Suzette hesitated. Her heart was already broken, the worst that could come of their returning was more humiliation and while just moments ago she would have done almost anything to avoid that, her father’s words had given her hope. If there was even the slightest possibility that Daniel hadn’t written that letter . . . Surely it was a possibility? She’d never seen his handwriting before, and someone could have seen them in the stables and perhaps known about that.

Swallowing, she gave a small nod.

“That’s my brave girl.” Her father patted her hand and started to turn to Danvers. “Stop the—”

Suzette had been staring at her hands, but when his words died abruptly and Lord Madison suddenly slumped against her, she glanced to him with alarm.

“Father?” Suzette caught him as he started to slide toward the floor of the carriage and then glanced to Danvers to see that he was holding her father’s cane by the bottom so that the iron handle could be used as a club, which he had obviously used on her father. At her glance, Jeremy smiled coldly and shrugged, allowing it to slip through his fingers until he was grasping the handle. He set it on the bench seat beside him now and drew a pistol.

“We will not be stopping,” he said solemnly. “And you are marrying me.”

“Not bloody likely,” Suzette snapped at once, easing her father to rest in the corner of the carriage seat so that he slumped against the wall.

“You should have said something like, ‘Over my dead body,’ ” Jeremy said idly. “Then I could have replied, ‘No, over his dead body.’ Because I will kill your father if you don’t.”

Suzette stared at him, wondering where all that gentle charm had come from and where it had gone. It was like facing an entirely different man. Was it so easy to pull the wool over her eyes? Apparently so, she thought unhappily and opened her mouth; but before she could speak, Jeremy forestalled her by saying, “Please don’t say anything as droll as, “You can’t do this.” He grimaced and pointed out, “I already have. Now use his cravat and tie him up,” he ordered coldly. “Tightly, mind. I should hate for him to get loose and get himself shot before the wedding.”

Daniel raised his eyebrows in question as Richard hurried back across the inn yard toward the carriage. Rather than waste the time involved in everyone getting out at each stop, one person did it. Richard and Robert had been taking turns at it to save Daniel from aggravating his injury.

“No sign of them?” he asked as Richard neared.