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[ It's a bold choice. It's tempting to say that it's to be expected, from a bold woman, but that's not quite the term he'd use to describe her — there's a tender timidity underneath the iron curtain of discipline and devotion, a soft underbelly. Regardless, he doesn't have the time to pause and consider her proposition, not if he wants to keep the hand he has. ]

As you wish.

[ He picks — from the extensive collection available — a bottle of merlot, ignoring the anxious flitting of one of the maids around him as he looks through the wine cellar. It's held in hand when he arrives at the Boudoir at the appointed time, erring on the side of early, and dressed as he typically is, in a neat, trim suit just a degree or two removed from what one would consider normal in a place like this. ]