Sam, Tom and the boys had hitched their gear and rifles onto the tack and were off to go hunting in the hills west of town. No less an untruth than Anna and Elizabeth's tale of sitting with an ill spinster schoolmarm, perhaps even for the night. The two now sat miserably across from each other.
"How did it all come to this," Anna asked as tears slipped over her rounded cheeks to the soft line of her chin. "What are we to do?"
"Anna I don't know," Elizabeth whispered, her head resting in her palms. "Have we a choice? Can we do anything other than what she insists? We have our things. The evenings getting on and you remember she insisted we be there early. I shall beg of her that no one is to find us out."
"Will they make us be with Tommy and Jimmy again?"
"Anna, my dear Anna you know that they will. Though I'm sure Jimmy will choose you this time and I will be with your Tommy. After that, I don't know. I fear it will be more than the one."
"Elizabeth. I cannot, I simply can't. We cannot... do that, again. I cannot allow my son..."
"What would you have us do Anna? Be found out? For Tommy to know that he pleasured himself with his Mother? For Jimmy to know that he was with me? That he took his Mother on all fours like... like, an animal, a beast? You think they did not know of the way our... that we were... Did Tommy have to force himself into you? Did he? Did he hurt you, were you not ready for him? Here, take your things. We must go."
"Please, don't scold me such, I know, I know my shame. He went into me as easily as I thread my needle. I don't understand, how I could have been, that way. Elizabeth, please, could we have a drink, the bourbon that we had? I must have something or I fear I shall be sick."
"Of course, yes how could I have forgotten. I just can't think right now. I dare say I shall take a much greater portion than before. And you certainly will too."
Though the drink had yet to unsteady their walk Anna clung tightly to Elizabeth's arm. The wagon left for Carsonville and the fate that lay before them. Elizabeth snapped the reins and the horse quickened it's gait.
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Well, what have we here?" Miss Marie Louise smiled from the polished table at the entryway. "A couple new girls. Come on ladies, come this way to your room. I have a room for you to change in and keep your things. Come now, up the grand staircase girls. Be quick."
They hurried up the ornate stairs into a large well lit hall with a small sitting room and settees at the end. Another staircase there lead down to the saloon next door. Miss Marie opened one of the hallway doors and ushered them into a bedroom furnished surprisingly nice.
"This is your room. No other girls may come in here except you two, or myself. No men are allowed in here but for those you or I invite. You can keep your things in the shifrobe. I have things for you to wear."
"We have brought our own things thank you. And this is not "our room". Now one thing, you must not allow anyone to know who we are. We certainly do not work for you. We are simply here due to some misfortune and err that has befallen us. This night is to be the end of it."
"Oh, the little one, Anna, speaks. How nice. Now lets see if she listens. Now sit down, there, on the edge of the bed. Now! You two whores, yes... whores, and I could refer to you as something worse... you are two whores who tonight are most certainly in my employ for I have accepted payment for your services. If you think otherwise, there is the door. You may freely leave. Go, go now or hold your sass."
"So, as I thought. You may refer to me as Miss Marie and answer, yes ma'am or no ma'am like all the other whores here."
"Well? Is that understood?"
"Yes, yes ma'am, Miss Marie," Anna and Elizabeth whispered with eyes cast downward to the lace of the bedspread.
Miss Marie reached into a shifrobe and pulled out two diaphanous white gowns and lay them across the bed.
"Get undressed. Quickly now."
"But, we brought our things."
"No buts, hurry now," as Miss Marie grabbed their bags and tossed them into the shifrobe.
Anna and Elizabeth turned their backs as they slipped out of their clothes.
"Everything girls, nothing to remain. My God, have you girls no sense of a razor?" Marie laughed. "Well, it's too late now to trim you up. I must say though, each of you have ample charms to occupy a man's fancy. I don't know that I have ever seen such roses as that Anna. Certainly none of my girls have such natural adornments. But then, you are my girls now, aren't you. I know a number of gentlemen who would enjoy... well, they would if you were so inclined?"
They stood cheeks flushed, naked in front of her.
"Put the gowns on. Here, arms through the short sleeves and wrap around and sash. Hurry now."
As the two stood before the mirror Anna cried in aghast, "You can see through them, I mean almost everything. We can't wear this, we can't."
"You certainly will. I have white veils for you to wear which will do very nicely to disguise you. Put these over your heads. They tie here, in the back. Down over your face now. There."
She grabbed them by the wrists and pulled them out the door and down the hall to another larger room.
"This is where you will entertain them. You can bring them drinks from the bar, play cards and you can take them to your room as they're ready."
In horror they looked at her.
Anna wailed, "You mean here? They are coming here? We're to be here? In this place? We have to go to the bar? Like... like common whores?"
They each cringed as Miss Marie grabbed them by their veils pulling them forward.
"Now listen well you two little whores. You are to do anything asked. Anything! Anything I tell you. The men know they are not to remove your veils. But if you hesitate, if you refuse anything, then I'll rip them off myself and march you right down into the main barroom, understood?"
"Yes, yes."
