"There's more about Ashford," Anne said with a decidedly wicked laugh. "Listen to this:"

After Lord Ashford left that evening I told my maid that Lady Ashford should consider herself very much in my debt. After all, if it were not for me, Ashford would undoubtedly spend a great many more evenings at home boring his poor wife with his lamentably unimaginative lovemaking. Only consider the great burden of which I have relieved the lady.

"I would say she was well paid for her pains," Harriett declared, pouring tea from the Georgian silver pot.

"Lady Ashford is going to be furious when she hears about this," someone else remarked.

"And so she should be," Sophy said fiercely. "Her lord has conducted himself most dishonorably. We may find it amusing but when you stop to think about it, you must realize he has publicly humiliated his wife. Think how he would react if the situation were reversed and it was Lady Ashford who had caused this sort of talk."

"A sound point," Jane said. "I'll wager most men would call out any other man who had written such things about their wives."

Julian, for one, would be strongly inclined to spill blood over such a scandal , Sophy thought, not without some satisfaction as well as a chill of fear. His rage under such circumstances would indeed be awesome and his fierce pride would demand vengeance.

"Lady Ashford is hardly in a position to call out Charlotte Featherstone," one of the women in the group said dryly. "As it is, the poor woman will simply be forced to retreat to the country for a while until the gossip has run its course."

Another woman on the other side of the room grinned knowingly. "So Lord Ashford is a dead bore in bed, is he? How interesting."

"According to Featherstone, most men are rather boring in bed," Fanny said. "Thus far she has not had a good word to say about any of her admirers."

"Perhaps the more interesting lovers have paid the blackmail she is said to be demanding in order to be left out of the Memoirs," suggested a young matron.

"Or perhaps men, in general, simply do not make interesting lovers," Harriett observed calmly. "More tea, anyone?"

The street in front of the Yelverton mansion was crowded with elegant carriages. Julian alighted from his at midnight and made his way through the crowd of lounging coachmen, grooms, and footmen to the wide steps that led to the Yelverton hall.

He was virtually under orders to appear tonight. Fanny had made it clear that this was to be Sophy's first major ball and that Julian's presence would be much appreciated. While it was true he was free to go his own way for the most part, there were certain occasions that required his presence at Sophy's side. This was one of them.

Julian, who had been getting up at an ungodly hour and going to bed far too late for the past week in an effort to avoid unnecessary encounters with his wife, had found himself trapped when Fanny had made it plain she expected him to show up at some point tonight. He had resigned himself to a dance with his wife.

It was akin to resigning himself to torture. The few minutes on the ballroom floor with her in his arms would be more difficult for him than Sophy would ever know.

If the time spent apart from her had not been easy, this past week with Sophy living under the same roof had been hell. The night he had arrived home to find that she had come to apologize and to take up residence in town, he had been seized first with a glorious relief and then with a sense of caution.

But he had managed to convince himself she had come meekly to heel. She had clearly abandoned her outrageous demands and was prepared to assume the role of a proper wife to him. That night when he had confronted her in her bedchamber she had virtually offered herself to him.

It had taken every ounce of willpower Julian possessed to walk out of the room that night. Sophy had looked so sweet and submissive and tempting he had ached to reach out and take what was his by right. But he had been shaken by her arrival and had not fully trusted his own reactions. He had known he needed time to think.

By the following morning he had also realized that now she was with him again, he could not send her away. Nor was there any need to do so, he had told himself. After all, she had humbled her pride by coming to town and throwing herself on his mercy. It was she who had pleaded to be allowed to stay. Hadn't she apologized most sincerely for the embarrassing events at Eslington Park?

Julian had decided his pride had been salvaged and the lesson had been taught. He had made up his mind to be gracious and allow her to stay in town. The decision had not been a difficult one although he had lain awake till dawn arriving at it.

He had also determined during the course of that sleepless night that he would lay claim to his conjugal rights immediately. He had certainly been denied them long enough. But by morning he had acknowledged it was not that simple. Something was missing in the equation.

Not being much given to introspection or self-analysis, he had taken most of the next morning right up until the interview in the library to arrive at a vague notion of what was wrong with leaping straight into bed with Sophy.

He had finally admitted to himself that he did not want Sophy to give herself to him out of a sense of wifely duty.

It was, in fact, damned galling to think that she would do so. He wanted her to want him. He wanted to be able to look into those clear, honest eyes and see genuine desire and womanly need. Above all he did not like the notion that, no matter how willing she was to please him now, she privately considered he had reneged on their original bargain.

The realization had thrown him into a frustrated quandary. It had also left him extremely short-tempered, as his friends had been obliging enough to point out.

Daregate and Thurgood had not been stupid enough to ask if there was trouble at home but Julian was aware they both suspected that was the case. There had been several hints that each was looking forward to meeting Sophy. Tonight was the first opportunity they would have to do so along with the rest of Society.

Julian's mood lightened a bit as he reflected that Sophy would probably be very glad to see him by this time of the evening. He knew she expected to be a total failure socially, just as she had been five years ago. Having a husband by her side this time would undoubtedly give her some courage. Perhaps some of her gratitude would eventually lead her to see him in a more favorable light.

Julian had attended affairs at the Yelvertons before and he knew his way around the ballroom. Rather than submit to having himself announced by the butler, he found the staircase that led to a balcony, which overlooked the crowded salon.

He planted both hands against the heavily carved railing and surveyed the throng below. The ballroom was ablaze with lights. A band was playing in one corner and several couples were out on the floor. Handsomely liveried footmen laden with trays wove their way through the crush of elegantly dressed men and women. Laughter and conversation drifted upward.

Julian swept the room with his gaze, searching for Sophy. Fanny had advised him that her charge would be wearing a rose-colored gown. Sophy would undoubtedly be standing in one of the small groups of females that lined the wall near the windows.

"No, Julian, she's not over there. She's on the other side of the room. You can hardly see her because she's not very tall. When she's surrounded by a group of admiring males, as she is at the moment, she practically vanishes from sight."

Julian turned his head to see his aunt coming toward him along the corridor. Lady Fanny was smiling her familiar laughing smile and looked quite devastating in silver-and-green satin.