“You have jails for this?”
“No.”
“Whipping posts?”
“Do not be silly, woman,” he said sternly. “Your punishment would be mine to give, and you know I would not cause you physical pain.”
She did know that. He was always mindful of his greater strength, always so careful in touching her. She sighed, leaned forward to lay her head on his chest.
“I’m beginning not to like this discussion,” she said in a tired voice.
He immediately began to soothe her with his hands. “We need not finish it now, yet it is my wish that you have no more questions when we leave here.”
She was all for that. She’d avoided those answers, or had had them avoided for her, too long now.
“That must have been quite a talk you had with your father,” she remarked.
“How did you—?”
“Martha.”
“Ah, Martha. Indeed, she was thorough in her report. My parents were together to hear it.”
“I take it you’re ignoring her advice to continue patience with me?”
“My patience has not assisted you to full acceptance,” he said.
“Dalden, I’mnevergoing to accept this fantasy. If you can’t accept that—”
“Answer me this,kerima,” he cut in. “If you did believe everything that has been told you, would it change your feelings for me?”
“No,” she said without hesitation.
“This is what my father pointed out to me. Martha’s predictions of doomed failure did not take into account a woman’s heart, which Martha can never fully understand.”
“Then why bring me out here?”
“To assist you to a full acceptance of me.”
“But I—”
He put a finger to her lips. “I will endeavor to explain what I mean. The culture differences that so worried Martha are indeed real. Already you have shown an unwillingness to embrace my culture. What you have yet to realize is there is no choice in the matter, for you or for me. If this were a different country in your world that you were visiting, would you refuse to obey its laws while you were there? Would you expect immunity from those laws simply because you were not born there?”
“No, but—”
Once again he didn’t let her finish. “Then why do you resist doing so here? Because here is not real to you? Is your denial, then, the true problem after all?”
“But what’s that got to do with a full acceptance of you?” she demanded.
“Everything,kerima,” he said gently. “Youwillhave to obey our rules. Youwillbe punished if you do not. Can you accept this, and understand that it is not something I will enjoy doing? A warrior often suffers as much, if not more, in the punishment of his woman.”
She didn’t snort, though the urge was there. They treated their women like children—the punishments were no doubt of the same nature. His worry, and what was beginning to worry her as well, was, could she accepthimenforcing one of those childish punishments on her? Probably not. But she could compromise. She could follow their silly rules so that the matter would never be put to the test.
She said as much. “How ’bout I just obey the rules, so you can stop worrying about punishments you’re never going to have to dish out? Will that ease your mind?”
“It pleases me greatly that you will make this effort,” he said gravely.
Her brow knitted in a frown. “Then why don’t you look pleased? That wasn’t what you wanted to hear, was it? Do youreallywant my permission—and forgiveness—before the fact?”
