Richard scowled at her for another moment, but then took the letter and peered at the broken seal.

“A young boy gave it to Lisa this morning saying it was for the Earl. She got distracted and forgot to give it to you and I opened it in the carriage just a few minutes ago. I thought it was probably for George, but it’s for you.”

Eyebrows rising, he opened the letter and began to read.

“What is it?” Daniel asked as he reached them.

“Blackmail,” Suzette answered, stepping down from the carriage and moving to his side. “Someone knows what George did and that he’s dead. They actually think Richard killed him to get back his name and position and is threatening to reveal all if he isn’t paid a good sum of money.”

“I see. Then Christiana explained—?” Daniel began, but Suzette cut him off grimly.

“Yes, she explained everything. Something that you, as my soon-to-be-husband, surely should have done before this, don’t you think, Woodrow?

Husbands and wives really shouldn’t have such secrets, should they?”

Christiana bit her lip at Suzette’s tone and the use of Daniel ’s last name. It was a good indicator that Suzette wasn’t pleased. Daniel seemed to realize that, but merely shrugged and said solemnly, “It wasn’t my secret to tell.”

Suzette hrrumphed and glanced to Richard as he closed the letter again.

“We need to get back to the city at once,” he announced.

“But—” Christiana said, and then gasped in surprise as he caught her elbow to urge her toward the Radnor carriage.

“I only have until the day after tomorrow to get the money together and will receive another message telling me where to leave it then,” he said. “We have to go.”

“No, wait,” Christiana said breathlessly, forced to run to keep up with him.

“Surely you aren’t going to pay the blackmail?” Daniel asked, falling into step on her other side.

“I hope not. That’s why I want to get back at once. We need to try to sort out who it could be. But if we don’t figure it out, I will pay rather than risk the scandal damaging the girls.”

“But—” Christiana tried again, only to gasp in surprise as they reached the carriage and he caught her by the waist and lifted her in. Once on her feet on the floor of the carriage, however, she whirled and blocked his entrance. “Dammit, husband, listen to me.”

Richard stopped at once, eyes wide and mouth round with surprise. Daniel too was rather agape. However, Suzette and Lisa were both biting their lips to keep from smiling and Robert was grinning like an idiot.

“There she is,” he said with a grin. “That’s the take-no-nonsense Chrissy I grew up with.” Expression turning solemn, he added, “You disappeared after marrying Dicky, and that worried me more than anything else.”

“Me too,” Suzette announced. “I couldn’t believe it when you let Dicky treat you as he did. If one of us had tried it with you, you would have slapped us silly.”