Seduction (3 page)

felt for her into raw pain and savage rage, Sophy had wanted to offer comfort

and understanding. But the Earl had been beyond either. He had sought his solace

for a time on the Continent waging war under Wellington.

When he had returned, it was obvious that the Earl's emotions had long since

retreated to a cold, distant place somewhere inside himself. Now any passion or

warmth Ravenwood was capable of feeling appeared to be reserved for his land.

The black suited him well, Sophy decided. She had heard the stallion was called

Angel, and she found herself marveling at Ravenwood's sense of irony.

Angel was a creature of darkness meant for a man who lived in shadows. The man

who rode him seemed almost a part of the animal. Ravenwood was lean and

powerfully built. He was endowed with unfashionably large, strong hands, hands

that could easily have strangled an errant wife, just as the villagers said,

Sophy reflected briefly.

He needed no padding in his coat to emphasize the breadth of his shoulders. The

snug-fitting riding breeches clung to well-shaped, strongly muscled thighs.

But although he wore his clothes well, Sophy knew there was nothing the finest

tailor in London could have done to alleviate the uncompromising grimness of

Ravenwood's harsh features.

His hair was as black as his stallion's silky coat and his eyes were a deep,

gleaming green, a demon green, Sophy had sometimes thought. It was said the

Earls of Ravenwood were always born with eyes to match the family emeralds.

Sophy found Ravenwood's gaze disconcerting not only because of the color of his

eyes but because he had a way of looking at a person as if he were mentally

putting a price on that poor unfortunate's soul. Sophy wondered what his

lordship would do when he learned her price.

She reined in Dancer, pushed the plume of her riding hat out of her eyes and

summoned up what she hoped was a serenely gracious smile.

"Good afternoon, my lord. What a surprise to encounter you in the middle of the

woods."

The black stallion was brought to a shuddering halt a few feet away. Ravenwood

sat quietly for a moment, regarding Sophy's polite little smile. He did not

respond in kind.

"What, precisely, do you find surprising about this encounter, Miss Dorring?

This is, after all, my land. I knew you had gone to visit Old Bess and guessed

that you would be returning to Chesley Court along this route."

"How clever of you, my lord. An example of deductive logic, perhaps? I am a

great admirer of that sort of reasoning."

"You were well aware that we had business to conclude today. If you are as

intelligent as your grandparents appear to believe, you must also have known I

wanted that business settled this afternoon. No, on the whole I cannot accept

that there is any surprise in this meeting at all. In fact, I would almost be

willing to wager that it was deliberately planned."

Sophy's fingers clenched on the reins as the soft words burned into her.

Dancer's ears flicked in mild protest and she instantly relaxed her convulsive

grip. Bess was right. Ravenwood was not a man who could be easily led about with

a piece of string. Sophy knew she would have to be extraordinarily cautious.

"I was under the impression that my grandfather was conducting my business on my

behalf, as is proper," Sophy said. "Did he not give you my answer to your

offer?"

"He did." Ravenwood allowed his high-strung stallion to take a few prancing

steps closer to Dancer. "I chose not to accept it until I discussed the matter

with you, personally."

"Surely, my lord, that is not entirely correct. Or is that the manner in which

such things are handled in London these days?"

"It's the manner in which I wish to handle them with you. You are not a missish

little twit, Miss Dorring. Pray do not act like one. You can answer for

yourself. Tell me what the problem is and I will endeavor to see if it can be

resolved."

"Problem, my lord?"

His eyes took on a darker shade of green. "I would advise you not to toy with

me, Miss Dorring. I am not given to indulging women who try to make a fool of

me."

"I understand completely, my lord. And surely you can comprehend my reluctance

to tie myself to a man who is not given to indulging women in general, much less

those who try to make a fool of him."

Ravenwood's eyes narrowed. "Kindly explain yourself."

Sophy managed a faint shrug. Her hat tipped a bit farther forward under the

small movement. Automatically she reached up again to push aside the bobbing

plume.

"Very well, my lord, you force me to speak plainly. I do not believe you and I

share a similar understanding of how a marriage between us could be made to

work. I have tried to talk to you privately on the three occasions you have

called at Chesley Court during the past two weeks, but you seemed totally

uninterested in discussing matters with me. You treated the whole business as if

you were buying a new horse for your stables. I admit I was forced to resort to

drastic tactics today in order to get your attention."

Ravenwood stared at her with cold irritation. "So I was right in thinking you

are not surprised to encounter me here. Very well, you have my complete

attention, Miss Dorring. What is there you wish me to comprehend? It all seems

very straightforward to me."

"I know what you want from me," Sophy said. "It is quite obvious. But I do not

believe you have the least notion of what I want from you. Until you do

comprehend that and agree to my wishes in the matter, there is no possibility of

our marrying."

"Perhaps we ought to take this step by step," Ravenwood said. "What is it you

think I want from you?"

"An heir and no trouble."

Ravenwood blinked with a deceptive laziness. His hard mouth curved faintly.

"Succinctly put."

"And accurate?"

"Very," he said dryly. "It is no secret that I wish to set up my nursery.

Ravenwood has been in my family's hands for three generations. I do not intend

for it to be lost in this generation."

"In other words, you see me as a brood mare."

Saddle leather creaked as Ravenwood studied her in ominous silence for a long

moment. "I fear your grandfather was right," he finally said. "Your reading

habits have instilled a certain lack of delicacy in your manner, Miss Dorring."

"Oh, I can be far more indelicate than that, my lord. For instance, I understand

you keep a mistress in London."

"Where the devil did you hear that? Not from Lord Dorring, I'll wager."

"It is common talk here in the countryside."

"And you listen to the tales told by villagers who have never been more than a

few miles from their homes?" he scoffed.

"Are the tales told by city folk any different?"

"I begin to believe you are being deliberately insulting, Miss Dorring."

"No, my lord. Merely very cautious."

"Obstinate, not cautious. Use what little wit you have to pay attention. If

there was anything truly objectionable about me or my behavior do you think your

grandparents would have approved my offer of marriage?"

"If the marriage settlement you are proposing is large enough, yes."

Ravenwood smiled faintly at that. "You may be correct."

Sophy hesitated. "Are you telling me the tales I have heard are all false?"

Ravenwood eyed her thoughtfully. "What else have you heard?"

Sophy had not expected this odd conversation to get so specific. "You mean

besides the fact that you keep a mistress?"

"If the rest of the gossip is as silly as that bit, you should be ashamed of

yourself, Miss Dorring."

"Alas, I fear I do not possess such a refined sense of shame, my lord. A

regrettable failing, to be sure and one you should probably take into

consideration. Gossip can be vastly entertaining, and I confess I am not above

listening to it on occasion."

The Earl's mouth tightened. "A regrettable failing, indeed. What else have you

heard?" he repeated.

"Well, in addition to the tidbit about your mistress, it is said you fought a

duel once."

"You cannot expect me to confirm such nonsense."

"I have also heard that you banished your last wife to the country because she

failed to give you an heir," Sophy continued rashly.

"I do not discuss my first wife with anyone." Ravenwood's expression was

suddenly forbidding. "If we are to get on together, Miss Dorring, you would be

well advised never to mention her again."

Sophy flushed. "I apologize, my lord. It is not her I am trying to discuss,

rather your habit of leaving your wives in the country."

"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. "Rut 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 Dancers 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