He knew how to push her buttons, to convince her of almost anything. This is foolish, she thought, a woman my age acting like a love sick schoolgirl. ...y God what was I thinking sending him a photo like that. He probably thinks I' m cheap now.Janice shook her head trying to clear away the jumble of questions. She new she was throwing her self at a man she never even meet face to face, but it had been so long since she was able to "connect" which anyone the way she did with her mystery man. What. By the ninth day she really, really, needed a bath.When they had come for her, whoever they were, she had been woken with a sword at her throat. There was no sign of Arron and she noticed his clothes and weapons had gone. She had sat up slowly then swung her legs round and stood up, remembering what the Princess had said to her only a few days previously, something about her body being more effective than a knife. They had made the mistake of gaping at her nakedness and had not been attentive. "He's a nice man, Kim." I know!" I said.Now we all laughed.I looked at them. "So why did he say he was talking to you?"My father answered. "He said he didn't want anybody, especially us, toget the wrong idea, him being a filthy rich ex-con and all. He wanted tomake sure that if you decided to, you know, be with him--" As a girl," I said, for emphasis, almost shocked myself to hear it outloud."Yeah, that too," dad said, also having some difficulty with the idea ofhaving a daughter now, not to. Turning the corner Laurel stopped seeing some fiddlers coming down the street, with a smile on her face she said hello saying she had heard about London's street musicians. One of the men leered at her "for the likes of you try Vauxhall, even if yea got a voice that squeaks like a mouse they would hire yea" Laurel with a frown not quite sure what the man was talking about said she wasn't looking for a job but just wanted to sing and play her lute. The man laughed "oh yea can sing can yea? Why.