.. then it’s the staircase to the tower. The tower room is isolated from intruders. Central Michigan is a mixed population. People from all over Eur...pe settled there.Pewamo, and Westphalia, towns south and west of my hometown, are largely German and the rural Germans have a tradition, Brautentführung or kidnapping of the bride. Close friends will at some point “kidnap” the bride after the ceremony, dragging her from bar to bar while the groom tries to find them. The kidnappers might just also. She nods and gets up off me. When I get up, I take her hand, and lead her to my bedroom, opening the door, and allow her to enter first. I watch her in appreciation as she passes over the threshold to my boudoir, she has never looked so beautiful. I enter following her and close the door. There it's a dim light from the lamp on my night stand.She turns and places her hands around my face and draws me near. Our lips touch, and my knees begin to buckle. Taking my hand, she sits me down on my bed,. "Sorry I wanted to make sure there wasn't a boyfriend in the picture. Nosense causing a fight when it isn't necessary. I'm Ambrose by the way." Shelly." With that sort of smooth recovery Ambrose was able to launchinto what was a fairl typical conversation. It was nothing stellar, hecertainly didn't feel like he was winning much in the way of points withher, that was right up until she cut him off in mid-sentence. "Listen,why don't we just cut the bullshit and go upstairs. It is pretty. Think on it. You have until we face Count Tellan to ask me for my help. And until I hear a flat 'no' from you, I'm going to be hanging around, hoping for the best. You could, for instance, say it right this instant."Tanda shook her head. "You are right, I have to think."Tuck nodded, his face bland. "We have a saying where I come from," he switched to English. "Keep your friends close and your enemies, closer." He smiled at her. "That more or less means 'Think first if you can.'"It meant in.