The Countess Page 0,70

Twelve

I do not know how you can do that with the carriage bouncing about as it is."

Christiana glanced up from her embroidery at Richard's words and smiled wryly.

The truth was she was poking her fingers more than the cloth and the stitches she had managed would have to be ripped out and done over again anyway, they were such a mess, but it helped pass the time and distracted her from the fact that she was shut up al alone in a carriage with Richard. In the end, the men had agreed to take three carriages for this trip to Gretna Green. Each man had contributed one. The maids rode in Langley's carriage at the back of their little procession, she and Richard rode in the Radnor carriage at the front and Suzette, Lisa, Langley and Daniel al rode in the Woodrow carriage in the middle. It seemed an unfair distribution of their party to Christiana and she would have preferred at least one more person in the carriage with her and Richard to act as a buffer, but when Daniel had suggested he and Suzette needed a chaperone in their own carriage for the journey, Langley had volunteered and Lisa had insisted on joining them. Apparently, none of them considered that Christiana and Richard were not yet properly wed and should also have a chaperone.

Of course, her sisters stil had no idea Richard was Richard and Dicky had actual y been George and she wasn't legal y either man's wife. But the men knew it.

Obviously, they weren't as concerned for her reputation as she was. But then Christiana supposed she had little reputation to save after the night she had spent with Richard when she'd stil thought him her husband. Despite that, she was determined to behave as she'd been raised to and not make the mistake of sleeping with Richard again until they were legal y wed. The problem was, she real y wanted to. Temptation was an awful thing, she decided.

"It helps me pass the time," she said final y in answer to his comment.

"Hmm." Richard peered out the window at the passing scenery. "It is a long journey."

"Made longer by our insistence on three carriages and stopping at night," she suggested gently. "I am sorry about that."

"No." He smiled wryly. "Now that we are on the road I am grateful you ladies insisted on it. I am already looking forward to getting out and stretching my legs. And sleeping tonight in something that isn't bouncing up and down wil be nice."

Christiana murmured agreement and struggled on with her efforts at embroidery.

"Have you been to Radnor?" he asked suddenly. "Has George taken you there since you married?"

Christiana lowered her embroidery to her lap and smiled wryly. "We stopped there for a night on the way to London after the wedding, but it was only a brief stop.

We arrived after dark and left at first light so I didn't get to see much."

"The wedding was at your father's home?" he asked.

Christiana nodded.

Richard peered at her silently for a moment and then said, "I was surprised neither yourself nor your sisters suggested col ecting your father on the way. I would have thought you'd want him to attend your weddings."

Christiana sighed and stabbed her needle into the cloth, set it down and admitted, "I considered it, but Suzette was so angry at Father for gambling again and forcing her to marry so abruptly that . . ." She shook her head unhappily. "I just thought it better not to even bring up the subject."

"And you? Are you angry too? If not for the first round of gambling you would never have had to marry George."

"I didn't have to marry him," Christiana said quietly. "Had I seen through him and refused his troth Father would have supported me in my decision. Marrying Dicky was my choice. He wooed me, I believed his lies sincere and made the wrong choice."

"What other choice was there?" he asked.

"What Suzette is doing now, I suppose," she said with a shrug. "Find myself a man in need of money and strike a deal with him."

He frowned slightly and then commented, "Christiana, you have a tendency to take responsibility in every situation . . . even when it is not yours to take."

When she started to protest, he pointed out, "You understand why Suzette is angry, but don't claim that anger for yourself for being forced to marry Dicky when if the gambling hadn't happened the