There was a long pause before Lucas resumed speaking with a whine in his voice. “Lord D. didn’t beat her very hard, and after all, he had the right to do so, as does any other husband. She was hardly bruised at all. But there was that unfortunate incident when his blow knocked her onto the burning hot grate in the fireplace.”

Kendra moved to the front of the stage and lifted her skirt to show the parallel burn scars left by the grate. She had felt shy about showing her legs to so many strangers, but the gasp of shock from the audience was gratifying. Denshire sat bolt upright, staring at her. He hadn’t recognized her before, but now he did.

“Lord D. left his country house and returned to London, sure that his wife would recover even though the physician had briefly despaired of Lady D.’s life. He was quite right—she did recover.

“But the incident clearly deranged Lady D. because when she could walk again, she had her lawyers send Lord D. a letter asking for a legal separation. A ridiculous notion! He saw no benefit to himself in a separation. Yet as he thought more, he realized there would be great benefit to himself if he divorced her.

“But the damned woman was absurdly chaste! There was no evidence that she ever played him false. It was easy to believe that because the icy wench had refused to perform her marital duties after the birth of his son.

“Lord D. didn’t really miss her in bed because he found his London companions much warmer. But a man could only have one wife at a time, and this one was useless if she wouldn’t share her wealth with him as was his right.

“Then he had a brilliant thought. What if he divorced her and blackened her reputation so thoroughly that he might be able to persuade a court to give him control of her trust funds on behalf of their son? Because he’d take the boy, of course, and send him to some school where Lady D. couldn’t find him. There was nothing he could do that would hurt her more, and she deserved to suffer as he had!

“She wouldn’t oblige him by committing adultery, but since she was now in London, it would be easy to drug her to sleep, get several of his friends drunk enough that they’d succumb when a courtesan who resembled Lady D. entered the dimly lit room and seduced them. Voila! He’d have witnesses to testify to her wanton adultery.”

Denshire exploded out of his chair, swearing furiously. “Damn you, this is a pack of filthy lies, all lies! The bitch is trying to ruin my reputation! I got my divorce fair and square and I’m not going to stay here to listen to this calumny!”