Radnor shook his head, his expression grim, and Daniel glanced to the carriage stopped behind their own in time to see his mother withdraw her head from the open door and close it. She had heard Richard’s answer too and was now no doubt telling Lisa and Christiana the news.

After the first hour, their party had been stopping at each inn so that they could check to see if Danvers’s carriage had perhaps been there and might be still. They had expected him to stop for meals or to allow everyone to stretch their legs and relieve themselves. Even if he had decided to drive straight through, the man would have to stop eventually, if only to change horses. However, it appeared he hadn’t stopped so far.

“I begin to suspect he isn’t going to stop at all and we are wasting time stopping at each inn we pass,” Daniel admitted grimly as Richard climbed into the carriage.

“Hmm,” Robert muttered with disgust. “If he shot you and wrote the letter Suzette received, then he’ll no doubt be eager to get her to Gretna Green and get the deed done before anything can interfere.”

Daniel sank back on the bench seat to peer at Robert and Richard across from him, then said, “Maybe we should stop checking each inn. We are wasting a lot of time, and even if they do stop and we pass them, it can only be to our benefit to arrive at Gretna before them. We could lie in wait then.”

He waited for both men to nod their agreement before giving these instructions to his driver.

Suzette breathed out a little sigh of relief as she saw her father’s eyes flutter. He had been unconscious for so long, she had begun to fret that Danvers had hit him so hard he might never wake again. But he was coming around . . . and now she could carry out the plan she’d come up with while waiting for him to regain consciousness.

Danvers had put his gun away the moment she’d finished tying up her father. Suzette supposed he didn’t feel threatened by her enough to bother keeping it out. Whatever the case, he was twiddling his thumbs again and staring out the window into the darkness blanketing the countryside.

“We shall have to stop at the next inn,” she announced coldly. “I need to use the facilities.”

Danvers glanced at her with disinterest, and then turned back to the window. “No.”

“I need to relieve myself,” she insisted pointedly.

Jeremy merely shrugged. “Then you had best get used to a damp dress, because we are not stopping.”

Suzette narrowed her eyes grimly. She had half expected this answer and come up with a contingency plan should it happen. She carried it through now and got up from her seat.