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 the devil's own temper."
"Is it, indeed? Then I am surprised you would bring me out here alone to make
your grand confession. There is no one around to hear your cries for help should
I decide to punish you now."
"I did not think it fair to involve the servants," she whispered.
"How very noble of you, my dear. You will forgive me if I have trouble believing
that any woman capable of drugging her husband is a woman who is going to waste
time worrying about what the servants might think." His eyes narrowed. "By God,
what did they think when they changed your bedding the next morning?"
"I explained to Mary that I had spilled some tea in bed."
"In other words, I was the only one in the entire household who believed myself
to be a brutal rapist? Well, that's something, at least."
"I am sorry, Julian. Truly, I am. In my own defense, I can only point out again
that I really was frightened and angry. I had thought we were getting along so
well, you see, getting to know one another and then there you were threatening
me."
"The thought of my lovemaking scares you so much you would go to such lengths to
avoid it? Damn it, Sophy, you are no green chit of a girl. You are a full-grown
woman, and you know well why I married you."
"I have explained before, my lord, I am not frightened of the act itself," she
said fiercely. "It is just that I want time to get to know you. I wanted time
for us to learn to deal together as husband and wife. I do not wish to be turned
into a brood mare for your convenience and then turned out to pasture in the
country. You must admit that is all you had in mind when you married me."
"I admit nothing." He slashed the crop against his boot one more time. "As far
as I am concerned, you are the one who violated the basic understandings of our
marriage. My requirements were simple and few. One of them, if you will recall,
was that you never lie to me."
"Julian, I did not lie to you. Perhaps I misled you, but surely you can see that
I—"
"You lied to me," he cut in brutally. "And if I had not been wallowing in my own
guilt these past two days I would have realized it immediately. The signs were
all present. You haven't even been able to look me in the eye. If I hadn't
assumed that was because you couldn't bear the sight of me, I would have
understood at once that you were deceiving me."
"I am sorry, Julian."
"You are going to be a great deal sorrier, madam, before we are finished. I am
not anything like your foolishly
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 the devil's own temper."
"Is it, indeed? Then I am surprised you would bring me out here alone to make
your grand confession. There is no one around to hear your cries for help should
I decide to punish you now."
"I did not think it fair to involve the servants," she whispered.
"How very noble of you, my dear. You will forgive me if I have trouble believing
that any woman capable of drugging her husband is a woman who is going to waste
time worrying about what the servants might think." His eyes narrowed. "By God,
what did they think when they changed your bedding the next morning?"
"I explained to Mary that I had spilled some tea in bed."
"In other words, I was the only one in the entire household who believed myself
to be a brutal rapist? Well, that's something, at least."
"I am sorry, Julian. Truly, I am. In my own defense, I can only point out again
that I really was frightened and angry. I had thought we were getting along so
well, you see, getting to know one another and then there you were threatening
me."
"The thought of my lovemaking scares you so much you would go to such lengths to
avoid it? Damn it, Sophy, you are no green chit of a girl. You are a full-grown
woman, and you know well why I married you."
"I have explained before, my lord, I am not frightened of the act itself," she
said fiercely. "It is just that I want time to get to know you. I wanted time
for us to learn to deal together as husband and wife. I do not wish to be turned
into a brood mare for your convenience and then turned out to pasture in the
country. You must admit that is all you had in mind when you married me."
"I admit nothing." He slashed the crop against his boot one more time. "As far
as I am concerned, you are the one who violated the basic understandings of our
marriage. My requirements were simple and few. One of them, if you will recall,
was that you never lie to me."
"Julian, I did not lie to you. Perhaps I misled you, but surely you can see that
I—"
"You lied to me," he cut in brutally. "And if I had not been wallowing in my own
guilt these past two days I would have realized it immediately. The signs were
all present. You haven't even been able to look me in the eye. If I hadn't
assumed that was because you couldn't bear the sight of me, I would have
understood at once that you were deceiving me."
"I am sorry, Julian."
"You are going to be a great deal sorrier, madam, before we are finished. I am
not anything like your foolishly
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