The Duke's Handmaid (Book 1 of the Ascendancy Trilogy)

by Caprice Hokstad

  timna blinked, then shivered. Vahn choked back tears as he unlocked her neck and gently removed the band. “Would you have any last words to your master, timna? I am giving you your contract. You’re free.”

  timna gulped. For several seconds, she froze. Vahn had to tap her knee to get her to hold out her ankle for him. With a look of astonishment, she complied. “timna is... I am free?”

  “Yes, Lady Timmilina Hocar, you are free,” Vahn assured her. Using her birth name would solidify his actions. He removed the last band.

  “Thank you, your highness.” She smiled brightly.

  “No, milady. Thank you. In the three years you have been in my house, you have served me well and honored me greatly. I will miss my timna. Will you look me in the eyes, Lady Hocar?”

  Timmilina raised her eyes to peer into his. “You were always kind and fair. I could not have hoped for a better master.”

  “There is a paid position here if you would consider it...?” he hinted.

  She shook her head. “Thank you for the offer, but I can’t. I don’t think I could recover Timmilina from timna here. It is very generous. I just have to get away.”

  Somehow he’d known she wouldn’t stay. “I understand. I asked for purely selfish reasons, I assure you. After what I have to do next, you will think even less of me. You will doubtless be better off anywhere else.”

  She started to reply, but after another look in his misting eyes, she closed her mouth.

  Vahn removed her record parchments from a desk drawer. He marked her contract “Completed” and sealed it in wax with his signet. He handed it to her. “I don’t think anyone will question you over a mere two months, but if they do, use this. If you ever need anything, I want you to think of me as an uncle rather than a former master or the duke, all right?”

  Timmilina giggled. “Yes, Uncle Vahn.”

  Though he managed to crack a weak smile, it wasn’t enough to truly lift his spirits. He was sorry he couldn’t generate more cheerfulness for her. He had planned so much more for her release day. “Please, take something to wear from the guest cottage. Take a dress fit for a princess. Make sure you kiss the others goodbye. They will not be here tomorrow.”

  “They won’t? Where are they going, Ma—your highness?”

  “I’m not sure, but by tomorrow they will be gone,” he said wearily. Her face was full of questions but she remained silent. “Please, I need to tell them in my own way. Tell them you’re free and let them rejoice with you a while. Send all the Itzi, including kee, in an hour. I’ll wait here.”

  “I will tell them, your highness. Thank you again.” She stood and placed an impromptu kiss on his cheek. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” she whispered. He nodded. He wasn’t upset with her, but his heart was too heavy to beget any levity. “Oh, don’t forget the marquis is coming.”

  Vahn gasped. How was he going to fit in the meeting with all the house business he had? “Thank you for reminding me. I truly don’t know what I’m going to do without you. I wish you all the best, milady.”

  “I wish you the same, your highness.” She stepped out. From behind the closed door, Vahn could hear excited shouts as she ran to tell her former band sisters.

  He sighed and shook his head. “And that was the easy one,” he muttered.

  While he waited, he wrote a proposal for Terzak. With the uncertainty surrounding his house, he wasn’t sure whether he would have the presence of mind to remember everything, if indeed he could even find time to discuss matters. He detailed the information he sought about his father’s death, including his dead-end lead about the wagon in Ganluc. Maybe the marquis could find something Shil couldn’t. He also asked for espionage on his brother’s troops—where they were, how well armed, how many.

  Finished, he blew on the ink. Neither his seal nor his name appeared anywhere. He had used his left hand to write. He was reading it over when a knock sounded. A lump lodged in his throat. Hastily, he set the parchment in a drawer and closed it.

  “Come in,” he called. The door opened slowly. Vahn could see kee at the head of the line. He counted heads. All nine were there. He certainly didn’t want to do this twice. “Everyone come in, please. Be comfortable. You don’t have to kneel.”

  The slaves exchanged incredulous looks. kee chose to kneel, as did the eldest, marha. The other seven took advantage of his offer and sat—four on the floor, three in the chairs. Vahn leaned back and studied their faces. No one made a sound.

  He knew they would never venture their gazes to see the tears in his eyes, but tears were spilling over his cheeks and he would not risk them seeing that. He left the room. Better they not know how much this hurt. Better they assume he was callous and unfeeling. Making himself the scapegoat would give them a target for their pain. In the inhouse, he blew his nose and wiped his eyes. He prayed for strength and gathered his courage, then returned to the study.

  “Thank you for waiting, ladies. I have some grave news. For reasons I do not wish to discuss, I can no longer keep you all. I know you counted on me, but you cannot stay here any longer.” He paused a moment to regard them. Surprise and hope registered on some of the faces. xassa looked panic-stricken. Though kee’s countenance had fallen, she held her perfect kneel courageously.

  Vahn knew he was being too vague. How could he tell them what he did not know? He would be sure they all had a place to sleep that night, but he wasn’t sure where yet. kee’s stalwart attention to form confused him. Perhaps she had misunderstood. Perhaps when he said, “I cannot keep you all” she assumed that he could keep “some” and she was doing her best to be one of the “some”.

  Actions would have to speak where words could not. Vahn walked to kee. He leaned over and slipped the key into her neck band. He heard her gasp as he removed the warm silver from her neck. He lifted her arm to reach her wrist band. She was limp as a rag. kee stared at the neck band where he dropped it to the floor. She made no sound, her gaze blank. Vahn piled all her bands in front of her as he removed them. When all were removed, she buried her face in her hands, curled up on the floor, and sobbed.

  Vahn watched her sadly. Every sob she uttered, he felt in his chest. “kee, please don’t. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You can find another house.”

  kee drew her body up and sucked back her sobbing to speak. “kee is only sorry you were displeased, Master Vahn.”

  Vahn set his hand on her shoulder. “I was never displeased with you, kee. This has nothing to do with pleasing me. Sometimes we just can’t have everything we want.”

  kee only cried harder. Vahn’s heart ached for her. He hadn’t meant her when he said that. He had meant that he couldn’t have everything he wanted. Now she hurt even more and he didn’t know what to say. Blackthorn had said that her greatest fear was rejection. He hated himself to have to inflict this on her after all she had been through and all she had given him. Maybe it was wrong to free her. Maybe if he sold her with the others she wouldn’t feel so rejected. The question remained—to whom?

  There was a knock on the door. Vahn left kee and opened the door. “Fish Lips” reported, “Marquis Terzak Rebono is here to see you, your highness.”

  Terzak! The idea hit him like a stone mallet. He had said the night before he could use several like kee. He could give Terzak the slaves as part of the business venture. The marquis was a knight of the old generation, well versed in chivalry, and he had the means to support all of them. His girls would have the comfort of each other and Vahn could see them from time to time. It was such a perfect solution he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it sooner.

  “Have him meet me in the library.” He needed to find out that servant’s real name again. If he had to live with Saerula’s lapdogs, he would have to make the best of it. He reached into his desk for the parchment he had written earlier. “I will be back in a few minutes, ladies.” He left the study and shut the door.

  Vahn was doing Terzak a great favor. He had the right to be less than perfectly mannered.
“I will say this once and only once,” Vahn began as he handed Terzak the parchment. “I will give you all my Itzi female slaves, nine to be exact. I will also contribute five thousand gold. Thirty percent of the profits for six years, then twenty percent for fourteen years or until I have ten thousand gold in repayment. You will supply the information listed there. Do we have a deal?”

  Terzak’s eyes widened and a huge grin dawned. He did not hesitate. “We have a deal, cousin.” He extended his hand. Vahn sealed the agreement with the knight’s handshake.

  “The girls are all waiting. I haven’t told them yet. I needed your answer first. Please, follow me and let me do the talking. You can take them home shortly.”

  Terzak followed mutely. Vahn found the girls restless. It had been cruel to leave them wondering about their fate. kee still sobbed, though the heaving of her slender form had lessened. He prayed this solution would comfort her.

  “kee,” he said softly, “I have a favor to ask you.” He took her hand and pulled gently, hoping to urge her from the floor. kee lifted her head, but did not stand. Her eyes were bloodshot, the lids around them swollen and red. Tears had stopped, but there was no spark of life within. “I am giving the rest of the house staff to Marquis Terzak. If you do not want to be free, it would mean a lot to me if you would go with him as well. He and I will be in a joint business venture, so I could see you occasionally. Would you do that? For me?”

  She sniffled, took a deep breath, and answered softly. “kee would do anything for you, Master Vahn. kee will go with him if it pleases you.”

  Vahn saw the light come back into her eyes. He helped her to stand. “It pleases me very much, kee. Treat Marquis Terzak as you would me, all right?”

  “kee will do so, Master Vahn. Thank you.”

  “You are more than welcome, kee.” Vahn turned to Terzak. Terzak looked surprised to discover kee was part of the deal. “kee you met last night. This is marha, byli, xassa, alkae, ghian, ria, fawna, and willow,” he said slowly, pointing to each in turn. They dipped their heads as they were introduced.

  “Which would you recommend for optimess?” Terzak asked.

  “kee,” Vahn said. “I also recommend Unringed bands for her. She’s very trustworthy.”

  “Excellent. Do you have an extra set of Ringed ones I can use in the meantime?”

  Cheapskate. He was getting free bands on all of them. Vahn cringed at the thought of kee in those heavy steel bands again. He considered saying no, but remembered how much bands meant to kee. He looked to her for approval. She nodded as if reading his thoughts. “Yes, I have some,” he admitted.

  The other slaves were herded past the door while Vahn fetched kee’s Ringed bands. As much as he would have liked to see kee kneel before him once more, it was Terzak’s honor. Vahn gave the bands to Terzak and motioned with his head to kee. She dropped to her knees at Terzak’s feet and raised her wrists in Classic Offering Position.

  Vahn couldn’t stand to watch. It was just too painful. His eyes were already misted. What would be left if he stayed? Nothing but an awkward moment, then tearful goodbyes. Let them bond to Terzak. Vahn slipped away, leaving his cousin with the last vestige of his glorious house.

  Chapter 68

  Without any ritualized speech or ceremonial flair, Marquis Terzak locked kee in Ringed bands. The same bands she had worn to the ITC were never so cold or heavy. Master Vahn had disappeared; kee mourned her missed chance to say farewell.

  This was all her fault. Ignorant farmgirl! She’d forgotten a noblewoman would be sensitive to ashes. Hardly surprising Master Vahn wanted to be rid of stupid Itzi slaves if they upset his wife. He’d said it wasn’t about pleasing him, but what else could have prompted him to dispose of his entire household staff?

  Mors Manor was nothing like Rebono Keep, and not only in its décor. It lacked the classic elegance and most of the special amenities, but it also lacked any sense of warmth. Beyond that, kee felt an ominous foreboding, but she attributed it to her pang of personal loss and never shared her perceptions with anyone. She couldn’t be objective and she knew it.

  * * *

  “kee?” Master Terzak called.

  “Yes, Master?” They had been at Mors Manor for a month now. Though kee felt apprehensive when he called, she tried to hide it from her tone.

  “You need to teach willow a lesson. She slouched and fidgeted right in front of Captain Daelin.”

  kee winced. “What do you want kee to do, Master?”

  “I don’t care. Whip her if you have to. Just make sure she learns respect. You’re optimess. It’s your responsibility to see that the rest of the girls behave as well as you do.”

  kee wanted to object. She wasn’t their mistress. She didn’t understand why Master Terzak never handled discipline himself. But the last thing she wanted was a repeat of the previous night’s events. She could withstand personal belittling again, but if Master Terzak got anywhere near implying the duke was inept at training, kee doubted she could hold her tongue again.

  “Yes, Master.” She left his presence with a bow and found willow in the small utility room Master Terzak had given them for quarters. It reeked of cleaning compounds and had no proximity to stove or fireplace, making it frigid. With nine bedrolls laid out, there was no room left to walk. They were not even afforded a rug for the stone floor. “willow, Master Terzak was not pleased with your behavior tonight,” kee said.

  willow yawned. “He didn’t say anything to willow. You just like playing mistress. We all know now you’re not Elva, so you can drop it.”

  “kee does not pretend to be mistress, but Master Terzak told kee to teach you to act more respectful. You can polish all the brass in the manor tomorrow after your regular duties.”

  “Yes, optimess,” she said with syrupy condescension.

  kee frowned and curled up on her bedroll. ghian had not washed the extra windows kee had assigned her after Master Terzak caught her sitting in a chair. It might have helped if Master had made it clear such behavior wasn’t acceptable, rather than just casually asking her to vacate the chair. No wonder the other girls all thought kee was “playing mistress”.

  Later the next day, kee found willow rubbing a brass knob lazily. At that rate, she’d take two weeks to finish the whole house. kee considered reporting the problem to Master Terzak, but he would probably say it was her responsibility to deal with. What was she to do? She wouldn’t strike one of her band sisters whether Master Terzak condoned it or not.

  Then she remembered something Master Vahn had once said. “An optimess should lead by example.” Wasn’t she doing that by steadfastly upholding high standards even when their new master was so permissive? She took a deep breath. “You look tired, willow. Here, let kee do that for you.”

  willow blinked and handed her the rag. kee took over and rubbed vigorously on the knob. willow shrugged and wandered off. Knob after finial after fixture, kee spent most of the afternoon and well into evening doing the very chore she had assigned as correction. She collapsed on her bedroll stinking of polish and nursing raw fingers.

  willow behaved better for about four days. In that time, ghian and marha both acted up just enough to get Master Terzak to give kee another tongue lashing. Again, kee repeated her strategy of leading by example; she assigned extra tasks and then did them herself. Their behavior improved. Even xassa was often careless, though she sometimes attempted to do her own punitive chores. Slowly, kee discovered the other girls complied with Master (albeit barely) when she assigned them less work in general. Thus, without any agreement, kee soon did the majority of the work herself. It didn’t bother her as long as Master Terzak was appeased.

  Chapter 69

  kee pulled down on her uniform as she climbed the stairs. It was her responsibility to wake Master and help him shave and dress. At the top of the stairs, she pulled futilely on her skirt again. Master Terzak dressed them in very short skirts and disallowed undergarments. If they weren’t careful how they bent over, they w
ould expose bare buttocks. Master enjoyed that aspect. He seemed to enjoy female flesh in general.

  kee’s eyes widened when she found marha in Master Terzak’s bed. However, marha was 26 and smiled back at her with an air of superiority, so kee kept silent.

  Days later, kee found willow in his bed and another morning, ghian. willow, the twenty-year-old, earned a small frown, but the day she found ghian, kee gasped. ghian was seventeen, the same as kee, banded to pay a debt. She was below compacting age.

  Master Terzak heard her gasp and backhanded kee in the cheek. “You will not show contempt for my decisions,” he bellowed.

  kee reeled, then folded into Submissive. “Yes, Master Terzak. kee is sorry.” It had been a careless slip. She simply wasn’t used to this side of slavery.

  “Oh, get up, kee. You’re always so melodramatic.” While the slap left a stinging welt on her cheek, he acted as though he thought very little of it. He went on with the day’s activities as if nothing had happened.

  kee didn’t ask her band sisters whether they were forced, seduced, or wanton. It was irrelevant; they had no choice if Master Terzak decreed it.

  Eventually, kee found xassa nude beneath Master’s covers. kee couldn’t believe xassa, at a barely pubescent 15, would willfully relinquish her virginity. She, of all of them, could have lawfully refused. If she were forced, she could appeal to the ITC and have Master Terzak censured and probably fined. She would have the right to be sold to someone else.

  However, xassa assured kee that Master loved her and sharing his bed was merely an extension of his love. kee was confused. What did they all see in this master that she couldn’t? She tried and tried to find the good in him. She did her best not to compare him to Master Vahn, but the longer she was away, the more her heart yearned to be back with him. She was deathly afraid Terzak would force her to share his bed as well, but she remembered Master Vahn’s words— “Treat Marquis Terzak as you would me.” As much as she missed him, if Master Vahn initiated intimacy with her, kee would welcome it. By virtue of his last order, that aching realization condemned her to welcome Master Terzak as well. She resigned herself to submit if she had to, but desperately hoped against it.