Christiana sighed and merely shook her head. Now was not the time to explain that she hadn’t lost this side of herself right away on marriage, that George had beat it out of her with insults and criticisms until she’d no longer had the confidence to stand up for herself. Instead, she turned her attention back to Richard. “We need to see to your brother before we head back,” she said reasonably. “It seems silly to have come all this way and not at least do that. Besides, we really can’t keep him any longer. All the ice in London is not going to keep his presence hidden much longer.”

Richard glanced toward the carriage roof and the chest there, and then sighed and nodded. “Yes, of course. We should . . . er . . .” He hesitated, and then called the driver over. The man had moved around to the front of the horses to examine the beasts, but came at once and Richard ordered him to drive the carriage around the house to the family chapel. When he then started into the carriage, Christiana backed out of the way to allow it. She settled on a bench seat, squeezing up into the corner to make room as Richard sat beside her. The others climbed in after to join them.

It was rather cramped with the six of them in the cab, but no one complained and the carriage set off the moment Langley pulled the door closed. It was a quick ride around the house, thank goodness, and the moment the carriage stopped they all piled out.

The men lifted down the chest and then Richard paused to order the driver to take the carriage to the stables and change the horses for another journey. When the carriage started away, Daniel and Richard each lifted one end of the chest and carried it around behind the chapel. Christiana and the others followed, walking silently until they reached the family vault, a small , low stone building. Robert then rushed ahead to open the door, revealing steps descending down into darkness.

“We should have thought to bring a torch,” Daniel muttered, peering down the steps.

“We won’t go far from the door,” Richard decided as they started down the steps. “I’ll have him moved to a proper casket later.”

Christiana followed Robert down the steps, aware that Suzette and Lisa were on her heels. Her nose wrinkled as she glanced around the dark interior once they reached the bottom step. The weak early evening light cast a pale square on the floor, but it didn’t light up much more than that. Judging by the smells assaulting her, Christiana suspected that might be a good thing. Her imagination was supplying gruesome enough images of rotten, collapsing coffins and ravaged corpses. She didn’t need to see the real thing.

“We’ll put him here,” Richard said directing Daniel to the very edge of the square of light coming through the doors. The two men set the chest down and immediately turned to head back out, but paused on seeing the others.