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Aidan teach him? The best brothels in town? Isn’t that what all aristocratic men teach each other at their clubs?”
    â€œI don’t think Aidan frequents brothels,” Ophelia offered lightly. “He usually has a mistress.”
    â€œOf course, that’s better,” Sophia said with some bitterness. “Ian can learn that gentlemen aren’t expected to regard their wives with the same attention they give their light o’ loves.”
    â€œWell, a mistress disobliges no one if the man is unmarried.” Ophelia nodded to the footman who had come to the door with a tea service. He placed it on the tray before her. “Bentley, would you call my sisters to tea?”
    â€œFrom what I’ve heard”—Ophelia lowered her voice until the footman had pulled the door shut behind him—“the demimonde have been waiting for months to see who would gain his patronage. In fact, we have a pool going on who will be his next liaison. I believe Lady Belmont is a favorite, but Sidney thinks . . .” Ophelia stopped at Sophia’s silence. “Oh, dear, this doesn’t help, does it? To know that people speculate over which woman he will next take to his bed.”
    â€œWho tells you such things?” Sophia felt her face turn warm.
    Ophelia grinned. “You’d be surprised the information one can pick up over cards at a ball. And Sidney listens at his club. Thank goodness, he isn’t a prude about sharing details! I dare say he enjoys the chatter more than I do. He always quizzes me about what we ladies have discussed at tea!”
    Sophia found this information about her brother-in-law surprising; he had always appeared to be a middling sort of man with middling sorts of interests.
    Ophelia’s teasing turned more sober. “If you are to be in such close contact with Aidan over the guardianship, you might consider . . . You are a widow, and he’s known to be quite obliging. Perhaps you could seduce him into relinquishing the guardianship.”
    â€œOphelia! I expected you to encourage a life of celibate devotion to your brother’s memory. But instead . . .” Sophia searched for words.
    â€œSophie, Tom is dead.” Ophelia’s voice turned stern and firm. “Despite his wishes, you continue to wear full mourning. If you will not remarry, at least embark on a discreet liaison. No man in the ton is reputed to be more attentive during an affair or as well-tempered after as Aidan. And certainly no man is more tight-lipped than Aidan about his liaisons.”
    â€œThen how do you know so much about them?” Sophia accused.
    â€œIt’s the women, dear, the women. They can’t keep quiet that they’ve been in his bed. Nor would I, if half the things they say are true!” Ophelia laughed at the look of horror on Sophia’s face. “Oh, I don’t mean it—it would be like kissing a brother. But if you aren’t going to take Aidan to your bed and seduce him out of the guardianship, you’ll need to come up with some compelling argument for him to relinquish it. And his own questionable reputation isn’t likely to work.”
    At that moment, Kate and Ariel flung open the door and ran to embrace Sophia, ending all possibility for further private conversation.
    * * *
    On the way home, Sophia searched for a compelling argument that might encourage Aidan to relinquish the guardianship. During tea she had observed Ariel carefully. Lighthearted and laughing, Tom’s youngest sister showed no indication that her abduction had any lasting effects. Yet had Aidan been less attentive to her absence or less dogged in his pursuit, Ariel’s life would have been much different.
    It was another story to add to Sophia’s collection. In Italy she’d gathered information about Aidan like a starving woman hoarding crumbs of bread. But the picture the scraps created only revealed an enigma. He had acquitted