The Delegation

by Robin Roseau

  We danced. It was sweet and very odd, the two of them controlling my steps. I followed as best I could. A few times we split apart, one or the other of them drawing me away, but then we were three again. The third time that happened, I asked, “Why do you do that?”

  “Running interference,” Dee said with a giggle.

  “You will remain ours,” Bee declared. “We caught you, fair and square.”

  “You did,” I agreed.

  Eventually, the music came to a close. I found myself embraced by both of them, and one of them had her hand on my bottom again. She was giggling, although that wasn’t remarkable.

  “Did you enjoy the game?” Dee asked in my ear.

  “Yes.”

  “Good,” she said. “It is time for our first prize.”

  Bee cupped my cheek and drew my lips to hers. For the first time in my life, I found myself kissing a woman. I didn’t know exactly what to do, and so I clutched at her and may have moaned.

  The kiss went on and on, and may never have ended if Dee hadn’t taken me from her sister. She turned me into a fresh kiss while Bee pressed against me, her hand massaging my bottom through the gown.

  I couldn’t have told you which kiss was better; they were the two best kisses I’d ever had, and I was panting before she released me. The two giggled. “Definitely ours,” Dee said.

  “When do I remove the blindfold?”

  “When we decide,” Bee explained. “We like you this way. There is a promenade now, as we take turns displaying our prizes.” They shifted around, stepping to my side, each wrapping an arm around me. And then fresh music started. Together, we danced forward, the two women leading me. We came to a stop, and a moment later, they partially released me to applaud, presumably another prize. There was more dancing, very brief, then more applause. Several couples later, they led me through far more elaborate steps, and I knew we faced this way and that while receiving our own applause.

  * * * *

  They kept me. They fed me and offered me things to drink. “No more wine,” I said.

  “There is lemonade,” Dee said.

  “Lemonade would be wonderful,” I replied.

  And so, we shared a glass of lemonade, and then we returned to the dance floor. Dancing with the two of them with their joy was, well, joyous, and I found myself laughing with them.

  “We weren’t sure you’d be like this,” Dee said. “You were so serious.”

  “It’s your effect,” I said.

  “Not just us. It’s a good event.”

  “A good event,” I agreed.

  And so, we danced, and then they led me away, collecting more lemonade before finding an available sofa. We sat down, cuddled together. They never stopped touching me, but it was polite touching, caresses here and there, and I found myself relaxing more and more to what they were doing until finally I asked, “What are you doing?”

  “If we were home, we would be seducing you,” Bee said.

  “But we’re not home,” Dee continued. “And we are not allowed to seduce any Flarvorians tonight.”

  “This is only touch,” Bee added. “Do you want us to stop?”

  “No,” I said. “But I’m confused.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if you were a couple of guys treating me like this, I’d hate it.”

  “But we’re not,” Dee said. Then she pulled me in for another kiss. I had lost track how many times they had kissed me. When she released me, she said, “Thank you for letting us catch you.”

  “By the rules of the game, I’m not sure I had any control over that.”

  “You didn’t have to play,” Bee pointed out.

  “I had fun,” I said. I stroked her arm.

  They both giggled, and Dee said, “If you think the resin feels good on the outside, you should try the inside sometime.”

  “I’m not sure I’m brave enough to dress this way,” I replied. “But it does feel good. Dee, did Lady Olivia order you to try to steal me from Lisolte?”

  “No. She gave us permission to play tonight.”

  “Were you born as slaves?”

  “No,” she said. “We do not have permission to tell you everything, but no one in Ressaline is born a slave. We were Charthan, and we can tell you part of our story.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “Do you know why Ressaline invaded Charthan?”

  “Claary told me about an invasion of Charthan into Ressaline. That was what precipitated everything else.”

  “She is right,” Bee said. “We were captured with everyone else.”

  “You must have been children.”

  “We were when our family first traveled into Ressaline, but we weren’t when we were captured.”

  “Still, it doesn’t sound like it was your fault you were there.”

  “Maybe not,” Dee said. “Because of our age at the time, Lady Olivia gave us choices. She told us she could send us to Ressaline City and petition the queen for clemency, but she made no promises for the queen, and couldn’t even promise we could stay together. She could only make promises like that if we offered ourselves to her. So we did.”

  “We couldn’t be happier any other way,” Bee added.

  We talked and snuggled for a while longer. And then I heard rustling. “Girls, you have a few more minutes. It’s nearly time to send Allium home, and I wish to speak with her before she leaves.”

  “Yes, Olivia.” And then, with the duchess watching, the two drew me into a serious make-out session, leaving me breathless and them giggling. But then they rose with a few more touches. “Allium?”

  “Yes, Dee.”

  “We had fun with you tonight. Will you play with us again some time?”

  “I don’t know the rules,” I said. “But I might like that.”

  “We’ll talk about that privately later, girls,” Olivia added. “You may offer goodnight to anyone you see, but I expect the bed to be ready when I arrive.”

  “Yes, Olivia. Good night, Allium. You were fun!” Giggling, the two hurried off.

  A moment later, Olivia sat down on the sofa beside me. I turned to her, and she brushed the blindfold. “I thought they might keep you in this.”

  “Am I allowed to remove it now.”

  “You may, or you may offer to let me do it.”

  The tone she used made me suspicious, and so I asked, “Am I offering something if I do that?”

  “You are,” she said. Then she offered a little laugh. “You would be mine for a few minutes, and I would remove it for you before you exit our lovely inn here.”

  “And are you going to maul my lips?”

  She offered a second little laugh. “A duchess does not maul. Her kisses are the most delightful. And I would have that option. What are you going to do, Allium?”

  “I’m going to let you decide,” I told her without hesitation.

  “The blindfold stays, then.” She slipped closer, our legs touching, and she took my hand, then I felt her touch on my cheek. “You seem to be less frightened.”

  “I haven’t had such a good time in…” I thought about it, then whispered, “Ever.”

  “Well, I am both happy and sad,” she said. “I am happy you enjoyed the evening and sad it has been a singular event for you.”

  “Earlier you offered excellent advice, Olivia.”

  “Which you took to heart even more closely than I thought you could.” She caressed my cheek again. “I’m glad. Will you be offended if I were to declare us as friends?”

  “I’d like that,” I replied.

  “Then we are friends,” she declared. “Do you think you will have morning remorse?”

  I thought about it, understanding her question. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I sort of…”

  “Yes,” she said. “If it’s any consolation, you were not the only one to sort of,” she said with a small laugh. “By the time our game had concluded, anyone not playing had departed for the evening. No one saw you sort of who wou
ld judge.”

  “Is this what Ressalines do? They sort of day and night?”

  “Oh, no,” she said. “We do far, far more than only sort of. On these matters, we agree that finding joy where one can is important. Not everyone pursues it the same way, but it is one basis of our society, at least when the demands of life allow us to. That has become much easier over the last eight years, but we don’t have the time to talk about that tonight. Allium, I wish to ask a favor.”

  “Yes, Olivia?”

  “If your king – or anyone else to whom you owe obedience – asks about tonight, of course you shouldn’t lie. But I would take it as a personal favor if you could avoid gossip.”

  “I’m not really one to gossip.”

  “I cannot make this an order, but if anyone asks, I would rather you only said that you had a very nice evening, you spent much of the time dancing, and that you’re glad you came. If they have more detailed questions, I’d rather they asked me directly.”

  “You want to control the message.”

  “Do you blame me?”

  “Not at all. Of course, Olivia.”

  “Thank you. I have one more question. If I meddle with your life, will you be offended?”

  “I imagine the nature of the meddling would control my response.”

  “Others here may make offers against your time during our visit,” she replied. “I can nearly promise you will receive invitations from one direction or another until we leave. Will you be free to accept them?”

  “What sort of invitations?”

  “Social invitations. We are offering our culture carefully; but we are also attending events here. I imagine you will be asked to join us for some of these events. I would ask you myself now, but I don’t want to abuse my position to slip ahead of any other requests.”

  “Olivia,” I replied. “I am flattered. I only ask that I understand if I am offering more than I realize.”

  She laughed. “You are offering no more than you offer,” she assured me. “An invitation to dinner is only an invitation to dinner with no expectation beyond joyful company. Other offers could arrive, but accepting dinner offers no obligation to accept more intimate offers.”

  “Then I will accept any I receive, if my schedule allows. I do not count this as meddling in my life.”

  “Perhaps you would count it as meddling if I were to use influence to ensure your other duties provided no excuse to decline. I am fairly sure if I ask King Leander to loan you to us for our visit, he would do so.”

  “I imagine he would.” I squeezed her hand and thought about it. “If you were to make such a request,” I finally said. “I would prefer flexibility in my schedule. I have duties I would rather not postpone for ten days. I have people who depend upon me.”

  “I understand entirely,” she said. “Does this mean if I were to fabricate an excuse for you to visit Charth, you might be unhappy?”

  “I wouldn’t necessarily say that,” I said slowly. “I cannot envision any reason related to my duties that would require such a visit.”

  “While it wouldn’t occur with frequency, it is entirely possible you could be called on to coordinate projects with us.”

  “Are there any pending now? If so, I don’t know of them.”

  “There are none I know.” She paused, stroking my arm for a moment. I thought it was done absentmindedly. “You have been told certain things.”

  “Certain things.”

  “About the price to be allowed to travel within Charthan.”

  “Ah. Those certain things.” I thought back to the conversation earlier. “Yes?”

  “The two you talked to have taken to that custom,” she said. “To us, it isn’t a price. It is a portion of our culture. We require you to experience that custom at least once.”

  “And it is such an odd practice that none of the other trading families will partake. They give up trade with you over it.”

  “Yes. And yet, everyone you met tonight engages joyfully in these customs.”

  “I am not quite sure why this is relevant now when measured against future projects that are currently unknown. Couldn’t I partake in the custom at that time?”

  “You could, except these things tend to happen with little warning, and this would be no less than a two-month trip.”

  “A lengthy custom.” I smiled. “I believe, Duchess Charthan, you are attempting to make an excuse where one does not truly exist.”

  “Not at all. I am attempting to make an excuse that fits your career. My real reason is continued cultural exchange, one new friend at a time. But my excuse isn’t entirely irrelevant. We won’t allow a man to cross the border. How many women are in your ministry who have the experience and diplomacy to work with us?”

  “There are two women at my level,” I said. “Lieseen Gaspeite is the other. She is twice my age and a fine engineer.”

  “Why, if she has twice your experience, are you both at the same level?”

  “We both report to Minister Heliodor,” I explained.

  “Is Ms. Gaspeite Minister Heliodor’s most obvious successor?”

  “No,” I said.

  “Are you?”

  “Not at my age,” I said. “And frankly, I doubt Flarvor would promote a woman to become the Minister of Transportation.”

  “Why, at half her age, are you less unsure about yourself than you are Ms. Gaspeite?”

  “She is a fine engineer,” I said.

  “Ah, and perhaps less of a diplomat than you are.”

  “I’d rather not say.”

  She brushed my arm. “And so, is there anyone else who can do the duties of interfacing with us on joint projects?”

  “No. If it must be a woman, I am the obvious choice.”

  “We will have those projects, Allium,” she said. “It isn’t necessarily bad for your career to be indispensable.”

  I snorted, but I understood what she was saying. “Would you expect me to leave when you leave?”

  “You would be welcome to travel with us, but our custom can begin on very short notice, and so you could come any time, as long as you coordinate with me.”

  “Why won’t you tell me what this custom is?”

  “I will,” she said. “In Charth.”

  “That isn’t an answer, Duchess.”

  “I have my reasons,” she said. “May I meddle?”

  “My preference would be to have greater notice than this, if I am to be unavailable for an extended period. That being said, if King Leander ordered me to travel to Charth with you, I would go, and you wouldn’t hear a complaint.”

  “Would you arrive with the same open mind you displayed tonight?”

  “I believe so.”

  “If you change your mind, you have until noon tomorrow to warn me. Otherwise, I will be meddling.”

  “Thank you for warning me, Olivia. Why are you showing such interest in me?”

  “You are a woman who is succeeding in a field dominated by men,” she said. “And because I was impressed with your professionalism. And now we are friends.” She shifted closer on the sofa, as if we weren’t already close enough. And then I felt her hand on my cheek, turning me to her.

  I went with the touch, and I wasn’t surprised when our mouths came together. It was a sweet, lovely kiss, and then she released me. I sat still, my heart pounding. She brushed my cheek and said softly, “You are very lovely.”

  “Is that part of the reason for your attention?”

  “No, but it may be part of the reason I wanted to kiss you. A bigger reason was Bee and Dee. They are very good judges of people, and they are delighted in you. I intend more kisses, but they are only kisses. I know others also intend kisses, and I will encourage you to accept as your desires suggest.”

  I smiled, and then her hands on my shoulders encouraged me to turn away from her. She lifted her hands to the blindfold and slowly removed it. Once it was done, I turned back to her and offered another smile.

  She set her ha
nd on my cheek and gave me one final kiss for the evening. It was sweet and gentle, and afterwards, I was lost for a moment in her eyes. “What are you doing?” I whispered.

  “They are only kisses,” she said. “Come now.” She stood, drawing me after her, and then she slipped an arm around my waist, guiding me towards the front door. “Your carriage is waiting.”

  We hugged at the door, and I found myself holding tightly. She didn’t rush me, and I whispered into an ear, “This is like a story from a book.”

  She laughed lightly. “I am glad you think so.”

  “You are a duchess. Nobility. I am simply a commoner.”

  “There is nothing simple about you, Allium. I hope you have sweet dreams tonight.”

  I did.

  Chapter Five

  Discounting my own distraction as I wondered about events from the previous evening, the next day began like any other. I arrived at work and settled at my desk. No one spoke to me of events.

  Until mid-afternoon, when Minister Heliodor summoned me. “The king requests your presence.” He slipped me a note. “There is someone from the palace waiting to take you.”

  “Now?” I squeaked.

  “Now,” he replied. “You didn’t plunge us into war last night, did you?”

  “The duchess seemed pleased with my attendance,” I replied. “She hugged me before I departed.”

  “Then I’m sure it’s nothing,” said the minister. I could hear the sarcasm. “Just in case, is your next of kin on file?”

  “You know, you’re not very funny, Minister.”

  “My wife used to say the same thing, Allium. You’re not in any trouble. He only wishes to tell you something.”

  I nodded and took my leave.

  * * * *

  I was led through the palace. From my story, it would seem like I met with our king on a regular basis, but the truth is simple. I’d never met him prior to two days previous. Oh, I’d seen him. We’d all seen him. But he wouldn’t have known my name. I was led through the palace directly to the king, who was working at his own desk. He stood as I was announced, and he came around his desk, clasping me by the elbows and looking at me with a friendly, fatherly expression. Then he gestured to comfortable seating, and we both took our places. “You have made an impression, Miss Cuprite.”