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both
    money and power to found a Great House."
    Ridge felt the adrenaline flood his bloodstream as if he were facing an armed attacker. But instead of
    deadly anger, he felt a fierce elation. Only after taking a deep, slow breath could he say, "You are very
    generous, Quintel."
    "No. I am practical. You have served me long and well, Ridge. I owe you a great deal. Sooner or later
    you will found your House. Nothing short of death would stop you. I understand that the goal is the most
    important thing in your life. Very well. I can repay the years of service and loyalty you have given me with
    the chance to make your fortune in one single venture."
    Ridge met the other man's gaze. "I don't know what to say."
    Quintel smiled. "Say nothing to me. But you might spend a little time talking to Kalena. Actually, it's
    going to take more than a little conversation, I'm afraid. You will need her willing cooperation on this trip,
    Ridge."
    Ridge narrowed his gaze. "She's willing enough. Her share of the profits are quite an incentive."
    "That's not what I mean. You're going to have to seduce her, Trade Master. Quite thoroughly. You're
    going to have to make areal wife out of her. Ridge, when the last two trade masters who got through to
    the Healers' valley returned, they said the High Healers had begun complaining because the trade women
    weren't `true' wives."
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    "Surely by that point in the journey the trade masters were sleeping with the women they had brought
    along," Ridge observed wryly. "There was a marriage document to make it all legal. What more was
    needed?"
    "The Healers of the valley understood this, but they still refused to accept the relationships."
    "Why not?"
    "For some reason known only to them, they did not consider the marriages valid, even though they
    accepted such marriages in the past. They had no adequate explanation, but as near as the trade masters
    could tell, it had something to do with a lack of bonding between the wives and the traders. The existence
    of a sexual relationship and a piece of paper declaring the marriages legal are no longer enough for the
    Healers of Variance, it seems. They want more."
    "How much more is there?" Ridge asked blankly.
    Quintel sighed. "I'm not sure. A link, perhaps. An emotional bond between the man and the woman
    involved. Something understood by the woman, at least, to be more than a business arrangement. You
    know how women are," he added. "So emotional. Apparently, previous trade wives have been quite
    open with the High Healers concerning the temporary nature of the trade marriage. It would seem the
    Healers have begun to object. Who can fully comprehend the Healers of Variance or women in general?
    The impression I received was that they wished to deal with a woman who was not in the marriage
    strictly as a business partner. I think, Ridge, that by the time you reach the mountains, you had better
    have your trade wife bound to you with more than just a formal marriage contract. That, Trade Master, is
    where your talents in the art of seduction will be put to the test."
    Ridge stared at him. "I still don't understand."
    "All I'm saying, Ridge, is that you'd better try wooing the lady.
    By the time you reach the Heights of Variance, make certain she is committed to you and to the
    relationship. The Healers will be able to tell, and if they don't find her truly marriedon an emotional level,
    they won't deal, even if you find a way past this barrier they have erected across the pass."
    Ridge swore softly. "By the Stones, you're determined to make this venture as difficult as possible, aren't
    you?"
    "It's not me who's making life difficult for you. Blame those illogical, female Healers."
    "I'm supposed to make certain Kalena feels committed to me by the time we reach the mountains even
    though the relationship ends when we return to Crosspurposes?"
    Quintel nodded. "Yes. Even though it