The Twelve Tables Ch. 11

Authors Note: Thank you to everyone left comments or sent me feedback about the resumption of the story. Thank you also to Margaret who gave this a quick proofread for me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. ~ellie

*

"You will address each of us as Marshall during your stay," Francesco said as Peri walked with him through the corridors of the large house. "Your bag will be brought over later today. You will be given set times during the evening to contact your loved ones. If you are given consequences, losing your phone privileges is common."

"I wouldn't have access to my friends and family?" Peri asked quietly.

"You would need to earn the privilege back," Francesco answered warily. He knew that this girl was different to the usual prostitutes and addicts who come here to train hoping for a new start at a better life but there had not been time to review all of the rules surrounding her trial.

"It's just that I worry about my mother and..." she paused and swallowed nervously. "I guess it's only two weeks," she said softly and tried to keep the picture of Josh in her mind.

"You will have cell number three," Francesco stopped in front of a room without a door. Peri peered into the small room. The room had a bed, a small bookshelf and a large chest of drawers. Spartan was the best that could be said for it. "There are shared bathroom and kitchen facilities this way," he walked to the end of the corridor and she saw a small kitchenette and a large bathroom with several shower stalls and toilet cubicles.

"It's like going to camp," Peri said quietly trying to put it in a favourable light but receiving a sharp look from Francesco.

"Unless you have been given special duties, you will wake when the siren sounds at five each morning. You will shower and dress according to your station and be at the mess hall by six."

"I understand," she said following him as he led the way back up the corridor and the stairs one to a large room that clearly took up half the floor.

"You will sit at the table coloured to your assignation, to begin with you will be white, the colour of your toga will define you from the other girls who have already been graded and given assignations. Novices wear white, house servants wear yellow and are given the most freedom of movement here, the Kept wear red, gardeners green, animal keepers blue and servants belonging to a specific family wear purple or pink. Family members in rehabilitation wear orange once they are released from the hospital facility and brought here."

"Because orange is the new black," Peri said trying to ease the tension and calm her anxiousness. Francesco tried to frown at her but it was ruined by the corners of his mouth turning up a fraction showing he understood her reference.

"During breakfast a Captain will give you your schedule for the day, it is important that you follow it precisely," he continued to speak. All of the rooms you will be required to visit in the first few days will be on this floor and the basement where your room is located. All doors and exits are numbered so that even people unfamiliar with the facility can find their way easily enough."

Peri looked around, aside of the door they had come through which she knew led to the stairs there were several doors along the sides of the room that she assumed would lead to other corridors and rooms due to the size of the building she stood in.

"All meals will be served here. Unless given special duties you will return to your cell after supper. You will be given the opportunity to choose books that will help you during your time here from the library. You will also have one phone call per day at this time," he continued with his induction. He turned to look at her properly then and uttered, "Questions?"

"Will I have access to the small bag of belongings I have brought with me?" she asked.

"Joseph will have that sent over today, and it will be delivered to your room. You will be allowed to keep your phone and any other personal items but the one call a day rule applies, and it is up to you to self-regulate that. We are not here to babysit you every minute of the day. You came to us of your free will, for your own reasons, that being so we expect you will follow our rules while you are here."

"What happens if I decide I made a mistake about that?" she asked quietly.

"There is no door on your cell and the doors of the house are not locked you are free at any time to leave and suffer the consequences of that decision. You need only to give your name to the guard at the gate to be released," Francesco said with an air of finality in his voice. "This is not a prison. This is an enrichment facility. We rehabilitate, retrain and assist people to be the very best that they can be given their status."

"Status?" Peri asked taken aback by his answer. No locks on the doors, no threats of what the consequences might be if she decided to come and go as she pleased, it felt like she was checking herself into rehab only she didn't have an addiction. She had expected a prison in her wild imaginings and while this place looked the part she wasn't as sure about it being that way now.

"Let me see if I can explain in terms you would understand," Francesco said condescendingly and seemed to think about the word. "Imagine a middle-class woman from an average family with a drug dependency who comes here to get clean and offer a year of service to the Twelve as a Kept. She is smart, attractive and understands she had choices. A woman like that has a higher status than say a drug addicted prostitute who accidently overdosed and has very few options to have a better life, who may take the opportunity to come here and get clean and give a year of their life in servitude as a Kept. She is not clever or attractive after years of abusing her body and mind. One woman would make an attractive, intelligent companion to spend time with, the other a warm and welcoming body to lay with only. There is a different expectation on both of these women, and they are given a different status accordingly. Those that come of their volition and ask for the opportunity to serve have a different expectation and status again as do family members who are here to rehabilitate or to heal."

"How does that work for Me?" Peri asked. "I came here of my own free will but were it not for my intention to marry a family member I would not have come. I have no wish to enter a life of servitude to anyone but my future husband."

"Yours is an unusual situation to be sure, but I believe we will lean towards the idea that you have come here for the opportunities that we offer you within all the Twelve Tables not just your preferred Donati Table," Francesco said with an edge of uncertainty to his voice. "You should expect to be treated as an intelligent and loyal companion. Though the proof of those traits has yet to be seen." He seemed to have ignored her mention of marrying Josh.

"That makes me sound like a dog," Peri laughed. "Dogs are often described as intelligent and loyal," she explained as he frowned at her. In truth she had died a little inside at the description, he obviously did not find her the least bit attractive, or he would have used the same words he had in his explanation of status.

"As I said you have yet to prove those traits, as yet whether you have the value of a loyal hound or anything else remains to be seen," his tone turned hard, and he looked over her shoulder. She turned noting the other two men had arrived in the dining hall.

"I have one last question," Peri said turning back to Francesco. "When may I see the library?"

"You may see it now," Francesco led the way to one of the side doors midway along the right-hand side wall.

Followed by the other men, Peri walked with Francesco through the door and down a short corridor to a room that obviously ran behind the kitchen and took up the other half of the building. She was overawed by its immenseness but was grateful to find a computer system available to help her search for what she wanted.

"May I?" she asked indicating the computer that was displaying a search screen. Francesco nodded then seeing her take a seat he and the other men all took a seat at one of the long tables that ran down the centre of the room.

"Excuse me for interrupting," Peri lowered her head as she had seen them do with the commander as a mark of respect. "I was wondering if I can request a few books from the Athenaeum?" She paused as they all stared at her wide-eyed as if she had grown two heads. "It's just that I would very much like to read about the origins of the Battaglia Table and the warrior nobles who sat at it and those books seem to be in the other library."

"Show me your search," Nero said rising. "To his knowledge, no one had ever inquired about a book that was held in the Commanders personal collection, and he was interested in what the girl had found.

"I will see the commander about your request until then you might start with these books," he typed rapidly bringing up a list of books. "They will give you insight into the location and era of our earliest forbearers."

"Thank you," Peri jotted down some of the numbers and went in search of the books and Nero went back to the table.

"I don't believe she will have any problems with an intelligence test," he said taking his seat.

"That's a shame the dumb ones are always easier to break. She's a bit awkward looking too," Francesco followed her as she climbed a ladder to seek out the books she was after. "I was expecting another Donati Princess like the one we got in a few weeks ago. This one doesn't look or act the part."

"I can see the appeal of a woman with curves," Nero said absently. "Besides, we only have to teach her the basics. It's two weeks. No one expects miracles."

"I do," Marco said quietly. "What we do here during these two weeks can make or break our reputations. No one has ever done this before, and it's tricky. She's not a naughty girl who did the wrong thing and were being sent here as punishment by her father. Neither is she some misguided masochist who has a fantasy idea of what slavery is about or a frightened girl looking to escape all her problems in the anonymity we offer. The Donati love her, and she's doing this because the Twelve have demanded it from her because she's an outsider not because she chose to come here. If we go too easy we risk our reputations if we go to hard we risk retribution. It's not going to be an easy thing we do." He reiterated.

"There are three of us because we each have specific skills but also to counterbalance each other. To be sure we find the right medium it is important we constantly check-in with each other and report to the commander. I suggest evening meetings after she has gone to her cell for the night," Nero said.

"Yeah alright, that way we can update the schedule as needed but you both should remember this is supposed to be intensive training. I won't be going lightly and tip-toeing my way around this girl," Francesco agreed to meet each evening, despite the frown he got from his companions. "I'll let her poke around here and take her books back to her cell. She can have a little downtime, and I'll meet you in the dining room for lunch, and you can take her from there," He said to Nero.

"Sure, then Marco can have the afternoon session after tea," Nero nodded and got to his feet.

*****

"Good morning sunshine," Carlo sang brightly. Seeing Josh stir from the couch he had fallen asleep on in the wee hours of the morning.

"Is it?" Josh asked sourly

"Yep, a new year with new challenges, a new life awaits you, we went through all this last night so get up off your fat ass and shower you stink of last year's shit," Carlo said. "Plus if you stay here Mama will only fuss and make you talk about your feelings. I'd like to spare her what I went through with you last night."

"Yeah alright," Josh grumbled getting to his feet and walking toward his room. His head was thumping, and he cursed himself for drinking so much. He stripped off as he walked into his room and the bathroom. It still rankled that plans for Peri's trial had been changed more than once in the last twenty-four hours, and he felt like any agreement he had with those plans had been taken away from him. He knew he had to trust his father, at this point he had no choice, he had willingly handed her over to him, and the fate of his future with the woman he loved was no longer in his control.

He tried to focus on what he wanted to accomplish over the coming weeks. The purchase of the publishing house had been rushed through. The former owners had been eager to sell so it had been a smooth transaction. He needed to get there and start modelling it to his vision of what it could become. He needed to read his sister novel properly and begin the editing processes that would make it a number one best seller. Most of all he needed to create a team around him there that he could rely on. His thoughts focused solely on the business, trying to blot out the worry and emptiness that consumed his heart.

Josh did not want to make plans for his future with Peri until she was back in his arms. He closed his mind off to the visions of the house with the large veranda's she had spoken about, to the wedding and children and future he wanted with her. Especially as she had been taken so far away from him to endure God knows what at the hands of the Battaglia. Turning off the water, he knew the first thing he needed to do was read the novel and talk to Lucia. Until then he was just guessing at what was happening to Peri, and he hated the feeling of uncertainty that surrounded that lack of knowledge.

Josh spent an hour or so with his mother reassuring her that he was as good as could be expected given the circumstances while the plane he had arrived on was readied to return him to the winery where he had left his car. The flight back was painfully slow and despite his determination to keep his mind working on the things that he could control, like the new business, his mind constantly worried at what was happening to Peri. Andreas met the plane when it touched down, and they drove one of the small carts back up to the house.

"I won't stay but thanks for the offer, I need to get back to the city," Josh said when invited to stay a few days with his Uncle and Aunt. "I need to keep busy, and I have a lot to do now that the publishing house settlement has been pushed through."

"Just remember when this is over, no one will ever be able to question her suitability to be part of the family again. Taking her there was the best solution in an unusual situation," Andreas counselled.

"Bizarre situation," Marisol echoed Peri's words as she kissed Josh goodbye. "The time will pass quickly if you are busy so go and do what you must."

"Thanks, Zia," Josh embraced the woman returning her farewell kisses and climbed into his car. Travelling once again his mind wandered between Peri and the list he was creating in his mind of what he needed to achieve over the next two weeks with the business. Frustrated as he pushed Peri from his mind again, he called Ben.

"Remind me where we are up to in the deal again?" He asked as Ben answered the phone.

"Handover happens in Jules and Romey's office tomorrow at nine," Ben said easily. "Everything went through like clockwork, helped along by the fact that we made a cash offer and didn't have to worry about finance."

"Great, and then I can go in and start making changes tomorrow afternoon," Josh said with determination.

"Sure if you want to," Ben laughed. "I thought you might have wanted to hang out at the farm a bit and keep an eye on things."

"She's not at the farm. Papa took her to the Battaglia," Josh admitted knowing they would all find out, it was just a matter of time but grateful that Carlo had said nothing, letting him deal with it the way he needed to.

"Shit! When? Why?" Ben sputtered into the phone.

"Last night, she walked off one plane and on the other when we arrived at the farm," Josh admitted being ambushed and let his apprehension show in his voice. "The Twelve insisted. Apparently it was the best of several bad choices." He shook his head knowing Ben couldn't see him through the hands-free call."

"You were ambushed at the airstrip?" Ben asked incredulously.

"Something like that. She's gone for a month, and not a lot anyone can do about it," Josh said woodenly.

"Yeah maybe, but I think you and I might have to go down and visit Nik just to see how she is fairing and if we happen upon Peri at the same time all the better," Ben's voice had taken on the authoritative tone he used when dealing with family business. He was a born leader, and Josh smiled not having thought of such a solution. It would be good to know they were both okay for himself rather than relying solely on his father for information.

"Mightn't be the best time to leave Emily," Josh said after a moment's thought. "Maybe D. would make the trip with me," he suggested.

"We'll talk about it. Where are you now?" Ben asked.

"Driving back to the city, should be home in half an hour or so," Josh looked at the dashboard clock.

"Great, come for dinner, I'll get D. and Lio over as well," Ben said making it more of a command than an invitation.

"Yeah alright, that'll give me time to swing past home and do a few things first. See you about six-ish?"

"Yeah works for me, I'll give D. a call and let him know," Ben said and hung up.

Josh felt better for having told Ben and hearing his reaction to the news. As much as he loved Carlo, his casual tough love approaches to life could be irritating. He just accepted whatever lemons came his way and either made lemonade or washed them down with tequila until he didn't care anymore. Well, the tequila method hadn't worked out to well last night, so it was time for Josh to see about some lemonade with his brothers help.

Josh arrived back at his apartment and dumped his bag. Everywhere he looked he could see signs of her. Worry ate away at him, so he picked up the hard copy of his sisters novel and flopped onto a couch to begin to read. At half past five, he reluctantly put the book down questioning what he knew about his sister and seeing her in an entirely different light. He was not even half way through it, and he knew he would probably stay up tonight finishing it. If she hadn't alluded to the fact that this was her story, Josh never would have believed it. He wondered if any of his siblings knew.

He showered and changed for a second time that day and having thought about what he had read so far he sent Lucia a text saying simply, "I love you." Then he headed over to Ben's taking the book with him in case he got the opportunity to read more during the evening.

*****

Peri sat at the white table alone during lunch looking at a schedule she had been given. Basically, her day was broken up by the four mealtimes observed in the facility. At six she had breakfast, and then she would work with one of the men for four hours then Lunch was at ten thirty followed by another fours hour session until tea time at three thirty and a final session finishing at eight for dinner. The half an hour break times to eat and go to the bathroom did not seem very long until she had sat here alone idly playing with her food as she perused the schedule Francesco had given her.

There was a loud crash of a tray being dropped and the accompanying sound of china breaking at the kitchen end of the dining hall and Peri looked up noting a woman wearing orange and bending down to pick up the debris. Her view though was obscured as Nero came to stand in front of her.

"Are you ready?" he asked in a friendly informal way. "We have plenty to get through today."

"Yes Marshall," Peri said standing and gathering her tray to return it to the kitchen.