Rose was feeling especially nervous as the older gentleman came in with Madame Lily... Rose was new to the Flower House, having just been purchased from her family by the Madame. Of course, she'd had the choice to come, Madame didn't like having girls that were unhappy to be there... and she was now living much better than she ever had in her own home.
She had been chosen because she was exceptionally beautiful, delicate features and soft hair, large eyes that men would just want to sink into. Her tiny waist and firm curves were a delight. The fact that she was this beautiful in a poor family made her a prime prospect to become a mistress. Madame Lily had been quite careful to explain that this would be very different from being a whore... whores went with one man for a night or two. A mistress would get a house and an allowance, she would be pampered and loved, and would stay with the man for a year - sometimes more.
Rose's real name was Emily, but the Madame only allowed flower names in her house, it was kind of their way of slipping into a new life.
Standing quietly with her eyes downcast under heavy lashes, she peeked out at the man. Barely 18 years of age, she felt increasingly nervous as he made his way through the room, stopping to chat with some of the other men and women in the room. Not all of them were there to find a mistress, it was a party that Madame was having... but if she was escorting him around the room and introducing him to her girls then he was definitely looking. Probably in his late forties, Rose found him very intimidating, especially when she saw him pointing her out to Madame.
They were walking towards her and she felt her stomach fluttering... somehow she hadn't pictured being mistress to a much older gentleman... she'd always thought she'd be in the care of a younger man. And then they were there, in front of her.
"Mr. Boyd, this is Rose. Rose, this is Mr. James Boyd." Madame said with a flourish of her fan, smiling genially while her eyes told Rose to behave.
"How do you do Mr. Boyd," she said softly with a smooth curtsy. Madame had spent months teaching her how to curtsy correctly, and also what manners to use and how to dress. The effect was incredibly flattering as her bosom heaved, pressing against the tight confines of her dress.
They stayed a few moments talking, about harmless chattering things. Rose even managed to get comfortable enough to slip in a sly joke, startling a laugh from the older man. Still, she felt very relieved when he and Madame left; her stomach finally settled back to where it was supposed to be.
To her shock, after the party Madame told her that Mr. Boyd would like to have her as his mistress... he was offering an allowance of 30 pounds a month, her own house over on Thornberry Street, and the contract would be for a year. After a moment of hesitation, Rose said yes. This wasn't the first offer that she'd had, and at least he had kind eyes and had laughed at her joke. The first man that had made an offer to her had terrified her... she could probably do much worse than Mr. James Boyd, even if she had been hoping for a younger man.
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