A Haughty Courtesan, page 3
Chapter 5
At the gentlemen’s club, Lord William Clifford was playing cards with his friend, Lord Robert Tyne. He was physically present, but mentally he was still in that room with Rose, but this time, instead of being a stubborn fool, he accepted her offer and ravaged her while she was still bound and totally at his mercy.
Robert watched him from the corner of his eyes, waiting for him to throw his card, but he was merely staring at the cards in his hands.
“What has gotten into you, William?” Robert asked.
William sighed and looked at his friend. He had known Robert from Oxford. They shared many adventures together and rarely kept secrets from one another. William knew he could always count on Robert and that sentiment was also shared by Robert.
“I went to see Rose,” William said.
Robert made a sour face. “You are distracted because of that harlot?”
“Don’t disrespect her,” William retorted.
Robert observed him for a moment too long and then sighed deeply.
William was not comfortable with the assessing gaze of his friend. He was amazed at his own outburst. She was a courtesan and he was aware of that, but still, the way Robert was referring to her left a bad taste in his mouth.
“It’s not disrespectful when one speaks the truth,” Robert said calmly.
William did not like this comment either, but defending her again would make Robert suspicious and he did not want his friend to assume something when there was absolutely nothing going on between him and Rose.
He refused to believe that he might feel something other than a mere curiosity when it came to Rose and William sure as hell did not want Robert to believe something which was not there.
“You have known her long before I made her acquaintance,” William said cautiously. “Don’t you think she is different than the others?”
Robert threw a card on the table, but William was not paying attention to the game. He was more interested in knowing what his friend thought about Rose.
“She is the most coveted courtesan because she knows how to gain the attention of men,” Robert said, staring at him. “She is good at ensnaring fools like you.”
William’s face heated and color stained his cheeks. He was caught red-handed by his friend.
“She is good,” William mumbled.
Robert raised a brow and then poured himself wine from the bottle placed on their table. Picking up the glass, he leisurely took a sip and then leaned back in his chair.
“So, tell me in detail,” Robert said. “What debauched things did you do to her or she did to you. Personally, I have never tasted what she has to offer, but I have heard tales.”
William thought about lying to Robert. It would have stopped the mockery that was sure to come after he confessed to what really transpired between him and Rose.
But how could he lie to his close friend about something so insignificant?
“I merely conversed with her,” William said.
Robert sprayed out the liquor and placed his glass on the table with a thud. William wished Robert had not reacted in that manner because now the whole club was looking their way.
“You went to a brothel to talk to a courtesan?” Robert whispered loud enough for only half the tables to hear his voice. “Are you sure you are not daft?”
William bristled, but he kept his anger in check. Robert was pushing him, and he knew that because he had done the same to him countless times in the past. He was also aware of the many ears that were now solely focused on their conversation.
“You are making a scene, Robert,” William said. “For God’s sake, keep your voice down.”
William threw a random card on the table. Robert smirked as he saw the card that was ultimately going to win him this round.
“Only talking,” Robert said dryly.
William threw all the cards on the table in frustration and poured himself wine from the bottle.
“You cannot understand,” William said.
“Please, enlighten me,” Robert drawled. “I beg of you, my lord.”
William tried to come up with a suitable response, but his mind had gone blank. He opened and closed his mouth a number of times, but no excuse came out.
Robert chuckled at his uneasiness and William growled.
“The devil take you, Robert!”
Robert guffawed and then shook his head in disbelief.
They remained quiet for some time during which William was once again reliving the moments he spent in her company.
Rose was a puzzle he could not solve. She was a courtesan and he was not delusional to believe otherwise, but her wit and humor were out of the ordinary. Usually, courtesans and harlots use vulgar and crude language, but not Rose. He even went so far as to call her a lady because of her behavior.
“How much did you pay her?” Robert asked.
William got irritated at the interruption. He glared at Robert and went back to drinking his wine. He did not want to tell his friend how much he paid because he knew Robert would tease him mercilessly for the rest of the night.
“Did you at least see her bare?” Robert asked.
It irked him that his friend could see through him so easily. The amused look on Robert’s face was saying Robert knew he had paid more than the fixed amount for an hour. He himself had no answer for why he did that.
“I was in a hurry,” he mumbled.
Robert scoffed. “To do what?”
William had no clever retort or an honest answer. He had asked the same question from himself a number of times ever since he left the brothel. She had expected him to feel her body and he wanted to take her up on that offer, but for some odd reason, he wanted to make a connection with her first. He did not want to treat her like other courtesans.
“Don’t you have something productive to do?” William asked irritably.
Robert grinned. “I like what I am doing here.”
“Leave me be.”
“Fine, I will not bother you again,” Robert said and then added after a small pause. “You are the biggest schmuck in the whole world. A courtesan is not for talking. For talking, we have all these noble ladies.”
William clenched his fists. He did not mind that Robert was calling him a fool, but he was irritated that Rose was compared to the simpering girls of society. Rose was a vibrant woman who could make him laugh with her wit. It was a feat not achieved by anyone else.
“Forgive me if I am not interested in talking about the weather or gossip about who is marrying who.”
Robert raised a brow, clearly not expecting this outburst from him.
“What did you talk about with Rose?” Robert asked.
William put down his glass with force and the whole table shook. Picking up his coat from the back of the chair, he strode towards the entrance of the club.
He was done talking to Robert. He could not sit idly by and let his friend throw insults at his face. He was entitled to his privacy. It was not anyone’s business to know about the details of his meeting with Rose.
“Your mother was asking about you at the ball last night.”
William halted immediately. He had forgotten about the promise he made his mother. He was supposed to meet Lady Lillian at the ball and share a dance with her.
Lady Lillian was a meek little creature who was a perfect picture of obedience, proper behavior and everything one wanted in their wife. He had met her at a soiree last Saturday. They had exchanged pleasantries and then parted ways.
Later that night, his mother told him she liked Lady Lillian and wanted him to consider her for his future bride. She had a substantial dowry and was the daughter of a marquis. She would make him look good in society, so he had bowed his head to his mother’s wishes.
Lady Lillian was a good investment.
“What did you tell her?” William asked hesitantly.
His heart was drumming hard. He felt guilty for forgetting the promise he made to his mother. She must have felt humiliated. She loved him dearly and that’s how he returned her love. He felt ashamed.
“You were busy with state affairs and forgot to attend the ball,” Robert said.
William looked over his shoulder at Robert. “Thank you, Robert.”
Robert nodded his head in acknowledgment. “Humans are prone to committing mistakes,” Robert said. “Make sure you don’t repeat the same one in the future.”
He looked away from Robert and walked out of the club. He could not meet the eyes of his friend when he was trying to hide the truth from him.
How could he tell Robert spending time with Rose did not feel like a mistake?
How could he tell anyone that he broke a promise to his mother because he wanted to talk to a courtesan?
Chapter 6
At the breakfast table, the courtesans were gathered once again. They were all conversing amongst themselves except Rose. Rose talked only with Olivia because the rest of the working girls were beneath her, or so she believed.
Rose was thinking about the current customers in her life and at the same time concocting a plan for getting even with her nemesis.
Lord Doris was still in town. He visited her chamber regularly and always left with a smile on his face. She was his favorite because they were both shallow and inconsiderate towards the feelings of others.
Rose would never admit it, but her mind would wander towards the meeting she had with Lord Clifford. He had not touched her, but he had managed to leave a lasting expression on her mind. He merely conversed with her and left a hefty sum of money on his way out. She did not want to admit she was looking forward to his next visit more than she waited for Lord Doris. She wished to see him again and engage in the game of wits. He was the only man she had ever known who did not make vulgar comments in her presence even though she was a courtesan and it was expected and acceptable.
From the corner of her eyes, Rose kept watching the girl she was going to land in trouble. She was not the forgiving sort and one girl had dared to make her annoyed this past week.
Anna.
Putting down her cup and saucer, Rose cleared her throat before looking sweetly at Molly and Anna who were sitting close to each other. They were discussing the little adventure Anna had last night.
Anna had served an orgy to a group of seven men and was excited to share the details with her friends.
“How many customers did you say were there?” Rose asked.
Everyone looked at her in astonishment. Rose never took interest in anyone’s life except when it was for her own gain.
The other girls ignored her question, but Anna looked at her with a smug expression. Anna was new and she was not aware how far Rose would go for petty revenge.
“There were seven of them,” Anna drawled.
Rose gasped dramatically and looked at Olivia who was now glaring at Molly and Anna.
“You must have quite the profit from last night,” Rose said to Olivia.
Anna was feeling proud for collecting a huge sum of money in one night because it would gain her points with Olivia, but little did she knew that the orgy she had served was arranged by Rose.
“I received payment for only four customers,” Olivia said, gritting her teeth.
Anna turned pale and Rose rubbed the extra coins in her palms under the table. One of the men had picked up the coins when Anna was not looking and gave them to Rose through their mutual friend… Lord Doris.
In exchange for helping her, Lord Doris had done things to her for which she usually charged extra, but had to offer them free of cost last night. Rose was not totally fine with Lord Doris’ manipulation, but she knew it would be worth it once Anna got punished.
“You must have miscalculated, Olivia,” Rose said, faking a horrified expression. “Surely no one would be stupid enough to steal from you. After all, you are the one who is providing us with a roof over our heads.”
She had sowed the seeds of doubt in Olivia’s head. It was only a matter of time before she called John and asked him to deal with the thief.
“You stole my money?” Olivia yelled. “You ungrateful, wretched whore!”
Rose leaned back in her chair and watched the drama unfold. She was the producer and author after all.
She was thrilled to see the horrified expressions on Anna and Molly’s faces as they looked at one another. Anna was looking at Molly for answers she could never get.
“John, bring the paddle!”
Rose dumped an extra cube of sugar in her tea and smiled behind the rim of her cup as Anna started begging for forgiveness.
“It will not happen again,” Anna begged. “Please don’t punish me with the paddle.”
Olivia did not listen to the pleas of the courtesan because money was the most important thing in her life.
John appeared with the wooden paddle in hand and looked towards Olivia for further instructions.
Olivia nodded her head, pointed to Anna and then vacated her own chair for John.
John sat with his knees slightly parted and pointed with one finger towards Anna.
“Come here,” John said in his gruff voice.
Anna tried to make a run for it but was soon brought back, kicking and screaming, by a couple of girls on Olivia’s orders.
“Strike her five times. Three for the theft and two for making a scene,” Olivia said. “And keep increasing the number if she tries to run again.”
A scared and frightened Anna was draped over the knees of John. Anna made a small whining noise as John lifted her skirts and bared her bottom for all to see.
Drawers were the one piece of clothing which were not allowed in the brothel and it was moments like these that some of the courtesans wished the rule would change.
John adjusted Anna on his lap with her bottom raised in the air. Anna held onto John’s calf for dear life.
There was a cracking noise in the silent room, followed by a painful wail of a courtesan.
Rose watched with utter satisfaction as a pink blush appeared on Anna’s pasty white buttocks.
Anna looked at Molly with a tearstained face.
“Help me,” Anna said.
John brought down the paddle once again with a nasty thwacking sound. Anna thrashed and screamed once again, but no one came to her aid.
Anna placed her hands on her flaming bottom, but John smacked her hands away with the same paddle.
Anna’s bottom was turned into an angry shade of red by the time John was done punishing her bottom. The three swats he gave her were not as severe as the first two, but Anna still screamed and wailed each time the paddle was brought down.
Per the rules, Anna was asked to stand in a corner with her skirts raised to her waist. The purpose behind such rule was to increase the humiliating experience and intimidate the other courtesans. No one would think of stealing from the madam when they recalled what happened to Anna.
Olivia started lecturing everyone and Rose closed her eyes to bask in her moment of triumph.
Once everyone was dismissed, Rose slipped the coins she was holding in her palms under the door of Anna’s room. Rose wanted to let her know that she was behind the humiliating experience the courtesan had just faced.
If the courtesan was bright, she would not think of ever talking back to Rose and would warn anyone who dared to commit the same mistake.
“You should be ashamed of yourself, Rose.”
Rose whirled around and saw Molly standing behind her. She did not know how and when the courtesan had managed to sneak up on her. She had not heard any shuffling of feet nor felt the presence of another person.
If it were someone else, they would have gotten scared for getting caught, but it was Rose. Rose released a sigh of frustration and inspected her nails in boredom.
“What crime do you intend to accuse me of, Molly?” Rose asked.
“I saw you sliding the coins under Anna’s door,” Molly responded.
Rose gasped dramatically, put a hand on her chest and widened her eyes.
“I was helping her,” Rose said. “Olivia will ask for her money and might punish her again if she could not produce it.”
Molly bristled and her cheeks turned scarlet in anger. Rose stood her ground as Molly took a threatening step in her direction. Rose was not afraid of the likes of her.
“We all know you orchestrated that,” Molly said, gritting her teeth. “Anna pissed you off and you could not let it go. We all know you are a shallow person and hurt others for your amusement.”
Rose smiled like Cheshire cat. She knew Molly and Anna were close, but she had no idea that Anna would have shared the encounter she had with Rose with anyone else.
“Careful, Molly,” Rose drawled. “If I were you, I would choose my next words with great care. Unless you wish to experience the same punishment as Anna.”
Rose congratulated herself as fear was witnessed in Molly’s eyes for a fleeting moment. The emotion was gone just as fast as it had appeared, but it was enough for Rose. She had gained what she had intended with that threat. Molly would never speak of Rose’s involvement in the matter if she wished to save her own skin.
“You admit you were behind it?” Molly asked.
Rose shrugged nonchalantly. “I said no such thing, but hypothetically speaking, I can arrange it if I want to.”
Rose was confessing to her involvement in the matter and at the same time, she was denying her hand in it.
Molly narrowed her eyes and lifted a shaking finger in her direction.
“A day will come when you will be the one getting punished,” Molly said.
Rose guffawed at the absurd comment. Olivia loved her. Her matron would never punish her.
“You are delusional, Molly. That day will never come.”
Molly was trembling with rage and Rose was enjoying every moment of it. She was proud of herself for getting a rise out of Molly.
“I will be waiting for the day you are vulnerable,” Molly said.
Rose tilted her head to the side. “Have you ever seen me vulnerable, Molly?”
There was a vast difference between her and the other girls, and she wished the others would stop comparing themselves to her. Competing with her was impossible.
