A Haughty Courtesan, page 2
Olivia Dustin was a spinster who had seen poverty in its most ugly shape. Her father had never worked a day in his life and her mother had to work as a barmaid to feed and clothe her seven children and a wasted husband.
“How do you feel?” Rose asked.
Olivia Dustin’s amber eyes twinkled with delight as she raised a delicate brow. Even at the age of sixty, she did not seem a day older than thirty. She took good care of herself. Her golden hair was styled in a bun at the top of her head. The gown she wore was made of pure silk and chiffon.
“Care to venture a guess,” Olivia said sweetly.
Rose chuckled. Olivia Dustin loved money above all and the reason for her greed was her past. She had gone to bed way too many times on an empty stomach and realized money was the most prized thing in the world.
“I would think it has something to do with the headlines regarding your party in the papers,” Rose said.
“That’s why you are my most prized pupil, Rose,” the madam said. “You can practically read my mind.”
Rose beamed at the praise. She knew she was the favorite of her matron, but she would never tire of hearing it again and again.
The breakfast continued in silence save for the clinking of spoons and forks. Rose waited for some time before broaching another topic with her matron.
“Mrs. Dustin,” Rose said. “Do you know Lord William Clifford?”
The mysterious devil had been on her mind ever since the masquerade. He seemed like the kind of person who would become a frequent customer with time. She had observed the way his eyes followed her around during the masquerade.
She had cast her net carefully. It was only a matter of time before she made him eat out of her hands.
“An ambitious young man,” Olivia said. “He will not invest a single penny in a business until he is sure there will be profit. He has increased his family’s fortune tenfold from the tender age of seventeen.”
Rose picked a cube of sugar and deposited it into her already sweetened cup of tea. It was a moment of celebration for her. The heavier the purse of a customer, the happier Olivia would become and the higher her status would increase among the other girls.
Rose was already the favorite of Madam Olivia, but she was not content with it. She wanted the whole world to know she was famous for a reason. She did not want the bickering harlots living under the roof to share false rumors about her. She loved fame and wanted every mouth to praise only her.
“I think he might become a customer too,” Rose said.
Olivia looked at her sharply. Rose grinned at her and Olivia’s eyes sparkled. The glint in the madam’s eyes was at the prospect of all the coinage and expensive gifts she would get from a new customer with a heavy purse.
“You are a clever girl, Rose. I am proud of you.”
It was rare for the madam to praise someone twice in a day, but Rose was an exception. Rose was her favorite because she was the most coveted courtesan in London. She had singlehandedly managed to attract more than half the customers visiting the brothel.
Amongst her many accomplishments, the most notable one was the status of her customers. All her customers were noblemen and rich merchants.
“What about the rest of us?”
The redheaded girl at the end of the table was Molly. Most of the girls were envious of Rose for being close to the madam, but Molly was the one who was the most vocal about her dislike towards Rose.
“The rest of you are wastage of good coin,” Olivia said sharply. “When was the last time any of you brought me a nobleman as a customer?”
As the girl got reprimanded, Rose flashed her a triumphant grin. Molly glared at her angrily, wanting to lash out, but was afraid the madam would punish her for her act of aggression.
Madam Olivia Dustin kept a special wooden paddle for tanning the hide of every girl who crossed a line or broke a rule. Olivia also kept a male servant for delivering the punishment and instill fear in the hearts of her girls.
John was a burly man with shaggy red hair and cruel face. The girls changed their path when they saw him coming their way. Rose was the only one who was not afraid of him because John smiled at her from time to time.
Rose had lived in the house from early childhood. She was practically raised before John’s eyes and that’s why the servant held a soft corner in his heart for her.
Rose was the only one who had never been on the receiving end of the ire of Olivia Dustin while the rest of the working girls had received licks from the unforgivable implement of torture more than once.
“Rose, my darling girl, why don’t you show these wretched girls a trick or two of the trade,” Olivia said.
Rose felt elated and jubilant. She pressed down on Olivia’s hand, which was placed at the table and plastered an innocent look on her face.
“I am more than happy to share my knowledge with others,” Rose said. “All they have to do is simply ask me.”
Rose hid her triumphant smile behind the rim of a cup and saucer as Olivia whipped her head towards the girls and a flash of anger spread across her features.
“What’s the matter with you cursed harlots! Too proud to seek the help of someone more experienced than you?” Olivia said.
Most of the girls looked down at their laps with shame, but some of them gave dirty looks to Rose. They were aware Rose had cunningly made them a target of the ire of their madam and wished ill luck upon her, but Rose did not care. She knew these girls were envious of her because they could never reach the same level of fame as her, nor could they ever become favorite of the matron.
Rose put down her cup and looked with fake worry at Olivia. She held Olivia’s face in her palm and inspected her skin.
“You will get wrinkles on your skin if you worry about trivial matters,” Rose said.
Olivia touched her throat, inspecting her own skin. Rose was toying with her, but the seed of doubt was planted in her head and there was little to nothing anyone could do about it.
“Rose is right,” a girl named Stephanie said. “You should not worry unnecessarily.”
Olivia nodded her head in agreement and Rose leaned back in her seat. Olivia believed they genuinely cared for her, but that was a stark lie. The girls only feigned to care because they wanted to stay in her good graces and Rose was no exception.
“I will make a cream for you,” Molly said. “It will bring luster and shine to your skin.”
Rose glared at Molly as Olivia sighed and lost the angry look. Molly ignored Rose and smiled as Olivia looked at her adoringly.
“What will I ever do without you lot?” Olivia said.
“The party was a real success,” a girl named Eda said. “This season will bring fresh faces and heavy purses.”
Olivia raised her teacup in the air. “To people who make us wealthy.”
Another cup was raised. “To people who don’t find their wives pretty.”
Another cup. “To rakes and scoundrels of the society.”
Rose raised her cup. “To us.”
There were lots of nods and chuckles across the table. Everyone was ready to embrace the season of London. A new season always brought a fresh face to town and thus chances of new customers.
Chapter 4
Rose was playing chess with Olivia when John informed her about the arrival of Lord William Clifford. Knowing full well the influence of first impressions, she ran to her chamber and asked John to keep the nobleman occupied for as long as possible.
Once in her chamber, she snapped her fingers at the other working girls who were beneath her in status and in a matter of minutes the setting of the room was changed to her liking and so was her attire.
She wore the same dress she had worn to the masquerade because she was aware of its effect on her current admirer. She knew he wanted to rip that dress off her body, but was bound by the rules of society and the brothel.
When Lord Clifford entered her chamber, he came to a sudden halt. An unseen obstacle seemed to be standing in his way.
“I was debating my decision of returning to this place,” he said.
“Do you still regret that decision, my lord?” she asked in her sensual voice.
It was not hard to feign interest when the gentleman before her was a handsome young man. He seemed to be in his early thirties or late twenties. He had shoulder length auburn hair that curled at the ends and a chiseled jaw. His aristocratic nose complemented his tawny eyes.
He also had a good sense of style. From his hat to his boots, not a single piece of clothing was out of fashion.
“I cherished that decision when I saw you,” he said.
She grinned in triumph. Her plan worked.
She was kneeling in the middle of her large bed with her chest thrusting outward. Her hands were bound together with a ribbon, starting from her elbows and woven in circles until it reached her wrists where the ends of the ribbon were tied in an elegant bow. Another ribbon passed through the hook in the ceiling above her head and was holding her bounds hands above her head.
“I thought I should surprise you,” she said, giving a small tug to the ribbon above her head. “Bound Persephone for the lord of the underworld.”
His Adam’s apple moved up and down as she thrust her chest further out. She grinned as he took a step in her direction, knowing full well he was not going out of the room unless she took what she wanted from him.
She remembered the way he had stared at her body at the masquerade. She was confident she could make him her permanent customer with little effort.
“That was not part of the story, my lady,” he said. “Did you read a certain volume that had additional information?”
She noticed his choice of words but refrained from making any comment on it. He was referring to her as a lady, which was as far from the truth as north is far from the south or east from west. She was a courtesan, and no one referred to her as ‘my lady’.
His choice of words was purely out of habit and manners instilled in him since early childhood. It would be a folly to think he might be considering her worthy of the title.
Rose was born and raised in the unforgiving streets of London. She was many things, but a dreamer and a fool were not one of them.
“Are there rules against using one’s own imagination, my lord?”
He chuckled as she pouted. She was adding to the story of Greek mythology and it did not escape his attention, but that had been her intention all along. She remembered he had identified her as Persephone when nobody else could. He was a man of knowledge and she aimed to use that to her advantage.
So far, everything was proceeding exactly as she had planned.
“Certainly not, my lady.”
He circled the bed but did not come in touching distance of her. His behavior was making her nervous and agitated.
Was there something missing?
If it were someone else, they would have taken the bait and jumped on the bed, but this man was different. He was looking for something she was not aware of. For the first time, she felt she was losing control of the situation.
“Am I not to your liking, my lord?” she asked.
He cocked his head to the side and tapped a finger against his lower lip. She clutched the ribbons tightly and a sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead. She was trying to hide her nervousness by pretending to smile as he stood to the side and kept assessing her.
“I am merely cautious,” he said after a long pause. “If I take this plunge, I am afraid I will never return.”
Her heart sank. A feeling of dread settled into the pit of her stomach. She should have put more effort into greeting him. He was obviously different than the others and it was her fault to treat him like any other customer. She had become cocky and that attitude was going to cost her a wealthy customer.
Rose remembered the words of her matron. Madam Olivia had mentioned that he was an ambitious man who never invested where the chances of loss superseded profit, which meant, he was assessing her worth. Trying to gauge if she was worth his time.
“Are you afraid you are purchasing faulty goods, my lord?” she asked.
His brows raised and a smile tugged at his lips. Her question amused him. Ether because her assumption was wrong or because she was right, and he had not anticipated it.
“What if I am?” he asked.
Mischief was dancing in his tawny eyes as he beheld her bobbing throat. He had caught her off-guard. A rare moment in the life of a skilled courtesan.
She tried to regain her composure by squaring her shoulders and flashing him a seductive grin. She only wished he did not see the sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead for it was marring her beauty.
“What can I do to change your mind?” she purred.
“What can you do that any other girl cannot?” he said, raising a brow in challenge.
Her palms started to sweat, and the words started to escape her. Her eyes widened and he chuckled at her reaction.
“You are breaking my heart, my lord,” she said.
There was no pretense this time. It was the voice of a frightened girl who was on the verge of losing the interest of a handsome man rather than the sensual words of a courtesan.
He shook his head as amusement danced in his eyes. “That was certainly not my intention, my lady.”
“Yet you stand so far away from me,” she said, pouting her lips.
He came closer to the edge of the bed. His gaze remained on her face rather than the assets she was trying to showcase. He did not take notice of her half-bare breasts or her narrow waist, which was a huge disappointment for her.
The only weapon in her arsenal was her body and if it was not bringing him to his knees then what would?
He was not her usual sort of customer. She had to proceed with caution.
“Are you bare beneath this dress?” he asked.
She was once again caught off-guard, but this time the surprise was not bad. She had been trying to entice him with her body all this time, and just when she had lost all hope, he uttered the words she had been meaning to hear all night.
He might pretend to not care, but a man who noticed the lack of underthings was definitely enthralled with her body.
“My hands are bound,” she said coquettishly. “I cannot check for myself.”
He shrugged his shoulders and walked away from her. Her hands tensed and the ribbon above her head strained. She did not understand what was happening. One minute he was showing interest in her and in the next second, he was dismissing her without a single backward glance.
What was he really after?
He leaned against the wall in front of her and stared at her unblinkingly. Her heart started to drum hard as time stood still. Every second felt like an eternity.
“Untie them,” he said. “I don’t see any reason for you to remain hanging like this.”
She would have believed he was not interested in her body, had his gaze not flickered for a split second towards her chest. He could pretend all he wanted, but she knew he was not unaffected by her.
She only had to press harder.
“Why don’t you come closer and give me a hand, my lord?” she said, challenge evident in her mischievous eyes.
He started to laugh and shook his head.
“You are good. I will give you that,” he said. Before she could come up with a comeback, he glanced at his pocket watch and furrowed his brow. “Alas, I have to go, but I will surely return.”
He took out a small purse and placed a handful of coins on her dresser. She was not close enough to count the money, but she knew he was paying the price of a full night instead of one hour.
“You don’t have to pay,” she said hesitantly.
How can she accept money for services she had not provided? Madam Olivia would be displeased if she heard she was turning down payment from a customer, but her conscience was not allowing her to accept money without earning it.
“Nonsense,” he said. “There is a price for everything. I took your time and I will gladly pay for those moments.”
He did not see her nodding her head in silent agreement. He was not asking for her permission and a part of her was glad for it. Risking the ire of Olivia was something she did not want to face.
When he left, she called a girl to untie her bound hands. For the first time in her life, Rose was feeling sad that a customer had left without feeling her skin. Lord William Clifford had left her in a rather gloomy state.
“You seem upset, Rose.”
Rose looked sharply at the girl who had helped her in untying her hands. She was a new girl named Anna. She had seen her a couple of times, but never took an interest in her life.
“Mind your own business, Anna.”
Rose dismissed the girl by turning her back on her and slid inside the covers of her bed. Everyone was aware that Rose never stooped to the level of common courtesans. She treated them like bugs under her feet because that was how she saw them.
“It wouldn’t kill you to be a little cordial to others,” Anna said.
Rose threw off her covers and strode towards the girl in anger. She could not believe that someone would have the gall to talk back to her.
“I am Rose,” she said proudly, pointing a finger towards herself and then made a foul face when she pointed the same finger at Anna. “You are beneath me. You are nothing.” Rose held the girl by her shoulder and shoved her towards the door. “Now, get your ugly face out of my room.”
The girl ran away with tears running down her cheeks and Rose shut the door in anger. These new girls were really stupid. Why can’t they understand she was better than them?
She remained awake for two hours more than usual because the girl had upset her. Rose was not a forgiving sort and she vowed to herself that sooner or later she would get revenge on the new girl.
She had lost two hours of sleep and Anna had to pay for it.
She fell asleep only when she imagined Anna’s weeping face after receiving a hard punishment at John’s hands and Olivia’s orders.
Rose plotted her revenge and thought of all those who might help her.
