Page 52 of Tashama
Aleron smiled. He waved to his servant who bowed then hurried away.I cannot give her to Loran no matter how much Carissian advises me to do so.“I think you must be like the mermaid who relishes such delicacies of the sea.”
“Oh, yes. Living in the heart of Texas like I did, lobsters were so expensive and brought in from such a distance, I rarely had the opportunity to enjoy them.”
“Tell me about this Texas.” Aleron took a drink of his wine.
“It’s a big place with rolling hills, lakes, rivers, prairies, semi-tropical areas, palm trees, pine forests, canyons, beaches, the Gulf of Mexico. You can just about see anything you’d want to see without ever leaving the state.”
“Like here.”
Aleron studied the veils on Tashama’s hair, then turned to a servant. “Leave the trays of food here. We’ll serve ourselves. You may withdraw now.”
Aleron handed a bowl of cherries to Tashama. She examined the purple fruit. “Does it have a pit?”
“A pit?”
“A seed?”
Aleron smiled. “You say the oddest things.”
She bit gently into the fruit to ensure she didn’t bite into a seed, then, finding none, she smiled. “No seeds.”
“Do the cherries in Texas have seeds?”
“We remove them before they’re served, usually.”
“This Texas sounds like a peculiar place. I’ve given it much thought. I cannot fathom where it would be located in connection with Maldovia, Karthland, and the land of Inherian.”
“Far away from here. You couldn’t imagine how different it is from your, well, our world.”
A servant walked into the chambers with another lobster as Aleron considered her gown. “You don’t think me too…”
“Go right ahead, Princess. Eat to your heart’s content. If you wish, you may have another after this.”
She dug the tender, pink-veined meat out of its shell. “I believe this will satisfy me.”
Aleron finished his wine, then ate a bowl of rice while Tashama finished off her lobster. After she wiped her hands on a linen napkin, she sipped her wine while he lay down on his side to observe her. “Why did you not wish to wear the veils?”
“The pins poke into my scalp, and the veils weigh down my hair. They feel cumbersome and unnatural to me, just as wearing them would be for you, I would imagine.”
Aleron smiled as he touched Tashama’s braid, which curled on the pillow beside him. “I have not the lovely tresses to attach such a thing to as you do.” He took a deep breath. “I do not believe your wearing sheer veils will be a sufficient deterrent to interested admirers. The glimpse of beauty screened beneath the cloth tantalizes the viewer even further, rather than discouraging interest in the sight. Therefore, you may remove your veils.”
She ran her finger over her full lips, indicating the vaguest of smiles as she considered Aleron. “All right.”
She reached up to pull the pins from her hair while Aleron poured another goblet of wine for himself. She folded the veils onto the floor beside the pillows, then sipped his wine as she lay back on the cushions.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much.” She knew she would get her way eventually. But for other things, she would have to be the one to make it happen.
15
Aleron set his goblet on the floor, then moved closer to her. As he lay on his back, he placed his arms behind his head and stared up at the mural. He smiled as she scooted closer to him, her shoulder touching his.
“If you look carefully, you’ll see a mermaid catching a lobster near the rocks under the surface of the foam just to the right of that outcropping of pink coral.” He pointed to the location.
“Where? Oh, yes, and a merman nearby who’s watching her. Do you think he’ll snatch it away from her?”
Aleron laughed. “Why would he do such a thing?” His hand groped around the pillows until he held the end of her braid.
