Page 31 of Carnal: The Beast Who Loved Me

“It’s a school,” Rosie said.

“Well, we do have space for looms and quilting, but yes, we also house the nursery and school here.”

As they proceeded down the aisle, the occupants of the rooms grew younger.

“Oldest near the front, youngest at the back. For defense?” Rosie asked.

Serene smiled. “Those least likely to be able to defend themselves would, in the case of an attack, be least likely to need to.”

“So during the day, women do domestic and education chores while men…”

“Build or farm or care for livestock. Some train those who will serve our commitment to Kellareal and some are occupied in active service.”

The scene in the bar with Blaze flashed across Rosie’s mind and made her jaw tighten.

“Free told you what I said. About ending it.”

Serene cocked her head to the side. “How did you know that?”

“I overheard. It wasn’t intentional,” she hurried to add. “I was coming downstairs. When I realized you were having a private conversation, I went back up.”

Serene nodded. “He told me.”

“And what do you think?” Rosie pressed.

“I think Free is considering.”

“He’s thinking about it.”

Serene nodded. “Would you like to see the actual weaving rooms?” She reached for a handle to her right and swung the door open wide for Rosie to enter.

The room did, in fact, have natural materials that could be made into threads and placed on the looms for weaving. The room was about four times the size of one of the classrooms and everything in it was fascinating to Rosie. The women looked from Serene to Rosie and smiled, making her feel like less of an outsider.

The tour concluded with a dining hall, backed by a large kitchen.

“So this is where you have lunch.”

Serene looked around, clearly proud of the facility. “Yes. It’s more civilized than lunch at the Commons. The men are rowdy and they eat too much.”

Rosie laughed at that. It was true, but as an outsider, she never would have said it. “I’m glad you showed me this, Serene. It’s very impressive.”

“Well, I have an ulterior motive.”

Rosie slanted her eyes toward her hostess. “Oh?”

“What you said to Free… it was smart. I thought you might have something to offer. If you wanted to teach, that is.” Rosie stopped and stared, which made Serene look unsure of herself. “Not… all the time.”

Rosie looked around. She’d never gone to school. The closest thing she had to experience with school was her parents’ memories. Her mother was home schooled by seven monks who were part of a cult of humanists/scientists. Her father was for all purposes kicked out of public school, but found a home with Black Swan. She wasn’t sure either of those scenarios would translate to teaching Exiled young. “Teach what?”

“What interests you?”

Rosie was struck by the fact that she’d never been asked that question before. She’d barely had time to do anything except look for her father and explore a relationship with Glendennon Catch. She hadn’t really spent any time asking herself questions about who or what she wanted to be.

“Rosie?”

She came out of her reverie, seeing that Serene was waiting for a reasonable answer to a reasonable question.

“I guess I’m interested in a lot of things. Geography?”