It’s almost Christmas 1806, and government agent Jared Templeton finds himself adopted by a beautiful stray dog as he walks his customary route each night to his Mayfair home. Having never owned a dog before, Jared is surprised to find himself talking to the beast. It’s wonderfully easy and lifts some of the heavy burdens he carries.<br><br>Eventually Jared confides in the dog, not only secrets about his work as an agent, but also the biggest secret about himself. About his innermost desires and needs, safe in the knowledge his companion will never betray him.<br><br>But at?the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve, Jared discovers things are not quite what they seem ...

The Christmas Curse

“Do you like cheese?” Jared asked, and put some cheese onto the empty plate. The dog sniffed it and then reared back with a muffled growl.


Jared laughed. “I’ll take that as a no!” He picked the cheese up off the plate and replaced it with the last of the roast beef. The dog looked at him for a moment, and then came to him and licked his hand before polishing off the last of the food.


Chapter 3