How acceptable would sex be between betrothed couples? Most betrothals in the books seem to last only as long as it takes to get the couple in one place and the party organized, but what about, say, Brandon waiting at Riverrun for his family to show up? If he & Cat were more romantically inclined and sexually adventurous, would it be seen as a big deal if they discreetly got a jump on the consumation, or Robert & Lyanna at Harrenhal (if she were older) or Brandon’s wedding?

As long as the couple got married at the end of the day, a broad range of sexual behavior between engaged partners was acceptable in premodern European societies and a number of different customs were created to finesse any embarrassment.

For example, “bundling” was a custom practiced in Britain, the Netherlands, and the American colonies, whereby families would “bundle” their teen children into the same bed with a board or broom between them for modesty’s sake. And then in nine months’ time, everyone would remark at how large and healthy their “premature” child was. And so the social fiction was maintained…