A/N: Sorry about the delay. Here's a big chapter to reward your patience.
Chapter 2 – The Bargain
The nights in Oakvale were rarely ever hot. The sea beside which the idyllic little village sat ensured a moderately stable warmth in summer and coolness in winter. Tonight, however, in one small home, the night was frigidly cold.
Mind you, this was not the sort of cold one could escape by stoking the fire in the hearth or by retreating beneath another blanket. This cold was that of memory best forgotten.
A young woman slipped as she left the Bowerstone Tavern; the grime of the street stained her fancy dress, while a bit of broken cobblestone tore part of it. She stood with a haughty expression in a vain attempt to spite those lower-class laborers who had witnessed the event and were now laughing at her. Sophia Ednow decided that home was the best place for her right now, and hastily made her way there, hoping that none of her friends would learn of this.
As she neared the house, she noticed the light downstairs was still lit. At this late hour, that could only be bad for her. She supposed that the day she'd long dreaded had finally arrived – her father had most likely discovered the ever-growing debt she owed to the local shopkeepers. She grimaced as she thought back over her plan to recover the money and pay off the shops.
It had seemed so elegant – use her excellent memory to win the money at the Card Pairs table in the Tavern. However, her recall wasn't always quick enough to keep pace with the Gamemaster's watch. So far, she'd barely cleared enough to pay off her losses. Tonight had not been one of her more stellar nights. Father would not be pleased.
Sophia sighed and entered, bracing for another lecture.
But her father merely sat there in stern silence, smoking his pipe. The room, normally warm in the fire's glow, somehow seemed icy and unforgiving. She quietly and meekly took the seat near her father, only too late realizing what such an action would reveal; his eyes darted down to the dirty rip, and his bushy eyebrows came together to render his bald visage all the more severe.
Finally the silence was broken. Seamus was staring out the window now as he spoke. "I did some business with a cloth merchant over at the Quay this morning. He started to grouch about how some of the local shops were getting behind in their payments. I got curious, went to a couple of the shops, and what, dear daughter, do you suppose I found?" He turned back to her with an expectant gaze.
She was caught. And worse, he knew she was; he also knew that she knew exactly what he'd found and wanted her to confess. Sophia gulped softly before timidly squeaking out, "You found over 3000 gold of debt to my name."
His jaw dropped, and his pipe clattered to the floor. Uh-oh. That must mean he'd only talked to a couple of the shops she hadn't much frequented. The light could have been playing tricks, but she was certain that his face was turning an awful maroon.
He slowly rose from his chair. "Three…THOUSAND?!"
She shrunk into her seat.
"Young lady, you should be ashamed! Dragging our good name down with those rabble…!" Seamus turned to the back wall for a moment, then faced her again. "I told you before that you would have to obtain your own gold to supplement your allowance. It's obvious that you have ignored that. So, your debt is your own. You must repay it. We'll not pay it off just so you can run it up again."
Sophia gasped. "But the debt is coming due soon! How am I to repay it on my own?"
Her father inclined his head to her and glared down his nose. "You should have considered that before spending money you didn't have."
Two days later, the shops sent a representative to warn her that failure to pay her debt within two more days' time would result in repossession of the goods purchased. That was unfathomable to the spoiled heiress. In desperation, she hit the gambling tables…and sank deeper into financial ruin.
With less than a day left to the deadline, she had to find 4700 gold to repay her debts. And the rumors about the means by which gamemasters dealt with those who couldn't pay simply made the situation worse. She was at her wits' end.
Then she happened to literally bump into a rather ugly old drinker at the bar. He leered at her and looked over her body as though she were a cut of meat rather than a woman.
She asked several other patrons nearby for some money. One man told her, "Look, lady, if ya gots debts, sell something expensive and pay 'em that way."
The look of horror on her face told plainly her thoughts on that idea. The ugly drunk sidled up to her again. "Take no thought of his words, miss. Expensive fancies is what defines some people, ain't it? But if you'll pardon me plain speakin', you appear to be in a spot of trouble with some folk over a wee bit o' gold."
She nodded.
He smiled and proceeded to dangle his bait before her. "Seems I've got a bit o' gold handy. How much you need?"
She looked at the floor nervously – or what little she could see through the sea of footwear – before answering quietly, "4700."
His eyes bugged for a moment before he regained his composure and spoke, "Easy enough. Now by way of payment…"
If she had been nervous before, she felt really uneasy now. He hurried to reassure her. "Oh, don't worry. Name's Grope. I have a business, and could use someone like you as one of my employees. Surely, we can do business…"
The light that appeared in her eyes must have told him everything he needed to know. He pulled a document from a pouch on his belt and filled in a couple of blanks on the page before handing it to her. "This here's a contract, statin' that you agree to work for me 'til yer debt is paid in full." She signed before the last word was out of his mouth. They left to pay her bills before she went home for the night.
The next day, she told her parents. "I'm going to leave with him and work off what he's loaned me."
Seamus wasn't yet convinced. "Well, I'll admit that I think a job like this could do you some good. But I'm rather concerned about this business. Who is this man, and what kind of merchandise does he deal?"
Sophia smiled; she could show her father that she'd found a good deal in this job. "His name is Mr. Grope, and as for products, he wasn't too specific; but he did say that his wares were always in high demand."
Seamus considered, then nodded a short nod. "Sounds as though you've found an excellent opportunity."
She smiled again as she stood to leave, stopping only to hug her mother and grab her last bag of clothes. Grope was waiting in the street for her, having already sent a cart ahead with the rest of her vast quantity of luggage. He leered at her as they departed.
Several hours elapsed as they passed through Greatwood and into Darkwood. Sophia recalled that Elvira Gray was forever describing the beauty of this region, though how anyone could call this gloom beautiful was beyond her. They stepped into the muck of Darkwood Lake, and she shuddered at the murky filth all about her. "How much farther must we go?"
He chuckled and pointed at a sturdy wooden gate and wall just a short way from the main path. "There's home."
Cheer and excitement swelled within her as they entered into a lovely, well-kept garden estate that stood in sharp relief to the miasma outside the wall. She looked about. The garden was dominated by a large pond surrounded by trees and gorgeous flowers. Here and there were private little nooks with fountains and benches. Her attention turned to the luxurious two-story house set upon a hill overlooking the garden. So this was to be her home. "So when can I meet the other employees?"
Grope snickered again before waving on toward the lone building. "You'll find 'em in there. Go on; go meet them."
She rushed toward the house. As she approached, she noticed standing in the doorway a young, slim light-haired woman whose dark coloring clearly identified her as being from beyond Albion's coasts. The exotic notes of her voice confirmed it as she turned into the house and called for someone. A stout older woman with auburn tresses just starting to go gray stepped out onto the expansive porch just as Sophia stepped up from the path.
"Greetings." The older woman said in a thickly accented voice. "I am Madame Minzche. What brings you to our door, young lady?"
Sophia beamed at her. "I'm a new employee here at the company."
She would have continued but for the look of pity on Minzche's face. "Oh, no. "
Sophia was befuddled at this reaction. "What's wrong?"
Minzche sighed and began, "This is no ordinary company. You now wor-"
"Work for the Darkwood Bordello." Grope stated in a victorious manner as he stepped up behind Sophia. "Speaking of which, Lucrezia, help 'Lady Sophia' here find some clothes more…appropriate to her new occupation."
As he gave the order, Sophia looked about the interior of the structure. The entryway doubled as a small eating area. Several workmen sat around the lone table, finishing the remnants of a lunch. Tools strewn about the chamber indicated that they were here in a professional capacity, though the way they were leering at the women made Sophia worry about the terms of payment. One man stood and headed to a small bar tucked into a niche on the other side of the room. Behind it stood a surly, short, stubby, pudgy hobbe of a man, only with worse manners. Nearby stood Minzche and a wrinkled, old hag who'd clearly endured a great deal of abuse in her many years. Over by the table, intently trying to stare down some of the workmen, was a freakish woman who appeared better suited for life outside the gates than in.
A dark hand waved through the air, getting her attention. The dark woman she'd seen in the doorway upon arriving stood by a narrow flight of stairs gesturing for her to follow. This must be Lucrezia. Sophia despondently moved to follow her up.
Once they reached the half finished upstairs, Lucrezia glanced back to ensure that they were alone before quietly speaking. "Grope will give us all the time we need, so long as it doesn't cost him. So what is your story? How did he rope you in?"
Sophia grimaced and recounted her tale. Lucrezia nodded and sympathized throughout the story. Sophia found herself connecting with the dark-skinned beauty in a way she'd not been able to enjoy in Bowerstone. This emboldened her to ask, "So how about you?"
Lucrezia shrugged as she searched the garments in the massive closet for something fetching and fitting. "No, Grope acquired my services in a much more straightforward manner, with remarkably little deception on his part. I was taken from Samarkand by slavers, and Grope showed up, took one look at me and told the slavers that he would buy me because 'this lass is too much a beauty to be wasted in some old fart's kitchen or such.' I took it to mean that he was going to free me. I was only fooling myself. He brought me here with Minchze and Polly. We have been here about three years."
She noted Sophia's confused expression and answered, "I'll explain whatever you want to know in a minute. Now, try this dress."
The dress was maroon silk with thin straps over the shoulders, low-cut in front and lower in back. It was just long enough to sweep the floor as she walked about, and it fit as though it was tailored for her. She looked at her reflection; the dress almost helped her forget the surroundings in which she'd come across it.
Lucrezia looked her over with a critical eye. "Yes, it will do…if we can find a good accessory."
Sophia asked why an accessory was necessary. The reply was simple enough. "Grope is obviously planning to make use of your upper-class upbringing. Anyway, you appeared curious when I mentioned Minchze and Polly. Minchze you've met. She is actually the last of the old women from the last owner. Grope actually bought the Bordello - well, cheated the previous owner out of it – to get free access to her. She almost found out where he's hidden all the deeds and the contracts – she could have freed us easily. But, apparently, Grope wasn't quite drunk enough to fall for it. He made her the Madame to keep her from enlisting any aid, though she continues to try.
"Polly is the old lady who stays near the bar. She is a widow from Witchwood who inherited her husband's business debts upon his death. She left word that she was available to work, and Grope hired her, with a sneaky clause in the contract that let him make her do anything he desired and would not let her quit.
"Hedwig – the creepy-looking she-devil – is a former bandit chief. Her gang deposed her and traded her for two days' access to all the women. One girl ended up killing herself; and another ran off, which caused Grope to hunt her down and kill her."
By now, they'd selected a dazzling pair of sapphire earrings and a gold bracelet to add to Sophia's outfit. Lucrezia started to help her with the earrings and quietly continued, "Your best hope is that someone manages to steal the deeds and contracts from Grope. Otherwise, you will never be free in this lifetime."
Sophia almost whirled to face her new acquaintance before recalling that the Samarkandian woman was presently attempting to pass a sharp point through her earlobe. "I thought I could pay him back with my earnings!"
Lucrezia snickered. "You won't earn much if you don't stop the shyness. But even if you succeed in that, Grope will charge you enough each month to ensure you don't ever pay all you owe. The only money you will be able to keep is whatever you make above your payment. After all, Grope doesn't care about how much we charge, so long as he gets his share."
Then Lucrezia finished with the earrings and scowled. "Actually, that is the least of your troubles. Grope will soon come to you to…assert his authority in a rather despicable manner."
Sophia's perplexed look prompted Lucrezia to elaborate. As she explained, Sophia's eyes grew quite wide with horror. "How can he-?
"Because he owns us. Literally. Don't worry; it's not so bad if you picture your first instead of Grope." Lucrezia continued to read the young woman's face. The continuing look of horror told her everything. "You mean…"
Sophia could only mutely shake her head in distress.
Lucrezia began to feel the same horror displayed on the former heiress's face. Suddenly, the object of their anguish bellowed up from below. "What's keeping ya, ladies?!"
The two women sullenly returned to the first level. Most of the workmen were standing from the table and sizing up the ladies. Grope piped up, "The new wench is off-limits for the time being. Any of the others is fair game."
One of the workmen separated from the others and headed straight for Grope. "You promised me gold, Grope. That was our agreement."
Sophia wondered at this man who refused to take payment in the manner being offered. Then she more clearly saw his face. It was Timothy McLandre, a masterbuilder from Bowerstone who'd done a great deal of work for her father. She stepped closer to him. "Mr. McLandre?"
The man turned and blanched at the sight before him. "Miss Sophia?!"
Grope scowled at the obvious recognition of each other. "Don't be thinking of trying any escape ideas out; even the Mayor couldn't spring her."
Wordlessly Tim left with his tools and pay. The look he directed at Sophia gave her news she both hoped for and dreaded. Her father would surely hear of this…