p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; text-align: center;"span style="text-decoration: underline;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Chapter 10/span/span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Once inside his house Baldwin guided Alice to a chair in the parlor. She sat patiently as he observed her. Baldwin could see that she was severely underfed and malnourished, only skin and bones underneath her clothes. Although she was not as dirty as earlier she was not completely clean either, at least not to Baldwin's standards. Despite this he could see that she was beautiful. As he had noticed before, her eyes were a startling deep blue, freckles danced across her nose and along her cheeks, and she had one of the loveliest of smiles. She spoke suddenly, "Sir, what are your wishes for the night? What desires do you wish for me to fulfill?" Baldwin turned to gaze out the window to think. He had just wanted to get her away from that tavern and away from that terrible man but now that he had her here he was not sure what to do next. Her scent was intoxicating and the blood running through her veins sang to him. He could have his way with her, it's what she is expecting to happen. Looking at her sitting in that chair he decided he could not take advantage of her in her current state. "Let me bathe you first," Baldwin said, striding to the door to give an order for the bathtub to be filled. " A bath, sir? Alice asked hesitantly. "Yes," Baldwin answered gently, "I would like to have you cleaned first, and then maybe fed afterwards." "That is not…" Alice started to protest but Baldwin interrupted, "Are you really going to tell me no to a bath and a meal?" "No of course not, sir. As you command, sir." Alice replied with a subservient bow to her head. Baldwin felt a pang in his heart for her at that moment and felt guilty for playing on her obvious need to please him. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A servant appeared at the door to indicate the bath was ready. "Come along my dear," Baldwin said as he guided Alice up the staircase and down a hallway. He opened the third door down to reveal a room with a large tub, a chair, and a small table with soap and towels. After dismissing the servants and closing the door behind them Baldwin gestured for Alice to approach him. He knelt down and removed her shoes. He then removed her cap from her head before letting her golden blonde hair down. He then went to work to undress her and was relieved she was not wearing as many layers as would be considered proper. When he removed her shift he was shocked to find injuries to her back. There were fresh deep gashes still healing and would eventually turn into scars but underneath these Baldwin could see older scars from similar wounds. "Who did this to you?" Baldwin asked gently touching his fingertips along her back. After a moment, "my father," Alice answered quietly, "but please do not get angry, he only gets angry when he has been drinking." She turned around to face Baldwin with a worried look on her face. Baldwin, ignoring the burning need to protect her from anyone who would dare harm her, merely nodded and helped her into the tub. He sat down in the chair next to the tub and grabbed the soap. He started with her hair gently messaging the soap into the fine blond strands and into her scalp. "How often does your father drink?" Baldwin asked her. "He spends all day drinking in a tavern most days now. Sometimes he does not come home," she answered. "When he is home he can be in a mood and have quite a temper as you can see ," she continued. "What about your mother? Baldwin asked as he rinsed the soap out of her hair. "My mother became ill and died when I was eleven." "I'm sorry," Baldwin gently stroked her cheek as a hint of sadness crept into her face. She grabbed his hand with hers and leaned her cheek into his palm, seeming to take comfort in his touch. Without thinking about it Baldwin tipped her face up towards him and gently kissed her on the lips. Her lips felt so soft against his and she tasted so sweet that he wanted to keep kissing her but restrained himself to just that one kiss. When he pulled back he thought he saw disappointment quickly flash in her eyes but it disappeared so fast he was not sure. He cleared his throat and continued to wash her body starting at her shoulders. When he got to her back he took care to thoroughly clean her wounds. Once every inch of her had been scrubbed to his satisfaction he then helped her out of the tub and gently dried her off. Baldwin then dressed her in a clean nightgown from one of the servants. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Are you ready to eat?" he asked her, offering his arm. She nodded as she took his arm and let him guide her to his bedroom where on a small table a plate of food sat ready for her. Alice's eyes became as round as saucers at the sight of the plate filled with potatoes and pieces of roast. "For me?" Alice asked in shock looking back and forth between Baldwin and the food. "Of course," said Baldwin pulling the chair out for her and gesturing for her to sit down. Alice sat down and with a fork stabbed a piece of potato. Baldwin watched as she slowly put the potato in her mouth. Alice closed her eyes as she slowly chewed the food, savoring the flavor as if it was the last bite of food she was going to get to eat. She then scarfed down the next two bites like a starving dog. She paused, seeming to remember where she was looked at Baldwin guiltily. "I'm sorry, sir," she said looking down at the floor. "Nothing to be sorry about. I'm glad you are enjoying the food." He poured himself a glass of wine and sat across from her. Alice looked up at him, "Are you going to eat anything?" she asked. Baldwin shook his head, "I've already eaten," he lied while taking a sip of wine. "Please continue eating," he said gesturing to her plate. Alice did as she was told and continued to eat as Baldwin drank his wine and watched her. She had eaten about half of the food on the plate when she put the fork down. "I'm finished, sir." "Are you sure? There's still food left on your plate." She nodded. Baldwin picked up the plate and handed it to a servant who had been waiting outside the door. When he turned around Alice was now standing, patiently waiting for Baldwin to say what he wanted next. Baldwin slowly approached her getting lost in the blue eyes that watched him as he walked across the room. When he was in front of her he gently ran his hand down the side of her face. She closed her eyes enjoying the feel of his fingers against her skin. She felt him remove his hand and reopened her eyes. She started to untie the nightgown, but Bladwin stilled her hands with his own. "Not tonight," he said. She looked at him in confusion. "Let us just lay together on the bed." Completely confused she let Baldwin take her to the large bed on the other side of the room. "Why are you being so kind to me sir?" she finally found the courage to ask him. "Why should I not be?" Baldwin asked in return. "I am just a poor girl, sir. Not worthy of such kindness and generosity." "Not worthy?" Baldwin said turning back to her, "I disagree." In one smooth motion he picked Alice up by her waist and plopped her on the bed eliciting a smile and a small giggle from her. "That's better," he said smiling down at her. Upon seeing his smile her smile grew bigger. She sat up, "May I ask something of you, sir?" she asked shyly. Baldwin detected her heart rate slightly speed up, curious he asked, "What do you want to ask?" She looked at him straight in the eye as if trying to gage how he would react. "Well…would you kiss me again?" Baldwin tilted his head as he contemplated her request. It had caught him off guard, /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You enjoyed that earlier, did you?" he asked. She nodded her head in response. He held her face in his hand, leaned down and kissed her. The kiss was suppose to be a quick chaste kiss until he felt her kiss him back then he deepened the kiss. He stopped suddenly as he felt himself slowly get lost in the way she tasted, in the way she smelled so delicious, and in the flutter of her heartbeat. He did not pull away immediately but leaned his forehead against hers. He took a deep breath of her scent. Rain was definitely the dominant characteristic but it was also coupled with a bouquet of flowers such as lavender, rosemary, rose and some others he could not quite place. He smiled to himself at how different it was from his own scent but also at how nicely their scent complimented each other. As he stepped back from her, he could see need and disappointment clearly shining in her eyes. He walked around to the other side of the bed and layed down. He patted the space next to him for her to join him. Alice slowly slid away from the edge and layed down on her side facing him. She stretched her hand out and placed it flat on the bed in between them. Understanding the gesture Baldwin placed his own hand on top of hers. Alice smiled as it was so calming to feel the weight of his hand on hers. She could have laid there staring at this kind, handsome gentleman all night but the need for sleep started to win out as her eyelids started to droop. Soon Alice was fast asleep. Baldwin stayed laying on the bed watching her sleep. He enjoyed listening to the calm rhythm of her heart and that of her breath as she breathed in and out. Alice looked so peaceful and innocent in her sleep but Baldwin was starting to understand that she had endured and survived a lot in her short life span. After a while Baldwin got up from the bed. He grabbed a blanket from the end and covered Alice with it. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. He would have loved to keep laying on the bed with her as she slept but there were many things he needed to take care of if she was to live in the house with him. There was no way imaginable that Baldwin could let her just go back to her own life. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The next morning Alice woke up to find the other side of the bed empty but that someone during the night had covered her with a blanket. She ran her hand across the blanket and the sheets enjoying how luxurious they felt against her skin. The smell of fire and leather suddenly hit her nose and Alice found herself drawn to it. She buried her nose into the pillow next to hers where the smell was the strongest and breathed in as much as she could. That's when she remembered the gentleman who brought her here. He had been so kind and she didn't even know his name. She sat up to see if he was maybe sitting at the table but to her disappointment found that she was completely alone in the room. She layed back down upon the pillows reflecting back on the night before. The gentleman had been so peculiar last night. She had sensed that he had wanted her but for some unknown reason he had left her untouched except for when he had kissed her. Alice ran her fingers across her lips at thinking about those kisses. She had never so enjoyed being kissed before in her life. There had been a few clients who had been enjoyable to be with but they paled in comparison to this gentleman. She sat up a second time and looked about the room. Although simple everything from the bed to the fireplace felt expensive and luxurious. She then noticed clean clothes had been laid out for her on a chair. She got out of bed to get dressed for the day. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As Alice finished dressing the door opened up and Baldwin walked in with a tray filled with a pot of tea, a tea cup, and a plate of food. The smell of the food made Alice's mouth water. She could not remember the last time she had eaten so well. "Good Morning, Alice," Baldwin said as he put the tray down on the table. "Good morning, sir." Alice said with a small curtsey. "There is no need to be so formal, my dear, " Baldwin said. "So you do not want me to curtsey, sir?" Alice asked looking at Baldwin with confusion. Baldwin slowly approached her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It is not necessary" he said softly, "Also I would like it if you called me Baldwin instead of sir." "Baldwin," Alice tested the name. He kissed her on top of the head and then guided her to sit at the table. "Eat some breakfast," he said as he placed the plate of eggs and bread in front of her. Baldwin then continued to pour her a cup of tea. Once he was satisfied that Alice was enjoying her breakfast Baldwin sat down across from her. "Alice?" Baldwin started, "Would you be interested in living here?" Alice, who was in the middle of sipping her tea, spit out some of the tea that was in her mouth and almost choked on the rest. Baldwin handed her a handkerchief, "Are you ok?" he asked. Alice nodded as she cleaned up the tea, "Live here? In this house?" she asked. "Yes," Baldwin confirmed, "I want you to live here with me. I cannot bear to think of you going back to that tavern." He reached across the table and wrapped her hand in his. She looked up into his golden brown eyes. She could not quite interpret the emotions swirling around in his eyes but she felt that he was sincere and that she could trust him. "What about my family?" Alice finally asked him, "They depend on me for so much." "Would you like for them to join you here?" Baldwin offered. Alice shook her head, "No, it probably sounds selfish but you would not want them here. If I am here will you promise me that you will make sure that they are doing ok and have food to eat." "I promise," Baldwin said giving her hand a squeeze. He noticed that something else was worrying her, "What else is on your mind?" he asked. Alice debated whether to ask one more favor of Baldwin or if it was too much as he had been so generous already and there had to be a limit to his generosity. " If it is not too much to ask….my father's drinking debts. I would normally pay them with the money I earned. I'm not really sure how something like this works…" "I will take care of them." Baldwin interrupted her. Alice watched him with shock and wonder as he stood up from the table. "Finish your breakfast and then meet me downstairs. If you are to live here, our first priority should be to obtain a new wardrobe for you," he said giving her a smile as he left the room. Alice pinched herself several times to make sure she was not dreaming. How was she so lucky to have obtained a wealthy benefactor, Alice had heard of it happening to some women but never thought she would be one of them. She just laughed, it was too much to take in. He had entered her life like a knight in shining armor. It was just yesterday she had bumped into him and now he was saving her from the dungeons of the east slums. Alice was too excited about the day ahead to finish her breakfast. She got up and made sure she looked presentable for going out as best as she could before joining Baldwin downstairs. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; text-indent: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"Once inside his house Baldwin guided Alice to a chair in the parlor. She sat patiently as he observed her. Baldwin could see that she was severely underfed and malnourished, only skin and bones underneath her clothes. Although she was not as dirty as earlier she was not completely clean either, at least not to Baldwin's standards. Despite this he could see that she was beautiful. As he had noticed before, her eyes were a startling deep blue, freckles danced across her nose and along her cheeks, and she had one of the loveliest of smiles. She spoke suddenly, "Sir, what are your wishes for the night? What desires do you wish for me to fulfill?" Baldwin turned to gaze out the window to think. He had just wanted to get her away from that tavern and away from that terrible man but now that he had her here he was not sure what to do next. Her scent was intoxicating and the blood running through her veins sang to him. He could have his way with her, it's what she is expecting to happen. Looking at her sitting in that chair he decided he could not take advantage of her in her current state. "Let me bathe you first," Baldwin said, striding to the door to give an order for the bathtub to be filled. " A bath, sir? Alice asked hesitantly. "Yes," Baldwin answered gently, "I would like to have you cleaned first, and then maybe fed afterwards." "That is not…" Alice started to protest but Baldwin interrupted, "Are you really going to tell me no to a bath and a meal?" "No of course not, sir. As you command, sir." Alice replied with a subservient bow to her head. Baldwin felt a pang in his heart for her at that moment and felt guilty for playing on her obvious need to please him. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"A servant appeared at the door to indicate the bath was ready. "Come along my dear," Baldwin said as he guided Alice up the staircase and down a hallway. He opened the third door down to reveal a room with a large tub, a chair, and a small table with soap and towels. After dismissing the servants and closing the door behind them Baldwin gestured for Alice to approach him. He knelt down and removed her shoes. He then removed her cap from her head before letting her golden blonde hair down. He then went to work to undress her and was relieved she was not wearing as many layers as would be considered proper. When he removed her shift he was shocked to find injuries to her back. There were fresh deep gashes still healing and would eventually turn into scars but underneath these Baldwin could see older scars from similar wounds. "Who did this to you?" Baldwin asked gently touching his fingertips along her back. After a moment, "my father," Alice answered quietly, "but please do not get angry, he only gets angry when he has been drinking." She turned around to face Baldwin with a worried look on her face. Baldwin, ignoring the burning need to protect her from anyone who would dare harm her, merely nodded and helped her into the tub. He sat down in the chair next to the tub and grabbed the soap. He started with her hair gently messaging the soap into the fine blond strands and into her scalp. "How often does your father drink?" Baldwin asked her. "He spends all day drinking in a tavern most days now. Sometimes he does not come home," she answered. "When he is home he can be in a mood and have quite a temper as you can see ," she continued. "What about your mother? Baldwin asked as he rinsed the soap out of her hair. "My mother became ill and died when I was eleven." "I'm sorry," Baldwin gently stroked her cheek as a hint of sadness crept into her face. She grabbed his hand with hers and leaned her cheek into his palm, seeming to take comfort in his touch. Without thinking about it Baldwin tipped her face up towards him and gently kissed her on the lips. Her lips felt so soft against his and she tasted so sweet that he wanted to keep kissing her but restrained himself to just that one kiss. When he pulled back he thought he saw disappointment quickly flash in her eyes but it disappeared so fast he was not sure. He cleared his throat and continued to wash her body starting at her shoulders. When he got to her back he took care to thoroughly clean her wounds. Once every inch of her had been scrubbed to his satisfaction he then helped her out of the tub and gently dried her off. Baldwin then dressed her in a clean nightgown from one of the servants. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""Are you ready to eat?" he asked her, offering his arm. She nodded as she took his arm and let him guide her to his bedroom where on a small table a plate of food sat ready for her. Alice's eyes became as round as saucers at the sight of the plate filled with potatoes and pieces of roast. "For me?" Alice asked in shock looking back and forth between Baldwin and the food. "Of course," said Baldwin pulling the chair out for her and gesturing for her to sit down. Alice sat down and with a fork stabbed a piece of potato. Baldwin watched as she slowly put the potato in her mouth. Alice closed her eyes as she slowly chewed the food, savoring the flavor as if it was the last bite of food she was going to get to eat. She then scarfed down the next two bites like a starving dog. She paused, seeming to remember where she was looked at Baldwin guiltily. "I'm sorry, sir," she said looking down at the floor. "Nothing to be sorry about. I'm glad you are enjoying the food." He poured himself a glass of wine and sat across from her. Alice looked up at him, "Are you going to eat anything?" she asked. Baldwin shook his head, "I've already eaten," he lied while taking a sip of wine. "Please continue eating," he said gesturing to her plate. Alice did as she was told and continued to eat as Baldwin drank his wine and watched her. She had eaten about half of the food on the plate when she put the fork down. "I'm finished, sir." "Are you sure? There's still food left on your plate." She nodded. Baldwin picked up the plate and handed it to a servant who had been waiting outside the door. When he turned around Alice was now standing, patiently waiting for Baldwin to say what he wanted next. Baldwin slowly approached her getting lost in the blue eyes that watched him as he walked across the room. When he was in front of her he gently ran his hand down the side of her face. She closed her eyes enjoying the feel of his fingers against her skin. She felt him remove his hand and reopened her eyes. She started to untie the nightgown, but Bladwin stilled her hands with his own. "Not tonight," he said. She looked at him in confusion. "Let us just lay together on the bed." Completely confused she let Baldwin take her to the large bed on the other side of the room. "Why are you being so kind to me sir?" she finally found the courage to ask him. "Why should I not be?" Baldwin asked in return. "I am just a poor girl, sir. Not worthy of such kindness and generosity." "Not worthy?" Baldwin said turning back to her, "I disagree." In one smooth motion he picked Alice up by her waist and plopped her on the bed eliciting a smile and a small giggle from her. "That's better," he said smiling down at her. Upon seeing his smile her smile grew bigger. She sat up, "May I ask something of you, sir?" she asked shyly. Baldwin detected her heart rate slightly speed up, curious he asked, "What do you want to ask?" She looked at him straight in the eye as if trying to gage how he would react. "Well…would you kiss me again?" Baldwin tilted his head as he contemplated her request. It had caught him off guard, /spanspan style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;""You enjoyed that earlier, did you?" he asked. She nodded her head in response. He held her face in his hand, leaned down and kissed her. The kiss was suppose to be a quick chaste kiss until he felt her kiss him back then he deepened the kiss. He stopped suddenly as he felt himself slowly get lost in the way she tasted, in the way she smelled so delicious, and in the flutter of her heartbeat. He did not pull away immediately but leaned his forehead against hers. He took a deep breath of her scent. Rain was definitely the dominant characteristic but it was also coupled with a bouquet of flowers such as lavender, rosemary, rose and some others he could not quite place. He smiled to himself at how different it was from his own scent but also at how nicely their scent complimented each other. As he stepped back from her, he could see need and disappointment clearly shining in her eyes. He walked around to the other side of the bed and layed down. He patted the space next to him for her to join him. Alice slowly slid away from the edge and layed down on her side facing him. She stretched her hand out and placed it flat on the bed in between them. Understanding the gesture Baldwin placed his own hand on top of hers. Alice smiled as it was so calming to feel the weight of his hand on hers. She could have laid there staring at this kind, handsome gentleman all night but the need for sleep started to win out as her eyelids started to droop. Soon Alice was fast asleep. Baldwin stayed laying on the bed watching her sleep. He enjoyed listening to the calm rhythm of her heart and that of her breath as she breathed in and out. Alice looked so peaceful and innocent in her sleep but Baldwin was starting to understand that she had endured and survived a lot in her short life span. After a while Baldwin got up from the bed. He grabbed a blanket from the end and covered Alice with it. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before leaving the room. He would have loved to keep laying on the bed with her as she slept but there were many things he needed to take care of if she was to live in the house with him. There was no way imaginable that Baldwin could let her just go back to her own life. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"The next morning Alice woke up to find the other side of the bed empty but that someone during the night had covered her with a blanket. She ran her hand across the blanket and the sheets enjoying how luxurious they felt against her skin. The smell of fire and leather suddenly hit her nose and Alice found herself drawn to it. She buried her nose into the pillow next to hers where the smell was the strongest and breathed in as much as she could. That's when she remembered the gentleman who brought her here. He had been so kind and she didn't even know his name. She sat up to see if he was maybe sitting at the table but to her disappointment found that she was completely alone in the room. She layed back down upon the pillows reflecting back on the night before. The gentleman had been so peculiar last night. She had sensed that he had wanted her but for some unknown reason he had left her untouched except for when he had kissed her. Alice ran her fingers across her lips at thinking about those kisses. She had never so enjoyed being kissed before in her life. There had been a few clients who had been enjoyable to be with but they paled in comparison to this gentleman. She sat up a second time and looked about the room. Although simple everything from the bed to the fireplace felt expensive and luxurious. She then noticed clean clothes had been laid out for her on a chair. She got out of bed to get dressed for the day. /span/p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" /p
p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"As Alice finished dressing the door opened up and Baldwin walked in with a tray filled with a pot of tea, a tea cup, and a plate of food. The smell of the food made Alice's mouth water. She could not remember the last time she had eaten so well. "Good Morning, Alice," Baldwin said as he put the tray down on the table. "Good morning, sir." Alice said with a small curtsey. "There is no need to be so formal, my dear, " Baldwin said. "So you do not want me to curtsey, sir?" Alice asked looking at Baldwin with confusion. Baldwin slowly approached her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "It is not necessary" he said softly, "Also I would like it if you called me Baldwin instead of sir." "Baldwin," Alice tested the name. He kissed her on top of the head and then guided her to sit at the table. "Eat some breakfast," he said as he placed the plate of eggs and bread in front of her. Baldwin then continued to pour her a cup of tea. Once he was satisfied that Alice was enjoying her breakfast Baldwin sat down across from her. "Alice?" Baldwin started, "Would you be interested in living here?" Alice, who was in the middle of sipping her tea, spit out some of the tea that was in her mouth and almost choked on the rest. Baldwin handed her a handkerchief, "Are you ok?" he asked. Alice nodded as she cleaned up the tea, "Live here? In this house?" she asked. "Yes," Baldwin confirmed, "I want you to live here with me. I cannot bear to think of you going back to that tavern." He reached across the table and wrapped her hand in his. She looked up into his golden brown eyes. She could not quite interpret the emotions swirling around in his eyes but she felt that he was sincere and that she could trust him. "What about my family?" Alice finally asked him, "They depend on me for so much." "Would you like for them to join you here?" Baldwin offered. Alice shook her head, "No, it probably sounds selfish but you would not want them here. If I am here will you promise me that you will make sure that they are doing ok and have food to eat." "I promise," Baldwin said giving her hand a squeeze. He noticed that something else was worrying her, "What else is on your mind?" he asked. Alice debated whether to ask one more favor of Baldwin or if it was too much as he had been so generous already and there had to be a limit to his generosity. " If it is not too much to ask….my father's drinking debts. I would normally pay them with the money I earned. I'm not really sure how something like this works…" "I will take care of them." Baldwin interrupted her. Alice watched him with shock and wonder as he stood up from the table. "Finish your breakfast and then meet me downstairs. If you are to live here, our first priority should be to obtain a new wardrobe for you," he said giving her a smile as he left the room. Alice pinched herself several times to make sure she was not dreaming. How was she so lucky to have obtained a wealthy benefactor, Alice had heard of it happening to some women but never thought she would be one of them. She just laughed, it was too much to take in. He had entered her life like a knight in shining armor. It was just yesterday she had bumped into him and now he was saving her from the dungeons of the east slums. Alice was too excited about the day ahead to finish her breakfast. She got up and made sure she looked presentable for going out as best as she could before joining Baldwin downstairs. /span/p