by Robin Roseau
I looked at Father. "Vendart, I-" I paused. "These are visitors. No harm was intended. I am willing to accept the apology."
"I'm not sure I am," he said. He glowered at Ashlyn.
"Please, Father. It was just a little teasing. For me?" And I winked at him. I don't know if anyone saw, but it was the side away from Ashlyn, and I had my back to Delilah for the moment, so neither of them would see.
"Well... all right. We wouldn't want to ruin everyone's trip on the first night."
"Thank you!" Ashlyn said. "Thank you. May I please have a real plate?"
"Of course," Mother said.
After that, I faded into the background again, allowing the conversation to ebb and flow around the table. Instead, I paid attention to Delilah, who also paid attention to me. But I got her to call Sartine Vendart once more. And her attempts at seduction -- and my acceptance -- were beyond obvious.
Then I smiled and squeezed her hand.
"Father," I said. "You often ask me to conduct our galatzi trade negotiations."
"So I do," he said. "And you do an excellent job."
"If I wished to conduct another, do I have your blessing?"
"Of course. We are always looking for fresh trade."
"Perfect," I said. "Sartine, Indartha Vendart, would Indartha be interested in a galatzi trade with Sudden?"
"I believe we would," she said immediately. "What did you have in mind?"
I looked over at Delilah and smiled. "Delilah has performed the proper rituals," I said. "She wishes to claim me. You have all seen. Earlier today, she expressed her intentions to me privately, and now in front of all of you, she has usurped the seat to my right. She took my wine glass from me so that I must drink from hers. And..." I looked down shyly. "She makes other overtures."
Delilah was staring at me.
I turned back to Sartine. "I wish to accept her offer. In the rest of the empire, they would say she has proposed marriage, but we do not have marriage in that sense here."
"I have not!" she said. "I only-"
I reached over and covered her lips for a moment. "Instead, we have a galatzi trade, which is a permanent joining. And so, Sartine, as Delilah has repeatedly called you Vendart tonight, you have the right to trade her to Sudden."
"I do," Sartine agreed. "And who will you trade for her."
"Myself," I said.
"Most unusual," Sartine said.
"I'm not-"
"Now now," I said, interrupting. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you."
From around the table, I saw a variety of expressions: glee from Maddalyn, deep amusement from Cecilia, and horror from most of Cecilia's family. Oddly, her mother and father seemed quite calm, and so I wondered if Cecilia had warned them.
"I thought, Sartine, that as I divide my time between Sudden and Indartha, you would accept me for this trade, but I would keep Delilah as my galatzi prisoner."
"I'm not sure," Sartine said. "So far, she's been the aggressor."
"I am a vendart's daughter. She is only a Governor's niece, once removed. This trade is imbalanced if I am the galatzi prisoner. And so it must be Delilah."
"I'm not marrying you!" she said. "I don't want anything to do with this gal-thing."
I turned to her. "But Darling, we'll be so happy, and you don't have a choice. Sartine isn't obligated to ask you."
"That's right," Cecilia said. "They didn't ask me, the first time Sartine took me. I told you about that."
"But- but!"
I turned to Sartine, ignoring Delilah's protests. "Do we have agreement, Indartha Vendart?"
"What of children?" she asked.
"I thought perhaps we could divide the children between Indartha and Sudden. As my galatzi wife, Delilah would carry our children, of course. We would raise two as children of Indartha and two as children of Sudden. I believe your brother could give her the children of Indartha, and my brother could serve for the children of Sudden."
Delilah pushed away from the table and stood up. "I won't do it!" she said. "I won't."
"Agreed," Sartine said. "I accept this trade."
Delilah looked wildly around the table. "Aunt Cecilia," she said. "Don't let them do this!"
"I'm sorry, Delilah. It's entirely legal. I fought, too, but it's the law here, and while we're on Talmon, we must follow their laws."
Maddalyn moved around the table. She already had pulled a sash on, and she gave one to me. I put it on, and then several others appeared from the hallway, all wearing sashes.
"Sartine, would you explain what we're doing?" I asked.
"Certainly."
We grabbed Delilah. She was so shocked, she didn't even offer a real struggle. Reannaine and Riardarn were there, as were Kalorain and Margotain, all in sashes. Margotain handed me rope, and the sisters forced Delilah's wrists to cross in front of her.
"Cecilia! Stop this!" Savannah said.
"I can't, sister. It's legal."
Sartine began to explain what we were doing. I tied Delilah's wrists and then began the harness, ignoring the uproar around the table. Delilah began to struggle, but the women held her tightly, and then we bent her arms behind her, and I tied them off. When I bent down to tie her legs, she tried to kick me, but I was ready, and I captured her legs, tying them tightly. Margotain approached with a cloak, and we pulled it into place.
And then I held a gag up.
"You can't do this!" Delilah said.
"I certainly can," I said. I smiled sweetly.
Then I turned around and faced everyone at the table. Most of their expressions were shocked. I couldn't tell if Father knew I was bluffing, but Mother was smirking. Sartine had a calm expression. I'm not sure what she thought.
I turned back to Delilah. "You do not wish to belong to me?"
"No!" she said.
"Maybe you should remember how these knots feel the next time you think about pulling a prank on me."
She stared for a couple of seconds. "What?" she finally said. I grinned at her then turned back to the table.
"Is hazing Chaladine over yet?" I asked. "Or will there be more?"
It was Christianna who began laughing first, followed very shortly after by August and Savannah. Not everyone laughed, but enough to defuse the situation.
Behind me, still supported by the sisters, Delilah was sputtering.
"You were teasing me?" I turned back to her. "This was revenge?"
"Of course not," I said. "Revenge would be petty. You started this game; I thought it was an offer to play. I played." I smiled at her. "But you do look pretty hot like this. Are you sure you don't want to say 'yes'? I have the gag here. I can take you from here, drive you around as is customary, then take you to my place, and, well, I think you know what happens after that."
She stared. "No, thank you," she said.
"Pity," I replied. "I suppose we should untie you then."
Late Night Visitor
Delilah wanted nothing to do with me for the rest of the night, but I received quiet congratulations from some of Cecilia's family for fooling all of them so dramatically.
We held a dance. No one knew our dances, and we didn't know theirs. But we played a mix of music, and I accepted any offers to dance. And so, eventually, during one of the songs from Centos Four, I found myself dancing with Savannah. She managed to find a way to lead that I could follow, and we had a few good dances.
She chuckled at me shortly after we began. "Don't mess with Chaladine."
"Having little technology doesn't make us simpletons," I replied.
"Oh, I know. If I ask questions will you answer honestly?"
"Of course. Unless you are about to begin a new game of teasing Chaladine."
"I wouldn't think of it. Was any of that little drama real?"
"Well, it was all drama, but most of it was real at the same time, if I understand your question. You want to know about the pillory, and galatzi trades?"
"I know about my sister's relationship with Sartine. Could
you really have claimed my granddaughter that way?"
"Absolutely. I got her to repeatedly call Sartine Vendart. The thing about sitting next to me and making me drink her wine was hogwash though. But I could have kept her at that point."
"She was trapped the same way Cecilia was."
"Yes. Cecilia used to call my father that."
"She thought it was a title."
"It is, but you only call your own vendart by that title."
"Ah, in that way, it's a little like My Lord."
"I don't know that one."
"It's from old Earth, but there are a few planets that established a feudal society, complete with nobility."
"Kings and queens?"
"Yes. The term My Lord is used by a vassal to, well, his lord, but not another lord."
"Sartine likes it when Cecilia calls her My Vendart."
"I've noticed that, too. I've also noticed that you call both Baardorid and Sartine Vendart."
"That's a confusing situation in that I travel back and forth. I only started calling Sartine that when I began working for your sister. I live in their house far more than I am here. So I have two vendarts, but that is unusual."
"And so, either of them could offer you in one of these galatzi trades?"
"I am already offered," I said. "Your sister is making arrangements for me. Sudden has already accepted Maddalyn, and so I am obligated to fulfill our commitment."
"So my sister is a vendart as well?"
"Maddalyn called her Vendart a few times to ensure it was legal."
"But it was not staged the way you did tonight."
"No, not at all. Everyone agreed. Maddalyn is very happy with Kalorain."
We danced for another half song before I said, "Did I go too far?"
"I think you were right up against the line," she replied. "I cannot tell if you have destroyed your opportunity with my granddaughter."
"She seems to be quite relieved to be rid of me. Pity."
"She's sulking, but she's persistent. But maybe you are no longer interested?"
"I cannot accept a durable relationship. I do not know when Cecilia will send me away. But I cannot imagine Delilah wishes to remain on Talmon, and so neither of us would consider anything durable. She is very lovely."
"Yes, she is," Savannah said. "Why do you offer yourself this way?"
"On Talmon, it is for what Cecilia calls diversity. We prevent inbreeding."
"But the tying... all of that."
I smiled. "Galatzi prisoners are not always pleased to be traded. For some, it is fun. It is exciting. I have conducted raids. There is such planning." I told her of my trip to Beacon Hill. She laughed several times. The telling took time, and so we began a third dance.
"I am monopolizing you," I said.
"I am enjoying myself," she replied. "Please tell the rest." So I did, although I didn't share much about my relationship with Luradinine.
At the end, she laughed. "I am not sure I would care to be the target of a raid, but I might enjoy helping to plan one."
"Perhaps we could arrange something while you are here. Are there any of your children or grandchildren you wish to leave behind on Talmon?"
She laughed again. "You would negotiate with me for them?"
"You could talk to Sartine instead, of course, or you could even trade them to a different village entirely."
"While there are times my offspring frustrate me, I am not sure I am ready to trade them away in this fashion."
"Centos Four does not have the same needs as Talmon," I said. "I hope you do not judge our traditions."
"Of course not. I hope I have not come across as judgmental. I am merely curious."
"Curiosity is healthy."
* * * *
We got everyone back to their bungalows, and I finally retreated to mine, exhausted. It had been a long day. I collapsed in a chair with a glass of water then lay my head back and closed my eyes.
I willed my frazzled nerves to relax so I could sleep.
A long day, indeed.
I was still in that position when my doorbell rang. Doorbells. What an unexpected invention. It looked like a standard knocker, but instead of hearing the knock, there was a bell sound throughout the house.
I sighed, wondering who needed what now, then climbed to my feet and hurried to the door. When I opened it, Delilah was standing there. She had a bottle of wine in one hand and two wine glasses in the other. We stood there, staring at each other.
Finally she said, "Do you have a wine opener?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Are you going to invite me in?"
"How did you find me?"
She smiled. "Were you hiding from me?"
"Well, no, although I thought you were done with me."
"I don't take pranks as well as I dish them out," she said. "It took me a while to realize it was pretty funny."
I opened the door wider and stepped aside.
* * * *
If I thought she smelled wonderful before, I couldn't get enough of her when she was that close.
* * * *
"Good morning, Chaladine."
I opened my eyes. Delilah was inches away, smiling at me. "So, what do we tell our parents?"
"Nothing."
"But we have to tell them we're married."
I laughed. "Nice try. I already know Imperial marriage customs, and we haven't practiced them."
She laughed. "I thought I could get a rise out of you."
"Rather than that," I said. "Maybe I could get something in you." I reached for her, and she came to me.
* * * *
I was kept extremely busy. We stayed at the resort for a few days. The first full day we spent in Sudden, showing the town. We didn't have anything in particular in mind, but we showed them what we could.
I could tell they found my home picturesque. There isn't a Talmonese word that is equivalent, but after taking pictures with a tablet, I understood what it meant in English. Another word that I heard was quaint. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but I couldn't complain. I'd seen pictures from Centos Four, and of course, Talmon was quite different.
Sudden was well prepared for us, and the village was set up like it was Market Day. Every day in Sudden was a market day for food, but it was only once a week in the summers and once a month in the winter that we had Market Day. Street vendors had carts of special foods; other vendors sold their wares. Entertainers filled the village green, people who might otherwise be out fishing or tending the fields or engaged in whatever they normally did to put food on the table and wood in the fire.
Prior to their arrival, we had assigned native speakers to various groups. We didn't include Cecilia or Sartine in that list, as we knew they would float around. But we borrowed everyone we could who spoke both English and Talmonese. Because Christianna, August and Savannah had taken the time to learn Talmonese, we needn't have been quite so diligent, but we still thought native guides were good.
We had four people, including Hilopid, from Indartha. We had six more from Sudden, which included Margotain, Kalorain, and the two sisters. And Beacon Hill loaned us two guides as well.
I was not assigned to anyone in particular. It was assumed I would be flitting here and there, and I was. This group went in this direction, that group in another, and soon I found myself standing with only Delilah at my side.
She hadn't released my hand all morning.
"Well," she said. "Alone at last."
I laughed. We were on the village green, surrounded by my fellow Talmonese.
"What would you like to do?"
She moved closer, as if that were possible, and walked her fingers up from my stomach and between my breasts until her hand rested against the side of my neck. "I think you know what I want to do. Do you still have a room at your parents'?"
I laughed again. "We did that. Last night. This morning."
"I want more. You want more."
"True," I admitted. "But
I also want to be able to tell my boss what we did and not receive a look of disappointment."
"She wouldn't be disappointed with two women expressing their appreciation for each other."
"No, but she will be disappointed if she is left wondering whether I am a good guide for you."
By then, she was standing very close to me, and I couldn't help but smell her scent, her intoxicating scent. I breathed deeply, and she laughed lightly into my ear.
"I smell good, don't I?"
I buried my face in her neck, not caring whether anyone was watching, and breathed in again. She lifted a hand to the back of my neck and held me like that.
"Lick me," she whispered. "Right now."
And I did. I licked her neck. I already knew she tasted as good as she looked, and just licking her neck filled my mouth with her taste. I shuddered a little.
She laughed again and pulled away. I stared blankly for a minute, and she caressed my cheek. "I always get what I want, you know."
I almost gave in, but I knew, I just knew Cecilia would be disappointed with me.
"I-" I paused, focusing my eyes. Her expression changed. I smiled. "Anticipation is half the fun."
For a moment, her eyes flashed anger, but then she smiled. "So, you're not taking me to your bed?"
"You are welcome in my bed this evening," I said. "Is there anything you would like to see?"
"I wouldn't know what to ask. Do you have a favorite place you like to go?"
I thought about it. "Did you want to learn to ride a horse?"
Her eyes brightened, and this time I thought the smile was real. "You know, I think I might enjoy that a great deal. They are very large animals, though."
"We will pick a gentle gelding for you."
She cocked her head. "What is a gelding?"
"It is a male horse that is... um. I don't know the other word. No longer a boy."
Her eyes widened. "They cut it off?"
"Not... um. It. The other parts. It is done when he is still a colt. It makes him gentler without the need to compete with other horses or to fight his riders."
"It's barbaric."
"It is common. Cecilia tells me everywhere there are horses, most of the males are gelded. It is not just here."
"It doesn't hurt?"
"We are not a complete backwater. We give the horses something that makes them sleep. There is perhaps discomfort afterwards, but it heals, and the horse is fine."