Life and Times of a Priestess : Ch.13: New Friends In Dumis : Part 1 (Section 3)

Part 1 : Section 3

    Valery was swift to move on after Philippe’s inviting complements, perhaps wishing to forestall any further developments of the flirtation of two so obviously matched.  Danella suspected that he wished to complete his introductions before returning to a more interesting conversation dominated by himself.  After all it had been he who had noticed Danella and summoned her over.  “And this is one of my favourite friends the Lady Arabella.  We have been close for many years.  We met when I travelled in the Prancirian colonies in the East.”  Danella noted that the lady had the dark sultry looks she imagined some of the people of the eastern colonies might have.  There were some parts of Pirion also where such looks were prevalent.  Black hair like Danella’s own but the skin was more golden, even brown.  Danella was fascinated by the Lady’s face now that she was closer.  Strong cheekbones and a wide but beautiful nose.  She looked young but Danella guessed she was older than most admirers would have guessed.  Her hair was pinned up like Danella’s, long dark strands falling about the sides of her face which curled as if they had been artificially constructed wrapped and then freed.  This gave her a slightly dishevelled look which made her seem free and individual.  On most people in Prancirian society it might have drawn too much attention or it might have given too untidy an appearance but on her it made her seem more overtly sexual than the other ladies, unafraid to show her true character.  Danella wondered whether she was making too many assumptions.

    “I am very pleased to meet you Lady Arabella.  You must show me how you do those ringlets. Your hair looks very beautiful.”  Danella had learned that complements between women were very well liked in Prancirian Society, whereas similar complements towards men were usually judged improper or at the least dangerous or cheeky, even if they were usually appreciated.

    “Thank you, I am glad you like them.  I will show you how I do them, and even, if you will permit me, I will do them for you.  We must agree on a time and place later," said the Lady Arabella.  This was a forthright and confident woman. Danella concluded she would perhaps be an interesting person to know better.  Her sexuality was very evident to a Priestess used to a people confident about their own sexual nature. In speaking, Arabella had little of any Eastern accent that Danella could trace, although she knew nothing much of the East, and had never yet met anyone from there, not even here in Dumis.  The Lady was as Prancirian as any she had met.  Her speech was strong and poetic like the best of them.

    “And this is the Lady Jeanette.  Another close friend of all of us. Although I have not known her as long as Lady Arabella”, announced Valery, continuing to play the host.

   “You are from Pirion then, my dear?” the Lady asked, although Valery had already announced her to his friends as a Pirionite earlier.  This Lady’s words were more haughty, and less flattering than the others.  She felt she was being judged.

    “Yes madam, I have been here in Dumis for only four months.”  Jeanette was a tall and slim, but well proportioned, woman.  Her hair, naturally blonde, was pinned up. Her face was beautiful, intelligent, a little arrogant, Danella thought.  “You have joined Ravelleon’s managerie then,” she queried. Unprepared Danella looked around for a translation.  It was not a word whose meaning she could guess and she was trying to avoid pretending that she understood all words now that she had mastered most of the language.  She no longer needed to pretend understanding.  She wanted to learn new words.

     Valery stepped in to help.  “A managerie is a collection usually of pets and animals or birds,” he laughed good-heartedly at Jeanette’s allusion.  The others found the allusion funny too.  All smiled.  “She means Ravelleon has been overseas and returned with yourself, collected from the exotic continents.”

    “I did not realise you knew I am with Ravelleon here,” she said.  She had assumed they would imagine her to be with Mireau as they were at the dance together this evening.  There was something she did not quite like about being a part of Ravelleon’s managerie.  She would have to consider the description later.  For now she sensed that she was the object of Jeanette’s humour and the description was not as kind or polite as she was used to here in Dumis.  It meant also that she was known, at least to Jeanette and Valery, by reputation.  Possibly Valery had requested to meet her because her reputation had gone before her, and not because he had seen and admired her tonight.

    “Well Danella, and you also, Mireau my friend,” charmed Valery, “Will you take a seat with us now, for a while at least.  We would like to get to know you a little better.”  Danella was charmed by the man.  He was kindly and polite and there was no shortage of words.  Unlike most Prancirian men she sensed that this one was not afraid of women at all. Because he was at ease she also felt easy.  Of course she wanted to sit with them now that she had met them. Valery, she felt, would be most entertaining, and how could she resist the lovely Philippe.  She did not feel quite so sure of the judgmental Jeanette, but she had awakened Danella’s curiosity and she admired her refined looks.

      Mireau whispered politely to her, “Its up to you.” He had been a gentleman in the Vanmarian way since she first met him.  It was her decision. There was no sign from him of whether he really wanted to stay here.  Probably he was unconcerned.  She knew not how well he knew these people.

     She turned to Valery, “We would be delighted to join you at least for a while.” seats were already being proffered. Danella was to sit in privileged place next to Valery himself.  Jeannette sat on her other side.  She was mildly disappointed that she had not been placed next to the immaculate Philippe.  She would have to wait until later to develop a more personal acquaintance.  That was perhaps inevitable any way.  She knew that Mireau would not like it if she became too friendly with Philippe so soon, despite his agreement that he would not be jealous of Ravelleon or of any other man who she might become involved with.  You could not easily change the cultural conditioning of Prancirian men, she now believed.  They were taught to revere women, but when they found them they clung to them possessively.  Even if a woman was a mistress or a casual engagement they would easily become jealous when they believed their woman was showing a preference for someone else. Jealously seemed to occur even when there was nothing going on between a woman and another man, which usually was the case in Prancir.  Talking to or even just looking at another man could engender jealousy.  It was irrational, but in the competitive world of Vanmar when a man had something, he prized it, fought to keep it, even if it did not belong to him.  This applied to almost everything, whether land or possessions, money, position and particularly women.  Mireau sat between Philippe and the Lady Arabella.

     Valery, who seemed very much to be the leader of the group, offered them drinks.  There were bottles of wine on the table, doubtless provided by the wealthy man.  Mireau declined because he had brought over his drink.  Danella liked wine.  Drinking was not such a common or important pastime in Pirion as in Prancir but she had often drank wine.  In Dumis wine was an essential part of every meal and every social gathering since she had arrived here.  She had certainly acquired a greater taste for it than before.  Many of the soldiers in Dalos had drunk large quantities of beer and of wine which often led them to behave badly or simplistically at the least but Danella had seen that it allowed them to relax and to forget the war, and to forget the loneliness that many of them suffered.  She understood that but she did not have the same need.  Her own countrymen and women were contented.  They had the freedom of sexuality and the choice of companionship and a greater openness between citizens.  None were truly lonely in Pirion, secondly they could express themselves in their own preferred ways in the ceremonies and in more personal meetings and so they did not need to drink in the same way.