Juicy stuff, maybe. [ that had been a fun phrase to learn. she gives Ellie a small, meaningful smile when she continues - ] But romance, no.

[ considering Ellie had been nice enough to share the night she met her best friend, it would only be polite to return the favor, wouldn't it? ]

It was critical that I keep my maidenhead intact until I got married. Of course, arduous activities I loved doing like horseback riding and sailing and hawking made it possible for me to have torn it without any sexual intimacy, so I had that to protect me even when I was checked.

But the irony is how men expect you to stay pure, but to also know how to please when the time comes. My family - [ she pauses, although she frames it as restarting her sentence ] - I'm lucky to have been born in a family that was much more forward-thinking than most. And encouraging, when it came to discovering my sexuality.

[ she squeezes Ellie's hand, expression back to a playful smirk. ]

So yes. Lots of sordid activities. Sometimes my brother and I even competed for the attention of the same man, simply for the fun of it.