Jane, Eve, and I busied ourselves with the final cooking, the readying of vegetables and salads, the arrangements of vessels and dishes, the setting of places. Never had I known them so happy, so radiant. As slaves, owned women, belongings, mere properties, it was theirs, choicelessly, to obey and submit, to strive to be pleasing to masters. In this, women, they found their happiness and fulfillment. They were not men. They were preciously, essentially, and perfectly female. How solicitous they were of their masters. How deferent they were, how graceful, how softly spoken, how eager, how warm, how feminine, how pleased to be owned, to belong, to be collared. And, as slaves, they knew themselves to be not only perfectly and helplessly owned, but to be desired as only a female slave can be desired, desired with all the robust, possessive lust of a master, desired categorically, desired without concession, without quarter, without compromise.
“Would,” said Astrinax, lifting his goblet, “that one other were here, one we know well, one with whom we shared many perils and hardships, the noble Desmond of Harfax!”
“Yes,” said Lykos.
“Yes,” said Lord Grendel.
“Yes!” said the Lady Bina.
A round of ka-la-na had been first served, with a wrapper of nuts.
Jane, Eve, and I were kneeling a bit behind and to the side the diners, Jane near Astrinax, Eve near Lykos, and I near the Lady Bina. The men sat cross-legged, before the small table, as is typical, while the Lady Bina knelt demurely, as is common with free women. In larger, richer domiciles, with more sumptuous appointments, there are sometimes supper couches, and the diners eat while reclining.
“May I take this opportunity,” said Astrinax, “to render thanks to the noble Lady Bina for the gift of a lovely slave girl.”
“And I,” said Lykos, “for the gift of another.”
Jane and Eve, though in collars, put down their heads and blushed with pleasure.
“It is nothing,” said the Lady Bina. “We all owe one another much, and what is a mere collar girl?”
“Nonetheless,” said Astrinax, “they are pleasant to have on one’s chain.”
“Quite,” said Lykos.
“It might interest you to know,” said the Lady Bina, “that I made a similar offer to Desmond of Harfax, twice.”
“I did not know that,” said Astrinax.
“Yes,” said the Lady Bina, “I offered our pretty Allison twice to Desmond of Harfax, but he would not accept her.”
“Interesting,” said Astrinax.
“What is wrong with her?” asked Lykos.
“I do not know,” said the Lady Bina.
“Perhaps she should have more meat on her,” said Lykos.
“Perhaps her character left something to be desired,” said Astrinax. “Long ago, she confessed to me, and to her then master, Menon, he with the restaurant, that she would steal a candy from another slave, if it might be done with impunity.”
“I would not do so now, Master!” I said.
“Why not?” asked Astrinax.
“I have changed,” I said. “I have been longer in the collar. I have learned much in the collar. A woman learns much in the collar. I am different now.”
“I am sure you are,” said the Lady Bina.
“What, then, is the difficulty,” asked Lykos, “not enough meat?”
“I do not think so,” said the Lady Bina. “I have seen enough fellows turn their head to look upon her.”
I do not think I was all that aware of this, at least at the time, but I was pleased to hear it. I felt warm. A slave likes to know that men look upon her with pleasure. She is, after all, a slave.
“It seems,” said the Lady Bina, “that he simply did not want her.”
Tears sprang to my eyes.
“It is my understanding,” said the Lady Bina, “that she is a likely collar slut.”
“Mistress!” I protested.
“Is it not true?” asked the Lady Bina.
“I cannot help what I have become,” I said. “I am collared!”
“You were always a collar slut, Allison,” said Astrinax. “It is merely that you were not always in a collar.”
“I do not understand why he would not accept her,” said the Lady Bina.
“She is not hard on the eyes,” said Lykos, regarding me. “She has nice legs, and ankles.”
“Perhaps her hair,” said the Lady Bina.
“It is muchly grown out now,” said Lykos, “and there are many slaves whose hair is no longer.”
“And it will grow, of course,” said Astrinax.
“Stripped and shackled she would be block ready,” said Lykos.
“What, then?” asked the Lady Bina.
“Let us hear from Allison,” said Astrinax.
“I may speak?” I asked. I did have a general permission to speak in the domicile, but, under the circumstances, I thought it well to inquire.
“Do so,” said the Lady Bina. “You must have views on the matter.”
“I certainly do!” I cried.
“Speak,” said the Lady Bina.
“Noble Desmond of Harfax” I said, “has never had the least interest in the slave, Allison. His supposed interest in her was feigned, in order to better spy on Lord Grendel, whom he suspected of subversive designs. The slave, Allison, was no more than a means to an end, a possible source of information, a pretext by means of which he might obtain a proximity to Lord Grendel, to which end he joined Lord Grendel’s expedition to the Voltai. It is thus not surprising, given the denouement of the expedition, that he should cease to maintain the deceit of interest in a slave. She was no longer of value to him.”
“You see him, then, as a liar, a fraud, a hypocrite?” asked Astrinax.
“Certainly, Master,” I said. “And what may be less clear is that the slave, Allison, had been long aware of his transparent machinations. He fooled her not at all. She easily saw through his childish programs, and secretly despised him all the while. It thus came as no surprise to her that he would not contact the Lady Bina with respect to the slave, Allison, to bid for her, to accept her even as a gift, even to inquire after her. This is precisely what the slave anticipated.”
“I see,” said Lykos.
“Moreover,” I said, “Desmond of Harfax is despicable, so shameless that he has not even acknowledged his duplicity to his fellows. He is a petty, sly, crass fellow who, without leave, without gratitude, has slipped away somewhere, with no word of thanks, no token of the least gratitude, to those with whom he shared miseries and perils, those without whom he may well have perished unnoted in the Voltai. He has not even had the dignity, and kindness, the courtesy and thoughtfulness, to attend this dinner. I assure you, it is a great joy to me that he would not accept me, even as a gift. Muchly do I rejoice in my good fortune. Let it be known to all that that pleases me. It is my greatest fear that I might be owned by him. I would strive to be the worst possible slave to him! I despise the shameless, ungrateful, hypocrite, and fraud, Desmond of Harfax! I loathe him, I hate him! He is thief of trust, a promoter of pretense. He is conniving, base, and worthless! He is a monster! He is ignoble, and without honor.”
“Thank you, Allison,” said the Lady Bina, glancing briefly toward the door to her sleeping chamber.
“I did not think him such a scoundrel,” said Astrinax.
“Nor I,” said Lykos.
I shrugged, and looked down.
“Let us address ourselves to our feast,” said Astrinax.
Jane and Eve made to rise to their feet, to serve.
“Hold,” said the Lady Bina, smiling. “Allison has recently brought a package from the shop of Amyntas. Let us see what it contains.”
Lord Grendel produced the small sack from a pouch at his harnessing, and the Lady Bina undid the knot. “It is the signature knot of Amyntas,” she said. “Yes,” she said, “it is a deck of cards, all doubtless in proper order.” She placed the sack on the table, beside her plate. Lord Grendel then, also from his pouch, handed her a folded sheet of paper, which the Lady Bina opened. “Allison will help us,” she said. “She is illiterate, of course, but she recognizes cards by the designs, and she is quite adept at arranging them.”