"I am certainly in no rush to plunge into the wedded state."
"Obviously."
"I would say we have something in common, my lord," Sophy said with great daring. "I am under the impression you wish to marry solely out of a sense of duty. Is it so very hard for you to comprehend that I might not see any great advantage in marriage, either?"
"You seem to be overlooking the advantage of my money."
Sophy glared at him. "That is, naturally, a strong inducement. It is, however, one which I can be persuaded to overlook. I may never be able to afford diamond-studded dancing slippers on the limited income left me by my father, but I shall be able to get by in reasonable comfort. And, more importantly, I will be able to spend that income exactly as I wish. If I marry, I lose that advantage."
"Why don't you simply add to your list of demands that you will not be guided by your husband in matters of economy and finance, Miss Dorring?"
"An excellent idea, my lord. I believe I will do exactly that. Thank you for pointing out the obvious solution to my dilemma."
"Unfortunately, even if you find a male who is sufficiently lacking in reason as to grant you all of your wishes, you will have no legal way of guaranteeing that your husband abides by his word after the marriage, will you?"
Sophy glanced down at her hands, knowing he was right. "No, my lord. I would be entirely dependent on my husband's sense of honor."
"Be warned, Miss Dorring," Ravenwood said with soft menace, "A man's sense of honor might be inviolate when it comes to his gaming debts or his reputation as a sportsman but it means little when it comes to dealing with a woman."
Sophy went cold. "Then I do not have much choice, do I? If that is so, I will never be able to take the risk of marriage."
"You are wrong, Miss Dorring. You have already made your choice and now you must take your chances. You have said that you would be willing to marry me if I met your demands. Very well, I will agree to your requirements."
Sophy stared at him openmouthedly. Her heart raced. "You will?"
"The bargain is made." Ravenwood's big hands shifted slightly on the stallion's reins and the horse lifted his head alertly. "We will be married as soon as possible. Your grandfather is expecting me tomorrow at three. Tell him I wish to make all the arrangements at that time. Since you and I have succeeded in arriving at a private agreement, I will expect you to have the courage to be at home tomorrow when I call."
Sophy was dumbfounded. "My lord, I do not fully comprehend you. Are you quite certain you wish to marry me on my terms?"
Ravenwood smiled unpleasantly. His emerald eyes gleamed with harsh amusement. "The real question, Sophy, is how long you will be able to maintain your demands once you are confronted with the reality of being my wife."
"My lord, your word of honor," Sophy said anxiously. "I must insist upon it."
"If you were a man, I would call you out for even questioning it. You have my word, Miss Dorring."
"Thank you, my lord. You truly do not mind that I will spend my money as I wish?"
"Sophy, the quarterly allowance I will provide you will be considerably larger than your entire yearly income," Ravenwood said bluntly. "As long as you pay your bills out of what I allot you, I will not question your expenditures."
"Oh. I see. And… and my books?"
"I think I can handle whatever harebrained notions your books put into your head. I shall undoubtedly be annoyed from time to time but perhaps that will give us a basis for some interesting discussions, hm? God knows most women's conversations are enough to bore a man silly."
"I shall endeavor not to bore you, my lord. But let us be certain we understand each other perfectly. You won't try to keep me buried in the country all year long?"
"I'll allow you to accompany me to London when it's convenient, if that's truly what you want."
"You are too kind, my lord. And my… my other demand?
"Ah, yes. My guarantee not to, er, force myself upon you. I think we shall have to put a time limit on that one. After all, my main goal in all this is to obtain an heir."
Sophy was instantly uneasy. "A time limit?"
"How much time do you think you will require to grow accustomed to the sight of me?"
"Six months?" she hazarded.
"Don't be a goose, Miss Dorring. I have no intention of waiting six months to claim my rights."
"Three months?"
He looked about to deny this counteroffer but appeared to change his mind at the last minute. "Very well. Three months. You see how indulgent I am?"
"I am overwhelmed by your generosity, my lord."
"And so you should be. I defy you to find another man who would grant you such a length of time before insisting that you fulfill your wifely duties."
"You are quite right, my lord. I doubt if I could find another man who would be as agreeable as you seem inclined to be in the matter of marriage. Forgive me, but my curiosity overcomes me. Why are you being so agreeable?"
"Because, my dear Miss Dorring, in the end I shall have exactly what I want out of this marriage. Good day, to you. I will see you tomorrow at three."
Angel responded instantly to the sudden pressure of Ravenwood's thighs. The black swung around in a tight circle and cantered off through the trees.
Sophy sat where she was until Dancer lowered his head to sample a mouthful of grass. The horse's movement brought her back to her senses.
"Home, Dancer. I am sure my grandparents will be either in hysterics or a state of complete despair by now. The least I can do is inform them that I have salvaged the situation."
But an old adage flitted through her mind as she rode back to Chesley Court—something about those who would sit down to dine with the devil being advised to bring a long spoon.
TWO
Lady Dorring, who had taken to her bed in a fit of despondency earlier in the day, revived completely in time for dinner on hearing that her granddaughter had come to her senses.
"I cannot imagine what got into you, Sophy," Lady Dorring said as she examined the Scotch broth being presented by Hindley, the butler who doubled as a footman at meals. "To turn down the Earl was past all understanding. Thank heaven you have put it right. Allow me to tell you, young woman, we should all be extremely grateful Ravenwood is willing to be so tolerant of your outlandish behavior."
"It does give one pause, doesn't it?" Sophy murmured.
"I say," Dorring exclaimed from the head of the table. "What do you mean by that?"
"Only that I have been puzzling over why the Earl should have made an offer for my hand in the first place."
"Why in heaven's name should he not have offered for you?" Lady Dorring demanded. "You are a fine-looking young woman from a well-bred, respectable family."
"I had my season, Grandmother, remember? I've seen how dazzling the town beauties can be and I cannot be compared to most of them. I could not compete with them five years ago and there is no reason to believe I can compete with them now. Nor do I have a sizable fortune to offer as a lure."
"Ravenwood don't need to marry for money," Lord Dorring stated bluntly. "Fact is, the marriage settlements he's suggesting are extremely generous. Extremely."
"But he could marry for land or money or beauty if he so desired," Sophy said patiently. "The question I asked myself was why was he not doing so. Why select me? An interesting puzzle."
"Sophy, please, " Lady Dorring said in pained accents. "Do not ask such silly questions. You are charming and most presentable."
"Charming and most presentable describe the vast majority of the young women of the ton, most of whom also have the advantage of being younger than I. I knew I must have something else in my favor to warrant attracting the Earl of Ravenwood. I was interested to discover what it was. It was simple enough when I put my mind to the problem."