“Instead you’ll wait and kill us both after you have married her,” Lord Madison said dryly.

Jeremy’s expression closed, and then he said, “Don’t be ridiculous. I have no desire to kill either of you. I just want to marry Suzette. Once that is done, I shall cut you free, my lord. I shall even allow Suzette to live with you if she prefers and keep the marriage in name only once it’s consummated and cannot be annulled.”

Suzette didn’t believe him for a minute. He would have to kill them both. Consummated or not, the marriage could still be overturned if she went to the authorities and told them she’d been forced to it. Jeremy couldn’t risk letting them live.

“Are you really so stupid you think we would believe that?” she asked dryly. “If so, you have even less sense than I first thought.”

“You thought I had little sense, did you?” he asked, appearing more amused than offended. “And yet you agreed to marry me.”

“My lord, I only agreed to marry you because I was desperate. No woman would agree otherwise,” she assured him.

Jeremy ground his teeth and growled, “If Dicky weren’t already dead, I think I’d kill him myself for saddling me with you.”

Suzette wasn’t terribly surprised he knew Dicky was dead. She merely shrugged and said, “You would have been standing in line, many wanted him dead.” She then smiled and added, “I’m certain just as many would like to see you dead as well. I’m sure one of them will succeed eventually and you’ll get your comeuppance.”

Jeremy’s eyes narrowed with dislike. “I’m starting to think even your sizable dowry isn’t worth having to put up with your sharp tongue for any length of time.”

“But then the plan has always been that you wouldn’t have to put up with her long, wasn’t it?” her father said sharply.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jeremy muttered, his gaze turning back to the road.

“Although I suppose that wasn’t exactly the original plan, was it?” her father corrected himself grimly. “Originally, it was supposed to be all three of my girls tricked into marriage through my supposed gaming. They were to be wedded, bedded and then dead. But I would have been left alive to mourn the loss while you, Dicky and some third man enjoyed their dowers.”