The Countess Page 0,72

was silent for a moment and then asked, "Who is your father's lawyer?"

"An older gentleman with a funny moustache . . . I believe his name is Buttersworth," she said after a moment's thought.

"Ah." Richard, said with understanding and sat back in his seat. "John Buttersworth Junior has been a friend of George's since school."

"You think his father told him about my grandfather's wil ?"

"He wouldn't have to. John Junior works with his father now. The plan is for him to take over his father's clients when the time comes."

Christiana scowled at this news. "So you think that John Junior told Dicky about our dowers and that he deliberately took Father to the gaming hel both times to be drugged so that he'd gamble when he wouldn't normal y?"

"Your father isn't a gambler?" Richard asked.

She shook her head. "He'd never gambled before in his life until that one time last year. And then he didn't gamble again until now. Father is more a stayat-home type. He works the estate and spends the evenings dining with friends in the area or reading by the fire. Even when he had to travel into the city to see his lawyer or manage other business, he was more likely to stay in than go out, and then it was only to stop at the club for a drink and catch up with to see his lawyer or manage other business, he was more likely to stay in than go out, and then it was only to stop at the club for a drink and catch up with old friends. That's why it was so shocking and upsetting when we learned he'd gambled and so deeply."

"And this time? Was it as much?" Richard asked.

Christiana shook her head. "No. I gather it's about half what it was the first time.

But Father drained the estate to pay his debt the first time. Dicky only paid off what was stil outstanding after he'd squeezed al the money out that he could. The estate would recover slowly, but there is little actual money to hand, so even the smal er amount this time would force the sale of the estate."

"Unless Suzette married," Richard said thoughtful y.

"Yes." Christiana frowned. "I suppose it makes sense that Dicky took Father to the gaming hel the first time to force my marrying him, but why would he do it this second time?" That had been troubling her even before she'd heard Richard's suspicions that Dicky had been the one to take her father to the gaming hel the first time. Why had Dicky taken him there when he'd known what had happened the first time?

"I don't know," Richard admitted on a sigh. "He wouldn't have profited from it this time."

Christian clucked impatiently and stabbed her needle into the cloth, wishing it was Dicky. She wished the stupid man would come back to life long enough to answer these questions, and then kindly drop dead again. However, that simply wasn't going to happen. She'd seen Dicky when the men had taken him from the bed and folded him into the chest presently resting on top of the carriage she and Richard rode in. The man was definitely dead, and they were removing him from the house none too soon. It was time he was buried. And good riddance to him, she thought unhappily. Of course, it just meant she would be married to the real Richard Fairgrave, Earl of Radnor instead, but even after the last two short days it was becoming obvious that he was nothing like his brother. He hadn't once tried to control her, not even raising an argument against having to sleep in the guest bedroom though she'd expected he would. He also hadn't criticized her even once yet, but instead had given her a handful of compliments, which was a handful more than she'd received from Dicky during their marriage. Many of those compliments had been during their night of passion, which might not be that reliable. But one had been at the bal the night they'd met, and he'd greeted her that morning with another, saying she looked lovely with her hair in the much softer style Grace had arranged it in. More importantly though, he seemed to respect her opinion, trusting Langley on her say-so twice now, and that was very important to her. She had always considered herself a relatively intel igent and sensible young woman, but George had made her feel stupid and clumsy. Richard