he murmured, his arms tight about me. “I should sooner blame myself. No, my sweet life, on Thursday next I shall kiss every one of those bruises, do my best to help you to forget there has ever been anyone else there but me.” I had to believe him, and the thought of it thrilled me, sent shivers of desire through me. “This changes nothing between us, unless it’s altered you.”

I shook my head, pulled him down again for another kiss, and then I rested my forehead on his shoulder, dizzy with relief. “Some men might—oh, I don’t know. Only you didn’t seem to want to touch me.”

“I was too angry, too horrified. Why anyone should want to do that to a woman passes my understanding, much more so because it was you.” He kissed the top of my head. “Though I must say I hadn’t thought of vomit as a weapon before.”

I laughed, despite the memory of that vile room and its owner, and he smiled at me. “Come, that’s better. Don’t let it defeat you, think ahead. On Monday we kill someone, and on Thursday we marry.”

Said like that it seemed unreal, both events so removed from normal existence. I felt lighter, as if a burden had gone from me. I remembered my friend who had shared the ordeal with me. “Do you know how Tom is?”

“His father took him home and said he would put him straight to bed. From what you’ve said he took quite a beating, but he’ll recover.”

“He’s promised to dance at my wedding,” I said quietly, almost to myself. I hadn’t told Richard that part—what Tom had said in that little room. I don’t even know if I believed it myself now, after so much had happened to us.

He pushed me gently down into my chair again and sat opposite me. “I should never have taken the Cawntons. And that reminds me—” He reached into his pocket and brought out my betrothal ring. He leaned forward to slip it back on my finger, smiled, kissed my hand and leaned back once more.

I looked at the ring and felt all was right again, back in its place, while Richard told me something of his experience. “When the Cawntons came to see us, we didn’t want to believe it at first. They showed us your ring, and Tom’s fob, and explained it was purely business and no harm would come to you if their demands were met. It was too good to be true—Cawnton came to the house with only his brother for company, trusting in our positions as gentlemen.” He gave a sharp laugh. “Idiots. So we took them. When I talked to him he seemed a reasonable man, and I have every hope with Terry out of the way, he’ll manage matters much better, with far less violence. He knows what happened to the Hawkhurst gang when they became too violent—” He saw my frown. “No? Well, they found themselves a new leader, and he turned out a brute, ruling by terror, so the authorities found they couldn’t ignore him any more. The gang was crushed inside six months.”

“Were you—Thompson’s involved in any way?”

“Us? No—well, perhaps in a small way.” He laughed shortly. “I try not to interfere unless I’m asked. Thompson’s may have been in a position to provide the authorities with some information, that’s all. But Cawnton knew about it, and he’s seen sense. It’s the best we can hope for until the business of smuggling is dealt with in Parliament. From your description, Terry seems much more unreasonable. My only excuse is I didn’t know how unreasonable he was, how arrogant he had become.”

“Did you know he was involved, then?”

“I had enquiries in train when you were taken. He has quite a few Thompson’s men in his household, so getting information was easy.” He paused. “His wife has delusions of grandeur, of moving in high society. That can be expensive, and may be what drove him to the easy profits he could make from smuggling.”

“I don’t think so, or not entirely. He thrives on power, on control. It must have been pleasant for him to know he controlled the supply of so many things to people. Whether they knew it or not they were beholden to him.”

There was a knock on the door and Lizzie came in. She paused on the threshold as she saw us, and to my surprise, she burst out laughing. “You look like an old married couple, sitting discussing the day’s events. Where’s the maid?”

Richard grinned. “I sent her away.” He got up to offer Lizzie his seat. She declined and sat on the sofa at the foot of the bed, so he resumed his seat. “I needed a private word with Rose.”

Lizzie looked at him sharply. “More plans, sir? You’re as full of plots as our garden these days.”

He laughed. It was good to hear. “It’s my nature.”

“I only came to see how you were,” Lizzie said to me, “but you look much better.”

“You saw me last night?” I couldn’t remember.

She nodded before she shot Richard another look. “Yes, I’ve seen the marks,” he said. “Rose showed me.”

Lizzie’s face settled into unaccustomed, stern lines. “Martha and I saw them, but nobody else.”

I shrugged. “I’m fine. Only bruises. And no.”

I answered her unspoken question and her face relaxed when she understood. I hadn’t been raped. “I helped to put you to bed. Strang said you had slept most of the way home, and you were so pale. And where did you get those dreadful clothes?”

“I was sick on my brown riding habit,” I told her bluntly.

Richard smiled. “It’s about the only good to come out of