our two spirits shall be joined for all time
. Isn’t that a lovely sentiment, my lord?”
“Hell’s teeth.” Matthias stared at her with a dark intensity even greater than that with which he had gazed at the bowl. “There is only one person other than myself in all of England who could have translated that line of informal Zamarian script so quickly and so flawlessly.”
Too late, Imogen realized what she had just done. “Oh, dear.”
“I presume that I have just had the pleasure of kissing I. A. Stone?”
“My lord, I assure you, I never intended to deceive you.”
“No?”
“Well, perhaps just a trifle. I was going to explain everything.”
“Eventually?”
“Yes. Eventually. At the proper time.” She tried to summon up what she hoped was a placating smile. “We have been so busy since you arrived, what with one thingand another, that there simply has not been an opportunity.”
Matthias ignored the weak excuse. “The first initial is plain enough. And it’s obvious where the Stone came from, Miss Water
stone
. But what does the middle initial stand for?”
“Augusta,” Imogen confessed with a small sigh. “Sir, please understand. I have kept my identity a secret because I knew that the editors of the
Review
would never publish my researches if they learned that they had been written by a woman.”
“Indeed.”
“I intended to reveal the truth to you as soon as we were properly introduced. But you made it clear straight off that you considered I. A. Stone a rival. I did not want that view to cloud your perception of me or my scheme.”
“A rival?” Matthias raised his brows. “Nonsense. I do not consider I. A. Stone a rival. The word
rival
implies someone who is on an equal footing. I. A. Stone is a presumptuous little scribbler who bases her ridiculous conclusions on my articles.”
Imogen was stung. “May I remind you, sir, that good, solid interpretation of facts is every bit as important as firsthand experience.”
“There is no substitute for firsthand knowledge of a subject.”
“Rubbish. In the past you have leaped to a number of conclusions about Zamarian antiquities that were unwarranted by the evidence that you yourself discovered.”
“Such as?”
Imogen lifted her chin. “Such as those entirely unsupported assumptions concerning Zamarian wedding rituals that you detailed in your latest article in the
Review
.”
“I never make unsupported assumptions. I arrive at logical conclusions based upon firsthand discovery and research.”
“Indeed?” Imogen fixed him with a challenging glare. “You claimed that the bride had no say in her marriagecontract, when it is obvious to even an amateur that Zamarian brides had a great many rights and privileges. A Zamarian lady could even dissolve her marriage if she wished.”
“Only under extremely limited conditions.”
Imogen smiled coolly. “She could do so if her husband proved to be either cruel or impotent. That covers a great deal of ground, my lord. Furthermore, she retained control of her own property and income after marriage. That certainly puts ancient Zamarian law well ahead of modern English law.”
“Do not be too certain of that,” Matthias said. “When it came to marriage, the Zamarians were not so vastly different from the English. The man was the master in his own home. His wife was expected to be an obedient, compliant companion who saw to the running of the household and to her husband’s comfort. He in turn assumed the responsibility of protecting his wife and children.”
“There you go, making unwarranted assumptions again. After a thorough investigation of your writings, I have concluded that Zamarian marriages were based on mutual affection and intellectual respect.”
“Only a fevered imagination and a complete lack of firsthand familiarity with your subject could lead you to make such an outrageous statement. Zamarian marriages were based on property, social standing, and business
. Isn’t that a lovely sentiment, my lord?”
“Hell’s teeth.” Matthias stared at her with a dark intensity even greater than that with which he had gazed at the bowl. “There is only one person other than myself in all of England who could have translated that line of informal Zamarian script so quickly and so flawlessly.”
Too late, Imogen realized what she had just done. “Oh, dear.”
“I presume that I have just had the pleasure of kissing I. A. Stone?”
“My lord, I assure you, I never intended to deceive you.”
“No?”
“Well, perhaps just a trifle. I was going to explain everything.”
“Eventually?”
“Yes. Eventually. At the proper time.” She tried to summon up what she hoped was a placating smile. “We have been so busy since you arrived, what with one thingand another, that there simply has not been an opportunity.”
Matthias ignored the weak excuse. “The first initial is plain enough. And it’s obvious where the Stone came from, Miss Water
stone
. But what does the middle initial stand for?”
“Augusta,” Imogen confessed with a small sigh. “Sir, please understand. I have kept my identity a secret because I knew that the editors of the
Review
would never publish my researches if they learned that they had been written by a woman.”
“Indeed.”
“I intended to reveal the truth to you as soon as we were properly introduced. But you made it clear straight off that you considered I. A. Stone a rival. I did not want that view to cloud your perception of me or my scheme.”
“A rival?” Matthias raised his brows. “Nonsense. I do not consider I. A. Stone a rival. The word
rival
implies someone who is on an equal footing. I. A. Stone is a presumptuous little scribbler who bases her ridiculous conclusions on my articles.”
Imogen was stung. “May I remind you, sir, that good, solid interpretation of facts is every bit as important as firsthand experience.”
“There is no substitute for firsthand knowledge of a subject.”
“Rubbish. In the past you have leaped to a number of conclusions about Zamarian antiquities that were unwarranted by the evidence that you yourself discovered.”
“Such as?”
Imogen lifted her chin. “Such as those entirely unsupported assumptions concerning Zamarian wedding rituals that you detailed in your latest article in the
Review
.”
“I never make unsupported assumptions. I arrive at logical conclusions based upon firsthand discovery and research.”
“Indeed?” Imogen fixed him with a challenging glare. “You claimed that the bride had no say in her marriagecontract, when it is obvious to even an amateur that Zamarian brides had a great many rights and privileges. A Zamarian lady could even dissolve her marriage if she wished.”
“Only under extremely limited conditions.”
Imogen smiled coolly. “She could do so if her husband proved to be either cruel or impotent. That covers a great deal of ground, my lord. Furthermore, she retained control of her own property and income after marriage. That certainly puts ancient Zamarian law well ahead of modern English law.”
“Do not be too certain of that,” Matthias said. “When it came to marriage, the Zamarians were not so vastly different from the English. The man was the master in his own home. His wife was expected to be an obedient, compliant companion who saw to the running of the household and to her husband’s comfort. He in turn assumed the responsibility of protecting his wife and children.”
“There you go, making unwarranted assumptions again. After a thorough investigation of your writings, I have concluded that Zamarian marriages were based on mutual affection and intellectual respect.”
“Only a fevered imagination and a complete lack of firsthand familiarity with your subject could lead you to make such an outrageous statement. Zamarian marriages were based on property, social standing, and business
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