Julian walked over to the dressing table and opened the lid of the jewelry case. He stood for a moment surveying Sophy's meager collection of jewelry. The only item of value in the case was the diamond bracelet he had given her. It was carefully placed in a position of honor on the red velvet lining.
She needed a pair of earrings to go with the bracelet, Julian decided.
Then his gaze fell on the black ring in the corner of the chest. It was resting on top of a small, folded slip of paper. The mere sight of the ring aroused a quiet anger in Julian. Sophy knew the ring had been given to her sister by a heartless rake who had no compunction about seducing the innocent. But even she could not know how dangerous the band of metal was or what it represented.
Julian reached into the case and picked up the ring. His fingers touched the folded paper underneath. Motivated by a new uneasiness, he picked it up also and unfolded it.
Three names were written on the paper: Utteridge, Varley, and Ormiston.
The embers of Julian's quiet anger leaped into the white hot flames of fury.
"Will she truly be all right?" Harriett stood by the side of Fanny's bed, anxiously studying her friend's pale face. After hours of spasmodic vomiting and intestinal pain, Fanny had finally fallen into an exhausted sleep.
"I believe so," Sophy said, mixing another pinch of herbs in a glass of water. "She has gotten rid of most of the noxious food that was in her stomach and as you can see, she is no longer in much pain. I will keep watch on her until morning. I am almost certain the crisis has passed but I cannot be completely sure yet."
"I will stay here with you."
"There is no need for you to do that, Harry. Pray get some sleep. You are as exhausted as Fanny is."
Harriett brushed that advice aside with a casual flick of her hand. "Nonsense. I could not possibly sleep knowing Fanny might still be in danger."
Sophy smiled in understanding. "You are a very good friend to her, Harry. Fanny is most fortunate to have you."
Harriett sat down in a bedside chair, absently adjusting her purple skirts. "No, no, Sophy. You have it backward. I am the one who is fortunate to have Fanny for my dearest friend. She is the joy of my life—the one person in the world to whom I can say anything, no matter how silly or wise. The one with whom I can share the smallest bit of gossip or the most monumental news. The one in whose presence I can cry or laugh or with whom I can occasionally indulge in a bit too much sherry."
Sophy sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the bed and studied Harriett with sudden understanding. "She is the one person on the face of the earth with whom you can be free."
Harriett smiled brilliantly for a moment. "Yes. Quite right. The one person with whom I can be free." She touched Fanny's limp hand as it lay on the embroidered counterpane.
Sophy's gaze followed the small gesture and she sensed the love implicit in it. A familiar sense of longing flared within her and she thought of her relationship with Julian. "You are very fortunate, Harry," she said softly. "I do not think there are many married people who share the bonds that you enjoy with Fanny."
"I know. It is sad but perhaps understandable. How could a man and a woman possibly understand each other the way Fanny and I do?" Harriett asked simply.
Sophy laced her fingers together in her lap. "Perhaps," she said slowly, "perhaps complete understanding is not necessary if there is genuine love and mutual respect and a willingness to be tolerant."
Harriett looked at her sharply and then asked gently. "Is that what you hope to find with Ravenwood, my dear?"
"Yes."
"I have said before, he is a good man as men go, but I do not know if he can give you what you want. Fanny and I watched helplessly at Elizabeth burned out most of the warm qualities in him that you seek to tap. Personally, I am not sure if any man is capable of giving a woman the things she truly needs."
Sophy's fingers clenched more tightly together. "He is my husband and I love him. I do not deny that he is arrogant and stubborn and exceedingly difficult at times, but he is, as you say, a good man, an honorable man. He takes his responsibilities seriously. I would never have married him if I had not been certain of that much. Indeed, at one time I thought never to marry at all."
Harriett nodded in companionable understanding. "Marriage is a very risky venture for a woman."
"Well, I have taken the risk. Somehow or other, I hope to find a way to make it work." Sophy smiled slightly as she recalled the scene between herself and Julian in the garden earlier that evening. "Just when I am convinced all is hopeless, Julian shows me a ray of light and I regain my enthusiasm for the venture."
Fanny stirred and opened her eyes sometime shortly after dawn. She glanced first at Harriett who was snoring softly in the nearest chair and smiled a weary smile of deep affection. Then she turned her head and saw Sophy, who was yawning hugely.
"I see I have been well attended by my guardian angels," Fanny remarked, sounding weak but otherwise much like her old self. "I'm afraid it has been a long night for both of you. My apologies."
Sophy chuckled, stood up and stretched. "I collect you are feeling much better now?"
"Infinitely better, although I vow I shall never eat cold turbot dressing again." Fanny levered herself up against the pillows and extended her hand to take one of Sophy's. "I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, my dear. Such an unpleasant sort of illness to have to deal with. I don't know why I could not have suffered from something more refined such as the vapors or an agitation of the nerves."
The soft snoring from the other chair halted abruptly. "You, my dear Fanny," Harriett announced as she came rapidly awake, "are not likely to ever suffer from the vapors or anything the least bit similar." She leaned forward to take her friend's hand. "How are you feeling my dear? You gave me quite a scare. Please do not do that again."
"I shall endeavor not to repeat the incident," Fanny promised.
Sophy saw the undisguised emotion in the expressions of the two women and felt a sense of wonder. The affection between Fanny and Harriett was beyond that of friendship, she realized with sudden insight. She decided it was time to take her leave. She was not certain she fully understood the close association between Julian's aunt and her companion, but she was definitely certain it was time to give them both some privacy.
She rose to her feet and began repacking her medicine chest.
"Would you mind very much if I asked your butler to have your carriage brought around?" she asked Fanny.
"My dear Sophy, you must have breakfast," Harriett said immediately. "You haven't had any sleep and you simply cannot leave this house without nourishment."
Sophy looked at the tall clock in the corner and shook her head. "If I hurry, I will be able to join Julian for breakfast."
Half an hour later Sophy walked into her own bedchamber, yawned again and decided that bed was infinitely more appealing than breakfast. She had never been so exhausted in her life. She sent Mary out of the room with assurances that she did not need any assistance and sat down at the dressing table. A night spent in a chair had not done much to improve her tendency toward dishevelment, she thought critically. Her hair was a disaster.
She reached for her silver backed brush and the glint of diamonds caught her eye. She frowned, startled to discover she had left the lid of her jewelry case open. She had been in a dreadful hurry last night. She must have accidentally forgotten to close the case after removing the diamond bracelet and placing it inside.