Supper had been excellent, and Vero was more successful when moderating her drinking. However, she had neglected to take any draughts of poppy milk during the day, and her leg was throbbing in agony when they returned to the bedroom. Even with Jean’s help she could only manage with a heavy limp.

She laid down on the bed and Jean brought her some blessed medicine, which subdued the pain to a dull ache.

“Better?”

Vero stretched herself. “Yes, much. Though it’s still stiff- and my back…”

“I can give you a massage, if you like.”

“Oh, yes.” Vero had replied before she could give a moment to consideration.

“I’ll send in your maid to take off your dress.”

Jean was replaced by Antoinette. Then Vero began to think and her heart began to race.

From what source did this damned tension come? She had already agreed to become his mistress, why should she be distressed if he saw her undressed? He must know about her scars; he had spoken with all her physicians while she was unconscious.

But knowing is different from seeing.

The thought of watching the look of disgust cross his face when he saw her the first time was too much to bear. She lay down on the bed again, flat on her stomach and still self-consciously tried to cover the most intimate parts of her body with her hands. When she had hidden as much of herself as she thought she could manage, Vero sent out Antoinette to find Jean and told the maid she would not need her for the rest of the night.

She heard Jean enter the room, but she kept her face hidden and eyes shut. She tracked him crossing the room by his footsteps.

“Beautiful.”

She ventured a quick glance towards him. “It’s kind of you to say so, but I know it’s not true.”

He pressed his hands to her shoulders. “And why do you say that?”

He did not use a light touch. His fingers dug into her muscles to force them into submission. It was the kind of massage she much preferred.

“No reason. I can only see what the mirror shows me.”

Jean kissed the top of her spine. “We shall simply need to disagree then. Fortunately, I’m the one lucky enough to gaze upon you. You have only me to look at.”

Vero reflected again on how beautiful she found him. “I think I’m taking the better part of that bargain.”

His hands moved slowly downwards, demanding her muscles relax with exact applications of pressure. Vero closed her eyes once more and let the pleasant poppy milk haze pass over her.

She was nearly asleep when he passed his hand over her buttock, and she jerked her head up on instinct.

“Is something wrong?”

Vero put her head back down. “No… nothing.” She felt so warm. She was sweating everywhere.

He began to work the calf of her weak leg. It was a terribly agony, followed by blessed relief as he molded the muscles back into shape. He moved upwards to her thigh.

What was he doing? Vero would not speculate. She could bear to think no more and decided that what would happen, would simply happen.

***

Vero sat up at once. She put an arm over her chest when she saw the direction of his gaze.

He grinned at her. “Do you want me to stop?”

Her mouth felt too dry to speak. She shook her head instead.

He moved her arm away. She lay on her back, but kept her hands over her most intimate charms.

His face came near. They kissed.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Vero felt him move her hands aside and she did not resist. His fingers brushed her intimately. It was not by accident, because it occurred again.

And that was not all he did.

One of the more curious stories in Jean’s books crossed her mind. In the earliest days the first men were created by King Helios in his own image. When the eldest of them began to die, the sun god soon tired of restoring them to life and youth. His wife Luna came to him and offered to relieve him of his burden, but only if he would turn over half of mankind to her. Helios agreed and Luna remade those she chose in her own image, and thus created womankind. Men and women could then multiply in number. That much was the story of creation as Mama had related it to her.

The book went on to suggest that these ‘first women’ soon began to complain of this arrangement. They were the ones, quite literally, bearing the burden of life’s propagation. However, as Luna had taken their manhoods, they could no longer take pleasure from the act of love making.

To make matters right, Luna had broken her own necklace of pearls and enchanted them. One pearl was given to each woman as a replacement for what had been taken. The book further claimed that was why women felt impelled to cry praises to the goddess when their pearl was caressed.

Vero did not give in into her impulse, although she did make Luna’s sign over her breast. It was very near now. She could not hold back much longer.

She knew what was happening, and what was coming. His gaze felt heavy on her.

Vero twisted the sheets in her grip. A spasm went all through her, and it seemed that everything was sparkling for a moment.

“Do you wish me to stay with you tonight?”

She realized Jean was speaking to her. Vero had been blissfully absent for a moment.

“Yes, I do. I never want to be apart from you again.”

“I would prefer not to sleep in my clothes again.”

“That’s quite alright.” Vero climbed under the covers and turned away to let him undress in private. She considered turning her head to look- but no, she did not think that she could.

She heard a small laugh and then the sounds of clothes dropping to the floor. Then she felt him climb into the bed behind her. Arms enveloped her from above and beneath and pulled her into his chest. She felt his warm skin against her back.

“You said-” Vero began to speak so that she could not take time to think. “-That is- Do you miss your father very much?”

What a foolish question, of course he did.

“What I mean is… You said this afternoon, that you wished your mother hadn’t left so soon after his funeral...”

“I- Yes, I do miss him very much.” His tone was empty.

“I don’t know how to ask clever questions as you do- But I love you very much. If you wish to talk, I shall listen.”

He gripped her very tightly a moment. So much so that it hurt, but Vero said nothing and a moment later he held her more comfortably.

When Jean spoke, he did so in a low voice. “He had been sick for a very long time, so it didn’t come as a surprise- But I couldn’t believe it. He wasn’t so old… And we had so many doctors… Every day I expected him to show signs of recovering, but it only ever became worse and worse. Near the end he could no longer recognize any of us- Not my sisters, nor I, nor… Ignacio. Then- he was gone.”

Vero turned over and Jean was wearing an expression she had never seen on him before. She pressed his face to her breast and it was wet.

“Forgive me. It’s not very chivalrous to shed tears before a lady.”

“I’m not a proper lady- And I would never tell a soul anyway.”

“You’re very kind, Vero.”

“I- just wish you to know that I would rather die than betray your confidence. I swear it by Luna’s grace.” And the oath was not given in vain.

“It seems not so long ago; I remember him so strong and vital. I had stepped in to act as regent when his health began to fail. The king was anxious to secure his position after the war and we couldn’t afford to show any weakness he might take advantage of. I threw myself into state’s business and left my father to the physicians- certain that he would return to take my place again any day. Why should the gods wish to take him? He tithed generously and prayed every sunrise and every sunset. By the time I realized he may not recover- he no longer knew my face… It was less than a month after his death that our Umbrian vassals began agitating for independence. His sepulcher hadn’t even been finished when I left for this campaign.”

There was quiet for a while.

Then Vero began to speak. “I hated my master. He taught me how to fight and how to hunt. Even when we had meager rations, he split them evenly with me. But I hated him. All day he would drink, and at night he-” Her voice caught in her throat.

“I believe I understand- you don’t need to say more.”

“And I hated him for it. I longed to be rid of him for so long- to be free. It was this spring that we were hunting a loup garou far south from here. The creature split him open along the belly and I watched him bleed to death on the ground in front of me… I would have done anything in my power to keep him alive, but I was helpless. He was dead and I was alone. I no longer had a cruel master to lay all my problems upon. I spent all that time wishing him dead, and then I wept over his pyre like a child…”

Her voice was lost in sobs and she said no more. They held one another in silence until Vero had fallen asleep.

They were still holding one another when Vero woke the next morning. She tried to be still so that she would not disturb Jean, who was sleeping peacefully. He looked so innocent and beautiful as he was.

She felt something prod her stomach. She reached a tentative hand down between them. She dare not look beneath the covers. Vero considered his anatomy with equal parts excitement and intimidation.

“Mhm?” Jean opened his eyes.

“Does it please you? I can stop if you wish me to.”

“Don’t.”

He said no more and Vero continued with more confidence.

She had never considered before how a woman made love to a man. It had always been a matter of abstraction to her when she had considered fornication to be a thing that men did to her.

***

“I- did you like it? I don’t have much experience...”

Jean turned them over so he was on top of her, and kissed her again.