a Pleasure Rites, #1 by Ines Johnson (reader novel .TXT) 📕

that make more sense?" Alyss interrupted again. "Using one male to breed women instead of two. Why doesn't our society simply find the best male and use him to breed?"

Merlyn gave up. "That's a very good idea, Alyss." Merlyn gathered Habitat Two in her arms and stood. "And that's a very pretty picture."

Alyss raised the colorful sheet of paper and smiled. It truly was a pretty picture. Alyss had a way with color like nothing Merlyn had ever seen, but Merlyn didn't pay much attention to art. If it wasn't numerical or quantifiable, Merlyn didn't truly understand it.

Alyss took no notice as Merlyn slipped out the door. Cage in hand, Merlyn made her way down the long hall away from the nursery. Merlyn had once visited another family and saw that their nursery was painted green, the color reserved for young girls, and filled with toys. Not so in Merlyn's household. Their nursery resembled a classroom when she and Alyss were younger. These days it looked like a science lab. Long tables filled with beakers, burners and microscopes. Anatomy and chemical depictions decorated the walls.

Merlyn continued down the hall. On the walls were pictures of strong women throughout the centuries. Among them were some of Merlyn's favorites, the Nobel Physic Marie Curie, Anthropologist Dian Fossey, and Astronaut Mae Jemison.

"Oh good, Merlyn, there you are." Merlyn's Grand Mother, Regyn, sat upon her throne at the center of the rom, a high backed chair of gold, covered in jewels. This morning she'd covered her pale skin in purple fabrics.

Merlyn came into the room, cage of rodents in hand. No one questioned it.

"Merlyn, we have good news," said Merlyn's Mother, Angyla. "After a vast search we have found your first bondmate." Her Mother's coarse hair was arranged in intricate plaits around the crown of her brown head.

"Oh." Merlyn's elation deflated a bit as she set the cage down on the table. She knew this day was coming. She was nearly thirteen after all. Many young females had bondmate agreements before birth. One great family bonding with another, using their child's matrimony to keep wealth and power consolidated.

Merlyn's Mother and Grand Mother didn't trust a family's name. They were more interested in the contents of a boy's mind and body. They would only look at the boys whose genealogy showed a proclivity to produce female children.

Years ago, Lady Regyn put forth a controversial theory that it was males who determined the sex of babies. Lady Regyn had yet to prove it conclusively, but the fruits of her labors carried a lot of weight. Lady Regyn had two daughters. Merlyn had never met her aunt Celia but she knew Celia had produced a girl child. And then there was Merlyn and Alyss. A family of all females; a remarkable achievement.

Whoever this boy was, he'd obviously passed the genetics test. Now he must have passed their second test. Her Mother and Grand Mother would have put the remaining candidate through extensive aptitude tests at various ages.

"He shows a great aptitude for the sciences," Lady Angyla said. "He will make a great assistant to you in your work as you get older."

"Thank you, Mother. That was very thoughtful of you to consider for me."

"Well, of course I considered it. Do you think I'd leave my child and her future progeny strapped to some witless fool?"

"No, of course not, Mother. Speaking of my work. I would like to present to you my latest find."

Lady Angyla came to stand behind Lady Regyn's chair, both rapt with attention. Merlyn suddenly felt her throat go dry. She rubbed her damp hands down her pale, gray frock. From the corner of her eye she spied a figure moving. She turned and saw one of the manservants cleaning, though this one was not a man. He was a boy. The boy set about dusting the paintings of the women of the family that hung on the walls. The rag in his hand was cleaner than the clothes on his back. His eyes focused on the portraits.

Merlyn turned back to her audience. "I was testing the dissemination of traits amongst mice, attempting to introduce a new pattern." Merlyn neglected to state which pattern. She was certain her Mother and Grand Mother would find the pursuit of freckles trivial. "What I found was that if the father is albino he cannot produce children of another color. But if the father is a mouse of color, he can produce children of any color regardless of what color fur the mother has. I bred two albino mice and the entire litter was colorless."

Merlyn reached into the cage and plucked out proof; one of the tiny, pale offspring of the still resting Hawking 10. She looked to the adults in the room for praise. Their faces were expressionless. Well, her Mother's face was expressionless as always. Her Grand Mother looked at her wearily.

"This is a known area of research, child," her Grand Mother said.

"There have been many studies in the area of gene dominance," said her Mother.

"Oh," Merlyn's shoulders deflated. "I'm sorry to have wasted your time."

The two women turned back to each other and began talking. Merlyn was, effectively, dismissed.

"Ouch!"

Merlyn dropped the baby Hawking back into the cage. A prickle of blood oozed from her knuckle. Immediately warm hands were on hers.

"Are you hurt, my lady?"

Merlyn looked up into dark eyes set in a deeply tanned face. A dark curl fell over one of those eyes in a rakish fashion. Merlyn caught her breath.

No, actually. That wasn't her breath. It was both her Mother and Grand Mother who gasped.

"You filthy boy!"

"How dare you put your hands on my child!"

The boy dropped Merlyn's hand. He then dropped his body to the ground in prostration. "My apologies, great ladies. I saw that the young lady was hurt and my base instinct was to protect."

"Your instinct should be to know your place, you little turd." Lady Regyn leaned so far forward that she nearly stood up out of her seat.