“So, how much will it cost me, Madame Laurent?”
“For you, a bargain. Only 300 francs.”
He agreed to the price without protest. It was a trifle amount to pay.
“It’s a bargain, my dear!” She thought for a moment and then added, “I warn you, Lord Holland, she’s not like the others. You’ll find her quite interesting and articulate, though she may be a bit timid upon your meeting. She hasn’t stopped shivering at the thought of her first time.”
A little hesitant about the young woman, Lord Holland inquired further. “How did you come upon her?” he asked seriously. “I wish to know. Is she there of her own free will?”
Taken aback by his inquiry, Madame Laurent answered him truthfully. “As I stated before, she came upon hard times. Her father passed away, and apparently, the man was grossly in debt. They sold his estate, and Suzette found herself with the Daughters of Charity until she found a job as a laundress, slaving away for eighteen hours a day. As fate would have it, she happened to be delivering our sheets each day, and then the poor girl was fired from her job for poor performance in the middle of the night. She came to me seeking refuge. I offered her a position. Rather than sleeping on the cold pavement on an empty stomach, she decided to stay. It’s that simple.”
“It never ceases to amaze me,” he said, with a serious frown, “how easy it is for French women to let go of their chastity. In England, she probably would have starved first, but I’m no judge of character.”
“I don’t usually get attached to my girls,” Madame Laurent said musingly, while looking at Lord Holland’s concerned face. “It’s bad business. Yet this one is different. I’m afraid I like her quite a bit, though I haven’t revealed my sentiments.”
She held out her hand, palm up, in expectation of the full price. “That will be 300 francs, paid in advance.” Madame Laurent pondered for a few moments and then added, “On the other hand, since you’re only here in Paris for another three days, you can have her for the next three nights for 600 francs total. Would that suit you?”
Lord Holland pulled his wallet from his chest coat pocket and counted the bills. “Here you go, Madame.” He counted each franc aloud for her enjoyment. “Here’s 100 . . . 200 . . . 300 . . . 400 . . . 500 . . . 600. That’s 600 French francs, not English pounds.” He placed his wallet back in his inside vest pocket and sipped his tea, while watching the shrewd brothel mistress put away the bills.
“She has been assigned to the Louis XV Chambre, so you can make yourself feel like a king.”
“You’re such an enticer, Bridgette.” Robert enjoyed his frequent trips to the brothel, and years ago, when Bridgette first opened, he was one of her early investors. When duties in London and at home became burdensome, he would cross the English Channel to sow a few wild oats away from the prying eyes of his stoic family.
His current holiday had passed all too quickly, and he had promised his father he would return by the end of the week. The next three nights at the brothel would be grand entertainment. All too soon, he would be back in London living the life of propriety that was fully expected of him.
“Well, I shall be there tomorrow evening seven o’clock.”
“It’s always, a pleasure, Lord Holland. Always a pleasure.”
After finishing the business deal, they chatted about inconsequential matters until both departed their separate ways. Bridgette, however, lingered behind to greet a few of her other fine investors, who were dining on lunch. She considered herself the dessert.
After she was finished with business, she returned to her brothel intent on speaking with Suzette. She found Nadine sipping coffee in the kitchen with a few other girls and greeted everyone with a nod.
“Where is Suzette?”
Nadine responded. “She’s upstairs in her room pouting, no doubt.”
“What did she think of the establishment last evening when you gave her the tour? Did she like it?”
“Oh, yes,” Nadine answered enthusiastically. “Like a little girl in a candy store. I thought she’d faint when I took her into the Louis XV Chambre.”
“Good, good. She’ll come around. I have no doubt of it.” She walked over to the carafe and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“I’ve just come from the Jockey Club and tea with Lord Holland. I thought he’d be a good gentleman to do the deed,” she said to Nadine standing nearby. “Englishmen are far gentler than some of our brutish Parisians with a virgin underneath.” She sipped her coffee and then smiled at Nadine. “See, I’m not a heartless bitch as some think.”
“Well, when he’s done with her, send him my way, will you?” Nadine laughed. “He’s no gentleman with me!”
Everyone in the room burst into laughter, and Bridgette shook her head. “Why am I not surprised?” she replied, laughing with the other girls. “He’ll be here tomorrow evening, but unfortunately, he’s returning to London in three days and shall be gone again for months. It’s a shame. I find the man quite amusing, to say the least.”
“Well, then I guess I won’t get to romp around with him between the sheets this time around, eh?”
“No, I’m afraid not, Nadine. I talked him into Suzette for the next three nights. I thought after he’s enjoyed himself enough with her, she won’t be so skittish with the others that come her way.”
She drank the remainder of her coffee and then gave orders to Nadine. “You have your work cut out for you. Today, I want you to make sure she is ready. Give her a bath in oils, and for heaven’s sake, cream those rough hands and arms of hers as much as you can. Her hair needs to be trimmed, brushed, washed, and curled. Clean and cut her nails. Make sure she knows she’s not to pin her locks up in a tight bun like an old maid, will you? I want some of her auburn tresses flowing freely about her shoulders.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Nadine thought for a moment about the task ahead. “Of course, it’s going to take some work turning a common sparrow and into a swan.”
“Still jealous, I see,” said Bridgette, flashing a disapproving glance. She was about to return to her office, when Suzette entered the kitchen.
“Ah, Suzette. I was just talking with Nadine. She’s going to spend the day with you. I’ve asked her to help you with your appearance, your clothing, and other matters. Tomorrow evening will be your first day of work.”
“Already?” she gulped.
“Yes, already,” Madame Laurent confirmed. “Time is money, my dear, and I’m not going to waste it. You can’t put it off forever.”
With a sigh, Bridgette had other matters to attend to and left the kitchen. “Nadine, take care of it,” she said, passing her on the way to the office.
Suzette inquired, “So, where do we start?”
Nadine smiled and reached out to her dry hair. “Well, let’s try with this mop on your head. That should keep us busy for a while.”
“But I just washed it yesterday,” she protested, remembering her torturous hair episode with Annette.
“Too bad! It still looks like straw.”
Suzette reluctantly followed Nadine back their room. During the next few hours, she received lessons in the fine art of allurement by pampering her body with oils, creams, perfumes, and cosmetics from around the world.
Nadine insisted Suzette bathe again and filled the tub with warm water and fragrant bath scents. Pouring water over her head, Suzette braced herself for the deluge. Nadine applied herbs and oils to her hair, which made her strands soft as silk.
“Some of these tricks we learn from the girls from the Orient and Persia. Beauty is different around the world, Suzette.”
After massaging the oils in, she let them sit and soak into the hair, while the remainder of her body relaxed in the fragrant soaps soothing every rough spot. After months of filth and neglect, Suzette enjoyed the relaxing moment.
Nadine pulled up a chair next to the tub and watched Suzette melt in the waters. “You look as if you’re enjoying this.” For the first time, Suzette heard a hint
of kindness in her voice, as if she was truly taking an interest in her life. She smiled warmly in return.
“Each day, you need to bathe in the morning. Madame Laurent wants her girls clean, especially after we spend time with men. We can pick up disease very easily. I don’t know if it helps any, but she seems to think sitting in a hot tub does. It certainly can’t hurt.”
She stopped and examined Suzette’s petite body underneath the water. “Besides, it makes you clean and fresh for your next patron. They love the touch of smooth, tender flesh and fragrant hair next to their bodies. Most of their wives don’t bother to take the time to care for themselves like we do.”
Nadine sensed Suzette wished to know more. “Does the little virgin want to know what to expect?”
Suzette turned her head in Nadine’s direction in response to her question. She met her glowing eyes and mischievous grin. “I don’t know what to expect,” she said, turning away, picking up a strand of hair and playing with it between her fingers.
“You mean to tell me that you’ve never been touched by a man in any way? Not even a beau who slipped his hand over your breast or up your skirt?”
“Well, there was someone once, but he was a gentleman. He never tried to touch me like that.” Suzette pushed away the memory. “My father was very strict and protective of me. I was not allowed to be in the presence of a young man without a chaperone or Papa nearby.”
“Well, you’re a rarity then, which brings me to my next question. Do you know anything about sex? Did your father teach you anything, or did you talk with a girlfriend about it?”
Suzette bit her lower lip and then confessed. “I have no idea what it means to have sex, Nadine. My mother died when I was very young. My father raised me, and he never spoke of these matters. There were no other women in my life to teach me either. My single governess never talked of it. I can only imagine,” she said, pausing to think how ludicrous she must sound. “I don’t even know what to imagine.”
“Well, I’m not shy. I’ll tell you what it’s all about and what to expect.”
Nadine sat for the next twenty minutes, while Suzette lounged in the tub, and discussed the intimacy of the human body. Her explanations were a bit crude, yet effectively communicated in detail. Suzette listened to her description of the sexual act until the bath water grew cold. Her fingertips shriveled like prunes, and goose bumps ran up her spine by the time she was through.
Suzette’s facial expression during her detailed prose brought amusement to Nadine. It fueled her manner of speech, which became graphically descriptive regarding the male appendage and where it would be placed. When she had done the deed, she left a shocked wide-eyed virgin shivering from more than cold water.
“Any questions?” She couldn’t help but laugh seeing her student’s face turn white as a sheet. “Well, then, you’ll find out the rest by yourself, I imagine!”
She stood up and grabbed a nearby towel throwing it at Suzette, who caught it before it landed in the tub. “You better get out before you look like a prune,” she said, stepping away. “Dress and come back to the room.”
Nadine went into their room and waited for her pupil. She was amazed that the young mouse knew nothing about the ways of a man and woman. It was unlike her own life, as she recalled her rude awakening at the tender age of sixteen, when a friend of her father stole her innocence.
On that day, she lost her virginity in a crude fashion when he raped her by lifting her skirt and bending her over a table. Rather than being a tender first-time experience, it was crude and horrible violation, and served to create the rough edges of Nadine’s personality. The screams that escaped her throat during the painful ordeal were ignored by her drunken father, who had passed out in another room. Without a mother in her life, there was no salvation.
After years of abuse from an alcoholic parent, she ran away and found herself alone on the streets of Paris. If it were not for Madame Laurent discovering her one day in a café, she would have perished with the rest of the whores.
Madame Laurent offered her work when the brothel first opened, and Nadine had been there ever since. She certainly had no innocence to lose, so she was happy to take the job in return for housing and a full stomach. Truth be told, she had found an odd sort of adoration from men by giving them her body on her terms. She fed her self-esteem by being desirable and wanted, even if it only lasted a few hours each night. Nadine had grown to love the act she once despised and hungered for it like opium.
Unknown to Suzette, she had given birth to a baby girl the year before, after becoming pregnant by one of her frequent customers. She gave the child up for adoption without an ounce of remorse and never spoke of the incident again.
Suzette came through the door wrapped in her towel, jolting Nadine back from old memories she had buried long ago.
“I understand from Madame Laurent she’s giving you an allowance. You’re free to choose what you wish in the way of clothes. Let her know what you want, so she can add it to your account.” With a sigh, she gave Suzette a word of warning. “Take it easy, Suzette, on how much you become indebted to your employer. Debt is a tactic she uses to keep the unwilling girls here for years. The foolish ones who want to leave can’t, because they still owe her money they can’t repay. Their greed for clothing and finery has put them into an endless cycle of debt.”
She walked over to the closet and opened it up. “There are things I like very much about Bridgette Laurent, but she can be shrewd when it’s to her advantage.” She looked at Suzette and added, “I guess I don’t need to tell you what you’ve learned already.” Nadine hesitated before continuing. “You know that she arranged to have you fired, don’t you?”
“What?” Suzette squawked.
Nadine nodded in affirmation. “Don’t tell her that I told you,” she said nervously. “She’ll have my hide, she will.”
Suzette wanted to know more. “I promise, Nadine, just tell me. What did she do?”
“Well, she got tired of asking you if you wanted the job. She knows Brouchard at the washhouse, so she paid him a large sum to fire you. She figured you’d come running here on a cold night at eleven o’clock, with nowhere else to go.”
Suzette didn’t know whether to scream or cry.
“But I think she did the right thing. Your life here is much better. You’ll see. It has its advantages.”
Nadine led Suzette toward the full-length mirror and held up one of the dresses.
“Tomorrow will be your big day—the queen of the Louis XV Chambre. Madame Laurent has a special surprise for you. It won’t be as bad as you think.”
Suzette didn’t know what to think. All she knew was that the clock on the wall was ticking away, and her virginity would soon be lost, as well as her soul.
Chapter Eleven
Suzette’s nerves frayed as she contemplated, what she called, her “evening of impending doom.” The day passed far too quickly, even though she spent the majority of it hidden behind the closed door of her room. She emerged briefly for a small mid-morning snack but had no appetite the remainder of the day.
Her wish to avoid Madame Laurent entirely went unfulfilled when she called her to report to her office at five o’clock. Nadine, sensitive enough to leave the dreadful pouting virgin alone, only came into the bedchamber to announce Madame Laurent’s summons.
Obediently responding, Suzette wandered down the grand staircase and knocked on the door before entering. She found Madame Laurent sitting reposed and confident behind her desk. She looked ready to give her instructions for the evening.
“Ah, Suzette. Come in, close the door, and have a seat.” After completing each task as requested, Suzette walked to the chair and sat down. She studied Madame Laurent’s face searching for an ounce of mercy and regret but saw none. Instead, the usual cold and calculating business stance prevailed.
“Yes, Madame, you wanted to see me.”
“We need to talk about your first night, oui? Are you nervous?”
>
“A bit.”
“Understandable.” Rising from her chair, she walked over to a side table and poured herself a glass of brandy. “Do you want one? It might ease those jitters.”
“No, thank you.”
After pouring a glass, she sauntered over to the front of her desk and rested her derrière upon the surface, causing her bustle to billow like a balloon. A nervous chuckle escaped Suzette’s lips. While Madame Laurent took a sip of her brandy, Suzette fought with her bobbing knees.
“I’ve procured for you Lord Holland for this evening. You shall not be disappointed, my dear. The girls tell me that he is one of the more satisfying and kind patrons we have.” She smiled in amusement over Suzette’s jitters.
“He’s an Englishman, which should give you some comfort. Your first time won’t be with some hungry, lecherous Frenchman.” Bridgette brought attention to her kindness in Suzette’s eyes. “See . . . I am not without some compassion.”
Suzette looked at her with disdain, convinced if Laurent possessed an ounce of compassion, she would have given her a job as a housekeeper. She would have gladly cleaned the toilets and changed the sheets, than to soil them nightly as a floozy upstairs.
“Don’t look surprised, dear. I’m a mistress, not a monster. There are other wolves who could have ravished you. Believe me when I say you’ll be thankful that Lord Holland is your first. In fact, you’re lucky he happens to be in Paris this month. He lives in England and only frequents our establishment when he’s on holiday.”
“I don’t know what to say, Madame.”
“Thank you might be appropriate.” She gulped the remaining alcohol in her glass. Suzette’s persistent silence irritated her, especially when no thank you was forthcoming. She raised her brow and gave her a warning.
“Do your best to please him in spite of the circumstances. After all, this is my livelihood, and if my customers are not satisfied, they will not be happy.” Madame Laurent drew her lip back into a threatening smirk. “And if they are not happy, I am not happy. Do we understand each other?”
The Price of Innocence (The Legacy Series) Page 11