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It was accidental that I ran into him again at the Palace, as I was leaving a meeting with
your grandfather. He reintroduced himself, and he invited me to accompany him out to view a
new horse he had acquired. It was a harmless offer, so I agreed. She laughed bitterly. By
then, I had spoken with enough servants to know some of his reputation. The violence was so at
odds with the man who had doted on me at dinner, though, that I refused to believe they were
true, as told. In any matter, I would be accompanying him to the stables, not a bedchamber; I
determined that I would be safe.
Pity you were too innocent to understand that a man does not require such niceties as a
feather mattress. Some of his thoughts from the previous evening surfaced in his mind, and he
winced in chagrin.
There was no horse, she said lightly. It was an empty stall, and Vlad pressed me into
the corner. He kissed me, hard, and when I tried to scream, he slapped me with the back of his
hand. He promised that I needed much more than he was capable of at that moment, and then he
smiled and walked away. I was horrified, even more so when he called back that I should be
prepared for his next visit, when he would complete the bargain he needed to strike.
I tried to tell Lorelei, Aislin, but they were too busy to listen. Aislin was preparing to
move into her new manor, and Lorelei was planning her wedding. I went to my father, but he
just laughed and assured me that it was okay for an unwed man and woman to kiss. She shook
her head. He seemed to ignore my protests that it had been forced.
Or assumed you were misreading the situation due to your naiveté.
She looked up at him, surprised, and then she nodded slightly. I never considered that
possibility. She sighed, and her expression saddened. Perhaps I owe my father an apology.
That still remains to be seen. Please, continue.
I avoided the Court when possible, and I feigned illness to escape invitations to Balls or
dinners. My father began to receive complaints, and he lectured me about my duties to our
family. When I tried, again, to tell him of the assault, he began accepting invitations in my stead.
It is no surprise Vlad s was the first.
Davis A Matter of Tradition 27
He claimed he wished to walk with me one afternoon, to show me some new
pastureland his family had acquired. I know now that it was the land Father had hoped I would
inherit upon wedding Vlad. It explains why my father ordered me to accept, even riding with me
out to meet Vlad. She shuddered. It is beautiful land, but I will never set foot on it again.
She drew her knees to her chest, hugging them with her arms. It was first time he had
seen her adopt a defensive position, and it chilled his spine. Is this what the night sees of you? A
child huddled in the corner, praying that the monsters will pass you by? He had an urge to put
an arm around her, but he resisted.
The walk was simply that, to begin with, and I wondered at the change in him. He
was, again, that charming man, courteously lifting me over fallen logs or handing me across
streams. I actually began to suspect the previous encounter may have been brought on by heavy
drink -- a momentary aberration. I have no doubt other women have fallen prey to similar
thought patterns, and learned to regret them, as have I.
More than I think even I know.
She bowed her head, closing her eyes, and her voice began to waver. There were three
of them, waiting for us. Not members of the Court, but men who worked on the Tahon land, and
every one of them built along the lines of Vlad. They grabbed me, and they held me down,
mocking me. I tried to scream, and they forced a cloth into my mouth. One each held an arm
and a leg, and the third& the third opened my dress. She was shaking violently, and he caught
sight of a tear on her cheek.
Stop, Bryane, there is no need to continue, he said quickly, reaching out to touch her,
though he avoided actual physical contact.
I have to finish, she whispered, and she looked up at him with haunted eyes. I have
yet to tell anyone of this, save one, and if I stop speaking now, I will never be able to rest
tonight. The memory plays through my head, and only at its completion does it leave me in
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