"That is easy for you to say, my lord. You have what you wanted out of all this, I assume."

"Almost all of what I wanted," he agreed with a small smile. "But it will not be perfect for me until it is perfect for you. Are you feeling any better?"

She considered the question cautiously. "Yes," she finally admitted.

"Good." He kissed her lingeringly and then he began to move slowly within her, long, slow strokes designed to ease himself carefully back and forth in the tight passage.

Sophy bit her lip and waited anxiously to see if the movement made things worse. But it did not. In truth, she did not feel so uncomfortable now, she realized. Some of the earlier excitement was returning, albeit slowly. Gradually her body adjusted to the fullness.

She was just getting to the point where she could honestly say she might be learning to enjoy the odd sensation when Julian suddenly began to move with increasing urgency.

"Julian, wait, I would have you move more slowly," she said hastily as she sensed he was abandoning himself completely to the force that drove him. "I am sorry, Sophy. I tried. But I cannot wait any longer," he gritted his teeth and then he gave a muffled shout and flexed his hips, burying himself to the hilt.

And then Sophy felt the hot, heavy essence of him pouring into her as he went taut. Obeying an ancient instinct, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and held him close. He is mine, she thought with deep wonder. In this moment and for all time, he is mine.

"Hold me," Julian's voice was ragged. "Hold me, Sophy." Slowly the rigidity went out of him and he collapsed, heavy and damp with sweat, along the length of her.

Sophy lay still for a long time, absently smoothing Julian's sweat-streaked back with her fingertips as she gazed up at the canopy over the bed. She could not say she thought much of the final act, itself, but she had definitely enjoyed the caressing that preceded it. She also found the warm intimacy of the embrace afterward very appealing.

She sensed that Julian would never lower his guard to this extent in any other situation with her. That alone was worth putting up with the business of lovemaking.

Julian stirred reluctantly and lifted himself up on his elbows. He smiled with lazy satisfaction and chuckled when she smiled back at him. He bent his head to drop a small kiss on the tip of her nose.

"I feel like a stallion at the end of a long race. I may have won, but I am exhausted and weak. You must give me a few minutes to recover. Next time it will be better for you, sweetheart." He smoothed her hair off her forehead with a tender movement.

"A few minutes," she exclaimed, startled. "You speak as though we will do this several more times tonight."

"I rather believe we shall," Julian said with evident anticipation. His warm palm flattened possessively on her stomach. "I have been kept waiting a long time for you, Madam Wife, and I mean to make up for all the nights we have wasted."

Sophy felt the soreness between her legs and a bolt of alarm went through her. "Forgive me," she said hastily, "I want very much to be a good wife to you but I do not think I shall recover as quickly as you seem to believe you will. Would you mind very much if we did not do this again right away?"

He frowned in immediate concern. "Sophy, did I hurt you badly?"

"No, no. It's just that I have no wish to do it again quite so soon. Parts of it were… were quite pleasant, I assure you but if you do not mind, my lord, I would prefer to wait until another night."

He winced. "I am sorry, sweetheart. It is all my fault. I meant to go much more slowly with you." He rolled to one side and stood up beside the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"I will be back shortly," he promised.

She watched him walk through the shadows to the dresser where he poured water from the pitcher into a bowl. Then he took a towel off the stand and soaked it.

As he returned to the bed it dawned on Sophy what he intended to do. She sat up quickly, pulling the sheet to her throat. "No, Julian, please, I can manage by myself."

"You must allow me, Sophy. This is yet another of a husband's privileges." He sat down on the side of the bed and gently but firmly tugged the sheet from her reluctant grasp. "Lie down, sweetheart, and let me make you more comfortable."

"Truthfully, Julian, I would rather you did not…"

But there was no stopping him. He urged her down onto her back. Sophy muttered an embarrassed oath that made Julian laugh.

"There is no reason to turn reticent now, my love. It is far too late. I have already experienced your sweet passion, remember? A few minutes ago you were warm and damp and very welcoming. You allowed me to touch you everywhere." He finished sponging her off and discarded the stained towel.

"Julian, I… I must ask you something," Sophy said as she quickly readjusted the sheet to preserve some semblance of modesty.

"What is it you wish to know?" He came over to the bed and calmly climbed in beside her.

"You told me there were ways of preventing this sort of thing from resulting in a babe. Did you use any of those ways tonight?"

A short, tense silence settled over the bed. Julian leaned back against the pillows, his arms folded behind his head.

"No," he finally said quite bluntly. "I did not."

"Oh." She tried to hide some of the anxiety she felt as she absorbed that information.

"You knew what I wanted out of this arrangement when you agreed to be a proper wife to me, Sophy."

"An heir and no trouble." Perhaps the illusion of intimacy a few minutes earlier had been simply that, she thought dully, an illusion. There was on denying that Julian had wanted her very much when he had come to her this evening, but she would do well not to forget that his primary goal was to get himself an heir.

Another silence gripped the shadowed bed. Then Julian asked softly, "Would it be so bad to bear me a son, Sophy?"

"What happens if I bear you a daughter, my lord?" she asked coolly, avoiding a direct answer to his question.

He smiled unexpectedly. "A daughter would do very nicely, especially if she took after her mother."

Sophy wondered how to take the compliment and decided not to question it too deeply. "But you require a son for Ravenwood."

"Then we will just have to keep trying until we get one, won't we?" Julian asked. He reached out and pulled her against his side, cradling her head on his shoulder. "But I don't think we will have too much trouble making a son. Sinclairs always produce sons and you are strong and healthy. But you did not answer my question, Sophy. Would you mind very much if it should come about that you conceived tonight?"

"It is very soon in our marriage, she pointed out hesitantly. "We both have much to learn about each other. It would seem wiser to wait." Until you can learn to love me, she added silently.

"I see no point in waiting. A babe would be good for you, Sophy.

"Why? Because it would make me more aware of my duties and responsibilities as your wife?" she retorted. "I assure you, I am already quite cognizant of them."

Julian sighed. "I only meant that I believe you would make a good mother. And I think a babe of your own would perhaps make you more content with your role as a wife."

Sophy groaned, angry at herself for having ruined the mood of tenderness and intimacy that Julian had offered after the lovemaking. She sought to retrieve the fragile moment with a dose of humor. Turning on her side she smiled down at him teasingly. "Tell me, Julian, are all husbands so arrogantly certain they know what is best for their wives?"

"Sophy, you wound me." He grimaced, striving to look both innocent and injured. But there was relief and a hint of laughter in his eyes. "You do think me arrogant, don't you?"

"There are times when I am unable to avoid that conclusion."

His gaze grew serious again. "I know it must seem that way to you. But in all truth, I want to be a good husband to you, Sophy."

"I know that," she murmured gently. "It is precisely because I do know it that I am so willing to tolerate your bouts of high-handedness. You see what an understanding wife you have?"

He regarded her through half-lowered lids. "A paragon of a wife."

"Never doubt it for a moment. I could give lessons."

"A notion that would send chills through the other husbands of the ton. I will, however, endeavor to keep your good intentions in mind when you are involved in such tricks as brewing sleeping potions and reading that damnable Wollstonecraft." He raised his head long enough to kiss Sophy soundly and then he flopped back onto the snowy pillows. "There is something else we must discuss tonight, my paragon of a wife."

"What is that?" She yawned, aware that she was growing sleepy. It was strange having him in her bed but she was discovering a certain comfort in his strength and warmth. She wondered if he would stay the night.

"You were annoyed earlier when I said that I thought we should consummate our marriage," he began slowly.

"Only because you insisted that it was for my own good."

He smiled faintly. "Yes, I can see where you get the notion that I have a tendency to be arrogant and high handed. But be that as it may, it is definitely time you knew the true risk you run when you flirt with Waycott and his like."

Sophy's sleepy good humor vanished in a heartbeat. She pushed herself up on her elbow and glared down at Julian. "I was not flirting with the Viscount."