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"Poor innocent," said the whore with the slightest hint of contempt "He does it because he can Nay, listen I hear so"

Terezia bolted down the servants’ corridor Before the noise of her hasty escape had faded, the whore threw herself onto the bed with a chuckle Rolling over, she reached for a silver tray, found a goblet, and raised herself up to sip at the wine contentedly "Ai, Lady When I think of those poor wo a host of brats in a filthy hovel down by the marsh, I thank God that you and I lie here in silks"

"Beauty doesn’t last forever," said Liath, feeling the headache coht she herself must look in her tunic, fallen loose because she had no belt, with her quiver strapped to her back Yet the whore smiled as seductively at Liath as if she, too, wore a fine shift to mark her exalted status, as if they had shared other intiht-draped cha Liath even took a step forward, as if to go lie down on that bed beside the pretty whore, as if her bodyher It was like fighting a stubborn horse, to grab hold of a chair and sit down solidly, with a thump

"Oh, don’t talk tohihed, not kindly "Iron head, indeed He’s as elegant as an ax, is the king Pu like his presbyter, is he, darling? My Lord, now there’s a true ht and handsoet all lost in, and the hands of a saint Haven’t you ever snuck into St Thecla’s Chapel to watch hi? I have, and I know you have, too I just wonder what it would be like to have those hands soliciting ant as he is, thoughtful and wise But I see the look in his eyes He’s all lit inside, God’s chosen one" She sighed so passionately, shifted so sensuously on the bed, that Liath felt all on fire, re the ecstasies known to the body "Don’t you wish he’d choose you?"

"Yes," she whispered, not sure what question she was answering, except that arousal warred with nausea as her thoughts sharpened for an instant She had to get out of here She lurched out of the chair, tipping it over behind her, and fled to the door

But instead of the safety of the servants’ corridor, she stumbled into an anteroom so soft with carpets that her bare feet made no sound as she hurried across the rooainst a doorfra the ancient Eriffins

In the di aloud from the Holy Verses in a voice so beautifully composed and melodious that like a roped lamb she was drawn in past a carved wooden screen into a vast and subdued bedcha death

"‘In those days,’" the voice declai Savaiven the task of sleeping beside the holy curtain that concealed the glory of God The laone out, and while Sava in the temple the voice of God called out to her, and she answered, "I’" She ran to the veiled woman and said, "Here I am You called me" But the veiled woman replied, "I didn’t call you Go back to sleep’"

That harle laed wo on the coverlet were seamed with blue veins, as pale and thin as finest parchment Her eyes were closed One could only tell she was alive because she had the merest brush of color in her cheeks and, once, an eyelid flickered at the expressive lift of the reader’s voice Anotheron with a rapt face The reader’s face was concealed from Liath because his back was turned, but she sa his robe fell in elegant drapery froht as he continued to read

"‘So she went back and lay down again But God called a second tiot up and ran to the holy woh," Liath breathed, lips h she hadn’t uts, and she could not move

He turned to see who had come in "Who is there?" he asked softly She knew she should run, but her legsher, he looked surprised and even a little shy Was he actually blushing as a youth ht faced with the lady for whouileless passion? It was hard to tell because the light was behind him