by Leslie LaFoy
''Then I gather that a torrid affair with the stable master is
out of the question?" he teased.
She laughed outright and put the lamp on the desk in the
front store. "Judging by your appearance, I'd guess that you
managed to acquire the horses you wanted."
Change of subject. He wasn't surprised. A bit disappointed,
yes, but not surprised. "Yes, and then we went to
take delivery of the carriage," Aiden explained, noting that
while the wooden crates remained where the delivery crew
had left them that morning, they were now surrounded by a
shallow sea of packing straw.
"It's been cleaned and polished and the horses are happily
munching on sweet oats, all settled into their new
home," he continued as she leaned into one of the boxes and
he tried not to stare at the attractive curve of her backside.
''Tomorrow we' ll saddle the horse we bought you and start
your riding lessons."
''We'll see. I'm sure Mohan made you start with his today:'
She straightened with a wad of straw in her hands. Wiggling
her fingers, she let the golden bits fall slowly away. "How did
he do?"
"He's very good. Not at all afraid or put off by their size.
He's going to be one of those riders who looks as though he
was born in the saddle."
She stopped and looked over at him. "You will make an
effort to keep him from taking unnecessary chances, won't
you?"
It was a momentous step for a confirmed mother hen.
"He's on a palfrey and a lead rope until he proves himself
competent several times over."
"Thank you, Aiden. That makes me feel better."
And the appreciation of her smile was making him feel
decidedly too warm. He nodded his acceptance of her gratitude.
"Well, I'd best be getting those clothes and back to the
kitchen," he said, backing toward the stairs and beyond the
persistent whisper of temptation.
Alex watched him leave and then went back to work,
thinking that he was a far more fascinating man than was
good for her. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be a callous predator
like so many of the British Army officers her mother
had taken pains to see that she encountered. And while Aiden
obviously wasn't opposed to taking opportunities that presented
themselves, he didn't strike her as the sort that went
out of his way to deliberately create them. Placing an otherwise
virtuous woman in a compromising situation just so that
he could take advantage of her ... No, Aiden was decent and
honorable. He'd never do such a dastardly thing.
But, by the same token, he clearly wasn't opposed to
accepting an offer freely made. And if the woman of the
hour expected a payment of sorts in exchange for her favors,
he'd pay it. If one man had given Charlotte Tyndale a set
of Roberts and Belk's latest and most expensive flatware,
then what had Aiden given her? Horses and carriages?
Not that he would have had to give so extravagantly; he
was a handsome, charming man and no doubt the sort of
lover women like Lady Tyndale preferred. But he didn't
seem like the sort to stint on quality or value just because he
could. For Aiden, providing a special, memorable gift would
probably be a point of pride.
And, she admonished herself, to spend so much as a second
of her time thinking about such things was beyond foolish.
It was unseemly. Ladies didn't entertain such musings.
If they even occurred to them in the first place.
"A pair of sapphire rings."
She looked up to find Aiden standing at the base of the
stairs, clothing draped over his arm and his smile wicked.
How long had he been standing there? she wondered. And
had she been thinking aloud? Lord, she hoped not. She knitted
her brows, trying to fathom what sapphire rings had to
do with anything.
"You were wondering what I gave Charlotte."
Of course he'd known what she'd been thinking. He always
did. At least it didn't overly surprise her anymore.
"Rings are a very expensive, personal gift," she observed.
''Weren't you afraid her husband would notice them at the
breakfast table?"
The devil danced in his eyes and his smile broadened.
''They weren't for her fingers. Charlotte has certain intimate-
parts of herself pierced for jewelry."
Alex stared at him, stunned and slack-jawed mute. She'd
heard of such scandalous practices, but to actually know of
someone who engaged in them ...
"It was interesting," he admitted, nodding appreciatively.
Apparently feeling as though he'd sufficiently shocked her,
he turned to leave, adding, "But I'm certainly glad I'm not
the one who married her."
She couldn't resist the impulse. "Aiden?"
He stopped and turned back, his brow cocked in silent
question. And to her dismay, her wits and courage picked
that very moment to desert her. One really didn't ask such
things, her conscience virtuously intoned. It was truly none
of her business or concern.
"No," he said, chuckling softly, "I had nothing to do-directly-
with the fact that Lord and Lady Tyndale have
been living separately. The responsibility for that one belongs
to Barrett. And it was absolutely spectacular."
Oh, God. She most definitely didn't need that information.
Wanting it was nothing more than a sign of prurient interest
and low moral character. Which, of course, meant that
she was a really, really terrible person.
"We'll be in shortly," he said, still grinning as he walked
off again. She let him go, grateful that he'd had the decency
to save her from herself.
Aiden toweled his hair, decided there was nothing to be lost
in asking a few questions, and stepped from behind the
bathing screen. Preeya was by the stove, stirring something
steaming and aromatic. The boy was perched like a long legged
bird on a stool beside her, "Mohan," Aiden began,
what do you know about how Miss Radford and her mother
came to your father's court?"
''They arrived when I was just a baby," he replied with a
shrug. "I do not remember then or the time before."
That was an odd statement, but he wasn't going to be
sidetracked by pondering it "Would Preeya know?"
Again he shrugged but he chattered away in Hindi for a
moment and then looked back at him to smile and say
"Preeya wants to know why you ask." '
"Tell her because I want to understand Alex, why she is
the way she is, why she does the things she does."
Again Mohan spoke to Preeya in their native tongue. The
older woman looked over her shoulder at Aiden, smiling
broadly and then began answering. Mohan nodded throughout
and only when she'd finished did he translate.
"Preeya says that my father saw Miss Alex in one of the
temples. She was a child then and stealing the offering food.
He had his men follow her to bring her and her mother to the
court for justice.
Once my father heard their story, he took
pity on them and brought them under his protection. Preeya
says that if you seek the story of her life before and after
that, you must ask Miss Alex for it yourself. It is her story to
tell."
"I don't think she's likely to share it with me," Aiden admitted.
''No matter how nicely I ask."
Again Mohan and Preeya conversed and Aiden watched
the spirited exchange, relieved that Preeya didn't seem the
least put off or hesitant to discuss what were in his mind,
anyway-rather personal questions.
"Preeya says that Miss Alex tries very hard to make people
believe that she needs no one, that she prefers to move
through the world alone. Preeya says Miss Alex would be
happier if she were to abandon her illusions. Preeya says that
she believes this must be done and thinks you are a most capable
man in this regard."
"Thank her for her confidence in me," Aiden instructed
while thinking that Preeya had no real reason for such certitude
"Preeya wants you to know that Miss Alex was raised in
the women's quarters after she came to the court."
Aiden knitted his brows. ''And that's important because... ?"
Another exchange transpired, this one far shorter than the
others. ''I think that you must ask Miss Alex that question. I
do not know the answer and Preeya says she cannot tell you
any more without betraying her friendship with Miss Alex."
Which was fair enough, he knew. She'd already told him
a great deal. ''Thank Preeya for her help, Mohan. I appreciate
what she was able to give."
But only in certain respects. The mental image of Alex.
young. barefoot, dressed in rags, and stealing food to live
bothered him deeply. No wonder she didn't trust easily; her
life until the raja had taken them in had been one hard,
painful lesson after another. Actually, it was a miracle that
if she was able to trust at all. For that the raja had to be respected
and commended.
Alex angled her needlework to better catch the light from
the fire. From the other side of the salon came the gentle
clicking sounds of the chessboard being arranged. She cast a
quick glance at Preeya, who rolled her eyes and smiled. Yes,
Alex thought, this is going to be interesting. Best of luck to
you, Aiden.
''All right," Aiden began. "We'll start with the fundamentals.
You always move to protect your king, Mohan."
Just as Alex expected, her ward crisply said, ''The king is
most important. He is all that matters."
"Not in chess. When the queen's captured the game's
fairly well over."
"Why?" Mohan demanded. "Men are more important
than women."
"What would men do without women?"
"Whatever they wanted."
"Which would rarely be intelligent, thoughtful, or appropriate."
Aiden pointed out. ''There would be no such thing as
civilization without the influence of women, Mohan."
The boy snorted, and at the edge of her vision Alex could
see that he'd punctuated the derisive sound with a dismissive
wave of his hand. "My father does not ask my mother or
his other wives or his mistresses for their opinions or advice
on his actions. He is the raja and they are his subjects."
Alex put in a stitch and waited.
"Well, just guessing, Mohan," Aiden drawled, "but I'd
say that your father's always aware that what he does is
noted by the various females in his life and that he's going to
have to answer for his actions one way or another."
She smiled and laid in another stitch, thinking that, for an
unmarried man, Aiden Terrell had a surprisingly fine grasp
of domestic politics.
"Ha!" Mohan scoffed with another wave of his hand.
"Am I right, Miss Radford?"
"Very much so," she offered.
Aiden nodded in vindication and then went on. ''There's'
something else you need to know about women, Mohan. They
talk to each other. And in a way that's very different from the
way men do among themselves. Women are masters of the
coordinated action. Should they ever decide to create armies
of their own, men are going to be in very serious trouble."
"How do you know this'!' her ward asked, clearly skeptical.
"I have a mother and six sisters. Thankfully, they're kind
women because my father, my brothers, and I are completely
at their mercy .. My father makes pronouncements, but
unless my mother seconds them, they're largely empty in the
end."
''Then your father lacks a spine."
It was Aiden's turn to snort. "If he were here, you'd be
pinned against the wall and sincerely regretting having suggested
he was anything less than a force to be reckoned
with."
"Your mother would intervene and make him apologize
for so roughly handling me."
"No she wouldn't," he countered, every bit as firm in his
convictions as Mohan was in his. "She'd let him go, figuring
that you were getting what you deserved and learning a
valuable lesson about keeping your mouth shut and your uninformed
comments to yourself."
''Then she is the puppet."
Alex wasn't at all surprised when Aiden heaved a sigh of
frustration and turned to her. "Could you possibly have a go
at explaining this? I'm not doing too terribly well with it on
my own."
Of course he wasn't. Mohan wasn't a child who accepted
pronouncements; he had to reason his way to conclusions.
Especially those that significantly challenged his view of the
world's natural order. She smiled at Aiden and placed her
needlework in her lap. "Mohan," she began. "Do you remember
when your father brought Kali into his household?"
"Yes."
"What was it like in the palace while she was there?"
He thought a moment. ''There was no laughter. The
women did not smile and my father was ... " He paused another
moment and then stridently finished, "He was most angry
with the women for their treatment of Kali."
She let the assertion go, holding to her course. ''And
where is Kali now?"
"She is the wife of one of my father's minor administrators."
"And the consequences of her marriage were …?"
"She left the palace and the women laughed again," Mohan
said slowly, contemplatively. "My father stopped being
angry and brought Chun into the household."
"And did the laughter stop with Chun's arrival?" she
pressed.
"No."
The groundwork successfully laid, Alex smiled at him
and began the actual instruction. ''That's because the women
approve of Chun and accept your father's choice of her.
They didn't Kali. For a variety of reasons you're far too
young to understand. It's sufficient for our purposes this
evening to say that your father was made aware of the women's
displeasure and took steps to see that harmony was restored.
No one was the puppet of anyone else. The decisions were
made
for the benefit of everyone's happiness." She gave him
a moment to consider what she'd said and then asked, "Do
you understand the lesson in all of that?"
"I think so."
No, he didn't, but he would in time. "Perhaps you could
ponder on it some more as you drift off to sleep. It's time for
bed."
"But Mr. Terrell and I have yet to begin our game of
chess," he protested, gesturing to the board.
"We can begin it tomorrow night," Aiden assured him. "If
Miss Radford says it's time for you to retire, it's time for you
to retire. And you won't argue about it."
Mohan cast a quick glance between the two of them and
then rose to his feet with a disgruntled but resigned pout. At
his wishes for their pleasant evening-in both English and
Hindi-Preeya laid aside her embroidery and rose from her
cushions beside the fire, announcing that she would retire, as
well. Alex bade them both sweet dreams and watched them
leave for their rooms. It was only in the silence afterward that
she realized that she'd been left alone with Aiden Terrell.