“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. “But 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 Dancer’s 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 read whatever books and tracts I wish.”
The black tossed his head as Ravenwood swore under his breath. The stallion steadied as his master exerted expert pressure on the reins. “Let me be quite certain I have got your demands clear,” Ravenwood said in a voice that was heavily laced with sarcasm. “You will not be banished to the country, you will not share my bed until it pleases you, and you will read whatever you wish to read in spite of my advice or recommendations to the contrary.”
Sophy drew a breath. “I believe that sums up my list of demands, my lord.”
“You expect me to agree to such an outrageous list?”
“Highly doubtful, my lord, which is precisely why I asked my grandfather to refuse your offer this afternoon. I thought it would save us all a great deal of time.”
“Forgive me, Miss Dorring, but I believe I understand perfectly why you have never married. No sane man would agree to such a ridiculous list of demands. Can it be you genuinely wish to avoid matrimony altogether?”
“I am certainly in no rush to plunge into the wedded state.”
“Obviously.”
“I would say we have something in common, my lord,” Sophy said with great daring. “I am under the impression you wish to marry solely out of a sense of duty. Is it so very hard for you to comprehend that I might not see any great advantage in marriage, either?”
“You seem to be overlooking the advantage of my money.”
Sophy glared at him. “That is, naturally, a strong inducement. It is, however, one which I can be persuaded to overlook. I may never be able to afford diamond-studded dancing slippers on the limited income left me by my father, but I shall be able to get by in reasonable comfort. And, more importantly, I will be able to spend that income exactly as I wish. If I marry, I lose that advantage.”
“Why don’t you simply add to your list of demands that you will not be guided by your husband in matters of economy and finance, Miss Dorring?”
“An excellent idea, my lord. I believe I will do exactly that. Thank you for pointing out the obvious solution to my dilemma.”
“Unfortunately, even if you find a male who is sufficiently lacking in reason as to grant you all of your wishes, you will have no legal way of guaranteeing that your husband abides by his word after the marriage, will you?”
Sophy glanced down at her hands, knowing he was right. “No, my lord. I would be entirely dependent on my husband’s sense of honor.”
“Be warned, Miss Dorring,” Ravenwood said with soft menace, “A man’s sense of honor might be inviolate when it comes to his gaming debts or his reputation as a sportsman but it means little when it comes to dealing with a woman.”
Sophy went cold. “Then I do not have much choice, do I? If that is so, I will never be able to take the risk of marriage.”
“You are wrong, Miss Dorring. You have already made your choice and now you must take your chances. You have said that you would be willing to marry me if I met your demands. Very well, I will agree to your requirements.”
Sophy stared at him openmouthedly. Her heart raced. “You will?”
“The bargain is made.” Ravenwood’s big hands shifted slightly on the stallion’s reins and the horse lifted his head alertly. “We will be married as soon as possible. Your grandfather is expecting me tomorrow at three. Tell him I wish to make all the arrangements at that time. Since you and I have succeeded in ar
riving at a private agreement, I will expect you to have the courage to be at home tomorrow when I call.”
Sophy was dumbfounded. “My lord, I do not fully comprehend you. Are you quite certain you wish to marry me on my terms?”
Ravenwood smiled unpleasantly. His emerald eyes gleamed with harsh amusement. “The real question, Sophy, is how long you will be able to maintain your demands once you are confronted with the reality of being my wife.”
“My lord, your word of honor,” Sophy said anxiously. “I must insist upon it.”
“If you were a man, I would call you out for even questioning it. You have my word, Miss Dorring.”
“Thank you, my lord. You truly do not mind that I will spend my money as I wish?”
“Sophy, the quarterly allowance I will provide you will be considerably larger than your entire yearly income,” Ravenwood said bluntly. “As long as you pay your bills out of what I allot you, I will not question your expenditures.”
“Oh. I see. And … and my books?”
“I think I can handle whatever harebrained notions your books put into your head. I shall undoubtedly be annoyed from time to time but perhaps that will give us a basis for some interesting discussions, hm? God knows most women’s conversations are enough to bore a man silly.”
“I shall endeavor not to bore you, my lord. But let us be certain we understand each other perfectly. You won’t try to keep me buried in the country all year long?”
“I’ll allow you to accompany me to London when it’s convenient, if that’s truly what you want.”
“You are too kind, my lord. And my … my other demand?”
“Ah, yes. My guarantee not to, er, force myself upon you. I think we shall have to put a time limit on that one. After all, my main goal in all this is to obtain an heir.”
Sophy was instantly uneasy. “A time limit?”
“How much time do you think you will require to grow accustomed to the sight of me?”
“Six months?” she hazarded.
“Don’t be a goose, Miss Dorring. I have no intention of waiting six months to claim my rights.”
“Three months?”
He looked about to deny this counteroffer but appeared to change his mind at the last minute. “Very well. Three months. You see how indulgent I am?”
“I am overwhelmed by your generosity, my lord.”
“And so you should be. I defy you to find another man who would grant you such a length of time before insisting that you fulfill your wifely duties.”
“You are quite right, my lord. I doubt if I could find another man who would be as agreeable as you seem inclined to be in the matter of marriage. Forgive me, but my curiosity overcomes me. Why are you being so agreeable?”
“Because, my dear Miss Dorring, in the end I shall have exactly what I want out of this marriage. Good day, to you. I will see you tomorrow at three.”
Angel responded instantly to the sudden pressure of Ravenwood’s thighs. The black swung around in a tight circle and cantered off through the trees.
Sophy sat where she was until Dancer lowered his head to sample a mouthful of grass. The horse’s movement brought her back to her senses.
“Home, Dancer. I am sure my grandparents will be either in hysterics or a state of complete despair by now. The least I can do is inform them that I have salvaged the situation.”
But an old adage flitted through her mind as she rode back to Chesley Court—something about those who would sit down to dine with the devil being advised to bring a long spoon.
TWO
Lady Dorring, who had taken to her bed in a fit of despondency earlier in the day, revived completely in time for dinner on hearing that her granddaughter had come to her senses.
“I cannot imagine what got into you, Sophy,” Lady Dorring said as she examined the Scotch broth being presented by Hindley, the butler who doubled as a footman at meals. “To turn down the Earl was past all understanding. Thank heaven you have put it right. Allow me to tell you, young woman, we should all be extremely grateful Ravenwood is willing to be so tolerant of your outlandish behavior.”
“It does give one pause, doesn’t it?” Sophy murmured.
“I say,” Dorring exclaimed from the head of the table. “What do you mean by that?”
“Only that I have been puzzling over why the Earl should have made an offer for my hand in the first place.”
“Why in heaven’s name should he not have offered for you?” Lady Dorring demanded. “You are a fine-looking young woman from a well-bred, respectable family.”
“I had my season, Grandmother, remember? I’ve seen how dazzling the town beauties can be and I cannot be compared to most of them. I could not compete with them five years ago and there is no reason to believe I can compete with them now. Nor do I have a sizable fortune to offer as a lure.”
“Ravenwood don’t need to marry for money,” Lord Dorring stated bluntly. “Fact is, the marriage settlements he’s suggesting are extremely generous. Extremely.”
“But he could marry for land or money or beauty if he so desired,” Sophy said patiently. “The question I asked myself was why was he not doing so. Why select me? An interesting puzzle.”
“Sophy, please,” Lady Dorring said in pained accents. “Do not ask such silly questions. You are charming and most presentable.”
“Charming and most presentable describe the vast majority of the young women of the ton, most of whom also have the advantage of being younger than I. I knew I must have something else in my favor to warrant attracting the Earl of Ravenwood. I was interested to discover what it was. It was simple enough when I put my mind to the problem.”
Lord Dorring regarded her with a genuine curiosity that was not particularly flattering. “What is it you think you have going for you, girl? I like you well enough, of course. Perfectly sound sort of granddaughter and all that, but I confess I did wonder myself why the Earl took such a fancy to you.”
“Theo!”
“Sorry, my dear, sorry,” Dorring apologized hastily to his incensed wife. “Just curious, you know.”
“As was I,” Sophy said promptly. “But I believe I have hit upon the reasoning Ravenwood is using. You see, I have three essential qualities that he feels he needs. First, I am convenient and, as Grandmother has pointed out, reasonably well-bred. He probably did not want to spend a lot of time on the matter of choosing a second wife. I have the impression he has more important things to concern him.”
“Such as?” Dorring asked.
“Selecting a new mistress or a new horse or a new parcel of land. Any one of a thousand items might conceivably come before a wife in order of importance to the Earl,” Sophy said.
“Sophy!”
“I fear it’s true, Grandmother. Ravenwood has spent as little time as possible on making his offer. You must agree I have hardly been treated to anything even faintly resembling a courtship.”
“Here, now,” Lord Dorring interrupted briskly. “You can’t hold it against the man that he ain’t brought you any posies or love poems. Ravenwood don’t strike me as the romantic type.”
“I think you have the right of it, Grandfather. Ravenwood is definitely not the romantic sort. He has called here at Chesley Court only a handful of times and we’ve been invited to the Abbey on merely two occasions.”
“I’ve told you, he ain’t the kind to waste time on frippery matters,” Lord Dorring said, obviously feeling obliged to defend another male. “He’s got estates to see to and I hear he’s involved in some building project in London. The man’s busy.”
“Just so, Grandfather.” Sophy hid a smile. “But to continue, the second reason the Earl finds me so suitable is my advanced age. I do believe he feels that any woman who finds herself unmarried at this point in her life should be everlastingly grateful to the man who was kind enough to take her off the shelf. A grateful wife is, of course, a manageable wife.”
“Don’t think it’s that so much,” her grandfather sai
d reflectively, “as it is he thinks a woman of your age is bound to be more sensible and levelheaded than some young twit with romantic notions. Said something to that effect this afternoon, I believe.”
“Really, Theo.” Lady Dorring glowered at her husband.
“You may be right,” Sophy said to her grandfather. “Perhaps he was under the impression I would be more levelheaded than a seventeen-year-old girl who was just out of the schoolroom. Whatever the case, we may assume my age was a factor in the Earl’s decision. But the last and by far the most important reason he chose me, I believe, is because I do not in any way resemble his late wife.”
Lady Dorring nearly choked on the poached turbot that had just been put in front of her. “What has that to do with anything?”
“It is no secret the Earl has had his fill of beautiful women who cause him no end of trouble. We all knew Lady Ravenwood was in the habit of bringing her lovers to the Abbey. If we knew it, you can be certain his lordship did, too. No telling what went on in London.”
“That’s a fact,” Dorring muttered. “If she was wild here in the country, she must have made Ravenwood’s life pure hell in town. Heard he risked his young neck in a couple of duels over her. You can’t blame him for wanting a second wife who won’t go around attracting other males. No offense, Sophy, but you ain’t the type to be giving him trouble in that line, and I expect he knows it.”
“I wish both of you would cease this most improper conversation,” Lady Dorring announced. It was clear she had little hope she would be obeyed.
“Ah, but Grandmother, Grandfather is quite right. I am perfect as the next Countess of Ravenwood. After all, I am country-bred and can be expected to be content with spending the majority of my time at Ravenwood Abbey. And I won’t be trailing my paramours behind me wherever I go. I was a total failure during my one season in London and presumably would be an even greater failure if I went out into Society again. Lord Ravenwood is well aware he will not have to waste time fending off my admirers. There will not be any.”
“Sophy,” Lady Dorring said with fine dignity, “that is quite enough. I will tolerate no more of this ridiculous conversation. It is most unseemly.”