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’sallshe 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 beenoverwhelmed 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.”
