The Perfect Temptation by Leslie Lafoy

the line of
stalls, Aiden didn't look at
    the boy as he answered, "It would be
rather pointless to have
    carriage horses and no
carriage, wouldn't it?"
     
    ''Will it be an open one so that we can be admired when
    we drive about town?"
     
    A little less restraint than
before. Aiden chuckled, remembering
    how easy he'd been at that
age. ''If that's what
    you want. But do bear in mind
that, if that's
what you
    choose, it's going to be a
cold ride for the next few months."
     
    "I am to be
allowed to choose the carriage?'
     
    And the restraint was gone,
evaporated in the gleaming
    allure of whirring wheels and
adult power. ''With a bit of
    guidance," Aiden qualified.
     
    ''Miss Alex knows nothing of
carriages," Mohan offered,
    a decidedly wary note shading
the observation.
     
    Aiden opened the last window
on his side. ''Then it's a
    good thing that I do, isn't
it?"
     
    ''Does Miss Alex know this is what we are about?"
     
    And it was done. They were now
fellow conspirators,
    united against the
practicality and feminine fears of Alex Rad ford,
    Duchess and Mother Hen. He'd
have to make sure it
    didn't go too far, of course;
he was , the adult in this. But it was
    time for the boy to let loose
of the apron strings and, one way
    or another, Alex needed to let
him go. Aiden came out of the
    stall and leaned his shoulder
against the upper rail. "She has
    some idea. In a
general sense."
     
    ''Does she approve?" Mohan asked, climbing up to sit
on
    the railing on his side of the
stable.
     
    Aiden shrugged and smiled.
"She'll eventually come
    around to seeing things my
way."
     
    Mohan looked as if he
wanted to be optimistic. "Miss
    Alex can be somewhat stubborn,
you know."
     
    Somewhat? "I've noticed that."
     
    "My father says that
until she learns to be less stubborn
    she will not make a good
wife."
     
    "Then it's probably best
that she hasn't married," Aiden
    offered diplomatically.
     
    "My father says that she
would make a most acceptable
    mistress, though."
     
    Aiden chuckled. "I just
can't imagine her being interested
    in such an arrangement, can
you?"
     
    "My father is a
raja," the boy countered in all seriousness.
     
    "People must obey his
commands. Even Miss Alex. Even if
    she does not agree with
him."
     
    Mohan thought the raja could
command Alex Radford to
    be-his mistress? Obviously ~e boy had
no realistic idea of
    how those sorts of
relationships worked. A scrap of conversation
    fluttered from his memory and
he smiled. "So tell me;
    has he ever commanded her to
bow to him?"
     
    Mohan beamed. "He did
Mrs. Radford, Miss Alex's
    mother. She explained the
British customs and my father,
    being a wise and honorable
man, decreed a solution. Miss
    Alex continues with the
decision and lowers her chin to acknowledge
    my father's presence and
authority."
     
    "How very accommodating
of her," Aiden replied dryly,
    thinking that the raja, to his
credit, had emerged from the
    battle with as much of his dignity
as any man could have
    hoped to salvage.
     
    "There are some in the court who think Miss
Alex is disrespectful
    and resent her presence."
     
    Aiden's amusement ebbed away.
Mohan had offered the
    words blithely, but the look
in his eyes was wary and assessing.
     
    'Then I'll bet they were happy
to see her shipped
    to England for a while,"
he offered, testing the waters into
    which Mohan seemed to be
drawing them.
     
    ''They will oppose her return.
Strongly."
     
    "If you're trying to tell me something, Mohan, just
come
    right out and say it."
     
    It took him a moment to choose
his words. "Miss Alex
    fears that my father's enemies will come
here to harm me. I
    think my father's friends will also come to London
and that
    they will kill
Miss Alex."
     
    His stomach slowly knotting,
Aiden turned the information
    over in his mind. "Does
she know about these people?
     
    Does she suspect that their
opposition is that strong?"
     
    "If you have noticed that she is stubborn," Mohan
countered,
    hopping down off the