However, he didn’t, though the carriage rocked under the abrupt shift of their combined weight, and Daniel was forced to pause for a moment, knees bent and Suzette caught to his chest as he crouched in the center of the carriage. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, however, since he was unsure about what to do next. She was half naked with her gown around her waist and her skirt up around her thighs as she hugged him with both arms and legs. And he wasn’t exactly properly dressed either without his cravat and both his vest and coat hanging open. They couldn’t get out of the carriage like that, but they couldn’t stay inside either. It was only pure good luck that Suzette hadn’t yet seen the blanket-wrapped body.

“Where to, my lord?” his driver called out suddenly, apparently stirred awake by the violent movement of the carriage.

“Brilliant,” Daniel muttered. The man apparently hadn’t awakened to any of the earlier movements of the carriage, but chose now to rouse from his slumber. Exactly when Daniel would have preferred he remain asleep.

“Aren’t you going to tell him?” Suzette asked, trying to raise her head.

“Tell him what?” Daniel asked, tightening his hold to keep her from being able to look around.

“To head for Gretna Green.” Suzette’s answer came muffled by his chest.

Daniel glanced down at her sharply, but the hold he had on her allowed him to see only the top of her head.

“Is that not what you planned when you hustled me into the carriage?” she asked when he didn’t immediately answer.

Daniel closed his eyes on a sigh as he recalled her happy, “There is nothing to be sorry for, my lord. I too am eager and can’t wait,” as she’d peppered his face with kisses. She’d thought he was rushing them off to Gretna, he realized and muttered another, “Brilliant.”

“Daniel?” Suzette asked, trying to raise her head again and this time nearly managing it.

“My lord?” his driver asked at almost the same moment.

Growling under his breath, Daniel turned to the door. He risked removing the hand from her back and quickly worked the handle to open the door, he then pressed her head close to his chest again and leapt out of the carriage with her clinging to him like a monkey on a tree. By some grace of God he managed to get them out without banging either her head or legs on the way. Daniel then moved his hand from her head to her back to press her chest tightly against his to hide her bare breasts and started for the house at a quick clip.