Neal opened the study door to find his knight-mistress seated behind her desk – wearing a low-cut pale creamy-golden dress.

"What?" Alanna asked as her squire stared.

"I-I-you…you're wearing a dress!"

"Well, it's what I put on this morning, so I'd be worried if I wasn't," she answered tartly.

"But-but you…"

"Have you got a problem with that, Nealan?"

"No, and I asked you not to call me that,mistress"

Alanna's eyes narrowed. "Sit."

Neal sat.

"It's time for you to start learning your healing. Today, you are going to learn about the human body."

Neal pointed to the paper in front of Alanna. "What's all that for then?"

"Diagrams."

He stared. "But I know what the human body looks like."

"Name and describe all the parts of the male anatomy, then."

"Excuse me?"

"The male anatomy, Neal. Today we are going to study the male and female anatomy."

"You mean girl parts?"

"Is that not what I said? A thorough knowledge of the parts of the human body is essential for healing, as you ought to know."

"But…perhaps it would be better if I were to talk this over with the Baron?"

"Is my husband a healer?"

"No."

"Is he your knight-master?"

"No."

"Is there any reason why you would be incapable of discussing this with me?"

"…"

"Neal?"

"…"

"Nealan!"

"No…"

"Then we're settled."

"But, um…mila-"

"Alanna."

Neal gulped. "Alanna. Do we have to draw diagrams?"

"No." Neal sighed in relief. "Since you're male, and I'm female, we can simply point out the parts we are referring to on ourselves, if you prefer. It will benefit your learning just as much as diagrams."

Neal looked horror-stricken. "Diagrams are fine," he croaked.

Alanna hid a grin and began to draw the male anatomy.

If Neal thought discussing the male anatomy was mortifying, it was nothing compared to when Alanna started on the female anatomy.

"Breasts," she announced, as Neal flushed scarlet. "First I will explain the details of breast-feeding."

Neal gaped. "There are actual details? I always thought it was just like milking a cow."

Alanna struggled to keep a straight face. "Excuse me?"

Neal paled as he realised what he had just said, and to whom. "Milady, I wasn't think-"

"It's Alanna," she replied curtly, as she fought to keep her voice even. "And I should hope that you weren't thinking if you say something like that. Now, after the birth, which I will explain later, the mother…"

As she continued to talk, Neal found it was getting harder and harder to keep from looking at inappropriate places. Stop it, he thought furiously as he felt his face flush. Concentrate on the diagrams. He forced himself to focus on the diagrams, but the more he tried to distract himself, the more he felt his eyes drawn to the area she was discussing. That dress really is low-cut…no, Neal, that's disgusting, he chided himself. Look up to her face and pay attention. He tore his eyes away, and looked up to her face – to find that she had stopped drawing her diagram, and was instead directing her violet gaze straight at him. Oh, no. No, no, no. Mithros, don't let her have noticed…does she know how disturbing those eyes are when she's staring?

Alanna leaned back in her chair. "George!" she called.

Neal's face turned white. Black God, I repent my sins-

George appeared in the doorway from his study next door. "Yes, lass?"

Alanna held out her hand. "Ten gold nobles."

What?

George echoed his thoughts. "What?"

"You know why."

George scowled. "He didn't."

Alanna raised an eyebrow, and George counted ten gold nobles into her hand, before turning to fix Neal with a warning glare. "Looks like I had far, far too much faith in you."

Neal flushed and scrambled out the door.

"Now look what you've done," scolded Alanna with a grin. "You've scared him away, and we haven't even finished the lesson yet."

"He should be scared, too," muttered George.

"Sore loser? I knew I would win - you men are all the same."

George scowled even more. "If he was respectable, he wouldn't have given me any reason at all to lose that bet."

"Since when are you respectable?" Alanna laughed.

George hadn't even heard her – he was gaping. "You're wearing a dress."

"I've already had that pointed out to me, thank you."

"You were encouraging him!"

"I can wear a dress if I want to."

"You provoked him into looking."

Alanna smirked. "You can't prove it."

"That's not fair. Look how much it shows!"

Alanna's smirk grew wider. "The terms of the bet didn't specify what I could or couldn't wear."

George gasped, like a Player acting mortally wounded. "You little tease," he scolded, with a twinkle in his hazel eyes. "It's just as well you never finished your lesson – I hate to think what you might have done."

"I could've done something like this." She slowly drew her skirts up above her knee and crossed her legs delicately.

"You are a tease."

"Or this." She kicked her shoes off slowly, and put her feet up on her desk, causing her skirts to fall back to her mid-thigh.

George responded by kissing her, then reaching around her to grasp the back of her chair. He carefully lowered it backwards until it reached the ground as he leaned over her. She kissed his forehead, and then wrapped her arms and legs around him.

"George, the door's wide open. Neal might gather enough courage to come back." She grinned up at him. "Although, with the look that was on your face, I don't think he'll be leaving his room until dinnertime."

George straightened and kissed her again, before flipping her around effortlessly so that he cradled her in his arms. "All the same, I think we should find somewhere…more appropriate." He carried her out the door, across the hallway, and up the stairs to their bedchamber, and then deposited her gently on the bed. "Now, where were we?"

Alanna grinned and began to unbutton his shirt. "We were just beginning to study the male and female anatomy."

George chuckled. "Sounds good to me, lass."