“I used to have beautiful hair like you two once,” she said, with a tone of regret. “But now, here is all I have left,” she said with a deep sigh. Then she walked to the mirror. “Madame Brisbois brought you here to see where you are going to be working very soon and here you are, holding hands like puppets. Do you think the gambling hell is for children?” she demanded, turning around really fast causing Emma to stiffen. Lucy felt that as they were still holding hands.
“Why don’t you leave those kids alone, Berangere?” Amy asked, powdering her nose.
“I see the reason why Madame Brisbois preferred to keep you away till now,” she said, smiling but with hostility. “You are so young and so fresh. She thinks I am too old for this place and wants one of you to become the new Berangere.” She shook her head and stepped back from them. “But, you are not yet strong enough. But don’t worry. After working for a weeks, after you’ve lost that virginity of yours,” she shouted with her eyes widening at each spoken word. “-you shall become a woman. Just as Amy has called you, you are still kids.”
Just then, they all heard footsteps drawing closer and Berangere kept quiet while Madame Brisbois walked in. She was a tall fat woman who loved dressing in a long flowing gown which she always had to hold at the hem to keep from sweeping the floor.
“What is happening here?” Madame Brisbois asked, looking from Berangere to Amy.
“Nothing, Mama,” replied Berangere. “I was merely teaching these girls how things work around here just like you asked me to.”
Lucy and Emma’s eyes remained fastened on Madame Brisbois. All Lucy could pray for was for her to tell them that they could take their leave but something told her that would happen much later.
“Very well,” said Madame Brisbois. “Amy,
Berangere, the constables and his men are here. I need you!”
Amy shrilled for joy and quickly wagged her behind out but Berangere stopped. “What about them?” she asked Madame Brisbois, pointing towards the two girls.
“Not yet,” replied Madame Brisbois much to Lucy’s relief.
Berangere scowled at them but left without a word. Finally, the two girls disentangled their hands as Madame Brisbois also took her leave.
“I can’t stay here,” Emma cried. “We need to leave this place, Lucy. I do not want to be a harlot.”
Lucy sighed and faced Emma. “We are going to leave but we need to be very careful. Madame Brisbois is very smart. We both know this,” she said, placing a hand on Emma’s shoulder.
“I know that I am still under watch for now, but what if Madame Brisbois changes her mind? What if she says I must join them? I cannot allow any of those stinking men to lay their filthy hands on me; I am not ready for this!” Emma kept on but Lucy had to calm her down.
They were both of the same age but many times, Lucy had always acted like the superior. Often times, Emma had tried to escape and for this reason and another reason which Lucy couldn’t understand, Emma had been on a watch. Often times she was either locked up in a room or a guard was assigned to stand in front of her room to watch her closely.
Lucy was stronger and a lot braver, most of which was due to things she had experienced as a child. Emma was the weaker of the two. She came from a wealthy background in London but got kidnapped ten years ago while she was playing hide and seek with her brother.
Somehow, she managed to end up in France after being tossed from one person to another. Lucy found Emma at the side of the road and they band together to find a means of survival before ending up with Madame Brisbois. “Do you think I should write to my father again?” asked Emma.
Lucy sighed. “Are you certain that your father will get it this time? What if your mother gets it, or your uncle?” asked Lucy.
* * *
Lady Emma Winthitorpe
Emma sighed. Lucy was right, she couldn’t risk having her mother read the letter. She had tried writing to her family for two years but nothing became of it. She had tried writing once more during the previous year but Madame Brisbois got hold of the letter and Emma never knew what happened to it.
But since then, she had been on lock down. Even if Lucy could come and leave as she pleased, Emma could never do that. Madame Brisbois had her men watching over her even when she thought they weren’t.
“So what do we do?” she asked. “I do not want to be a harlot, Lucy,” she cried.
“I need to think,” replied Lucy.
Emma inhaled and waited. Lucy had been the only reason she was still alive, she was like a sister to her. So many times, Lucy would defend her and motivate her into not giving up.
“We need to leave France,” Lucy blurted.
“Leave France and go where?” asked Emma.
“You can go home and speak to your father or your brother. Anyone that you think will believe you,” Lucy said. “I need to go to Madame Brisbois,” she said and left.
Emma scoffed. Who would believe that she had caught her mother and uncle kissing? Actually, they were doing more than that. She was too young to understand what was happening, but she saw them alright. And what they were doing was wrong.
She hadn’t meant to find them. She had only wanted to go into the bush to hide from her brother. Their father was not home at the time. As usual, he had gone on one of those ‘important meetings’.
Emma had found her uncle and mother behind a bush that was close to the house. They were so deep into what they were doing that they didn’t hear someone coming. Emma remembered how she had reacted upon seeing them. Her mother’s back was turned towards her with her arms all over her uncle.
There was no way her mother would have seen her come in. Uncle Thompson on the other hand had seen her and without further ado, she had run. What else was an eight year old supposed to do when they catch their mother with another man?
“Here you are, little niece,” Uncle Thompson had said to her the next morning when he found her outside, somewhere around
the same bush.
Emma shivered from the cold, her feet and fingers were numb. Still, these did not deter her from sending her uncle a hostile stare.
“Your brother and mother are looking everywhere for you. What are you doing here anyway?”
Emma shivered as he stepped closer to her and she tried to run but he grabbed her.
“Let go of me! I saw you with mother! You are a bad person!”
“You saw nothing, little girl!” he growled. “It better stay like that or I shall make you disappear!” he threatened.
“I saw you. I saw you Uncle Tom. I shall tell father when he comes back. I shall tell him everything!” she cried as he dug his nails deeper into her flesh.
“You are hurting me! Let go of me!”
“You won’t be able to tell your father because you will never see your father and mother again, little girl!”
Before Emma could understand what he was saying, he grabbed her and carried her in his arms forcefully. She had tried fight him off but she was too small compared to him. He took her faraway to a gentleman who had later ended up taking her into a boat. That was how it had all started.
This was her worst memory which she had kept locked up deep inside her. She had never told Lucy about this. All Lucy knew was that she was kidnapped from home.
Emma inhaled. She was certain that a guard was waiting at the front door, meaning she could not even leave the room. Well, she was fine with it, as long as she did not become a harlot.
* * *
Madame Brisbois
She walked proudly among the drunken men who kept hailing her from every angle. She was happy but she frowned when she saw Berangere’s facial expression at the bar. Madame Brisbois could see Amy sitting on the laps of one of the constables but Berangere chose to sit at the bar. Angrily she walked up to her.
“Might I ask what you are doing here? Why aren’t you working?”
Berangere sighed. “Why are those girls still in that room Mama? Aren’t they supposed to join us alread
y?”
Madame Brisbois inhaled. “I told you, not yet, Berangere. There is a reason I chose to bring them here today. I have not brought them here to work! I only brought them here to observe!” she said. “Besides, Lucy is the one ready to work, not Emma.”
“Why do they have to observe and not work? You have protected them for too long. Far longer than you did for Amy and I! And that Emma girl, might I ask why you are she still keeping eyes on her?”
Madame Brisbois smiled. “I took in those girls at a far younger age than when I found you. And do not forget, you were not a virgin when I brought you here. Those two lack experience with men. I do not want to rush them. As you can see, they are still very terrified, but if I bring them back here in the next two or more days, they would have grown adapted to this environment.”
Berangere shrugged. “Where did you see them again?”
“I met them both trying to steal silverware from a Merchant I know quite well. I had just gone to buy some jewelries and I saw these two sneaking around his shop. I caught Emma first. She was the one on the lookout while Lucy was the one trying to steal. Pierre, my Merchant friend, wanted to punish them, but I asked him to let me go with them. I knew they were going to be useful for me in the future. So, I brought them in.”
“What were they going to do with the silverware?” asked Berangere.
Madame Brisbois shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. Lucy said they wanted to sell it and get some food.”
“But you seem to have trusted Lucy enough to allow her to wander around as she likes. What about Emma?”
Madame Brisbois shook her head. “That girl had tried to escape many times. I think she’s planning to go back home.”
Berangere tilted her head with a frown. “So, where do you think she came from?”
“I think London, or Spain. I am uncertain but sooner or later, I am going to unravel that. I plan to keep her locked up for a while. She is not to attend to any man for now. If anyone will be used at all out of the two, it will be Lucy. However, for now, I would appreciate it if you could go back to where you are needed. I have told you all that you needed to know.”
Berangere sighed and stood up. Madame Brisbois watched as she walked to the men who were happy to see her again.
After this, Madame Brisbois sat at the table and was lost in thought. She needed more girls for her business, but she would need to wait for about a day or two before including Emma and Lucy.
However, she had only brought them here for one reason, for them to see how their lives would turn out in the next couple of days. Also, she knew they might want to do something stupid, like trying to escape, just like they had once done but she had been too smart for them.
She had collected writing materials from them and thrown them away, after which she locked them up separately. She was certain that they would not dare do that again.
Chapter 3
Julian Winthitorpe, the Duke of Havenwood
Julian closed his eyes to inhale the cold French air. He and his friend had gotten to the estates about two hours ago and he was being shown around Paris.
“Paris is indeed beautiful,” he said as he opened his eyes. “William, I cannot thank you enough for bringing me here.”
William smiled. He was sitting next to him in the carriage. “I would not want to have this trip alone. It has been years since I last visited my father’s property here in Paris,” he replied. “Having you here would make things more interesting.”
“You have no idea how much relief it brings me, knowing that I am far from the daily marriage discussions,” replied Julian. “It is a torture.”
William smiled. “No matter how much you evade the topic, my friend, you will still have to settle down and get married soon.”
Julian shrugged, he wasn’t disputing that fact. “The only difference it will make will be that by that time, I would be ready to settle down,” he replied.
William smiled. “Well, you are right.”
“You are lucky, that you do not have a mother like me,” said Julian.
William smiled. “But you know my mother has always bothered me in regards to marriage. She has only grown quiet for some time now because of my brother’s marriage. Once the excitement goes down, believe me I will be in your shoes faster than you think.”
Julian smiled. They had gotten to Paris in the late afternoon and now darkness was fast approaching.
“It is getting dark and I do not wish to go home yet. Pray tell me what you do for an enjoyable night here in Paris.”
William looked at him. “We go to the gambling hell where you get to drink absinthe for as long as you want. You get to gamble your inheritances away and sleep with any lady or ladies of your choice.”
When Julian heard this, his eyes lit up. Back in London, he was a morally upright man, but here in Paris, all that was going to change.
“Well, then,” he said, “what are we waiting for?”
* * *
Miss Lucy Howard
She shifted uncontrollably in her seat while Emma paced to and fro. Madame Brisbois had brought them with her back to the gambling hell without any explanation as to why they were there.
The worst part of it was that, they had yet to see both Berangere and Amy, and they had been in the room for about two hours without being attended to.
“I think she has brought us here to start our work,” Emma said restlessly. “I cannot do this, Lucy. We are supposed to be planning our escape!”
“Quiet, Emma!” Lucy said to her. “I am trying to think. Besides, if we must escape, I told you that we need money. So, for whatever reason Madame Brisbois had brought us in for, we must go along with it.”
Emma stopped when she heard this and faced Lucy. “Are you saying you are going to sleep with a man, to get the money we need?”
Lucy nodded. “Yes, and that means I get to do this so you wouldn’t have to. Once Madame Brisbois is around, I will let her know that you are feeling sick.”
Emma was surprised and couldn’t utter a word. “Oh my goodness, Lucy,” she whimpered. “You want to sacrifice yourself for both of us? How can I thank you enough?”
As they spoke, Madame Brisbois entered and she looked surprised.
“What are you two doing? Why aren’t you dressed?”
Lucy frowned. “You never asked us to dress up, Mama. We thought were are simply here to observe.”
“No, no,” replied the woman. “No more observation. Berangere and Amy are not here because Amy was stupid enough to get herself pregnant and Berangere had to tend to her. This is not going to get in line of my work. I need you out there.”
“I’m afraid, Mama,” started Lucy. “…that Emma is boiling up and she feels terribly sick. I don’t mind doing what I have to do. Once she gets better, she can begin, but you don’t want her puking all over your visitors do you?”
Madame Brisbois looked at Emma with deep regret visible on her face. “Emma is not meant to leave this place yet anyway. She can stay but she will be locked up as always.” Then she faced Lucy. “You are such a brave young lady,” she said. “Now sit. I shall dress you up myself once I get back.”
Lucy watched as the woman left before facing Emma. “She’s locking you up again, why?”
Emma shrugged. “I have no idea,” she replied. “She once asked me two nights ago about where I come from and I told her the same thing I have always told her. I don’t think she is convinced.”
Lucy sighed. “More reason why we need to be careful.”
* * *
Julian Winthitorpe, the Duke of Havenwood
Julian slammed the bottom of the empty bottle against the table and belched noisily on purpose at Williams, who was laughing excitedly opposite him.
“You are a pig, Julian Winthitorpe,” said his friend.
Julian laughed. He was really having fun more than he had expected.
“It has been a while since I had so much fun,” he said, leaning back on his seat. “Why did it tak
e me so long to come with you to France?” he asked and William shrugged. “All those times you often came to France, inviting me and I was always busy, I never knew how much I was missing out.”
William smiled. “Now you know. I always come here anytime I feel like I need to run away from family pressure and business demands in London.”
Julian nodded. “This is really good,” he said and was about to say one more thing when out of the corner of his eyes, he caught a lady in a long blue gown. Her beautiful long jet black hair had a middle parting and reached to her waist.
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