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“So, that’s where you are hiding out these days,” Verity said as she entered the library.
Eloise looked up from her book and smiled at her friend. “Not hiding, just reading.”
The truth was, shewashiding from Verity. For several reasons.
Firstly, ever since Eloise saw her with Hunter, she’d felt rather odd. And not because Hunter was amusing himself with Verity before marriage to Eloise but rather because Eloise was about to marry Verity’s favorite customer.
She did not know what that meant and whether Verity was attached to him. But seeing her eyes light up as she’d noticed him, the bounce in her walk as she moved toward him, made Eloise think that Verity indeed harbored stronger feelings toward Eloise’s fiance. And after the talk Eloise had with the harlots on the men they fancied—on the men they’d never marry—she could only feel guilt that out of them all, she’d be the one the men would pick to marry. In this case, literally.
In the past, she’d heard men talk about mistresses of the wealthy lords, and it seemed like a different life entirely. Nobody talked to her about harlots, of course. But she was aware of their existence, although she didn’t have any sympathy for them. She was convinced that was the life they’d chosen.
Verity and every other woman here were different from what she had imagined. Yes, they had chosen this life. But not because they liked it. They embraced it because they had no other choice, thus forgoing the chance to have a family of their own one day.
But the second reason for avoiding Verity was even more complicated. Eloise needed time to herself after the interlude with Hades. That kiss had lingered in her mind, and she still couldn’t quite reconcile her feelings for the mysterious man. Why had he kissed her? Had he done it because he craved her as much as she craved him? Or had he done it to humiliate her? Eloise was not certain either answer would satisfy her, and she needed to process her feelings.
And finally, no matter her conflicting feelings, she still needed to write a note to her brother. And composing a perfect note that would convey a secret message would take time. She wasn’t certain he would understand the secret message. She wasn’t even certain it would help him if he did. But it was her duty as a thief-taker’s sister to try.
Verity walked farther into the room and sat on a chair opposite Eloise. “Sorry for abandoning you in the hell last night. I got distracted.”
Eloise smiled. “Not a problem,” she said, wondering how to breach the subject of Hunter.
Verity grimaced. “I hear you ran into Grace.”
“Yes,” Eloise said with a nod. “I did meet Grace.”
“How did that go? She nearly bit my head off when she found out I was the one to bring you to the hell. A frightening lady,” Verity said with a shudder.
“Is she?” Eloise remembered the woman with a ghostly white face and bright red lips and cheeks, who bore herself and talked almost like a doll. “I suppose she was a bit… intimidating. But I cannot imagine her ever being angry.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t. And you won’t see her angry either. Neither Hades nor Grace ever shows their emotions. Well, I suppose Master growls a lot, but he never loses his temper. They become extremely quiet and just say a word or two that will haunt you for the rest of your days. Intimidating is the right word indeed.”
Eloise blushed at the mention of Hades, and she couldn’t quite meet Verity’s gaze.Oh, Lord.If that was her reaction to just the mention of his name, what would happen if he walked into the room?
She closed her book, determined to change the subject. She shifted closer to Verity. “But how was your night aside from that? Did you get to spend time with your favorite customer?”
Verity grinned. “Oh, yes.”
Eloise bit her lip. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, anything.”
“Does it make a difference who you are… servicing? I mean, you said that he’s your favorite customer. But why? And what if you’re servicing your least favorite customer? How does it feel in comparison?”
Verity narrowed her eyes at Eloise but then relaxed in her chair. “It depends on many things. What they ask of me, what they look like, how they behave, and if they are shaved and clean. If they do not ask for anything extra, I can just lie on my back and pretend I am somewhere else. If they ask me to do something, I can pretend they are someone else.”
Eloise grimaced. “But why take on clients you do not want?”
Verity cackled. “And who’s going to service them then?”
“But how can you do those intimate things to the people you dislike?”
The kiss with Hades unwittingly invaded her mind again: his hot hands holding her wrists against the wall, his tongue stroking hers. She couldn’t imagine having the same reaction to any other man’s kiss.
“You get used to it.” Verity waved a careless hand. “I am grateful to be here. Most places I’ve been to before didn’t let us decide. We did whatever they wanted. Sometimes they beat us or forced us to do things that were painful and beyond embarrassing. We have control here. We get to choose what we agree or don’t agree to do. Some things we don’t allow here; there are other brothels for that.”
Beat them and forced them to do painful things? Eloise’s face scrunched up in a frown. She could not imagine what that would be like. “What is not allowed here?”
