The Perfect Temption Page 7

  that I'd be tempted to fully wallow about in the rare and exceptional

  opportunities I've been afforded."

  "Rare and exceptional?" he repeated,looking up to meet

  Sawyer's gaze.

  Sawyer started to respond but his gaze suddenly shifted

  to a point over Aiden's shoulder. A fraction of a second later

  he snapped his mouth closed and drew himself up to his full

  height.

  "Pardon the intrusion, Mr. Terrell," she said from the

  doorway. "I wasn't aware that your man had arrived."

  Thanks to his man, he'd known she had. Bless Sawyer.

  He turned and, indicating the butler with a genteel sweep of

  his hand, began the formalities. "Miss Radford, may I present

  Sawyer. Sawyer, Miss Alexandra Radford." The duchess,

  he silently added.

  "Emmaline speaks most highly of you, sir," she replied,

  seemingly frozen to the spot in the hall. "It's indeed a pleasure

  to meet you."

  ''And I you, Miss Radford." Sawyer gave her a respectful

  bow and then a genuine smile. "May I say that your store is

  a delightful feast for the senses."

  She beamed back at him. ''Why, thank you, Sawyer.

  That's most kind of you. I work constantly to keep it vibrant

  and interesting. Would you care to join us for luncheon?

  Preeya always cooks more than enough."

  "My sincerest thanks, Miss Radford, but unfortunately I

  cannot today. I paused briefly-at Emmaline's on my way

  here and promised that I would share the noon meal with

  her."

  "Perhaps some other time then." At his slight bow and

  nod, she added, "I'll look forward to it." Her smile wasn't

  nearly as radiant when she turned it on him and said, ''When

  you are free, please join us, Mr. Terrell."

  She'd barely walked out of sight when Sawyer said softly,

  "She seems to be quite down to earth and amiable, sir."

  Yes, she could be delightfully pleasant when she wanted.

  Which, so far, seemed to be when in the presence of anyone

  except him. "I'll walk you down and let you out," Aiden offered,

  scowling.

  They were standing on opposite sides of the front door

  when Sawyer cleared his throat and spoke again. ''I stand by

  my earlier observations and recommendations, sir."

  Something in his expression must have adequately conveyed

  his confusion.

  ''Do make a point, sir," the butler said, a touch of exasperation

  edging his tone, "of exploring the wonder of deeper

  waters while you have the chance. You'll never forget or regret

  the immersion. If you need anything I've neglected to

  bring, send a runner and I'll see that the matter is rectified

  immediately."

  "Thank you for toting it all over here, Sawyer:' Aiden

  replied, knowing that Sawyer meant well with his advice.

  "I'll be dropping by the house from time to time, I'm sure."

  He gestured toward the display table at his side, and with a

  weak smile added, "One can only take so much of all this for

  so long."

  ''Very good, sir. If you'd let me know when you'll be visiting,

  I'll have Cook prepare you a beef dish." He bowed and

  then turned crisply on his heel and strode off in the direction

  of his sister's store.

  Aiden closed the door and locked it, his mind racing.

  Sawyer knew "about the Indian proscription of beef. Somehow

  that realization placed all of what he'd said in a different

  light. Aiden considered the rich array of color and

  texture and pattern that surrounded him. It was a feast for the

  eyes. And more. It somehow made the soul feel good, too.

  Full and maybe even ..• He studied the feeling in his chest

  and decided that "liberated" came closest to being the right

  word. There was a quality to it all that seemed to say, "You

  may indeed."

  The thought came as a slow dawn, creeping over him,

  gradually brightening the darkness that had been troubling

  him before Sawyer's arrival. When he'd promised there

  would be no other, he'd meant that he'd never love another

  woman. There was a significant difference between making

  love to a woman and actually loving her. Only very rarely

  did the two go hand in hand. God knew he hadn't had one

  flicker of true feeling for Rose beyond a wicked appreciation

  for the fact that she was willing to do anything, anywhere,

  anytime he wanted.

  Of course it was a given that Alex Radford wouldn't be

  the wanton Rose had proven to be, but if she was willing to

  be seduced, then far be it for him to turn his back on the opportunity. It wouldn't mean anything beyond a brief physical

  relationship. Bedding her wouldn't compromise his pledge

  at all. He could plumb the depths of still waters without so

  much as a single twinge of guilt.

  And it was all the simplest of logic. Why he hadn't seen it

  before now ... He sighed and half smiled as he shook his

  head. He hadn't seen it because he'd· spent the last year so

  blindly, roaringly drunk that he hadn't been able to see so

  much as his own hand in front of his face. It was galling to

  have to admit that maybe his father and Barrett were right

  about the benefits of sobriety, but right was right.

  He headed toward the stairs and lunch with a widening

  grin. Just because you'd realized that someone had been

  right all along didn't necessarily mean that you had to share

  that bit of news with them. At least not right away. What did

  matter was that you used the newfound understanding to

  improve the general conditions of your existence. To be ...

  Aiden chuckled, remembering Sawyer's choice of words.

  Yes, one should strive to be well and truly comfortable. As

  often as humanly possible.

  Of course, there were a good number of steps to be taken

  before that was even remotely possible. Gaining Alex's trust

  was the first. That wasn't going to be easy. And to make matters

  ever more frustrating, he didn't have a clue as to how to

  go about it in any sort of deliberate fashion. Being nice to

  Mohan might be an effective avenue, but the idea of gritting

  his teeth in silence didn't appeal in the least. In fact, just

  thinking about it made his jaw ache.

  He'd come up with something else, he promised himself

  as he stepped into the doorway of the dining room. Alex sat

  at one end of a linen-covered table, a silver dome-covered

  plate before her. Preeya sat in the center of one side with her

  own covered plate. Places had been set opposite them both.

  The one opposite Preeya consisted only of a linen napkin and

  a set of silverware. The other had all that and a covered plate.

  Aiden paused, uncertain as to which place was his. Preeya

  solved his dilemma by gesturing to the seat opposite Alex.

  Smiling his thanks, he took his seat saying, "My apologies

  for having kept you waiting, ladies;'

  Preeya said something and a rapid exchange in Hindi ensued.

  At the end of it, Alex said in English. "Preeya says that

  she doesn't at all mind waiting for the company of a handsome

&nbs
p; man."

  "Did you tell her that she was unnecessarily feeding my

  already grandiose sense of self?"

  "Something along those lines:' she replied. removing her

  plate cover and setting it on the brass holder.

  Preeya did the same and Aiden followed suit, confused

  yet again. "Is Mohan not joining us?”

  Alex didn't look at him as she placed her napkin in her

  lap and replied, "He's dining in confinement today."

  If she'd taken him food, she was far more lenient than his

  parents had been. The belief in the Terrell household was

  that if you'd behaved badly enough to warrant being banished

  to your room, you'd also behaved badly enough to

  miss a meal. In his experience, the second part of it made the

  first part hellish enough to bring about-and rather quickly the

  required change in attitude. Aiden knew, however, that

  sharing that perspective with her wouldn't go toward garnering

  her trust.

  "I gather," he said, hoping to be blandly conversational,

  ''that his time of personal reflection wasn't all that productive."

  Her smile was taut. "Today is shaping up as one of his

  more beastly ones."

  And the odds were that the boy was just beginning to cut

  his teeth where defiance was concerned. Ten-year olds were

  like that. Deciding that she probably didn't want to hear that

  bit of reality, either, he considered his food and the direction

  he ought to take the conversation. The fare was some kind of

  steamed fish with a rice side dish that looked to have bits of

  fruit in it along with a heaping portion of a spice that not

  only made it a bright yellow but perfectly suited for clearing

  any stuffiness his nose might have been suffering. He picked

  up his fork and flaked off a bit of the fish, asking, ''How does

  Mohan usually spend his days? In formal studies?"

  ''Generally the mornings are spent with the books and slate

  boards:' Alex answered. ''The afternoons are typically elevated

  to the conduct of Blue Elephant business. The evenings

  to reading and various board games."

  God, he felt sorry for the child. If there wasn't anything

  more than that, the boy was utterly and completely bored out

  of his ... That was it! he realized. The way to take control of

  this entire mess. Alex would be grateful and out of that would

  come trust. And trust was the key. He didn't have to grit his

  teeth and endure Mohan. He simply had to take control of the

  boy's existence. It was a brilliant plan. Absolutely brilliant.

  Barrett was right; when he put his mind to something ...

  Lord, it was going to be so incredibly easy.

  Chapter 6

  Alex's stomach turned to lead even as her heart swelled and

  flip-flopped in her chest. Good God, the man had a smile

  that could tatter pantaloons at fifty paces. And those green

  eyes when they sparkled with devilment ... If she didn't

  steel her resolve, she was going be lunch instead of the fish.

  "Well, no wonder the boy's beastly," he said with a flourish

  of his fork. ''I would be, too. In fact, if you made me live

  like that I'd either run away or slit my wrists."

  He didn't give her a chance to say that she considered the

  assertion overdramatic. "He's bored out of his skull, Miss

  Radford. Books, business, and board games? Little boys have

  to run and play. They have to go and do. They have far too

  much energy to be contained inside four walls every hour of

  the day."

  "Mohan's hardly a prisoner," she protested, aware of

  Preeya's quick glancing between the two of them. "We frequently

  venture out into the city."

  ''To do what?"

  ''We attend auctions;' she supplied. ''We watch the ships

  come into port and the lords and ladies parade along their avenues.

  We go to the market daily. From time to time we attend

  a play."

  "Be still my heart;' he countered dryly. ''I can scarcely

  bear the excitement of it all."

  No, it 'wasn't exciting, but it wasn't meant to be. It was

  safe and largely designed to fulfill the tasks required for

  daily living. ''And what would you have him doing with his

  time instead?" she asked, not really sure she wanted to know,

  but unwilling to back away from his open challenge.

  "Has anyone taught the boy to ride a horse?"

  Of all the silly notions. ''We don't have a horse, Mr. Terrell."

  ''Does he know how to play cricket?"

  ''With whom would he play?" she asked. ''And where? In

  the street, between the passing carriages?"

  ''What about football? Or rugby?" he persisted.

  "Good God, no," she exclaimed, appalled at the very notion

  of Mohan being involved in such violent, dangerous sports.

  He took a couple of bites of his food, but what hopes she

  had of the interrogation being over were dashed when he

  asked, ''What about sledding and ice skating? They're not

  terribly manly pastimes, but they're something children usually

  find amusing. Especially in the dead of winter when

  there isn't much else to do."

  ''Mohan isn't interested in sports of any kind," she announced

  with all the firm politeness she could muster. "It's

  pointless to inquire after any others."

  ''Does he have any pets? A dog? A cat? Maybe a lizard or

  a snake or two?"

  Slithering things? As pets? Alex suppressed. a shudder.

  "He's expressed no interest in having one. Or two. Of anything."

  Again he paused to eat. This time she knew' better than to

  hope. The man didn't relent, he simply shifted directions

  ever so slightly. She consumed some of her own lunch, waiting

  for the inevitable resumption of their contest

  Preeya continued to look back and forth between them,

  slowly eating, but saying nothing. In the aftermath, the first

  time the two of them were alone, Preeya would want a summary

  of all that had been said. She'd also remember specific

  words and ask what they meant Not that she'd ever do anything

  with them. Which, in this particular situation, was

  most definitely a blessing. Preeya's refusal to learn English

  meant that she didn't know just how inept her mistress was

  at fending off persistent men.

  "He doesn't know how to hunt, to fish, or to sail either,

  does he?"

  Well, he was indeed predictable. "Mr. Terrell," she said

  on a sigh, "Mohan is going to be a raja someday. He doesn't

  need to know how to do those things."

  "He'll be the most boring-and bored!-man to ever occupy

  a throne," he countered, his tone that of a man of clear

  and unshakable convictions. "More importantly, at the moment

  he's an exceedingly bored little boy. He behaves badly

  simply because it's something to do that affords some degree

  of excitement. God knows there's nothing else that

  qualifies in his existence. Why has he been so boxed up? Is it

  that you can't afford to hire a riding or a sailing instructor?"

  What was it about the men who carne through her life?

  Were all men determined to be overbearing? Or was there


  something about her in particular that attracted such men?

  “We have considerable financial resources, Mr. Terrell," she

  answered, squarely meeting his gaze across the length of the

  table.

  "It's a matter of Mohan's safety. Lal--the guard who recently

  returned to India-maintained that Mohan would be

  considerably easier to kidnap or harm if he were out and

  about in the city, that he was far safer when within the walls

  of this house. I happen to think that he's correct."

  "Well, if I were bent on kidnapping him," he quipped, "I'd

  certainly appreciate knowing where I could always find him."

  "And there is the matter of protecting him from accidental

  injury," Alex went on, committed to making him see the wisdom

  in the pattern of their lives. "He could be thrown from a

  horse and break his neck. He could fall out of a sailboat and

  drown. We will not even venture into a discussion of the

  types of injuries commonly suffered by the reckless, self-destructive

  fools who play football or rugby. I promised his

  father that I would keep him safe from all harm."

  "Then you'd best tell Preeya to put out the cooking fires,"

  he instantly countered, his smile wide and altogether too confident,

  "because every time she lights one the kitchen stands

  a chance of going up in flames that could very well spread to

  the house and kill the boy."