ready for bed.”
“But I have to find Dicky’s strawberry,” Christiana protested, trying ineffectually to stop Grace as she began to undo her lacings.
“Darling child, don’t you worry about Dicky anymore. He’s dead remember?”
“Actually, he’s not,” Lisa said unhappily and the words stopped Grace’s cold where Christiana’s efforts had failed.
“Of course he is. He’s—”
“Alive and well and showed up at the ball,” Suzette interrupted.
“No,” Grace said with certainty and immediately strode across the room to the connecting door to the master chamber. She opened it, peered inside, and then slammed it quickly closed and whirled to them with horror on her face, “How?”
“A deal with the devil,” Christiana answered morosely. “Now I have to get him naked. He should of stayed dead don’t you think? The King should make a law, if you’re dead, you stay dead. It’s entirely too upsetting for dead husbands to show up at balls and spoil them like that . . . and then I wouldn’t have to shee his bare bottom.”
Grace stared at her blankly for a moment, and then shook her head and moved back to her side. “All right, you girls get yourselves to bed. I’ll see my lady into bed.”
“Oh, but I don’t want to go to bed. I might fall asleep and miss Dicky’s strawberry.”
“Yes, yes,” Grace interrupted soothingly, urging her to her feet and quickly finishing undoing her gown. “You want to see Dicky’s bottom. But he’s not here right now, is he? So we’ll just get you ready for bed. You can see his bottom whether you’re wearing a dress or nightgown, can’t you?”
“I suppose,” Christiana muttered.
“Go on, you two. I can handle this,” Grace insisted, drawing Christiana’s attention to the fact that her sisters were still there. Despite the maid’s words, the two women seemed reluctant to leave and Christiana wondered if they wanted to stay and help her get a look at Dicky’s bottom.
“I think they’re gone,” Richard whispered when silence reigned in the hall for several minutes. “We’d best move while we have the chance. Once they have Christiana in bed, the girls will no doubt seek their own rooms and this could be one of them.”
Daniel grunted agreement and eased the door open to check the hall. Apparently finding it empty, he stepped back and pulled the door wide for Richard to carry his burden out of the room. He didn’t get far. Richard had barely stepped out the door when another one along the hall opened. He immediately whirled back to the room to return inside, but Daniel apparently hadn’t heard the sound, wasn’t aware of the threat of discovery, and blocked his way, still trying to exit the room.
More concerned about the body being seen than himself, Richard cursed and shoved George at Daniel, who had the wit to catch the blanket-wrapped body. He then pushed his friend back into the room with his burden. He pulled the door closed even as he whirled to face Christiana’s sisters, who had appeared outside the door to the room he thought was Christiana’s. The two women were looking back into the room, saying their good nights, and didn’t turn his way until he’d taken a couple of steps toward them. Both women paused, their smiles fading.
“Ladies,” he murmured, racking his brain for some way to delay the women from seeking their beds. Preferably something that would take them downstairs and give Daniel the chance to slip out of the house with George. The best he could come up with was, “Might I convince you both to join me in my office for a drink before you retire?”
“No, thank you,” Lisa said stiffly as they approached. Suzette didn’t even bother with a refusal, she merely snorted with disgust as she started past him, heading for the door to the room he’d just exited.
“I need to talk to you,” he said desperately, catching at Suzette’s arm to bring her to a halt. When she turned angry eyes his way and glared
“But I have to find Dicky’s strawberry,” Christiana protested, trying ineffectually to stop Grace as she began to undo her lacings.
“Darling child, don’t you worry about Dicky anymore. He’s dead remember?”
“Actually, he’s not,” Lisa said unhappily and the words stopped Grace’s cold where Christiana’s efforts had failed.
“Of course he is. He’s—”
“Alive and well and showed up at the ball,” Suzette interrupted.
“No,” Grace said with certainty and immediately strode across the room to the connecting door to the master chamber. She opened it, peered inside, and then slammed it quickly closed and whirled to them with horror on her face, “How?”
“A deal with the devil,” Christiana answered morosely. “Now I have to get him naked. He should of stayed dead don’t you think? The King should make a law, if you’re dead, you stay dead. It’s entirely too upsetting for dead husbands to show up at balls and spoil them like that . . . and then I wouldn’t have to shee his bare bottom.”
Grace stared at her blankly for a moment, and then shook her head and moved back to her side. “All right, you girls get yourselves to bed. I’ll see my lady into bed.”
“Oh, but I don’t want to go to bed. I might fall asleep and miss Dicky’s strawberry.”
“Yes, yes,” Grace interrupted soothingly, urging her to her feet and quickly finishing undoing her gown. “You want to see Dicky’s bottom. But he’s not here right now, is he? So we’ll just get you ready for bed. You can see his bottom whether you’re wearing a dress or nightgown, can’t you?”
“I suppose,” Christiana muttered.
“Go on, you two. I can handle this,” Grace insisted, drawing Christiana’s attention to the fact that her sisters were still there. Despite the maid’s words, the two women seemed reluctant to leave and Christiana wondered if they wanted to stay and help her get a look at Dicky’s bottom.
“I think they’re gone,” Richard whispered when silence reigned in the hall for several minutes. “We’d best move while we have the chance. Once they have Christiana in bed, the girls will no doubt seek their own rooms and this could be one of them.”
Daniel grunted agreement and eased the door open to check the hall. Apparently finding it empty, he stepped back and pulled the door wide for Richard to carry his burden out of the room. He didn’t get far. Richard had barely stepped out the door when another one along the hall opened. He immediately whirled back to the room to return inside, but Daniel apparently hadn’t heard the sound, wasn’t aware of the threat of discovery, and blocked his way, still trying to exit the room.
More concerned about the body being seen than himself, Richard cursed and shoved George at Daniel, who had the wit to catch the blanket-wrapped body. He then pushed his friend back into the room with his burden. He pulled the door closed even as he whirled to face Christiana’s sisters, who had appeared outside the door to the room he thought was Christiana’s. The two women were looking back into the room, saying their good nights, and didn’t turn his way until he’d taken a couple of steps toward them. Both women paused, their smiles fading.
“Ladies,” he murmured, racking his brain for some way to delay the women from seeking their beds. Preferably something that would take them downstairs and give Daniel the chance to slip out of the house with George. The best he could come up with was, “Might I convince you both to join me in my office for a drink before you retire?”
“No, thank you,” Lisa said stiffly as they approached. Suzette didn’t even bother with a refusal, she merely snorted with disgust as she started past him, heading for the door to the room he’d just exited.
“I need to talk to you,” he said desperately, catching at Suzette’s arm to bring her to a halt. When she turned angry eyes his way and glared
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