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pleasure. I gasped as, not one but two climaxes, washed over me.
    Mark’s breathing became labored, and he squeezed his eyes shut and then cried out before a warmth spread throughout my pussy. He did not move, did not slide out of me, but rested against my body, his cheek next to mine. I even heard his heart beating. I wrapped my arms around him, hoping this moment would last forever, and that neither of us would ever have to move.
    However, he finally slid out of me and flopped over onto his back yet still close to my thigh. “Thank you,” he said.
    “No, thank you,” I said. “You brought my body lots of pleasure, and it was nice to feel it without the pressure of having to make a man feel good.”
    “You did make me feel good, both physically and mentally.”
    I shivered, suddenly cold now that our bodies were no longer intertwined. He obviously felt the chill too, because he pulled the bed sheet up over us.
    “Can I make you something hot to drink?” he asked.
    “I should be doing that for you.”
    “I am an expert tea maker.”
    “Then yes, I would like that.” He got up to leave the room. “Mark, if you would like, you can spend the night in my bed.”

Chapter Ten
     
    He made me toast as well as tea. Perfect, with lots of butter melting gently on the top. We ate, drank and leaned against the wall at the back of the bed.
    “Would you do me a favor tomorrow?” he asked.
    “What is that?” I pushed my shoulders down under the blanket for warmth.
    “Would you take a day off and not be with one single man?”
    Normally I would have said no, but my earnings had been high enough the last few weeks I could go just one day without money coming in.
    “Very well, but it can only be for one day, and I would like to buy my son some toys for Christmas.”
    I knew perhaps I should not have said it, because maybe it would make him think of the child he had lost.
    “Christmas is an odd thing,” he said. “It can be a joyous occasion and yet it can bring sorrow to those without money or a family.” He downed the last of the tea.
    “Then spend it with me and my son.”
    He shook his head. “I could not. Thank you, but no.”
    I hung my head, thinking for some stupid moment that he would be my knight in shining armor. Not only keeping me safe but whisking me off to a life I had only ever dreamed about.
    He put his tea cup down and then got under the covers with me.
    “You can have my body all night if you like. That was not just a one-time treat for you,” I said.
     
    * * * *
     
    This was what a normal life would be like? One I once had but had lost as easily as I had found it. I ran my hand over the tin toy solider, anticipating what my son’s face would look like when he opened the box on Christmas morning and saw this nestled inside. I glanced across the store at Mark, who looked at a jack-in-the-box, and I knew this was what my life could become. A family again. A man to keep me safe and warm at night. My little boy living with me every day. Him going on to do better things than I ever had.
    Mark looked my way and lifted the jack-in-the-box and nodded. I had done well these past six months, and could afford more than the paltry ball I had purchased Sam last Christmas.
    I walked over to Mark, toy soldier in my hand. “I think I will buy him this, the jack-in-the-box and a teddy bear. He has never had one of those. Every child needs one.”
    “He is going to be a very lucky lad come Christmas morning.”
     
    * * * *
     
    Mrs. Siebert waited for me when we returned home later that day. My clients were once hers until she slipped under the hooves and wheel of a hansom cab on Regents Street. Her spirit had mended, but never her body. She still dragged her leg and hid the scar on her face with a half veil.
    “How well you look, Emma,” she said, hugging me.
    “And you too.” She looked at Mark. “This is a detective who is keeping a close eye on me. You probably heard about Sir Michael?”
    “Yes, it