Fayth leaned against the closed door. She heard Con turn in the hall and walk toward his room, then his door banged shut. She hung her head, guilt engulfing her. The evening had been a long, personal game of charades. She walked toward her bed, unbuttoning her bodice with trembling fingers.
She hadn't counted on the pull she felt toward Con, or his returning coldness. Without his beard, with his hair so stylishly trimmed, he was more handsome than Drew. If only she could decide, could know Con was true, know he loved her. If only she could feel secure again. But she felt herself flailing and grasping wildly for security, as desperate as if it were air itself. She threw her dress over the chair and pulled her nightgown on.
Con had the power to drag her down with him. If his business failed, if he was somehow involved with Lou—
She shivered at the thought. If he loved her, if he didn't . . .
Which was worse? Which did she fear most?
Coral paced the floor wildly. Dr. Wall had been kindly, but definite, confirming her suspicions. She would have a baby, Drew's baby. She'd been careless. When she worked for Lou, she'd been careful to use the small doses of opium always discreetly available for the girls. Never enough to become addicted. She'd seen the sad effects of that, but enough to stop her monthlies. Used in proper doses, opium was effective in preventing pregnancies. But she had given up the habit when she had come to stay with Fayth.
She had to think. She had to leave. She couldn't keep living with Fayth. She felt traitorous enough as it was. If she stayed, Fayth would certainly realize the truth soon enough. She already acted suspicious.
Coral smiled. She would have to see Drew. He loved her. He would marry her. She didn't want Fayth hurt, but there was no alternative now. What was, was. Now that Con was home, he'd take care of Fayth. What good timing that he had come home unexpectedly yesterday. Coral was tempted to tell him her news, but, of course, she couldn't. She noticed Con watching her last night at dinner, a worried look on his face. He suspected something, maybe thought she was ill. Oh, well, he'd find out soon enough, too.
She bit her lip and smiled again, slowing her pacing long enough to glance out the bedroom window. It would all be for the best. Without her to worry about and intrude on their privacy, Fayth would have to see Con's devotion. Maybe then Fayth would finally admit that she loved the Captain. When Fayth recovered from the shock and realized her own happiness, she'd forgive Coral. With that glorious, happy thought in mind, Coral grabbed her shawl and headed for the door, a bounce in her step. She would tell Drew immediately. She hurried to his hotel.
"Well, I seem to be quite the virile buck," Drew said when she gave him her news. They were not the words she expected, but he didn't sound unhappy. "You're certain I'm the father?"
She nodded. He didn't speak, just sat a moment in silent contemplation. Her heart pounded.
"At present, I don't have any money. Fayth has been my means of support. Maybe I can put it to her for a loan. But I'll have to think of a lie. She can't know of this. You haven't told her?" He spoke sharply. He seemed too worried over Fayth's knowledge of the event.
"Certainly not. She knows nothing of it, or us."
He smiled. "And indeed she shouldn't. I don't want Fayth hurt. I'll get you the money, I promise, as soon as possible. We can't let this go on long. It's too dangerous."
"Drew? What are you saying?"
"Surely a woman of your occupation knows what I'm saying—rid yourself of the baby. See an abortionist."
"No!" She couldn't help herself, she started crying. She'd beg if she had to. "I'm not a whore anymore. Drew, I love you. This is not like when I worked at the house. You must marry me!"
He looked at her with an odd mixture of indifference and sympathy. "Poor, naive girl. You misunderstood my motives from the beginning. You're beautiful and spirited, and a very good lay, but that's it.
“If you were an innocent, or the first girl I'd gotten in this condition, I might be tempted to oblige you, but having been here before, I can assure you it's not worth the trouble. Unfortunately for you, I've been burned once and that's all it took to cure me of all honorable intentions."
His words made no sense. He loved her. He'd made love to her, whispered tender things. And she loved him. "I'm afraid of having an abortion. Girls die. You've got to marry me!"
Drew seemed to lose his patience. He snorted. "You can't believe I would marry a whore?"
His words stung.
"Bastard!" She lunged at him, fingers curled into a claw. He intercepted her swipe and restrained her as she struggled. "I thought I meant something to you!"
"You did, dear. As I said, you were a very good lay—the best."
She struggled futilely against him. "I'll tell Fayth—"
"You won't. You don't have the strength to lose her friendship. Without her, you're nothing."
She stopped struggling. Drew was just like all the other underhanded men she knew. Blackmail was the best way to defeat him. "I'll tell the Captain."
"Tell him, by all means. What do you think his reaction will be? He'd be a weak fool if he didn't throw you out of his house. You're an immoral influence on his wife. Then what would he do? Come after me? I would deny it, you know that."
Coral tried to hide her fear, but knew he sensed it, because he released her and smiled patronizingly. "Come around and see me day after tomorrow. I'll have the money by then."
Fayth came into the house through the kitchen. She shouldn't have closed the shop early, but with her feelings about the Captain and the animosity between him and Drew, and her worry about Coral going home sick, she couldn't concentrate on business. Earlier in the morning before she left for work, Con had insisted she give Drew the day off. They had fought. He had no right to dictate what she did with her business, but she capitulated to gain an uneasy truce. Con acted jealous, but that made no sense. He couldn't know who Drew was, and she hadn't flirted with him in the slightest. The Captain acted cold and distant to her in every other way. It broke her heart, but what could she do?
She sighed. Without Drew, there wasn't much she could do but close. What was she going to do about Drew and the Captain? Fayth unpinned her hat and went to hang it on the hat rack, too tired to think. Coral sat on her packed bags in the entry. At the sight of her, Fayth's spirits plummeted to a new low.
"Coral? Are you going somewhere?"
A tear slid down Coral's cheek. She dabbed at it with a handkerchief. "I can't stay and ruin your business any longer." Her defiant tone was at direct odds with her sentimental expression.
Fayth frowned. "What?"
Coral silently handed her the day's newspaper folded open to a story.
It is rumored that a young woman, well-known for her easy virtue, is still under the employ of one of our town's favorite young seamstresses, Mrs. O'Neill. Mrs. O'Neill's defenders, the Ladies' Christian Committee members and other sympathizers, applaud Mrs. O'Neill for her attempts to rescue one so young from the evil clutches of such a sinful life. Her detractors, however, deny that such a thing can be accomplished. Moreover, since the young woman resides with Mrs. O'Neill, and since the lady's husband, Captain O'Neill, is frequently at sea, they fear the evil influence her presence will have over the young businesswoman.
A source, who asked not to be identified, acknowledged seeing unescorted men come and go from Mrs. O'Neill's home. This is no reflection on Mrs. O'Neill, who was not at home during any of the visits. Moreover, the source fears that Mrs. O'Neill, despite her good intentions, is being played the fool. . . .
Fayth snapped the paper shut without reading further and handed it back to Coral. "Garbage! Utter and total garbage! Nothing much different from what they've printed before. Don’t let it upset you."
"Your good name has been tarnished because of me. The paper won't stop reminding people who and what I am until I'm back where I belong."
"Where you belong! You belong here. You're not the girl you were. Those who know us know the truth. My reputation speak
s for itself, as does yours. If I ever find out who the source is—"
"Fayth, I've lost the fight. That's the third article they've printed in two weeks. If I leave, they'll leave you alone."
"I'm begging you to stay. If you leave, they've won and you've lost everything." Fayth walked over to her and took one of her hands. "Coral, please reconsider."
Coral shook her head. The sound of a carriage coming up the drive caught their attention. Fayth went to the window in time to see Lou descend from her carriage, aided by her driver. Coral didn't wait for a knock, but opened the door and called her greeting.
Lou swept in and took Coral in her arms, leading her toward the door. "I must thank you for taking such good care of our girl, Fayth. You gave it a good try."
Lou ordered the driver to load Coral's things. She wished Fayth good day and ushered Coral out the door. Coral looked back as she descended the doorstep. "Come visit me. Don't desert me. Forgive me." The last words were a mere whisper.
Fayth watched them from the window until the carriage was loaded and they drove out of sight.
Later that afternoon, Fayth's mind was heavy with worry as she went up the walk to Lou Gramm's parlor house. Fayth had been to the newspaper office and confronted them, demanding to know their source for the damaging articles. The reporter she talked to had given nothing away, except to say that a man had submitted the information, demanding they publish it for the public good. Dead ends, always dead ends.
Several men waited on the porch to be let in. They gave Fayth odd looks, and coughed self-consciously. Well blast them anyway! She didn't care two hoots what they, or anyone else, thought. She meant to drag Coral back.
Maddie opened the door. The men tumbled in and disappeared. "Mrs. O'Neill?"
"I'm here to see Coral."
"No disrespect to you, Mrs. O'Neill, but she's under Lou's care now. I must ask you to leave."
Lou's bouncer, Rusty, hovered nearby.
"I'm not here to cause a scene. I'm worried about Coral. I've helped Lou out when she needed me. Now she owes me the favor of letting me talk to Coral."
Maddie sighed, and motioned for Rusty to get Coral. "Follow me. I'll show you where you may wait for her." At the door of a small room, Maddie extended her arm, indicating Fayth should enter. "I wouldn't worry about Coral, Mrs. O'Neill. Lou will take good care of her. I'm thinking her problem is a gentleman. Miss Coral was always romantic."
Maddie surprised Fayth with her sympathy. "I'm inclined to agree with you." She thought back to the thumping and moaning she had nearly walked in on months ago.
"Some man jilted her, poor thing, or I miss my guess. I've seen it happen before, seen girls come running back. Lou is like a mama to them, nurses their wounds."
"But who is he, Maddie?"
"Doesn't matter who. Any gentleman will do. Those that come to the House like their pleasure, but they aren't about to upset their society and standing by marrying one of our lady boarders. I've seen my share of girls fall in love, but in all my days working for Miss Gramm, in San Francisco and now here, I've never seen one of the gentlemen marry one. It isn't done."
"Such a cruel fact of fate."
"A fact all the same. The girls are well aware of the rarity of such doings when they enter the business."
"Yes, but who can hold back where the heart is concerned? Who couldn't help but hope?" Fayth was as much a fool as any of Lou's girls, at least where the Captain was concerned, and Drew, when she'd be younger.
"You sound like Miss Coral. Make yourself comfortable." Maddie left her.
Coral appeared minutes later, a telltale puffiness surrounded her eyes, hinting of tears.
"Fayth." Coral's voice was as dull as her eyes. She hugged Fayth without enthusiasm. "Why did you come?"
"I'm not happy with the explanation you gave."
"The newspaper." Coral stared at the floor. "Your customers will be returning by the dozens now that I've gone."
"Profit has never been the motive for my life." It was hard not to sound fierce because Fayth certainly felt it, railing inside at the injustice in the world.
"Maybe it should be." Coral's laugh was wretched and eerily hollow. Heavens, was she using opium again already?
"Lou says I can raise my fees. Isn't infamy wonderful? I'll be making more money than I ever thought possible."
"Stop it!" Fayth wanted to shake her. "I don't need the business of sanctimonious biddies, and you don't need the patronage of those, those—men!" She softened her tone and pleaded. "I do need you to be all right. You were my first friend in town. Don't give up on yourself."
"I need some fresh air. Let's take a walk." Coral turned on her heel and strode to the door, leaving Fayth no option but to follow her.
They walked to the waterfront without speaking and stared in silence out across the water. Coral rocked herself in silence with arms folded protectively across her chest. Fayth stood calmly, waiting.
"I'm pregnant." The confession stole Coral's agitation. She stopped rocking.
Fayth went numb. She should have suspected. She kept her tone sympathetic and soft. The last thing Coral needed was judgment. "How far along?" The pregnancy explained so much.
Coral turned to face her with tears brimming. "You don't seem surprised?"
"No." Fayth paused. "I should have suspected. It's a wonder I didn't. I came home early one day. I may be naive, but I know what you were doing. I didn't want to confront you. I tried to warn you against such behavior." Fayth paused delicately. "Who is the father, Coral?"
"Think about the business I'm in Fayth. How would I know?"
Without thinking, Fayth gasped.
"I'm sorry, that was thoughtless." Fayth's words tumbled out. "I just . . . I thought that maybe . . . maybe the man at the house was someone special—"
"You didn't think I would ply the trade in your house? Sorry to disillusion you, Fayth. Once a whore, always a whore." The words exploded into the gentle sounds of lapping of water and soft breeze.
Coral looked suddenly contrite. "I'm sorry. My nerves are jangled."
"Mine, too."
Coral trembled, and her eyes were glassy and dazed. Opium, certainly. Fayth had to get her out of Lou's. "Do the rest of the girls know? Does Lou?"
"Lou, no one else. If the other girls knew they'd think I was silly, a baby." Coral lost her bravado. Suddenly, she looked like the scared sixteen-year-old girl she was.
"Why is that?" Fayth's kept her tone gentle.
"Because to them the solution is simple—abort."
"And what do you think?" Fayth feared the answer, but the question had to be asked.
"I can't." She clutched Fayth's arm, her eyes wild. Fayth exhaled too loudly. "I'm afraid. If it's not done right, it could kill me. Besides I . . ."
Fayth waited for her to continue her thought, but she didn't. "What did Lou say?"
"The decision is mine. If I want to keep it, I can work until my condition's evident, then I have to leave. I can come back when I've delivered and gotten my figure back. But not with the child. If I want to abort, she knows a competent doctor." Coral's shoulders shook, tears flowed down her cheeks. Fayth pulled her into a hug. "I can't raise a child. I'm not ready. I have no way to support it, other than . . .
“A baby shouldn't be raised in a brothel."
Elizabeth came to mind. "What if I could arrange an adoption?"
Coral shook her head. "It's no good, who wants a whore's baby?"
"Coral—"
"And I can't afford the time off. I have to buy new clothes, not to mention perfume and rouge. And I still owe Lou money from before. I'm in too much debt to quit."
"I can help you with the clothes. I can sew for you at cost. As for the rest—how much more do you owe?" Fayth should have known, but she was too tired to calculate it.
Coral pulled out of her embrace and stepped back. "I know what you're thinking Fayth, but it's more than you can afford."
Fayth rested her hand on Coral's arm. Coral
was right. It would take months just to recoup from the business she lost because of the scandal surrounding Coral, and she had her own debts. "You didn't answer my question before—how far along are you?"
Coral took a minute answering. Fayth assumed she was counting the weeks. "Less than three months."
Fayth sighed. "We still have some time before you start showing. Maybe we can find a solution."
"Maybe." Coral started rocking again and turned her gaze to the water.
"Come home with me, Coral. Come home and let me take care of you."
"No!"
"Please. The Captain is home now. Between the two of us we'll manage. We both love you so much."
"Nothing you can say will convince me. You're better off without me, both of you. I need to be where I am. It's the only safe place." Coral's face was set, her words puzzling. Lou's safe? But what could Fayth do? She couldn't force her.
"Any time you want to come home, just come."
Coral nodded, but her expression said she wouldn't.
"In the meantime, give me time. I know someone who's always wanted a baby. Maybe I can arrange something. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself. Start eating. The baby needs food. Give me your word you won't do anything until I've had time to work things out."
"What would I do?"
Lou sat opposite Con in her burgundy leather chair, her back straight, her deportment that of a refined woman. She wore a lavender gown, low cut in front to display ample cleavage, a bow at bust's peak. Lace covered the upper dress from the shoulders to just below the bottom of her hips where a ribbon of deep purple bisected the dress to the floor. It was unbustled, loosely short-sleeved to cover large upper arms and there was no indentation where a waist should have been. Lou was past her prime, but the dress was becoming. Its designer knew how to flatter a woman's shape. Con recognized it as one of Fayth's. Saw in it the passion of the woman who created it.
Con often wondered what sort of woman lay beneath Fayth's proper exterior. Did she, in her dressmaking for these women of easy virtue, release her own fantasies? Reveal her truly expressive self? He longed to see her curves draped in a dress as revealing as Lou's—loose, free flowing.
The Last Honest Seamstress Page 26
