“We should ask them,” Richard murmured and turned toward the doors. His eyebrows rose when he saw Suzette and Lisa there, but no sign of his wife. “Where—”

“Father wished to speak to Christiana. They have stepped out into the garden,” Suzette explained.

Richard glanced past them toward the yard, and then swung back to the room as the office door opened.

Suzette leaned to the side a bit to see that Haversham had returned. The butler entered stiffly, leading two men into the room. The red vests the men wore announced that they were Bow Street runners.

“Oh dear,” Lisa said suddenly. “I don’t think I can stay here.”

Suzette glanced to her sister with surprise, but then realized it wasn’t the arrival of the authorities that had so overset her, but despite her assurance that she just wouldn’t look at the dead man on the floor, Lisa was now staring at him transfixed, her face paling by the minute.

“Come,” Suzette said with a sigh. “We can wait in the parlor while the runners sort this out.”

“Thank you,” Lisa whispered gratefully, as Suzette ushered her quickly around the men and toward the door.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

You don’t have to stay with me. I’ll be fine by myself if you want to rejoin the others.”

Suzette glanced to Lisa and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. The Bow Street runners are probably asking a thousand stupid questions and doing . . . whatever they do,” she said, waving a hand vaguely.

“Hopefully removing the body is one of those ‘whatever they do’s,’ ” Lisa said wryly.

“I’m sure it is,” Suzette reassured her. “Or they’ll bring in whoever does or tell Richard so he can. They certainly won’t just leave the body lying about here forever.”

Lisa grimaced at the very idea, and sighed. “I do wish I was not so squeamish about such things.”

Suzette shrugged idly as she paced to the window and glanced out. “Everyone has their flaws, and as they go, yours is not so bad. It isn’t often you run into blood. Imagine if you fainted at the sight of pastries or something.”

Lisa chuckled at the ridiculous idea as she’d intended, but then they both fell silent and glanced toward the door as it burst open and Daniel hurried in. Robert was on his heels, but Suzette’s attention was on Daniel as he hurried across the room. The man was looking very pleased.

“It’s done, they’ve gone,” he announced as he paused before her and reached to pull her into his arms.