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He had more important things to worry about, aside from Jamison and his thief-taker friends.
For instance, what was he to do with the impetuous lady he had locked up in the bedchamber on the second floor? He had snatched her to teach the thief-taker a lesson. But many a night were bound to pass before the lesson was learned. And that meant that the girl was a permanent guest in his house.
* * *
There was a knock on Eloise’s door, and a moment later, without waiting for the reply, a small, round-hipped woman walked in with a tray. She turned toward Eloise and smiled. She was missing a couple of teeth, and her face was covered with powder and rouge. Eloise blinked at the woman and stood to accept the tray.
“No need to worry, deary, I shall bring the tray to you,” the woman said and proceeded to place it on the bedside table.
“Thank you.” Eloise smiled uncomfortably, still studying the peculiar woman.
Her dark blue dress was neat and clean. She wore an apron in front, and below the neck, she looked like a respectable matron. But above… Well, her face was powder-white except for the cheeks and lips, which were bright red. She wore a high wig, making her coiffure seem like that of ladies of high society, except that it was worn and obviously had seen better days.
“Are you a cook here?” Eloise asked as the woman set the food and a teapot down.
The woman cackled loudly. “A cook? No, deary. Not even close.”
“Are you a servant, then?” Eloise tried again.
“No,” the woman replied, still cackling. “I am a whore.”
Eloise blinked. “Excuse me?”
“A whore, deary. A harlot.”
Eloise knew what a whore was. She wasn’t exactly a genteel, ignorant lady. Her brother was a thief-taker, and as much as he tried to shield her from the realities of the world, she’d witnessed many awkward conversations between her brother and his men, including the conversations about bawdy houses and their occupants.
“Oh, I am sorry,” Eloise finally said with a grimace.
The woman frowned, then put her fisted hands on her hips. “You are sorry I am a whore, or you are sorry you are in the room with one?”
“I mean no offense. I am just sorry for your lot in life,” Eloise hastened to assure her. She leaned closer to the woman and whispered, “You don’t need to stay here for long. We can escape this place together.”
The woman blinked, looking at Eloise as if she was a lunatic, and then laughed loudly again. “I am not going anywhere, deary. And neither are you.”
“Oh, I am most certainly leaving,” Eloise assured her. “I can help you escape, too.”
“Why would you want to leave?” the woman asked, confusion evident on her powdered face.
“Why would you want to stay?” Eloise’s mouth dropped. “Aren’t you here against your will like I am? You can’t possibly want to be a… a…” She waved a hand helplessly.
“A whore?”
Eloise wished she would stop using vulgar language. “Well, yes. You can’t possibly want to do that.”
The woman tapped her foot and placed her hands on her hips. “And what should I rather do, pray tell?”
“Honest work. Anything else,” Eloise said emphatically.
“Honest work? Do you know how much honest work pays for someone like me? No. I’d rather stay here, safe and warm. Better than scrubbing chamber pots in some toff’s grand old house,” she added with a grimace.
Eloise frowned. “Cleaning houses is not exactly alluring, but it’s honest. And I’d rather clean than—”
“Lie on your back while a man takes his pleasure?” The woman eyed Eloise from top to bottom in an unflattering way. “Do not worry, not many men would pick you, anyway. You are so thin, men would be afraid to break you. And it doesn’t seem like you have too much in the way of breasts to offer.”
Eloise gasped and crossed her arms over her chest. “There is no reason to be rude. I just didn’t think… How can you defend this lifestyle?”
“Just because it’s different from yours don’t mean it’s bad.” The woman turned on her heel and determinedly walked toward the door.
