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passion with a strange woman swam in her head. He had indeed been fooled if that twit, Lord Wisbech , was to be believed.
    It had been all Elinor could stomach to listen to his version of how the highwayman had dared to kiss his fiancée right there on the road.
    And worse! How readily she’d climbed up on his horse. Elinor sighed. An ingénue. A virgin! No wonder Jack hadn’t returned Sophia.
    But then, Elinor got an idea. A wicked idea. She smiled and lifted her chin in triumph. If Jack Badcock did indeed realize he’d bedded the wrong woman, then Elinor could certainly make him pay.
    She could see to it that all of society knew Jack had ruined the girl. And she, Elinor , would see to it that Jack’s engagement to his German countess was broken.
    She giggled without mirth, considering the possibilities at her fingertips.
    * * * * *
    Ralph sat in his study and stared at the ring in his hand. His face burned with shame when he recalled how that wretched highwayman had debased him—as surely as the scoundrel was debasing Sophia at this very moment.
    Ralph dropped his head on the back of his chair and stared at the fresco on the ceiling. How would he be able to show his face after this?
    Their wedding was less than a month away. How could he still go through with the ceremony knowing she’d been had by another man?
    She hadn’t even protested when the highwayman had pulled off her ring and thrown it in the dirt—further disgrace!
    He sucked in a breath that whistled through his teeth. Sophia had not been the most advantageous match he could have made. His connections to the Duke of Gloucester could have procured him a wife with a higher rank but Ralph had been foolishly smitten by Sophia’s hefty dowry.
    Her unladylike advances toward him during their courtship hinted that she would not make a fitting wife and his suspicions had been confirmed when she mounted that horse and rode away with that base highwayman.
    It was too bad Lord and Lady Huntingdon had come along so soon afterward. If he hadn’t told anyone what happened, he could have waited until Sophia surfaced and then made a pact with her never to speak of the incident again. As it was, gossip would abound.
    Ralph rolled his eyes. And worse, if he got an heir on her right off, then speculation would swarm society.
    He breathed a heavy sigh. “What to do?”
    He’d sent word to her parents but other than that there was nothing else he could do but wait. Hopefully, her parents would realize that involving the authorities would only cause rumors to fly. The best thing Ralph could hope for was that the highwayman would use Sophia and then kill her, leaving her body in the woods for the elements to ravage—and set him free to seek a suitable wife elsewhere.
    * * * * *
    It was dark when Sophia opened her eyes. Her body ached with delicious soreness, reminding her of every thing she’d done with the highwayman.
    He lay on his side next to her, his eyes closed, his shoulder exposed. A tingle fluttered in her stomach. Even sleeping, he was astonishingly handsome. How could she ever be satisfied with Ralph after this?
    Getting on that horse had led to the greatest adventure of her life. It had also led to her greatest disappointment. Before encountering the highwayman, she’d been content with her life, with her engagement to Ralph and all that their future together entailed. Now, how could she marry him, knowing he could never satisfy her and knowing she would never be content with a boring life as the wife of a callous ass like Ralph? He’d traded her virtue for a ring.
    A ring!
    The thought made her seethe with rage.
    And yet, the contracts had been signed. He’d all but claimed her dowry. Over four hundred invitations had been sent out. The archbishop was granting them a special license.
    Sophia closed her eyes. Maybe Ralph would use this incident as an excuse to break their contract. That would suit her just fine. But even doomed to the fate she