need not apologize for what you think you did the other night is because you did nothing."
"What?"
Sophy wiped the back of her gloved hand across her eyes. In doing so she jarred her hat and the plume bobbed forward again. "That is to say, you did not do what you think you did."
The silence behind her grew deafening before Julian spoke again. "Sophy, the blood. There was so much blood."
She hurried on quickly before her courage deserted her entirely. "On my own behalf, I should like to point out that you did try to break the spirit of our agreement as far as I am concerned. I was quite nervous and very, very angry. I hope you will take that into consideration, my lord. You, of all people, know what it is to be in the grip of a fierce temper."
"Damn it, Sophy, what the devil are you talking about?" Julian's voice was far too quiet.
"I am trying to explain, my lord, that you did not assault me the other night. You just, well, that is to say, you merely went to sleep." Sophy finally turned slowly to confront him. He stood a short distance away, his booted feet braced slightly apart, his riding crop held alongside his thigh. His emerald gaze was colder than the outer reaches of Hades.
"I went to sleep?"
Sophy nodded and stared fixedly past his shoulder. "I put some herbs in your tea. You remember I told you I had something more effective than port for inducing sleep?"
"I remember," he said with terrible softness. "But you drank the tea also."
She shook her head. "I merely pretended to drink it. You were so busy complaining about Miss Wollstonecraft's book that you did not notice what I was doing."
He stalked one step closer. The riding crop flicked restlessly against his leg. "The blood. It was all over the sheet."
"More herbs, my lord. After you fell asleep I added them to the tea to produce a reddish stain on the sheets. Only I did not know how much liquid to use, you see and I was nervous and I spilled some and thus the spot grew somewhat larger than I had intended."
"You spilled some of the tea," he repeated slowly.
"Yes, my lord."
"Enough to make me think I had torn you most savagely."
"Yes, my lord."
"You are telling me that nothing happened that night? Nothing at all?"
Some of Sophy's natural spirit revived. "Well, you did say you were going to seduce me even though I had distinctly told you I did not wish you to do so and you did come to my room over my objections and I truly did feel menaced, my lord. So it is not as if nothing
would
have happened, if you see what I mean. It is just that nothing
did
happen because I took certain steps to prevent it. You are not the only one with a temper, my lord."
"You drugged me." There was something between disbelief and rage in his voice.
"It was just a simple sleeping tonic, my lord."
The riding crop at Julian's side slashed against the leather top of his boot, cutting off her explanation. Julian's eyes burned brilliantly green. "You drugged me with one of those damn potions of yours and then you set the stage to make me think I had raped you.
There was really nothing to say in the face of that blunt statement of facts. Sophy hung her head. The plume waved in front of her eyes as she looked down at the ground. "I suppose you could view it that way, my lord. But I never meant for you to think you had… had hurt me. I only wanted you to think you had done what you seemed to feel was your duty. You seemed so anxious to claim your rights as a husband."
"And you assumed that if I thought I had claimed those rights, I might then leave you alone for the next few months?"
"It occurred to me that you might be satisfied for a while, my lord. I thought you might then be willing to honor the terms of our agreement.
"Sophy, if you mention that damned agreement one more time, I shall undoubtedly throttle you. At the very least, I will use my riding crop on your backside."
She drew herself up bravely. "I am prepared for violence, my lord. It is well known that you have
"What?"
Sophy wiped the back of her gloved hand across her eyes. In doing so she jarred her hat and the plume bobbed forward again. "That is to say, you did not do what you think you did."
The silence behind her grew deafening before Julian spoke again. "Sophy, the blood. There was so much blood."
She hurried on quickly before her courage deserted her entirely. "On my own behalf, I should like to point out that you did try to break the spirit of our agreement as far as I am concerned. I was quite nervous and very, very angry. I hope you will take that into consideration, my lord. You, of all people, know what it is to be in the grip of a fierce temper."
"Damn it, Sophy, what the devil are you talking about?" Julian's voice was far too quiet.
"I am trying to explain, my lord, that you did not assault me the other night. You just, well, that is to say, you merely went to sleep." Sophy finally turned slowly to confront him. He stood a short distance away, his booted feet braced slightly apart, his riding crop held alongside his thigh. His emerald gaze was colder than the outer reaches of Hades.
"I went to sleep?"
Sophy nodded and stared fixedly past his shoulder. "I put some herbs in your tea. You remember I told you I had something more effective than port for inducing sleep?"
"I remember," he said with terrible softness. "But you drank the tea also."
She shook her head. "I merely pretended to drink it. You were so busy complaining about Miss Wollstonecraft's book that you did not notice what I was doing."
He stalked one step closer. The riding crop flicked restlessly against his leg. "The blood. It was all over the sheet."
"More herbs, my lord. After you fell asleep I added them to the tea to produce a reddish stain on the sheets. Only I did not know how much liquid to use, you see and I was nervous and I spilled some and thus the spot grew somewhat larger than I had intended."
"You spilled some of the tea," he repeated slowly.
"Yes, my lord."
"Enough to make me think I had torn you most savagely."
"Yes, my lord."
"You are telling me that nothing happened that night? Nothing at all?"
Some of Sophy's natural spirit revived. "Well, you did say you were going to seduce me even though I had distinctly told you I did not wish you to do so and you did come to my room over my objections and I truly did feel menaced, my lord. So it is not as if nothing
would
have happened, if you see what I mean. It is just that nothing
did
happen because I took certain steps to prevent it. You are not the only one with a temper, my lord."
"You drugged me." There was something between disbelief and rage in his voice.
"It was just a simple sleeping tonic, my lord."
The riding crop at Julian's side slashed against the leather top of his boot, cutting off her explanation. Julian's eyes burned brilliantly green. "You drugged me with one of those damn potions of yours and then you set the stage to make me think I had raped you.
There was really nothing to say in the face of that blunt statement of facts. Sophy hung her head. The plume waved in front of her eyes as she looked down at the ground. "I suppose you could view it that way, my lord. But I never meant for you to think you had… had hurt me. I only wanted you to think you had done what you seemed to feel was your duty. You seemed so anxious to claim your rights as a husband."
"And you assumed that if I thought I had claimed those rights, I might then leave you alone for the next few months?"
"It occurred to me that you might be satisfied for a while, my lord. I thought you might then be willing to honor the terms of our agreement.
"Sophy, if you mention that damned agreement one more time, I shall undoubtedly throttle you. At the very least, I will use my riding crop on your backside."
She drew herself up bravely. "I am prepared for violence, my lord. It is well known that you have
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