Ready To Obey

by Melinda Barron

  Maisie didn’t want to think about that type of thing.

  “I have a proposition for you, Mrs. Glover,” Mr. Cummings said. “If you help us find Vanessa I will pay you.”

  Maisie perked up at the thought. “Will you pay for passage to the colonies?”

  “I will,” he said. “And I will give you enough money to set you up in lodgings while you search for employment.”

  Her fear dissipated. But after she thought about it she said, “How can I trust you?”

  “We will put the agreement in writing, which we will all sign. I know a barrister in town who will witness it, and keep the paper safe.”

  It sounded good, almost too good to be true. Maisie thought about it for a moment and said, “Very well, I accept.”

  “We will go to the Poke and Bear tonight,” Mr. Cummings said. “That will give you time to rest, since you had a hard night. Plus, it will be best to go when the place is crowded. There is less chance of Jack noticing me, and of him doing something that will harm you.”

  He was right about that, and she hated to admit that it wasn’t something she’d thought about.

  “I won’t do it until the papers are signed,” she said. “I also want to see money.”

  “I won’t give you the funds until after we find Vanessa, and the box,” Mr. Cummings said.

  “Then you can give it to the barrister,” she said. “Words mean nothing without money to back them up.”

  He looked like he might say no, but then he nodded. “As you wish. How does one thousand pounds sound.”

  Maisie prayed the look on her face didn’t reflect the shock she felt, but she was pretty sure it did. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was open. “I don’t know how much fare on a ship will cost.”

  “That is in addition to the fare,” he said. “That amount of money should set you up in America.”

  “Yes, it will,” she said. “Very well. Get the papers and I will sign them.”

  “Let’s you and I go to my sitting room,” Mrs. Beale said. “You need to eat more.”

  “And you want to keep track of me,” Maisie said.

  “Yes, I do,” she said. “This is very important to us.”

  Maisie followed Mrs. Beale into the hallway. They walked past the library and entered a room that overlooked the gardens. There were several vases of flowers on the heavy wood tables. Near the window were two wingback chairs with a table between them.

  Mrs. Beale yanked a pull and Megan showed up. Maisie saw a brief flash of anger on the girl’s face before she said, “Yes, ma’am?”

  “Tea for two, Megan, with a few jam sandwiches. I’m rather hungry this morning.”

  After the girl left, Mrs. Beale indicated Maisie should sit in one of the chairs near the window.

  “Do Megan and the rest of the staff know about the upstairs activities?” Maisie asked.

  “Oh yes,” Mrs. Beale said. “They are paid handsomely for their work.”

  “You don’t try to force them into—other things?”

  Mrs. Beale looked shocked. “None of the ladies here are forced into classes. They come because they want to learn. If they do not, then we don’t take them.”

  Maisie looked into the gardens. The Roman statue was right in front. Maisie wondered what it would be like to have a room like this, to sit and drink tea and read a book. Instead she had a place in the basement. But not for long she reminded herself. Soon she would have a ticket to America and a thousand pounds to help her get a new start.

  “How can you be sure they want to be here?” Maisie said. “Maybe their patrons make them lie.”

  “The gentlemen who send ladies here are of quality,” Mrs. Beale said. “They are not going to force a lady to take part. If a woman does not share their particular—let’s call it appetites—he will simply find someone else.”

  “You sound very sure of yourself,” Maisie said.

  Megan returned with the tray. She set it on the table and asked if Mrs. Beale needed anything else. When she was gone, Maisie was tempted to tell Mrs. Beale that the servant and Vanessa were close, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. That information could be used in the future, if she needed to find her way out of a tight situation. Of course they might already know, but somehow Maisie didn’t think so, since they were not questioning her. Unless they’d already done so.

  Mrs. Beale was pouring tea. “I’ve been in this business for a very long time, Mrs. Glover.”

  Maisie picked up her tea and drank it slowly. “You say it as if you’re running an inn, or a pub. Instead you’re selling sex. It’s horrible, really.”

  “You talked to Vanessa when she searched the desk?” Mrs. Beale asked.

  “Yes,” Maisie said.

  “Do you think she was forced into what happened?”

  “I think she was in pain,” Maisie said. “It was a beating.”

  “It was punishment for running away. She wanted it to happen, which is why she came here. If she wanted to get away from her bored lord she would have run very far. And she would have taken the item from the house and not come to a place where she could be easily found.”

  Maisie hated to admit there was logic in her words.

  “Vanessa always likes things rough,” Mrs. Beale said. “Several of our girls do.”

  “Does it not bother you to do this?” Maisie set down her cup. “I hate to be rude to ask it, but it seems to me as if you’re a…” Maisie let her words trail off, because she wasn’t exactly sure how to say what she wanted without offending Mrs. Beale, who seemed as if she could be someone’s sweet grandmother.

  “My late husband and I enjoyed playing with our friends,” Mrs. Beale said. “I can see by the look on your face that you find that shocking. We found it brought us closer. I can’t really explain it. We started this together, because a young friend of ours had a wife who wanted to learn how to please her husband. After that, word got around and we would meet and have parties.”

  Maisie stared at her. “Is this your house?”

  “It is,” Mrs. Beale said. “My husband was a baron. Of course I don’t use my title, and we had no children to pass it on to. The queen allowed me to keep the house. Very generous of her. Of course I don’t think she’d appreciate our activities.”

  Maisie couldn’t help but laugh. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “People put on good faces in public, Mrs. Glover, but they are usually quite different in private,” Mrs. Beale said. “I always tell the ladies that you can’t force yourself to take part in the sexual events if you don’t enjoy them. If you do, it makes you feel, well, angry. The most important thing we teach is trust. I’ve always been able to weed out ladies who are doing it only because the man wants them to; we take care of the situation.”

  “Which leaves the ladies without a patron,” Maisie said.

  “No, we make sure the men take care of the ladies, no matter what.” Mrs. Beale took a sip from her cup. “No matter what you think, we care about our ladies.”

  “And Mr. Cummings?” Maisie asked.

  “His story is his to tell,” she said. “You should ask him, but I would not do it today. He has a lot to deal with, we all do.”

  Maisie looked out onto the garden. The house was perfect, except for the orgies that took place under its roof. Her mother had always told Maisie that Romans participated in orgies.

  She’d never thought people of good, English stock would be so depraved. Or that she, herself, would be involved in any such scheme.

  Chapter 6

  The inside of the Poke and Bear hummed with activity when Maisie stepped through the door. She stayed just inside the door, letting her gaze sweep over the room. She spotted Mr. Cummings, or Aldis as he now said she should call him, almost immediately. He sat at the end of the bar, a mug of ale in front of him.

  She wondered if Jack knew Aldis. She’d asked her employer that, but he ignored the question, which made her think that maybe he did; Aldis’s ‘disguise’ bolstered th
at idea. Why would he try to hide his true identity if all was on the up and up, as her father used to say.

  Customers greeted her as she weaved through the tables, and when she neared the bar, Jack yelled out her name.

  “Well, look what the cat dragged in,” he said.

  “Hello, Jack,” she said, praying he would not cause a problem with such a large group of people.

  He drew a beer and slid it in her direction. “Take that to Mark, he’s thirsty as always.”

  Maisie knew this was not her reason for being at the pub, but she wanted to try and work her way back to Jack’s good side. She delivered the ale and then made her way back to the bar, stopping several times to talk to old customers. Once she was back at the bar she stood as close to Aldis as possible, so he could hear the conversation.

  “Lose your fancy job so soon?” Jack asked as he slid an ale in her direction. “On the house. My proposition is not looking so bad now, eh? We’ll make good money together.”

  Maisie took a sip. It tasted delicious. “I’m not here to work for you again, Jack. I want to ask you about the blond that comes in to see you from time to time.”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What about her?”

  “Who is she?” The question was blunt, but Maisie hoped it would bring about results.

  “Afraid she’ll come to work for me and make more money than you?” He laughed. “She’s a friend. That’s all you need to know.”

  “She was here for a while, and then she was gone, but now she’s back,” Maisie said. “Who is she?”

  Repeating the question could bring results, or it could cause a spike in Jack’s anger.

  “Why do you want to know?” He thumbed the bar.

  Maisie took a drink as she tried to consider her answer. A mixture of truth and fiction might work best. “I saw her at the school. She seems older than most of the students. She thinks you sent me there to spy on her. What is she to you?”

  “She’s nothing to me,” Jack said. He drew himself an ale and swallowed it in two hearty gulps. “I hear she’s friends with Ezekiel over at the Noose, though. Maybe you should ask him.”

  “She didn’t ask me about Ezekiel,” Maisie said. “She mentioned you by name, though, and I don’t like being accused of things I didn’t do.”

  “She’s trouble, that one,” Jack said. “Maybe she was trying to throw you off guard by mentioning me.”

  “If she’s nothing to you, why do you go places with her when she’s here?”

  “I don’t like your questions,” Jack said in a deep, menacing tone. “Now, you’re going to be a good girl and stay here while I find someone to tend bar. Then you and I are going to have a private chat. You owe me money.”

  “I owe you nothing,” Maisie said.

  “I paid your landlord,” Jack said. “He came in here looking for you and said you owed him money.”

  “He lied,” Maisie said. “It’s not my fault you fell for it.”

  They stared at each other, and Maisie’s hand shook. To hide it she grasped her mug and took a long pull. She swallowed and took another.

  “Do you think she has a relationship with Zeke?” she asked.

  She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. Finally he said. “Vanessa is always looking for ways to make money. If she can’t make it off of me, she will find someone to help her. How do I know you’re not working with her?”

  “Why would I be asking about her if she and I were scheming?”

  “Because she ran out on you, the way she ran out on me,” he said. “The two of us need to go somewhere private to talk, and it’s not about your new position. That will come later.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you, Jack,” she said. “Tell me why she ran out on you when you said you had no relationship with her.”

  “She accused you of spying for me, now I’m accusing you of working with her. I’ve changed my mind. We won’t go anywhere. You tell that little bitch that she has my money, and I want the item in question.”

  “Jack, I…”

  “Get the hell out of here,” he said. “I expect delivery tomorrow, or I come looking for you to pay Vanessa’s debt.”

  She knew it would do no good to argue. She finished her ale and headed for the door. The cool night air promised rain. According to plan, she moved to the building to the right of the Poke and Bear and waited for Aldis. He appeared moments later.

  “That was short,” she said. “It’s obvious he paid her for the item she took.”

  “I would say so,” he said. “Come on, let’s go.”

  “Where?” she asked.

  “To the Hangman’s Noose,” he said. “Do you know Zeke?”

  “Not well,” she said. “I know he’s not a nice person.”

  “He’s a well-known thief and seller of flesh, just like Jack,” Aldis said. “I wonder if Vanessa collected funds for the relic from Jack, and from Zeke.”

  “One way to find out,” she said. “You’re right. We should go to the Noose.”

  There were few people on the streets as they made their way to the Hangman’s Noose. Once they were inside the reason became obvious. The place was full, with no spare tables or chairs. They made their way to the bar and Aldis ordered a gin for himself and an ale for her.

  They stood close together.

  “Look over the crowd, Maisie, and tell me if you see anything that we might need to know about, maybe someone who spoke with Vanessa while she was at the Poke and Bear.”

  She started to drink, her second glass of the evening. She wasn’t used to drinking liquor, and it made her feel warm inside.

  The crowd contained different people than those who usually drank at the Poke and Bear. But then, as she took another drink, she noticed someone she did recognize. She’d never seen him speaking with Vanessa, but he was staring at her now as if she were Christmas dinner.

  “Near the far wall,” she said after a few moments. “Tall, with dark hair, the man wearing all black. He was in the Poke and Bear, a lot. I just noticed him, but it was because I could feel him staring at me.”

  “Are you sure he’s looking at you? Not to be rude but most people in places like this don’t recognize barmaids, unless they want to try and bed them.”

  Maisie blushed. “I didn’t consort with customers in that way.”

  “I know that,” he said.

  That shocked her. “I’ve wondered why you believed me so quickly.” She took another long pull on her ale.

  “Do you think that I hired you on your word alone? I have a friend who can follow someone without them knowing about it.”

  Her mouth fell open. “You had me followed?”

  “After I received your letter about possible employment I had him look into your background,” he said. “You needn’t worry. He found nothing.”

  She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of someone following her that she didn’t know about.

  He leaned closer to her and she smelled the faint trace of tobacco. It was a manly smell that stirred her senses. Elvin had smoked a pipe, and this aroma brought back memories of her husband. She took another long pull of her ale and was surprised to see she’d drank it all.

  “Another for my friend,” Aldis said. The barman delivered and she finished half the glass.

  “Easy on that,” Aldis said. “I think you should go and talk to your new admirer. You were right; he is staring at you.”

  Was it the ale that gave her the courage to think he was right about her approaching the man she’d seen in the Poke and Bear?

  Despite her resolve not to, Maisie took another long drink from her glass.

  “Did you ever stop to think that your friend and Vanessa are in this together?” she asked. “She collected money from Jack. Maybe she took it from this man, too, and maybe from Zeke.”

  She looked around for the Noose’s owner. He was nowhere in sight.

  “I’ve thought about it,” Aldis said. “But I’m not going to make any sort
of accusation until we have more information. Which means you need to go and talk to that man. I think he’s waiting for you to approach him.”

  “All right, I’ll do it.” She drained her glass and set it on the bar. When she turned back to the crowd she gasped.

  “Aldis, it’s Vanessa.” Maisie put her hand on his shoulder and pressed down. “Don’t turn around. She hasn’t seen us yet, at least I don’t think she has.”

  He was still facing the bar.

  “Step in front of me so she doesn’t see me,” Maisie said. When he’d done as she asked, Maisie glanced over his shoulder. “She seems to be alone. Wait, she’s going to talk to the man who was staring at me. She’s sitting down at his table. I wish I was closer so I could hear.”

  “We need to grab her before she leaves,” Aldis said. “I’ll go to the door. You wait here.”

  “Don’t,” she said. “She might have a confederate,” she said. “Oh my, I think she just saw me.” Maisie placed her head on Mr. Cumming’s chest.

  “I’m going to the other side of the bar,” he said. “If she comes up to you, engage her in conversation.”

  “Don’t leave me!” She tightened her grip on his vest.

  “We’re going to have to surprise her,” he said. “You stay here and I’ll—”

  A loud crash interrupted his sentence. Maisie looked over his shoulder to see several upturned tables. People screamed and Vanessa was running toward the door.

  “Aldis!” Maisie yelled out; she doubted he heard her over the noise of the customers complaining about their spilled drinks.

  She started to move toward the door but stopped when the man Vanessa had been meeting with grabbed her by the arm.

  “Unhand me! Who do you think you are?”

  “My name is Bernard Throckmorton,” the man said. “I’m a solicitor.”

  “For the school?” This wasn’t the man who had been present when she and Aldis had signed the papers that basically made them partners.