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It was obviously his shirt. Sleeveless, the shirt hung from her shoulders like an oversized dress. The neckline dipped low over her chest and low down her back. The large arm holes gaped, offering anyone who looked, a generous view of the sides of her breasts. The hem of the soft, tan colored shirt hung past her knees. She supposed she ought to have expected that length, as the general superior had to be at least seven feet tall. A tall woman herself, she wasn’t used to having to tilt her head back to look up at anyone, but she did with him.
“I will adorn you in gold,” she heard him murmur.
Louella bent down to pick up the towel. “Where do I put this?”
Yas’kihn took it from her hand. “I’ll take care of it. Sit. You are weary.”
She couldn’t deny that and obliged him, sinking with a sigh as she eased herself into the chair. The cushioned furniture was so much better than the cold, hard metal surfaces she’d used for God knew how long.
“How long?” she asked.
“Since you were abducted by the Sivuul?”
“Yes.” She yawned again and hoped the food would arrive soon.
“Over one solar orbit,” he replied. “The human named Evangeline … do you remember her?”
“Vaguely.”
“She has produced offspring.”
“Hmm. So at least forty weeks, probably more,” Lou mused aloud. “Is she okay?”
“My cousin reports she is in both good health and spirits,” Yas’kihn replied.
“Cousin?”
“I have a female cousin, Masey. She resides with Colonel Horas and Commander Sarus and their mate, Evangeline. The commander informs me Masey has accepted the suit of a local merchant. He is not worthy of her, of course.”
“You must be fond of your cousin.”
“It is my duty to see to her welfare until she is again mated.”
“Again?”
“Her mate was killed.”
“So, she’s a widow,” Louella muttered and wondered silently why this Masey, who was obviously an adult and old enough to have been married, could not be entrusted to her own keeping. However, she knew enough to realize that not every country on Earth allowed women free agency, so she could not demand that the culture of a planet in another galaxy conform to her expectations of gender equality. “And is this … er … merchant nice?”
“I have not met him.”
“Then why do you say he’s not worthy of her?”
“I am the general superior of Ahn’hudin.”
Lou shook her head. “I don’t understand why that’s important with regard to your cousin’s choice of spouse.”
“There is an order to Ahn’hudi society. The union between my cousin and that merchant will lower her status and raise his.”
“Ah, so you’re a snob,” she murmured under her breath as she looked at her cold toes. The metal floor beneath her bare feet was chilly. She pulled her legs up and curled them beneath her in the large chair. There was plenty of room. An idea struck her, an argument to dissuade him from thoughts of marrying her. “You know, my family would equate to peasantry in your caste system.”
“Peasantry?” he echoed, the term unfamiliar.
“Yes, the class of menial workers. Actually, most of my family lives on what you’d consider government-sponsored charity.”
Yas’kihn frowned. “But you are a skilled professional among your people.”
“I am, and I worked damned hard to better myself.”
