Jessica Read online

  “What happened once you got out?”

  “He took me to where he worked.”

  “A brothel?”

  “Yeah, they gave me a job.”

  Jessica gasped in shock.

  “As a kitchen maid. Much easier than working in the laundry. Once I got used to it I didn’t mind. They paid well.”

  “You were lucky. You could have ended up on the streets. You took a risk working so close to the orphanage, what if Matron or Gerda had seen you?”

  “Yeah, I was lucky. I stayed out of sight until I moved a few miles away to a different place. I only came back here a couple of years ago. With my help you could do well like me.” She stared into Jessica’s face. “You’ve grown into an attractive young woman.”

  “No, I’m plain. Ugly, Gerda always said.”

  “Most women would kill to have blonde hair like yours. I’ve never seen such a color before. It’s almost silver, I suppose you would call it ash blonde.”

  “Yes, that’s what Mrs. Craven called it. I always thought it wishy-washy.” Jessica felt like a glutton, having eaten her own flap-jacks, and one of Amy’s as well. No, she must think of her friend as Scarlett now. What a stroke of luck them meeting like this.

  “My, you were hungry,” Scarlett said.

  “I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast. I wasn’t even invited back to the doctor’s house for the wake after Mrs. Craven was buried. Escorted back to the house, made to pack my things and kicked out into the street. After years of faithful service.” Don’t get bitter, it will poison you whole system. Be thankful you met Scarlett.

  “Are you ready?” Scarlett said. “Forget those sonsofbitches. You’ll be starting a new life now.”

  “I don’t know how to thank you. I’ve never felt this desperate since my orphanage days. You know something.” She picked up her carpet bag and reticule. “I sometimes thought of killing myself.”

  “A few kids did,” Scarlett shocked her by saying.

  “I didn’t know. How?”

  “Jumped out the window or hanged themselves with bed sheets.”

  Jessica shuddered. “Really?”

  “Yeah, and a few were murdered, not to mention the babies and toddlers who died of neglect. I wouldn’t leave a dog at a place like that, Jessica. I swear it.”

  “You know, I can still remember carrying a dead baby over to the graveyard in a suitcase,” Jessica said. The sudden image caused her hands to shake.

  “Don’t think about it. You’ll go crazy if you do.”

  Scarlett took the carpet bag out of her trembling hand. “I’ll carry it, don’t want you fainting on me.”

  They left the coffee shop. She walked briskly and Jessica scurried along beside her like a mouse after a piece of cheese.

  Chapter Seven

  Scarlett slowed down once they reached a row of red brick houses. At number twenty-five, she pushed open a wrought iron gate, so they could enter a small cobblestone yard with garden beds running along either side of the fence.

  “There’s a stable and coach house out the back, opening directly on to an alleyway,” the redhead went on chattily.

  Scarlett unlocked the front door and ushered Jessica into a carpeted hallway with ornate cornices painted in burgundy and gold.

  “This is yours?” Jessica couldn’t believe her eyes. Scarlett had obviously done very well for herself over the years. The parlor was large, slightly cluttered with furniture.

  Pointing to a burgundy velvet couch, Scarlett said. “Sit here and I’ll go find Dolly, she’s my housekeeper. She’ll prepare a room for you and get us some coffee.”

  What a stroke of luck running into an old friend who was prepared to give her somewhere to stay, maybe even a job. It was almost too good to be true.

  She sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Maybe Arthur had inadvertently done her a favor after all.

  A middle-aged woman with chocolate colored skin, entered the room carrying a tray. She was so tall she looked almost mannish. Her grey frizzy hair was worn short, her brown eyes slightly narrowed, almost oriental looking.

  Jessica stifled a gasp of shock. The woman’s forehead had been branded with the letter ‘S’. She had once been a slave, probably freed after the war between the Union and the Confederacy. She had read in a book at Mrs. Craven’s how many masters branded their slaves. Such cruelty made her shudder.

  A smiling Scarlett entered the room.

  “Thank you, Dolly,” Jessica said as she accepted the cup of coffee. The woman nodded, before turning away to serve Scarlett.

  “We’ll put our own sugar and cream in thank you,” Scarlett said as she sat down. “Would you mind making up a room for my friend, she’ll be staying a few days.”

  Dolly bobbed her head and departed.

  “She can’t talk,” Scarlett went on. “When she was ten years old her owner cut her tongue out.

  “What!”

  “Shocking isn’t it? Branded her on the forehead too. She’s been working for me over the last couple of years. I’m not here all the time. I travel a lot because of my business, so I need someone who is trustworthy to keep things going when I’m away. She’s a hard worker and discrete.” Scarlett’s laugh was brittle, almost high pitched. “Couldn’t gossip even if she wanted to.”

  A fleeting hardness momentarily darkened Scarlett’s eyes, so transient Jessica decided she must have imagined it.

  “You’ve done so well for yourself, um…Scarlett, I’m envious.”

  “You could do the same. A couple of year’s hard work doing anything that pays well, then you could have a comfortable life, too. You can buy respectability with money. Have what the rich people have.”

  “I’m tired of being poor, but I’m not fearless and daring like you, Scarlett.”

  She stared into Scarlett’s face. Was it guilt or pity lurking in her eyes? Stop being so foolish and imagining things that aren’t there, she inwardly scolded herself. Her childhood friend had only shown her kindness.

  “I would never have been brave enough to risk escaping the orphanage in the laundry basket.” Jessica ran her hand across her stomach.

  “What’s wrong?” Scarlett asked, as sharp eyed as always.

  “I’ve got stomach pains. I think I ate too much, too quickly.”

  “Oh, you poor thing. Why not have a lie down before supper? You’re quite pale looking come to think of it. I thought your face was white because you’re so fair, you’ve got dark circles under your eyes, too. Dolly will have prepared the room by now.”

  “I don’t know how I can ever replay you.” Jessica followed her friend up a carpeted staircase.

  “I’ll think of a way.” Scarlett’s laugh held no humor. “Don’t worry about it.”

  Scarlett pushed open the first of two doors. “My bedroom is next to you. I’ve got a private sitting room there as well. That’s where I do most of my bookwork.”

  The small room was nicely furnished with a wardrobe and matching dresser. A double bed was positioned in the center of the room. It was covered with a red and gold quilt. Scarlett obviously liked bold, garish colors. She herself preferred soft pastel shades of pink and blue, not that she was complaining about this type of luxury.

  “I’ll send Dolly up with her special herbal tea. It will help ease the pain and let you sleep. I need to step out for a short time, you’re quite safe here.” Scarlett turned and left with a swish of her silk skirt.

  After turning the covers down, Jessica removed her outer clothing, and wearing only her undergarments, slipped gratefully between crisp white sheets. She heard the clump of feet, the door swung open and Dolly entered carrying a cup with steam rising from the top. The herbal tea no doubt. Dolly handed it over, gave a brief nod and left the room.

  Jessica took a sip and nearly gagged. It tasted so sweet it was sickening. Honey maybe? At Mrs. Craven’s she had once been stung by a bee, and had hated honey ever since. Not wanting to appear ungrateful she forced herself to drink the foul liquid. Exhaustion suddenly overwhelmed her.

  Voices penetrated her sleep. She tried to open her eyes but couldn’t. Everything was fuzzy in her brain, pain shot through her head, forcing her to close her eyes again. Someone leaned over her. She tried to speak, nothing came out, tried to move on feeling a man’s hand on her face and neck, on her breasts. Paralyzed, she couldn’t move.

  “Sol won’t be happy that I haven’t had time to break her in. She’s a pretty gal, quite virginal looking, so that should pacify him, as long as the shipment isn’t late.”

  “She’s my friend, Jake,” Scarlett said. “You can’t…”

  Jessica fought the paralysis in her body and brain, all to no avail.

  “Too bad. If you can’t supply what I need, you’re of no use to me, Scarlett. Don’t forget, you still owe me for three years ago.”

  “But…”

  “You should have found someone to replace the whore who died. Twelve women Sol wants, and twelve women is what he gets.”

  “It wasn’t my fault she died. Dolly kept dosing her up because she tried to run away. That stinking potion is poisonous if you drink too much of it. Just a couple of more days, please Jake. I’ve never failed to deliver before. I’ll find someone else.”

  “No. I want her. She goes with the others tomorrow morning. That’s final. Now get out while I want to taste her wares.”

  Jessica fought the blackness engulfing her. Who was Jake? Who was Sol? She couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t see because her eyelids felt as if they were glued shut. The bedclothes rustled as someone climbed in beside her.

  Go Away. Leave me alone. The words refused to come out of her mouth no matter how hard she tried to speak. A heavy weight pressed down on her pinning her to the mattress. A man’s hand grasped her breast, squeezing at her nipple, his teeth nipping the soft flesh between her neck and shoulder. Her body refused to obey her commands to push this intruder away. Suddenly, an impenetrable black veil fell down over her face, obliterating everything.

  Jessica woke up, her head was still fuzzy, her eyes blurry. She moved her legs and groaned out loud, the area between her thighs felt tender. On shifting her hand over the bottom sheet, she discovered the wetness and screamed. Once started, she couldn’t stop.

  A woman she didn’t know swept in. “Stop fussing, gal.” She forced foul tasting liquid into Jessica’s mouth. “Swallow all of it, unless you want to risk having Jake’s brat.”

  Shock knifed into her. It hadn’t been a dream, Jake had raped her. “Where’s Scarlett?” she croaked. “Why did she let this happen?”

  “She had no choice once Jake made up his mind. She’s been called away for a few days. It will go much easier on you, gal if you cause no fuss.”

  ~*~

  When Jessica next woke up her head thumped, and she had the strangest sensation of moving. Gingerly, she opened her eyes then wished she hadn’t. The roof of her room was moving. No, it was canvas. She was in a covered wagon. Panic surged through her.

  There was pressure on her from either side, people she suddenly realized. She blinked several times to gather her wits. The wagon was full of young women, all of them asleep. No, they were drugged like she had been. She groaned out loud. Scarlett had betrayed her. Let her be violated by Jake, taken away to God alone knew where.

  The wagon now rocked so violently, it must be going at a fast pace. “Yah. Yah.” The male voice cut through her aching head like a knife, as did the loud cracking of a whip.

  Trying to move, she discovered she was tied by a length of rope to the side of the wagon like the other girls. The rope was long enough for them to lie down without pulling their arms out of their sockets, although not long enough for much else.

  The driver dropped a shocking oath as the side of the wagon lifted up, then dropped back down. Nausea curdled her stomach; she could taste the sourness rising into her mouth. Her head slammed against the wooden side of the wagon and pain shot through her head.

  She regained consciousness as the wagon pulled up. Several of the girls were awake also, fear and disorientation clearly etched on their faces.

  “Where are we? Jessica asked the dark haired girl beside her.

  “I don’t know, except we’re headed for a brothel in Lawson.”

  “What!” Jessica couldn’t believe her ears. “How? I was resting at Scarlett’s house, that’s about all I can remember. Everything else is hazy.” It was a lie, she could remember more, didn’t want to remember the horrible happenings in the home of her childhood friend, if truth be known.

  “Scarlett finds destitute girls and tricks them into becoming prostitutes.”

  Jessica gasped in shock. “I don’t believe it, she’s my friend.”

  “Picked you up off the street?” The dark haired girl asked.

  “Well, yes, but we used to know each other as children.”

  “I’m not complaining. I’m Rosa. You’re?”

  “Jessica.”

  Rosa’s beauty was spoilt by a petulant droop to her lips, and a calculated hardness in her eyes. “Scarlett only chooses pretty girls who can be trained to work in high class brothels.”

  “Trained?”

  “Yes. Jake personally teaches every woman how to pleasure the men they service.”

  “What if they don’t want to…to service men?” Jessica wondered how she could speak without screaming. Knowledge was power.

  “They’re drugged for a while. By the time they know what is going on, they’re ruined. Better to earn good money servicing men than ending up destitute on the street. We get to keep half of what we earn, so I’m not complaining.”

  I have to get away from this terrible situation. Bide your time Jessica. No point trying to escape while you’re out here in the wilderness. Better to wait until they arrived in some town. Could she go to the authorities and tell them what had happened? Scarlett and Jake had virtually kidnapped her and….

  The wagon stopped, the canvas back was pushed aside. Fearfully, she glanced around. They were in the middle of nowhere. A dry dusty looking desert shimmered in the late afternoon sun.

  A tall slim man dressed all in black, strode toward them with a huge colored man lumbering along behind him.

  “That’s Jake,” Rosa said.

  So, this was the fiend who had violated her. She wanted to attack him, rip his handsome face to shreds with her nails, but dared not – yet. “Who’s the other man?”

  “Gabe.” Rosa had an educated voice with the merest hint of a foreign accent. What had happened to bring her down this low?

  While Jake stood puffing a cigar, Gabe climbed into the wagon, untied the women’s hands and ushered them from the wagon. It was fairly high up from the ground, although she was easily able to jump down. Jake’s gaze ranged over her, narrowing, assessing, and a shaft of fear shot up her back. If she couldn’t escape, she was doomed.

  The other girls stood around, some chatting, a couple as confused and frightened as her. Gabe lit a fire and when it was burning to his satisfaction, placed a coffee pot and a pan of beans on it.

  Jessica wandered around hoping it would clear her head.

  “Don’t go far,” Jake said with a leering grin. “This place is full of rattlesnakes.”

  She gasped with shock, and stopped dead in her tracks.

  He gave a harsh bark of laughter. “You’re too valuable for me to lose. You’re so virginal looking men will convince themselves you are, and pay highly for your services.”

  Jessica flinched as he put his hand out to touch her face. “You fiend. You drugged and raped me.”

  He grabbed her by the shoulder and slammed her body against his, holding her still with a hand on her ass. “It will take us three weeks to reach Lawson. I’ll have you well and truly broken in by then.” He shoved her away.

  Fear knifed into her. She tried to run. He grabbed her arm in a vice-like grip, his fingers digging into her flesh. “Don’t even think about running away once you get to the Raging Bull. Sol will kill you, or if he’s in a generous mood he might just carve up your face before booting you out into the street.”

  “How could Scarlett do this to me? I thought we were friends.”

  He gave a mirthless laugh. “She had no choice. I had a quota of girls to fill and was one short because some stupid whore died.”

  Icy fingers played chords up and down her spine. Rather than be continually violated by men would she be brave enough to kill herself?

  “I’ll help you, Gabe.” She stepped over to the big man. Better for her to fill the coffee mugs and dish up the beans. It would stop him putting in any drugging potion. “What a pity you don’t have any eggs and flour,” she went on chattily. “I could have made us pan cakes.”

  She served Jake his meal first, in reality wanting to tip the steaming coffee over his head.

  “I see you’re prepared to be reasonable, Jessica. Much healthier for you that way, my dear.”

  “Yes, I realize that now. Scarlett said there’s good money to be made.”

  “There is. If a rich man takes a liking to you he’ll buy you from Sol and set you up as his mistress. You’d have a mighty easy life then. Scarlett has done well considering she has a….” He pulled himself up. “Exactly where did you two meet?”

  “We were at an orphanage together.” She hated ingratiating herself to a depraved creature like him. If she could gain his trust, let him think she was resigned to her fate, it would make escape easier.

  The evening was warm. The heat of the desert country abating at night. If only she knew where she was; how far from civilization they were, she could make a run for it.

  Stars popped out of a black satiny sky. A slight breeze whispered around them. She bit back on a hysterical laugh. In normal circumstances it would be pleasant here.

  “All right, ladies, time for bed.” Jake climbed to his feet. “We leave at daybreak. Sleep in the wagon. Not you.” He snapped his fingers at Rosa and a large breasted woman named Kate. “You two with me, and Jessica, you’ll keep for another time. I’ve got something special in mind for you.”

  Rosa laughed. “You won’t get much sleep with both of us to play with.”