.. when suddenly there was a knock at the door. She jumped up; guilty; and yet so disappointed that her fantasising thoughts had been so rudely interr...pted. She walked over to the door and opened it, to find him standing there, dressed only in a small pair of swimming trunks, his profile proud and confident, somehow at odds with the shyness he had demonstrated earlier, which had so drawn her to him……….'I couldn’t stop thinking about today, and by the looks of your flushed face, neither could. I know how importunate newly-married men can be. Takest what respite thou canst. I expect my husband back in another day or two. Anyway, thou hast not told me who was at thy wedding. Was it the Count of Descries himself? He came to mine." So he did to mine, with his wife, two of his sons, and an unmarried daughter. And the Count of Gitneau, with his son and his son's wife. The Duke's son was there as well. The Duke sent congratulations but was detained with business regarding raising the last. She’s too fucking smart for her own boots but I suggest we listen anyway.”Michele smiled and waved the three over to sit. Rod sat at the table and Knocker and Spike on the bunk.“Ok. I’ve considered your offer with some profundity. That means I though hard about it Spike,” Michele couldn’t help but bait her old boyfriend.“And here’s the problem. You lads are thinking way too modest and your business plan sucks. You are running an illegal open bar four nights a week, a gambling night twice a. But Ryan croaked, ?Three ? sir.? Still three to go? I almost groaned, all thoughts that I was voluntarily puttingmyself through this forgotten. I couldn't leave Ryan now. It was as thoughif I left, I'd be abandoning him to face it on his own. At least this way,I could share some of his pain. Even though he didn't know I was there. Mercifully, George made it quick. One crack created a diagonal slash fromthe top left to the lower right of Ryan's bottom. The next crack turned itinto a neat cross..