Two weeks on, the club was not running as smoothly as Caitlin would have hoped. She started out with a good business plan. The hotel could accommodate 10 girls, who, if they could turn two tricks a night each, Caitlin thought could cover all their costs, plus a small profit. Rose and her friends made six, so Caitlin began to interview new girls to get the club up to speed.

The trouble was, Caitlin was not sure how to interview girls to fill the remaining four positions. She tried to focus on skills, but her own experience with prostitution was nil, so she had to trust that any girl who was working professionally would know her own abilities, so best not to inquire too much further on the subject of talents. She asked them to describe their own "earning potential," based on their past experience. Her interview technique might have worked better if she was hiring bank tellers, with easily defined job descriptions and performance expectations.

She had no idea in the beginning of the importance of personality. Knowing how to attract and please a man had nothing whatsoever to do with the ability to get along with a house full of women. All of the girls were essentially "free agents" up to this point, used to setting their own hours, choosing their own clients, and never, ever poaching clients from other working girls. The limitation on privacy created friction, and the atmosphere remained tense. Caitlin knew how to dictate, but what she really needed to do was manage. These girls needed leadership, and try as she might, she was overwhelmed.

Caitlin was perhaps two years older than her oldest girls, and even the youngest had vastly more experience than she in this new world. Rose was able to help to motivate her own friends, but the new girls were unfamiliar, and regarded cooly by the rest.

Matthew's presence was surprisingly calming to the group. They all seemed to like his relaxed style, so even if they mistrusted one another, he seemed to keep things on an even keel. His "duties" around the house consisted of providing health care to the girls as needed. This took place in the mornings, and most days there was nothing for him to do at all. He would invariably wander off at some point, and find his own amusements in town.

Building up a membership of clients was also proving to be a challenge. Many of the girls brought their own regulars along. They seemed to appreciate the clean, elegant surroundings, but word of mouth was slow going. She knew that in order to attract the kind of customers that could bring prestige to the operation, she would have to be patient. So business was slow, which led to more tension.

Most of the squabbles among the girls were really quite petty, and did not amount to anything more than establishing boundaries and trying to get to know one another, but to Caitlin, every spat seemed like a setback. Had she grown up with a house full of sisters, she might have been able to recognize that some friction was natural, and most of the trouble would eventually smooth out.

One Saturday evening, there was a "full house" of customers, which should have buoyed the spirits of the group, but two of the girls told Caitlin that they were sick and couldn't take their regular clients. When those men were entertained by other girls, all hell broke loose. Caitlin had no choice but to turn the men away, and ask them to return when the girls were feeling better. The trouble was, she had no idea what was wrong with the girls. Was it something infectious, could it be passed on to the other girls, or indeed to the customers? Were they actually sick at all, or just frustrated by their situation? Having a doctor on hand would sure be a big help, but Matthew was nowhere to be found.

He stumbled in around midnight, after a night of heavy drinking. One man was dozing on a couch, presumably waiting for one of the girls to come down to get him, and the remaining clients were engaged, so the place was relatively quiet. Caitlin was in a fury. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Don't start."

"This is a place of business, captain. The next time you want to show up drunk during business hours, you will come in through the servant's entrance."

Matthew stopped. His back was to Caitlin, and he slowly turned. He said nothing, went up to his room and slammed the door.

She went to her room, considered slamming her own door, but couldn't even sustain the notion. For once in her life, she felt drained, confused, and alone. She gave in to tears, and finally drifted off to a fitful sleep.

Rose knocked quietly on Matthew's door. He grunted, so she came in. He had flopped on the bed, still fuming from his encounter with Caitlin. Without words, Rose straddled him and kissed him. He could have resisted, but it was too easy to just let her do what they both wanted.

Neither Matthew nor Caitlin rested well that night. For once, he was awake and dressed when he heard a knock on his door the following morning. Caitlin brought him the two sick girls. One was Rose's friend, Jenny, and the other was one of the new girls, Tilda. All three of the women were subdued, not wishing to relive the crisis of the previous evening. Caitlin left the girls with him.

"Well, Jenny, what is the problem with you?"

She groaned. "Itching and burning."

"Ah. Have you had this before?"

"Yes."

"What did you do for it before?"

"Nothing."

"Well, I think I can do better than 'nothing.' I'll give you a poultice to put on twice a day. No sex for ten days." Jenny and Tilda exchanged looks. He continued, "Hand jobs and blow jobs, OK, just no sex."

He turned to Tilda. "What's going on with you?"

"It hurts to pee."

"Aw, honey, I'm sorry about that. I have some tea I can give you. I have to apologize ahead of time it tastes like shit, but it should help. And I need you to drink eight to ten glasses of water every day."

"I can't—it hurts!"

"I know, honey, but if you don't it will only hurt worse. You don't want it to hurt worse, do you?" She shook her head. "It's going to be bad for a couple of days. No sex for you either."

"Days?"

He pulled her head in to his chest. "I know kid, I'm sorry."

"She's going to kick us out."

"No. No. I'll talk to her." He was not at all sure she would be receptive, but he would have to try.

He prepared their medicine, and as they were leaving he said, "If you see Rose, would you ask her to come in?" She came in moments later. He sat her down on the daybed.

"Why did you come in here last night Rose?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"No."

"I felt like you needed company." Pause. "She don't mind, she told me."

"What do you want though, Rose?"

She copied his accent. "I want to be with you when you want, and not when you don't."

He laughed. "Is that all?"

"Yup."

He rubbed his chin. "Rose, I don't know."

Unperturbed, she stood and said, "You don't have to decide right now."

He shook his head. "All right, go on now." He headed down to find Caitlin, bracing himself for another fight. He found her in her office.

"How are they?"

"They both have infections."

"Are they contagious?"

"What Jenny's got, there's a small chance she could pass it on to a partner. I told her no sex for ten days."

"What?"

"Hon, haven't you ever had one of these things?"

"No."

"Well, it is very uncomfortable."

"How is Tilda?"

"Tilda has a bladder infection."

"Can you help her?"

"Yes. I'll put her through a course of treatment. Hopefully we can catch it before it goes to her kidneys. We'll be in trouble if that happens. But I think we can get her through."

"Is there any way to prevent this?"

"Sure, we can show them how to keep themselves clean and healthy. I can talk to them."

"Would you?"

"Right now? Sure."

Caitlin gathered the girls together in the sitting room. She thought she might as well get everyone together, since she may need to tell them that she is shutting the place down. Jenny and Tilda came down arm in arm, bonded in their misery.

When everyone was settled, Matthew began, "Well, we have two pretty sick girls here, and we need to help them get better. You can't catch it from them, but you can get it. Did you know that the American Indians believe that women get these infections in times of terrible strife for their people?" He let that sink in. "This place that we live in, it's a pretty good deal. Hot water, clean laundry, good food. Time. Do any of you read?" A few of the girls raised their hands. "These girls are going to be pretty miserable for the next couple of days, why don't you read to them? You'll boost their spirits and help the time go by. Meanwhile, there are lots of things you can do to keep your bodies clean and healthy." He went over the list of proper hygiene practices, and by the time he was finished, everyone was laughing. Even Caitlin almost cried with relief.

The meeting broke up and the girls returned to their morning chores, leaving Matthew and Caitlin somewhat hesitant with each other. Finally she said quietly, "Come upstairs with me."

He rolled his eyes heavenward and said to himself, "Take it like a man, son." He followed her into her room and she closed the door.

"I think I'll have to start calling you Reverend Jackson, after that miracle you just pulled off. I was getting ready to tell the girls that I would have to shut the place down, but you just turned everything around. What would have happened to Jenny and Tilda if they weren't here?"

"I imagine they would go hungry for a while. Unless they had some other way of making money."

She was having trouble keeping her emotions in check. "You scared me. Last night. That's why I got so angry. When you drink like that, I have no idea what you are going to do. One of these days, you are going to find yourself across the table from one of my father's men. I don't want you to be like that when it happens."

"They are never going to find us here."

"Even so, I need you to act as if they could."

"You're right. You're right."

"Also..." She wanted very much to feel close to him, but found the words failed her. She moved in close and put her hand on his chest. He covered it with his own, acknowledging what she was trying to say.

"Honey, you don't have to ask. All you need to do is nod and point and say 'now.'" She threw her arms around his neck and they made love. Afterwards, she finally felt calm, although a few tears were shed.

"Did I hurt you?"

"No." She laughed softly. "It just doesn't seem fair. I could never make you feel the way you just made me feel."

"Darling, don't you know it doesn't work like that? I like sex. Hell, I love sex, but with you it is something different. When you touch me, I feel like you are tugging on my soul. I can't ask for anything better than that. Unless it's that you tell me that it will happen again, and again. And even if it doesn't, I'll die a happy man. So don't tell me about fair."

She stroked the outlines of his face, as if she had never really seen it before. "You don't have to ask me either, you know."

"Hmm. I never thought of it like that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a 'given' that I want you."

"No it isn't. There are any number of reasons you wouldn't want to be with me. You like Rose."

He groaned. "Please, can we not talk about Rose?"

"You like her. That is a 'given.' It's just sex. It's simple, uncomplicated. It's a 'given.' But this? This is not simple. This is the hardest thing I have ever done. So if you really feel like you say you do, it is not a 'given.'"

He thought that over. "Can I remind you of this conversation some day when you are mad at me?"

"You can try." Pause. "Captain Jackson?"

"Mmm?"

"Now."

Things began to run more smoothly at the club after that day. The girls got through their sickness, and everyone found they enjoyed their reading time. The ones who couldn't read before were learning, and the ones who knew how found that being able to just sit and read a book was a luxury they could not afford before, when every waking moment was bent on survival. They grew close, and stuck by each other. There was the occasional dust up, but it was always minor and easily resolved.

Caitlin was glad they were getting along so well, but she couldn't join in. She had too many balls to keep juggling, trying to keep the ship afloat. The business looked like it could be a success. This was all she had hoped for. All the risks they took, the pipers that had to be paid, this is what it was all for.

Her relationship with Matthew continued to be mercurial. They fought like cats and dogs, but other times were spectacular. It was the '"in-between" times when she often felt lonely. But being lonely was not the same as being alone, and right now, this was all she could hope for.