The next few weeks passed happily enough. They continued to take in all the sights that London had to offer, but they stopped fighting. Somehow the air had been cleared, and what was left was something tender, that neither one wanted to push too far.

One evening they went a show in Covent Garden. It had been a hot day, but the evening was cooling off, so they decided to walk. The streets were deserted. They heard a scream, and found a girl at the bottom of a stairway that separated two streets. There was a man at the top of the stairs, but he ran off as soon as he saw Caitlin and Matthew. The girl moaned. Matthew cradled her head in his lap. "You're going to be all right. You're safe now. We're going to take care of you." He looked at Caitlin. "I'd better go call a cab."

"Nonsense," she said. "You stay with her, I'll get one." They took her home and carried her up to the other bedroom. Her face was badly bruised, and her left forearm was broken. Matthew went to his room to get laudanum and a flat, wooden brace and gauze for her arm.

He pulled a chair up to the bed. Caitlin sat on the other side of the bed and began to gently wash the blood off her face. "What is your name?"

"Rose."

He gave her some of the laudanum. "Did you know that man?"

"His name is Eddie. He is a pimp. Not my pimp, but he wants me to work for him."

"Rose, your arm is broken. I need to set the bone. It's going to hurt." Rose nodded. He said to Caitlin, "I need you to hold her down." He took Rose's wrist in one hand, and her elbow in the other, and pulled. Rose passed out. He braced the arm and wrapped it. "There's nothing more we can do for her until morning." Caitlin got up and stood behind Matthew and kissed the top of his head.

"Is this your injured bird?"

He looked up at her. "Maybe."

Rose woke the next morning, sore, but in good spirits. Caitlin gave her a switchblade with a mother-of-pearl handle. "Rose, I want you to know how to protect yourself, in case something like this should ever happen again." Using Matthew as a model, she showed Rose all of the places where she could use her blade to incapacitate a man, to give herself a chance to run away. But, in case of mortal danger, she demonstrated the ways in which she could quickly and permanently dispatch her assailant, so he could never hurt her again.

"Don't show your knife until you have to. Surprise and speed are your strongest weapons. If you are facing the man, stab him in the eye, or the groin. If you can get behind him, you have a clear shot at his jugular, or his spine."

Matthew said, "Dare I ask how you come to know all this?"

"You forget, I was raised by Pinkertons."

Rose asked, "Who are they?"

Matthew raised his eyebrows. "They're the bogeyman."

Rose spent the next few days recuperating in the apartment. One morning, she was trying, unsuccessfully, to interest herself in a book. She found Matthew in his room, shaving.

"Good morning Rose. You look restless. I'm going out in a few minutes, do you feel up to taking a walk?"

"No, I shouldn't. You might think me vain, but I know I look a fright."

"Aw, come on Rose. Don't you know that scars are just tattoos with better stories?"

She giggled. "I like that. I'm going to remember that."

"Hopefully, you won't be getting any more scars to tell stories about."

"I know a man with tattoos. He is in the Royal Navy."

"Is that so?"

She sighed, and came in the room. She sat on the bed. "Tell me about Miss Susan."

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you meet?"

"We met in Chicago."

When he didn't continue, she asked, "Did you seduce her or did she seduce you?"

"I don't know. I guess it kind of snuck up on the both of us."

"Oh, that's the best! Then you know it's real!"

"What about you? Has anyone stolen Rose's heart?"

"Once."

"Well? Come on."

"I am an orphan. When I was twelve I was sent to work for a family. They let me go to school. They had four children. The youngest was a boy, my age. When school was out and I had finished my chores, we would play together. We climbed trees, went fishing in the lake, or just lay in the grass and let the sun warm our faces." Her face was turned up and her eyes were closed. "By and by, we fell in love." She looked at him. "He loved me."

"I believe you."

"Anyway, you know the rest of the story. The family would never allow such a match, so when I was sixteen, I came here."

"With a broken heart?"

"For a time. But I've got big plans, you know. I am going to be an actress. As soon as I have saved enough money, I'm going on the stage. Then, when I become a great star, he will come to see me in a play and fall in love with me all over again."

"No. He's a coward. He doesn't deserve you Rose." He wiped his face and put on his shirt and vest.

"What is America like?"

"Big."

"Have you been to the mountains?"

"Mmm hmm."

"Have you been to the desert?"

"Yup."

"Have you been to the ocean?"

"Girl, we didn't just fly here."

She threw herself back on the bed and laughed. "Have you ever met an Indian?"

"Sure. I lived with them for three months."

She popped back up. "Why?"

He showed her his eagle feather. "To learn their medicine." Their faces were close together now. Matthew stood up.

"Well, you'd best be on your way then, hmm?"

"Yeah, kid." He tipped his hat. "See you later."

The next day Caitlin announced that they were going to Rose's flat to get some of her things. It was a rundown flophouse, but Rose's room was clean and tidy. A young woman popped her head in the door and shouted, "Rose is back!" Soon four other girls crowded in to hug and kiss her. The first girl, Jenny, told her that Eddie had been skulking around since the night of the attack. "He thought he'd been seen by your friends, so he's been keeping out of sight. We told him that you were dead, and he'd better not try to bother any of us anymore."

Matthew and Caitlin gathered some of Rose's clothes, while she visited with the girls. When they returned to their own place, Caitlin said, "Captain Jackson is going to run along now, so Rose can get cleaned up."

Caitlin drew a bath for Rose, and helped her get undressed. "Miss Susan, you don't have to help me."

"You've still got blood in your hair, Rose. You can't very well wash it with a broken arm."

Once Caitlin had gotten Rose's hair clean, she took a sponge and scrubbed her back. "How long have you been doing this kind of work?"

"Two years."

"And how have you managed to avoid people like Eddie?"

"My friends and I look out for each other. Working for a pimp is bad, but going into a whorehouse is even worse. They take all the girl's money, and get them hooked on dope, so they couldn't get out even if they wanted to. Me and my friends, we just have our own regulars, just men we know and trust. We can't charge as much as the brothels, but we get to keep everything we make. We don't walk the streets. We just try to keep out of everyone else's way."

"But it doesn't always work out that way, does it?"

Rose shrugged her shoulders.

"Captain Jackson tells me you want to go on the stage. I toyed with the idea of opening a theater myself, you know." She told Rose about the play on the ship. When she described the songs, Rose sang "My Evening Star" for her. Rose's voice was pretty, nothing like Miss Guthrie's cultured voice, but Rose sang with a sultry sensuality. The song took on a whole different meaning when Rose sang it.

When from out the shades of night
Come the stars a-shining bright
I spy the one I do love
I recognize my true love
Beneath the tiny orbs of light

Search the sky from east to west
She's the brightest and the best
But she's so far above me
I know she cannot love me
Still I love her and more than all the rest

My evening star, I wonder who you are
Set up so high, like a diamond in the sky
No matter what I do, I can't go up to you
So come down from there, my evening star
Come down, come down
Come down from there, my evening star.

"I wish you would let me pay you back for helping me. You know, I could invite a few of my regulars up here. I could turn a few tricks and give you the money."

Matthew returned around suppertime. He found Caitlin making notes in the sitting room, smiling, in deep concentration. "You look like the cat that got the canary."

"I know what I'm going to do."

Before he could respond there was a knock at the door. She held up her finger, and went to answer it. A man came in. He gave Caitlin some money, and walked past Matthew.

"Good evening."

"Evening."

The man went up to Rose's room.

Caitlin smiled and let it sink in. Matthew was at a loss for words. He laughed. "So, this is your big idea? You're going to run whores."

"No, I am going to open a private club. I plan to employ women, and pay them a fair wage. I will give them a safe home, free from violence and drugs. No men will be accepted as members without references. Absolutely no Pinkertons."

Caitlin had never in her life gotten drunk, but this was a night for celebration. She and Rose and Matthew went out that night to toast their new partnership. Each bottle of champagne went down sweeter than the last. They returned to the apartment, high and happy. They went into Matthew and Caitlin's room. He flopped on the bed, and Caitlin sat at her vanity, removing her jewelry while Rose hummed a tune.

Caitlin said, "Rose, I think I need to let you in on my little secret." She took her wig off. Rose squealed with delight, and started to fluff up Caitlin's short hair. She sat next to Caitlin on the bench, and soon her playful roughhousing turned to a gentle caress. Caitlin closed her eyes. Rose kissed her. She opened her eyes and looked at Rose. Perhaps she should have stopped her, but it felt good. Rose's mouth was soft and sensual, not like a man's at all. They kissed again, and Rose began to remove Caitlin's dress. Caitlin looked over at Matthew, and held out her hand.

Later, Caitlin lay back on the bed, satiated and happy. She lazily looked over at the other two making love. Suddenly, she was overcome with a cold feeling. She slipped out of the bed, unnoticed by the others. She put on her robe and went down to the sitting room.

Caitlin paced the room, trying to understand why she was so upset. Seeing him make love to another woman gave her a pain that took her by surprise. This wasn't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to love him like this. She tried hard to master her thoughts.

Now what do I do? Tell him he can't be with other women, he can only be faithful to me? She laughed. I'm about to open up a brothel. Everybody has husbands, wives, lovers. If fidelity was important or even necessary, there wouldn't be any brothels. What an old-fashioned notion. How can I hold him to that? I don't even believe in it myself. What a hypocrite I am. No, I can't hold him to that.

So what do I do? Send him away? No, I can't do that either. What's the matter with me? How could I have let this happen? I was supposed to be the one in control. I wasn't going to get hurt. But it does hurt.

And what of Rose? Beautiful Rose. She is so warm, so open. Even I'm attracted to her, what man wouldn't be? If he was going to be with another woman, I would want it to be someone like Rose.

So is that it? We go on? She took a deep breath. I'm strong. I've endured worse than this, haven't I? No.

She thought of her father. She felt her strength return to her. 'Don't let emotions rule your life. If your opponent is strong, you have to be stronger.' Who is my opponent? Myself?

She felt calmer now. I am strong. I have my work. We go on.

Matthew woke up with a sore head and a dry mouth. He opened up one eye, then the events of the previous evening came into focus. He was alone in the room, in fact the whole apartment was empty. He got dressed and went down into the sitting room.

Rose came in the door, humming a tune. She put her arms around Matthew's neck and kissed him. He was in something of a quandary as to whether he should encourage the girl, but considering the past evening, he thought it a bit late to close that particular barn door. She noticed his consternation, and laughed. "You're a funny American." She headed up to her room.

"Rose, where's Susan?"

"She's making preparations for our 'business meeting.' We are having my friends over in half an hour."

"Oh."

A few minutes later, Caitlin came in with a package from the bakery. She filled the tea kettle and set it on the range to boil. Then she started setting the cakes and cookies on a plate. She didn't seem to regard Matthew at all. He said, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm well. And it's afternoon."

"Oh."

She walked past him to the bedroom, where she removed her jacket and hat. He followed, hoping to find some way to broach the topic of the previous night. "Last night, we were all pretty drunk."

She smiled. "I really have to get ready." She went out into the kitchen, and took down the cups and saucers.

He made another attempt. "What happened, that's not likely to ever happen again."

"Don't be silly. Why shouldn't it?"

"I'm sorry, I'm having trouble keeping up here. I'd like to talk to you."

"I am meeting with Rose's friends in a few minutes. Afterwards, Rose and I are going to go and see a hotel in Whitechapel that's for sale."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"That won't be necessary. Perhaps we can talk tonight."

He stopped her as she moved past. "I don't want things to change."

She seemed wistful. "But things do change, don't they? Whether we want them to or not." She kissed him. "Now I really must get ready."

They didn't talk that night. For the next several days, Caitlin and Rose were busy making preparations to open the hotel. Matthew kept to himself, staying out late and going out early. One night he stumbled in, drunk, bruised and bloody, and knocked some dishes on the floor with a crash. Caitlin was angry.

"Where have you been?"

"Where do you think?"

"I don't know, that's why I asked."

"Playing cards, that's all."

"I was worried you were dead in an alley somewhere."

"Well, if I was dead, you wouldn't have anything to worry about, now would you?" He collapsed in a chair.

"You're bleeding." She got a cloth and started to tend to his injuries. "What happened?"

"I accidentally hit somebody's fist with my face."

"I thought you were going to be careful. What's the matter with you?"

He grabbed her wrist, not gently. "What's the matter with you? You've been cold to me ever since…" She pulled away from him. Well, if they were going to have it out, now was as good a time as any. "Are you jealous of her?"

"No. I'm not. I like Rose."

"Then what is it?"

"The only way I would be jealous of Rose is if I thought you were in love with her."

He sighed loudly. "No chance of that. You… pain me, but it's too late to worry about that now. This is a yoke I can't shake off. I'm not in love with her, I'm in love with you. Goddamn it."

She returned to cleaning his face, and after a long while, she spoke. "I thought I could control this. I thought I could love you without getting hurt, but I can't."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I love you. And I will never forgive you for that. If that offer is still on the table, I accept."

He pulled her down into his lap and held her. And so began their uneasy life together.