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I remained by the door.

After a moment he opened his eyes again. “Are you coming in? Bathe in your dress if you’d prefer.”

I felt a tightness in my chest. A wave of anger was rising in me. As it gathered strength, I realized it had been growing for weeks, months, perhaps longer. Maybe it had been there my whole life—like a small clump of snow that rolled down a mountain, growing until it was an avalanche.

“Are there women from Corlivo living at the Imperator’s palace?”

He splashed some water on his face and hair. “Yes, I believe so.”

“How many?”

“He swaps them out when he gets tired of them, but I think there are currently three.”

“Your cousin, Georgios, knows where I come from and what I am.”

“I expect he does.” The corners of his mouth twitched as though enjoying the memory.

“He thinks I’m on loan to you from your uncle. He would like to have a turn with me after you send me back to the palace.”

His expression darkened. “He said that to you?”

“And why wouldn’t he? You held me out in front of him like a child’s toy. You thought it was funny, to dress me up and show me off in front of his conservative wife.”

He leaned forward, rippling the water. “You’re angry.”

“I’m just another exotic souvenir: a curiosity you brought back from your many travels, like your maps. You even told Klaudia how much you paid to take me from Casa Caligine. You bought me. I hate the thought of it, but that’s what happened. You’re a rich man who wanted something and purchased it.”

He seemed to be trying to gather his thoughts.

I grabbed the fabric of my dress in frustration. “This stupid dress. Why? Why did you bring me here? Why am I here?”

“You chose to come here.” He leaned back against the edge of the tub. “We discussed it on a misty morning at Casa Caligine, and you decided to come with me.”

“What choice did I have, really? What was the alternative? What choice have I ever had about anything?”

He stiffened. “You aren’t a captive here. You know that. You’re free to go anytime you like.”

“How? How am I supposed to go somewhere else? I dream of seeing the world, but I have no money, no people. No mother in a house by the river outside Hierion, or anywhere else, as far as I know.” My voice echoed off the stone walls. “And my looks attract too much attention. You promised to help me find my path, but you’ve done nothing.”

“Please come here and sit down so we can talk,” he said quietly.

I walked over and sat on the cold floor beside the sunken tub. Curls of steam rose from the water’s surface.

He ran his wet hands through his hair. “I explained to you at the time that to take you with me, I had to buy out your contract from Casa Caligine. That’s simply how it works in Corlivo. The houses own the women, and your accrued debts are held against you by the house. To clear those debts and compensate for lost future earnings, I had to pay Marta a sum of money. You know this already.”

“So, you own me the way the house once did?”

“If you want to leave here and never see me again, you’re free to go. I would never stop you.”

“Was I expensive?”

He sighed in frustration.

“Was I?”

He grimaced. “Yes, by the gods, yes.”

“Why did you do it?”