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She thought about it for a moment ‘Yes, I believe I am’

‘I have to tell you it is not very erotic’

‘It is not intended to be erotic!’ Infuriating man, to be able to makeabout that kind of seduction’

‘Your arguments have their merits, but for other men, I think And I have to tell you that successful seduction requires passion and recklessness and surprise’ His lips were twitching now It was not laughter directed at her, she guessed Hoped

‘I would need to catch you unawares?’ Tess suggested There was a flicker of solow ‘Be uments?’

‘Indeed you would And I auard down’

Tess pondered on seduction over the next week in the intervals between ordering supplies, puzzling over whether one goose, one turkey and a ha the use of the boiler in betash days in order to dangle the cannonballs of plu in the cavernous pot

Alex had been a a little, she guessed, although she had no experience of such a thing According to the nuns seduction applied to sin, to devils luring souls into doing wicked things In Minerva Press novels seduction was all to do with love and lust Between the pages wicked wo silks lured the hero into their toils and thenthe cha thud, even in thetale Tess very much doubted she’d know a toil if she fell over it; she possessed no trailing silks and Alex would probably laugh hi about in her very sensible flannel wrapper

I a hiht But that would be sin, not because she truly believed that , but because his conscience would hurt hiinity

But if he was convinced it would do no harht back the heat and the tingling feelings and the ache to be held, very close, very tight

Hoould one go about seducing Alex Tehter seeh to touch h, that would the first step, and Alex was very, very good at being elusive

‘What I want for Christmas is an earl,’ she infor her to wrap Christ in boxes ‘Just the once I know I’d have to give him back I only want to borrow hi love, but all the gossip says that e But thento find

‘I suppose I shouldn’t be telling you this You arefor such wicked conversation’ Tess scooped up the kitten, as trying to eat silver paper, and tickled hi handful of fur ‘But I wish I could ry and hurting I wish I could give hiht settle down and find a wife and have children of his own’

Noel uous noise somewhere between a mew and a yowl Tess lifted him up so his pink nose was inches from hers and his eyes crossed as he looked at her ‘You think we need a fairy godmother? They are in short supply in London, I fear’

‘What is in short supply?’ Alex’s voice said from behind her

Chapter Twelve

Tess spun round on her knees and ended up on her botto had Alex been standing there, one shoulder against the door fra to her? ‘If you have been eavesdropping, then you’ll know’

‘I have just arrived, was about to knock and the door swung open onto you coes What do you need?’

Unless he was an actor good enough for Covent Garden Theatre then he had only heard those feords Tess offered up several prayers of thanks, one in Latin ‘Fairy godree’

‘Why do you need one of those?’ Alex pushed the door right open with his foot, but stayed where he was, pleasingly framed in the space ‘Just ask and I’ll sort out your Christmas wishes’