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‘And this, of course, is theroom’

Sadie nodded her head in acknowledge As yet the vast room did not reek of ression, like the dealing rooms she was used to, but no doubt they soon would

‘That youngto earlier,’ Drax demanded abruptly ‘What exactly is your relationship?’

If the question had come from anyone else, Sadie knew she would have refused to answer it But she was becoht to have even his most intimate questions answered Either that or her e so entrapped by hi about her and her past Though of course she wasn’t silly enough to let herself get ens of wanting an involvement, was she?

‘As I’ve already told you, orked together’

‘His body language suggested that his relationship with you was ue,’ Drax said

Sadie shook her head ‘The youngfloor always behave like that It’s part of their ’

‘So you weren’t involved in a sexual relationship with him?’ Drax persisted

He wasn’t asking these questions on his own account, he assured himself Why should he be? After all it was of no interest to hi of his brother

He knew Vere would never accept as his wife a wo to Sadie—even as his temporary wife It was unrealistic, of course, to expect her not to have had a sexual partner—even more than one—but the people of Dhurahn would have certain expectations about the wives of their rulers, and those expectations would have to beto be temporary

‘No, I wasn’t,’ Sadie reaffir ashow unco to hide, or at least not the kind of thing that her eht have to hide, but she was acutely sensitive about the fact that for a wo the kind of sexual experience she e when a woman in her twenties was proud to say openly that she was still a virgin; in earlier tiirls had been e would probably have been looked upon as objects of pity—rejects, unable to find a husband and bringing shame on her family

Nohile it was laughable that any woman should feel rejected because she wasn’tkind of unkindness, especially froin

Sadie could well ian would react if he knew the truth about her Which was, of course, why she hadher secret to herself

It wasn’t as if she hadto celibacy—far fro at the right tiht have left it later than norinity, she had started to worry about how any potential partner e that he was to be her first lover That in turn had caused her to keep the th, so that the whole situation had grown steadily more burdensorim humour

Drax watched her, wondering what it was causing the defensive and almost secretive look to darken her eyes, and what it was she was so obviously withholding fro She was lying to him about her