As soon as she heard his voice, she felt herself freeze. Her hands didn't tremble the way they had before, which was surely a good thing. At least, they didn't tremble until he touched her cheek and lifted her chin. Somehow, his fingers left a heat on her skin. Not the uncomfortable heat that his mother had left in her wake. No, indeed it was a pleasant kind of warmth that she knew with a sinking feeling she was going to be thinking about for days to come. Why couldn't she find the will to ask him not to touch her?<br/><br/>Tilda opened her mouth to admonish him. She had every intention on telling him that things were not as he thought and that he was best simply to heed his mother and leave her alone. But there was some note of gentleness in his voice that some inner, oft neglected part of herself strived to answer. It was apparent from the heat of her face that her blush had only grown more furiously, but she did not lower her eyes. In front of Raqiza she might have played the obedient servant, but to Auguste she could only be herself. Unfortunately, that had always been the nature of their relationship.<br/><br/>"It's been years since we considered ourselves  friends, Auguste." She whispered his name, almost reverently, as she pressed her lips into a very thin line-pondering how she could explain the situation to him. "When I was a child, your mother was kind to me, because I was a child. And children aren't dangerous. So yes, we were friends once. We played together often. But you grew and I grew and it came to be that we could no longer be friends without risking any number of salacious rumors. And so I went to work in your kitchens and you lived, and still live, the life of Vasille's most important son and most eligible noble bachelor."<br/><br/><br/>The words seemed to come out in a rush. They were a poor explanation, with the vast majority of the important details left out. Yet, she wouldn't risk saying more. Even though the uncertainty in his eyes caused her stomach to lurch. This would never do. Lowering her eyes, she once again assumed her rightful place before him. "My Lord, I apologize. My words were very forward and I am ashamed of my lack of propriety. You and I cannot be friends. The laws forbid it. As they forbid you from touching me, in any way."