Sophy started to shut the lid and then realized with horror that the black ring and the slip of paper containing the three names were gone.
"Looking for these, Sophy?"
At the sound of Julian's cold question, Sophy leaped to her feet and whirled around to see Ravenwood standing in the open doorway between the bedchambers. He was dressed in breeches and his favorite pair of polished Hessians and he was holding the black metal ring in one hand. In the other he held a familiar-looking slip of paper.
Sophy stared first at the ring and then into Julian's gemlike eyes. Dread assailed her. "I do not understand, my lord. Why did you take the ring from my jewelry case?" Her words sounded brave and calm but their tone did not reflect the way she was feeling. Her knees went weak as she realized the significance of Julian's having found the list of names.
"Why I took the ring is a long story. Before we go into it, perhaps you will be good enough to tell me how Fanny is doing?"
Sophy swallowed. "Much recovered, my lord."
He nodded and walked into the room to seat himself in the chair near the window. He put the ring and the piece of paper down on the table beside him. Morning light reflected dully on the black metal.
"Excellent. You are a most accomplished nurse, madam. Now that particular matter is out of the way, there is nothing to distract you from telling me precisely what you are doing with this list of names."
Sophy sank back down onto the dressing table chair and folded her hands in her lap while she tried to think how to handle this unexpected turn of events. Her mind was fogged from the long, sleepless night. "I collect you are angry with me again, my lord?"
"Again?" His brows rose in their characteristic intimidating fashion. "You are implying, I suppose, that I spend a good portion of my time with you in that mood?"
"It seems that way, my lord," Sophy said unhappily. "Whenever I think we are making progress in our association, something arises to ruin everything."
"And whose fault is that, Sophy?"
"You cannot blame it all on me," she declared, knowing she was getting near the end of her tether. It was all too much. "I doubt if you will take this into consideration, but I would like to remind you that I have had a long, trying night. I have had virtually no sleep and really am not up to an inquisition. Do you think we might postpone this until after I have had a nap?"
"No, Sophy. We are not going to postpone this discussion another minute. But if it is any consolation to you, rest assured we face each other on equal terms. I, too, did not get much sleep last night. I spent most of the time trying to envision where and how you had got hold of this list and why you connected it to the ring. What the devil do you think you're doing? How much do you know about these men and what in bloody hell did you plan to do with the information you have on them?"
Sophy eyed him warily. Something in the way he had phrased his questions made her realize he knew as much if not more about the ring and the list than she did. "I have explained to you that the ring was given to my sister."
"I know that already. And the list of names?"
Sophy chewed on her lower lip. "If I tell you about the list I fear you are going to be even more angry than you already are, my lord."
"You do not have any choice. Where did you get the list of names?"
"From Charlotte Featherstone." There was no point denying any of it now. She had never been good at lying even when she was at her best and this morning she was simply too exhausted to make the attempt. Besides, it was obvious Julian already knew too much.
"Featherstone. Damnation. I ought to have guessed. Tell me, my dear, do you expect to have any reputation left at all once it becomes known that you are socializing with a member of the demimonde or do you simply not care that the gossips will have a carnival with you once this gets out?"
Sophy looked down at her hands. "I did not speak to her directly. A friend of mine sent her the message. Miss Featherstone responded most discreetly. She really is very pleasant, Julian. I think I would probably enjoy her as a friend."
"And she would no doubt find you extremely amusing," Julian said brutally. "An endless source of entertainment for someone as jaded as herself. What was the nature of the message you sent to her?"
"I wished to know if she had ever seen a ring such as that one and if so, who had worn it." Sophy met his gaze defiantly. "You must realize, my lord, that this was all business relating to the project I told you about."
"What project was that?" he demanded.
"On top of everything else, you do not even listen to me half the time, do you? I am referring to the project I said would keep me busy and out of your way. I informed you that I intended to pursue my own interests, remember? Do you recall my telling you that I was going to be exactly the sort of wife you wanted? That I would stay out of your way and not cause you any trouble? I promised you that after you made it clear you were not interested in my love and affection."
"Damn it, Sophy, I never said that. You deliberately misunderstood me."
"No, my lord, I did not misunderstand you."
Julian stilled a muttered oath. "You are not going to distract me now, by God. We will return to that issue later. At the moment I am interested only in what you learned of the ring."
"Through some investigations I did in Lady Fanny's library, I was able to discover that the ring was most likely one worn by members of a certain type of secret society."
"What type of secret society, Sophy?"
"I have the impression you already know the answer to that, my lord. It was a society whose members very probably preyed upon women. Once I had ascertained that much, I applied to Charlotte Featherstone for information about the men who might have been a part of that club. I assumed she moved in a circle of Society that might bring her into contact with that type of man. And I was right. She knew of three who had at one time or another worn the ring in her presence."
Julian's eyes narrowed. "God save us. You are trying to track down Amelia's lover, aren't you? I should have guessed. And what in hell did you think you would do with him once you found him?"
"Ruin him socially."
Julian looked blank. "I beg your pardon?"
Sophy shifted uneasily in her chair. "He is obviously one of the hunters you warned me about, Julian. One of the male members of the ton who preys on young women. Such men value their social status above all else, do they not? They are nothing without it because without it they lack access to the prey they seek. I intend to deprive whoever wore that ring of his social connections, if at all possible."
"Before God, I swear your audacity leaves me breathless. You do not have an inkling of the danger, do you? Not even the smallest notion of what you are dealing with. How can you be so knowledgeable about arcane matters such as your medicinal herbs and yet be so unbelievably stupid about affairs in which your reputation and even your life may be at stake?"
"Julian, there is no risk involved, I promise you." Sophy leaned forward earnestly, hoping to reason with him. "I am going about this in a cautious manner. My plan is to arrange to meet the three men on that list and question them."
"Question them. Dear God. Question them."
"Very subtly, of course."
"Of course." Julian shook his head in disbelief. "Sophy, allow me to inform you that your talent for subtlety and deliberate subterfuge is akin to that of my skill for embroidery. Furthermore, the three men on that list are out-and-out bastards—rakehells of the worst sort. They cheat at cards, seduce any woman who falls into their path, and have a sense of honor that is lower than that of a mongrel dog. In fact, it would be safe to say the dog's notion of honor would be infinitely more acceptable. And you thought to interrogate these three?"