She didn't smile back. She trained her eyes on one knee of his tan, suede breeches and stood perfectly still, afraid to move. Afraid to breathe.
"And your hair!" He curled a bit of it around one finger. "It's delicious. Such a lovely color. I could almost pretend I was in bed with an overlord woman."
Madam Cawrocc, leaving a customer on the other side of the slave dock, came swiftly, her skirts sweeping the icy deck. "Lord Carrull, I'm so glad to see you today. How is the last girl working for you?"
Glancing over, Repentance found Sober looking her way with a disgusted expression on his face. She hung her head, her cheeks burning.
The overlord man bowed to Madam Cawrocc. "There's not a thing wrong with the last girl, Mertina. Not one little thing. But I've been thinking lately of giving her to my brother-in-law and buying another for myself—I'm hankering for something new."
"Good plan," Madam Cawrocc said. "Let me show you some nice girls over this way." She took his elbow to steer him toward some of the "britches and braids" girls.
He pulled back. "But I like this girl, Mertina."
Madam Cawrocc laughed. "And well you should. You have good taste, and no one can tell me different. However ... " She leaned close. "She's quite out of your price range, my lord," she said quietly. "I fear that few outside of the prince himself will be able to afford this treat."
The man gave an embarrassed giggle. "Oh, yes, I see. I had no idea. Her coloring makes her worth so much, no doubt."
Madam Cawrocc nodded, as she led him away.
Repentance blew out the breath she was holding. But she barely had time to take another breath before she was confronted with another potential buyer.
An enclosed skim carriage pulled up in front of the dock. A woman disembarked and approached. She took Repentance's parchment packet down and flipped through it. "A sister in her fourteenth year? Is she as pretty as you?"
Repentance dropped her gaze and said nothing.
The woman leaned in. "When I ask you a question, you answer."
"I don't know how to address an overlord lady," Repentance said.
"Look at me."
She was beautiful. Creamy skin, pale blue eyes, and silver hair. She smiled displaying a row of straight, white teeth.
"I am no lady," she said. "You are to call me Jadin. That's my name. And you are to answer when I ask a question."
Repentance nodded.
"Is your sister pretty?"
Repentance thought of Comfort, rosy–cheeked and with a constant sparkle dancing in her merry brown eyes. "Not pretty, I'm afraid," she said, without really knowing why she lied. She merely felt a need to protect Comfort from this woman who showed too much interest in pretty slave girls. "An unfortunate birthmark covers half her face."
The woman gave a soft chuckle. "This once, I will let that go. Once, you lie to me and live. Once, because I admire your bravery. A second time and I will think you are stupid and obstinate rather than brave."
She waved the parchment she held. "I have a sketch right here. I cannot easily tell if she is pretty or not, but I can see that she has no birthmark. So then, I assume she is pretty, since you felt the need to lie to make her ugly. That means you have one pretty sister and ... "She paused, looking at the papers again " ... two little brothers. Hmm. Sometimes little boys are wanted. If not, I can always trade them."
Repentance gaped in horror.
Jadin stood back, studying Repentance.
She nodded.
Stepping closer, she examined Repentance's face and looked into her mouth.
Madam Cawrocc swished over. "Jadin! Is she not what I promised?" She tapped the parchment Jadin held. "And this one has a sister."
"Maybe," Jadin said noncommittally.
"She's beautiful! She's perfect!"
"She's alright."
"Alright?" Madam Cawrocc sounded shocked. She began untying Repentance's robe.
Repentance shook her head and tried to back away but the post to which she was tied gave her no room to maneuver.
Madam Cawrocc paid no attention, her hands following Repentance as she moved. "She's worth every bit of 25,000 beads, Jadin, and you know it. There's not a blemish on her entire body." She worked her way down the robe, undoing more and more of the little ties. When she had untied half of them, she pushed the robe back. It slipped down, stopping at the place where Repentance's hands were tied behind her. She stood naked from the waist up before Providence and all the world.
Repentance squealed and hunched her shoulders forward trying to hide herself.
Madam Cawrocc scowled at her. "Stand up straight, girl. How can anyone see your beauty if you slouch over?"
In horror Repentance saw Sober staring. A second later, he looked up at her face, his cheeks flaming, and then he mercifully turned away.
From across the dock Lord Carrull stared, a huge smile plastered across his lecherous face. A buzz of sound and movement penetrated her senses. People seemed to be drawing toward her. Three boys in the square stopped their skipball game and approached the dock.
Jadin laughed. "Look at her blush."
"Yes, quite fetching, isn't it? She's obviously never serviced anyone before. The prince will be pleased, don't you think?"
Jadin reached behind Repentance and took hold of the robe. "What I think, is that we need to cover the poor girl up." She hung the robe around Repentance's shoulders and tied the first few ties so it would stay up. "Yes, I'll take her," Jadin said. "Have her sent to me at the Hot Springs healing house."
Repentance gasped.
Jadin glanced over toward the other robed girl. "Two beautiful girls failing at the button ceremonies. Providence smiled on you today, eh, Cawrocc?" She crossed over to inspect the
