Delay.

You look at Miriam with a plea in your eyes. You feel far more fearful of meeting the mistress than you are of meeting your master, and even though you know you must meet her eventually do you not feel ready yet.

You look around the room for any excuse to delay. The beds look soft and inviting. You might even be willing to indulge Miriam's kisses if it meant putting off the frightful introduction to your master's wife. Then you notice that there is a table laid out with bread, fruit and cheese, and you realize honestly how hungry you are.

"Please," you say to Miriam, "I'm very hungry and also tired. I don't feel ready to meet the mistress yet. Would it displease her terribly if I ate and rested before meeting her?"

"Yes, it probably would," Pearl answered.

Miriam however contradicted her immediately, "No it wouldn't, Pearl. The mistress is a busy woman, and she said to bring the new **** once she is settled. If the mistress gets angry because we've offered our new companion proper hospitality I will take the blame."

Luna and Adina serve the food as you sit beside Miriam. You are beginning to feel more like an honored guest than a captive, though you don't know how long such indulgences will last.

You can't remember the last time to ate until you were truly sated. The bread is soft and fresh, not the stale crusts which is all your family could afford. There are fruits on the tray that you have never tried before, like pomegranate and grapes. In addition to the feast, which the women assure you is nothing at all compared to one of the master's grand banquets, Miriam also offers you wine. The drink is strong and it goes to your head. By the time you have eaten your fill, you feel sleepy from the drink. You curl up next to Miriam on the couch and drift to sleep as she strokes your hair.

You dream. Your dream is strange and erotic. A man whose face is in shadow touches you. He slides his hand over your thigh, and kisses your neck and your earlobe. He is whispering to you, but you cannot quite make out what he is saying. You try to focus, in order to make out his words and the effort of concentration awakens you.

You wake up to discover that your dream is not entirely a dream.

There really is a man upon you. Touching you. Kissing you. Your awareness turns into panic. You forget where you are, and have no idea who you are with.

You sit up and look around. The man beside you chuckles softly. Now that you are fully awake you remember where you are and why. "Where is Miriam and the others," you ask.

"I told them to go away. They have gone out to the garden."

You look at this man. It is evening and the light coming through the window is dimmer than it was when you fell asleep, but there is still enough light to see his features clearly. His face is handsome. He had broad muscular shoulders and a powerful chest. His dark hair is long enough to touch his shoulders, and he is young. Not more than a year or two older than you are.

This man reaches out for you and draws you back toward him. He still has a hand on your thigh. "Now tell me pretty girl, are you a maiden?"

"What?" you ask, startled by the question.

"I want to know if you've lain with a man before. I was prepared to check for myself, but you're awake now, so I might as well just ask you. Are you a maiden?"