The Perfect Temptation (12 page)

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

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 b
ehaved
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