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‘I am afraid our Malta is a mischievous little thing. Full of pranks and tricks is our girl.’ Ronica’s tone was light, but the look on her face was sympathetic.

‘No, Jani, it is not your son’s courtship that we look on with disfavour.

It is Malta’s age and her childish behaviour.

When Malta is old enough to have suitors, he will most certainly be welcomed by us.

And if he gains her favour, we could only feel honoured by such a joining.

But Malta, although she may have the appearance of a young woman, has only a child’s years, and I fear, a child’s love of pretence and mischief.

She is barely thirteen. She has not yet been presented.

He must have seen her in her Trader robe, at the Gathering you called.

I am sure that if he had seen her as she usually dresses, in a little girl’s frocks, he would have realized his… error.’

A silence descended. Jani looked from one woman to the other. ‘I see,’ she said finally. She seemed to feel uncomfortable now. ‘This, then, is why the young woman is not present tonight.’

Ronica smiled at her. ‘She is long abed, as most children her age are.’ She took a sip of her wine.

‘I find myself in an awkward position,’ Jani said slowly.

‘I fear ours is much more ungainly,’ Keffria cut in smoothly.

‘I wish to be completely honest. We were both shocked, just now, at the mention of a scarf and flame-jewel. I assure you we had no knowledge of such a gift. And if the dream-box has been opened… no, I am sure it has been, for your son has shared the dream… well, Malta is the culprit there also.’ She sighed heavily.

‘I must apologize most humbly for her ill manners.’ Despite her efforts at control, Keffria found her throat tightening.

‘I am distressed.’ She heard her voice begin to shake.

‘I did not believe her capable of such deception.’

‘My son will certainly be discomfited,’ Jani Khuprus said quietly.

‘I fear he is too naive. He is close to twenty, but never before has he evinced any interest in courting a bride. And now, I fear, he has been precipitate. Oh, dear.’ She shook her head.

‘This puts a different face on many things.’ She exchanged a glance with Caolwn and the other woman met it with an uncomfortable smile.

Caolwn explained softly. ‘The Festrew family has ceded to the Khuprus family the contract for the liveship Vivacia. All rights and debt have been transferred to them.’

Keffria felt she staggered and fell out into the white silence. She scarcely needed the words that followed from Jani. ‘My son negotiated this with the Festrews. I came tonight to speak for him. But clearly what I was to say is inappropriate now.’

No one needed to explain. The debt would have been offered back as a bridal gift. An extravagantly expensive bridal gift, a typical Rain Wild gesture, but on a scale Keffria had never before imagined. A liveship debt cancelled for one woman’s marriage consent? It was preposterous.

‘Such a dream as it must have been,’ her mother murmured dryly.

It was inappropriate, almost coarse in its implications.

Keffria would always wonder if her mother had guessed what would happen next.

As all the women burst into sudden laughter at the susceptibility of men, the awkwardness dispersed.

They were all suddenly mothers caught up in the clumsiness of their offspring’s fumbling courtship.

Jani Khuprus took a breath. ‘It seems to me,’ she said ruefully, ‘that our problem is not so great a one as time cannot solve it. So my son must wait. It will not harm him.’ She smiled with motherly tolerance from Ronica to Keffria.

‘I will speak to him most seriously. I shall tell him that his courtship cannot commence until your Malta has presented herself as a woman.’ She paused, mentally calculating.

‘If that is this spring, then the wedding can be in summer.’

‘Wedding? She will barely be fourteen!’ Keffria cried out incredulously.

‘She would be young,’ Caolwn agreed. ‘And adaptable. For a Bingtown woman marrying into a Rain Wild family, that is advantageous.’ She smiled and the fleshy protuberances on her face wobbled hideously at Keffria. ‘I was fifteen.’

Keffria drew a deep breath; she was not sure if she would shriek at them, or simply order them from the house. Her mother’s hand fell on her arm and squeezed it. She managed to close her mouth.

‘It is far too early for us to speak of a marriage,’ Ronica said bluntly.

‘I have told you that Malta is fond of childish pranks. I fear this may be one of them, that she has not considered your son’s courtship with the seriousness it deserves.

’ Ronica looked slowly from Caolwn to Jani. ‘There is no need for haste.’

‘You speak as a Bingtown Trader,’ Jani replied.

‘You live long lives and bear many children. We do not have the luxury of time. My son is almost twenty. Finally, he has discovered a woman he desires, and you tell us he must wait? Over a year?’ She leaned back in her chair. ‘It will not do,’ she said quietly.

‘I will not force my child,’ Keffria asserted.

Jani smiled knowingly. ‘My son does not believe it is a question of forcing anyone. And I believe my son.’ She looked from one to the other.

‘Come, we are all women here. If she were as childish as you say, the dream-box would have revealed that to him.’ When no one spoke, she went on in a dangerously soft voice, ‘The offer is handsome. You cannot be hoping for more, from anyone.’

‘The offer is more than handsome, it is staggering,’ Ronica replied swiftly. ‘But we are all women here. As such, we know that a woman’s heart cannot be bought. All we ask is that you wait until Malta is a bit older, to be sure she knows her own mind.’

‘Surely, if she has opened the dream-box and dreamed a shared dream, we can say she knows her own mind. Especially, it would seem, if she has had to defy both her mother and grandmother to do so.’ Jani Khuprus’ voice was losing its velvet courtesy.

‘The act of a wilful child should not be seen as the decision of a woman. I tell you, you must wait.’ Ronica’s voice was firm.

Jani Khuprus stood. ‘Blood or gold, the debt is owed,’ she invoked. ‘The payment is due soon, Ronica Vestrit. And you have already been short with it once. By our contract, we can determine the coin of its payment.’

Ronica stood, to match herself against Jani.

‘There, in the cask by the door. There is your gold. I give it to you freely, the just payment on a debt owed.’ She shook her head, wide and slow.

‘I will not, I will never, give you child or grandchild of mine, save that she goes by her own will. That is all I am saying to you, Jani Khuprus. And it shames us both that such a thing must be spoken aloud.’

‘Do you say you will not honour your contract?’ Jani demanded.

‘Please!’ Caolwn’s voice was suddenly shrill.

‘Please,’ she went on in a softer tone when all turned to her.

‘Let us recall who we are. And let us recall that we do have time. It is neither as short as some would believe it, nor as generous as others could wish, but we do have time. And we do have the hearts of two young people to consider.’ Her slitted violet eyes flitted from one countenance to another, seeking co-operation.

‘I propose,’ she said quietly, ‘a compromise. One that may spare all of us much grief. Jani Khuprus must accept your gold. This time. For she is as surely bound by what I and Ronica agreed, here in this same kitchen, as Ronica is ultimately bound by the contract itself. On that we all agree, do we not?’

Keffria held her breath, did not move, but no one seemed to be looking at her. Jani Khuprus was the first to nod, stiffly. The nod that eventually came from Ronica was more like a bowing of the head in defeat.

Caolwn gave a sigh of relief. ‘This would be my compromise. I speak, Ronica, as a woman who has known Jani’s Reyn for all his life.

He is a most honourable and trustworthy young man.

You need not fear he will take advantage of Malta, regardless of whether she be girl or woman.

And that is why I believe you could let him begin his courtship now.

Chaperoned, of course. And with the stipulation that there will be no more gifts such as could turn a girl’s head more with greed than love.

Simply allow Reyn to regularly present himself to her.

If she is truly a child, he will see this promptly, and be more abashed than any of us can imagine to have made such a mistake.

But if she is truly a woman, give him a chance, the first chance of any, to win her heart for himself.

Is this too much to ask? That he be allowed to be her first suitor? ’

It went far to repair many things between them that Ronica looked to Keffria for a decision.

Keffria licked her lips. ‘I think I can allow this. If they are well chaperoned. If there are no expensive gifts to turn her head.’ She sighed.

‘In truth, Malta has opened this door. Perhaps this should be her first lesson as a woman. That no man’s affection is to be taken lightly. ’

The circle of women nodded agreement.