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business to attend to
    in town. Now he took the opportunity to scrutinize more closely the woman he had
    chosen to provide him with an heir.
    He regarded his bride, who had been a countess for only a few hours with some
    surprise. As usual, however, there was a certain chaotic look about her person.
    Several ringlets of tawny brown hair had escaped the confines of her new straw
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    bonnet. A feather on the bonnet was sticking out at an odd angle. Julian looked
    closer and saw that the shaft had been broken. His gaze slipped downward and he
    discovered a small piece of ribbon trim on Sophy's reticule was loose.
    The hem of her traveling dress had a grass stain on it. He thought Sophy had
    undoubtedly accomplished that feat when she had bent down to receive the fistful
    of flowers from a rather grubby little farm lad. Everyone in the village had
    turned out to wave farewell to Sophy as she had prepared to step into the
    traveling coach. Julian had not realized his wife was such a popular figure in
    the local neighborhood.
    He was vastly relieved his new bride had made no complaint when he had informed
    her that he intended a working honeymoon. He had recently acquired a new estate
    in Norfolk and the obligatory month-long wedding trip was the perfect
    opportunity to examine his newest holdings.
    He was also obliged to admit Lady Dorring had done a creditable job
    orchestrating the wedding. Most of the gentry in the surrounding countryside had
    been invited. Julian had not bothered to invite any of his acquaintances from
    London, however. The thought of going through a second wedding ceremony in front
    of the same sea of faces that had been present as the first debacle was more
    than he could stomach.
    When the announcement of his forthcoming marriage had appeared in the Morning
    Post he had been plagued with questions, but he had handled most of the
    impertinent inquiries the way he usually handled such annoyances: he had ignored
    them.
    With one or two exceptions, his policy had worked. His mouth tightened now as he
    recalled one of the exceptions.
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    A certain lady in Trevor Square had not been particularly pleased to learn of
    Julian's marriage. But Marianne Harwood had been too shrewd and too pragmatic to
    make more than a small scene. There were other fish in the sea. The earrings
    Julian had left behind on the occasion of that last visit had gone a long way
    toward soothing the ruffled features of La Belle Harwood.
    "Is something wrong, my lord?" Sophy calmly broke into Julian's reverie.
    Julian jerked his thoughts back to the present. "Not in the least. I was merely
    recalling a small business matter I had to attend to last week."
    "It must have been a very unpleasant business matter. You appeared quite
    provoked. I thought for a moment you might have eaten a bad bit of meat pie."
    Julian smiled faintly. "The incident was the sort that tends to interfere with a
    man's digestion but I assure you I am in excellent condition now."
    "I see." Sophy stared at him with her astonishingly level gaze for a moment
    longer, nodded to herself and turned back to the window.
    Julian scowled. "Now it's my turn to ask you if something is wrong, Sophy."
    "Not in the least."
    Arms folded across his chest, Julian contemplated the tassels on his polished
    Hessians for a few seconds before he glanced up with a quizzical gleam in his
    eye. "I think it would be best if we came to an understanding about one or two
    small matters, Madam Wife."
    She glanced at him. "Yes, my lord?"
    "A few weeks ago you gave me your list of demands."
    She frowned. "True, my lord."
    "At the time I was busy and neglected to make up a list of my own."
    "I already know your demands, my lord. You want an heir and no trouble."
    "I would like to take this opportunity to be a bit more precise."
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