"I am going ahead, Suzie. You are the one who keeps going to the side."
"Not your ahead, parallel to the road ahead. Jump to your left instead of forward."
"Oh. Well why didn't you say so, girl?"
Suddenly Daniel knew exactly what he was looking at. Relief rushed through him, but was followed by a wave of laughter so strong that he had to bite his tongue and lower his head to keep it from bursting out. He knew without a doubt that his riding up, laughing his head off would infuriate Suzette immensely.
"Is that her?"
Daniel glanced around to see that his mother had ignored his order and ridden up beside him. This close, she apparently had also recognized that it was two people, bound back to back and hopping through the woods in the most ungainly fashion. Daniel nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak without a laugh slipping out.
"Well." Lady Woodrow tilted her head as she eyed the woman who was soon to be her daughter-in-law. Finally, she said, "She must be cold in that . . . er . . . whatever she is wearing."
Daniel turned his head back, blinking as he took in what Suzette was--or wasn't--wearing. He couldn't believe he had been so distracted by everything else that he had missed that she wore little more than a very short shift or shirt. At least that's what it appeared to be at first, but then his gaze slid to the torso of the outfit and he realized it was a gown with a good deal of the bottom missing. Her legs were naked almost all the way up to her hips. Good Lord.
Digging his heels into his mount, Daniel urged the horse forward, moving more swiftly now to cross the remaining distance between them.
"Again," Suzette panted and they hopped again, she to her right, her father at her back hopping to his left so that they were moving, she hoped, toward the next inn.
"Suzie?" her father asked, forestalling her repeating "again." He sounded as breathless as she was.
"Yes?" she puffed.
"Maybe we should be heading the opposite way," he wheezed. "After all, this is the way Danvers went and the way he'll come back."
"Yes," she acknowledged. "That's why we're going this way."
"It is?" he asked uncertainly. "Why?"
"Because he'll expect us to go the opposite way," she said simply. "We are only going this way for a little bit longer, and then we'll move deeper into the woods. He'll go right past us and when he finds us missing from where he left us, he'll continue on and search in the opposite direction, thinking we would head back toward the last inn rather than risk running into him at the next inn where he went."
She felt his deep chuckle vibrate along her back, and then her father said, "You always were a clever girl."
"Not clever enough," she said sadly. "If I'd only been smart enough to trust in Daniel--"
"Now, don't start berating yourself for that. Danvers obviously saw the two of you up to something in the stables that you thought no one else knew about. Of course you'd think it was him."
"You thought the letter might be a fake," she pointed out.
"Not at first. I only started to wonder because it just seemed a little suspicious that Danvers was there to rush you to wed after you got the letter. And then I remembered him being at the club with Dicky and me," he admitted. "So don't be blaming yourself for any of this. None of it was your fault. Danvers and Dicky had it planned at the start, and Danvers just carried on with the plan."
"Yes." She sighed and then glanced around. "Perhaps we should start hopping deeper into the woods now. Danvers could return any time and--" Her voice died as she noticed a dark shape approaching ahead. After a moment she recognized it as a man on horseback, and for one horrified moment, thought it was Danvers and they'd left it too late to get off the path. But then she realized the shoulders were too broad to be Danvers. In fact, the shape looked to her to be Daniel's. She had stared at the man and admired his form often enough to recognize it even in silhouette and she relaxed.
"It's Daniel," Suzette said out loud as she became aware that her father was almost vibrating with his anxiety.
"Are you sure?" he asked worriedly.
"Very," she assured him, but Cedrick Madison didn't relax until Daniel drew his mount to a halt and hailed them.
"Suzette, Lord Madison!" he said as he slid off his horse. He paused for the briefest moment once his feet hit the ground, not long really, but the way he held on to his saddle for that second made her frown, and then he was moving quickly to them, his face pale in the moonlight.
"Are you all right?" he asked, coming around in front of Suzette.
She nodded, hardly noticing the shaft of pain the movement sent through her head. Every hop they had made since she'd woken up had sent agony through her skull, so the small jolt of pain was easily ignored.
Daniel caught her face in his, and frowned as he saw the dried blood on her forehead. "You're hurt."
"I hit my head is all," Suzette said quietly, her eyes moving hungrily over his face. She'd thought she'd never see him again, and yet here he was.
Daniel didn't look reassured, but asked, "Danvers did this?"
She grimaced. "Yes."
"Where is he?" He glanced around.
"Father said he headed to the next inn to rent a hack," she answered.
Daniel relaxed a little, then met her gaze and said firmly, "I didn't write that letter."
Before Suzette could respond, a woman's voice drew her attention to the fact that Daniel hadn't come alone.
"For heaven's sake, Daniel," she admonished, as she dismounted. "Untie them. The poor girl is standing there in practically nothing. She must be freezing, and no doubt they are both hungry and exhausted. Explanations can wait until we get them safely to the inn and warm."
"Oh, yes," he muttered and quickly moved around to the side to examine how they were tied together. Suzette hadn't a clue how Danvers had done it, other than that he'd used her dress for rope, which left her nearly naked and cold, as the woman now approaching them had suggested. Suzette stared at her, noting that even tromping through the dark woods at night the lady had the air and grace of . . . well a true lady. Suzette knew she would have been tripping over unseen obstacles and twisting her ankle on uneven ground. Not this woman. She was steady and graceful and elegant even as she slipped a small knife from her sleeve and handed it to Daniel.
"Here, this will help," she said.
"Where the devil did you get that?" Daniel asked with surprise.
"I brought it with me from home. I brought a small pistol along on the journey as well," she informed him calmly, and then raised an eyebrow. "Did you not think I would pack weapons as well as clothes for this trip, what with everything that has happened?"
Daniel just shook his head and turned back to begin slicing through the makeshift rope. The moment he did, the woman turned her attention to Suzette and moved around in front of her.
"You must be Suzette. It's lovely to meet you, dear, I'm Daniel's mother, Catherine Woodrow," she said in greeting, sounding for all the world as if they were meeting over tea.
"Er . . . it's lovely to meet you too," she said uncertainly, feeling a little befuddled by the situation and what she should do. Normally she would have taken the lady's hand or . . . well, something, but she was standing there trussed up to her father, her hands bound behind her back, unable to do anything but smile crookedly.
"Daniel has told me a great deal about you," Lady Woodrow informed her with a smile as she undid and removed the cape she was wearing. "And I can't tell you how pleased I am that he has finally found a girl he is willing to marry. I was beginning to despair of that ever happening."
"Oh . . . er . . . I--" Suzette's vain attempt to respond sensibly died as the cloth binding her to her father suddenly went slack, taking all of its support with it. She hadn't realized how much she'd been leaning into her father's strength until those ties were gone, and she started to crumple toward the ground as her knees gave out.
"Here we are," Lady Woodrow said brightly, wrapping the cape around Suzette'
s back and catching her all at the same time. She kept one hand on her arm, but her other dropped to her waist, taking some of Suzette's weight for her as Daniel saw to her father, cutting his bound hands now so that he was completely free.
"Are you all right to walk to the horses, my lord?" Daniel asked, keeping a steadying hand on her father's arm for a moment.
"Fine, fine," Lord Madison said on a little sigh and then turned to Suzette and Lady Woodrow. He offered a small smile and nod to the Dowager Countess, and then glanced to Suzette with worry. "Suzie hit her head quite hard. She was unconscious for a long time and needs looking after."
"We will get you back to the inn and see to you both," Lady Woodrow said solemnly, shifting her hand from Suzette's waist to her shoulder so that Daniel could move the cape aside and slice through the rope binding her hands.
The moment he was done, Daniel handed his mother back her knife and then scooped Suzette up into his arms with a pained grin that made her frown. Before she could comment on it, Lady Woodrow spoke up, drawing her attention.
"I fear we didn't think to bring extra horses, Lord Madison," Lady Woodrow announced, slipping her knife back up her sleeve. She then slipped her arm through Cedrick Madison's and started him toward her horse as if she were strolling through the gardens, and added, "I fear you shall have to ride back with me."
"I'm sure it will be my pleasure, Lady Woodrow," her father said solemnly.
Suzette frowned as she noted that his limp was even more pronounced now than earlier. The hopping probably hadn't done it any good. He would need to rest it and perhaps apply a warm compress to ease the ache.
"I was telling the truth, Suzette," Daniel said quietly, drawing her attention to him as he started to carry her toward his own horse. "I promise you I didn't write that letter."
"I know," she said on a sigh. "I'm sorry I believed it, but he knew about the stables and--"
"You don't need to explain," he assured her as he reached his horse. Daniel then paused and admitted, "I was angry at first that you would believe I would break it off so coldly in a letter, but when I read what he'd written about the stables--" He shook his head. "Of course you would believe it was me. We thought we were alone."
She nodded, but didn't comment. Suzette really didn't want to discuss the fact that Danvers had been watching them in the stables. She just didn't want to think about it. Between that and the cruel comments in the letter, Danvers had managed to tarnish the experience for her somewhat.
Daniel kissed her on the top of her head, careful to avoid her injury, and then asked, "Can you stand for a moment while I mount?"
"Yes," she murmured.
"Hold on to the horse," he instructed as he set her down.
Suzette leaned against the beast and watched as he mounted. He then helped her climb on to the animal's back as well.
"Just relax," Daniel suggested as he settled her before him. "You are safe and we will have you back at the inn and comfortable in no time."
Suzette nestled against his chest, trying to keep her head still to stave off the worst of the pain as he urged his mount to a canter.
The ride back to the inn probably didn't take long, though it seemed interminable to Suzette. All the jostling about had her head aching so badly she felt sure that if she'd had anything in her stomach she probably would have tossed it up by the time they arrived at the inn. Fortunately, they hadn't eaten since first setting out with Danvers, and that was long gone.
As they broke out of the woods and entered the courtyard Robert and Richard came rushing from the stables.
"Did you get him?" Daniel asked, drawing his horse to a halt.
"Danvers?" Richard asked with surprise, moving to take Lady Woodrow's mount by the bit as she reined in beside them with Lord Madison in the saddle behind her. "No. Was he not with Suzette and Lord Madison?"
Daniel shook his head. "He left them tied in the woods and was supposed to be headed here in search of a hack to carry them on to Gretna Green."
"We've seen no sign of him," Robert assured him, moving up to take the bit of his horse.
Daniel scowled, but then said, "Here, take Suzette."
He passed her down like a child and Robert released the horse and caught her to his chest at once. He then frowned as he looked her over and noted her head wound. "What happened to your head, Suzie? Did Danvers do this?"
"No, I hit it on a rock," she said wearily.
"It's my fault," her father said with disgust as he dismounted. He turned to help Lady Woodrow down, explaining, "I meant to knock Danvers off her, but they both went down and there was a boulder behind her. A damned big one too. I should have taken a look about before I rammed the man."
"What was Danvers doing 'on' her?" Daniel asked, taking her from Robert.
Suzette glanced to him with surprise. He sounded strange, his voice cold, angry and afraid all at once.
"He was choking her," her father answered in oddly reassuring tones and Suzette couldn't help noticing that all the men were suddenly relaxing a bit as if this answer were more acceptable than whatever they'd been thinking. That's when she realized they had all immediately assumed the man had been trying to ravish her.
Still, Richard asked, "Why the devil would he try to choke you? He couldn't marry a corpse."
"He took offense to something I said," Suzette answered primly.
"Or perhaps several somethings," her father muttered.
Much to Suzette's relief, Daniel didn't ask what she'd said and turned toward the inn with her. Heading for the door, he said, "I'll see her settled in a room and then come back. Danvers should have been here by now. We will have to search the woods."
Unsure whether they were staying or not, they hadn't rented rooms at the inn and had to tend that now. Even so, they were soon upstairs in a room and Daniel was setting her on a bed.
"We need to speak when I get back," Daniel said quietly, pressing a kiss to her nose before straightening. "But I need to go search for Danvers now."
"You need to remove your coat and shirt and let me look at your back," his mother countered, leading Christiana, Lisa and Cedrick Madison into the room. Christiana and Lisa carried water and cloths and bandages, while her father just looked bewildered as to why he was there.
"My back is fine," Daniel said grimly, turning toward his mother.
"What is wrong with your back?" Suzette asked with a frown.
"He was shot. That is why he didn't return to the inn as expected," Lady Woodrow announced.
"Shot?" Suzette gasped, looking Daniel over more carefully. She couldn't see his wound through his clothes, but he did look a little pale, not so much she would have guessed he'd been wounded though. The fact that he'd been shot explained why he hadn't returned as expected, however, and Suzette immediately wondered if Danvers had done it. He had shot his driver in the back after all. Apparently, the man didn't like to face the people he tried to kill. Well, except her: they'd been face to face when he'd tried to choke her.
"You are not leaving this room until I see your back, Daniel," Lady Woodrow said grimly. "You have been riding about and lifting Suzette up and down and I am sure it has probably reopened. Now strip."
When Daniel scowled and looked as if he were debating ignoring the order, she threatened, "I will send for Richard and Robert and have them hold you down while I tend it if I must."
"Oh very well," he snapped and began to shrug quickly out of his jacket.
Satisfied, Lady Woodrow then turned to Suzette's father. "What about you, my lord?"
Cedrick Madison stood a little straighter. "Me?"
"Did you sustain any injuries that need tending?"
"Oh no, I'm fine," he assured her quickly, sidling toward the door.
"Then why did I notice dried blood in your hair when you dismounted out front?" Lady Woodrow asked pointedly. "And why are you limping?"
"Oh, I just . . . the leg is an old injury. As for the head, well, I took a blow earlier," he admitted reluctan
tly, and quickly added, "But that was hours ago and I'm sure it's fine. I'll just--"
"Sit down and I shall take a look at it after I tend Daniel and Suzette," Lady Catherine ordered firmly.
Cedrick Madison sighed, his shoulders slumping, and then moved to sit in one of the chairs by the fire.
Suzette, Christiana and Lisa had been watching this all rather wide-eyed, but as Lady Woodrow moved to a now topless Daniel they all glanced at each other and suddenly burst out in grins. They had grown up pretty much without a mother, and really, Lady Catherine Woodrow was a revelation of sorts.
Chapter Seventeen
Suzette opened her eyes to a warm fire-lit room and glanced sleepily around, wondering where she was.
"Oh, you're awake."
The comment drew her gaze to a chair by the fireplace and the woman getting up from it. Daniel's mother. Lady Woodrow had tended Daniel's back and let him leave, with a firm admonishment to be careful, as he'd headed out to help Richard and Robert search the area for Danvers. She'd then tended Suzette's head wound, cleaning it but deciding it didn't need stitching, before giving her something absolutely vile to drink and telling her to sleep. Suzette had obediently lain down and closed her eyes as Lady Woodrow had moved on to tend to her father. She'd been sure she wouldn't sleep though. Her head had been pounding horribly. However, she had drifted off in the end, though she wasn't sure for how long.
"How are you feeling?" Lady Woodrow asked, pausing beside the bed and bending to press the back of her hand to Suzette's forehead. "You don't have a fever. Does your head hurt?"
Suzette shook her head slowly. "No. Thank you."
"Good." She nodded with satisfaction.
"Did they find Jeremy?" Suzette asked, glancing toward the door.
"You haven't been asleep very long. They are still looking," Lady Woodrow said and then grimaced. "I suspect they won't find him though. He must have spotted us at the inn and judging from that letter he sent supposedly from Daniel, he seems smart enough to go to ground like a fox in the hunt. I'm sure it's not the last we'll see of him though."
"The letter? You read it?" Suzette asked weakly, her stomach turning over when the woman nodded.
Lady Woodrow considered her expression, and then settled on the side of the bed and took one of her hands in her own. "That letter was meant to make you feel shame, but you shouldn't."