Tehr hesitated, unsure if he wanted to initiate a gossip mill about house Dale.  Certainly rumors could come back to haunt him as well.  But he decided to risk it.  "My distaste of house Dale goes beyond their power grabs in this kingdom.  I know that Master Johr ir'Dale is quite unhappily married, and also know that he steps outsides the bounds of his marriage to satisfy his carnal desires.  Now on a personal note, I find nothing distasteful about that at all.  I feel that the joys of the carnal acts that men and women share,"  He paused for half of a second and made sure that his words didn't necessarily limit his thoughts to only one man and one woman.  "The acts that they might share are good.  I was raised in the old ways, ways that said that women are the other side of a coin to a man.  They are not subservient as the church of the one god likes to preach.  But House Dale is very tightly tied to that church, and espouse their faith.  So the fact that Johr ir'Dale speaks of one way to live while actually doing another speaks ill of him and his house.  It shows his duplicity and trustworthiness."<br/><br/>"Likewise his sister, Janne Faudin d'Dale, approached me about beginning an official courtship.  But when I told her of my desire to retain my status as a bachelor, my inability to remain sexually faithful to only one woman, she was nonplussed (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=120879.msg5314111#msg5314111).  She seemed to think it was the most natural thing in the world to claim monogamy and adherence to the rules of the one church while at the same time breaking them."  Tehr stood and paced a short circle as he said, "No, I know that I'm not able to keep only one woman in my sights.  Nor do I think that I should, nor do I think that any woman I do dally with should think herself mutually exclusive to me.  Maybe some day I shall be ready to take a wife, but when I do, it will not simply be to feel the soft touch of a woman in my bed. "<br/><br/>Tehr specifically left out mention of the queen.  If rumors had already started about them over a week ago, it was unnecessary to bring them up now.  "Of course, if the wife of Johr ir'Dale could be met outside of their holdings, maybe she might be convinced to talk... but I know little of the woman or her schedule.  But I digress..."<br/><br/>Tehr turned back to Karin, "Do you think I might ask of you a small favor Karin?  One you may feel absolutely free to decline with no guilt.  But my sister is now at my rented home, and will be staying with me in Londinium for the forseeable future.  I must travel out of town for several days, a week or maybe a tenday, to secure an alliance with House Ravos."  Tehr felt comfortable with this, knowing that Saari and Ravos were on good terms.  "I wonder if you might call on her for a social visit?  She knows few people in this town and I've written a letter of introduction to the Lady Wellington, but I know she could use a wise and attractive woman like you at least greeting her and welcoming her to Londinium if nothing else."<br/><br/>Some small part of Tehr's mind wondered what would be more dangerous, bedding down a member of Saari, like the athletic Karin, or the highly immoral act of bedding his own sister who taunted and teased him so.  Both choices seemed equally fraught with potential difficulty.