you really wanted from me was an heir. It put a strain on me, Julian."
"I understand that better now since I had a chat with a certain gypsy lady. She
explained to me that my wife was something of a romantic by nature. I am guilty
of not having taken that into account in my dealings with her and I would like
to remedy the error of my ways."
Sophy's head came up quickly, her brows drawing together in annoyance. "So now
you propose to indulge my so-called tendency toward romanticism? Pray do not
bother, Julian. Romantic gestures are meaningless if there is no genuine feeling
behind them."
"At least give me some credit for trying to please you, my dear." He smiled
faintly. "You do like the Culpeper herbal, don't you?"
Guilt assailed her. "You know I am most extremely pleased with it, my lord."
"And the bracelet?" he coaxed.
"It is very pretty, my lord."
He winced. "Very pretty. I see. Well, then, I shall look forward to seeing you
wear it sometime in the near future."
Sophy brightened at once, glad to be able to offer a positive response. "I
expect I shall wear it this evening, my lord. I am going to a party at Lady St.
John's."
"It was too much, I suppose, to hope you did not have plans for this evening?"
"Oh, I have plans for every evening this week and next. There is always so much
going on here in town, isn't there?"
"Yes," Julian said grimly, "There is. You are not obliged to attend every
function for which you receive an invitation, however. I should think by now
you'd be happy to spend a quiet evening or two at home."
"Why on earth would I want to spend an evening here alone, my lord?" Sophy
murmured tightly.
Julian folded his hands in front of him on his desk. "I was thinking of spending
the evening here, myself."
Sophy forced another bright smile. He was trying to be kind, she told herself.
She did not want mere kindness from him. "I see. Another romantic gesture
designed to indulge my whims? That is very generous of you, but you need not
bother, my lord. I am quite able to entertain myself. As I told you, now that I
have been in the city a while I have a much better understanding of how husbands
and wives of the ton are supposed to conduct their lives. And now I really must
be going. Your aunt will wonder where I am."
She stood up quickly, forgetting about the bonnet on her lap. It slipped to the
floor.
"Sophy, you misunderstand my intentions," Julian said as he got to his feet and
strolled around the desk to pick up the bonnet. "I merely thought we might both
enjoy a calm evening at home." He adjusted the bonnet on her head and tied the
ribbons neatly under her chin.
She looked up at him, wishing she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Thank you
for the gesture, my lord. But I would not dream of interfering in your social
life. I am certain you will be quite bored if you stayed home. Good day, my
lord."
"Sophy."
The command caught her just as she put her hand on the doorknob. "Yes, my lord?"
"What about the matter of hiring a new housekeeper?"
"Tell your steward to interview Molly Ashkettle. She's been on your staff for
years at Ravenwood and will make a perfect replacement for poor Mrs. Boyle."
Sophy rushed out the door.
Fifteen minutes later she was ushered into Lady Fanny's library. Harriett, Jane,
and Anne were already there, deep into the stack of books that had been placed
on the table.
"Sorry to be delayed," Sophy apologized quickly as the others looked up from
their work. "My husband wanted to discuss the matter of a new housekeeper."
"How odd," Fanny said from atop a small ladder where she was rummaging around
the top shelf. "Ravenwood never concerns himself with the hiring of servants. He
always leaves that to his stewards or the butler. But never mind, dear, we are
making great progress with your little project."
"It's true," Anne said closing one book and opening another. "Harriett
discovered a reference to the animal head on the ring a short while ago. It is a
mythical creature, which appears in a very old book of natural philosophy."
"Not a very pleasant reference, I'm afraid," Harriett said, pausing to peer over
the top of her spectacles. "It was associated with some sort of nasty cult in
ancient times."
"I am presently going through some old books on mathematics to see if I can find
out anything about the triangle," Jane said. "I have a feeling we are very
close."
"So do I," Lady Fanny said as she descended from the ladder. "Although what we
will have if we do find the answers is beginning to worry me a bit."
"Why do you say that?" Sophy asked, taking a seat at the table and picking up a
massive tome.
Harriett looked. "Fanny was struck with a rather vague recollection last night
just before bedtime."
"What sort of recollection?" Sophy demanded.
"Something to do with a secret society of rather wild young rakehells," Fanny
said slowly. "I heard about it a few years ago. I never learned the particulars,
but it seems to me something was said about the members using rings to identify
themselves to each other. Supposedly the whole thing started at Cambridge but
some of the members kept the club going after they left the classroom. At least
for a time."
Sophy looked at Anne and Jane and shook her head very slightly. They had agreed
not to alarm Fanny and Harriett with the real reason they wanted to learn the
secret of the black ring. As far as the older women knew, Sophy was merely
curious about a family heirloom that had come into her possession. |
"You say this ring was left to you by your sister?" Harriett asked, turning
pages slowly.
"That's right."
"Do you know where she got it?"
Sophy hesitated, trying to think of a reasonable explanation for Amelia's
possession of the ring. As usual, her mind went blank when she tried to come up
with a lie.
Anne rushed glibly to the rescue. "You said she had gotten it from a great aunt
who passed away many years ago, didn't you, Sophy?"
"Yes," Jane put in before Sophy was obliged to respond, "I think that was what
you said, Sophy."
"Yes. That's correct. A very odd sort of aunt. I do not believe I ever met her,
myself," Sophy said quickly.
"Hm. Very odd, is right," Fanny mused as she plunked down two more heavy volumes
and went back to the shelf for another batch. "I wonder how she came into
possession of the ring."
"We'll probably never know," Anne said firmly, giving Sophy a quelling glance as
Sophy began to look increasingly guilty.
Harriett turned another page in the volume she was perusing. "Have you shown the
ring to Ravenwood, Sophy? Being a man, he might know more about this sort of
thing than we do."
"He has seen the ring," Sophy said, happy to be able to speak the truth at last.
"He did not recognize it."
"Well, then, we must persevere on our own." Fanny selected another volume off
the shelf. "I do so love a puzzle, don't you, Harry?"
Harriett smiled beatifically. "Dear me, yes. Never happier than when I'm working
on a puzzle."
Four days later, Sophy, poring over an ancient treatise on mathematics with
Jane, discovered the origin of the peculiar triangle on the face of the ring.
"This is it," she said excitedly as the others converged around the old volume.
"Look at it. The triangle is exactly like that one on the ring, including the
strange loops at each corner."
"She is right," Anne said. "What does it say about the triangle?"
Sophy frowned over the Latin. "Something to do with its being useful in certain
dark ceremonies for controlling the female demons who have—" She halted abruptly
as she realized what she was translating. "Oh, my goodness."
"What is the matter?" Fanny leaned over her shoulder. "Ah, I see. A shape most
useful for controlling succubi while enjoying them in a carnal manner.' How
fascinating. Leave it to men to worry about a species of female demons who
molest poor helpless males in their sleep."
Harriett smiled blandly. "Fascinating, indeed. Demon prostitutes who can be
controlled at the same time that one enjoys their favors. You are quite right,
Fanny. -Definitely a fantasy creation of the male brain."
"Here is more evidence of masculine fancy," Anne announced, pointing to another
picture of the mythological creature she had researched. "The beast in the
triangle is said to have uncommon powers. It can, it seems, fornicate for hours
without any loss of vigor."
Fanny groaned. "I think we can now say with some certainty that Sophy's heirloom
ring is, indeed, a man's ring. It seems to have been expressly designed to make
a male think quite highly of his own prowess in the bedchamber. Perhaps it was
meant to give him good luck in that area of his life. In any event, it is
definitely not the sort of jewelry Ravenwood will want his wife wearing in
public."
Harriett chuckled. "If I were you, Sophy, I would not tell your husband the
meaning of the designs on that ring. Put the thing away and ask Ravenwood for
the family emeralds, instead."
"I am certain your advice is excellent," Sophy said quietly, thinking she would
be damned before she would ask her husband for the Ravenwood emeralds. And I do
appreciate your assistance in helping me track down the details of the ring."
"Not at all, ' Harriett said, beaming. "It was quite a fascinating project,
wasn't it, Fanny?"
"Most instructive."
"Well, we had best be on our way, " Anne said, as the women began reshelving the
books. "I promised Grandmother I would help her entertain some friends at cards
this evening."
"And I am supposed to put in an appearance at Lady St. John's," Sophy said,
dusting off her hands.
Jane eyed her friends without a word but as soon as they were all three seated
in Sophy's carriage and safely out of earshot of Lady Fanny and her companion,
she spoke up. "Well? Do not keep me in suspense. This is not the end of it. I
know that. What will you do next, Sophy?"
Sophy stared out the window of the carriage, lost in thought for a moment. "It
seems to me that we now know two things for certain about the ring. The first is
that it probably belonged to a man who was part of a secret society he probably
joined at Cambridge. And the second is that the society was involved in
disreputable sexual practices."
"I think you are right," Anne agreed. "Your poor sister was the victim of some
man who used women very badly, indeed."
"We already knew that," Jane said. "What do we do now?"
Sophy pulled her gaze away from the street scene and looked at her friends. "It
seems to me there is only one person who might know the men who wear such
rings."
Jane's eyes widened. "You cannot mean—"
"Of course," Anne said quickly. "Why didn't I think of it? We must contact
Charlotte Featherstone at once and see what she can tell us of the ring or the
man who might have worn it. Sophy, write the note this afternoon. I will deliver
it in disguise at once."
"She may not choose to respond," Jane said hopefully.
"Perhaps, but it is the only recourse I have left, other than to wear the ring
in public again and see who reacts to it."
"Too dangerous," Anne said at once. "Any man who recognizes the ring and sees
you wearing it might think you were involved in the cult, yourself."
Sophy shuddered, remembering the man in the black hooded cape and mask. A most
unusual type of excitement.
No, she must be very careful not to attract further attention with the ring.
Charlotte Featherstone's answer came within hours. Anne brought it to Sophy at
once. Sophy tore open the envelope with a sense of mingled dread and
anticipation.
From one Honorable Woman to Another: You flatter me by requesting what you are
pleased to refer to as professional information. You say in your note that you
are tracing the particulars of a family heirloom and your researches have led
you to believe I may be of some assistance. I am only too happy to give you what
little information I have but please allow me to tell you I do not think highly
of the family member who left this ring behind. Whoever he was, he must have had
a nasty streak in him.
Over the years I can recall five men who wore in my presence a ring such as you
describe in your note. Two are now dead and, to be frank, the world is better
off without them. The remaining three are Lords Utteridge, Varley, and Ormiston.
I do not know what you plan to do next, but I advise caution. I can assure you
that none of the three is good company for any woman, regardless of her station
in Society. I hesitate to suggest it, but perhaps you should discuss the matter,
whatever it may be, with your husband before proceeding further on your own.
The letter was signed with Featherstone's beautifully scrawled C. E
Sophy's pulse beat faster. At last she had names, she told herself. One of these
three might very well be the man who was responsible for Amelia's death.
"Somehow I must contrive to encounter these three men," she said evenly to Anne.