It was a beautiful evening early in June and as Abi was heading to the door that led to the club from the girls’ living quarters, Lilly beckoned her into her office.
‘Is anything wrong?’ she asked anxiously as Lilly sat herself behind a pretty Queen Anne desk with dainty legs.
‘Not at all, queen.’ Lilly smiled at her to put her at ease. ‘It’s just that some o’ the customers are gerrin’ a bit fed up cos you never keep them company.’
‘Oh!’ Abi flushed, not knowing quite what to say.
‘Don’t look guilty,’ Lilly said quickly. ‘It ain’t your fault you’re the youngest an’ the most in demand of me girls at the minute .?.?. But the thing is, you’ve been spendin’ a lot o’ time wi’ young Lord Medville an’ it would be nice if you could spread yourself about more. Yer know, mingle a bit rather than spend the whole night sittin’ wi’ him.’
‘I’m sorry .?.?. I hadn’t realised I was doing that,’ Abi said, although of course she knew full well that she had. He was all she thought and dreamt about and when she wasn’t with him, she was miserable.
She was already aware that she wasn’t popular with the other girls either because they were jealous of the attention she got, not that that was her fault. She couldn’t help it if she was prettier and fresher than them, and at least Bella and Maria were kind to her, so all in all she was settling very well into her new lifestyle. She had learnt a lot in the few weeks she had spent there and was now fully aware that the girls could earn far more by entertaining the gentlemen in their rooms than they did by sitting drinking with them in the club, but she had no intention of going down that path. Her mother had drummed into her over the years that when she gave herself to a man, it should be her husband. That was why Lilly’s next words made the colour burn into her cheeks.
‘The other thing I wanted to talk to you about was takin’ precautions.’ Lilly smiled as she saw Abi squirm but she was used to it. Most of the girls arrived young and innocent but the majority of them didn’t stay that way for long and she sensed that young Abigail would be no different, which was why she had been happy to pay Jasper a good sum for introducing her. ‘I see yer know what I mean,’ she went on.
‘Oh .?.?. but I-I don’t—’
Lilly held one hand up to stop her flow of words and rummaged in a desk drawer with the other. ‘You’ve no need to be embarrassed, queen,’ she assured her, then, with a triumphant smile she held aloft some small sponges and a tiny bottle of liquid.
‘Oh .?.?. but I don’t .?.?. I haven’t .?.?.’ Abi faltered. She had heard the other girls discussing them and had a good idea of what they were for.
‘That’s what they all say when they first come ’ere but Bella will tell yer how to use ’em should you decide to,’ Lilly said, not wishing to prolong the girl’s obvious embarrassment. ‘So pop ’em up to your room an’ then get to work. No doubt the young lord will be ’ere soon. But just a friendly word o’ warnin’: don’t get too involved. He’s a young man an’ footloose an’ fancy-free, though I’ve never known ’im visit so often till you arrived, but remember what I said, queen – he ain’t the only customer we need to keep ’appy.’
Abi bobbed her head and stumbled from the room. She was just heading back up the stairs when she passed Bella.
‘Everything all right?’ she asked and when Abi opened her hand to reveal what Lilly had given her, Bella smiled. ‘Better to be safe than sorry,’ she chuckled. ‘Go and put them away and I’ll explain how to use them in the morning.’
Ten minutes later when she had composed herself, Abi entered the smoky clubroom and instantly her eyes swept the tables for a sign of the young lord, only to be bitterly disappointed. But then an elderly man in a smart pin-striped suit raised his hand to catch her attention and forcing a smile she went to join him at his table.At least Lilly will be happy to see me with someone other than Hugo, she thought as she spread her skirts on the seat beside him and flashed him a dazzling smile.
Despite the fact that she didn’t have a moment to herself, the evening dragged intolerably and every time the door opened, Abi looked towards it hopefully, only to be disappointed.
‘You’ve done well tonight, queen,’ Lilly praised when the last customer finally left in the early hours of the morning. ‘But get yerself off to bed now an’ get a good night’s sleep.’ She turned back to counting the night’s takings.
‘What’s wrong with you?’ Maria queried as they made their way to their rooms, and when Abi shrugged, Maria looked concerned.
‘Is it because the young lordship didn’t put in an appearance tonight?’ she asked gently.
Abi’s glum face was her only answer and Maria placed a gentle hand on her arm. ‘Try not to get too deeply involved with any of the customers,’ she advised. ‘I did exactly the same thing once and look what happened to me – I ended up with a child.’
Abi stared at her curiously. ‘So you know who the father is then?’
Maria nodded. ‘Oh yes. I was totally in love with him and he swore he loved me too and promised me that we had a future together. But as soon as I found out I was going to have a child he was gone like the wind, the lousy bastard! Eventually I found out where he lived and ventured round there and guess what? Hiswifeanswered the door with a number of small children hanging on her skirts an’ a baby in her arms. He was married all the time and I felt so sorry for her I didn’t even tell her why I were there. I just made some excuse and left. Not that I regret having my little girl; she’s the apple of my eye and that’s why I carry on working here so I can give her everything she needs.’
‘Is she the one you go off to see every Sunday?’
Maria nodded. ‘Yes, wild horses wouldn’t keep me away from her and there’s absolutely nothing I wouldn’t do for her. The trouble is, if I were to leave here I’d never earn enough to keep her how I want her to be kept so .?.?.’ She sighed resignedly and suddenly Abi felt sorry for her. Maria always put such a hard face on but she was as soft as butter underneath.
Even so, when they parted on the landing and Abi entered her room, she sat down heavily on the bed feeling thoroughly miserable. No one had ever made her feel the way Hugo did and although he hadn’t said as much, she could see in his eyes every time he looked at her how much she meant to him. Not all men were like the one that had conned Maria, she reasoned, and he was sure to be back tomorrow. After all, he spent a lot of each evening at the card tables and she had frequently seen him lose a great deal of money so he had probably just decided to have a night away.
Feeling slightly more optimistic she hurriedly discarded the lovely gown she had bought with her first lot of earnings over the back of a chair and after scrambling into her nightgown she hopped into bed and was asleep in seconds, dreaming of Hugo’s handsome face.
The following evening when Abi entered the club and found Hugo waiting at his favourite table for her, all was suddenly right with the world again. With her heart thudding erratically, she made her way towards him, completely ignoring everything Lilly had said, and consequently all the men who beckoned to her. A number of Hugo’s friends were sitting with him but when they saw Abi, they quickly dispersed, nudging and laughing amongst themselves.
‘I-I was worried about you when you didn’t come last night,’ she told him haltingly as he took her small hand and raised it to his lips, causing the colour to rush into her cheeks.
‘My dear girl, I can’t be hereeverynight.’ He laughed as he beckoned to a waitress for a bottle of champagne. ‘My father is on at me about the amount I spend, and all because I went a little over my allowance last month,’ he said in an aggrieved tone. Then he fixed his remarkable blue eyes on her and Abi felt as if she were melting inside. ‘But of course, I could never stay away for long .?.?. not now that I’ve met you,’ he purred as he stroked her fingers, sending shivers up her spine. ‘In fact, I have a little something here for you.’ He withdrew a beautifully wrapped package from the pocket of his smart frock coat and gave it to her.
Abi pulled the paper back to reveal a small velvet box inside which was a tiny gold heart suspended on a fine golden chain.
