Read Online Seduce Me by Robyn DeHart - Free Book Online Page B

all the varied approaches and theories there are, a student of the subject would begin to lean toward
     some of them and away from others.”
    He shook his head, unsure if he was following her logic. “Precisely what are you trying to say, Miss Worthington?”
    “I had come to favor one particular theory about the box.” She leaned forward, and for the briefest of moments her enthusiasm
     was nearly contagious.
    “You see, according to the legend, Pandora was known as a consummate beauty, and she was presented, as a gift, by the gods
     to the brothers Epimetheus and Prometheus. Epimetheus walked away from her because he felt she was too much of a temptation
     and would lead him astray, but Prometheus accepted her as his wife.”
    Fielding didn’t bother trying to ask questions. He’d heard enough from the men of Solomon’s. Curses, Greek gods—it was all
     rubbish as far as he was concerned.
    “Some scholars theorize that within the box are all the aspects that made Pandora the temptress she was,” she continued. “Her
     charms, if you will.”
    Esme was talking so fast Fielding had a hard time following her words. He didn’t, however, neglect watching her mouth as she
     spoke. Her lips were full and lush and ever so tempting.
    “I had subscribed to this theory as well.” She took a deep breath. “But it seems as if they, and I, were wrong. Terribly so.”
    “You can’t honestly believe Pandora’s box was created by the Greek gods,” he said, not even bothering to hide the bite in
     his tone.
    Esme stiffened. “Of course not. That would be blasphemy.” Light sparked in her eyes as she leaned forward, the insult apparently
     forgotten. “However, I do believe that Pandora’s box exists and that it has powers, as unexplained as they may be. There is
     simply too much evidence to be ignored.”
    “So where do these powers come from?”
    “No one knows, of course. But there are many references to Pandora’s box, dating back to 500 BC. Cleopatra herself was said
     to possess a box that gave her the power to rule all of Egypt. By all accounts, she was a physically unremarkable woman, yet
     the most powerful men in the world were devoted to her. What if she used Pandora’s box to control first Julius Caesar and
     then Marc Antony?”
    “Or perhaps she was simply beautiful,” he said. Beautiful in an interesting way as the woman before him was. Esme wasn’t a
     conventional beauty; her features had too many angles, and with her narrow nose and straight eyebrows, her face was not one
     of delicate curves. Still, there was beauty before him. Thick lashes framed her wide green eyes, while sweet freckles smattered
     across her nose, and her pouty mouth had a heavier bottom lip that begged to be nibbled.
    Annoyance flickered across her face, but she ignored his comment. “And then there is the theory that Pandora’s box holds not
     charms but curses. There was the plague that traveled from Egypt to Byzantium along with a group of Egyptian traders who brought
     with them a box that spread death.”
    “Yes, yes,” he said impatiently, “and we mustn’t forget about the Black Death.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “Why, Mr. Grey, I see you’ve done a bit of research yourself. Yes, some believe the box caused the great
     plague. For example, Pliny the Elder described a box of mystical properties that spread greed and disease throughout the empire.
     He believed the box was responsible for the sacking of Troy. Don’t you see,” she said, “there is one thing all these stories
     have in common. A box. That can’t be a coincidence.”
    His interest piqued, Fielding leaned forward. “Do any of these writings explain how Pandora’s box made it to jolly ol’ England?”
    She frowned. “There is one. A modern scholar, George Winthrop, has found reference to a sixth-century Saxon warlord who gave
     his wife a spectacular box he’d purchased from an Egyptian peasant. He described the box as a gift from the gods,