Suzette scowled at him, and then sighed with exasperation and moved up the hal toward them. She shoved the cravat at Daniel without another word and then simply turned to march silently away up the hal . Daniel put his cravat back on as he watched her go, his eyes locked on her behind, Richard noted. When he'd finished, he turned back, took in Langley's narrow-eyed gaze and said stiffly, "We are getting married."

"You've decided for certain have you?" Richard asked with amusement.

"I am not certain that is the correct phrasing for it," he said wryly. "It would be more fitting to say I have bowed to the inevitable. The woman is a force of nature."

"That she is," Langley agreed, his tone dry and attitude relaxing now that he knew Suzette's reputation and future were safe. "So, when is the trip to Gretna Green to occur? I should like to accompany you."

"The sooner the better," Daniel said grimly. "If Suzette jumps out and drags me into one more room I cannot guarantee she wil reach Gretna as pure as she is now, and she is already less pure today than she was yesterday."

Richard burst out laughing.

Even Langley smiled, apparently not minding the frankness now that Daniel had assured him he was marrying the girl, but he also raised an eyebrow in Richard's direction and asked, "What are you laughing about? From what Christiana said to me earlier she is definitely not pure anymore."

"She told you that?" Richard asked with amazement.

"I was assuring her that we could get the marriage annul ed and she had to explain that that wasn't the case anymore," he said dryly, and then shrugged.

"Since last night at the bal was when we realized it could be annul ed, I'm guessing last night after the bal was when that situation changed."

"Erm . . . yes, wel - " Richard paused and raised his eyebrows as he noted Christiana's maid, Grace, striding up the hal leading two maids. Al three women carried a col ection of bedding, blankets and pil ows. As she drew abreast of them, he frowned and asked, "What's al this?"

"I asked Mil y and Sal y to help me make up a room for you," Grace said calmly as she