a Pleasure Rites, #1 by Ines Johnson (top ten books of all time TXT) 📗

child," said the elder woman. "We do not hover in doorways like manservants."

Chanyn made her way over. Unsure where to sit, she decided to wait for an invitation. When none came, Chanyn decided to try talking again.

"My name is Chanyn. My mother was—"

"We know who you are. And I should know my own daughter's name."

So, the elderly lady was her grandmother. Her pinched face was quite like Chanyn's mother's.

"The least Cylia could have done was to raise the child with some form of manners. Sit, child."

Chanyn chose an empty chair nearer the younger ladies. She lowered herself, and decided to keep her mouth shut. Again, there was silence as they all openly eyed Chanyn.

"Would you like some tea, cousin?" This came from one of the younger girls on the settee. The one with flaming red hair and golden-brown eyes like Chanyn's. Only the brown of the girl's eyes was solid and the gold lay at the edges.

Cousin, she'd said. Chanyn smiled at the girl and nodded.

"I'm Alyss," she said with a smile, handing over a full cup. This is my sister Merlyn."

Merlyn nodded and then her dark head went back to staring down the clock. "Mama, I've met her. Now may I return to the labs?"

"No," said her mother, which would make her Chanyn's aunt. "Custom dictates that we spend at least one quarter of an hour with a guest. Two when it’s family."

With that said, they all sat in silence for another five minutes. Alyss stirred her tea. Merlyn watched the clock. Chanyn's grandmother continued to stare at her. Her aunt continued to tap at her device.

Finally Chanyn couldn't take the silence any longer. "My mother passed away," she said. All eyes fell upon her. "Nearly six months ago, now."

She allowed the weight of her statement to settle and take root in the members of her family. Again, no one said anything for a moment. Until finally her grandmother sighed.

"Well, did she at least postulate a new unified theory of relativity?"

Chanyn wasn't sure what that meant. Her ignorance must have shown on her face.

"Your mother was trying to develop an all-encompassing explanation of the physical aspects of the universe," her grandmother said with great irritation.

Oh, Chanyn thought. So that's what her mother had been doing with all those books and experiments. Chanyn could never quite grasp the lengthy explanations her mother tried to stuff into her head.

"Cylia felt she couldn't focus with all the worldly things around her, especially men." Her grandmother spat the word men.

"I don't know if she... postulated one," Chanyn shrugged. "She didn't tell me."

Her aunt frowned in disappoint and then went back to her device. Chanyn felt the disappointment was directed at her ignorance instead of her mother's failure. The two women were definitely sisters. Chanyn remembered that frown all too well.

Chanyn looked around the room. There were no pictures on the walls depicting family portraits. "I wondered," Chanyn began and then cleared her throat as her grandmother stared at her. "I wondered about my fathers?"

"What about them?"

"I'd like to meet them," she said to her grandmother.

Now all of the women in the room regarded her curiously.

"We have their files..." her grandmother looked around the room, "...somewhere. Your mother sent them away once she confirmed your gender."

Chanyn could only blink. She'd always assumed that when her mother left, her fathers remained behind hoping that one day their daughter would find them again.

"I hear you were found by Lord Dain and Lord Khial," Alyss said beside her. She laid a tentative hand on Chanyn's wrist. "Did they take liberties with you out in the wild?" Alyss jerked her hand back as though she might catch a contagion.

"No," Chanyn said. "Dain and Khial have been nothing but good to me." Well, Dain anyway. "They are gentlemen."

Her aunt looked up from her tablet and laughed at this. "Gentlemen?" she said. "The son of a sex actress and the son of a murderess."

Chanyn had known about Dain's parents' employment, but this new revelation about Khial's parents made her heart thud. Is that why Dain had white-knuckled the steering wheel? Because he knew they'd tell her about Khial's background?

"Now, Lady Danyell didn't kill her mates herself," her grandmother corrected. "She simply drove the men to kill one another. It was a fascinating experiment if you ask me."

"I was quite surprised the Sisterhood had her locked away. It was only two men after all."

"Men are people, too, Mother." This from the clock-watching Merlyn.

"I didn't realize you were raising a sympathist, Angyla," their grandmother admonished.

Merlyn's brown skin appeared to flush a shade darker and she took up her sentry with the clock once more.

"She's young. All childrearing theories say they are supposed to rebel around this age," Angyla dismissed her daughter, and continued with her previous line of conversation. "I had no respect for the psychological arts before Lady Danyell's scandal. After the incident, I actually downloaded one of her books. But I found her work tedious poppycock and quickly discarded it."

"Whatever is the matter with the child?" Chanyn's grandmother stared at her with a hand over her chest.

"I think she may be in shock, grandmother." Alyss came around to the front of Chanyn. "She just learned she's been in the company of two unfit men."

Alyss patted her hand. Her touch was soothing, though Alyss assumed she soothed Chanyn's relief that she'd escaped from danger when in fact Chanyn was beside herself at the callousness of these women.

"Now, you will stay with us," Alyss said still stroking Chanyn's hand as though she were a frightened pet. "And we'll help you find suitable men to use for conception. Merlyn has contracted one male, and is still vetting potential seconds. I won't be of age for another year but I've declined to mate. I find the whole business distasteful."

Chanyn looked at the girl. She thought they were nearly the same in years, but Chanyn didn't have much experience to judge.

"If you don't have a mind for science, then you can become the family breeder."