Richard could hardly believe she was here.

Cyril stepped back from Richard. "I thought I told you to stay where you were?" he admonished Juliana, annoyed to be interrupted before he got his answer.

"I would have if you tried a little harder not to provoke his temper. I have grown to love you too much Cyril to see you flattened on my account."

Cyril did not particularly care for Juliana's assessment of the situation but considering Richard's size and strength she probably had saved him from a good thrashing.

"As for you..." she said looking back at Richard "I suggest you put this good man's mind to rest and answer the question."

Richard could not believe she would think he was capable of murdering Cecilia and his own child.

"Do not give me that look, Richard," Juliana said quite fed up with the lot of them. "I have not accused you of anything. Now answer his question."

"No," Richard said annoyed that he should even have to defend himself. "No, I would not have killed Cecilia and I sure as hell would not kill my own child just so I could be with another woman."

"Not even one that you love more than life?" Cyril asked not willing to let it go just yet.

"Give it a rest, Cyril!" Annabelle said not liking the turn the conversation had taken. "My brother is not a killer." Cyril let it go, for now.

Juliana gave him something else to think on. "Cyril what about the Aulsebrook case you told me about."

Cyril sat on the sofa and took the glass of brandy from his wife. "You mean the one were the jealous lover killed the poor girl in her sleep?"

"Yes, that one," Juliana confirmed as she entered the parlor. "Well, that was why I had asked you..."

Richard took a menacing step toward Cyril but was held in check by Juliana's hand holding him back. "You accused her of murdering Cecilia? Who next? Your wife?"

Juliana looked up at Richard. She knew he was fighting a losing battle against his temper. "Sit down and cool yourself," she commanded him.

Annabelle was shocked and amazed as she watched Richard comply. She gave Richard some tea not trusting him to drink anything stronger than that.

"What if Cecilia had a lover?" Juliana asked. "What if she told him she was marrying Richard and so he bid his time until Richard was away and kills her?"

"Well you have a theory," Cyril admitted, "though you have no proof she had any lovers other than Richard."

The thought of Richard and Cecilia together as lovers still had the power to hurt her, but she threw away those feeling and asked, "What if Cecilia was with child before she slept with Richard."

"What would make you say that?" Cyril asked not knowing where Juliana's thinking could possibly be headed but enjoyed how her mind worked. He loved discussing his cases with her, if she were a man, she surely would have done well in a career in law or as a Bow Street Runner.

"It was just something that struck me as odd about Cecilia figure. She was lying there uncovered until I dropped my tray. Her breasts were much larger than what would look normal on a girl her age and build and now that I think on it, I believe she was beginning to show."

Cyril felt the blood start to course through his veins, this was the only part he enjoyed about his job and he had to admit if what she saw was correct she may be on to something but Richard put an end to the whole theory.

"But there was blood on the sheets," Richard interjected wishing that somehow Juliana's concocted theory could hold true. If it did he was free to pursue her with a clean conscience and the child Cecilia was carrying was not his but it was not to be.

"Oh, yes there is that," Cyril said slightly dejected that there be a flaw.

"I do not understand," Juliana pondered.

Richard was surprised she did not know about such delicate matters, that no one had explained but her statement also confirmed what he already thought to be true about her, she was pure and untouched. "When a virgin is taken she bleeds," Richard explained, "and when I awoke there was blood on the sheets. So she could not have been pregnant before I had slept with her."

"Oh," Juliana was disappointed that she was wrong and embarrassed because she did not know of these things. At least she now knew nothing took place between herself and Richard last night. It was a question she had been dying to ask him because she could not remember.

They all sat silently in the room for some time lost in their own thoughts until something must have clicked in Cyril's head. "Hold on," he said as he sprung from the couch and practically ran from the room. He returned with one of his law books. "It could be done," he was mumbling to himself.

"What is it?" Juliana asked. "What have you found?"

"It was a case I was a part of quite a few years back. A woman who was a maid to a very prominent and very wealthy Duke wanted him to acknowledge her son as his rightful heir. Of course, the man denied it but when asked under oath about taking her virginity he had to plead guilty.

Just when we had thought the case lost, a surprise witness had come forward. A man who was this woman's lover, he told us they had framed the Duke by making him think he had taken the girl's virginity. They had gotten him very drunk and after she had sex with him he had fallen asleep. She then stained the sheets with lamb's blood she had retrieved from the kitchen. That way it would appear he had taken her virginity when he awoke that morning.

The man who came forward was the real father. He said they had planned to blackmail the Duke to get money so they could run away and start their life together, however she got greedy. She saw an opportunity to take the Duke for all he was worth. The real father, however, did not want his child raised by another man which was why he had come forward."

Juliana was truly excited by the story, it meant she may still be right.

"I don't know." Richard interjected "It seems all a bit far fetched if you ask me? Besides Cecilia is not devious enough to think of such a thing."

"Is it really that far fetched? You said yourself you do not remember sleeping with her that night. If you passed out from too much drink..." Cyril did not complete his sentence for both Juliana and Richard were shaking their heads in denial.

"I had a glass of port with dinner and a glass of champagne," Richard supplied.

"I can confirm that he certainly did not have enough to put him under." Juliana agreed.

"What if he were drugged?" Annabelle interjected much to the surprise of everyone in the room as until this moment she had been a silent presence. "What?" she asked as all eyes turned to her. "I've read The Monk. It could happen," she said feeling slightly nervous now about her question.

Juliana smiled at her best friend's reference to the scandalous gothic romance novel, but she was right it was a possibility.

Cyril looked proudly at his wife. She never took much interest in his work and now she just thought of the most brilliant idea. "What was the last thing you remember before taking a stroll through the garden," Cyril asked Richard who just shrugged, the whole evening was not memorable and it was quite some time ago.

"They ended the ball with a champagne toast," Juliana supplied knowing it was a night she would never forget.

"Then perhaps something was added to your drink," Cyril supplied.

"But even if that were true, I am telling you Cecilia is not capable of thinking such a grand scheme," Richard insisted.

Juliana was beginning to get annoyed with Richard's lack of enthusiasm at solving this mystery and it was grating on her nerves his defense of a girl he knew for only one night. Truth be known she was jealous but felt horrible about the idea, as the girl was now dead and no longer a threat to Richard and her happiness.

"Maybe she did not have too," Juliana said trying to be more charitable, "maybe her lover put her up to it."

"But this is still theoretical unless we have a way to deduce who her lover is if she even had one and prove what was his involvement," Cyril added.

Richard still had a look of disbelief, it all sounded too grandiose.

"Look...is it really so hard to believe you saw her in the garden crying obviously upset by something or someone that she wished not to talk about. You said yourself you felt light-headed and dizzy and the last thing you remember is waking up with Cecilia in your bed. If she had managed to find some way to drug you it would have given her plenty of time to stage her virginity being taken and you would never be the wiser," Cyril added with a note of finality.

"But that still does not explain how she got the drug into his glass or how she would manage to get him upstairs and in bed without anyone seeing her. If Richard was knocked out cold she certainly would not have been able to move him," Juliana said allowing Richard's doubt to seep in.

"So she had help," Cyril said. "Who else would have access to the house that could possibly benefit from Cecilia and Richard getting married."

"Mother!" Richard said the name as if speaking of the Devil himself.