Seduction (33 page)

you really wanted from me was an heir. It put a strain on me, Julian."

"I understand that better now since I had a chat with a certain gypsy lady. She

explained to me that my wife was something of a romantic by nature. I am guilty

of not having taken that into account in my dealings with her and I would like

to remedy the error of my ways."

Sophy's head came up quickly, her brows drawing together in annoyance. "So now

you propose to indulge my so-called tendency toward romanticism? Pray do not

bother, Julian. Romantic gestures are meaningless if there is no genuine feeling

behind them."

"At least give me some credit for trying to please you, my dear." He smiled

faintly. "You do like the Culpeper herbal, don't you?"

Guilt assailed her. "You know I am most extremely pleased with it, my lord."

"And the bracelet?" he coaxed.

"It is very pretty, my lord."

He winced. "Very pretty. I see. Well, then, I shall look forward to seeing you

wear it sometime in the near future."

Sophy brightened at once, glad to be able to offer a positive response. "I

expect I shall wear it this evening, my lord. I am going to a party at Lady St.

John's."

"It was too much, I suppose, to hope you did not have plans for this evening?"

"Oh, I have plans for every evening this week and next. There is always so much

going on here in town, isn't there?"

"Yes," Julian said grimly, "There is. You are not obliged to attend every

function for which you receive an invitation, however. I should think by now

you'd be happy to spend a quiet evening or two at home."

"Why on earth would I want to spend an evening here alone, my lord?" Sophy

murmured tightly.

Julian folded his hands in front of him on his desk. "I was thinking of spending

the evening here, myself."

Sophy forced another bright smile. He was trying to be kind, she told herself.

She did not want mere kindness from him. "I see. Another romantic gesture

designed to indulge my whims? That is very generous of you, but you need not

bother, my lord. I am quite able to entertain myself. As I told you, now that I

have been in the city a while I have a much better understanding of how husbands

and wives of the ton are supposed to conduct their lives. And now I really must

be going. Your aunt will wonder where I am."

She stood up quickly, forgetting about the bonnet on her lap. It slipped to the

floor.

"Sophy, you misunderstand my intentions," Julian said as he got to his feet and

strolled around the desk to pick up the bonnet. "I merely thought we might both

enjoy a calm evening at home." He adjusted the bonnet on her head and tied the

ribbons neatly under her chin.

She looked up at him, wishing she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Thank you

for the gesture, my lord. But I would not dream of interfering in your social

life. I am certain you will be quite bored if you stayed home. Good day, my

lord."

"Sophy."

The command caught her just as she put her hand on the doorknob. "Yes, my lord?"

"What about the matter of hiring a new housekeeper?"

"Tell your steward to interview Molly Ashkettle. She's been on your staff for

years at Ravenwood and will make a perfect replacement for poor Mrs. Boyle."

Sophy rushed out the door.

Fifteen minutes later she was ushered into Lady Fanny's library. Harriett, Jane,

and Anne were already there, deep into the stack of books that had been placed

on the table.

"Sorry to be delayed," Sophy apologized quickly as the others looked up from

their work. "My husband wanted to discuss the matter of a new housekeeper."

"How odd," Fanny said from atop a small ladder where she was rummaging around

the top shelf. "Ravenwood never concerns himself with the hiring of servants. He

always leaves that to his stewards or the butler. But never mind, dear, we are

making great progress with your little project."

"It's true," Anne said closing one book and opening another. "Harriett

discovered a reference to the animal head on the ring a short while ago. It is a

mythical creature, which appears in a very old book of natural philosophy."

"Not a very pleasant reference, I'm afraid," Harriett said, pausing to peer over

the top of her spectacles. "It was associated with some sort of nasty cult in

ancient times."

"I am presently going through some old books on mathematics to see if I can find

out anything about the triangle," Jane said. "I have a feeling we are very

close."

"So do I," Lady Fanny said as she descended from the ladder. "Although what we

will have if we do find the answers is beginning to worry me a bit."

"Why do you say that?" Sophy asked, taking a seat at the table and picking up a

massive tome.

Harriett looked. "Fanny was struck with a rather vague recollection last night

just before bedtime."

"What sort of recollection?" Sophy demanded.

"Something to do with a secret society of rather wild young rakehells," Fanny

said slowly. "I heard about it a few years ago. I never learned the particulars,

but it seems to me something was said about the members using rings to identify

themselves to each other. Supposedly the whole thing started at Cambridge but

some of the members kept the club going after they left the classroom. At least

for a time."

Sophy looked at Anne and Jane and shook her head very slightly. They had agreed

not to alarm Fanny and Harriett with the real reason they wanted to learn the

secret of the black ring. As far as the older women knew, Sophy was merely

curious about a family heirloom that had come into her possession. |

"You say this ring was left to you by your sister?" Harriett asked, turning

pages slowly.

"That's right."

"Do you know where she got it?"

Sophy hesitated, trying to think of a reasonable explanation for Amelia's

possession of the ring. As usual, her mind went blank when she tried to come up

with a lie.

Anne rushed glibly to the rescue. "You said she had gotten it from a great aunt

who passed away many years ago, didn't you, Sophy?"

"Yes," Jane put in before Sophy was obliged to respond, "I think that was what

you said, Sophy."

"Yes. That's correct. A very odd sort of aunt. I do not believe I ever met her,

myself," Sophy said quickly.

"Hm. Very odd, is right," Fanny mused as she plunked down two more heavy volumes

and went back to the shelf for another batch. "I wonder how she came into

possession of the ring."

"We'll probably never know," Anne said firmly, giving Sophy a quelling glance as

Sophy began to look increasingly guilty.

Harriett turned another page in the volume she was perusing. "Have you shown the

ring to Ravenwood, Sophy? Being a man, he might know more about this sort of

thing than we do."

"He has seen the ring," Sophy said, happy to be able to speak the truth at last.

"He did not recognize it."

"Well, then, we must persevere on our own." Fanny selected another volume off

the shelf. "I do so love a puzzle, don't you, Harry?"

Harriett smiled beatifically. "Dear me, yes. Never happier than when I'm working

on a puzzle."

Four days later, Sophy, poring over an ancient treatise on mathematics with

Jane, discovered the origin of the peculiar triangle on the face of the ring.

"This is it," she said excitedly as the others converged around the old volume.

"Look at it. The triangle is exactly like that one on the ring, including the

strange loops at each corner."

"She is right," Anne said. "What does it say about the triangle?"

Sophy frowned over the Latin. "Something to do with its being useful in certain

dark ceremonies for controlling the female demons who have—" She halted abruptly

as she realized what she was translating. "Oh, my goodness."

"What is the matter?" Fanny leaned over her shoulder. "Ah, I see. A shape most

useful for controlling succubi while enjoying them in a carnal manner.' How

fascinating. Leave it to men to worry about a species of female demons who

molest poor helpless males in their sleep."

Harriett smiled blandly. "Fascinating, indeed. Demon prostitutes who can be

controlled at the same time that one enjoys their favors. You are quite right,

Fanny. -Definitely a fantasy creation of the male brain."

"Here is more evidence of masculine fancy," Anne announced, pointing to another

picture of the mythological creature she had researched. "The beast in the

triangle is said to have uncommon powers. It can, it seems, fornicate for hours

without any loss of vigor."

Fanny groaned. "I think we can now say with some certainty that Sophy's heirloom

ring is, indeed, a man's ring. It seems to have been expressly designed to make

a male think quite highly of his own prowess in the bedchamber. Perhaps it was

meant to give him good luck in that area of his life. In any event, it is

definitely not the sort of jewelry Ravenwood will want his wife wearing in

public."

Harriett chuckled. "If I were you, Sophy, I would not tell your husband the

meaning of the designs on that ring. Put the thing away and ask Ravenwood for

the family emeralds, instead."

"I am certain your advice is excellent," Sophy said quietly, thinking she would

be damned before she would ask her husband for the Ravenwood emeralds. And I do

appreciate your assistance in helping me track down the details of the ring."

"Not at all, ' Harriett said, beaming. "It was quite a fascinating project,

wasn't it, Fanny?"

"Most instructive."

"Well, we had best be on our way, " Anne said, as the women began reshelving the

books. "I promised Grandmother I would help her entertain some friends at cards

this evening."

"And I am supposed to put in an appearance at Lady St. John's," Sophy said,

dusting off her hands.

Jane eyed her friends without a word but as soon as they were all three seated

in Sophy's carriage and safely out of earshot of Lady Fanny and her companion,

she spoke up. "Well? Do not keep me in suspense. This is not the end of it. I

know that. What will you do next, Sophy?"

Sophy stared out the window of the carriage, lost in thought for a moment. "It

seems to me that we now know two things for certain about the ring. The first is

that it probably belonged to a man who was part of a secret society he probably

joined at Cambridge. And the second is that the society was involved in

disreputable sexual practices."

"I think you are right," Anne agreed. "Your poor sister was the victim of some

man who used women very badly, indeed."

"We already knew that," Jane said. "What do we do now?"

Sophy pulled her gaze away from the street scene and looked at her friends. "It

seems to me there is only one person who might know the men who wear such

rings."

Jane's eyes widened. "You cannot mean—"

"Of course," Anne said quickly. "Why didn't I think of it? We must contact

Charlotte Featherstone at once and see what she can tell us of the ring or the

man who might have worn it. Sophy, write the note this afternoon. I will deliver

it in disguise at once."

"She may not choose to respond," Jane said hopefully.

"Perhaps, but it is the only recourse I have left, other than to wear the ring

in public again and see who reacts to it."

"Too dangerous," Anne said at once. "Any man who recognizes the ring and sees

you wearing it might think you were involved in the cult, yourself."

Sophy shuddered, remembering the man in the black hooded cape and mask. A most

unusual type of excitement.

No, she must be very careful not to attract further attention with the ring.

Charlotte Featherstone's answer came within hours. Anne brought it to Sophy at

once. Sophy tore open the envelope with a sense of mingled dread and

anticipation.

From one Honorable Woman to Another: You flatter me by requesting what you are

pleased to refer to as professional information. You say in your note that you

are tracing the particulars of a family heirloom and your researches have led

you to believe I may be of some assistance. I am only too happy to give you what

little information I have but please allow me to tell you I do not think highly

of the family member who left this ring behind. Whoever he was, he must have had

a nasty streak in him.

Over the years I can recall five men who wore in my presence a ring such as you

describe in your note. Two are now dead and, to be frank, the world is better

off without them. The remaining three are Lords Utteridge, Varley, and Ormiston.

I do not know what you plan to do next, but I advise caution. I can assure you

that none of the three is good company for any woman, regardless of her station

in Society. I hesitate to suggest it, but perhaps you should discuss the matter,

whatever it may be, with your husband before proceeding further on your own.

The letter was signed with Featherstone's beautifully scrawled C. E

Sophy's pulse beat faster. At last she had names, she told herself. One of these

three might very well be the man who was responsible for Amelia's death.

"Somehow I must contrive to encounter these three men," she said evenly to Anne.