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"Put you aside?" Talin asked.
The look Maela gave him made it clear Talin knew nothing of marriage. "No man wants to bed a woman who is more belly than breast, Talin. As a wife, my duty is to produce the heirs, so once I'm bred, there's no point, right?"
"No," Talin said. "That's not how love works."
"She's saying your brother isn't in love," I told him. "Their marriage is a contract, and one that only benefits him." Then I looked back to Maela. "But we can change that."
"How?" she asked.
"You are Lady Ranndor, the head of the baron's house. That's what I was trying to tell you earlier. Zeal doesn't care if you are a man or a woman. He doesn't think you're lesser because you can create life! In our temple, the sexes are not segregated. We are not judged by whether we urinate sitting or standing. Of all the gods, Zeal seems to respect women the most, and there are no barriers to us. We also have trouble understanding why the populace thinks otherwise."
"Ok?" she asked.
The words began to fall from my mouth. "Maela, I'm saying that you are the baron's equal. By the laws and the traditions, you have every right he does, and exactly the same power. You are as much the head of this household as he is. It's society that has trained you to be meek and submissive, not our laws, and certainly not our god."
"He sounds like a much kinder god than I was told," she admitted.
I just nodded at that. "Zeal is amazing. He's kind and considerate. Oh, he has his rages, but they tend to be for us, not at us. He thinks of his priests as something to care for, not simply use and abuse. His patrons? I think he misses them. It's been too long, and too few people believe anymore."
"But you do," she realized.
I nodded. "I truly do. Not that he's an allegory, or that our faith is conceptual. I believe that there is a real walking, breathing man who uses temptation to nudge us onto the path that is best. Sometimes, following our desires is what makes us become more, and that's his power."
"I was raised in Compassion," she reminded me.
"And?" I asked. "They are siblings. There's nothing saying that you can't follow both. That's the entire reason we have a seventh temple to all of the gods."
"You don't think Merci would be offended if I began to worship her brother?" she asked.
I could only shrug. "I don't know Merci. I can tell you that at least two of my brothers serve in her temple, but that's the extent of my knowledge. However, I also can't see her - of all the gods - being the jealous type. What does she lose if you believe in her brother as well? Nothing. What does she gain? More faith."
"But Tath makes it sound like the Temple of Temptation is such a dangerous place. As if exposing myself to even the beliefs will corrupt my faith in Merci."
"No," I promised. "Maela, I think he likes you quiet and submissive. I think he's scared that you'll realize you are just as powerful as him. I can almost promise that the idea of you calling a priest to fill your bed because he isn't? That's why he wants to keep you away from the so-called orgies."
Her cheeks immediately began to flush. "I... No. You see..." The stammering only barely made those few words.
I glanced back. "Love, would you do me a favor?"
Talin bowed his head. "I'll be in the hall."
Maela bounced Haryth on her lap, doing her best to not look at Talin leaving, but her face was only getting more red. "I'm sorry," she breathed as soon as he closed the door behind him.
"You're fine," I promised.
"But you just sent him out!"
"And that's his job," I assured her. "Maela, how many times has your husband visited your bed?"
"Six?" she guessed. "Maybe seven? I conceived early in our marriage."
"Is it good?" I asked, shifting to sit on my hip at her feet. "The sex, I mean. Is it exciting, or is it more of a chore?"
"I..." She paused to fan at her face. "When we met, he was so dangerous and forward. It was exciting. On our wedding night, I was amazed that anything could be like that, but Pia says it's normal for men's eyes to wander."
"And for women's," I assured her. "All I'm saying is that priests are available to teach you how to enjoy the act. How to overcome your fears safely. How to be more seductive when you can catch his eye, and if that's what you want, even how to lure him back into your bed."
"Really?" she asked. "Can you help?"
