***
Allan put his hand on the doorknob and pushed. He opened the back door to the shop that had belonged to Merrick. He closed the door behind him, walked through the office room, and into the shop room.
The shelves and cabinets were empty. The word around the city was that the stolen property Merrick still had was being returned to their rightful owners. The rest of the merchandise was to be sold by His Lordship to pay for the jailing of so many criminals. Allan was sure the first action was right, but not so sure about the second. He understood that filling up the city jail was an expense, and he was glad that His Lordship wasn’t raising taxes to do that. He wondered if the coins raised might be better spent taking care of poor children, so that the boys swept off the streets wouldn’t be replaced by more boys in need.
After a quick look around the vacant shop, Allan headed up the spiral staircase. He had taken one step past the staircase when Elsie appeared at the other end of the short corridor.
This was the first time he was able to really see her. He remembered from some night back that she had a cute face. She turned out to be half a head shorter than him with a slender build. She was wearing simple dress tied at her waist. The bottom of the dress was frayed, and its color had faded from white to dull cream, but it was otherwise clean.
“You!” she said. She ran at him. “You ruined everything!” She came up to him, and pounded her fists on his chest.
Allan grabbed her wrists. He shook her, then squeezed them just enough to turn her anger into fear. “I ruined nothing, Elsie.”
“You sent my brother to jail! You sent Merrick to jail!”
“Your brother lived by stealing. Merrick sold what your brother and his friends stole.”
“So?”
“They broke the law.”
“Who are you to stop them? You’re a young man in a mask!”
“I’m a young man who used to live on the streets, like you and your brother did.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re lying.”
“I’m telling the truth.”
“Then why did you send everyone to jail?”
“Because the law has to work for everyone. Some of the people your brother and his friends stole from weren’t that much better off than you and he were. They worked hard to have just a little, and it was taken away from them. Do you think that would make them rich, or make them poor?”
She glared at him but didn’t answer his question.
“I see.” He loosened his grip on her wrists. “Merrick was using your brother and his friends to make himself richer. But he wasn’t making them richer, and he wasn’t making rich the people the boys stole from. Then there’s you.”
“What about me?”
“I had a sister. An older sister. I would never had offered her to a man in exchange for food, or shelter, or coins. She wouldn’t have sold me, either.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s wrong. You don’t hurt people you care about. If your brother cared about you, he’d have protected your virginity, not sold it.”
“I’m not a whore.”
“No, you were just whored out to one man.”
“Why are you so mean?”
“Why are you so foolish?”
She tried to wriggle free. He tightened his grip.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know what your brother did to you. If you’ve spent any time on the streets, you know what he did.”
She stopped wriggling. “He had to.”
“No, he didn’t, not if he cared about you. And what about all that time you spent in Merrick’s bed? You could be pregnant.”
“I’m not.”
“Did he wear a sheath?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head.
“Like I said, Elsie, you could be pregnant. What do you think would happen if you did get pregnant? Do you think Merrick would marry you? Would he give you coins so you could support the baby? Or would he toss you out of his bed so he could take up with another girl?”
She looked down at the floor.
“What about your brother? If you got pregnant, and Merrick kicked you out, would he keep your brother in his band of thieves? I expect he’d boot him out, or make him choose between you and his dishonest living.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” she said. Allan was surprised at how young she suddenly sounded.
“Neither of you did. Yet you both live on the streets. You should have thought of that.”
She looked up at him. “But we had to survive.”
“Stealing and whoring might keep you alive today, but what about tomorrow? Not every girl survives childbirth. Not every thief gets away easy. You, your brother, and all the rest live for today. That works for a while, then one day tomorrow comes, and it’s not like the day before. Something goes bad, and there you are, hurt, or in jail, or dying.”
“What else is there?”
“There’s learning from your mistakes. I don’t know about your brother, Elsie, but you have that chance.”
“I don’t have anything.”
He let go of her wrists. “Yes, you do. You have your experience. You have a voice.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tomorrow morning, I want you to go to the Temple of the Moon.”
“I can’t be one of those priestesses.”
“You don’t have to be one, Elsie. Go there, tell them your story, and ask for their help. You know that they try to help those who ask.”
“Of course.”
“Then ask for it.”
“Then what?”
“Don’t just ask for food, or a place to stay. Ask them to help you tell your story to others. People need to know what happened to you.”
“Why?”
“Because people need to know what happens when we don’t care for each other. You and your brother lived on the streets because someone didn’t care about you as children. Your brother became a thief to survive. You were whored out to Merrick so that your brother could survive. Your brother and Merrick abused you, Elsie.”
“They never hit me.”
“They used you, and that’s the same thing. Your brother offered you to Merrick. Merrick made you bed him for his pleasure. Did either of them ask you if that’s what you wanted?”
“No.”
“Do you think they’d take care of you if you got pregnant?”
She was quiet for a moment, then she shook her head and let out a breath.
“A brother shouldn’t treat his sister that way, Elsie. A man shouldn’t use a woman for pleasure, then get rid of her when she can’t give him any more pleasure. People don’t always see the results of their actions. You might not make your brother or Merrick see, but you can make other people see. Maybe by telling them what happened to you, they’ll think before they hurt someone else, or not help someone else.”
“You really think so?”
“I don’t know. I do what I do because no one else seems to be doing it. I hope I’m making the city a better place. Maybe if you tell people what happened to you, you’ll also make the city better for everyone. You certainly couldn’t make it worse by speaking up.”
“I guess not.” She turned her head left. “Is that why you came here?”
“Yes. I wanted to see how you were doing. I had an idea about how you might get along, now that Merrick and your brother are in jail. I came here, and I told you what I wanted to tell you.”
“Why bother?”
He let out a breath. “Because I had a sister, once. She cared for me, and I cared for her. No one seemed to be caring for you.”
“You’re a strange young man.”
“I know. That’s what’s wrong with this city.” He took in a breath. “Promise me, tomorrow morning, you’ll go to the Temple.”
She nodded. “I will. It’s not like I have many other places to go.”
“Good. Go to the Temple, and tell the priestesses why you’re there. Tell
them your story, Elsie. People need to know.”
“I will, I promise.”
He nodded once to her. “Be well.”
“Where are you going?”
“Merrick’s band of thieves, and Simon’s, aren’t responsible for all the crime that goes on in this city. They aren’t the only ones bribing guards and hurting people. Someone has to stop them, too. It looks as though that someone is me. I have men to hunt for, and information to obtain. I said what I wanted to say to you. I hope I’ve helped you. Now, I need to go and help someone else. Goodbye, Elsie. Do be well.”
Allan thought about touching her cheek, or even giving her a kiss. He decided not to. This is about doing what’s right. It’s not about saving pretty girls so I can get a kiss from them. Instead he nodded to her one more time. He turned, went down the stairs, and left the shop the way he came in.
SIX
The Defender: Elderwood Page 12