'Go with Miss Trimmer to St. James's market,' Sir Ross told the runner calmly. 'She will show you to the rooms above Fowler's Apothecary Shop, where her sister has been imprisoned for well nigh a month. Do whatever is necessary to free her, and be mindful of the possibility that you will meet with some resistance from her husband.'
Realizing that he was being called upon to intervene in a marital dispute, the runner scowled slightly. 'Sir, I was just on my way to the Tothill Bank--there was a robbery there, and I--'
'You'll have time to earn your private commissions later,' Sir Ross said. 'This is more important.'
'Yes, sir.' Clearly annoyed, Ruthven turned to leave.
'Ruthven,' Sir Ross murmured, 'what if it wereyour sister who had been locked in a room for a month?'
The runner considered his words, becoming a bit shamefaced. 'I will take care of it immediately, Sir Ross.'
'Good,' the magistrate said brusquely. 'And, Ruthven, after you free Mrs. Fowler, I want to question her husband.'
'Shall I bring him directly to the strong room, sir?'
'No, take him to Newgate. He can wait there and contemplate his actions for a while before I talk to him.'
As the runner escorted Miss Trimmer from the office, Sophia approached Sir Ross and regarded him thoughtfully. He remained in his half-seated position on the desk, which brought their faces nearly level. His expression was brooding, deep brackets carved on either side of his lips. Although Sophia had heard of the Chief Magistrate's well-known compassion for women and children, she was surprised by his willingness to interfere in a conflict between husband and wife. A wife was legally considered to be a man's property, and he could do as he pleased with her, short of actual murder. 'That was very kind of you,' she said.
The frown remained on Sir Ross's face. 'I'd like to make Fowler suffer in the same way his wife has. I can only keep him in Newgate for three days--not nearly long enough.'
Sophia was in complete agreement, but she could not resist playing the devil's advocate. 'Some would say that Mrs. Fowler deserved such punishment for sleeping with another man,' she pointed out.
'Regardless of her behavior, her husband had no right to retaliate in such a manner.'
'What wouldyour response be if your wife betrayed you with someone else?'
It was apparent that the question surprised the magistrate. In one abrupt moment Sophia had turned the conversation into something personal. Sir Ross stared at her steadily, sudden tension causing his shoulder muscles to strain tightly against his coat. 'I don't know,' he admitted. 'My wife was not the kind of woman who would have succumbed to that particular temptation. The issue was never a concern for me.'
'What if you married again?' Sophia asked, held prisoner by his vivid silver gaze. 'Wouldn't you worry about your wife's fidelity?'
'No.'
'Why not?'
'Because I would keep her so busy in my bed that she would have neither the time nor the inclination to seek another man's company.'
The words caused an odd quiver to shoot through Sophia's belly. It was an admission of nothing less than an all-consuming sexual appetite. It confirmed everything she had learned about him so far. Sir Ross was not a man to do anything by half measures. Before she could stop herself, Sophia imagined what it might be like to lie tangled with him in intimacy, his mouth at her breasts, his hands moving gently over her body. Her face flamed with a mixture of embarrassment and awareness.
'Forgive me,' he said softly. 'I should not have spoken so frankly.'
Another surprise--Sophia had never encountered a man from any walk of life who would lower himself to apologize to an employee, much less to a female one. 'It was my fault,' she managed to say. 'I should not have asked such personal questions. I don't know why I did.'
'Don't you?' His gaze snared hers again, and the hot flicker in his eyes made it difficult for her to breathe.
Sophia had been trying to discover more about his character and the workings of his heart. It was all for the purpose of manipulation, of course. All part of her quest to make him fall in love with her. Unfortunately, she was finding it difficult to ignore a growing attraction to the man she planned to hurt. She wanted to remain cool and uninvolved when they finally shared a bed. However, there were so many seductive qualities about him: his intelligence, his compassion for vulnerable creatures, the raw need beneath his self-controlled facade. Just as she felt a reluctant softening in her heart toward him, she thought of her dead brother, and her determination burned with new vigor. John must be avenged, or else his life would be robbed of any meaning at all. To let go of the past meant that she had failed John, and that was something she could not do.
After a moment of calculation, she admitted carefully, 'I suppose I am curious about you. You rarely talk about yourself, or of your past.'
'There is little in my past that would interest you,' he assured her. 'I am an ordinary man from an equally ordinary family.'
The statement should have reeked of false humility.
After all, Sir Ross was a man of remarkable accomplishments and abilities. Surely he was aware of his own achievements, his keen mind, his good looks, his sterling reputation. However, Sophia realized that he did not consider himself superior to any other man. He demanded so much of himself that he could never live up to his own impossible standards.
'You are not ordinary,' she half whispered. 'You are fascinating.'
There was no doubt that Sir Ross was often approached by women who had a personal interest in him. As a handsome widower with deep pockets and considerable social and political influence, he was probably the most eligible man in London. Yet Sophia's bold statement had clearly caught him off guard. He gave her a baffled stare, seeming unable to form a reply.
Silence weighted the air. Finally Sophia spoke, trying to sound brisk. 'I will see about supper. Will you eat in the kitchen or here?'
Sir Ross focused on his desk with inordinate attention. 'Send a tray up here. I have more to do tonight.'
'You should sleep,' she said. 'You work far too much.'
He picked up a letter and broke the seal. 'Good night, Miss Sydney,' he murmured, his gaze falling on the page.
Sophia left the office and wandered through the hallway with a frown. Why should she care if he refused to get the rest he needed? Let him work himself into an early grave, she thought. It hardly mattered to her if he ruined his health, the stubborn ox! But the irritation stayed with her as she recalled the weary smudges beneath his eyes. She reasoned that her concern stemmed from her desire for revenge. After all, one could hardly seduce a man when he was exhausted and half starved.
On the days that Ross served as sitting magistrate, Sophia brought his lunch plate to the office after early court sessions were finished. While he ate at his desk, she would straighten his papers and dust his shelves and carry reports to the criminal records room. However, he was not one to take regular meals, often regarding food as an unwelcome interruption to his work.
The first time that Ross had refused lunch, informing Sophia that he was too busy to eat, she had offered the plate to Vickery, who was copying a runner's report.
'Vickery is busy also,' Ross said shortly. 'You may take the plate away.' 'Yes, sir,' Sophia replied, seeming not at all perturbed. 'Perhaps later--'
'Iam a bit hungry,' the clerk interrupted, staring at the covered plate with stark longing. A stocky man with a hearty appetite, Vickery did not like to miss a meal. 'That smells delicious, Miss Sydney...may I ask what it is?'
'Marjoram sausage and potatoes. And green peas in cream.'
Ross's appetite kindled at the savory fragrance that wafted from the plate. Lately Sophia had taken a strong hand in the kitchen, showing the inept cook-maid how to prepare edible meals. She paid close attention to his likes and dislikes, observing that he preferred well-seasoned food and had an incurable sweet tooth. In the past several days Ross had succumbed to the temptation of crisp-crusted charlotte pudding mounded high with orange filling...plum cake rich with molasses and currants...sugared apples wedged between thick layers of dough. Not surprisingly, he had begun to put on weight. The hollows of his cheeks had filled out, and his clothes no longer hung
