“There, all the tangles are gone. Slip this robe on and I’ll show you your room,” Della said, holding out a dressing gown. “Do you want me to have these things added to the burn bin?” she asked, picking up Clem’s britches.
“Oh no,” Clem cried, nearly snatching them out of her hands. “I mean no thanks. I think I’ll have them cleaned and pack them away,” she continued, looking at the floor. I’ll have need of them one day soon, she thought.
“Suit yourself,” Della answered kindly, bundling up Clem’s things and opening the door. “Come on, she’s given you the corner room. They’re all nice, but this one is a little bigger and has two windows.”
Chapter Three
Clementine’s jaw dropped when Della opened the door and motioned her in. While she’d never stayed in a fancy hotel, she figured this room was pretty close. Painted a soft shade of gold, it had a warm, welcoming feeling.
The curtains were cream with little gold flowers and they blew gently in the spring breeze. A patch work quilt covered the big iron bed with shades of gold, cream, brown and blue. There was an armoire; a dressing table with a mirror that Clem realized immediately could double as a desk and a washstand complete with a bowl and pitcher. Several pillows were lined up at the head of the bed and Clem had a sudden urge to climb in and let sleep overtake her. A stand by the bed held a lamp and a small vase of wildflowers.
“You can change the color if you want,” Della offered, setting Clem’s clothes on a chair. “Jewel lets us make it our own.”
“Oh no, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Clem replied in awe. “It’s beautiful.”
“I like it too. My room is only a couple of doors down. Stop by and I’ll show it to you,” she said with pride.
“I will, just as soon as I can catch my breath. I had no idea this would be such a lovely place.”
“Expecting a pallet on the floor with a ratty blanket?” Della asked gently.
“Something like that,” Clem admitted quietly.
“My advice to you is to forget every idea you’ve ever had about what a brothel would be like. The Red Petticoat is one of a kind. I see someone brought up your bag. Would you like me to help you unpack?”
“No, thank you. You’ve done enough. Tell me, how often are we allowed to use the bath?”
Della laughed. “Whenever you want or need to; just make sure you bathe early as the room is often in use when clients start coming in. Oh, and the only thing is you’ll need to buy your own bath salts when you get some money. They have several different scents at the mercantile and they can order whatever you’d like. Until then feel free to use the lavender. That belongs to me and I don’t mind sharing.”
“That’s kind of you, Della.”
“One other thing; while it is okay for you to call me Della when we are alone, it would be better if you become accustomed to using our gem names. That way, it won’t be so easy to slip up if we aren’t by ourselves. From here on out my name is Citrine and yours is Crystal. Clementine or ‘Clem’ doesn’t exist unless you leave here. It’s for our own protection.”
“I understand, Citrine and I would appreciate it if no one ever finds out what became of Clyde McKay’s boy.”
“Who knows you came here or that you’re a woman?” Citrine asked concerned.
“Well, the sheriff sent me here to see about a job, but he thinks I’m a boy. The only ones are Miss Jewel, Mr. Gabe, you and some gambler.”
“You mean Jasper?”
“Yes, I think that’s his name.”
“He can be trusted. That man plays his cards close to his chest. I’ll make a point of mentioning it to him. Are you planning on working tonight? I’m sure Jewel will understand if you need a couple of days, given the circumstances.”
“No, I don’t want any special treatment. I think it’s best if I settle into my new life as quickly as possible.”
“Suit yourself,” Citrine replied with a shrug. “Supper is at 4:00 in the dining room. You’ll meet the other gems then. I imagine by now there are some clothes for you in the armoire. Just put on something comfortable. After dinner some of the girls will come up and help you get dressed for tonight. See you in a while.”
***
The enormity of what she was doing suddenly swamped her and she sank onto the bed. Of all the places she imagined she’d end up, a brothel was not one of them. The school teacher from West Virginia figured she would marry one day, have a passel of children and a strong, devoted husband. Giving herself to one man was one thing, selling herself to whoever had the coin was another.
Not that she blamed the women working here. She’d found out first-hand how quickly a woman’s circumstances could change. Life was moving very fast, it seemed. One minute she was teaching school, going home to the cabin in the foot hills of the Appalachians each night, and the next she was on a wagon train headed west. One moment she was panning for gold and the next she was taking her father’s body to town for burial.
Tomorrow she would grieve she decided, wiping the tears from her cheeks as she stood.
Removing the pistol from her bag she slipped it under her mattress. Today she had to secure her position in the one place her father’s murderer was most likely to show up, The Red Petticoat Saloon.
The clothes in her dresser and armoire were a revelation. There were stockings, corsets and a few other underthings she’d never seen before. Several dresses hung there as well along with both a red and a pink petticoat. One dress in particular caught her eye. It was nearly iridescent, gray with streaks of silver and trimmed in black lace. Holding it up to her she realized it left her shoulders and the tops of her bosom bare and Clem wondered how on earth she’d be able to hold it up. Sadly, she put the lovely garment aside and noted the stark black mourning gown. She made a mental note to thank Madam Jewel for her thoughtfulness. It would come in handy tomorrow as would the black hat and veil on the upper shelf.
***
Clem went downstairs wearing a simple blue dress with tiny white flowers. Her hair hung down her back in one long braid. Quickly she made her way through the bar, where Gabe sent her an encouraging smile, and entered the dining room, drawn by laughter and the enticing smells.
“Good, you’re prompt,” Jewel said. “Ladies, I’d like you to meet Crystal, the newest employee of The Red Petticoat. Please make her feel welcome and offer her any assistance she may require.
“Crystal, this is Opal, Amethyst, Peridot, and you’ve already met Citrine. I hope you found your room comfortable?” Jewel asked as she waved Crystal to a seat at the table.
“Oh, yes, ma’am. It’s quite lovely. Thank you.”
“This is Nettie,” Jewel continued as a woman came from a side door carrying a tray. “Come on, don’t just sit there like bumps on a log,” the woman scolded. “Give me a hand. Opal, go and get the rice, and Amy you grab those pitchers of sweet tea and start filling these glasses. I swear,” she finished, wiping her brow.
“So you’re Miss Crystal,” she continued, setting the tray of fresh rolls on the table. “I see what Miss Jewel meant; you’re just a bit of a thing. Don’t you worry, child. I’ll have some meat on those bones in no time a’ tall.”
“Nettie is our cook,” Jewel explained, “but she’s much more than that. She is an angel and always available if you just need to talk. If you’re smart, you’ll do some listening as well because she can offer some wonderful advice.” Jewel grinned and gave a little laugh. “That doesn’t mean she’s a pushover though. Don’t give her any trouble or you’ll discover she can be quite formidable when she chooses, can’t she ladies?”
“She sure can,” Peridot replied, wiggling on her chair. “And you can call me Dottie, Crystal.”
“Thank you, Dottie. It’s nice to meet all of you and I’d like to thank you for the black dress, Miss Jewel.”
“Crystal’s father passed away today, ladies,” Jewel informed them patting Crystal’s hand. “The burial is in the morning and I’d like all of you ready to go on
time.”
“That’s not really necessary,” Crystal began, looking at her lap.
“Nonsense, we stick together here at The Red Petticoat. We share our hardships and our joys. The gems and I will be right beside you in the morning. What time are the services?”
“Ten a.m., ma’am and I expect there will be very few in attendance. We kind of kept to ourselves. My Pa wasn’t very, um… social.”
“Now that you mention it, I don’t recall seeing you around town at all,” Amy remarked as she poured the tea. “What did you father do?”
“We have… had a mine,” Crystal replied softly. “Until yesterday when someone shot him dead and ordered me off it.”
“That’s terrible,” Dottie gasped. “Did you go and see the sheriff?”
“Yes, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He promised to keep an eye open to see who starts working it, but I didn’t get a good look at the shooter. His voice is something I’ll never forget, however,” she whispered.
“Gee, maybe it’s someone who comes in here,” Citrine worried, giving a shiver.
“That’s what I’m hoping for.”
“Crystal,” Jewel warned sharply. “If you should hear that voice in this establishment, you let Gabe handle it. He’ll know when to notify the sheriff. Charlie, the piano player is here as well. If you can’t get to Gabe, tell Charlie and he’ll let him know. Under no circumstances are you to try and handle it yourself.”
Crystal remained quiet and slowly buttered a warm roll.
“Do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good,” Jewel smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. She knew exactly what she’d do if she found herself in a position similar to Crystal’s and it didn’t bear thinking about.
“You heed Miss Jewel, little lady,” Nettie added, narrowing her eyes at the small blonde. “She’s been in the thick of things a time or two herself and Mr. Gabe wouldn’t like it one bit if he had to… well he just wouldn’t like it, that’s all. Besides, the culprits may be long gone by now. You just get on with your life the best way you can without your Pa, God rest his soul.”
Dinner seemed a quiet affair after that. Nettie brought out a spicy dish served over rice which burned Crystal’s mouth a bit. The sweet tea cooled it down and she was able to eat a small portion.
Nettie clicked her tongue in disapproval as she looked at Crystal’s plate but didn’t say anything. All too soon the girls were taking her up to her room to get ready for the evening ahead.
***
Jasper Montgomery was in a foul mood. He was tired, had spent the majority of the afternoon in deep discussion with his lawyer and wanted nothing more than to relax in the warm glow of his massive fireplace with a glass of brandy. Crossing his long legs, he stared into the flames as he swirled the amber liquid in his glass.
Why he should give a damn about the disreputable looking young woman he’d overheard talking to Jewel this afternoon, he had no idea. She was unkempt, a half-pint with very few of the curves he so loved and had a smart mouth to boot. If she was eighteen, he’d kiss her ass, he thought, shooting back the rest of his drink. Occasionally grown women still had freckles, but hers looked… well, young.
What bothered him most was the gun he’d spotted tucked into the back of her pants when he’d swatted her ass. It was a big, awkward weapon and nothing she should be handling at any rate. If she fired it, it would knock her on her ass so fast she wouldn’t know what hit her.
Hell, he didn’t care, he decided going upstairs to change his shirt. It was nothing to him if she shot herself accidentally, or fell and cracked her damn fool head open. Tying a black tie around his throat he glared at himself in the mirror.
If she wanted to take some heavy-handed miner upstairs and hand over her virginity on a silver platter for a few coins, it was nothing to him, he insisted out loud as brushed his hair into order, shocked at how messy it was. Had he been running his hands through it?
Jasper stomped downstairs, took his Stetson from the hall tree and slapped it on his head. Ten minutes later he was tying his horse to the rail and walking through the bat wing doors of The Red Petticoat Saloon.
At first he didn’t see her. There were men congregated at the bar in a large group and he had a suspicion that somewhere in that throng was a sassy little ragamuffin with ideas too big for her britches. Every now and then, he caught a glimpse of golden hair and a flash of gray satin skirts, but that was all. It was loud; Charlie the piano player was pounding out a merry tune and dozens of voices blended into a cacophony of indistinguishable tones.
Suddenly the crowd parted and she emerged from the group towering over her carrying a tray loaded with drinks. Jasper almost spit. Damn it all to hell, now why did she have to look like that? He fumed as his chest tightened and his palms began to sweat.
Why did she have to look so fresh, like she’d just stepped out of a meadow in the early morning hours when the dew was still clinging to the petals of each flower? Her hair shone in the lights from the chandeliers, catching the same rays as her dress each time she moved.
Her eyes found his immediately, as though she’d been searching for him and he studied her. Instantly he noticed the bright smile on her painted lips was not reflected in her eyes. No, they held something else, fear, hopelessness, anger? He couldn’t be sure but he felt her sigh of relief as surely as if she’d breathed it against his neck.
Long strides took him to her side.
“Ready to go upstairs?” he asked gently, taking the tray from her shaking hands and passing it to Citrine.
Crystal nodded and allowed him to take her arm.
“Hey, we were here first!” an exceptionally dusty miner complained as he took Crystal’s other arm in a tight grasp.
“Yeah, what gives?” another demanded angrily.
“My girls, my gems, decide who, when, and if,” Jewel said, her voice stern and raising a bit to be heard above the noise of the crowd as she stepped forward, the skirts of her red dress swirling. “Don’t forget that, gentlemen. And may I take a moment to remind you there is a bathing room on the premises. I suggest some of you may want to take advantage of that if you expect more than a few drinks and some poker tonight,” she added in a teasing manner. “A round on the house if you please, Gabe,” she said with a tight-lipped smile as she nodded to Jasper. As soon as the miner released Crystal’s arm and turned toward the bar, Jasper slipped his arm around her waist and whisked her to the stairs. Picking her up in his arms he took them two at a time.
“Which room?” he asked as they moved down the landing.
“Last one of the left,” she replied softly.
“I don’t have to do this,” he offered, setting her gently on her feet once they were inside and he’d closed and locked the door.
“Someone has to,” she replied, holding her hands tightly in front of her and looking up at him.
“Why here?” he asked sighing as he sat on her bed and looked around the room. “Why not a job at the mercantile or the boarding house?”
“Money,” she replied somewhat defiantly, tipping her chin up.
“So money is the be all and end all?” he asked, rising. Slipping his coat off, he hung it on the hook on the back of her door.
“Only for some and only when you don’t have it.”
“Is it for you?” he asked angrily.
“Right now it is. Someday it won’t be.”
“When you have some?” he snorted.
“That’s right.”
“And where are you going to get this money, whatever amount you need so that it’s not all important? You’ll make money whoring, but it won’t make you rich,” he informed her as he undid his tie.
“I have other options,” she shot back.
“Oh, so this is just a stepping stone? You’re only doing this until you can make enough money to do something else?” he inquired somewhat sarcastically.
“Yes, sort of, hopefully.”
“Are you always so cryptic?”
“Are you always so nosey?”
Jasper thought about this as he tugged off his boots.
“No, actually, I’m not,” he admitted. “I don’t like people in my business and I tend to stay out of theirs.”
“Then why are you in mine?” Crystal asked curiously.
“I don’t know, I’ll try to do better,” he promised with a grin.
“Good. This is a business deal, nothing more. I have something you want and you have something I want,” she admonished.
“If you say so,” he drawled.
Crystal stepped back, hurt as though he’d struck her.
“Don’t you want me?”
Jasper looked into her brown eyes and recoiled from the pain reflected there.
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t be up here if I didn’t, would I?” he demanded. “How much?”
Chapter Four
Clem swayed slightly as she stared at him in confusion. Lord, how could she have forgotten something so important? She’d asked a million questions as the other gems helped her dress. They poked, prodded, curled, fluffed and shaved her in places she’d never imagined. They tortured her into a corset that made each breath painful before finally letting it out a little.
She had cloth under her breasts to make them look plump and Opal even applied a little rouge to her nipples in case one accidentally spilled out of the low cut bodice. Her feet were painfully arched in a pair of heeled shoes designed to make her taller and give more shape to her thin legs. They’d even toyed with the idea of tying a small pillow around her waist to make her bottom appear more prominent, but she never once asked how much to charge.
Looking at Jasper’s expectant expression, she picked up the long lock of hair that hung over her shoulder and twirled it. Finally, she spoke.
“Two dollars?” she asked hopefully.
Jasper snorted and shook his head in disgust.
“Too much? All right, how about a dollar?” she squeaked out.
“Good grief, who let you loose in here?” he demanded, rising. “Come here.”
Crystal's Calamity (The Red Petticoat Saloon) Page 3
