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here, Sophie,’ he urged again, voice soft, ‘I like the way your hair falls across your shoulders. I want to run my fingers through it.’
    Sophie shivered. Despite herself, something inside her responded to the note in his voice; she watched the sudden heat ignite in his eyes and found an echo of it resonate somewhere deep within herself. Such feelings were shocking in a young woman of breeding and she suppressed the shiver that danced across her skin.
    ‘I do not want to be touched,’ she said, an edge to her voice. It was true enough. She did not want to be touched by Roxburghe. Danger lay in that direction, she recognized it instinctively. How shameful would it be if she succumbed to the man after all the trouble she had taken to keep Alice out of his hands. For while it would not matter nearly so much if she were ruined – if she wasn’t already; Sophie was prepared to accept that she would pay heavily for this absurd adventure – she could not allow Roxburghe the singular pleasure of adding yet another seduction to what was undoubtedly a long list.
    Had Mary Trewellyn, that girl who had been sent back to the wilds of Lincolnshire, sat in this very room, listening to his Lordship while he stole her life away?
    ‘Of course you do,’ he returned easily, ‘Don’t play the innocent, little Sophie. Innocent young ladies don’t come up with madcap plans to run off in the dead of night. Not with the likes of me, they don’t. They tell their papa’s that there is a wolf at the door,’ he gave her the kind of smile the devil himself would have been proud of, ‘and Papa very sensibly locks the bedroom door.’
    Sophie winced but he had a point. What had possessed her to decide to save Alice all by herself? Perhaps if her uncle had not been away for the week in Yorkshire she might have gone to him, for Edward Gaskell was very much a gentleman and would have dealt with Roxburghe most decidedly. Unfortunately, he might also have sent his daughter back home for he’d already expressed his doubts about what he termed ‘the silly carry ons’ of his wife and daughter. Uncle Edward was a scholar who spent the better part of his time in his library. But he would not countenance another scandal in his life. The last one had been when he had thrown caution to the wind and married Aunt Felicia.
    ‘I was trying to help Alice. How was I to know you would bring me here? If all had gone to plan then I would have been back in Half Moon Street before the servants were even stirring.’
    ‘Did Alice not tell you that I intended to take her away?’
    Sophie stared at him in silence. Of course Alice hadn’t told her. How could she when she hadn’t known what Sophie was planning? But his words made sense. The last thing he would have wanted was parade a popular debutante around town.
    She managed a nonchalant shrug. ‘Oh, you know Alice. She always mixes things around. She thought you were taking her to Regent’s Park before coming here.’
    Roxburghe seemed to accept this, dismissing the matter. It was obvious that, as far as he was concerned, Alice was a thing of the past. Which was a mixed blessing for Sophie as he seemed intent on turning his attentions in her direction and she had no intention of being her cousin’s substitute.
    ‘Lord Devereux,’ she began, ‘I’m sure you can understand that I am anxious to return to London. I was hoping that you can arrange a vehicle to take me in the morning.’
    ‘Leaving us the night?’ he mused, ‘I had planned on spending several weeks here. Must you go so soon?’
    ‘I must.’ She said, astonished that he had intended to keep Alice away for so long. ‘My aunt will be sick with worry.’
    ‘Felicia Gaskell will be sick, but I doubt it will be with worry.’ His Lordship replied cynically, ‘She was hoping to trick me into a match as much as Alice. The woman’s a greedy fool.’
    Sophie rose to her feet, eyes flashing. ‘You may insult me, Sir but I would appreciate