The Virgin Cure

by Ami McKay

  “I’m sure Cadet has seen to her care. That’s probably what’s keeping him.”

  Nodding in agreement, he was more than glad to take my words as a reassurance, and quickly went back to wooing me. “I’d thought you were the sweetest girl I’d ever met,” he said while gazing into my eyes. “And after tonight, I’m sure of it. Please say you’ll see me again, Miss Fenwick?”

  His attention felt out of place in light of the uncertainty I was feeling over Alice and Mae, but I did my best to respond to it with as much flirtatious enthusiasm as possible. “It would be my pleasure, Mr. Wentworth. I was praying all night for you to ask.”

  As soon as I’d given my reply, Cadet appeared. He gave a short nod to Mr. Wentworth, but I could tell he was only pretending to be calm.

  “Good night, Miss Fenwick,” Mr. Wentworth said. “Keep safe until we meet again.”

  “Until then, Mr. Wentworth,” I replied.

  “Until then.”

  Cadet waited for the man to move out of earshot and then turned to me, his voice frantic. “I’ve looked everywhere, even backstage and outside in the alleys around the theatre,” he said. “I couldn’t find them.”

  “Did you think to check the concert hall,” I asked, pretending not to know exactly where they’d gone.

  The way he stared at me then made me feel horrible and small. The look on his face said he was sure I’d conspired again to fool him, maybe even cost him his job.

  And so I confessed. “Mae intended to go there with a young beau she’s been seeing, a Mr. Vaughn. She enticed Alice to come along as a partner for his friend.”

  Cadet took my arm and held it fast as we came out of the theatre into the cold night. “Watch your step,” he said as we came to a curb, alerting me to a wide gap in the stones that surely would have tripped me.

  Sticking two fingers between his teeth, he gave three sharp whistles. The signal brought a gang of boys from the shadows. There were seven of them, wiry and dirty, their eyes shining out from their grimy faces as they looked to Cadet.

  “Have you seen two girls in gowns with two dandies on their arms?” he asked them.

  I quickly added, “One was fair and pretty, and the other had red curls.”

  “Girls go by here all the time,” one of the boys said, shrugging, staring at the locket around my neck.

  He was bigger than the others, and from the way they were watching him, I guessed that he was their leader. It was clear he wasn’t going to lend his assistance without getting something in return.

  Unfastening the locket, I held it out to him. “Help us find them.”

  The boy snatched it from my hand and shoved it in the pocket of his sack coat. He nodded to the rest of the guttersnipes and they fell in behind Cadet.

  “Is there gonna be a fight?” one of them asked.

  When Cadet didn’t answer, another boy said, “I’d say that’s a yes.”

  A pair of dandies were in the next alley over, playing cruel tricks on a ten-cent whore. Shirt tails untucked from their pants, it looked as if they’d had their way with her and were now offering to pay a penny for this, a nickel for that in an attempt to see if they could strip away what little remained of her dignity.

  “Will you eat horse shit for a penny?”

  “No, you asses.”

  “Will you eat it for a nickel?”

  “Sure, a bite.”

  “Will you put a bottle in your hole?”

  “Which one, front or back?”

  “A nickel if you do both.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “A nickel each?”

  “All right.”

  A couple of the boys in the gang scurried down the length of the alley and back again. I sighed with relief when they returned, shaking their heads at Cadet. “No girls here,” one of them reported, so we moved on.

  The gang’s leader and another lad ran ahead, searching. I looked all around as we followed, constantly turning to glance behind me, hoping to catch sight of Alice and Mae. I thought if we could find them now, there might be time to concoct a lie that would save us all from Miss Everett’s anger. Hearing a young woman’s laugh, I stopped short, only to find that it was a lady being helped into a nearby carriage. Her night was ending in the sort of happiness I’d pictured for Alice, Mae and me.

  As we neared the door of the concert saloon, a whistle like the one Cadet had used to signal the guttersnipes rang out from the entrance to the alley just past the hall. “Stay here,” Cadet ordered, breaking away from me to investigate what was going on. Ignoring his words, I chose to follow him. “I’m coming with you.”

  The voices of men grew louder as we approached. They were shouting orders and howling with approval.

  “Get it in her!”

  “Fuck her again!”

  “I’ll pay you fifty cents if you let me have a go.”

  Another man’s voice sneered, “She’s my cherry. I paid for her fair and square.”

  When we reached the alley we were met with a terrible sight. Three drunken sporting men were standing over a fourth man who had a girl pinned to the ground. The girl’s skirts were pulled up past her middle and all but covered her face. The man was on top of her, thrusting his hips hard against her body and holding her pale arms down to the filthy pavers of the alley. The men watching were moving, stepping around the pair, making it difficult at first to see who the girl was. One of the men had a torch and was holding it above his head. Another torch was propped on the stones near his feet. The smell of burning pitch stuck in the back of my throat as I thought, No, no, no.

  “Please stop,” I heard the girl weakly plead. My heart fell at the sound of her voice.

  “Get away from her!” Cadet shouted, flashing a knife at the men as he lunged towards them. The gang of boys advanced with him, holding hunks of brick and broken glass.

  The sporting men staggered back with fear in their eyes and then quickly disappeared from the alley.

  Alice was still trapped in Mr. Samuel’s grasp. Paying no attention to what was going on around him, he grabbed her by the hair and hit her head hard against the ground. “That’s for soiling my coat sleeves, you little bitch,” he growled.

  Alice’s head lolled to the side.

  Cadet grabbed the man by the collar, pulled him away from Alice, and shoved him against the side of the building. Mr. Samuels tried to wrestle free, but Cadet punched him in the gut and then dragged him out of the alley, the gang of guttersnipes trailing behind them.

  I ran to Alice and knelt next her, gently bringing her head to rest into my lap. Her hair had fallen out of its combs and her curls were covered in muck. The beautiful dress Rose had given her was now soiled and torn. Even in the dusky alley, her face looked pale and ashen. Eyes shut tight, she was breathing, but her body felt heavy and limp against mine.

  “Alice,” I called to her, “I’m here. It’s me, Ada.” The wet of the puddles and filth beneath me seeped through my dress and my underskirts, soaking all the way to my skin. As terrified as I was of what I’d seen, my only thought was of protecting Alice and making sure she would be all right. Reaching out for a broken bottle that was lying near, I brought it close, ready to lash out at anyone who dared bother us.

  Stroking her cheek, I spoke to her again, “Alice—.”

  Finally opening her eyes, she looked up at me, tears rolling down her face, but didn’t speak.

  “All will be well,” I told her. “I promise.”

  Cadet and the boys were near enough that if I turned, I could see them out on the sidewalk, half in shadow, half in the light of a street lamp, pushing and pulling at Mr. Samuels. They’d emptied his pockets and taken most of his clothes. The punishment they were heaping upon him now was gruesome and loud. Their boots and bare feet cracked and smacked and pounded at the man. Every so often Cadet would give a shout, and they would all stop, waiting for Mr. Samuels to beg for mercy. When he began to moan and plead, they’d all go at it again.

  A crowd soon gathe
red, but no one dared to stop them.

  I turned my attention back to Alice, and before long Mae was standing at my side.

  “What’s happened?” she asked, staring down at us.

  I felt the heat of anger rush through me. I blamed Mae for everything that had happened. “She was attacked,” I answered, imagining her arm in arm with Mr. Vaughn, her laugh echoing off the bricks as she left Alice to fend for herself with Mr. Samuels in the alley. Not wanting to upset Alice any further, I bit my tongue and stopped myself from saying more.

  “We were in the concert hall together, and then she was gone,” Mae said, her excuse small and worthless. “I thought she’d just stepped out to get some air.”

  Cadet and the gang of boys were now moving towards us. The crowd had departed, leaving Mr. Samuels on the sidewalk in a bloody mess.

  One hand swollen and cut, his clothes dishevelled, Cadet bent down to take Alice into his arms. He whispered to her, “You’re safe now. I’ll get you home.”

  She whimpered a quiet “thank you.”

  The leader of the guttersnipes stepped forward to bid us good bye, Mr. Samuels’ hat now perched on his head. “You want his waistcoat?” he asked, holding the garment out in front of him and offering it to Cadet.

  “No,” Cadet answered. “It’s yours.”

  As Cadet made his way out of the alley with Alice, Mae and I followed, lifting our skirts with every step. It felt wrong to care about whether my dress would snag on the brick or if the heel of my slipper might catch on the curb, but these were the only thoughts I could manage without falling apart. I’d been too late to save Alice, and neither my sadness nor my guilt was going to do her any good.

  On any given day, acts of kindness occur all across the city. Someone gives up their bed so someone else can rest their tired, aching bones. Someone hands a bit of change to a stranger. There’s hot soup and good fortune, soft words and bread.

  Then there are the cruel things that happen, the worst that you can imagine. Heaven help you if even one of them finds you. The memory of it will never let you alone.

  Little girl, little girl, don’t lie to me –

  Tell me where did you sleep last night?

  In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines,

  And you shiver when the cold wind blows.

  There was much confusion when Cadet brought Alice through the door. She was weepy and frightened. “I cried out for help,” she said over and over again. “He said he would slit my throat.”

  Miss Everett rushed to meet us, Dr. Sadie close behind. She had been waiting in the parlour, expecting to tend to Mae later that night. It was a bitter surprise for her to have to care for Alice’s ruined, weeping self.

  “What’s happened?” Dr. Sadie asked, trying to look Alice over even while Cadet still had her in his arms.

  “A man attacked her,” I said.

  Miss Everett looked to me, her eyes flashing, and then ordered Cadet to take Alice to our room. “The doctor will see to her there.”

  As we went up the stairs, I could hear sounds coming from both Missouri’s and Emily’s rooms. Laughter and low talk came from under their doors, the girls and their gentleman callers clueless as to what was happening on the other side.

  Cadet placed Alice on her bed and then turned to leave the room, tears in his eyes. It broke my heart to see him like that, his true feelings only daring to come out as he left her behind. How could this have happened to beautiful, sweet Alice.

  Miss Everett stopped Cadet before he could leave the room. “Wait for me in the parlour, I’d like to speak with you.”

  Alice pulled herself into a ball and went silent.

  “The man can’t hurt you now,” Dr. Sadie reassured her.

  “You girls go to the kitchen,” Miss Everett said to Mae and me. “Warm up by the stove and have some hot milk. There’s no need for you here.”

  Mae left the room, but as I made to follow her, Dr. Sadie put her hand on my arm to hold me back. “I’d like you to stay.” Then turning to Miss Everett she said, “I’ll need a hand with things. She’s been with me on rounds. She knows how to help.”

  “Very well,” Miss Everett said with a nod, now heading to the door as well. “I’ll be in the parlour should you need me.”

  Motioning for me to help, Dr. Sadie told Alice, “We need to undress you now so I can see to your care.”

  “All right,” Alice replied, sniffing back tears.

  As I unfastened the buttons on Alice’s gown, I thought of how lovely she’d looked earlier that night. The prettiest girl in the theatre by far, the ribbons in her hair had perfectly matched the trim on her collar, and her dress had shimmered in the house lights.

  “Lay your head on your pillow,” Dr. Sadie instructed, before she moved to examine Alice’s wounds. Draping a sheet over the top half of Alice’s body, she put her hand on the girl’s knee. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

  Closing her eyes tight, Alice said, “He bragged about what he did. He said making me bleed would give him the virgin cure.”

  Dr. Sadie shuddered, and I could tell that it was all she could do to carry on with her work. “Fetch the bowl from the washbasin,” she said to me as she examined the bruises and blood between Alice’s legs. “Fill it halfway with water.”

  When I brought it to her, she took a bottle and packet of powders from her bag, poured their contents into the basin and mixed them with the water.

  “I have to clean your wounds, inside and out, Alice,” Dr. Sadie said. “It will burn, but I’ve no choice.”

  Alice grimaced, holding her knees together.

  “The sooner I see to it, the sooner it will be done.”

  She nodded to Dr. Sadie and then turned her head to face me. “Hold my hand?” she asked.

  I gave her my hand and she squeezed it tight.

  While Alice cried through this new pain, I couldn’t stop thinking that what had happened was partly my fault. I could have stood up to Mae and told her that this time she wasn’t going to get her way. If I had a heart like Alice’s I would’ve knelt by her side and prayed for God to heal her, but I felt I had no words to give except to tell her, “I’m sorry.”

  Even in her distress, Alice gave me a tearful smile.

  When Dr. Sadie was finished, she gave Alice three spoonfuls of brandy to help her rest.

  “Why don’t you join Mae and have Mrs. Coyne fix you some warm milk in the kitchen,” she suggested to me. “It’s time for Alice to get some sleep.”

  Pale and exhausted, Alice had finally stopped crying. She was now covered with a quilt, her head resting on her pillow. I tucked a stray curl behind her ear and said, “I’ll be back soon.”

  She gave me a tired nod and closed her eyes.

  As I reached the foot of the stairs, I could hear Miss Everett’s voice coming from the parlour even though the door was shut. She wasn’t with Cadet, but with Mae.

  “I did nothing wrong,” I heard Mae say.

  “You’ve ruined a whole night’s business for me,” Miss Everett replied. “Every appointment was put off or interrupted by your folly.”

  “I’m not to blame,” Mae protested.

  “I’ve heard otherwise,” Miss Everett said. “Turn out your pockets and your reticule.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Do it.”

  Through the crack where I’d pressed my ear I heard coins hitting the floor, so many of them I lost count.

  “What have you done?” Miss Everett threatened. “Where did a girl like you get so much money, and all in one night!”

  There was a shuffling about, and then the sound of a hard slap. “That’s mine!” Mae wailed. “You can’t have it.”

  “You’ve cost me enough.”

  “I’m not to blame.”

  “Aren’t you now? I wager you knew exactly what you were doing, and had been planning it for some time.”

  Mae’s voice was strong now, her words indignant. “I brought you two girls,
just as you asked, and I’ve never gotten what I was promised.”

  “You would’ve gotten your reward after tonight.”

  “Before you sent me away?”

  Miss Everett did not respond.

  “I knew you were meaning to keep Alice,” Mae complained. “Missouri told me so herself.”

  “Foolish girl.” Miss Everett’s voice did not soften. “I meant to keep you both.”

  Footsteps came near, and I rushed away down the hall. When the parlour door flew open, I turned to see Miss Everett holding Mae by the arm, her face angry and tight.

  “Cadet!” the madam called.

  He appeared in an instant from his post outside the front door.

  “Put this one out in the street,” Miss Everett said through her teeth.

  Wailing, Mae begged Miss Everett to let her stay.

  “I don’t wish to look on you again,” the madam said.

  Mae spotted me and cried, “Ada, tell her I’ve done nothing wrong!”

  I stared at her in disbelief. She’d ruined Alice for her own profit, and she might well have been planning to do the same to me. The girl I’d thought had rescued me from the street had only been out for her own gain. I watched with sadness and relief as Cadet finally took her out the door.

  Miss Everett came to me the next day and said that Mr. Wentworth had sent word to say he’d enjoyed our evening at the theatre and wished to move things forward with me in the near future. “He’s had to leave town for a holiday retreat, but he’s assured me that he’ll be back to see you before the first of the year.” This time, Miss Everett explained, there would be no going to the theatre. The evening was to begin and end in Rose’s room.

  “He’s offered a substantial reward for you, my dear,” she said with a smile.

  “How much?” I asked, wanting desperately to know.

  “I don’t discuss the exact sum with my girls,” she said, wagging a finger at me. “It makes for bad blood between you.”