The Countess (7 page)

“What are you two talking about?” Lisa asked impatiently, concern tautening her expression.

“Nothing you need worry about,” Christiana assured her, beginning to lead the way out of the ballroom. “Just something I need to check with Dicky about.”

Chapter Five

T
he window is open. That’s a bit of good luck.”

Richard stopped climbing at Daniel’s murmured comment and peered toward the window in question. It had taken some poking about, but after climbing several trees and checking the windows of several rooms, they’d deduced this was the master bedroom. At least they hoped it was. Richard didn’t have a clue. His own townhouse had burned to the ground in the fire that was supposed to have killed him, and he didn’t know the layout of this new one George had purchased afterward.

“They probably left it open to keep the body cool,” he said as he continued to climb, pulling himself up branch after branch until he reached the large thick one that stretched toward the open window.

“Do you see anyone in there?” Daniel asked as he joined him on the branch a moment later.

“There’s someone in the bed,” Richard muttered, craning his neck in an effort to see as much of the room as he could. “But I don’t see anyone else.”

“Is it George in the bed?”

“I can’t see him well enough to be sure from here, but who else would it be? The girls are at the ball and the servants would hardly be sleeping in the upper chambers.”

Daniel grunted and then asked hopefully, “I don’t suppose you can tell if he really is dead then?”

“No,” Richard said with exasperation and began to ease his way further out along the branch, wishing that he’d thought to change before trying this. Aside from the fact that his clothing kept catching on branches, he feared his white shirt would be very visible to anyone who happened to glance their way in passing. The thought was enough to make him use more speed than caution getting to the window and he nearly paid for his haste with a tumble from the tree. Fortunately, Daniel reached out quickly to steady him when his knee slipped off the branch, catching him by the back of his breeches and unfortunately, yanking them up his backside in a most uncomfortable manner.

“While I appreciate the aid, please release my breeches,” Richard said finally once he was sure of his position.

Daniel chuckled in response, but released his hold. “We’d best get out of this tree before we’re seen.”

Since that’s what he’d been trying to do, Richard merely grunted and scooted along the branch as fast as he dared. After one last quick glance inside to be sure no one had yet entered, he swung himself over the ledge and into the room. Aware that Daniel was following, Richard straightened to move swiftly out of the way and suddenly found himself standing at the bedside, staring down at its occupant. It was like looking into a mirror, Richard thought, except of course that he wasn’t wet and gray with death like his brother.

“I’d say he’s definitely dead,” Daniel murmured coming up beside him. “Other than that he looks healthy enough though. He hasn’t gained weight or become dissipated since I last saw him. I wonder what killed him?”

Richard shook his head. He had no idea and was too troubled by an unexpected surge of emotion to consider the question. This was not the reunion he’d expected tonight, and while part of him felt cheated of the confrontation he’d intended, another part seemed to actually be experiencing some grief for the loss of his twin. While George had proven himself a bastard with his efforts to have Richard killed so that he could take his title and lands, they hadn’t always been enemies. As young children they had been close friends. It was only once George had grown old enough to understand that he was somehow considered less simply because he hadn’t fought his way out of their mother’s womb first that he’d grown bitter and allowed jealousy to twist his thoughts.

Even so, the man had been the last family member Richard had. Their father had been an only son and their mother had lost her family in a house fire while still a child. That was how George had got away with his plans. There had been no family members to recognize the trick, and he’d apparently kept his distance from the few good friends Richard had made over the years. Everyone had assumed he was grieving the supposed loss of his twin, George, and had left him alone to sort it out. Including Daniel, until he’d received Richard’s letter. And thank God for Daniel. Without him Richard would still be in America.

“How the devil are we going to get him out of here?”

Richard blinked at the question and then turned to peer toward the window and the tree beyond it.

“Oh, no,” Daniel said at once. “There is no way we are going back down that tree dragging George’s corpse between us.”

Richard ran a hand through his hair as he turned back to peer at George. “I guess we’ll have to take him down the stairs then.”

“And just how are we to manage that without getting caught?”

“Most of the servants are probably abed by now,” Richard pointed out. “If we are quick we should manage it all right.”

“Right,” Daniel said dryly.

“Come on.” Richard moved to the top of the bed. “The sooner it’s done the better.”

Richard bent to slip his hands under his brother’s armpits, intending to sit him up, but the action put his face close to George’s and he paused.

“What is it?” Daniel asked, at his side at once.

Richard straightened and stepped back. “See if you smell anything by his mouth.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, and then bent to inhale close to George’s mouth. “Whiskey,” he said at once and then frowned and added, “And bitter almonds?” He now straightened slowly and turned a frown on Richard. “Poison?”

“That was my first thought,” Richard admitted grimly.

Daniel blew out a low whistle. “Murder. That’s a wrinkle I hadn’t expected. Although I guess I should have. We know you aren’t the only one he has crossed.”

“No. He crossed Christiana, and poison is a woman’s trick,” Richard said grimly. “A man would have met him at dawn with swords or pistols.”

“Now don’t go hanging the poor woman already,” Daniel cautioned. “I don’t think George would have agreed to a duel. Or he may have agreed, but then he would have sent riffraff out to kill his challenger in his bed. He wasn’t the sort to risk his own hide and he had no honor to speak of.” He shook his head. “George also didn’t much leave the house from what I was able to learn tonight. Poison may have been the only way to ensure he died. Besides, I just don’t see Lady Christiana poisoning him.”

Richard peered at him curiously. “Why are you so quick to defend her?”

“I like her,” Daniel said with a shrug.

“You do not know the woman. You didn’t even speak to her,” Richard pointed out with exasperation.

“I talked to her sisters though,” Daniel argued at once. “And they were both lovely young women. I’m sure she is too. They grew up in the same family.”

“So did George and I,” Richard pointed out dryly.

Daniel frowned. “Good point.”

Richard shook his head with disgust. “Come on, we need to get him moved. We can worry about who killed him after we have him safely away.”

Richard moved back to try to shift George into a sitting position, but paused with a curse when he found the man stiff as a board.

“Hmmm, he’s been dead a while,” Daniel pointed out quietly.

“Right.” Richard scowled at George as if he were deliberately being difficult and then said, “You take his feet, I’ll take his shoulders.”

Daniel nodded and moved to take the man’s feet so that they could heft him off the bed.

They had both seen the ice packed around the body, but neither had considered that some of it must have melted until water began to drip from George’s sopping clothes in a steady stream.

“Back, back, back,” Richard said sharply, quickly hefting his end back over the bed.

“Damn,” Daniel breathed as they released their burden. “We will leave a trail of water through the house taking him as he is.”

Richard scowled briefly, but then stepped back up to the bed and began to work his brother’s frock coat off his shoulders. It appeared the women had dumped him in the bed without making any effort to undress him. “Find a dry blanket.”

“Where?” Daniel asked, glancing around the room.

“Try that chest at the foot of the bed,” Richard suggested as he finally freed the jacket and tossed the sodden cloth to the floor.

“Got it,” Daniel announced a moment later and reappeared at his side. He slung the blanket over his shoulder, leaving his hands free to help finish undressing George. Once they had him naked, Daniel laid the blanket out on the floor and they quickly shifted George from the bed to the blanket. This time he only dripped a little.

“I think your bed is ruined,” Daniel said wryly as they straightened from rolling George up in the blanket.

Richard glanced to the bed. The mattress was swollen with water and likely to grow more so as the remaining ice melted. Not that he particularly wanted to sleep on a mattress his dead brother had occupied anyway.

They lifted George up together, each taking an end of the blanket and then moved quickly to the door with their burden. Richard then set down his end to open the door, only to discover it was locked.

“Probably to keep the servants out,” Daniel suggested quietly.

Richard grunted and glanced to a second door on the adjacent wall, this one leading to Christiana’s room, he suspected. Hopefully it wouldn’t be locked. He picked up his end again and nodded toward the door. “That way.”

Daniel immediately began to back across the room. Both of them sighed with relief when he set down his end, tried the doorknob and it turned. He then started to push the door open wide, but stopped abruptly and instead pulled it closed.

“What is it?”

“There’s a woman sleeping in a chair by the fire,” Daniel hissed.

Richard hesitated and then eased the end of George he was holding to the floor and moved over to ease the door open and look for himself. Sure enough, a middle-aged woman was slumped in a chair by the fire, snoring softly. Probably Christiana’s lady’s maid, Richard thought. Grimacing, he eased the door closed and briefly leaned his forehead against it.

“What do we do now?” Daniel asked.

Richard straightened and turned back to his blanket-wrapped brother. Bending, he caught the stiff body around the waist and lifted him. He then straightened, hefting George a little higher against his chest so that his feet didn’t hit the floor.

“Are you going to be able to carry him like that?” Daniel asked in a concerned whisper.

“I’ve been working a farm the last year, Daniel, I’ll be fine. And this will be faster than the two of us dragging him about. If we’re quick and quiet we should get through the room without waking the maid.” Richard wasn’t sure that was true, but he was hoping. Fortunately, Daniel didn’t argue the point, but helped him lift George even higher until he clasped him around the upper legs just below his bottom. It left Richard’s legs free to move without bumping into George every step. Once he was sure he had a good grip on George, he said, “You’ll have to get the doors.”

Daniel nodded and moved to the door to the connecting bedroom again. He eased it open just enough to peer inside, then apparently finding the maid still sleeping, he pulled it wide and gestured for him to hurry.

Richard took a deep breath and started forward at once with his burden. He didn’t breathe again, however, until they’d crossed the room and Daniel opened the door and ushered him out into the hall.

“Dear God, Richard, for a minute there I thought we were done for,” Daniel gasped once he had the door safely closed.

“Now we just have to make it out of the house,” Richard muttered, starting forward. He was eager to get out of the house before they encountered anyone else, and had just reached the stairs when the front door suddenly opened below. Heart stopping, he immediately backed up, crashing into an unsuspecting Daniel. Fortunately, the man kept his feet and quickly turned to get out of the way. The two scurried back up the hall until Daniel had the sense to try one of the doors. Finding it open, he waved Richard in with his burden and followed, then pulled the door closed and stood with his ear pressed to it.

Richard waited in the darkness, his brother’s blanket-wrapped body pressing to his chest, and finally asked, “Do you hear anything?”

“They’re talking,” Daniel whispered. “I think they’re still in the entry.”

Richard shifted closer, stepping up behind Daniel to better hear what was being said.

“I swear he was dead, Chrissy. He was growing cold when we left tonight.”

Christiana grimaced at Lisa’s distressed words, but concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, and merely muttered, “He must have made a deal with the devil to come back.”

“Hush, one of the servants will hear,” Suzette cautioned as she closed the front door. The words had barely left her lips when Haversham appeared at the end of the hall, hurrying toward them.

Christiana waved the man away. They didn’t need help. Besides she didn’t want him to witness her in this shape. Those drinks she’d had were rather having an effect now.

“Are you all right, Chrissy?” Suzette asked, taking her arm to steady her. “You are not at all steady on your feet.”

“I’m fine,” Christiana answered, but wasn’t all that sure she was. While she hadn’t noticed much amiss during the short ride home, when she’d risen to alight from the carriage, the world had suddenly tilted a bit and she’d nearly tumbled out of the contraption. Fortunately, the coachmen had been there to catch her arm and steady her much as Suzie was doing now.