“You love him,” Lisa said quietly. “I know you. You have probably been telling yourself it was just convenience, and handy that the two of you had needs that fit each other, one needing a bride with a dower, the other needing a husband in need of a dower . . .” She shook her head. “But your eyes lit up every time he walked into the room and you hung on his every word. And the passion you felt and shared with him . . .” She shrugged. “That is love. You do love him.”

“For all the good it does me,” she muttered with disgust.

“Oh,” Lisa hugged her tightly. “I felt sure he loved you too, Suzette. Maybe he is just afraid—or something. Maybe—”

“Maybe my loose behavior disgusted him,” she said dryly. “Maybe he fears I am like this with every man.”

“Oh, I am sure that is not true,” she said, her expression troubled. “He would have to know it was your first time. The streams of blood and horrible pain would have—”

“There were no streams of blood or horrible pain,” Suzette said unhappily. “In fact, there was hardly any pain. A little pinch perhaps, and an uncomfortable stretching sensation and that is all. As for streams of blood . . .” She shook her head. In truth, she wasn’t sure if there had been any blood at all. It had been dark in the stables. Certainly there hadn’t been streams of it. That would have been noticeable.

“Oh.” Lisa bit her lip. “It was your first time?”

Her head snapped up, eyes stabbing her sister.

“Of course it was,” Lisa backtracked at once, and then said, “Well, Fanny must have been wrong then. Or perhaps it is different for everyone.”

Suzette shook her head with disgust. “If you, who have known me all my life and know I have not been keeping company with men before this, doubts me, why would he not? He probably thinks I have been with half the royal navy.”

“Why would he think that? We live nowhere near the coast,” Lisa said with confusion.

Suzette glared at her and then shifted to get off the bed, crawling around her to do so.

“Where are you going?” Lisa asked, standing up.

“For a walk.”

“But I was going to read to you to cheer you up,” Lisa protested.

“I don’t want to be read to,” Suzette said grimly as she slipped her shoes on.

“I could tell you a story,” Lisa offered.

“No.”

“I could sing, or—”

“I want to be alone,” Suzette said impatiently, heading for the door. She just wanted out of there. She didn’t want Lisa’s pitying looks or attempts to cheer her. She wanted to be alone to consider what to do. If there was anything to do. Of course, there were things she had to do. She still had to marry to save them all from scandal. Here she was, just a day’s travel away from Gretna Green, where she would need to wed, but with no prospective grooms around to marry. If Daniel hadn’t wished to wed her, the least he could have done was say so days ago in London, where she could have found someone else. Now she was far away from the bachelors she had to choose from. What a bloody mess.