She began pacing again like a captured panther. “I believe they told the truth as they knew it. That night is a blur to me. Apparently Denshire hired a prostitute with a general resemblance to me, then drugged me into unconsciousness. In the dark and saturated with drink, his friends believed that I was the woman they lay with, and they testified to that.”

Lucas sucked in his breath. “That is appallingly devious and cold-blooded! How could a man do such a thing to his wife? The mother of his child!”

“He was concerned only with his own pleasures and desires,” she said coolly. “By this time, he despised me. I imagine he devised this plan as a way to inflict the maximum amount of public humiliation.”

“Is there any chance that you were assaulted when you were too insensible to realize what was happening?” he asked gently.

She shook her head. “I’ve been celibate for years. If I’d been assaulted by three men, my body would have known the next morning. I’m sure I spent that night alone. For that, at least, I’m grateful.”

“Was your maid able to testify in your defense?”

“She disappeared that night. I’m not sure whether Denshire paid her to leave, or whether he had her murdered.” Kendra shuddered. “I fear it might have been murder.”

Lucas tried to imagine what Kendra had endured. A lesser woman would have been broken. “Would no one listen to you?”

“A woman cannot testify in her own defense!” she spat out, her outrage vibrating in her voice. “I could do nothing to defend myself. Nothing! Denshire divorced me, told me I’d never see our son again, and he has instituted legal proceedings to allow him access to the trusts my grandfather set up because I owe him a huge fine as restitution for my wicked behavior. He is evil!”

“Evil or mad,” Lucas agreed. “May I ask more questions? I want to try to understand what was in your husband’s mind.”

“Go ahead,” she said wearily. “I’ve had plenty of time to think about what happened.”

“At least Denshire wasn’t ruthless enough to have you killed, which would have simplified his life in all ways.” Lucas’s inflection turned his words into a hesitant question.

“My death would have put my fortune forever out of his reach,” she said flatly. “The money would eventually go to Christopher, half when he turns twenty-five, the rest at thirty. If my son died in some horrid ‘accident,’ the money would go to charity and more distant relatives. Denshire would never see a penny of it.”

“Your grandfather sounds like a wise and suspicious man.”

She smiled a little. “That he was. Ferocious and frightening and a darling to me.”