"Do you trust me, Sophy?"
"Yes, Julian."
"Then why will you not tell me the truth about what happened today?"
She heaved a sigh. "I am afraid, my lord."
"Of me?"
"No."
"I am pleased to hear that, at least." He paused for a moment and then said thoughtfully, "Some wives in your situation might have reason to fear their husbands."
"They must be wives whose husbands do not hold them in high esteem," Sophy said instantly. "Sad, unfortunate wives who do not enjoy either the respect or the trust of their husbands. I pity them."
Julian gave a muffled exclamation that sounded like something between a groan and a chuckle. He retied a velvet ribbon that had come undone on Sophy's dressing gown. "You, of course, are excluded from that group of females, my dear. You enjoy my esteem, my respect, and my trust, do you not?"
"So you have said, my lord." Wistfully, Sophy wondered what it would be like to have Julian's love added to the list.
"Then you are right not to fear me for, knowing you, I know very well that you did nothing wrong today. You would never betray me, would you, Sophy?"
Her fingers clenched around a handful of his shirt. "Never, Julian. Never in this life or any other. I am very glad you realize that."
"I do, my sweet." He fell silent again for another long moment and once more Sophy relaxed under the soothing stroke of his hand. "Unfortunately, I find that, although I trust you completely, my curiosity is not assuaged. I really must know what happened to you today. You must make allowances for the fact that I am your husband, Sophy. The title causes me to feel somewhat protective."
"Please, Julian, do not force me to tell you. I am all right, I promise you."
"It is not my intention to force you to do anything. We will play a guessing game, instead."
Sophy stiffened against him. "I do not want to play any games."
He paid no attention to the small protest. "You say you do not wish to tell me the full story because you are afraid. Yet you also claim you are not afraid of me. Therefore, we can safely conclude that you are afraid of someone else. Do you not trust me to be able to protect you, my dear?"
"It is not that, Julian." Sophy lifted her head quickly, anxious that he not doubt her faith in his ability to defend her. "I know you would go to any length to protect me."
"You are right," Julian said simply. "You are very important to me, Sophy."
"I understand, Julian." She touched her stomach fleetingly. "You are no doubt concerned because of your future heir. But you need not worry about the babe, truly—"
Julian's emerald eyes flickered for the first time with a show of real anger. It was gone almost at once. He cradled her face between his palms. "Let us have this clear, Sophy. You are important to me because you are Sophy, my dear, unconventional, honorable, loving wife—not because of the child you carry."
"Oh." She could not tear her eyes away from his brilliant gaze. This was as close as he had ever come to telling her he loved her. It might be as close as he ever got. "Thank you, Julian."
"Do not thank me. It is I who owe you thanks." He covered her mouth with his and kissed her with slow thoroughness. When he finally raised his head, there was a familiar gleam in his eyes. His mouth curved faintly. "You are a powerful distraction, my dear, but I think that this time I will endeavor to resist. At least for a while longer."
"But, Julian—"
"Now, we will finish our guessing game. You are afraid of whoever was on the path by the pond this afternoon. You do not seem to fear for your own safety, so we must conclude that you fear for mine."
"Julian, please, I beg of you—"
"If you fear for my safety, yet you will not give me a fair warning of the danger, it follows that you do not fear a direct attack on my person. You would not conceal that important information from me, would you?"
"No, my lord." She knew now it was hopeless to keep the truth to herself. The hunter was closing in on his prey.
"We are left with only one other possibility," Julian said with inevitable logic. "If you are afraid for me but you do not fear I will be attacked, then it must be that you are afraid that I will challenge this mysterious, unknown third party to a duel."
Sophy straightened in his lap, grasped two fistfulls of his shirt and narrowed her eyes. "Julian, you must give me your word of honor that you will not do that. You must promise me for the sake of our unborn child. I will not have you risking your life. Do you hear me?"
"It is Waycott, is it not?"
Sophy's eyes widened. "How did you know?"
"It was not terribly difficult to guess. What happened on the path this afternoon, Sophy?"
She stared up at him in helpless frustration. The gentle, reassuring expression in Julian's eyes was vanishing as though it had never existed. In its place was the cold, prowling look of the predator. He had won the immediate battle and now he was preparing his strategy for the one that lay ahead.
"I will not let you call him out, Julian. You will not risk a bullet from Waycott, do you understand?"
"What happened on the path today?"
Sophy could have wept. "Julian, please—"
"What happened today, Sophy?"
He had not raised his voice but she knew immediately his patience was exhausted. He would have his answer. Sophy pushed herself up off his lap. He allowed her to get to her feet but his eyes never left her averted face.
Slowly she walked across the room to the window and stood staring out into the night. In short, concise sentences she told him the entire tale.
"He killed them, Julian," she concluded, her hands knotted in front of her. "He killed them both. He drowned Elizabeth because she had finally goaded him too far by taunting him with her plan to rid herself of his babe. He killed my sister by treating her as though she were nothing more important than a casual plaything."
"I knew about your sister. I put the pieces of that puzzle together myself before I left London. And I have always had my suspicions about what happened to Elizabeth that night. I wondered if one of her lovers had finally been pushed too far."
Sophy leaned her forehead against the cool glass pane. "God help me, I could not bring myself to pull the trigger when I had the chance. I am such a coward."
"No, Sophy, you are no coward." Julian moved to stand directly behind her. "You are the bravest woman I have ever met and I would trust you with my life as well as my honor. You must know you did the honorable thing this evening. One does not shoot an unconscious man in cold blood, no matter what he has done."
Sophy turned slowly to look up at him with a sense of uncertainty. "But if I had shot him when I had the chance it would all be over by now. I would not have to worry about you."
"You would have had to live with the knowledge that you had killed a man and I would not wish that fate on you, sweetheart, no matter how much Waycott deserved to die."
Sophy experienced a twinge of impatience. "Julian, I must tell you that I am not so much concerned with whether or not I behaved honorably as I am with the fact that I did not settle the matter once and for all. I am afraid that when it comes to this sort of thing, I have a very practical streak in me. The man is a murderer and he is still free."
"Not for much longer."
Alarm flared within her. "Julian, please, you must promise me you will not challenge him. You could be killed, even if Waycott fought a fair duel which is highly unlikely."
Julian smiled. "As I understand it, he is in no condition to fight at all at the moment. You said he was unconscious, did you not? I can well believe he will remain so for some time. I, myself, have had extensive experience with your special tea brews, if you recall."