The Twelve Tables Ch. 10

Joseph helped her from the car, and they walked toward the door seeing it opened by a young woman who bowed her head as they entered.

"It will be a pleasure to serve you during your stay here," she said quietly. "I will show you to your rooms so you can sleep for a few hours before your meeting with the Commander." She led the way upstairs and opened the door to Josephs room before taking Peri to hers. The girl faded away and left Peri to explore the austere room which took all of a minute.

Sighing she turned off the light and lay on the bed, she had little idea of what to expect here. Visions of all of the books she had read about sexual slavery, consorts and courtesans rolled through her head like a movie. She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest wondering once again what she was doing here; it was too strange, too bizarre. Every part of her brain told her to run away, to leave before it went any further. She shut her eyes and tried to picture Josh, his smile and his eyes the way he looked at her when they were alone. She took a deep breath and reminded herself of the future they had spoken about.

The darkness began to lighten outside the window, and she stood to go to the window to look out at the slowly approaching dawn. She saw a group of men leave the big house and jog out into the sounding land with precision. She followed their movements until they disappeared then she turned back to the small room. She needed some water, and she wondered if she would disturb anybody if she went down to look for a kitchen.

Peri opened her door and peeked out into the dark hall. She knew wandering around the dark was not a good idea. There was a small movement at the other end of the hallway and a small voice sounded in the darkness.

"How may I serve you Miss?" the girl who had showed them to their rooms asked.

"I was just going to get a drink of water if you could just tell me where the kitchen is I can get it," Peri said quickly.

"It would be my pleasure," the girl said and hurried off before Peri could stop her. Leaving her door open she went back into her room and stood at the window once again watching the sunrise feeling Josh's absence already. The girl returned within minutes holding a small tray with a jug of water and glass. She placed it on the empty sideboard and withdrew closing the door behind her.

Peri tried to keep her mind off the unknown and concentrate on what she did know. She knew that family was a massive part of Josh's life, and he couldn't be complete without that. She knew that he wanted her to do this. She knew that she would be here at this place for two weeks before going to the Sitting with Joseph to be presented to the twelve. She knew that if she managed to impress here and at the Sitting, she would be allowed to complete the remainder of the trial back at the farm with Joseph working on the histories.

She stopped and thought about that. Two weeks intensive training and the rest of the time would be spent doing what she loved to do. Suddenly the trial seemed infinitely more achievable than it had before the news that she would be taken to this place tonight, instead of the farm. She returned to the bed and lay down again feeling better in the light of a new day. She managed to fall into a light doze for what seemed like minutes but was in fact close to an hour when she was finally woken by the soft voice and hands of the young woman who served the townhouse.

She led Peri to the bathroom to shower and change into a short toga-like dress. The girl offered help with her hair braiding it into an intricate style. She suggested she leave her face clean of make-up unless instructed otherwise. Peri then followed the girl down to the living area of the quaint little house where Joseph awaited her.

They ate a breakfast of bacon and egg frittata and crunchy slices of bread in virtual silence. Peri sipped at the water while Joseph drank strong black coffee. He tried to make small talk asking her how she slept and how she felt. There was little else to say, so Peri returned the questions politely and ate her breakfast regardless of the butterflies dancing her belly.

A tap on the door heralded their escort to the main house. Peri stood to smooth out the short toga dress and felt the weight of the collar around her neck more so than any time since Josh had placed it around her neck. The mantra in her head had shortened to "A future with Josh" and she said it over and over again as she walked quietly beside Joseph and their guide.

The big building that sat at the end of the townhouses seemed cold with its stark sandstone walls and white column that ran up to a portico roof two floors above them. She studied them as she mounted the stairs to distract herself. They were shown through the house which was neat but lacked the warmth of a home. Peri looked around for items of interest like those she had found in the homes of the Donati elders, but they seemed to be lacking. After waiting in a sparsely furnished anteroom for several minutes, they were shown into what appeared to be a library at a first glance.

"Hail Donati, Welcome to my Athenaeum," a tall, muscular man stepped forward to greet them. He embraced Joseph in a manly hug and kissed both of his cheeks. "How have you been my brother?"

"Getting older by the day and feeling it," Joseph laughed. "I see you are faring well," he remarked.

"I have no choice, only the strong can lead," he laughed humourlessly. "Men climb the ranks every day looking for a chink in the armour of an aging warrior. You are blessed not to have such political manoeuvring in your clan."

"We all have our struggles," Joseph said diplomatically. "As you well know."

"Indeed," the man nodded knowingly. "Nik has not taken well to her new surroundings, perhaps a visit from you will help her see the seriousness of her situation."

"Perhaps but she is not my reason for being here at this time," Joseph turned to Peri, who had been standing quietly listening to the men talk.

"Your request has made for interesting talks," the man said ignoring Peri. "I believe we have determined a reasonable regime to prove the girl's worth. It will be quite intensive and not an easy mission for her to undertake. Are you sure you wish to proceed?"

"I am," Joseph said. "She comes from a good family and is intelligent. I believe she may surprise the cynics who distrust outsiders."

"That will be determined in time," the man said seriously. "at this point she is nothing to us, she will work with three of my men to determine her intelligence, integrity and passion. You may stay and observe, but you may not interfere at any time. She comes of her free will?"

"She does, she has signed the trial contract to me," Joseph drew back his shoulders and stood taller. Peri sensed there was a battle of power occurring that she couldn't quite get a handle on. "My son and my extended family believe her valuable and worthy of a place within the family. I will trust you with her well-being but should she be treated like a common street walker I will be most disappointed. She may mean little to you, but she deserves the respect of one favoured by the Donati Chair." His voice had grown hard as he spoke.

"You come of your own free will?" The tall man looked at her then as if appraising her with a long hard look.

"Yes Sir," Peri answered in a voice much stronger than she felt.

"This is your signature on the document Donati holds?" He asked in a short, clipped tone.

"Yes Sir," Peri acknowledged after looking at the contract.

"I am the Commander of the Battaglia, and you will spend two weeks in my home under trial conditions. You will be given to the charge of three of my Marshalls, and you will obey them implicitly," he said sternly, and three men stepped forward from their positions against the wall.

"Yes Commander," Peri said unsure of herself and whether to use his title or not. He nodded and turned his attention back to Joseph, who had relaxed his stance once again.

"Marco, Nero and Francesco," he introduced them. "You have heard my brother tell us that this girl has value to his table?"

"It is an unusual request," Marco replied. "She is here, however, to prove her worth to the Twelve, not just one. The trial stands as it is but as a courtesy we have been mindful of the circumstance in our preparation."

"That is all I can ask," Joseph said stiffly. "I shall remain for the duration and observe on occasion," He said making sure they understood he was not about to let them treat her as they would a commoner. "As for value to the twelve, I offer you this sample of her work to peruse for a few minutes.

"This is part of a large set of books?" Francesco asked.

"It will be as to whether I commission the completion of solely my family or the two books you hold for each family as her next task will be determined by the outcomes of the sitting," he said meaningfully. He knew the look and feel of the books were equally as impressive as the information they contained.

"You completed these on your own merit?" Francesco addressed Peri directly.

"Joshua Donati held a great deal of family information, I merely refined, edited and added pertinent facts to what he had started. He is not responsible for the look and feel, but I am sure he can only improve those features," she said quietly. "He is a talented publisher."

"I know of him," Francesco nodded but said nothing more.

"The girl has some skill, but we will judge her value to the Twelve," Marco said with a tone that said he was unimpressed by Joseph's offering.

"Your men would do well to remember that they speak to a chair of the Twelve," Joseph's voice did not change in tone or pitch, but the threat was evident. He faced Marco directly, "When you seek to judge others be careful lest you are judged through the same lens."

"Francesco, you make take the girl to her quarters and induct her into her daily routine," The commander instructed the oldest of the three men who stood with him.

"Commander," Francesco bowed his head briefly in respect and escorted Peri from the large room. The men stayed silent until the door closed behind them.

"You may test her resolve to be here, but you will not test mine," Joseph said in a dangerous voice. "I have shown my commitment to bringing the girl here but make no mistake; I will wait out weeks of endless debates and arguments over the girl, which I had hoped to avoid by bringing her here, rather than endure insults born from arrogance or ignorance."

"I apologise for the poor choice of words," Marco immediately responded. "I spoke only to show her the gravity of her situation here."

"You said it to raise yourself above the Donati," Joseph was livid. "That girl has a better idea of why the Twelve came together than you do." He stared at the younger man judging him by his reaction. "Not only have you disrespected me but also your Commander, who you sought to speak for with that statement." The man finally looked concerned that he had indeed overstepped his assignation. Turning to the commander, Joseph asked, "Was he dropped on his head at birth?"

"Perhaps, I will have to ask his mother," The commander said with a perfectly straight face. "You are dismissed, we will speak about this later," he said to the men who bowed their heads in respect and headed for the door.

"Your son?" Joseph ask.

"Yes," he chuckled. "The youngest, he constantly seeks to prove himself. He asked to be part of this challenge. The decision to bring her here was swift, and we have worked hard to accommodate her special circumstances. I will impress upon them once again the uniqueness of the situation."

"I appreciate that," Joseph relaxed now they were alone. "Shall we talk about the details?"