past two days."
He shot her a quick, assessing glance. "You are certain you will be, uh,
comfortable?"
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She blushed vividly and urged her mare into a trot.
"Most comfortable, Julian." Until I find the courage to tell you the whole truth
and then I shall feel absolutely terrible. She wondered morosely if he would
beat her.
An hour later they drew to a halt near the ruins of an old Norman castle that
had once stood guard over the river. Julian dismounted and walked over to the
gelding Sophy was riding. He lifted his wife gently out of the saddle. When her
feet touched the ground he did not release her immediately.
"Is something wrong, my lord?"
"No." His smile was whimsical. "Not at all." He took his hand from her waist and
carefully rearranged the plume that had fallen forward from the brim of her
small brown velvet hat. The plume had been dangling at a typically precarious
angle.
Sophy sighed. "That was one of the reasons I was such a failure during my short
season in London. No matter how carefully my maid did my hair and arranged my
clothing I always managed to arrive at the ball or the theater looking as if I'd
just been run over by a passing carriage. I think I should like to have lived in
a simpler time when people had fewer clothes to worry about."
"I would not mind living with you in such a time." Julians grin widened as he
surveyed her attire. There was laughter in his sunlit green eyes. "You would
look very good running about in very few clothes, madam."
She knew she was turning pink again. Hastily she swung away from him and started
toward the tumbledown pile of rocks that comprised what was left of the old
castle. At any other time Sophy would have found the ruin charmingly
picturesque. Today she could hardly focus on it. "A lovely view, is it not? It
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
reminds me of that old castle on Ravenwood land. I should have brought along my
sketchbook."
"I did not mean to embarrass you, Sophy," Julian said quietly as he came up
behind her. "Or frighten you by reminding you of the other night. I was just
trying to make a little joke." He touched her shoulder. "Forgive me for my want
of delicacy."
Sophy closed her eyes. "You did not frighten me, Julian."
"Whenever you move away from me like that I worry that I've given you some new
cause to fear me."
"Julian, stop it. Stop it at once. I do not fear you."
"You do not need to lie to me, little one," he assured her gently. "I am well
aware that it will be a long while before I can redeem myself in your eyes."
"Oh, Julian, if you say another word of apology I think I shall scream." She
stepped away from him, not daring to glance back.
"Sophy? What the devil is wrong now? I am sorry if you do not care for my
apologies but I have no honorable recourse other than to try to convince you
they are genuine."
It was all she could do not to burst into tears. "You don't understand," she
said miserably. "The reason I do not want to hear any more apologies is because
they are… they are entirely unnecessary."
There was a short pause behind her before Julian said quietly, "You are not
obliged to make matters easier on me."
She gripped her riding crop in both hands. "I am not trying to make matters
easier. I am trying to set you straight on a few points about which I… I
deliberately misled you."
There was another short pause. "I don't understand. What are you trying to say,
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Sophy? That my lovemaking was not as bad as I know it must have been? Please
don't bother. We both know the truth."
"No, Julian, you do not know the truth. Only I know the truth. I have a
confession to make, my lord, and I fear you are going to be excessively angry."
"Not with you, Sophy. Never with you."
"I pray you will remember
He shot her a quick, assessing glance. "You are certain you will be, uh,
comfortable?"
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
She blushed vividly and urged her mare into a trot.
"Most comfortable, Julian." Until I find the courage to tell you the whole truth
and then I shall feel absolutely terrible. She wondered morosely if he would
beat her.
An hour later they drew to a halt near the ruins of an old Norman castle that
had once stood guard over the river. Julian dismounted and walked over to the
gelding Sophy was riding. He lifted his wife gently out of the saddle. When her
feet touched the ground he did not release her immediately.
"Is something wrong, my lord?"
"No." His smile was whimsical. "Not at all." He took his hand from her waist and
carefully rearranged the plume that had fallen forward from the brim of her
small brown velvet hat. The plume had been dangling at a typically precarious
angle.
Sophy sighed. "That was one of the reasons I was such a failure during my short
season in London. No matter how carefully my maid did my hair and arranged my
clothing I always managed to arrive at the ball or the theater looking as if I'd
just been run over by a passing carriage. I think I should like to have lived in
a simpler time when people had fewer clothes to worry about."
"I would not mind living with you in such a time." Julians grin widened as he
surveyed her attire. There was laughter in his sunlit green eyes. "You would
look very good running about in very few clothes, madam."
She knew she was turning pink again. Hastily she swung away from him and started
toward the tumbledown pile of rocks that comprised what was left of the old
castle. At any other time Sophy would have found the ruin charmingly
picturesque. Today she could hardly focus on it. "A lovely view, is it not? It
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
reminds me of that old castle on Ravenwood land. I should have brought along my
sketchbook."
"I did not mean to embarrass you, Sophy," Julian said quietly as he came up
behind her. "Or frighten you by reminding you of the other night. I was just
trying to make a little joke." He touched her shoulder. "Forgive me for my want
of delicacy."
Sophy closed her eyes. "You did not frighten me, Julian."
"Whenever you move away from me like that I worry that I've given you some new
cause to fear me."
"Julian, stop it. Stop it at once. I do not fear you."
"You do not need to lie to me, little one," he assured her gently. "I am well
aware that it will be a long while before I can redeem myself in your eyes."
"Oh, Julian, if you say another word of apology I think I shall scream." She
stepped away from him, not daring to glance back.
"Sophy? What the devil is wrong now? I am sorry if you do not care for my
apologies but I have no honorable recourse other than to try to convince you
they are genuine."
It was all she could do not to burst into tears. "You don't understand," she
said miserably. "The reason I do not want to hear any more apologies is because
they are… they are entirely unnecessary."
There was a short pause behind her before Julian said quietly, "You are not
obliged to make matters easier on me."
She gripped her riding crop in both hands. "I am not trying to make matters
easier. I am trying to set you straight on a few points about which I… I
deliberately misled you."
There was another short pause. "I don't understand. What are you trying to say,
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Sophy? That my lovemaking was not as bad as I know it must have been? Please
don't bother. We both know the truth."
"No, Julian, you do not know the truth. Only I know the truth. I have a
confession to make, my lord, and I fear you are going to be excessively angry."
"Not with you, Sophy. Never with you."
"I pray you will remember
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