Seduction (14 page)

moment she had made the decision to leave Eslington Park. She had spent hours in

the swaying coach imagining just what she would say when she faced Julian's

wrath.

"A surprise? That's putting it rather mildly."

"There's no need to be sarcastic, my lord. I know that you are probably somewhat

angry with me."

"How perceptive of you."

Sophy swallowed bravely. This was going to be even more difficult than she had

imagined. His attitude toward her had not softened much during the past week.

"Perhaps it would be better if we discussed this in the morning."

"We will discuss it now. There will not be time to do so in the morning because

you will be busy packing to return to Eslington Park."

"No. You must understand, Julian. I cannot allow you to send me away." She

gripped the sheet more tightly. She had promised herself she would not plead

with him. She would be calm and reasonable. He was, after all, a reasonable man

Most of the time. "I am trying to put things right between us. I have made a

terrible mistake in dealing with you. I was wrong. I know that now. I have come

to London because I am determined to be a proper wife to you."

"A proper wife? Sophy, I know this will amaze and astound you, but the fact is,

a proper wife obeys her husband. She does not attempt to deceive him into

thinking he has behaved like a monster. She does not deny him his rights in the

bedchamber. She does not show up on his doorstep in town when she has been

specifically ordered to stay in the country."

"Yes, well, I am perfectly aware of the fact that I have not been a very

exemplary model of the sort of wife you require. But in all fairness Julian, I

feel your requirements were rather stringent."

"Stringent? Madam, I required nothing more of you than a certain measure of—"

"Julian, please, I do not wish to argue with you. I am trying to make amends. We

got off to a bad start in this marriage, and I admit that it is mostly my fault.

It seems to me the least you can do is give me an opportunity to show you that I

am willing to try to be a better wife."

There was a long silence from Julian. He stood quite still, arrogantly examining

her anxious face in the candlelight. His own expression was thrown into demonic

relief by the flame he held in his hand. It seemed to Sophy he had never looked

more like the devil than he did at that moment.

"Let me be perfectly certain I understand you, Sophy. You say you wish to put

this marriage of ours on a normal footing?"

"Yes, Julian."

"Am I to assume that you are now prepared to grant me my rights in your bed?"

She nodded quickly, her loosened hair tumbling around her shoulders. "Yes," she

said again. "You see, Julian, through some deductive logic I have come to the

conclusion that you were right. We may deal much more favorably together if

things are normal between us."

"In other words you are trying to bribe me into allowing you to stay here in

London," he summarized in a silky tone.

"No, no, you misunderstand." Alarmed by his interpretation of her actions, Sophy

thrust back the covers and quickly got to her feet beside the bed. Belatedly she

realized how thin the fabric of her nightgown was. She snatched up her dressing

gown and held it in front of her.

Julian plucked the robe out of her hand and tossed it aside. "You won't be

needing that, will you, my dear? You're a woman bent on seduction now, remember?

You must learn the fine art of your new career."

Sophy stared helplessly at the dressing gown on the floor. She felt exposed and

terribly vulnerable standing there in her thin lawn nightdress. Tears of

frustration burned in her eyes. For an instant she was afraid she might cry.

"Please, Julian," she said quietly. "Give me a chance. I will do my best to make

a success of our marriage."

He raised the candle higher in order to study her face. He was silent for an

excruciating length of time before he spoke again. "Do you know, my dear," he

said at last, "I believe you will make me a good wife. After I have finished

teaching you that I am not a puppet you can set to dancing on the end of your

string."

"I never intended to treat you that way, my lord." Sophy bit her lip, stricken

by the depths of his outrage. "I sincerely regret what happened at Eslington

Park. You must know I have no experience in dealing with a husband. I was only

trying to protect myself."

He bit off a sharp exclamation. "Be quiet, Sophy. Every time you open your mouth

you manage to sound less and less like a proper wife."

Sophy ignored the advice. She was convinced her mouth was the only useful weapon

in her small arsenal at that moment. Hesitantly she touched the sleeve of his

silk dressing gown. "Let me stay here in town, Julian. Let me show you I am

sincere about putting our marriage right. I swear to you I will work diligently

at the task."

"Will you?" He regarded her with cold, glittering eyes.

Sophy felt something inside her begin to shrivel and die. She had been so

certain she could convince him to give her a second chance. During the short

honeymoon at Eslington Park she thought she had gotten to know this man rather

well. He was not deliberately cruel or unfair in his dealings with others. She

had counted on him maintaining that same code of behavior when dealing with a

wife.

"Perhaps I was wrong," she said. "I had hoped you would be willing to give me

the same opportunity to prove myself that you would give one of your tenants who

was in arrears in regard to the rent."

For an instant he looked totally nonplussed. "You're equating yourself with one

of my tenants?"

"I thought the analogy rather apt."

"The analogy is rather idiotic."

"Then perhaps there is no hope of putting things right between us."

"You are wrong, Sophy. I told you that I believe you will eventually make me a

proper wife and I meant what I said. I intend to see to it, in fact. The only

real question is how that may best be achieved. You have a great deal to learn."

So do you, Sophy thought. And who better to teach you than your wife? But she

must remember that she had taken Julian by surprise tonight and men did not

handle surprises well. Her husband needed time to accept that she was under his

roof and intended to stay. "I promise you that I will not give you any trouble

if you allow me to remain here in London, my lord."

"No trouble, hm?" For a brief second the candlelight revealed what might have

been a gleam of amusement in Julian's cold gaze. "I cannot tell you how much

that reassures me, Sophy. Get back into bed and go to sleep. I will give you my

decision in the morning."

A vast sense of relief swamped her. She had won the first round. He was no

longer dismissing her out of hand. Sophy smiled tremulously. "Thank you,

Julian."

"Do not thank me yet, madam. We have a great deal to sort out between the two of

us."

"I realize that. But we are two intelligent people who happen to be stuck with

one another. We must use some common sense to learn to live tolerantly together,

don't you agree?"

"Is that how you see our situation, Sophy? You consider us stuck with each

other?"

"I know you would prefer that I not romanticize the matter, my lord. I am

endeavoring to take a more realistic view of our marriage."

"Make the best of things, in other words?"

She brightened. "Precisely, my lord. Rather like a pair of draft horses that are

obliged to work in harness together. We must share the same barn, drink from the

same trough, eat from the same hay bale."

"Sophy," Julian interrupted, "Please do not draw any more farming analogies. I

find they cloud my thinking."

"I would not want to do that, my lord."

"How charitable of you. I will see you in the library at eleven o'clock tomorrow

morning." Julian turned and strode out of the room, taking the light with him.

Sophy was left standing alone in the darkness. But her spirits soared as she

climbed back into the big bed. The first hurdle had been cleared. She sensed

Julian was not entirely unwilling to have her here. If she could refrain from

provoking him in the morning, she would be allowed to stay.

She had been right about his nature, Sophy told herself happily. Julian was a

hard, cold man in many ways but he was an honorable one. He would deal fairly

with her.

Sophy changed her mind three times about what to wear for the interview with

Julian the next morning. One would have thought she was dressing for a ball

instead of a discussion with her husband, she chided herself. Or perhaps a

military campaign would be a more accurate analogy.

She finally chose a light yellow gown trimmed in white and asked her maid to put

her hair up in a cascade of fashionable ringlets.

By the time she was satisfied with the effect she had less than five minutes to

descend the staircase. She hurried along the hall and dashed down the stairs,

arriving slightly breathless at the door of the library. A footman promptly

opened it for her and she swept inside, a hopeful smile on her face.

Julian rose slowly from behind his desk and greeted her with a formal

inclination of his head. "You need not have rushed, Sophy."

"It's quite all right," she assured him, moving forward quickly. "I did not want

to keep you waiting."

"Wives are notorious for keeping their husbands waiting."

"Oh." She was not quite certain how to take the dry remark. "Well, I can always

practice that particular talent another time." She glanced around and spotted a

green silk chair. "This morning I am far too anxious to hear your decision

regarding my future."

She stepped toward the green chair and promptly tripped. She caught herself

immediately and glanced down to see what it was that had caused her to lose her

footing. Julian followed her gaze.

"The ribbon of your slipper appears to have come untied," he observed politely.

Sophy flushed with embarrassment and sat down quickly. "So it has." She bent

over and hastily retied the offending slipper ribbon. When she straightened she

found Julian had reseated himself and was studying her with an oddly resigned

expression on his face. "Is something wrong, my lord?"

"No. Everything appears to be going along in a perfectly normal fashion. Now,

then, about your wish to be allowed to stay here in London."

"Yes, my lord?" She waited in an agony of anticipation to see if she had been

right about his fundamental sense of fair play.

Julian hesitated, frowning thoughtfully as he leaned back in his chair to study

her face. "I have decided to grant your request."

Elation bubbled up inside Sophy. She smiled very brilliantly, her relief and

happiness in her eyes. "Oh, Julian, thank you. I promise you, you will not

regret your decision. You are being very gracious about this and I probably do

not deserve your generosity but I want to assure you I fully intend to live up

to your expectations of a wife."

"That should prove interesting, if nothing else."

"Julian, please, I am very serious about this."

His rare smile flickered briefly. "I know. I can see your intentions in your

eyes. And that, my dear, is why I am granting you a second chance. I've told you

before, your eyes are very easy to read."

"I swear, Julian, I will become a paragon of wifehood. It is very good of you to

overlook the, er, incident at Eslington Park."

"I suggest neither of us mention that debacle again."

"An excellent idea," Sophy agreed enthusiastically.

"Very well, that appears to settle the issue. We may as well start practicing

this husband and wife business."

Sophy's eyes widened in alarm and her palms grew suddenly damp. She had not

expected him to turn to the intimate side of their marriage with such unseemly

haste. It was, after all, only eleven o'clock in the morning. "Here, my lord?"

she asked weakly, glancing around at the library furnishings. "Now?"

"Most definitely here and now." Julian did not appear to notice her startled

expression. He was busy scrabbling about in one of the desk drawers. "Ah, here

we go." He withdrew a handful of small letters and cards and handed them to her.

"What are these?"

"Invitations. You know, receptions, parties, routs, balls. That sort of thing.

They require some sort of response. I detest sorting through invitations and I

have occupied my secretary with more important matters. Pick out a few events

that appear interesting to you and send regrets to the others."

Sophy looked up from the sheaf of cards in her hand, feeling bewildered. "This

is to be my first wifely duty, my lord?"

"Correct."

She waited a moment, wondering if it was relief or disappointment she felt. It

must have been relief. "I will be happy to take care of these, Julian, but you

of all people should know I have very little experience with Society."

"That, Sophy, is one of your more redeeming qualities."

"Thank you, my lord. I was sure I must possess a few somewhere."

He gave her a suspicious look but forbore to comment on that remark. "As it