Charity sighed sweetly. "Countess, your voice pronouncing my name is one of the dearest sounds I ever have heard." Like most things she said, there was considerable subtext:<em>By using my birth name instead of my slave name, you have afforded me a courtesy which I appreciate.</em><br/><br/>She seated herself cozily at the side of the Countess. The tablecloth was wrapped diagonally across her breasts and torso like the neck of a ball gown, to trail down from each hip like a skirt but leave her female parts bare. Her wicked streak was delighted by the blasphemy of being half-naked at the Lord's table... but to do anything else would be to defy her instructions. Besides, the tablecloth must be kept pristine for dessert.<br/><br/>She smiled at the people at the table, acknowledging everyone by meeting their eyes. The offer of the Countess had socially transformed her from a slave, to a lesser friend of the family - at least until she was ordered to act otherwise. "Countess, how smart your hair looks! It's shorter than the last time I saw you." She touched her own curls flirtatiously. "Do you think a shorter cut would become me as well?" She was adept at light gossip; anything more weighty she knew to save for moments of secrecy.