felt for her into raw pain and savage rage, Sophy had wanted to offer comfort
and understanding. But the Earl had been beyond either. He had sought his solace
for a time on the Continent waging war under Wellington.
When he had returned, it was obvious that the Earl's emotions had long since
retreated to a cold, distant place somewhere inside himself. Now any passion or
warmth Ravenwood was capable of feeling appeared to be reserved for his land.
The black suited him well, Sophy decided. She had heard the stallion was called
Angel, and she found herself marveling at Ravenwood's sense of irony.
Angel was a creature of darkness meant for a man who lived in shadows. The man
who rode him seemed almost a part of the animal. Ravenwood was lean and
powerfully built. He was endowed with unfashionably large, strong hands, hands
that could easily have strangled an errant wife, just as the villagers said,
Sophy reflected briefly.
He needed no padding in his coat to emphasize the breadth of his shoulders. The
snug-fitting riding breeches clung to well-shaped, strongly muscled thighs.
But although he wore his clothes well, Sophy knew there was nothing the finest
tailor in London could have done to alleviate the uncompromising grimness of
Ravenwood's harsh features.
His hair was as black as his stallion's silky coat and his eyes were a deep,
gleaming green, a demon green, Sophy had sometimes thought. It was said the
Earls of Ravenwood were always born with eyes to match the family emeralds.
Sophy found Ravenwood's gaze disconcerting not only because of the color of his
eyes but because he had a way of looking at a person as if he were mentally
putting a price on that poor unfortunate's soul. Sophy wondered what his
lordship would do when he learned her price.
She reined in Dancer, pushed the plume of her riding hat out of her eyes and
summoned up what she hoped was a serenely gracious smile.
"Good afternoon, my lord. What a surprise to encounter you in the middle of the
woods."
The black stallion was brought to a shuddering halt a few feet away. Ravenwood
sat quietly for a moment, regarding Sophy's polite little smile. He did not
respond in kind.
"What, precisely, do you find surprising about this encounter, Miss Dorring?
This is, after all, my land. I knew you had gone to visit Old Bess and guessed
that you would be returning to Chesley Court along this route."
"How clever of you, my lord. An example of deductive logic, perhaps? I am a
great admirer of that sort of reasoning."
"You were well aware that we had business to conclude today. If you are as
intelligent as your grandparents appear to believe, you must also have known I
wanted that business settled this afternoon. No, on the whole I cannot accept
that there is any surprise in this meeting at all. In fact, I would almost be
willing to wager that it was deliberately planned."
Sophy's fingers clenched on the reins as the soft words burned into her.
Dancer's ears flicked in mild protest and she instantly relaxed her convulsive
grip. Bess was right. Ravenwood was not a man who could be easily led about with
a piece of string. Sophy knew she would have to be extraordinarily cautious.
"I was under the impression that my grandfather was conducting my business on my
behalf, as is proper," Sophy said. "Did he not give you my answer to your
offer?"
"He did." Ravenwood allowed his high-strung stallion to take a few prancing
steps closer to Dancer. "I chose not to accept it until I discussed the matter
with you, personally."
"Surely, my lord, that is not entirely correct. Or is that the manner in which
such things are handled in London these days?"
"It's the manner in which I wish to handle them with you. You are not a missish
little twit, Miss Dorring. Pray do not act like one. You can answer for
yourself. Tell me what the problem is and I will endeavor to see if it can be
resolved."
"Problem, my lord?"
His eyes took on a darker shade of green. "I would advise you not to toy with
me, Miss Dorring. I am not given to indulging women who try to make a fool of
me."
"I understand completely, my lord. And surely you can comprehend my reluctance
to tie myself to a man who is not given to indulging women in general, much less
those who try to make a fool of him."
Ravenwood's eyes narrowed. "Kindly explain yourself."
Sophy managed a faint shrug. Her hat tipped a bit farther forward under the
small movement. Automatically she reached up again to push aside the bobbing
plume.
"Very well, my lord, you force me to speak plainly. I do not believe you and I
share a similar understanding of how a marriage between us could be made to
work. I have tried to talk to you privately on the three occasions you have
called at Chesley Court during the past two weeks, but you seemed totally
uninterested in discussing matters with me. You treated the whole business as if
you were buying a new horse for your stables. I admit I was forced to resort to
drastic tactics today in order to get your attention."
Ravenwood stared at her with cold irritation. "So I was right in thinking you
are not surprised to encounter me here. Very well, you have my complete
attention, Miss Dorring. What is there you wish me to comprehend? It all seems
very straightforward to me."
"I know what you want from me," Sophy said. "It is quite obvious. But I do not
believe you have the least notion of what I want from you. Until you do
comprehend that and agree to my wishes in the matter, there is no possibility of
our marrying."
"Perhaps we ought to take this step by step," Ravenwood said. "What is it you
think I want from you?"
"An heir and no trouble."
Ravenwood blinked with a deceptive laziness. His hard mouth curved faintly.
"Succinctly put."
"And accurate?"
"Very," he said dryly. "It is no secret that I wish to set up my nursery.
Ravenwood has been in my family's hands for three generations. I do not intend
for it to be lost in this generation."
"In other words, you see me as a brood mare."
Saddle leather creaked as Ravenwood studied her in ominous silence for a long
moment. "I fear your grandfather was right," he finally said. "Your reading
habits have instilled a certain lack of delicacy in your manner, Miss Dorring."
"Oh, I can be far more indelicate than that, my lord. For instance, I understand
you keep a mistress in London."
"Where the devil did you hear that? Not from Lord Dorring, I'll wager."
"It is common talk here in the countryside."
"And you listen to the tales told by villagers who have never been more than a
few miles from their homes?" he scoffed.
"Are the tales told by city folk any different?"
"I begin to believe you are being deliberately insulting, Miss Dorring."
"No, my lord. Merely very cautious."
"Obstinate, not cautious. Use what little wit you have to pay attention. If
there was anything truly objectionable about me or my behavior do you think your
grandparents would have approved my offer of marriage?"
"If the marriage settlement you are proposing is large enough, yes."
Ravenwood smiled faintly at that. "You may be correct."
Sophy hesitated. "Are you telling me the tales I have heard are all false?"
Ravenwood eyed her thoughtfully. "What else have you heard?"
Sophy had not expected this odd conversation to get so specific. "You mean
besides the fact that you keep a mistress?"
"If the rest of the gossip is as silly as that bit, you should be ashamed of
yourself, Miss Dorring."
"Alas, I fear I do not possess such a refined sense of shame, my lord. A
regrettable failing, to be sure and one you should probably take into
consideration. Gossip can be vastly entertaining, and I confess I am not above
listening to it on occasion."
The Earl's mouth tightened. "A regrettable failing, indeed. What else have you
heard?" he repeated.
"Well, in addition to the tidbit about your mistress, it is said you fought a
duel once."
"You cannot expect me to confirm such nonsense."
"I have also heard that you banished your last wife to the country because she
failed to give you an heir," Sophy continued rashly.
"I do not discuss my first wife with anyone." Ravenwood's expression was
suddenly forbidding. "If we are to get on together, Miss Dorring, you would be
well advised never to mention her again."
Sophy flushed. "I apologize, my lord. It is not her I am trying to discuss,
rather your habit of leaving your wives in the country."
"What the devil are you talking about?"
It took more courage than Sophy had anticipated to continue on in the face of
that awful tone. "I think I should make it perfectly clear that I do not intend
to be left behind here at Ravenwood or one of your other estates while you spend
your time in London, my lord."
He frowned. "I was under the impression you were happy here."
"It is true I enjoy rural living and in general am quite content here, but I do
not want to be restricted to Ravenwood Abbey. I have spent most of my life in
the country, my lord. I wish to see London again."
"Again? I was given to understand that you did not enjoy yourself during your
one season in town, Miss Dorring."
Her embarrassed eyes slid away from his for a moment. "I am sure you are well
aware that I was a spectacular failure when I was brought out. I did not attract
a single offer that season."
"I begin to see why you failed so miserably, Miss Dorring," Ravenwood said
heartlessly. "If you were as blunt with all of your admirers then as you are
today with me, you undoubtedly terrified them."
"Am I succeeding in terrifying you, my lord?"
"I assure you, I am beginning to shiver in my boots."
Sophy almost smiled in spite of herself. "You hide your fear well, my lord." She
saw a momentary gleam in Ravenwood's eyes and quickly squelched her wayward
sense of humor.
"Let us continue this forthright conversation, Miss Dorring. I am to understand
that you do not wish to spend all your time here at Ravenwood. Is there anything
else on your list of demands?"
Sophy held her breath. This was the dangerous part. "I do have some other
demands, my lord."
He sighed. "Let me hear them."
"You have made it clear your chief interest in this marriage is securing an
heir."
"This may come as a surprise to you, Miss Dorring, but that is considered a
legitimate and acceptable reason for a man to desire marriage."
"I understand," she said. "Rut I am not ready to be rushed into childbed, my
lord."
"Not ready? I have been told you are twenty-three years old. As far as society
is concerned, my dear, you are more than ready."
"I am aware that I am considered to be on the shelf, my lord. You need not point
the fact out to me. But oddly enough, I do not consider myself in my dotage. And
neither do you or you would not be asking me to become your wife."
Ravenwood smiled fleetingly, showing a glimpse of strong, white teeth. "I will
admit that when one is thirty-four, twenty-three does not seem so very old. But
you appear quite fit and healthy, Miss Dorring. I think you will withstand the
rigors of childbirth very well."
"I had no idea you were such an expert."
"We stray from the subject again. Just what is it you are trying to say, Miss
Dorring?"
She gathered herself. "I am saying that I will not agree to marriage with you
unless you give me your word you will not force yourself upon me until I give
you my permission."
She felt the heat flow into her cheeks under Ravenwood's startled gaze. Her
hands trembled on Dancers reins and the old horse moved restlessly. Another gust
of wind whipped the tree branches and sliced through the fabric of Sophy's
riding habit.
A cold rage leaped to life in Julian's green eyes. "I give you my word of honor,
Miss Dorring, that I have never forced myself upon a woman in my life. But we
are speaking of marriage and I cannot believe you are unaware that matrimony
implies certain duties and obligations on the part of both husband and wife."
Sophy nodded quickly and her small hat tipped precariously over her eye. This
time she ignored the plume. "I am also aware, my lord, that most men would not
consider it wrong to insist on their rights, whether or not the women were
willing. Are you one of those men?"
"You cannot expect me to enter into marriage knowing my wife was not prepared to
grant me my rights as a husband," Ravenwood said between clenched teeth.
"I did not say I would never be prepared to grant you your rights. I am merely
asking that I be given ample time to get to know you and to adjust to the
situation."
"You are not asking, Miss Dorring, you are demanding. Is this a result of your
reprehensible reading habits?"
"My grandfather warned you about those, I see."
"He did. I can guarantee that I will personally assume the responsibility of
overseeing your choice of reading material after we are wed, Miss Dorring."
"That, of course, brings me to my third demand. I must be allowed to buy and