"Shite!" Ralph muttered under his breath as he lost his footing once more.

Scaling a building seemed so much more hard after two glasses of whiskey, he thought to himself as he made to climb again.

"Almost there," he said to himself, encouraged.

The window was slightly open and the blinds weren't drawn.

Once he reached the second floor, he peeped inside, holding onto the ledge tightly, secretly hoping that he'd caught Alice in the middle of her bath.

Sadly, she was on her bed. Fully dressed.

He made to jump in, but his right boot was slipping off. He bent down grumbling to himself as he corrected it.

And then he jumped in, only for Lady Alice Woodbury to put a dagger to his throat.

"I'm beginning to think you'd make a wonderful spy yourself, so quick on your feet," he said coolly.

Her stance immediately relaxed as she realised it was just him.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" she returned, her voice equally cool.

He turned to look at her as she made to lock the door. She was wearing her night gown. She hadn't wasted time donning a robe. Alice wasn't the sort to put modesty above her safety.

Sensible woman.

Her hair seemed damp as it hung about her fresh face. So she had taken a bath after all.

If only he'd arrived early.

"You don't look devastated or heartbroken. So sign of dried tears on your cheeks," he observed. And then he eyed the books by her bed.

She rolled her eyes before answering. "I'm no damsel in distress, Ralph. You said you didn't want to marry me, you hurt my pride. And I assure you, that was all that was hurt. It certainly didn't warrant your entry into my bed chamber in the middle of the night..." she was rambling. "You're a spy, alright. But you don't have prove it in such an irregular fashion."

"I know about Ralston," he interrupted.

For a second she seemed confused and then her face turned to stone.

She sighed then, signalling him to speak.

"So you're not going to deny it?" He asked, making himself comfortable on her bed.

He had to handle this very carefully, he realised. If he showed too much emotion, she'd lose it. And it was very important for him to know the extent of Ralston's damage.

"It's pointless. I'm not going to be all coy about it now," she said, coming to sit at the foot of the bed, eyeing him like a frightened bird.

"Do you still love him, Alice?" He asked casually, putting his hands behind his head.

"No," she chuckled, immediately reducing the tightness in his chest.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked, his voice low.

"Not physically, no. But I do bear the scars in ways I cannot express," she replied hoarsely. It seemed like her control was finally slipping.

"I understand," he murmured relieved, pulling her into his arms. Giving up on the pretence of being unaffected.

He rubbed her back as she simply rested her head on his chest.

"I don't know if I even loved him, Ralph. But I felt so cheated and betrayed. What did I do to deserve it?" she asked.

"Nothing, my sweet. You were but a victim of that vile pig," he said, not knowing how to console her.

She nodded, her head bobbed against his chest.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you, Alice."

"Oh! But you couldn't have known," she pulled back and looked at his face. Her eyes were glossy. He kissed them close. And then he proceeded to kiss her cheeks, her entire face.

"Is this why you didn't want to marry me? You think me fallen, do you not?"

"That's a ton of rot," he said harshly.

She blinked.

He caught her chin in his hand, making sure she couldn't look away from him.

"Listen to me, Alice. And listen well because I'm only going to say this once. You are not a fallen woman. And god forbid, even if you had been ruined, it wouldn't make a whit of difference to me. The way you've risen from this debacle only shows your strength...the way you've somehow managed to be whole, for yourself and for your family. I want to kill that scoundrel for making you think such things," he said angrily.

"I didn't want to marry you because of the people I associate with...I gamble with danger. I can't put you in peril," he added.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he put a finger to her lips, promptly shutting her up.

"I'm not done yet," he warned. She nodded.

"This was why I didn't want to marry you...was. I've changed my mind now. I've realised how idiotic it is to fight my fate. What is meant to happen, will happen, Alice. So I want to spend my days with you by my side, I want to cherish you, I want to protect you."

"Is that a proposal?" She blinked again.

"I knew I was marrying a woman of good sense," he kissed her lips. It lasted for all of a second because she began to squeal.

And then she stopped suddenly.

"I believe that was very undignified," she said demurely.

"And I believe that was a very enthusiastic yes," he grinned.

"Oh Ralph! I can't tell you how happy I am," she threw herself into his arms. And he caught her, gladly.

"May I kiss you?" He asked and Alice loved him all the more for it. He was nothing like Ralston. She smiled her acquiescence.

Ralph pulled her in for a kiss and before he knew it, they were both bare, lost in the sensation of each other.

And then it happened, the inevitable.

"That was splendid," Alice was grinning. She couldn't help it. She knew she was ruined and should've been embarrassed or guilty. But she felt none of those things.

"It was," Ralph murmured distractedly as he gazed at her. "I had been hoping to catch you in the middle of your bath," he admitted sheepishly.

"I'm sure that can be arranged on another occasion," she giggled.

"Vixen," Ralph groaned helplessly. She was going to be the death of him.

"Do you think a speedy wedding can be arranged?" He asked hopefully, tangling his fingers in her fiery mane.

"I suppose," she smiled.

"Good," he said with a kiss to her pert nose.

"I think I should leave now," he said after they spent a few minutes in companionable silence.

"Must you?" She looked at him with her doe eyes, melting his resolve.

"It's not like a want to, but we can't tempt fate. We've been lucky as it is...no one came banging at your door in spite of the inhuman sounds you made," he grinned.

"Inhuman?" She sputtered, sitting up.

He laughed at her disgruntled expression and a smile broke out on her beautiful face too, as if she couldn't help it.

He reluctantly got up to get dressed, missing her warmth instantly.

"When will I see you again?" she asked him as he hung from her window.

"Tomorrow. Well...er today? At a more respectable hour," he grinned.

"And use the front door this time. As much as I fancy you sneaking about like a dashing spy, I'd rather my groom have his neck intact till the wedding day," she said in that no nonsense tone of hers.

Ralph laughed before climbing down.

He looked up once his feet had hit the ground. His vixen was hanging out of her window. She probably couldn't see him clearly from beneath the cover of the trees.

He blew her a kiss before leaving. He'd never forget the sweet smile on her face as she blew him a kiss of her own.