Christiana scowled, half angry and half embarrassed, and then glanced around to be sure none of the other dancers were listening in on the conversation. Reassured that no one appeared to be paying them any attention, she glanced back to Langley and hissed, “I was bathed and powdered, dressed in a gown and propped in bed and then he came in and put out the candle. There was a thud and then another I assumed was his shoes hitting the floor and then he climbed on top of me, rocked about a bit as if riding a horse, then rolled off and said, “There. It is consummated.” I have no idea if he took anything else off but his shoes, but it didn’t seem to me he had time to disrobe further between putting out the candle and climbing on top of me.”

“You were under the blankets?” Langley asked sharply. When she nodded, he asked, “And he was on top?”

Christiana bit her lip at the growing excitement in his expression. “That was wrong, wasn’t it? I did wonder, but Dicky said it was consummated, and I had no one to ask, so . . .”

“Dicky,” he muttered with disgust. “It’s no wonder Richard hated that name. I do as well.” He let his breath out on a little huff and then suddenly smiled.

“That doesn’t matter. However, what does is the fact that, from your description, the marriage certainly hasn’t been consummated. We can take you to a doctor now this very night. He can examine you, proclaim you still virgin, and we can have the marriage annulled at once. There would still be a scandal, but not much of one compared to the alternative.”

“The alternative being proving he doesn’t have the birthmark and is really George masquerading as his brother, which would mean the wedding wasn’t valid and I have been living with him without benefit of marriage?” she asked quietly.

Langley’s smile faded, but he nodded.

“You do realize that if he is George and has taken his brother’s place . . . Well, we simply can’t allow him to get away with it,” she pointed out gently. “We would have to tell someone.”

“At the expense of you, Suzie and Lisa suffering a maelstrom of scandal?” Langley asked grimly.

She hesitated, but then nodded.

“You always did have an implacable belief in justice,” Langley muttered with frustration.

Christiana smiled faintly, but then sighed. An annulment would certainly be less scandalous than possible murder, stealing a man’s name and living in sin. But if the man she thought she married really was George Fairgrave, he was even more dastardly than she’d thought, and should be stopped and brought to justice. Still, she would rather do so with as little damage to herself and her family as possible and there was really no rush for justice.

“Why do we not find out what is what before we worry about anything else,” she suggested quietly. “I shall see if he has the birthmark or not. If he does, he is Richard, I will be examined, be proven a virgin, and I will simply go for an annulment. If he doesn’t and he is George, I will still be examined, be proven a virgin, and go for the annulment, but then, once the dust has settled, we can see about reporting him to the authorities,” she suggested. “That little bit of distance might be enough to protect Suzie and Lisa, or it would at least give them the chance to find husbands before the scandal hits . . . husbands who hopefully have powerful families who can help protect them.”