After arguing about who would sleep in the office Tewkey eventually gave in and followed Enola back into the small but fortunately carpeted room. This was exactly the sort of situation that propriety warned against. Hell, just being unchaperoned with his fiancée would no doubt be considered scandalous. While the less gentlemanly part of his brain yelled 'Propriety be damned', he had been raised a gentleman and had Enola not argued with him, he would have chosen a nice piece of cold cement outside the door to sleep.

But Enola seemed to win every argument with him, whether it was by logic or just by charm. So, Tewkey settled onto the floor in front of the door, hoping that the poorly disguised woman would choose a space across the room from him. But as the events of the night had evidenced, he was not as lucky as he once thought, and she instead slid down the wall to sit less than a yard from him.

He closed his eyes and fought the impulse to move closer. 'Propriety, chivalry, Uncle Wimbrel yelling at him, Mycroft with a rifle, social ruin, Enola not having a choice in marrying him…' He opened his eyes, now steeled (he thought) in his effort to move to the other side of the room.

"Enola! What are you doing?!" he shrieked as he saw her beside him, missing the vest and hat she had been wearing and undoing the top buttons of her shirt.

She shrugged as if nothing was the matter, "This shirt is very itchy," she continued with the buttons, "I'd rather have Julia put a book on my head and tell me to walk like a lady than sleep in it."

Tewkey knew from holding her waist as they kissed earlier that she wasn't wearing a corset. He turned away from her.

"Itchy or not," his anxiety played havoc on his voice, "It is highly inappropriate for you to take off your shirt in front of me."

"Because you would see my chest?" Enola asked frustratedly, "If that's the issue, I am still wearing a shift, see?"

Impulsively, and rather stupidly, he turned his eyes back to her. Enola's long hair was now falling across the neckline of a loose, white cotton dress with no sleeves and more ruffles than he thought to her taste. He let his eyes drift down the hem which revealed the end of a pair of equally loose white shorts, and navy stockings. He looked back up to her eyes which were studying his obviously shocked and blushing face.

"I don't know why you're so surprised," she remarked, "The ball gown your mother picked out for me showed more than this does."

He coughed remembering the beautiful cornflower blue dress she had worn that night. "That was not underwear, my love," he choked out as he turned his full body back to her, "And you didn't take off clothing in front of me."

"You are being overdramatic," she pointed out, "I am sure I would not be so silly over you taking off your shirt." An almost imperceptible smile appeared on her face. She was challenging him. And enjoying it.

Bravado, and the need to see if he could make Enola Holmes - Lady Detective, blush, took over his mind. Suddenly he was undoing the buttons on his vest before he could tell himself it was a bad idea.

"We'll see about that, then." He smirked back, as he removed the vest.

It occurred to him that Enola knew exactly what she was doing as her smile turned into a cute pout when he removed his shirt to reveal the customary wool undershirt. Knowing that her thoughts were just as wicked as his, did ungentlemanly things to him.

"Another shirt?" She asked, "You must boil in Summer."

"I do" Tewkey laughed, "Though, I have to say, well played."

Enola turned her head to the side, feigning confusion, "Whatever do you mean?"

"You challenged me so that I would take off my shirt without thinking." He accused teasingly.

She stubbornly insisted on making sure Tewkesbury knew she was doing nothing of the sort, "And why would I do that?"

He chuckled at her feigned innocence, "Because, Miss Enola Holmes, you wanted to see me without a shirt," he explained, "And I assume you felt too awkward to ask."

Now she blushed, evidently embarrassed by her attempt to manipulate him.

"Am I correct?" Tewkey asked, trying to turn down the cockiness in his voice. He very much enjoyed having the upper hand, but he didn't want to embarrass her further.

Enola looked like she was going to deny it again and then decided against it, "I suppose that makes me very unladylike," she admitted, "I should apologise..."

He cut her off. "Don't be sorry," he explained, "You acting boldly has never failed to put my head in a spin."

"I always act boldly," She argued, "If I did otherwise, I would be an awful detective."

"Tewkey laughed and nodded, "And thus my head is always spinning."

Enola's blush had finally faded, and she laughed along with him.

"So, is it still your intention to see me without a shirt?" He asked, this time mostly out of allowing her curiosity instead of wanting to see her blush. Mostly.

The logical gentlemanly part of him still hoped she would say no, knowing that if she said yes, wasn't in the right mind to deny her.

"I suppose it is," she admitted quietly, looking deep into his dark eyes, "If that is tolerable.

He stared back into Enola's eyes, mesmerised by the size of her pupils. 'Not unlike the effects of belladonna, fascinating', his inner botanist interrupted.

"Definitely tolerable." He smiled, pulling the braces off his shoulders.

Tewkey watched for any sign of discomfort in his fiancée as he tugged the bottom of his undershirt free of the waistband of his trousers. He saw none and thus continued, smirking as he slowly pulled the shirt up and over his head. Enola's eyes were scanning over his pale skin.

"Am I pretty?" Tewkey teased, enjoying the attention.

He expected Enola to call him a nincompoop, but she surprised him by curiously running her delicate fingers across his chest. She was indeed blushing, all the way down to the neckline of her shift.

Knowing that he had made her blush, sent sparks of power and desire around Tewkey's brain, and he could no longer hold back the need to touch her.

"What are you doing?" she gasped as he pulled her closer to him.

Tewkey answered her by grasping around her soft waist and pressing a lurid kiss to her lips, which she returned. The tension which had been building between them exploded into their most wanton encounter yet. Enola lifted herself onto his lap. The feeling of his bare chest against her barely covered chest took his breath away.

As he panted against her mouth, he wondered if she understood the situation their amorousness had caused. She was a lady and an innocent, but she was also incredibly intelligent and observant. The thought made him blush more.

"Yeah, you're pretty." Enola smiled in answer to his previous question.