"Very true." Smiling mischievously, Ling-Ling perched on the only chair. "You've unbound your breasts, I see. You're so large.'"

"More of that dreadful Fan-qui blood."

Ling-Ling nodded. "The barbarians are enormous, aren't they? And so hairy. The last time my lord entertained some at dinner, I watched from behind a screen. How horrible it would be to belong to one!"

"A terrible thought. You might have ended up with a child like me."

"It's not your fault you have tainted blood."

Knowing her friend meant no insult, Troth settled on the bed, stretching out her injured ankle. "Did you come up here for some special reason? "

Ling-Ling leaned forward in the chair, her eyes glowing. "I think I am with child!"

"That's wonderful! Are you sure?"

"Not quite yet, but I feel it in my bones. I will give my lord a son!"

"It could be a girl."

Ling-Ling shook her head. "I have prayed at the temple of Kuan Yin, and burned joss sticks to her daily. It will be a son. My lord wants that, too, or he would not have released his seed. He will be so pleased."

Ling-Ling's frank chatter had taught Troth much about what happened between men and women in bed. She always listened with queasy interest, intensely curious but feeling that it was improper to hear about such private matters. She couldn't imagine Chenqua as a lover, though according to Ling-Ling, his kung fu strength was equaled by his amatory endurance. If he'd fathered another child at his age, he was fit indeed.

"Boy or girl, I envy you, Ling-Ling."

The girl tilted her head to one side. "Truly? I didn't think you were interested in a woman's life."

"I've had no choice but to be Jin Kang." Troth's mouth twisted. "No man would have me."

"No Chinese man would, of course, but a Fan-qui might," Ling-Ling said thoughtfully. "Such a man would be honored to have a concubine who carried the blood of the Celestial Kingdom."