With anxious energy, she paced her parents’ bedroom, her stomach in knots while she wrung her hands and watched as her mother spread her outfit for the night out upon the bed. Its silken fabric gleaming so invitingly upon the pale cream cloth of the homemade sheets that her mother was tempted to trail her fingertips across the precious metal brooch yet to Daphne every inch of the gorgeous gown that had been given to her seemed to be the manifestation of her guilt. The gift given out of love forced her to examine the courtship between herself and the impressive trader, a thought process that made her heart race with thoughts of the man yet threaten to still at the prospect of hurting her love.<br/><br/>“All men seem fascinating at one point or another, each in their own way, but they are wolves under sheep's clothing.”<br/><br/>Eirene’s words slip through her mind causing a soft whimper to rise from her throat. Her Mistress was correct, intellectually the young blonde knew this, however, as she thought of the poetry that had spilled from her suitor’s lips, at the delicate rose he had pressed into her palm, she wanted to argue that surely not all men had such wicked intentions? Surely Orion was different?<em>‘But then why had he maintained such a stoic behavior before today?’</em>The thought came unbidden as her mother aided her in removing the pale blue chiton she had worn and guiding her into the gilded tub where heated water was poured over her hair causing blonde tendrils to plaster themselves to her skin.<br/><br/>Her mother, as determined to find the perfect suitor for her daughter as her husband, talked as she scrubbed imaginary grim from tawny flesh and threaded long fingers through blonde strands so much like her own mother’s but each word spoken was answered merely by a distracted nod or a quiet “mhm.” Daphne kept struggling with that fiercely asked question, Eirene’s words of wisdom spoken on a continuous loop soon becoming a panging reminder of Orion's miniscule betrayal, for who was the real man? The professional tradesmen with a keen eye for detail and confidence that flustered even<strong>her</strong>father or was he the suave romantic that made her smile with his gestures and her heart skip a beat with his poetic script? Her head insisted upon spinning with unanswered questions and yet, at the heart of each one was the breath-taking creature that had managed to capture her very soul.<br/><br/>Rising from the tub with one more splash of water, she stepped out and into the sun-warmed linens her mother held out to her. After being briskly rubbed dry, she grit her teeth as her mother polished and preened her only child, a sweet smelling lotion rubbed into every inch of her skin and her hair brushed until it shone like spun gold. With a glee only a mother of a prospective bride could have, she wrapped the delicate pure white fabric around the younger woman's curvaceous form, the yellow-gold lining at the hem brilliantly complimenting the delicate golden brooch at her shoulder. Slipping into the femininely strapped sandals while her mother gathered the expanse of thick hair into a braid before smiling at her, murmuring reminders about behavior and etiquette that her lover had already drilled into her mind.<br/><br/><div align="center">~*~</div><br/>Trailing just behind her parents as they entered Eirene's home, Daphne's chin rose high as bright spirited eyes swept across the room, taking in each face and each smile that spread across the faces of those enjoying the company of friends young and new. Some she recognized from other social gatherings, whether created by her Mistress or her own home, yet most were strangers to the young woman. With a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and sought out the woman she loved more than life itself, intending on showing her just that by the time they retired for the night only to have her gaze captured by the man who had intruded upon her life and made her question the love that burned so passionately within her.<br/><br/>Biting her lip nervously at his approach, she glanced over his shoulder in hopes of spotting the ravishing brunette before her gaze was forced to turn to her suitor. "Good evening, Orion, enjoying Eirene's..." she paused briefly, her eyes finding the figures of several working girls lavishing attention on the unwed men, "accomodations?"