“No, of course not, and neither does Christiana,” Lisa said at once, hurrying the last few feet to sit on the bed next to her. “You ordered her from the room before she could say anything. She isn’t angry with you. She understands. You love Daniel and wanted to express that physically. It’s natural.”

“I don’t love him,” Suzette muttered.

Lisa looked at her with patent disbelief. “Suzette, you have been following the man around like a puppy for days now. And if you do not love him, you are certainly doing a very good impression of heartbreak.”

Frowning, Suzette lowered her head. She was sure she didn’t love him. She couldn’t. And yet the pain when she’d read the letter, the ache in her chest just at the thought of never seeing him again, the anguish as she’d wept . . .

“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.