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our realm,” I said
complacently. I ate a sliver of the fish, which was bathed in a delicate white
sauce flavored with capers and lemon and sprinkled with chopped, roasted nuts.
    “Yes. Negotiations would be easier with all three parties in
one place at the same time.”
    I smiled. “You and your delegation are welcome to stay as
long as you wish.” I had not learned everything I wanted to glean from Kaldir
and was pleased that he would remain.

Chapter Three
     
    My time of the moon was close, and I was often in the grip
of an almost uncontrollable randiness. My only comfort was knowing that I was
not the first queen to face this dilemma and that I had outlets for my
energies.
    After dinner, during one of my few unscheduled moments, I
entered a bower called the Royal Privilege and met my selected guards. They
were the same two who had pleasured me so wonderfully on my Exhibition Day, and
I had returned to them again and again. Parron and Rall had never failed me,
together or separately. They had sworn fealty to me and I could trust them to
observe the limits I also obeyed… I was not so sure of Frayn, Geoman or Kaldir.
    The bower, a small balconied bedroom, had an overview of a
heated marble bathing pool that was a popular trysting place. Vines twining up
the castle wall as well as potted foliage on the balcony hid us from the lovers
below. It was ideal for self-pleasure as well as assignations, and as my
seventeenth starturn approached, I visited it often. Most frequently I was
alone but tonight craved more stimulation. The attentions of the males had
heated my blood. It might have been my imagination, but I believed that every
glance from Geoman, Frayn or Kaldir held erotic promise. By the time dinner was
over, more than spices, wine and tea had warmed me.
    To preserve appearances, I accompanied Kaldir to the
anteroom of his quarters and bade him good sleep. I had wanted to test him with
a kiss, but the presence of our respective retinues quelled any advance in our
physical relationship. I did not know how I was going to get him alone, and I
would not consider mating with anyone without so much as a kiss or a touch
passing between us.
    I pondered the question as I went back to my suite and,
dismissing everyone but Maia, asked her to order Parron and Rall to the Royal
Privilege. With immediate understanding, she said, “I will also ensure you are
undisturbed, Your Majesty.”
    When I climbed the stairs to the fourth floor, the guards
were already in the room, lighting the fire. Dressed in formal black-and-red
livery, they also were armed, which surprised me. “Swords?” I said, with a
question in my voice.
    “Lord Parlous’ orders, Your Majesty.” Rall kneeled before
me. “Caution, with the foreigners in the castle.”
    “I suppose that is wise,” I said. While Parron tended the
fire, I took Rall’s hand and led him outside. Below us, flambeaux revealed
naked figures frolicking in the heated waters. I thought I recognized Frayn,
heard Lord Geoman’s low laugh and the titters of several of my ladies-in-waiting.
I wished them well but would not join them.
    But watching was an option. Indeed, it was the purpose of
this bower.
    Lifting my skirts, I pressed Rall’s blond head toward my
quim. He wore his hair long, often tied at his nape, and I loved to tug it free
of its confining band and feel it softly sweep my thighs. As he burrowed
beneath my dress, seeking the sweetest spot, one of the ladies sat on the white
marble coping at the pool’s edge. Opening her legs, she crooked a beckoning
finger to Geoman. He rose out of the water, his body glistening with moisture,
damp hair clinging to his skull. Smiling, he kneeled before her and buried his
face in her muff. At the same moment, Rall kissed a sensitive spot behind my
knee. Geoman’s lady and I moaned in unison.
    Parron left the fire, now crackling merrily in the grate
and, behind me, set his hands on my shoulders. “May I, Your Majesty?” He tugged
the