personally," Sophy finally said in a very small voice.
"Yes?" Again Julian waited.
"It was my sister who was the victim of the seduction." Sophy stared very hard at the passing scenery. "But she had no one to avenge her."
"I understood that your sister died three years ago."
"She did."
Something about Sophy's clipped voice alerted Julian. "Are you implying that her death was the result of a seduction?"
"She found herself with child, my lord. The man who was responsible cast her aside. She could not bear the shame or the betrayal. She took a large dose of laudanum." Her fingers clenched together in her lap.
Julian sighed. "I am sorry, Sophy."
"There was no need for her to take such a course of action," Sophy whispered tightly. "Bess could have helped her."
"Old Bess? How?" Julian frowned.
"There are ways that such situations may be remedied," Sophy said. "Old Bess knows them. If only my sister had confided in me, I could have taken her to Bess. No one need ever have known."
Julian dropped the feather shaft and leaned over to capture his wife's wrist once more. This time he deliberately exerted pressure on the small bones. "What do you know of such matters?" he demanded very softly.
Elizabeth had known such things
.
Sophy blinked quickly, apparently confused by his sudden, controlled rage. "Old Bess knows much about medicinal herbs. She has taught me many things."
"She has taught you ways to rid yourself of an unwanted babe?" he demanded softly.
Sophy seemed to realize at last that she had said far too much. "She… she has mentioned certain herbs that a woman can use if she believes she has conceived," she admitted hesitantly. "But the herbs can be very dangerous to the mother and must be used with great skill and caution." Sophy looked down at her hands for a moment. "I am not skilled in that particular art."
"Bloody hell. You had best not be skilled in such things, Sophy. And I swear, if that old witch, Bess, is dealing in abortion, I will have her removed from my land immediately."
"Really, my lord? Are your friends in London so very pure? Have none of your amours never been obliged to resort to certain remedies because of you?"
"No, they have not," Julian rasped, thoroughly goaded now. "For your information, madam, there are techniques that may be used to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place, just as there are ways to prevent contracting certain diseases associated with… never mind."
"Techniques, my lord? What techniques?" Sophy's eyes lit up with obvious fascination.
"Good God, I don't believe we are discussing such matters."
"You opened the discussion, my lord. I collect you do not intend to tell me about these techniques for preventing the, er, problem."
"No, I most certainly do not."
"Ah, I see. This is yet another privileged bit of information available only to men?"
"You have no need of such information, Sophy," he said grimly. "You are not in the one business that would require that you learn such things."
"But there are women who do know such things?" she pressed.
"That is quite enough, Sophy."
"And you know such women? Would you introduce me to one of them? I should dearly love to chat with her. Perhaps she would know other such amazing things. My intellectual interests are quite far-ranging, you know. One can get only so much out of books."
He thought for an instant she was teasing him again and Julian came close to losing his temper completely. But at the last moment he realized Sophy's fascination was oddly innocent and totally genuine. He groaned and leaned back into the corner of the seat. "We will not discuss this further."
"You sound distressingly like my grandmother. Really, it is very disappointing, Julian. I had hoped that when I married I would find myself living with someone who would be a more amusing conversationalist."
"I shall endeavor to amuse you in other ways," he muttered, closing his eyes and resting his head against the cushion.
"If you are
"Yes?" Again Julian waited.
"It was my sister who was the victim of the seduction." Sophy stared very hard at the passing scenery. "But she had no one to avenge her."
"I understood that your sister died three years ago."
"She did."
Something about Sophy's clipped voice alerted Julian. "Are you implying that her death was the result of a seduction?"
"She found herself with child, my lord. The man who was responsible cast her aside. She could not bear the shame or the betrayal. She took a large dose of laudanum." Her fingers clenched together in her lap.
Julian sighed. "I am sorry, Sophy."
"There was no need for her to take such a course of action," Sophy whispered tightly. "Bess could have helped her."
"Old Bess? How?" Julian frowned.
"There are ways that such situations may be remedied," Sophy said. "Old Bess knows them. If only my sister had confided in me, I could have taken her to Bess. No one need ever have known."
Julian dropped the feather shaft and leaned over to capture his wife's wrist once more. This time he deliberately exerted pressure on the small bones. "What do you know of such matters?" he demanded very softly.
Elizabeth had known such things
.
Sophy blinked quickly, apparently confused by his sudden, controlled rage. "Old Bess knows much about medicinal herbs. She has taught me many things."
"She has taught you ways to rid yourself of an unwanted babe?" he demanded softly.
Sophy seemed to realize at last that she had said far too much. "She… she has mentioned certain herbs that a woman can use if she believes she has conceived," she admitted hesitantly. "But the herbs can be very dangerous to the mother and must be used with great skill and caution." Sophy looked down at her hands for a moment. "I am not skilled in that particular art."
"Bloody hell. You had best not be skilled in such things, Sophy. And I swear, if that old witch, Bess, is dealing in abortion, I will have her removed from my land immediately."
"Really, my lord? Are your friends in London so very pure? Have none of your amours never been obliged to resort to certain remedies because of you?"
"No, they have not," Julian rasped, thoroughly goaded now. "For your information, madam, there are techniques that may be used to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place, just as there are ways to prevent contracting certain diseases associated with… never mind."
"Techniques, my lord? What techniques?" Sophy's eyes lit up with obvious fascination.
"Good God, I don't believe we are discussing such matters."
"You opened the discussion, my lord. I collect you do not intend to tell me about these techniques for preventing the, er, problem."
"No, I most certainly do not."
"Ah, I see. This is yet another privileged bit of information available only to men?"
"You have no need of such information, Sophy," he said grimly. "You are not in the one business that would require that you learn such things."
"But there are women who do know such things?" she pressed.
"That is quite enough, Sophy."
"And you know such women? Would you introduce me to one of them? I should dearly love to chat with her. Perhaps she would know other such amazing things. My intellectual interests are quite far-ranging, you know. One can get only so much out of books."
He thought for an instant she was teasing him again and Julian came close to losing his temper completely. But at the last moment he realized Sophy's fascination was oddly innocent and totally genuine. He groaned and leaned back into the corner of the seat. "We will not discuss this further."
"You sound distressingly like my grandmother. Really, it is very disappointing, Julian. I had hoped that when I married I would find myself living with someone who would be a more amusing conversationalist."
"I shall endeavor to amuse you in other ways," he muttered, closing his eyes and resting his head against the cushion.
"If you are
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