Sisterhood - Temptation Ch. 10

Ivy led off towards the main door. Katharina held out her hand to Mutia and they both smiled silently at each other before following again in Ivy and Jane's wake. As they began moving across the floor and between the first few groups of girls in their path, Katharina took stock of where they were. During the last dance, she had allowed herself to be led by Jane on a meander through the center of the hall without paying much attention to their path. They were now at the chancel end of the hall, at one side, near one corner of the dais from which Marianne had earlier delivered the welcome address. They were making their way back along the edge of the hall. Here it was relatively quiet. Only a few knots of girls stood about, leaning against the walls or the pillars, huddled in chatter or simply taking a rest. Katharina walked swiftly across the empty floor, holding Mutia close.

Ahead, the glowing lights and loud babble of the bar area loomed. The crowd thickened where the bar clientele spilled out into the main space of the hall. Ivy halted abruptly as they approached a sparse wall of bodies in ballgowns and backless dresses, "Shit. Lia."

Katharina, too, had forgotten about Lia. When Ivy looked back at her, she nodded, "Right. I guess we should bring her, too."

Jane laughed, "Yes, perhaps we shouldn't leave her in Fereshteh's clutches, poor girl."

"Ah, she's a big girl. It's more that I'd like to get her away from the hall before too long," Ivy hopped up onto the tips of her toes, leaning on Jane's shoulder to peer over towards the bar, "If she's still here."

"Get her away?" asked Mutia.

"Away from, um, the public eye. Limit the damage. Hah. I see her," Ivy plumped back down onto her heels and turned to Jane, "Wait here. I'll go fetch her." Ivy's fingertips brushed Jane's hand in what struck Katharina as a surprisingly affectionate gesture, then Ivy bounded away through the standing crowd.

Left alone with the two other women, Katharina rushed to think of something to say in order to sustain some interaction and not appear to be waiting on Ivy's lead. She hurried her imagination through various banal statements or questions, discarding each, only to be interrupted by Jane, "Katja, you're taller than I am. Do you see them?"

Katharina stretched up onto her tiptoes. She saw Ivy immediately. She was already on her way back from the bar counter, leading Lia briskly by the hand, who was in turn leading Fereshteh. As they got closer, Katharina saw that Lia's mouth and cheek were smeared red with lipstick.

"Yes," Katharina replied. She turned back to smile at the two other women, "She seems not to have gotten herself into trouble yet. Maybe your friend was a good influence on her."

"I sincerely doubt it," Mutia giggled. She exchanged a knowing glance with Jane, then turned as Ivy arrived, "Welcome back. So, shall we?"

"Yes," said Ivy, "Come on Lia, we're going to take a tour around the house."

Lia curled her lip in distaste, "Is that what you dragged us over here for? Boring. Why do we want to do that? All the action is here in the hall."

Ivy pinched her brow in exasperation and drew a deep breath. She spoke slowly, "Take a tour around the house, with these three very lovely women."

"Oh," Lia began, nonplussed, then her expression broke into a smile of recognition, "Oh, right!"

Ivy sighed, then took Jane's hand. She looked back over her shoulder as she walked ahead through the crowd, "Follow me."

Katharina hesitated for a moment, and Lia rushed ahead of her, she and Fereshteh trotting snugly side by side. Katharina took Mutia's hand and they exchanged a smile before following. The hall quickly became more crowded as they made their way along its edge towards the main doors. As they traced a path between groups and pairs of girls, the noise around them mounted. Katharina often had to slip briefly ahead of Mutia so that they could pass in single file through a tighter gap. It was something of a relief to find that it was more or less impossible to talk. Katharina focused instead on keeping Fereshteh's bare back in sight. Every few paces she glanced at Mutia to offer her a smile or nod of reassurance.

Looking at Mutia now, it struck Katharina that she must have been dazzlingly attractive as a young woman. She still was. Her dark skin was flushed red across her cheekbones by the heat of the crowd, and waves of her thick hair hung over her bright brown eyes.

When they achieved the main entrance, they had to slow. The archway was wide, but there was a thick influx of new arrivals crowding in. Katharina followed Fereshteh closely, and as they passed through a gap at one edge of the doorway, Fereshteh reached her hand back and pulled Katharina by the arm. Jostled by the other girls around her pressing to get in or out of the hall, Katharina found herself bumped up against Fereshteh. She felt the firmness of the woman's muscular back, and the heat of her bare skin, damp with a fine beading of sweat. Katharina held tight to Mutia's hand and led her through after. They were disgorged into the wide space of the grand hallway, and Fereshteh clattered forward to join the other three standing waiting.

"Everyone survived?" asked Ivy.

Katharina held Mutia steady as they both collected themselves. She nodded.

"Well," Jane looked at Ivy, "I must say I'm very excited. Where are you going to take us?"

Katharina, too, looked to Ivy, then her gaze was suddenly drawn by an almost inaudible giggle from Lia. Katharina watched as Lia opened her mouth and silently mimed the words 'in the butt'. Katharina turned in a panic to check whether Mutia too was looking, but saw to her relief that Mutia was following Ivy's outstretched arm, pointing along the hallway.

"This way," said Ivy, offering her arm to Jane.

This time, Katharina sprang forward to be the first to follow, ahead of Lia. She was worried that she had already been very obviously staring at Fereshteh as they had crossed the hall. The large swathe of smooth tanned skin revealed by Fereshteh's scant dress, and the obvious absence of a bra, had made it difficult not to. Katharina had had to concentrate on avoiding it.

"So where are we going?" said Mutia excitedly, pulling Katharina close.

"I think we might take a look through the courtyard gardens first," Katharina looked ahead. Here in the wide space of the hallway they could hear one another easily.

Katharina saw Ivy ahead of her nod in response, and wave to her right.

"I find the gardens very beautiful," Katharina continued, "And kind of calm, you know?"

Mutia craned her neck to look ahead, "That sounds very nice. Over there?"

Katharina nodded. They passed on their right the long east-west hallway at the center of the house. She saw briefly again the doors of the library, closed. Ahead, where Mutia had indicated, were the first few paneless arched windows that gave onto the inner gardens. Between two windows was the opening that led through into the first garden. Ivy and Jane lingered for a moment on the threshold. They looked back, checking that the others were following, then passed through.

Katharina followed. By instinct, she stooped and lowered her head as they went through the doorway. She smiled to herself when she saw Mutia do the same. The arch was more than high enough for even the tallest girls to pass, but somehow its narrow shape, or the shadow of the low fronds of the palm trees beyond, inspired many to duck.

Mutia straightened up with an enthusiastic intake of breath, "Wow! Lovely."

They stood beneath the twin palms that flanked the entrance. Another cluster of trees grew from a bare patch of ground in the center of the garden. The sky was still bright, but its blue was deepening, and the sun no longer shone into the garden. Along the opposite side, a girl with a stepladder was touching a lit taper to the first of a row of open-flame torches that sat in sconces on the walls.

"The senior girls have been tending the gardens in preparation," Katharina was unsure why she was whispering. The atmosphere in the gardens was abruptly cooler and quieter than in the hallway.

"Well," Mutia whispered back, clutching Katharina's arm, "They have done a great job. It's lovely. Simple, but very... romantic. Senior girls? So are you junior girls then?"

Katharina laughed quietly, "Right. Like Ivy said, this is our first Summer Ball. We have to entertain the guests. The older girls do organizing and stuff."

Mutia flashed Katharina a tight-lipped grin, "You have to?"

"I mean, we don't absolutely have to. We're just supposed to," Katharina blurted, "But of course, it's fun anyway, and I'm really glad I got you."

"Got me?" Mutia's smile opened into halting laughter.

Katharina felt the heat of a blush spread across her face, "I mean, that I happen to be taking you for a tour of the house and, um, entertaining you. If you want."

"I should stop torturing you," Mutia chuckled, "But it's difficult, you're just so sweet under pressure. So tell me a bit about the house. How old is it?"

Katharina stepped forward to let Lia and Fereshteh enter the garden behind them. She led Mutia slowly along the flagstones towards the center of the square space, and spoke quietly, "Well, this part, the gardens and the main hallways, not so old. Seventeenth century, I think. The oldest parts are Roman, and the Great Hall where we were dancing is late medieval. Though there are earthquakes from time to time, and I think it was destroyed and reconstructed at one point." She held up her hand to indicate the tall rectangular tower, the base of which formed the far wall of the courtyard, "And this here is the library."

"Where you go to study?"

"That's right," Katharina smiled, "I was there a bit earlier, reading."

Mutia's fingers were warm where she clutched Katharina tight around her bicep. "What about?" she asked excitedly.

"About the history of our, um... sorority, I suppose."

Jane, who had been walking ahead with Ivy and was now standing in the next archway, stopped and turned, "Katja, you seem like you might be the knowledgeable one. Tell us, why are the gardens divided into little squares like this?"

"I know stuff," Ivy grumbled.

Jane turned to her and bunched her bright red lips in a gesture of mournful sympathy, "Sorry my dear, of course you do. Tell me about the next garden."

Katharina glanced back to see Lia swing Fereshteh round and push her up against the trunk of a palm tree. Then Katharina hurried through after Ivy and Jane as they passed through the arched opening.

"There's like... plants," Ivy mumbled, indicating the denser greenery of the second garden.

Katharina heard the sharp slap of a fish against the surface of one of the square pools of water around the edges of the garden. She watched the ripples spread out in neat circles then collapse into a jumble when they struck the edges of the pool.

"Traditionally..." Katharina began, then waited. She was excited of the opportunity to share her knowledge, but wary of seeming to make a show of it. When nobody interrupted and the two older women looked at her expectantly, she continued, "Traditionally, each garden had a patron. Or patroness, one of the Seven Sisters. The girls under her care would tend the garden in the way that she liked."

"The Seven Sisters?" asked Mutia.

"Like head girls," said Ivy.

"That's right. Head girls. The sort of guardians of our... sorority," Katharina was not entirely satisfied with her earlier choice of the term 'sorority'. On the other hand, it felt somehow jarring to say the word 'Sisterhood' in front of guests, although there was nothing particularly wrong about doing so. And to call it an 'order' sounded too pretentious.

"It's not some sort of cult, is it?" Jane laughed.

"I suppose it is, sort of," Katharina smiled.

Jane looked pleased, "Good."

"Good?" Katharina was surprised.

"If it were, you probably wouldn't want to say so," Jane explained, smiling, "So I guess it isn't. Or at least not a nasty one."

"I see," Katharina smiled back at her, "What if I knew that you would think that, and so I said it was, to make you think it wasn't?"

"Um, wait, what?" Ivy frowned.

One corner of Jane's mouth tightened in a wry smirk, "Would it be rude of me to say that I don't think you're that devious?"

"Fair enough," Katharina laughed, "I'm probably not."

"I'm devious," Ivy grinned, "Devious as hell."

"I know," Jane turned and put her hand on Ivy's cheek, "And I do so like devious girls."

"It sort of is a cult though, isn't it? When you think about it," Lia called out as she arrived through the doorway pulling Fereshteh after her.

Fereshteh put her arm about Lia's shoulders then pressed her lips to Lia's neck, murmuring, "Ooh, can I join?"

"I suppose you can," Ivy smiled, "Under certain, um, conditions."

"Oh?" Mutia looked at Katharina. Then she burst into a peal of excited laughter, "Are we going to be, how do you call it... hazed?"

"If you're good," Lia giggled, nuzzling her face against Fereshteh's.

"Perhaps we're getting a little ahead of ourselves," said Katharina nervously, "Why don't we finish our tour of the gardens first?"

Jane took Ivy's arm again and ushered her forward across the stone floor of the garden, "Good idea. So, Ivy, tell me, which of your patronesses does this garden belong to?"

"Um... One that likes fish... and plants?" Ivy looked back at Katharina.

Katharina led Mutia on across the courtyard. "I don't remember either, I'm afraid." This was not entirely true. Katharina wasn't completely sure, but she thought she recalled a conversation in which Vera had said that Miriam's garden was the one with the square fish ponds. "But it's less of a tradition than it used to be, I think. They each still have a garden, but now we don't divide up into groups that are under the patronage of just one of the Seven any more. So we don't tend to just one garden and they are all used by everyone."

"Well, that sounds nicer," said Mutia, "Not dividing people up into cliques."

They passed under the arch that led through into the next garden. "I guess that was perhaps the idea," Katharina mused, "When they dropped that tradition."

Katharina knew who the next garden belonged to. As she recalled, she also became surer that the previous one had been Miriam's. Three of the Seven were actual sisters. And the gardens belonging to the three sisters were adjacent. Katharina recalled now that they were arranged in ascending order of age if entering from the Great Hall. Miriam's, then Anna's, then Lisa's. Anna's garden, where they now stood, was at the first corner of the horseshoe arrangement that wrapped the gardens around the rectangle of the library. Instead of leading into the next courtyard, the archway ahead of them led back into the long hallway that surrounded the inner gardens. The next garden, Lisa's, was through the other arch to their right.

The particular striking feature of Anna's garden was the birds. As in most of the other gardens there was a ring of small trees around the edges, broken in places to allow access to the flights of narrow stone stairs that led up to the next floor of the house. But in front of the trees was a matching ring of tall iron cages, wrapped in wire mesh. In each cage was a collection of a few exotic birds, none of which Katharina could put a name to. There were some that resembled parrots, brightly colored and with rasping, musical voices. Others were very small, perhaps finches. Some were drab or black, inconspicuous except for the clear trill of their calls, like snippets of a song played on a whistle.

"Lovely," Mutia gasped.

The bird calls were sparse, ringing out in erratic bursts every few minutes, accompanied by a flurry of swooshing wings. The birds seemed to be settling down in the slowly encroaching darkness.

"It is, isn't it?" Ivy smiled over her shoulder. She pointed at one of the stone staircases, in the far corner, "So, from here we go up. To see some of the interior of the house."

"Lead on," Jane waved her hand.

They marched in their pairs across the flagstones. The stairs were set into the wall, running diagonally up across it, behind and then above the trees. They terminated at a stone ledge in front of an open doorway.

"Ivy my dear," said Jane quietly when they achieved the foot of the staircase, "My dignity dictates that we let the others go up first."

"Your... dignity?" said Ivy.

"Her fat ass," Mutia whispered, "She doesn't want us to watch it going up the stairs."

"Oh come on," Ivy put her arm around Jane's waist, "You have a lovely... um, ass."

"Well that is very kind of you to say," Jane smiled.

"Come on," Fereshteh tottered forward on her high heels, pulling Lia after, "Lia, come. We'll go first."

"Fer does not mind making a show of her dignity," Mutia giggled in Katharina's ear.

The stairs were narrow, and in places uneven with wear. Part way up, Fereshteh stalled and nearly stumbled as she climbed. With a shriek of laughter, she grabbed at Lia's wrist to steady herself. Lia staggered, then as Fereshteh lurched backwards, Lia righted herself and lunged forward to plant both hands firmly on Fereshteh's buttocks and shove her back upright.

"Seriously, this place," Ivy sighed, "All the high heels, the ancient stonework. The number of sprained ankles we have to fix up. You'd think they would just replace the steps."

"That would be a shame," Jane looked down, "I love the antique feel of the place. Very romantic. I see the two of you are more appropriately shod, anyway."

"Yeah," Katharina answered, laughing, "No way am I dancing in heels. So," she looked at Mutia and glanced up the stairs.

"Let's go," Mutia hunched her shoulders excitedly.

Katharina led up the staircase. She hopped up each step, springing on her toes. It was only when she felt a slight tug on her arm that she realized her gradually mounting excitement was getting the better of her.

"Oh, sorry," she said, looking back at Mutia, ruddy faced and panting.

"Not at all," Mutia gasped, "I appreciate the exercise. You're very athletic."

"Hah," Katharina shrugged, "Well, here we are."

They stepped through the doorway into one of the interior corridors of the house. Fereshteh was standing leaned against Lia, both of them on the strip of faded red carpet that covered the stone floor in the center of the hallway.

Now that they had stopped climbing, Katharina noticed that she was catching her breath. She smiled at the two others waiting, stepped forward with Mutia to join them, then waited also. There was quiet in the corridor, only breathing. Katharina watched Mutia look up at the ceiling, then around. The hallways had electric lighting, Katharina knew, but it hadn't been switched on yet. She thought about reaching for the nearest switch. It would be hidden somewhere behind one of the drapes that flanked the door. But she decided she liked the dim, rosy glow of the fading sunlight that shone in through the high windows. It felt cozy, secretive. The paintings and embroidered drapes that hung at intervals on the walls were still discernible. Mutia was looking them over.

"They have lots of old paintings," Katharina said quietly.

"They certainly do," Mutia wondered, looking up and down the hallway.

Katharina laughed to herself, "I carried one up from the library earlier, as it happened."

Mutia gripped Katharina's arm, "You are a strong girl, aren't you?"

Katharina wasn't sure why she had mentioned it. Perhaps simply to tease herself with the memory of it. Now she didn't know whether or how she wanted to elaborate. She looked around at the door. With Ivy still on her way up, it felt as if leadership of the group, in particular the responsibility for sustaining a conversation, had fallen briefly to her. Then, as she was half-formulating some trivial piece of information about the layout of the house, she heard a loud shriek from the other side of the doorway. Katharina turned quickly to look, and moments later Jane clambered up through the doorway in a breathy huff.