I know everyone wants Hank to go after Emma Jane (Captain Tish!) but all I can say is hang in there!
New York City
Eight weeks later
It had been two months since Emma Jane had started her job in the Black Bull and over that time she had begun to realise exactly just what Carolyn had meant about it not being a good place. At first, she had thought it was fairly similar to the saloon, men came to drink and smoke and partake of the in-house entertainment. But after a while, she realised that Danny was no Hank. Yes, he took the money and set the customers up with the girls, but he didn't protect them. More than once a girl had been manhandled by a customer to the point where she was actually physically injured and yet Danny did nothing. Emma Jane knew that Hank could be rough sometimes, but he always looked out for his girls.
The customers were different too. Here in New York, it was impossible to get to know the men who came into the bar, for none of them were regular customers. In Colorado Springs, she had known everyone, but here, everyone was a stranger. She also no longer had the added protection of being the owner's wife, the unspoken understanding that she was not to be touched by any customer. Many had tried it with her in the Black Bull and she had always resisted.
"You know," Danny had said thoughtfully to her one day, "If you want to make some more money you could always…"
"No thank you," Emma Jane replied, "I'm fine doing what I'm doing."
"Fair enough," he had shrugged, but he had given her a lascivious look, "But I bet you'd get plenty takers."
She had shivered at his words. She wasn't desperate enough to begin selling her body for profit. One man had already used and abused her and she was damned if she was going to allow another to try it too.
Victoria seemed quite content in the room above the bar which Danny had said she could use, at a little cost, mind. Emma Jane hurried up to check on her as often as she could and many of the girls found her cute and adorable and loved playing with her. In a sense, it was like being back at home with Jessica and the others.
At the end of another long day, she collected Victoria and made her way to the door to go home. Outside, the air was distinctly chilly, indicating that winter was on its way, and she wrapped Victoria up in her shawl to shield her. As she was about to head for the boarding house, Carolyn appeared out of nowhere. The two women eyeballed each other for a long moment.
"You're still here then," Carolyn said.
"Yes," Emma Jane replied, "It's not the nicest of places, but it'll do."
"Has Danny got to you yet?"
"In what sense?"
"Has he asked you to whore?" she spoke bluntly.
"Not that it's any of your business," Emma Jane replied, "but yes he has, and I refused."
"Oh you did, did you? It won't last," Carolyn responded.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Emma Jane glared at her, "but some of us have a little more pride in ourselves than to sell our bodies." She pushed past Carolyn.
"You think I chose this life?" Carolyn called after her. "You think this is how I imagined myself when I was growing up in Boston?"
"Boston?" Emma Jane turned in surprise, "You're from Boston?"
Carolyn nodded, "I'm from a good family too. I was raised the same way you were, Emma Jane. Taken to parties and the opera, wined and dined, educated with a governess. I had all that, same as you."
"So why…?"
"Why did I end up a whore?" Carolyn asked bitterly, "Things happen, as you well know. You never imagined yourself living in a saloon with Hank, did you? Well, I never imagined being a whore either."
"But it was your choice, surely?"
"You don't get a choice," Carolyn replied, "Not when you're like me. I got forced into it by someone who told me he loved me. I was naïve once, just like you were when you met Hank on that train. Only you're lucky he took a shine to you for himself, not just for his business."
"Are you saying that Hank…?"
"No," Carolyn waved her hand, "No he came later. There was someone else first." She stepped closer to Emma Jane, "Just don't fall into the same trap I did, especially not with Danny. He's mean, Emma Jane. He doesn't care about you, or any of the girls who work there. He doesn't care about me, anyway. Not any more."
"I'm…sorry," Emma Jane replied.
"Yeah," Carolyn said softly, "so am I." With that, she disappeared inside the bar, leaving Emma Jane standing alone and confused.
SSSS
When she got back to the boarding house, she barely made it into her room before she vomited violently into the chamber pot. She crouched for a moment on the floor, her head hanging over the bowel while the nausea washed over her and she purged the contents of her stomach. It had been the same most days for the past few weeks, and at first, she had thought it might have something to do with Mrs Kimble's cooking, which wasn't exactly a far-fetched notion. But inside, a nagging feeling that it was something else haunted her every waking moment, a feeling that she had worked hard to push to the back of her mind, one she was afraid to give voice to.
"Come on, Vicky," she coaxed her daughter gently, "time for bed." She undressed Victoria and put her into her nightgown before placing her down in her bed and reading her a made-up story about fairies and princes before her eyes drooped and she fell asleep. Emma Jane stood watching her for a moment, her chest rising rhythmically with each breath. Then, she turned and took off her own clothes, stretching her tired body and putting on her flannel nightshirt. As she looked at herself in the mirror while she brushed her hair, she remembered Hank's reaction to such a covering garment.
"Ain't gonna wear that are ya?" he had demanded.
"What's wrong with it?" she had argued back.
"Can't see ya in it," he had explained.
She remembered smiling and acquiescing and removing it for him, his hands trailing up her naked body, over her breasts, into her hair, pulling her down on the bed beside him, pressing his body against her, teasing her with his lips and his tongue until she was begging for an end…a crash outside her door brought her sharply out of her memories and Victoria began to scream as she woke in fright.
"It's all right, darling, it's all right," Emma Jane picked her up and soothed her gently, "It's all right." She opened the door to her room and peered out to see what was happening. To her surprise, Carolyn was lying in a heap at the top of the stairs, Peter and Kevin standing over her. "What's going on?" she asked.
They looked over at, "Carolyn's bin at the sauce," Peter grinned.
"It ain't funny," Kevin clipped him round the ear.
"Is she all right?" Emma Jane asked.
"Nothin' her bed won't cure," Kevin reached down and tried to lift her, "Give's a hand," he indicated to his brother.
"Peter," Emma Jane stepped in, "Watch Vicky for me, will you? I'll help your brother." She passed her daughter to Peter and, disregarding the fact she was dressed in her nightclothes, she stepped forward to help Kevin lift Carolyn and drag her to her room. She groaned as they lifted her, the unmistakable groan of the drunk.
"Come on, Carolyn," Kevin huffed.
"Did you just find her on the stairs?" Emma Jane asked.
He shook his head, "Met her at the door, but she fell over before she made it all the way." He kicked open the door to Carolyn's room and the two of them, somehow managed to deposit her on the bed. She rolled over onto her back and threw one arm over her face. "Just needs to sleep it off."
Emma Jane peered in closer to Carolyn and squinted at her neck, "Do you see that?"
"See what?" Kevin asked.
"That," she pointed to a red lesion on the left side of Carolyn's neck, "See, there?"
"Oh yeah," Kevin said, "What is it?"
"I don't know," Emma Jane replied.
"Probably a love bite," he prodded her jokingly.
"Very amusing," she replied, "come on, let's let her sleep." They both left the room and walked back along to Emma Jane's room where Peter was sitting holding Victoria, "Thanks Peter," Emma Jane said, taking her daughter from him.
"No problem," he replied cheerfully, leaving her alone.
As she put Victoria back into her bed and rocked her to sleep again, Emma Jane thought of the mark she had seen on Carolyn. It didn't look like any love-bite she had ever seen, and in ten years, Hank had given her plenty. Rather, it looked much more sinister.
SSSS
The following morning, it was Emma Jane's day off from the Black Bull and she had arranged with Thomas to go and see her nieces, Sarah and Lucy. She had only seen them once since her return to the city and then only for a few moments. From what Thomas had told her, they were being raised mainly by their governess, Miss Steele, and their nanny, Mary. Their father, Arthur, still seemed to be badly affected by his wife's death and no matter what he did to try and coax him, Thomas said there was no shifting the dark cloud of despair that hung over the household.
After washing and dressing and grabbing a quick breakfast, at which Carolyn was not present, Emma Jane and Victoria set out to go to the Brown house. She would have preferred to take one of the taxi-carriages, but she had just paid Mrs Kimble that week's rent and Danny hadn't yet paid her. The air was crisp again, but there was no wind and the walk through the streets was pleasant. She wandered through the market, passed the Black Bull and then turned into the more affluent area of the city where her childhood home stood.
"Good morning, Helen," she greeted the maid when the door opened.
"Morning Miss Emma Jane, Miss Victoria," Helen curtsied slightly, but she looked anxious.
"What's wrong?" Emma Jane asked, coming inside, "Is everything all right?"
"It's Mrs Brown, Miss. She's in a terrible temper this morning. Apparently, someone told her that…well…that you were working in the Black Bull." She said the last two words quietly, but Emma Jane groaned.
"Wonderful. Who told her that?"
Helen shrugged, "Wish I knew, Miss. I'd get them for you."
Emma Jane sighed. In the two months since she had come back, she had managed to avoid her mother completely. Mrs Brown was aware of her daughter's presence in the city, but she had shown no inclination to see or speak to her only remaining girl, and Emma Jane had only ever called around to the house when she knew her mother would not be present. At that moment, Mrs Brown came storming out of her husband's study.
"Well, well," she greeted Emma Jane coldly, "I see you've finally dared to show your face at my door when you knew I would be at home."
"I only came by to collect Thomas," Emma Jane replied, "We're going to see Sarah and Lucy."
"Ha, so you can corrupt them no doubt with your whoring ways," Mrs Brown spat.
"I'm not going to rise to your bait, Mother," Emma Jane said, moving past her into the drawing room and sitting down to wait for her brother.
"Fanny Grayson told me that you're working in some…public house in that dilapidated area of town," Mrs Brown followed her in.
"And how would Fanny Grayson know?" Emma Jane shot back.
"I have no idea, and that is not the point. I can't believe that your father and Thomas knew about this!"
"I kept it from Father as long as I could," Emma Jane replied, "eventually, I had to tell him. He wasn't best pleased either, but at least he doesn't treat me as if I'm laying down with all the men who frequent the bar."
"You might as well be," Mrs Brown said, before turning and storming out of the room, bumping into her son in the process.
"Sorry," Thomas said, coming in and sitting beside her, "She's been like this all morning, ever since Fanny told her before breakfast."
"How did Fanny know?" Emma Jane asked him, "I haven't seen her in the Black Bull."
"Apparently, her butler goes there occasionally and she overheard him telling her cook about how he'd seen you working," Thomas rolled his eyes, "Don't say anything." He took her hand and pulled her to her feet, "So, are you two ready to go?"
Victoria laughed and Emma Jane smiled, "Yes we are. I'm looking forward to seeing the girls again."
They took their father's carriage over to Arthur's house on the other side of the city and were greeted rapturously at the door by both Sarah and Lucy. The latter, at the age of nine, was still slightly shy around her aunt, but six year old Sarah threw herself at Emma Jane, who had to quickly pass Victoria to Thomas so she could hug her niece.
"You are getting so big!" she gushed, holding Sarah up, "How are you?"
"Fine," Sarah replied, her face a mirror image of her mother, "How are you?"
"All the better for seeing the two of you," Emma Jane put her down and hugged Lucy, "Do you remember Victoria?"
"She's bigger," Lucy observed.
"Yes she is."
"Is Arthur here?" Thomas asked the maid.
"No sir, he's not," she replied, "but Cook's made a picnic for you all to take to the park."
"Isn't it a bit cold?" Emma Jane enquired, but her protests were drowned out by Sarah and Lucy shrieking that they wanted to go regardless.
So, they all piled into the carriage and headed for Central Park. It was cold, but no-one seemed to mind as they sat on a blanket on the grass and tucked into Cook's turkey sandwiches, ginger cake and fizzy ale. They talked and laughed and played silly games until the sky began to grow darker.
"I have to work tonight," Emma Jane reminded Thomas. He looked at her disapprovingly, "I know, but it's only for a few hours. Danny said there was a big poker game on this evening."
"All right," he sighed, "come on, let's go."
The girls were disappointed at being returned home, and they made both Thomas and Emma Jane promise they would come back again soon. As they carriage moved in the direction of the boarding house, Emma Jane put her head back and looked up at the sky.
"A dime for your thoughts," Thomas said.
"They're worth more than that," she joked, "I was just thinking, that's all."
"About what?"
"About being back here. It's not what I expected."
Thomas wanted to ask her again about why she had left Hank, but he held his tongue. Why spoil an otherwise good day? As they pulled up outside Mrs Kimble's, he kissed her on the cheek, "Take care. I'll see you soon?"
"I promise," Emma Jane said, as the driver helped her down. She took Victoria inside to get a quick bite to eat before heading to the Black Bull and as she hurried up to her room to get changed, she found Carolyn sitting against the door, crying. "Carolyn?" she asked gently, "Are you all right?"
Carolyn shook her head, "No."
Mindful of the fact that she was going to be late, Emma Jane unlocked the door and invited her in, "Is there anything I can do?"
Carolyn laughed bitterly, "Cure me?"
Emma Jane looked at her, "Cure you? From what?"
Carolyn pulled down the top of her dress to reveal more lesions similar to the one Emma Jane had noticed on her neck, "Don't you know what it is?" Emma Jane shook her head, "Syphilis."
Emma Jane was stunned, "Syphilis?" Even in the ten years she had been at the saloon, not once had a girl been struck down by the killer disease. "Are you sure?"
"I've been to a doctor," Carolyn said proudly, "he told me…" her voice broke again, "I don't have long."
"I'm…so sorry," Emma Jane said, and she genuinely was. Despite not having ever seen eye to eye with Carolyn, no-one deserved such a horrible death, "What are you going to do?"
Carolyn shrugged, "I told Danny, and he doesn't want to know. He promised he'd look after me and…" she sniffed, "now he says I'm dirty and he doesn't want me." She put her head in her hands, "I've got nothing and nobody."
"What about your family?"
"They disowned me years ago," Carolyn replied, "Do you really think they'd welcome me back now, with this?" She snorted derisively, "they probably already think I'm dead."
"Did you catch it from…?"
"A customer? Yes. I knew he was offering me too much money. Should never have taken it. Should have known it was too good to be true," she wiped her eyes, "Well, I won't be servicing any other men, not when they see these."
"I wish I could help you," Emma Jane said, "but I don't know how."
Carolyn looked at her wide-eyed, "You could forgive me. I know I wasn't very nice to you when you arrived in Colorado Springs. I made things difficult for you because…well, because you reminded me of what I used to be like. You were right to throw me out when I destroyed the dresses Abigail gave you." She lowered her eyes, "I'm sorry."
"It's all right," Emma Jane said, "It was a long time ago."
"So, you forgive me?"
"Of course I do."
"And you'll be my friend?" her eyes looked hopeful.
"Yes, Carolyn," Emma Jane said, "I'll be your friend."
SSSS
She ran into the Black Bull ten minutes late and Danny immediately caught her by the arm, "You're late."
"I know, I'm sorry. There was a slight…crisis." She didn't want to tell him it was to do with Carolyn, "but I'm here now." She shot him her brightest smile, "Just let me take Victoria upstairs and I'll be right back." He let her go and she run upstairs and put Victoria down in the room. She was practically asleep anyway, and a few moments later, Emma Jane was back behind the bar.
Danny hadn't been lying when he said it would be busy that night. The bar was packed with customers. Some playing poker, some waiting to play poker, others just there for a quiet drink and a roll with the girls. The smoke was even stronger than usual and she coughed to try and clear her lungs. At the far table, she could see a man with a large scar running down the side of his face playing poker and she found herself watching him as he dealt the cards.
"That's Bill," one of the other barmaids told her when she saw her watching, "Some big shot poker player."
"From New York?"
"Lord no. From Texas," the girl said, "'parently, he's got the best poker game in the country. Nobody's ever beat him. Quite a thing Danny gettin' him here."
Danny was hovering around the room watching everything that was going on. Occasionally, his eyes flicked over to Emma Jane and she always pretended that she was doing something. Sometimes, his gaze could be unnerving.
It was almost the end of her shift, and closing time, when it happened. Thinking about it afterwards, Emma Jane recalled that the world seemed to go into slow motion, as if everything was happening at half the speed it should. Bill had just won another hand of poker, much to the chagrin of one of his opponents. The man in question, leapt to his feet and grabbed his gun from its holster. Right away, another man leapt to his feet and smashed a chair over the first man's head. This then led to a complete riot, with men flying at each other, furniture crashing through the air and onto the floor and girls cowering.
Behind the bar, Emma Jane thought she was safe, ducking occasionally as a glass came her way, but when she caught sight of one of the girls about to be crushed by two men, she dashed over to help her, only to be landed a stinging blow by one man to the side of her head, which sent her flying to the ground. Dazed, she lay there for a moment while chaos reigned above her, before she tried to pull herself to the stairs. As she did so, a glass smashed against her shoulder and she felt a shard pierce her dress and her skin. Then, someone grabbed her around the waist and threw her over onto her back. He loomed above her, blocking out the light from the lamps, and she was automatically transported back to that night in the stable.
"No," she whispered urgently to herself, "Please, not again."
Just as he was about to come crashing down on top of her, Danny grabbed him from behind and threw him away. This gave her time to scramble to her feet and make for the stairs. She ran up them as fast as she could to Victoria's room, grabbed her daughter from the bed and hid in the corner of the room until it had passed.
Half an hour later, after the police had been alerted and the troublemakers disbanded, Emma Jane ventured back down the stairs. Her head and her body was aching and the cut to her shoulder had oozed blood which had run down her arm and out of her sleeve. The bar was in disarray and Danny was standing in the middle of it, surveying the damage.
"Danny?" she queried, her voice shaking slightly.
He turned to face her, "Best get to a doctor, Emma Jane. Get that eye looked at." He then turned away again and starting trying to clear up some of the mess. Around her, the other girls slowly emerged and silently began to help him, but Emma Jane had had enough. She picked her way over the debris to the door and let herself out into the cold night air.
She started to walk, although she wasn't sure where she was going until she ended up at her parents' house.
"Good Lord!" her father exclaimed when he opened the door in his dressing gown, "Emma Jane, what happened?"
"There was a…a fight," she told him, "at the bar, I…I got hit…"
"What's going on?" Thomas asked, joining them, "Oh my God, Emma…"
"Thomas, get Dr O'Neil, will you?" Mr Brown directed his son, "I think it best that Emma Jane gets checked over." He steered her to a seat and took Victoria from her, "Are you pain?"
"No, I'm…" she wasn't quite sure how she felt. But she handed Victoria to Helen and then sat back in the chair. For a moment, she felt fine and then a wave of nausea hit her, "Father…"
"Quick Helen!" he shouted and Helen immediately thrust a convenient bowl under Emma Jane's head which she vomited into.
"I think we should get you to bed," Mr Brown said.
"What about Mother?"
"Hang your mother," he replied viciously, "if she can't even be bothered to get out of bed to see what all the commotion is about…" he took her arm, "Come on darling. Your room is waiting for you." He guided her up the stairs into her old bedroom and helped her into bed, "Just lie quietly until the doctor arrives."
"Vicky…"
"She's with Helen," he reassured her, "Just try and relax." He left her then and Emma Jane lay back on the bed, feeling as though the room was spinning around her. Her head was splitting and she still felt sick.
Not long after, Doctor O'Neil, an older man in his sixties came into her bedroom, "Good gracious me, Emma Jane," he greeted her, "What have you been up to?" He didn't expect a reply and she merely smiled wanly at him, so he set about gently pressing the area around her swollen eye and, after asking her to pull her dress down, stitched her cut shoulder. "You should be as good as new in a few days," he told her, "Just try and take things easy."
"Doctor…" she said, "I wanted to ask you…I mean, I think I…"
"Yes?"
"I think I may be expecting. Would you mind…?"
"I see," he said, "Of course, I'll check for you." He set about examining her, pressing down on her stomach and listening with his stethoscope, "When did you last have your monthly?"
"I can't remember," she replied honestly.
"Well," he took his earpieces out and looked at her, "You're quite right in your assumption. You are indeed expecting. Congratulations. I'm sure you're husband will be delighted."
At that, Emma Jane burst into tears, startling the doctor so that he hurried down to get her brother to come and comfort her. As Thomas held her and asked her what was wrong, she hiccoughed and sobbed, "I'm having a baby!"
"What?" he looked at her in disbelief, "Emma Jane, that's…that's wonderful!" he hugged her again, "Wait until you tell Hank. He'll be here in no time!"
Emma Jane clung to him and continued to cry, knowing that she couldn't tell Hank, for the simple reason that she didn't know if the father of her baby was her husband, or her attacker.
