Author's note: All usual disclaimers apply.

This is a continuation of Alpenfest telling the tale of what happened back in her room. This chapter is relatively mild but the next ones earn their rating.

This scene was inspired by one reader's PM and I thought given Tommy's womanising reputation he might well have a few seductive techniques that might surprise. Oh, and multiple chapters you ask; it was a long night!


"Now I do intend to seduce you...Your Ladyship."

His words made her wonder if he had been listening to her secret thoughts the other evening. She blushed at the memory. Barbara had loved Tommy from afar for so long that now he was here with her it did not seem real. The last few days must be a dream that she was going to wake up from and be devastated to find she was alone in her flat. Worse still she would have to face him at work and he would be ignorant to what had happened in her mind. But she knew it was real. His nimble lips on her neck were not conjured from the recesses of her desires; she had not known a man could make her feel this way just by the lightest of kisses. Make the most of it while it lasts!

Tommy wanted tonight to be special. He did not want to race straight for the bed, he wanted to woo Barbara and pamper her so she knew she was truly his Countess. He stopped kissing her neck and hung his robe on the hook next to hers. He put the box down on the bed and lifted his jacket from her shoulders and hung it neatly in the wardrobe. He tugged at his bow tie and undid it leaving the ends hanging unevenly around his neck when he undid his top button. He removed his belt and twirled it neatly around the buckle and placed it on the table. He lit the fire, dialing the flame back to just a flickering glow then turned on one bedside light before extinguishing the main lights. "That's better," he said as he came back and embraced her. "Let's, oh... Hang on, I'll be back." Tommy was annoyed with himself and muttered about his forgetfulness as he unlocked the door.

Barbara was left staring after him wondering what was happening. She could hear his feet clumping down the stairs. A couple of minutes later she heard him bounding back. He reappeared with an ice bucket in his hand and a broad grin on his face. He locked the door and walked towards her.

"Sorry I almost forgot I put this in the refrigerator earlier," he said putting the silver bucket on the small table near the wall. He walked across and retrieved his box while Barbara eyed him curiously. He opened it and produced two flutes. "Champagne?"

Barbara smiled and nodded. "Why not?" Everything else today had been crazy. Champagne seemed almost mundane.

Tommy ripped off the foil and unwound the wire. With a practiced flourish he loosened the stopper then thumbed out the cork with a resounding pop. Barbara jumped and the cork disappeared over near the window. He quickly juggled the flutes to ensure not much overflowed. "We can't waste it."

Barbara looked at the bottle. She knew little about champagne but she did recognise the brand and knew it was expensive. "Not at the price this one costs!"

Tommy grinned and handed her a glass. "Nothing but the best for my fiancée. To a happy life together," he toasted as he clinked his glass against hers then sipped his champagne.

Barbara blushed. She had actually told him that she would marry him. Was I mad? She only hoped that back in England he would still want her. "To a happy life together," she said more with hope than belief.

Tommy took her hand and walked across to the window. They stood sipping the champagne and looking out at the few twinkling lights of the edge of the village. He put his arm around her shoulder and waited for Barbara to relax. He wanted this to be perfect and could tell that now the emotional high of their conversation on the mountain had begun to fade that she was becoming anxious. He wanted them to look back on tonight with wonderful memories. This was the beginning of their future and whilst he knew she loved him he also knew she had agreed to marry him a little too easily. She was going to have doubts about his feelings, and hers, and he would have to support her.

Tommy was right; Barbara was nervous and unsure what was going to happen. She had expected them to start ripping off each other's clothes as soon as they walked through the door but oddly she had lost that urgency and so it seemed had Tommy. If she had a choice she would prefer to just lie with him, to kiss him and to fall asleep in his arms. Sex seemed almost as if it would spoil the night. Tommy seemed at ease and unhurried but he had a quite a reputation so no doubt he had set seduction routine of which champagne was the probably the first stage. Her experience was limited to one drunken night fifteen years ago when the man whose name she could not even remember had painfully relieved her of the burden of her virginity and then spent the night spread-eagled on her bed snoring heavily. It had not been romantic or loving. It was just sex. She hoped that tonight would be very different and that Tommy would not be disappointed.

He emptied his glass and placed it on the wide rim of the bath tub and folded her into his arms. She tried to focus but the way Tommy was holding her was how she had always imagined it would feel and she became lost in the warmth. His hands moved slowly over her back in soothing circles and he had locked her head to his chest with his chin. It reminded her of that one special hug they had shared and made her feel loved and protected as it had then. This time though he was hers and had promised never to let go. She could hear the calm, regular beat of his heart. She wanted to stay like this forever.

"I love you Barbara."

"I love you too Tommy."

His answering kiss was far gentler than she expected. It ignited the desire in her and she pulled him closer and started to kiss him furiously. Tommy backed off. "Slow down," he said softly.

"Sorry. I'm not very experienced at this." She was confused. She thought he would like her to be keen.

He stroked her face. He understood her past and had anticipated her insecurities. "It not the destination, it's the journey that's the best part. On the mountain I just wanted to feel you close. I would not have been able to restrain myself but here I want to show you I adore you. I want us to take tonight slowly and savour every touch."

His words sent a pleasant shiver down her spine. She nodded as if she understood but she felt lost not knowing what to do. She wished she had imbibed more so she could stop thinking about it and just get on with it. He should issue instructions like he did at work. She did not know whether to wait or start taking off her clothes, or his. At least if she disagreed she could just argue with him and they would sort it out. Here she was trying to guess what to do. She grimaced at her ineptitude and at her feet which were painfully reminding her that she usually wore flats. She started to bend to remove her shoes. That could not hurt either way.

"Let me." Tommy dropped smoothly on one knee and took off one shoe then the other. He massaged each one briefly before lowering it to the floor. He ran his palms over her calves and stopped at her hemline. His fingers edged their way under her dress and lightly brushed the backs of her thighs.

The intimacy of his touch raised goosebumps across her skin. She moaned softly. He was good at this; very good. She pictured him running his hands up under her dress then pulling it over her head. Instead Tommy stood and kissed her. Again it was slow and loving without any attempt to escalate the passion. Tommy led her back towards the bed and Barbara's heart began to race. Her palms became sweaty and her desire stirred.

They sat on the bed and he passed her the box. Frowning she opened the bland cardboard to see another brightly coloured one. She lifted it out. "Chocolate Lover's Box."

"Look again."

"Oh, Lover's Chocolate Box." She raised her eyebrow at him.

Tommy lifted the lid to reveal a layer of silky chocolates. "Do you prefer milk or dark chocolate with your lover?" he asked in low, seductive tone.

"Do I have to choose?" she answered flirtatiously.

"No, you can have all my flavours." Tommy picked out a chocolate and fed it to her.

Barbara peeked at the second tier of the box and chuckled softly. "You are a dark horse Thomas Lynley! Do you do this with all your women?"

"No, never but I wanted you to show you that Tommy has a sense of fun even if Lord Asherton and DI Lynley can be stuffy ponces at times. I saw this in a window in town and thought it might, er, go well with this room."

"I knew there was a lighter side, it's just that you rarely relax enough to let it out." Barbara leant over and tousled his hair thinking it would cause him to run his hands through it in the other gesture that always made her heart race. He did and she grinned.

"I feel I've lived my life on the balcony Barbara, looking down at the dance floor and never being game to dance. Anytime I venture down it's an abject failure and I rush back to the safety of my cloistered world."

Barbara could not help but feel touched. She reached out and took his hand and he pulled her down into an embrace. They lay quietly with her head tucked onto his shoulder and his arms wrapped tightly around her. "I've watched you for years doing much the same thing but we can dance too Barbara. Together we don't have to watch life pass us by whether we stay on the balcony or venture onto the floor. "

Barbara understood perfectly. He was right; together they could could conquer anything. "Dance with me now Tommy."

Tommy was reluctant to move but Barbara had already pulled out of his arms. He stood and shucked off his shoes then extinguished the bedside light. "It's nicer with just the glow of the fire and the stars through those windows," he said pointing to the arched glass ceiling,

Barbra looked up. She had forgotten about the ceiling. "The stars are so much clearer here than in London."

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but ourselves."

"Shakespeare?"

"Yes, Julius Caesar. I think I expected the stars to do it for me but you have taught me that I need to manage my own fate."

"How?"

"Like I finally did tonight instead of waiting for the perfect time that might never come." He extended his hand and Barbara accepted it then slipped her other arm around his waist. They danced as they had at the wedding, more of a mutual swaying to a tune only they knew. He held her hand close to his chest and kissed her as they stood locked together. Tommy hummed a lovesong as she rested her cheek on his chest then he nuzzled her neck and shoulder as she sang softly to him.

"I want to make love to you slowly Barbara. I want to worship you and spoil you like no other lover ever has."

"Oh you will," she replied huskily, "you have a very low base to compete with."

Tommy laughed softly then kissed her again. "Then perhaps it is better to say I want to love like I've never loved another woman. I want to give you my heart and my body and my soul." As they kissed they ended up against the bed. Tommy pushed her down until they were lying on the bed. Unconsciously they entwined their bodies.