It was the most he had ever said on the subject of his first wife. Sophy decided that she did not really want to hear any more. Julian was hers now. They were bound together. And if what she had begun to suspect this past week were true, she even now held a part of him within her.
Sophy stirred, crossed her arms on his chest and looked down at him. "I am sorry I threw the swan at you."
He opened one eye at that and then grinned up at her. "I am certain that in the years ahead there will be other times when you will be obliged to remind me that you do, indeed, possess a woman's temper."
Sophy widened her eyes innocently. "I would not want you to ever grow complacent, my lord."
"I am sure you will save me from such a fate." He laced his fingers through her hair and pulled her face close to his. He took her mouth in a brief, rough lass and then freed her. His eyes grew serious. "Now, then, madam, as we are both in a calmer state of mind, just as I predicted, it is time to conclude the discussion we began earlier."
A great deal of Sophy's languid pleasure vanished as reality returned in a rush. "Julian, there is nothing more to be said on the subject. I must continue with my inquiries."
"No," he said quite gently. "I cannot permit you to do so. It is far too dangerous."
"You cannot stop me."
"I can and I will. I have made my decision. You will return to Ravenwood tomorrow."
"I will not go back to Ravenwood! Shocked and furious, Sophy pushed herself away from him and scrambled to the edge of the bed to retrieve her clothing. Clutching her gown in both hands, she faced him warily. "You tried once before to banish me to the country, my lord. It was not a successful effort then and I warn you it will not be successful this time." Her voice rose. "Do you think I will surrender to your dictates just because of what transpires between us in bed?"
"No, although it would certainly make matters easier if you did."
The calm in his voice was far more alarming than his earlier anger had been. It occurred to Sophy that her husband was at his most dangerous not when he was in a temper but when he was in this mood. She shielded herself behind her clothing and watched him uneasily. "My honor demands that I complete my task. I intend to find and punish the man who caused Amelia's death. I thought you understood and accepted my feelings regarding honor, my lord. We had an agreement."
"I do not deny your feelings on the subject but there is a problem because your sense of honor puts you in conflict with my own. My honor demands that I protect you."
"I do not need your protection."
"If you believe that, then you are more hopelessly naive than I had thought. Sophy, what you are doing is extremely dangerous and I cannot allow you to continue. That is all there is to it. You will tell your maid to begin packing at once. I will finish my business here in town and join you as soon as possible at Ravenwood Abbey. It is time we went home. I am weary of the city."
"But I have barely begun my detecting work. And I am not at all weary of the city. In fact, I am learning to enjoy town life."
Julian smiled. "That I can well believe. Your influence is showing up in all the best ballrooms and drawing rooms, madam. You have become a leader of fashion. Quite an accomplishment for a female who was a disaster during her first season."
"Julian, do not try to put me off with flattery. This is a matter of the greatest importance to me."
"I realize that. Why else would I risk making such an unpopular decision on your behalf? Believe me, I am not looking forward to having more table ornaments hurled at my head."
"I will not go back to Hampshire, my lord, and that is final." Sophy faced him with stubborn determination.
He sighed. "Then I shall undoubtedly soon be obliged to keep an appointment of my own at Leighton Field."
Sophy was dumbfounded. "What are you saying, Julian?"
"That if you stay here in town, it is only a matter of time before I will find it necessary to defend your honor in the same way you once attempted to defend mine."
She shook her head in wild denial. "No, no, that is not true. How can you suggest such a thing? I would never do anything to make it necessary for you to call out another man. I have told you that. You said you believed me."
"You do not understand. It is not your word I would doubt, Sophy. It is the insult to you that I would be obliged to avenge. And make no mistake. If I allow you to play dangerous games with men like Utteridge and Varley and Ormiston, the insults will soon be made."
"But I would not allow them to insult me. I would not put myself into such a position, Julian. I swear to you I would not."
He smiled fleetingly. "Sophy, I know you would not willingly do anything dishonorable or compromising. But these men are quite capable of manipulating events so that an innocent woman does not stand a chance. And once that had happened, I would have to demand satisfaction."
"No. Never. You must not even suggest such a possibility. I cannot bear to think of you engaging in a duel."
"The possibility already exists, Sophy. You have talked to Utteridge, have you not?"
"Yes, but I was most discreet. He could have had no notion of what I was trying to learn."
"What did you talk about?" Julian pressed quietly. "Did you mention Elizabeth by any chance?"
"Just in passing, I swear it."
"Then you will have aroused his curiosity. And that, my naive little innocent, is the first step toward disaster with a man of Utteridge's character. By the time you have finished questioning Varley and Ormiston, I will be up to my neck in dawn appointments."
Helplessly, Sophy stared at him. She recognized a trap when she saw one and this particular trap had no exit. She could not possibly allow Julian to risk his life in a duel over her honor. The very thought made her shudder with fear. "I promise you, I will be most extremely careful, my lord," she tried weakly, but she knew the argument was useless.
"There is too much risk involved. The only intelligent course of action now is to get you out of town. I want you safe in the countryside with your friends and family."
Sophy surrendered, tears burning in her eyes. "Very well, Julian. I will leave if you feel there is no other way. I would not have you risk a bullet because of my actions."
Julian's gaze softened. "Thank you, Sophy." He reached out and caught a teardrop on the end of his finger. "I know it is a great deal to ask of a woman whose notion of honor is as strong as my own. Believe me when I say I do understand your desire for vengeance."
Sophy impatiently wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. "It is just so blasted unfair. Nothing is going the way I had thought it would when I agreed to marry you. Nothing. All my plans, all my dreams, all the things I hoped for, the things we contracted for between us. All has come to naught."
Julian watched her in brooding silence for a long moment. "Are things really so bad, Sophy?"
"Yes, my lord, they are. On top of everything else, I have reason to believe I may be breeding." She did not look back at him as she fled toward the screen at the other end of the room.
"Sophy!" Julian surged up off the bed and went after her. "What did you just say?"
Sophy sniffed back a few more of the wretched tears as she stood on the other side of the screen and tugged on her dressing gown. "I am quite certain you heard me."
Julian swept the screen aside, ignoring it as it clattered to the carpet. His gaze riveted on her stubbornly averted face. "You are with child?"
"Quite possibly. I realized this week that it has been much too long since my last monthly flux. I will not know for certain for a while longer, but I suspect I am, indeed, carrying your babe. If so, you should be quite content, my lord. Here I am pregnant and off to the country where I cannot cause any further disturbance in your life. You will have gotten everything you wanted out of this marriage. An heir and no trouble. I trust you will be satisfied."