The Maiden, chapter fourteen

[maculategiraffe]

Despite Drew's refusal to kiss him, Kyle was filled with a sense of deep wellbeing as he and Drew rounded the house back to the front yard where they'd left Sean dutifully "helping" while Drew shirked his job to tell Kyle everything. And "everything" turned out to be pretty encouraging news for Kyle: Rita didn't mind if he slept with Drew, and Drew didn't think he was a jerk for resenting Sean, and Sean kept looking at him like he was the greatest guy in the history of the world, and overall Kyle was liking the world right now. He reached for Drew's hand as they walked, and Drew let him take it.

As they came around to the front of the house, though, they dropped each others' hands as if they'd both simultaneously been burned, at the sight of Emily stalking up the walk in a short red dress, her long dark braid of hair twitching behind her, and her daughter Adele slung across her chest in a band of bright woven cloth tied at Emily's back. (Where had Sean run off to already?) She looked up at Drew and Kyle; her eyes narrowed, and she lifted her chin in an imperious gesture to approach.

Drew and Kyle obeyed her meekly, stopping a respectful distance away-- Emily didn't like men looming over her, and she was especially tense about it when she had her daughter with her-- but close enough for her to speak to them without straining her voice.

"I don't suppose either of you knows where my sister is," she said.

"She went out this morning, my lady," said Kyle. "Sean said she said she was going to troubleshoot a weather circle. I don't know if she's back yet."

Emily gave a short nod. "And my niece?"

"I don't know, ma'am," said Kyle; the last he'd seen Carol was yesterday at the ritual, which he didn't think Emily was supposed to know about.

"All right," she said. "Walk with me, Kyle."

Kyle blinked, and then hurried to fall into step with her as she advanced towards the front door, leaving Drew behind.

"Don't panic," she said without looking at him. "I don't necessarily disapprove. Rita was too attached to you. I'm hoping she'll be smarter with this next one. I'm just curious-- what did you do?"

"Ma'am?"

"Don't think I don't keep tabs on my only sister's emotional bonds," said Emily, and stopped to open the front door and walk in without knocking. "She's withdrawn from you, and after two years and no baby and a new stud didn't do it, I'm curious what did."

Kyle opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Emily was heading towards the parlor where Rita usually received her for unannounced visits; she didn't turn to look at him as she went on, "I know it's not something that she thinks it's reasonable to get angry about, and although that covers an appalling amount of ground with Rita, I'm almost sure it rules out your having been stupid enough to hurt the new stud. If you've got a new protectrix in mind, you might be smarter than I gave you credit for-- but I don't get that impression, either. So what did you do?"

"Lady Emily," said Bonnie, catching up to them out of nowhere, slightly out of breath; Emily went into the parlor without breaking her stride, and Bonnie followed her. "The magistra has a guest right now, but I'll let her know you're here."

"Do that," said Emily, and sat down, adjusting Adele's sling slightly so that the still-sleeping baby lay just against her breast. "Thank you."

Bonnie went out, past Kyle, whom she gave a curious glance. When he looked up at Emily, hoping for a dismissal, she beckoned instead, summoning him further into the parlor; he stood before her, hoping his knees wouldn't give out on him. He'd never been alone in Emily's presence before, never faced her without Rita there too; he felt as if a lioness he'd been watching from behind a protective glass plate had suddenly smashed through it with no apparent effort and was sitting there amid a mess of bright fragments, idly contemplating whether he was worth the trouble of devouring. What did she mean, Rita had withdrawn from him?

"Down," said Emily, and Kyle sank to his knees, glad of the additional physical steadiness it supplied, even if it didn't exactly make him feel less vulnerable. "You don't have to thump like a jackrabbit; I can see she hasn't shown you any anger, and if your protectrix doesn't see fit to punish you, then you're safe, whatever you've done. But you must have done something."

Before he could think what to answer, she said, "Never mind. I'll get it out of Rita. It can't be anything too bad, I suppose, or you wouldn't have been trotting around so merrily in the yard; if she thought she was justified in getting angry, you'd know it all right."

Adele had awakened and was blinking thoughtfully up at her mother; suddenly she made a tiny fist and slammed it into Emily's breast, and Emily looked down, a soft, sweet smile transfiguring her face. Kyle had never thought Rita particularly resembled her sister, until Emily had her baby and that smile had emerged, a smile like the one Rita sometimes gave Kyle, though he'd never seen Emily direct it at anyone but Adele. He wondered how motherhood would change Rita; would she begin to direct all the tenderness she now showed Kyle towards the daughter he couldn't give her?

The baby bleated vaguely, an unobtrusive sound of dawning complaint.

"Greedy," Emily said affectionately, and began unbuttoning her dress; Kyle watched as she pulled a breast out and guided Adele's little mouth to the nipple, where it latched on quickly and began to suck. Emily watched her daughter for a minute in silence, and without looking up at Kyle, asked, "How is the new one? What's his name-- John?"

"Sean," said Kyle, and licked his lips, suddenly aware of the dryness of his mouth.

"Sean," Emily repeated. "And you're not pulsating with jealousy any more when he comes up. That's interesting. I don't know what I think of that. Why aren't they sleeping together yet?"

Kyle was startled again, and hesitated, not knowing how to answer. Emily waited. Finally he said, "He's a maiden."

"Oh, of course he is," said Emily, rolling her eyes and looking back down at the baby as if only it could possibly understand this madness. "Of course, of all the men at the center, Rita picked a maiden. When is she going to do the ceremony, then?"

"Two weeks," said Kyle, glad to have a definite answer for this one.

"Why so long?"

"She said she wanted to take it slow," said Kyle, with only partial truth this time. "Not scare him."

"Yes, that sounds like Rita," said Emily. "Though you're lying about something-- I don't know what. It doesn't matter. Has Sean met Carol?"

"Emily," said Rita mildly from the doorway, "how nice to see you."

Kyle could have cried with relief at the sound of her voice; he wanted to scamper like a puppy across the floor and hide behind the skirt of her robe, but he stayed still, awaiting her instructions. (Withdrawn from him? She hadn't-- had she?)

She came in, her fingertips skimming over Kyle's hair as her full skirt brushed his arm, and sat down in a chair, and beckoned to Kyle, touching her knee. He did something very close to scampering then, and buried his head in her lap.

"To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?" Rita asked; her hand touched the back of his neck, her nails playing gently over his skin. Kyle found himself clutching the soft gray fabric of her skirt in his fists.

"He's crumpling up your robe," said Emily. "You shouldn't let him climb all over you like that in front of people, Rita. It's not dignified."

"If I'd had more warning," said Rita, still caressing Kyle, "I might have been able to locate my best company manners."

"Yes, well, when my own sister doesn't keep me updated on her life--"

"--for two whole days, Emily?"

"Eventful days," said Emily. "Days with a new stud in the house, who turns out to be a maiden, according to Kyle-- and he says you're waiting two weeks to remedy that, which I'd think was ridiculous if it weren't you. What's he leaving out, by the way? He got that little vibration they always do when they think they're being smart by telling you half the truth."

"You might as well know," said Rita, her fingers in Kyle's hair now, combing softly through it. (She couldn't be angry-- she wouldn't touch him like this if she were angry. I can see she hasn't shown you any anger, said Emily's voice matter-of-factly in his head. If she thought she was justified in getting angry, you'd know it all right. What the hell had she meant?) "I suppose it's better you hear it from me than from Carol. We tried the ritual yesterday morning, and Sean panicked and disrupted it. Tanya advised me to wait and gain more of his trust before we try it again."

There was a pause before she added, "It would take two weeks to get any other man from the center anyway, Emily."

"At least," said Emily, and her voice made Kyle's fists tighten on Rita's skirt, "tell me you punished him."

"I didn't," said Rita, and Emily exhaled sharply and audibly. "He was already completely penitent and completely terrified, and I couldn't think of anything constructive that a punishment would accomplish. And I'm not really interested in hearing any more on the subject, Emily. I run my household as I see fit, and when I want advice, I ask for it."

"All right, all right," said Emily, but her voice wasn't cold or tight or quarrelsome as Kyle would have expected; she sounded distracted. Maybe the baby was doing something interesting. "Keep being sentimental. Someday you'll realize."

"Realize what?"

"Oh," said Emily, in the same slightly absent tone, "that men are animals we have to keep indoors to keep the species going."

"They're the same species as us, Emily," said Rita, cupping the nape of Kyle's neck and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"If you say so."

"I do say so," said Rita. "We conceive and bear them, don't we?"

"If we're unlucky, yes," said Emily.

"Not all women see it that way."

"What does that mean? You're hoping for a son?"

"It wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen," said Rita. "There's a woman upstairs who doesn't seem too disappointed in hers. I met her at the weather circle this morning. She's Sean's mother."






Sean hadn't felt this good since he'd been too little to be thinking of girlfriends yet. His mother had always been affectionate with him, and she'd been pleased with his good marks in school, but his lack of success with women had worried her, for what he'd realized too late was very good reason. Now he'd gained the protection of the magistra-- not that he'd done anything to earn it except look like Kyle, but his mother's pride in him was still a wonderful feeling, and she was being more affectionate than she'd been since he was shorter than her; she'd gotten down on the bedroom floor next to him to take him in her arms, and pulled his head down on her shoulder. The sense of rest and peace he felt was so profound that it made him realize just how exhausted and frightened he'd felt, and for how long.

"Always be obedient, sweetheart," she was saying, "and eager to please your protectrix."

"I will," he said fervently, and he would, he would; his disobedience had been a million years ago, before his protectrix had started doing unbelievable things: letting him write a letter and taking it to his mother, bringing his mother home to him, telling his mother he'd been good and that she'd raised a fine son, letting them be alone together, promising regular visits and the opportunity to correspond, and apparently fixing some kind of problem his mother had been having at work, to boot. Sean wasn't sure he'd ever be able to express his gratitude to Rita, but he certainly didn't think lack of eagerness would be a problem.

"I know you will," said Julia, and he felt her lips on his shorn hair. "And she'll care for you-- much better than I could have. Her power-- oh, Sean, if you could father a daughter with that kind of power, I'd be the proudest woman in the world."

"I'll try," said Sean, even though everyone knew the father didn't have anything to do with the power of the daughter. He just hoped he could father any daughter at all, and not a son, or no child at all, like Kyle. He wondered how his mother would feel if he ended up like Kyle: unsuccesful, infertile, but kept on in the household because of his protectrix' affection for him. She might still be proud, that another woman wanted to take care of him because he'd pleased her, just by being good.

Or maybe-- he thought, his heart leaping up suddenly-- if he couldn't father a child on Rita, and Rita didn't want him any more, she could let him go back and live under his mother's protection again. Surely Rita had the power to arrange that. But would Julia agree?

"I don't want to leave you," Julia said, hugging him tight, and Sean thought, like a prayer: she would, she would. "But that's silly-- I'm already imposing on the magistra's generosity, and I have to get back to work. I don't suppose they can fire me when it's the magistra I've been with, but still. She's having her assistant drive me back-- isn't that generous? She said she would have driven me herself, but her sister dropped in unexpectedly and of course there's no need-- Darling, what is it? Does the magistra's sister frighten you?"

"No-- no," said Sean quickly, trying to suppress the stab of worry at the mention of Emily. "I mean, I've only met her once, but-- well, the magistra will protect me."

"That's right," said Julia, satisfied. "Of course she will. And I'll see you again as soon as I can. And you'll write to me."

"Yes," said Sean, trying not to cling as she pulled away, got to her feet, and raised him to his. She held him by his shoulders, then, and looked up at him, her eyes shining.

"Be good," she said, and hugged him fiercely, one more time. "I just hope I can find the front door, in this big house!"

He watched her as she turned and left him, and when she stopped in the doorway to kiss her hand to him, he smiled. Then he went and lay down on his bed, on his back. Emily was downstairs, but that didn't matter so much now, surely, not in the face of all his protectrix had just done for him.

He got up, after a little while, and went to the desk in the corner of the bedroom, which was furnished with notepaper and pens, as befitted a guest room; impulsively, he sat down and started to write.






There was no doubt that Emily had been making Kyle nervous, but that wasn't surprising; she didn't like him much and had never bothered to conceal it, and even though Emily would never hurt a man under her sister's protection, Rita could understand why finding himself alone with her had upset him a bit. It was odd, though, that as Rita caressed him and talked to Emily, Kyle calmed only a little; he was still agitated and uncertain, clinging to her skirts as if for protection from some real danger, not just the nervousness Emily tended to induce in men by being Emily.

"Because her unhappiness over her son was affecting her work," she said to Emily, "and I had the power to fix that with a quick car ride. Why not?"

"Oh," said Emily, shifting Adele to her other breast; Rita watched her niece suckle peacefully, wondering with a pang how long it would be before she nursed a daughter of her own. "So it was all about the health of the weather circle."

"Well, I thought it would be good for Sean too," said Rita, raising an eyebrow; Emily always tried to sound as if she were Rita's own mother, instead of her sister, and not even her that-much-older sister. Not older like Viviane, who had had some excuse for trying to boss Rita around. "There's nothing wrong with that. Sean is still settling in with me. If it makes him feel safer to be allowed to see his mother--"

"Why not?" said Emily ominously, as if she were about to expound at length on exactly why not, but instead she said, "Well, as you say, it's your household."

"Yes, it is," said Rita. "And that reminds me-- it's about time for the men to be eating lunch, and I need to speak with them about something while they're all together. Will you excuse me, Emily?"

"Of course," said Emily, and Rita rose, feeling a momentary tug at her skirt as Kyle didn't quite let go in time. She smoothed the crumpled, slightly damp places on her skirt where he'd been holding on.

"I won't be long," she said to Emily. "I'll get Sean, and speak to the men in the kitchen, and then I'll tell Carol you're here, and we can have something to eat and catch up. Come with me, Kyle."

"I hope it's nothing serious," said Emily, while Kyle took Rita's outstretched hand and got shakily to his feet; his anxiety was palpable, though whether it had more to do with Emily or with what Rita might have to speak to the men about, she didn't know. She didn't let go of his rather sweaty-palmed hand; she squeezed it, and he squeezed hers back, tight.

"You don't mind waiting?" she asked Emily again.

"Adele and I are fine," said Emily, detaching the baby from her breast and lifting it to her shoulder to gently pat the small, white-swathed back. "Don't you worry about us, Aunt Rita. You tend to your own household."


Rita waited until she and Kyle were well out of earshot of the parlor before she said, "Run down to the kitchen, dear, and tell the other men I'll be down in a little while to speak to them. It's nothing they need to worry about-- or you, either-- just a quick word. I'm going to get Sean, and then I'll be down."

Kyle nodded, but didn't let go of her hand. She squeezed his again and looked up at his worried face.

"It's all right, Kyle," she said, and added, "Have you spoken to Drew this morning?"

He nodded again, even more anxious, and she said, "Then you know I've given my consent-- pending some testing to make sure he doesn't get you sick. I'll try to get that done as quickly as possible; it shouldn't be difficult to arrange."

He swallowed, and said in a small voice, "May I kiss him?"

Rita looked up at him, thinking about the question, her eyes fixed on Kyle's mouth; when she realized where she was looking, she raised them to his eyes, and smiled at him.

"You may do anything that isn't apt to be contagious," she said. "Kissing should be just fine."

"Thank you," said Kyle, and Rita reached up and patted his shoulder. He bowed his head and started to turn to go, but she held his shoulder, and he looked back at her expectantly.

"That was nice, how you got when we were talking about Sean," she said. "Even Emily thought so. Did you notice how surprised she was? I suppose it never occurred to her that you might actually feel-- well, protective, about him. But she could tell-- we both could."

She curled a hand around the back of his neck and drew him down, just enough so that she could reach to brush her lips lightly against his cheek.

"Go on," she said. "I'll be with you in a bit."