Chapter Seven
Aphrodite’s Feast
The river was green.
Jareth had seen many rivers in his lifetime, and usually the ones closer to the sea turned shades of green because of the silt and sand that the currents brought in. It was a murky river and he was unable to see the bottom as he sat by the river’s edge, watching the water amble by.
As it turned out, he had a lot to think about.
He wasn’t as drunk as he had been earlier.
That strong Spanish wine had gone straight to his head and he’d ended up saying things he wished he hadn’t.
He couldn’t stop himself from thinking it, but he certainly should not have spoken of them to the woman who was trying hard to be kind by orienting him to his inheritance.
Clearly, he had insulted her, her colleagues, and pretty much the entire city of Bristol with his questions.
They were a reflection of the confusion he was feeling.
He was still having a difficult time accepting the fact that these enterprises had been in his family for quite some time and his mother had never told him about it.
He was going to go with the assumption that she didn’t know of the ventures, because anything else wasn’t something he wanted to face.
He didn’t want to face the fact that his mother, the only parent he actually loved, might have been part of something seedy.
Or at least had knowledge of something seedy.
In either case, it was an appalling prospect.
Like it or not, however, he found himself now at a crossroads.
He could continue to resist his inheritance or he could simply accept it.
His friends already knew, and the king already knew, so it wasn’t as if he could hide this from them.
Perhaps the best thing he could do was simply accept what fate had given him and move forward.
He paused and turned to look at the great structure of Aphrodite’s Feast behind him.
It was truly a magnificent building. The artwork, the fine furnishings, and the like made it a most remarkable place.
He didn’t even need to see the ledgers because he could just tell that the place was rolling in money.
That meant he was rolling in money.
But was that money worth his dignity?
That was where he was having problems.
With a sigh, he turned around to face the river again, watching the gentle waters and seeing people on the other side of the riverbank as they went about their business.
He was thinking that, perhaps, he needed to go back in and take a look at those ledgers so he could get the complete idea of what he was facing.
He could only spend so much time out here in confusion, a state that was not normal for him.
He needed to settle the situation.
“Here you are,” Hugh said as he walked up behind him. “We were wondering where you’d gone off to.”
Jareth turned to look at the man as he plopped down beside him. “I just needed some time to think,” he said, returning his focus to the river. “Today has been… a good deal to comprehend.”
Hugh snorted softly. “I can imagine,” he said. “Are you still resistant to all of this?”
“Shouldn’t I be?”
Hugh grinned. “Nay,” he said with soft sincerity. “Jareth, you do not seem to realize what you have here. What are your concerns? Why does this not appeal to you?”
Jareth grunted, looking away. “I told you,” he said. “It is shameful to admit I own a brothel. A place where women sell themselves. My God, Hugh, what is honorable about that?”
“So you are only concerned with honor?”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
Hugh had to think on that. He wasn’t as honor-driven as Jareth was.
In fact, he didn’t have a huge amount of respect for honor or men who held it in such high regard, because Hugh de Winter lived for himself.
He’d had to because he’d spent his entire life in the shadow of his great brother, a man who had earned a stellar reputation as a defender of the Crown.
The entire de Winter family had earned that reputation, Hugh’s mother included, and Hugh simply wasn’t the caliber of knight that his brother was.
But he tried. God knows, he tried. And he’d learned long ago to only live for himself, not for the opinion of others.
Jareth hadn’t learned that yet.
“You are looking at this all wrong,” Hugh said. “Let me explain this to you.”
“Explain what?”
“Aphrodite’s Feast,” Hugh said, throwing a thumb back at the building.
“You need to look at this enterprise for what it is—you are giving women, who would otherwise be destitute, the opportunity to earn a living. Every woman in there has a story. Did you know that? Have you even tried to talk to any of them? Because if you did, I think they would tell you that The Feast has saved their lives.”
Jareth looked at him, frowning. “Saved their lives?” he repeated. “How?”
“By giving them the opportunity to feed themselves,” Hugh said, emphasizing his answer by poking Jareth in the chest. “You have the opportunity to feed yourself and earn a living by serving Henry. But can a woman do that? Of course not. And what of the women who have lost their husbands? Jareth, you should know that there is a woman at Aphrodite’s Feast whose husband was a great knight.
He was killed in de Montfort’s wars, so she came here to earn money to feed and house her two daughters.
She is an elegant, educated woman who can read, and that is how she spends most of her time—reading to men who want to lie there with their eyes closed and listen to her.
She can also sing, which she does on occasion, and she is paid handsomely for it.
That’s all she does, if you get my meaning.
Now, do you consider that shameful and demeaning? ”
Jareth was looking at him with an expression between disbelief and curiosity. “Nay,” he admitted. “I suppose not. But how do you know this?”
Hugh was back to grinning. “Because she has read for me,” he said.
“Sometimes, a man simply wants to spend time with a lovely woman without any expectations. Sometimes I just want a pretty companion to talk to while I eat. Her name is Anosia, and I will bring her to meet you if you wish. You can ask her how she feels about Aphrodite’s Feast. Because if you genuinely refuse this inheritance, and it falls into ruin, these women will have no place to go and it will all be your fault. ”
Jareth was starting to see the situation from a different point of view.
Hugh may have been a fool at times, but his advice was sound.
Jareth had always considered himself to be open-minded, to try to see all sides before making a judgment, but he realized that he hadn’t done that in this situation.
He’d been overwhelmed and terrified of the opinion of his friends, and all of them seemed to think this wasn’t a dishonorable situation.
That had Jareth second-guessing himself.
“Then send me whomever you wish,” he said, looking out over the river again. “I will wait here.”
Hugh patted him on the shoulder before standing up and heading back into the building.
Jareth sat there, shaking his head, wondering how much further his life would deviate before he could bring it under control again.
It occurred to him that he hadn’t even seen any of his friends since their arrival—Aidric, Britt, Dirk, Stefan, or Orion.
They were all inside Aphrodite’s Feast, undoubtedly having a good time.
Everyone was having a good time but Jareth.
The whole situation was just so damn confusing.
But it wasn’t to Hugh.
He had an opportunity here to do something for his friend, and he intended to do it. Jareth seemed to have opened his mind a little to the possibilities of Aphrodite’s Feast, so it was time to strike while the iron was hot. Before Jareth had too much time to think about it again.
Hugh had been to Aphrodite’s Feast enough to know the general layout of the place.
He knew The Guardians at the door and they knew him, so he was admitted without question.
He asked one of the men to fetch Desdra, and a servant was sent on the hunt.
Hugh wandered into the feasting room, the one with the mosaic on the floor, where wine and song filled the chamber.
Two women were in one corner, and one played the lute while the other sang a haunting melody.
Hugh poured himself some wine into a goblet made of expensive rock crystal, but such were the drinking vessels at The Feast.
Only the best for their customers.
As he sipped his wine, the singer finished her song and there was great appreciation for her talent. Hugh knew the woman, named Anosia. He beckoned her over and she came to him eagerly.
“Lord de Winter,” she said, smiling. “It is a pleasure to see you again. We’ve not seen you in a few days.”
Hugh smiled in return. “Believe it or not, I do have a position that keeps me busy,” he said, watching her laugh. “I know I pretend otherwise, but I truly do have duties to accomplish over at the castle.”
“Not too bothersome, I hope?”
“Nay,” he said. “The usual things that the garrison commander must attend to. But let us speak of why I summoned you. I would like to ask a favor of you.”
“I am honored to serve, my lord.”
Hugh pointed in the direction of the river.
“The man who inherited all of Chester de Long’s possessions is sitting out by the river, wondering what in the world he has inherited,” he said.
“He does not understand what The Feast is. I have tried to tell him, but he thinks I am mad. May I ask you to go and speak with him? Tell him what The Feast has meant to you. Let him understand it through your eyes.”
Anosia nodded. “I am happy to do so,” she said. “He’s out by the river, you said?”
Hugh pointed again. “You cannot miss him,” he said. “A broad knight with a dark beard. Handsome. His name is Jareth.”
Anosia dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I will tell him what I can.”
“That would be helpful.”