Jewel Ascending Ch. 05

"Our country was named for the ideals upon which our founders sought to create a perfect blend of monarchy and a parliamentary republic."

"Nobles and commoners working together for the greater good, each within their respective spheres of ability and influence."

"Instead, in one clear and obvious tradition, it is an Allegory of Hypocrisy."

Jewel heard the soft sounds of surprise and shock from the assembled ladies. She had just clued them in that her topic would be controversial.

"Is it irony or hypocrisy that we have charitable events to benefit women when human trafficking is a portion of our husband's income and trade?"

"Legalized prostitution and the Bimbo Lottery where draftees are selected to fill the ranks of 'service providers' that demean the unfortunate victims of this draft and line our pockets and fill our treasury."

"Or that on average there is one arranged marriage every two years and that there are now nearly 30 people, subjects of the crown, who are kept in bondage under the law and under ancient custom."

"And it gets worse; should any unfortunate victim of these atrocities try to recapture their freedom and escape their unfortunate state of affairs, the Runaway Bride laws compel private citizens and Allegorian subjects to participate in the capture of escaped brides. No other property law exists similar to this. No law compels private citizens and Allegorian subjects to participate in the capture of escaped prisoners or form a posse to hunt fugitives. No laws compel servitude to recover stolen cars. Why is this situation a special case?"

"We ignore, overlook, and forget the historical facts of this land as one that traded in slaves, and yet now proclaims all subjects of the crown are 'free under the law'."

"Under the law is the catch. The law allows whatever we nobles agree to as reasonable and just when it is often what is only in our self interest, be it financial, mercantile, trade, religious, governmental; or any other number of concerns."

"The fact that international charities and interest groups have identified Allegoria is a way-point for kidnapped persons and human trafficking victims speaks to the disassociation between our stated ideals and our baser self interests."

"Slavery is ostensibly outlawed, but arranged marriages without the consent of one spouse are sanctioned. They excuse their behavior and inconsistencies by claiming it is in the best interest of the arranged spouse but ignore any attempts by that spouse to divorce or reclaim their freedom. Their right to self determination is suspended not due to incompetence or mental defect but often due to financial interest of the arranging party."

"Property laws that are now considered as demeaning and inhumane are now reenacted and imposed on the arranged spouse with the excuse of historical precedent, and respect for ancient custom."

"There were reasons why these customs were abolished; the fundamental right to self determination!"

"I know many here consider me an outsider for although I was born in Allegoria I was raised in America. No doubt my time spent abroad has affected my world view...and I say for the better."

"I want to be a force for good and for the betterment of our society and our country."

"Please consider this speech as a wake up call. May this be a metaphorical 'slap in the face' we need to end these obsolete traditions!"

"We can not claim lack of awareness to the suffering of men and women who are drafted into prostitution or who are seized with legally dubious arguments of cultural respect and ancient customs. That ship has sailed."

"Sadly, some here still do not see or claim to not know of the suffering that occurs right before their very eyes. They are so wrapped up in their small affairs they ignore the larger injustice."

"It now falls to us to right these wrongs. It is we, the women of Allegoria who must lead the fight in ending affairs that subjugate and enslave so many."

Jewel finished her speech and looked out over the silent assembly.

"Thank you."

**

Lady Emilia Winthrop listened carefully and noted the reaction of her peers to Lady Delacroix's speech. Many of the wives in attendance today were doing so out of curiosity. Jewel was still an enigma to most of them. A call to arms was not quite what they were expecting.

During tea and socializing after her speech Lady Emilia made certain to approach Jewel and voice her concerns.

"What do you mean?" Jewel asked, indignantly. "I think I made the topic clear in the charities monthly circular."

"Many of these women don't see that there is a problem with having arranged marriage male brides. Some of them feel it is a good thing since previously only women had this worry...would they be married off against their will?"

"Revenge isn't a good reason to perpetuate an injustice."

"They don't think of it as revenge...rather as a reckoning, or even simply a balancing of the scales."

"Also, many noble women want the NSSA&M to provide the service providers to do those things that they don't want to do themselves. They feel that some things are demeaning and beneath their dignity."

"The bimbo lottery has nothing to do with me...or arranged marriages." Jewel noted.

"If a few men want a male bride to do those things that we women don't want to do then what's the harm?"

"I would think taking someone and making them a sex slave would be obvious enough."

"It's not slavery if they still have rights and privileges of society...as you do now."

Jewel couldn't muster the energy to be furious. Emilia was speaking of Rights and Privileges that Jewel's husband had the right and privilege to withhold from her.

"Besides, what noble woman wants to demean herself in such a way?"

"A talented tongue can bring even the strongest man to his knees." Jewel quipped, masking her ire.

Lady Emilia chuckled at her statement.

"So they didn't really hear what I had to say?" Jewel asked after the moment passed.

"Oh, they heard. Although some will be in quite a tizzy, especial those who believe in the defense of the sanctity of marriage and that includes arranged marriages as a rare yet vital custom."

"Still," Emilia continued "most of these women are here simply to see you. Your husband kept you largely squired away and out of the pubic eye. You made only the mandatory and socially expected and appropriate appearances in court with your husband. You are a bit of a mystery and that makes you interesting."

"Surely there was enough from the society papers and the gossip columns recently to satisfy their curiosity."

"Oh no! The new male bride, Marcia Vargos, is receiving so much scandalous press that many of your peers want to know if you and she are alike."

"How so?"

"They want to know if you are also a cross-dressing masochistic nymphomaniac."

"Most of these women do know me. We socialized at all the major court functions. The Masquerade ball, the annual royal charity fox hunt, the annual charity auto race and rally..."

Lady Emilia interrupted her "That is all true, but those events are so stuffy and formal. None of us really know you outside court or for casual events. As I said, you are still a mystery to most of us."

"You know my husband kept me..." Jewel struggled for words "basically locked away right?"

"I do. You've told me. But most of the women here just think that you are a recluse."

Lady Emilia gave Jewel a wry smile. "You really need to get out more."

Jewel giggled at the suggestion. For years so much of her time was spent in captivity and her thoughts and efforts devoted to finding a way to escape. To have a peer ask her to get out and socialize more was unexpected, and welcome.

Jewel was stuck by the thought that it seemed many arranged marriage male brides were giving the arranged marriage male bride racket a sense of legitimacy. By remaining as an arranged marriage male bride and trying to use the system to end the practice she might actually be helping to make the institution more acceptable.

It would seem that her noble status, her access to noble society, her perfect feminine presentation, and her willingness to work within the system to change the system may actually be helping to perpetuate it.

The irony of the situation just didn't seem funny to her.

**

Jewel was actually excited. At long last she was finally able to meet another arranged male bride. Sitting in the spacious and comfortable 16th floor condominium of Dewayne White, Chief Financial Officer of Smith Financial; Allegorian Office, she was impressed by the rich tapestries and African aesthetic the home evoked. The condo was clearly decorated with a masculine style in mind. Most of the furniture appeared to be overlarge sizes as well, no doubt chosen with the owner's height in mind.

She wasn't sure what to make of her arranged marriage peer.

Tawny White was one of the most petite male brides that Jewel had ever met. At only 19 years old and currently the youngest arranged marriage male bride, Jewel knew she had been married for just over two years.

Accustomed to associating with noble peers and other notable ladies of the realm who averaged Jewel's own height of 5'9" supermodel tall, Tawny couldn't have been more than 5 feet at the most. Only her heels were responsible for pushing her over that diminutive height.

Under the watchful eye of her chaperone and governess Tawny sat before her on a larger than normal sized modern chair that evoked traditional African designs. Were it not for her white almond toe 6 inch Mary Jane heels with 2 inch platform toe Jewel noted that her feet would not have reached the floor. She wore a white and pink leopard print pinafore and a pale pink top with keyhole neckline; the cleavage from her small breasts was just visible within.

Her pale white skin and outfit contrasted with the darker tones used to decorate the home. Her light blond hair was arranged with a braid around her head that met with a braid that hung behind her down the middle to her upper back.

Tawny had smooth regular youthful features. Her makeup was done in lighter tones to emphasize her youthfulness. Pale pink lipstick coated her full lips, pink eye shadow blended expertly emphasized her pale blue eyes easily, and just a hint of pink blush on her cheeks, with only her dark eyeliner providing any contrast. Her eyes had been done with black eyeliner and barely blue highlights to appear Egyptian in origin.

Pale pink tights covered her legs down to her white almond toe heels. Her pinafore hung to her mid thigh so if she wore tights or thigh highs Jewel couldn't tell.

"Daddy likes to dress me in animal prints." She volunteered answering Jewel's unspoken question. She apparently felt uncomfortable under Lady Delacroix's piercing evaluation.

Jewel had dressed casually for this meeting, as expected of someone of her station when socializing with a member of the subject class. She wore a black pleated A-line skirt, white top under a black fitted blazer, her usual black fascinator and mourning veil, and typical opaque black thigh highs and black 4 inch high heels.

"You call your husband Daddy?" Jewel asked.

Tawny nodded her head in affirmation.

"Uh-huh!" She chirruped, like a bird, her voice rather high pitched and youthful sounding.

"Have you heard of me before?" Jewel asked.

"Oh yes! Daddy told me all about you. He said you and Count Delacroix inspired Daddy to pursue his dreams and ambitions and that motivated him to acquire me."

"Acquire you?" Jewel frowned. She didn't like the way that sounded.

"Uh-huh!" she chirruped again "Daddy likes to use financial terms all the time. Daddy loves finance and investing and money. Daddy said he considers me his greatest acquisition."

Tawny tried to answer with a hint of pride but Jewel wasn't fooled.

"If you know all about me then I'd love to know more about you. Would you tell me your story of how you came to be in an arranged marriage?"

"Oh...of course my lady..." Tawny nodded and began her story.

"Tawny" was a surprise to her parents. She was a menopause baby. Born as Thomas and called Tommy...she was the youngest by far of her siblings, the next youngest of whom had just graduated high school and was entering college.

She had a lonely childhood as her parents didn't seem to make much time for her. Lots of alone time with imaginary friends and imaginary play.

She was also the smallest. As she got older she spent her summers working at her family's company. She was an unpaid "gofer" and was often treated like the company mascot or good luck charm.

Tawny never knew what exactly it was that caused her parents to enter her into an arranged marriage. She only suspected that there was some trouble with their company and she was instrumental in saving it. Her marriage brought them the money they needed to solve whatever problem they had.

What hurt the most though was that she later found out that she routed her own arranged marriage contract through the company to her parents and each of her siblings who never told her what they were signing. She didn't have a need to know, she was only the unpaid gofer and messenger, even lower ranked than the summer interns.

She only knew that whatever she was routing was important and had to be routed and signed that day. Both parents and all four siblings signed; two brothers and two sisters. The last one to sign was her youngest sister, 18 years older than she was and at the time Tommy had just turned 18. Her sister finally gave her a hint as to what it was when she asked. She said she couldn't tell her but that it was their "insurance policy" to prevent a hostile takeover from a wealthy shipping magnate who was pressuring them to sell their company to him.

Her father and mother even stood together at her wedding reception and told her "We never expected you to amount to anything and we never thought we'd ever find or have a use for you but look at how important to us you finally became."

Jewel was mortified by Tawny's story and couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Wait, you took them the documents that they needed to sign to force you to become a male-bride?"

"Yes. Mother and Father told me that it was an insurance policy, and that in order for my family to receive the benefits that I needed all four of my brothers and sisters to sign it."

"I wonder if this was their sick joke on me. I was not allowed to look at the document. Just carry it to each of them to sign."

"Do you hate them for what they did to you?" Jewel was saddened by Tawny's tale. At least in Jewels case her family had been deceived. Tawny's family knew what they were doing to her and did it anyway.

"Sometimes..." Tawny paused as if in deep contemplation "my parents had a family run business and they were in danger of losing it. Someone wanted to take it away from them. I was told that the insurance policy would guarantee that the company and my family would remain safe and be inviolate."

"It was so simple a task too. I worked there. I was learning the family business and at the time I was working the mail room. When I was tasked with routing a confidential document...well...I just did as I was told."

"And as it turns out I was routing the Betrothal Contract that they needed to sign giving their approval for my arranged marriage. A stipulation of the contract protected the company and their interests."

"They gave me away to save their company and themselves."

Jewel felt close to tears.

"Are you happy in your marriage to another man? Forced to dress as a woman and be seen in public as a woman?"

Tawny shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess I'm used to it now. I don't like the sex, it hurts, and I don't like all the legal restrictions. Those Public Crossdressing Permit collars are embarrassing. You know, I think they did that just to discourage men from cross dressing, and not for any other reason." Tawny added.

Jewel touched the small silver NSSA&M charm that hung from her black choker necklace. To a casual observer it was just another choker necklace...unless one looked closely. The skin tight black band that encircled her neck had no obvious clasp, and the dark grey letters proclaiming "PUBLIC CROSSDRESSER PERMIT" and bar code were barely visible. A charm with her license number and the NSSA&M logo hung attractively from her neck.

As a noble Jewel was not required to wear a PCP collar, but as she was moving around unescorted it was just easier. Getting stopped and detained by the police was frustrating and took time. For Tawny as a commoner it was legally required; thanks to Jewel's husband the precedent had already been established.

Jewel had tried to implement the less obvious 'charm' style of collar as opposed to the bold neon pink collar with bold black lettering that was standard issue. Her efforts to substitute a less obvious version by using her position as countess to 'bring pressure and influence to bear' upon certain bureaucrats and government program managers had only mixed success. The charm style license became an alternative for the glaringly obvious collar...but only for those who applied for it.

She had been annoyed with herself for having to do that, exercise power as a noble, and at the same time didn't feel guilty at all. The thought that she might wield power and influence meant she could use if for good.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Jewel agreed despite knowing otherwise. It wasn't about discouraging behavior, it was about control.

Jewel recalled how she had dozens of staff that monitored her every move to keep her from escaping.

"Do you live here with just your husband" Jewel asked.

"Yes My Lady; just Daddy and Sybil." Tawny indicated her guardian and chaperone.

"And she watches you?" Jewel tried to inflect as much meaning as she could into the question. She noted Tawny seemed to understand.

"Oh, well, yes. But when Sybil has her day off she takes me to a petticoating salon for daycare. 'The Reluctant Princess', have you heard of it?"

"I believe you know the owner. Her name is Leanne. She said to me she knew you and trained you as well for your role and duty."

Jewel nodded her head yes, she had. She remembered that Leanne, her former governess and chaperone had said she was part owner of the salon.

"Also when daddy is on a business trip or when Sybil has a vacation I am sent to petticoating summer camp."

Jewel had no idea that such a thing even existed.

"Is it nice?" Jewel asked lamely.

"Yes, I suppose so." Tawny answered but she almost imperceptibly shook her head no as she did.

"If I could change the law and make these marriages illegal. Would you want to be able to leave your husband and marriage?"

Tawny nodded her head yes. Jewel noted how Tawny's chaperone noticed this and shifted in her seat but otherwise stayed silent after seeing the admission.

"But I don't think it will happen."

"Why's that?"

"I just read in the gossip columns and saw on The Phoebe Mills Show...Say, do you know her?"

Jewel nodded her head. "Yes. She helped me ghost write a book I tried to publish."

"Wow, that's awesome!"

"But you were saying?" Jewel prompted.

"Oh, yes, just that a seventh arranged marriage male bride happened. I think it's too late to stop it. It's considered normal now."

**

Tawny cowered at the feet of her husband. Dewayne stood naked above her as she groveled at his feet.

Tawny had done everything she could think of to prevent this. She made sure her husband's dinner was ready when he got home from work. She had greeted him with his cocktail at the front door and embraced and kissed him to welcome him home.

She had taken his shoes and brought him his slippers so that he could relax in his favorite chair and watch the financial news as he liked to do as soon as he returned home.