Chapter 3: I Dreamed A Dream

The night air bit at Claire's face as she wandered down the narrow staircase, avoiding eye contact with anyone who seemed dangerous. She had nowhere to go; she'd left her daughter with an innkeeper outside of town and could hardly go back there without money to pay for their services. The sums of cost had risen dramatically in the last few weeks, as more and more medicine was required to help her child. She was going to have to find other ways of making up for the money, now that she was entirely jobless. She took her glasses off and approached one of the less shady men.

"Excuse me, how much for this?" The man took the pair and looked them over.

"I'll give you twenty picarats for it."

"Twenty?" She'd never get by on so little money "Please, it's worth thirty at least. They're from London!" The man laughed in her face and shoved the glasses back at her. Feeling deflated, she placed them back onto her nose and began to walk to the plaza of the town. She could see the people in the alleyways watching her; they knew she didn't belong. All the local women wore over the top makeup and dresses that were probably once very expensive and pretty but were now tattered and ripped beyond repair. The Lovely Ladies, they were called. It wasn't a well-respected term. She decided to go on her way, rather than wait around for the inevitable trouble.

Claire felt something brush against her head. She spun round and took a defensive stance.

"You've got some lovely hair there, miss. I'll pay you well for it, if you'd like." A woman with a large hairdo and high heels stood there, Ludmilla. There was the inevitable trouble.

"Don't touch me! I'm not planning on staying here; I just want to get to the train station." The woman frowned as Claire lifted the hem of her skirt and continued down

"I'll give you fifty for it." Claire stopped, wondering if she'd heard right "I run a costume shop in the town over, I know it sound ridiculous but it'd really help."

"Fifty? Fifty picarats?" That was more than Claire could've asked for, it'd pay for at least the next few days. She touched her hair again, what did she have to lose? It'd grow back soon enough "Fine." Ludmilla smiled and took her hand, leading her to a room at the side of one of the alley houses. She took a knife from the counter and began hacking away at Claire's ginger locks. It's worth it Claire told herself as she watched it fall to the floor. When she was finished, Ludmilla handed her the coins and thanked her. Claire caught sight of herself in the window; she hardly recognised her own reflection. She felt like crying.

She had fifty coins with her now, but it was hardly enough. There had to be another way to make money... She made her way through the crowd, which had dispersed slightly as each of the ladies found a partner and wandered away. One woman was still there alone, clad in a large boa and silk dress. She looked as if she'd stepped right out of a stage show. The woman noticed her staring and walked to her

"You lost, love?" She had an expression of confidence and sincerity on her made up face, which compelled Claire to speak with her.

"I'm trying to find money; I've got debts to pay." She hadn't wanted to confide to anyone, but this woman seemed to know what was happening.

"Well you've come to the right place; this is a goldmine for work. Especially for a nice girl like you. Ilyana, by the way" Claire shook her hand. "So, how do you feel about selling teeth? Does that appeal?" Claire raised a hand to her mouth and refused. "Hm, shame. Well you already got some cash from your hair so I can only think of one other option. That option." Claire knew what she was talking about, the famed pursuit of the Lovely Ladies.

"I-I don't think I could do that." She turned to walk off, the few ladies that were near her sighed.

"Too bad… I had a couple of gentleman that'd be dying to meet someone; they'd probably pay a lot." Claire hesitated "They aren't the best looking chaps in the world. Pretty desperate." Ilyana added. Claire stared at the floor and sighed. She had nothing left. Might as well make use of what she could, and she'd done worse things in life before.

"Okay." Claire answered quickly and with no emotion in her voice.

"Hey Frankie." Ilyana gestured to a crudely dresses man with a nose too large for his face and a deck of playing cards sticking out of his left sleeve. She introduced him to Claire but she was hardly paying attention. How had life come to this?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Claire laid herself down in the back of the alleyway. There was a fair bit of extra change in her pocket but she couldn't bring herself to feel joy. Ilyana had assured her that it would get better; others scoffed at her for being so 'feeble'. She'd been doing so well that morning and now she looked down at herself. She felt dirty, both her body and her mind. A garish red dress that she was told would 'attract customers', hair cut so flat against her head she couldn't bear to touch it and a dead look in her eye; all the beautiful signs of Lovely Lady. Under normal circumstances, Claire would have given up and gone home with what she had but something kept her there. The image of a young brunette girl lying ill in her bed calling for her mother's protection, she couldn't let her daughter down

She remembered how her life had been before. She'd had high hopes for the future, planning to have a career in Science, a field she'd been interested in since she was young. She was in a happy relationship with a boy from her old school, when she found out about her pregnancy she was overjoyed and rushed to tell him. He was gone the next day. It was near impossible to find work whilst looking after a child, so they went many years with no money coming in at all. Claire was sure she'd finally found a new way of life once the innkeepers showed her hospitality, Claire did the odd job around the place to pay for services. But then her daughter became sick and of course living costs increased until Claire could no longer bear it. She got a job working in Mr Bronev's factory, keeping the fact that she had a child and no husband out of the light. And now she was here.

Claire picked her head up off of the floor, how long had she been reminiscing? Her cheeks were damp with tears; she hadn't even noticed she was crying. She got up and walked into the street, it was near enough empty now. She decided to head towards the plaza now, find her way back to the inn. A train ticket would waste her 'well earned' money though; she'd have to see how far she could walk. She decided to ask Ilyana the way.

"Well what do we have here then?" Claire froze. It couldn't be him, not here. "If it ain't the little slut I fired this morning." How dare he call her names, after he was the very one who sent her here?

"Jakes, please leave me alone, you've caused me enough misery for today." She tried to maintain composure despite the anger and fear inside.

"Oh no, I want to be here. Always nice to see bad things happen to such awful people." Claire clenched her fist "Yer not a pretty sight though, not like you'll make any money. The damn kid'll probably die, can't say I'd be upset." He stared in horror as the pain rushed across his face. Claire had slapped him, letting her nails dig into his cheek. She felt proud, that should show him that she wasn't gonna be pushed around. But, of course, she hadn't expected there to be witnesses.

The men came barging towards the pair, hatred flashing in their eyes

"Sir? Sir, what happened?" the policemen crowded around Jakes, eager to see the crime. Claire tried to back away but she found a tall man with a mask over his eyes had blocked her exit.

"Well, inspector, here I am just minding my own business when this prostitute -" he waved a hand at Claire "came and attacked me !" He gestured towards the claw marks on his face.

"Inspector please, you don't know the full story; He wished my child dead!" She couldn't end up on the wrong side of the police, if she were to be arrested then her daughter would…. Claire suddenly felt ill and collapsed to her knees. She felt sick. The mask man bent down and glared at her.

"You know what the penalty is for assault." He pulled her to her feet; she stumbled, unable to keep balance. One of the men from the back of the mob spoke up.

"Gentleman, before we make any assumptions, we should hear her tale." Claire looked over at him, immediately recognizing those features.

"You." She pointed a finger towards him "You were there." The man's face was a blur of confusion.

"Whatever do you mean miss?"

"Mr Bronev" She spat at him "you were there in the factory this morning, and you let him-" she jabbed the finger at Jakes now "Throw me onto the streets, Look what you've done to me!" Theodore Bronev eyes widened in realisation as he walked over and took Claire's hand.

"Is-Is this true what I've done? Let an innocent worker…." He looked to Claire and she grabbed onto his jacket, tears streaming. "A moment of your Time, Descole." He turned to the masked man, Descole, and spoke in hushed tones that Claire begged to hear. She watched as the man smiled and Descole grimaced.

"Inspector, thank you. Miss, please come with me." Claire staggered towards him, her breaths sharp.

"What's happening?" She asked as he lifted her into his arms

"I'm taking you to the hospital; you'll be able to rest there for a while. I'll sort out the problems with your job miss… I'm sorry; I didn't catch your name." Claire was overjoyed, the man who she'd seen as her enemy was helping. There was someone who seemed to care.

"Claire. Claire Foley."

"I'll request accommodation for you right away. And, you mentioned a daughter?"

"Yes, Flora. She lives with an innkeeper in the next town over." He smiled at her.

"I shall send for her as well."