The Perfect Temptation by Leslie Lafoy

positive
first impressions?"
     
    "I do not like that
man."
     
    "He doesn't much care for
you either, Mohan," she countered.
     
    "And your decisions
and actions are the reason you've
    gotten off on the wrong foot with
each other. Therefore, it's
    your responsibility
to undo the damage you've caused."
     
    He barely shrugged one shoulder.
"I want him sent away."
     
    Alex clung to the shreds of her
patience. "In the first
    place, that simply isn't
possible. There's no one to replace
    him until your father's own
guards arrive. You have no
    choice but to make the best of
the present situation. Which, I
    must add, includes being polite,
hospitable, and finding
    something approximating a
friendly demeanor.
     
    "In the second place,"
she went on, ignoring his scowl and
    narrowing eyes. "Pushing
one's difficulties off to where they
    can't be seen, doesn't eliminate
them. They're still there, still
    requiring a solution or redress.
Having them at a distance
    only complicates the task of
making matters right. You have-however
    inadvertently-created a poor
impression of India
    in the mind of Mr. Terrell. If you don't correct it, don't
    demonstrate that you come from a
people of kindness and
    grace, he'll not only carry away
a wrong view of India, but
    will pass that view on to others,
compounding the misunderstanding.
     
    Surely, you don't want-"
     
    "I want to go home," he
interrupted. "Now. Today."
     
    Of course he did. What child
wouldn't want to be with
    his parents, his brothers and
sisters, his aunts, uncles, and
    cousins? "I can understand
that, Mohan," she offered sincerely.
     
    "I truly can. Hopefully soon
your-"
     
    "I command you to make the
necessary arrangements."
     
    "I will not," Alex
rejoined, her sympathy for him withering
    under the increasing heat of her
anger. Patience, she
    silently instructed herself. Patience.
     
    "England is full of dirty
people."
     
    She took a deep breath and
counted to five. "You've seen
    little of England outside of
London," she calmly reminded
    him. 'Therefore, your statement
is an opinion based on nothing
    more than ignorance. I'll further
point out that dirty people are found all over the world and that India too has
its
    allotted share."
     
    He snorted and tilted up his
nose. "I never saw any in
    India."
     
    'That," she snapped, her
toleration completely undone, "is
    because you lived in a royal
palace and dirty people weren't
    allowed in. Is there a specific
reason for your contrariness
    today, Mohan?"
     
    He sat up straight and lifted his
nose another degree.
     
    "I am a prince. I am not
required to explain or justify my
    actions."
     
    And she wasn't required to
restrain Aiden Terrell, either.
     
    At the moment his approach to
discipline had enormous appeal.
     
    'That sort of attitude is what
leads to palace coups,
    Mohan," she pointed out,
resolved to hold the higher ground.
     
    ''But since you're a considerable
number of years away from
    that reality, let me provide you
with a more immediate one.
     
    Your present behavior is
unacceptable, making you truly unpleasant
    to be around. That being
the case, you will take
    your midday meal in here, in solitude.
Further, you will remain
    in here until such time as you
think you're capable of
    conducting yourself in a civil
manner."
     
    With that pronouncement, Alex
turned and walked across
    the threshold. She was turning
back to pull the door closed
    when he made one of his own.
     
    "I will not eat."
     
    "Suit yourself," she
shot back, pausing with the doorknob
    in hand. "I'll remind you
that it takes twenty-one days to
    starve a child and suggest that
unless you plan to discover a
    font of self-control in the next
few minutes, you'll be wasting
    not only the food, but also the
infantile demonstration."
     
    "I hate you!" he
screamed as she confined him. ''I hate
    England! And the queen!"
     
    Alex rested her forehead against
the door frame and
    closed her eyes. He was only ten,
she reminded herself. He
    was far from