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I let a lazy smile curl my lips. "Maela, you know better. You are her friend; she'll want to make sure that you don't look as if you've been jilted. Let me do this? I can be as polite or as flirtatious as you want, but the least I can do is make sure that you walk through this house proudly."
"Maybe a little flirting?" she asked.
After the news that her husband might have another mistress, I didn't blame her. Not at all. This woman's husband was anything but faithful, and yet she wasn't quite ready to cross that line - even knowing it was allowed. Still, she wanted a bit of pride, and a reason to feel like she wasn't worthless. I'd go one step further and make sure she also felt beautiful.
"I can do that," I promised. "And your tithe to me for this? I want to make sure Nari's introduced to every baron in attendance."
"And you as well," she decided. "It's the least I can do, Priest Eladehl."
"My friends call me Ela," I told her. "I'd like to count you in that group."
She nodded her head definitively. "Then come, Ela, let's make sure they know Temptation has arrived."
Chapter 48
Nariana
Eladehl swirled Maela across the dance floor, laughing just a little too much with her. The pair were cute, and it seemed that Lady Ranndor was actually enjoying the attention. Talin and I were a bit more sedate about our dancing, but only to let those two be the center of attention.
"He's glorious," Talin said, turning so I could see what he was talking about.
Of course it was Ela. He held Maela just a little too close. Not enough to be considered impolite, but everyone would assume it explained Tath's absence. The best part was that no one would mention it later. There was no doubt that Ela was a Priest of the Body, which meant an affair with him would be perfectly acceptable.
When the song ended, Ela dipped Maela just a bit too much, and her laughter rang out into the silence. I couldn't help but grin, even as we turned to leave the dance floor, but a man in a blue-and-cream suit paused before us. His eyes jumped from me to Talin, and then back.
"Priestess?" he asked. "May I claim a dance?"
"Of course," I said, releasing my guardian to accept his hand. "And please forgive me, but I'm horrible with names."
"Lord Weiland Bodnar, of Compassion," he said. "Maela's my daughter, and she's told me a lot about her new friend."
We'd just reached the middle of the dance floor, and the next song began. Lord Bodnar moved me into the dance with experience, proving he knew what he was doing. The man's hold on me was polite and gentle, keeping me just close enough for our words to be private.
"She says you're matched to her husband's younger brother?" he asked.
"I am. Talin's my guardian."
"But you wear the Path of the Word," he countered.
I chuckled softly. "No, Baron Bodnar. I wear the Path of Temptation. I have marks for all the Paths, and it's caused quite the stir. Yes, I also study the Path of the Body. In fact, the priest your daughter is dancing with is my partner."
"So there's nothing there?" he asked.
"Whether there is or not has no bearing on any of this," I reminded him. "He is a priest, sir. She is Lady Ranndor."
His eyes scanned my face. "My daughter has asked to come back home."
I flinched in surprise, sure he'd felt it. "Recently?"
"Last fall. When we told her that she could come home, but the Ranndor heir couldn't come with her, something changed. Now, my daughter is here with a group of priests instead of her husband? I want to know what's going on. I'm worried about her, Priestess."
"It's Nariana, Baron," I told him.
"Then I'm just Weiland, Nariana, but that doesn't get you out of my question." He turned, shifting us with the dance naturally.
"Running the lands of a god comes with responsibilities," I explained. "The gods have the right to change their mind about who is in charge, and it's happened before. There's concern that Tath Ranndor hasn't been as involved as he should be, so Maela is stepping up and handling that."
"She's just hiswife!" Weiland gasped, sounding more shocked than angry.
