((That's perfectly understandable. The timing made me wonder if I'd gone too far by having him strip her naked like that. Glad to learn that's not too far. Anyway, hope things go better with the kids.))<br/><br/>"Never? A woman of your beauty has never been with a man?" Lord Vance wasn't sure if he should believe what she said, laugh at this strange truth, or be all the more excited at the prospect that he might be the one to take her virginity. Deep down, in that moment, he wanted to scoop her up in his arms again, take her to his bed, and forcefully take her womanhood, but he still had some small grasp of the soul he'd once had. He was a monster, but not a demon.<br/><br/>"And you shall only be with a man when you choose," he said. "I swear that I shall never take your body against your will, but if you freely give it to me I will be pleased, and I reward those who please me."<br/><br/>Lord Vance ushered her inside, closing the tower's door. From within his coat he produced a match, and with it he lit the candles on the bedside table and windowsill. It was now that Evie could see that this room was a bedroom, set aside in the tallest tower. "This will be your room, until such time that you choose to share mine. Understand, you can share my room without joining me in my bed, and you can join me in my bed without letting me take your virginity. These luxuries I grant to you because you did not fight me."<br/><br/>Lord Vance glided across the room and ran his fingers along a wooden wardrobe. "There are clothes in here, but it is locked. Only I have the key." He gently groomed his own beard with his fingers, patting down any stray hairs. "Evie, it looks like the night's wind has made a mess of your hair. I wish to untangle it before you go to bed for the night." He walked over to the bedside table and opened a drawer, producing a hairbrush. "Will you indulge me?"<br/><br/>It was a request, not a demand. He'd made enough demands of her, and made it clear that he was the one in control in their situation. Even so, he found that often people he wished to exert authority over usually cooperated better when he gave them some level of autonomy. Besides, brushing her hair was something gentle, and he had no intention of forcing her to allow him to be gentle with her.