Julian glanced down at the letter in front of him. "Yes, Bess apparently went up to the house a few days ago and said the problem is with Mrs. Boyle's heart. Even if she is fortunate enough to recover, she will not be able to take up her duties again. From here on out she must lead a quiet life."

Sophy shook her head and frowned in concern. "I am so sorry to hear that. I imagine Old Bess has instructed Mrs. Boyle in the use of foxglove tea. It is very useful in such situations, you know."

"I would not know about foxglove tea," Julian said politely, "but I do know that Mrs. Boyle's retirement leaves me—" Julian paused and then amended his words deliberately, "it leaves us with a problem. A new housekeeper needs to be appointed immediately."

"Definitely. Ravenwood will soon be in chaos otherwise."

Julian leaned back in his chair. "The business of hiring a housekeeper is quite important. It is also one of those things that is somewhat outside my area of expertise."

Sophy could not resist a small smile. "Good heavens, my lord. I had no idea there was anything that lay outside your area of expertise."

Julian grinned briefly. "It has been a while since you have bothered to tease me about my lamentable arrogance, Sophy. I find I almost miss your little barbs."

Her flash of amusement faded abruptly. "We have not exactly been on the sort of terms that encourage teasing, my lord."

"No, I suppose not. But I would change that."

She tilted her head. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked quietly. "I find that, in addition to your teasing, I rather miss the ease of the relationship we had begun to develop at Eslington Park in the days before you felt obliged to dump tea all over our bed."

Sophy felt herself turning pink. She looked down at the bonnet in her lap. "It was not such an easy relationship for me, my lord. It's true we talked more then and we discussed matters of mutual interest but I could never forget that all 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.