Chapter 9

Ghent set down the last of the new chairs. Janus said, “Well, it’s a bit fancy for my taste, but it all goes together, and every bit of it’s probably more comfortable than my bed.”

Betty couldn’t help but think that it was a perfect little entrance parlor for a brothel. The furniture represented the partial contents of but one of three sitting rooms from the palatial house Josephine had occupied. New rugs and wall hangings added warmth and color to the room. The furniture was plush and solidly built. Fanciful new oil lamps would create a bright and cheery space once the sun went down.

It looked like a completely different room, which was a good thing, considering what had happened the night before.

“Nice,” Ginny said from the doorway as she entered with Lana.

Lana walked over to a chair near the door and sat down with a satisfied groan.

Ginny found her own seat on the smaller couch next to it and said to Janus, “My sister is probably going to keep you up all night.”

Betty smiled - remembering the look on Keri’s face when she delivered the bolts of cloth and lace. Josephine had a sewing room in the house, and it was well stocked with material, pins, and needles. The sight of fine, colorful cotton had cut through Keri’s shocked melancholy almost instantly. Janus had never heard of any other woman entering the house, and Damson’s hands certainly weren’t fit for sewing, so it stood to reason that Josephine had made at least some of her own clothing.

The kitchen had been likewise stocked with a plethora of herbs and spices - some of which were expensive and exotic. Jan was busy trying to find room to put them and the foodstuffs all away. Though looks could certainly be deceiving, Betty considered it unlikely that Damson was the master of that kitchen. Though there was no evidence of the food that was prepared there, the presence of the spices and the well-ordered nature of the kitchen suggested another hidden - and lost - talent Josephine had possessed.

The evidence of a hidden life had made Betty wish even more that things had gone differently. She shook away her musings and listened to Janus talking to Ghent about the bath.

“The water comes up from a grate cut into the stone of the floor, and it’s the clearest I’ve ever seen,” Janus said. “The mortar between those stones is as hard as rock. If it’s not magic, I sure wish I knew how it was made. The water doesn’t seem to eat at it at all. Goes over a lip into a hole on the other end, and I can hear two falls onto stone. The second has a bit of a gurgle to it. Guessing it’s an underground stream they tapped. Has to be magic heating it, though.”

Ghent shook his head and chuckled. “Pussy must actually be made of gold to have humped her way into that place.”

“Only heard tell of the man that was supposed to own the place,” Janus revealed. “Nobody had seen him for a few years even before Josephine moved in, and I’ve never heard of anybody who knew his name.”

Lana rose from her seat, reached into the purse on her belt, and pulled out some coins, which she held out to Betty.

“What’s this?” Betty asked.

“Couple of Corra’s men were off-duty, and I had nothing better to do,” Lana said. She shrugged and said, “They were fine having a hump off in the grass.”

Betty took the coins and said, “I suppose it’s a good thing the potions we take chase off ticks and chiggers as well as they do lice.”

“Now that Keri isn’t staring off into space, I’d just as soon get back to work too,” Ginny said.

“Not as if we’re going to be leaving tomorrow,” Lana said. “May as well make the most of it while we’re here. I think Lilly is ready to get back on her back too.”

“Do you want me to move your beds back into the house?” Betty asked.

Both women nodded.

Ghent said, “I’ll get on it, and I’ll ask Lilly if she wants me to move hers too.”

Jan called from the kitchen, “May as well move mine back too.”

“Guess we best get to it,” Janus said, and the two men headed for the door.

“It will probably be a little thin,” Betty cautioned. “I’m sure everyone around has heard what happened here by now. That will probably scare them off.”

“Been having good luck with travelers. A caravan looked like it was on its way in until they saw all the soldiers around,” Lana said.

“If that’s what you girls want, we’ll open up tomorrow while I make a plan to head back to the Kip,” Betty said.

“Let Corra’s men know, and I bet I can have my legs in the air as soon as Ghent gets my bed set down,” Lana said, and punctuated it with a giggle that sounded more heartfelt than Betty would have expected. “We still have a few hours until dark.”

“I’ll let them know. I’d rather be keeping my books than sitting around thinking,” Betty said.

Three murmurs of agreement greeted that.

Ghent and Hoss entered with one of the beds a moment later. Ghent said to Betty, “Woman out there talking to Janus.”

“Any idea who?”

“Older woman. Somebody he recognizes,” Ghent answered.

“Well, get the beds moved back in. May as well bring ours in too.”

Ghent nodded and said, “Yes’m.”

Betty stepped outside and saw Janus speaking with a blonde-haired woman who looked to be in her forties. Janus beckoned with a wave, and Betty held up a finger as she walked over to the ranking soldier.

Betty said, “We’re going to open up for as long as we’re here. Same hours. Pass the word along?”

He answered, “I will. It will do much to straighten slumped shoulders.”

Betty laughed, and it felt good. She winked as she walked toward Janus and said over her shoulder, “You could always come by once you’re off duty if you’re feeling a little slumpy.”

His chuckle further improved her mood.

“This is Betty,” Janus said as she approached. He then said, “This is Nora. She is one of the women who used to work in town before Josephine.”

Nora briefly bowed her head, and then asked, “Is she really gone?”

Betty answered, “Yes, and pretty much every official she had sucking her tits too.”

The older woman breathed a sigh of relief.

“Believe me, I know the feeling,” Betty said.

Janus said, “I heard a rumor that you’d shacked up with old man Lamisol.” When she nodded, he asked, “How’d you put up with him?”

She sighed and offered a half smile. “He softened up a little once I started cooking and cleaning for him. He was actually sort of sweet after I humped him the first time.”

“Was?” Betty asked with knowing sympathy in her voice.

Nora answered, “Passed on a few months ago.”

“Sorry to hear it. How have you been getting along?” Janus asked.

“Nobody to claim the house, so I stayed. I was doing okay between the root cellar, gardening, and selling chickens and eggs, but some damn critter got a bunch of the chickens and all my roosters two weeks back.” She turned to Betty and said, “I can tithe. I’ve been humping a few men to help get by.”

“I’m not established,” Betty said. “No right to ask anything from you, and I wouldn’t anyway, unless you were working for me. If you need to work, go right ahead. I’m not her.”

“Just until I can get my livestock replaced. I’m getting too old for this,” Nora said.

“I know that feeling too,” Betty responded.

“Do you know where Bella got to?” Janus asked.

Nora winced, and Betty could see the older woman was clenching her teeth. She reached out and caressed Nora’s arm. “What happened?”

It took Nora a few seconds to begin. “I was trying to get her to leave for a week once that bitch started sending the law to harass us. Figured we’d be better off together, even though we’d never really got on. I was lucky that I was out humping at a regular’s house when they kicked my door in. I knew we had to get out then. I had to practically drag her out. She didn’t seem to care.”

Nora paused and drew in a shuddering breath. Betty said, “It’s okay, you don’t have to.”

“No ... I’ve never told anyone but Birx. Dragged her up north to this widower’s farmstead. He’d come into town a few times for a fuck, and I thought I could charm him. Guess he died, and his boy had taken over the farm. Bastard made us both spread our legs just to sleep in the barn, and then sent all his hands to have a turn too. Bella just laid there, even when they got rough.”

It was Betty’s turn to clench her teeth, and she heard Janus growl.

Nora continued, “I was scared and angry, so I snapped at her once they’d finished with us. That’s when she cracked and started sobbing. Told me someone had gotten one on her.” Nora hung her head, sighed, and then continued, “Cried herself to sleep, and when I woke up in the morning, she was hanging from a saddle hook. Bastard made me give them all another turn just to dig her a hole. Thought about joining her a few times until I took up with Birx.”

“Who was it?” Janus asked with barely contained fury.

“Doesn’t matter,” Nora said, and then chuckled. “When I told Birx, that old bastard crept out and set his barn on fire. It was a dry year, and everything went up in smoke. The house. The fields. Everything.”

“Mortelle then,” Janus said. “Didn’t shed a tear when I heard about that fire. Now I wish he’d been in it. Josephine went badly. Poison. Roja got a bolt in his chest by one of his own men, so they all paid for what they did.”

“Maybe I’m as much of a bitch as her, but they got what was coming to them,” Nora said.

Betty immediately made a decision and said, “You’ve been through enough. I’ll give you some coin to replace your chickens, but if you want to keep humping, I’ve got potions that will make sure you don’t get sick or pregnant for a couple of months.”

Nora tilted her head and her brow furrowed for a moment. Then she shook her head and said, “I’ll make my way. I’m barren anyway. That’s why my husband ran off on me and I had to start whoring.”

“Do you have a man to watch for you?” Betty asked.

“No. It’s just some shy boys and a couple of old men. Nothing to worry about,” Nora answered.

“There’s always something to worry about,” Betty countered. The woman was busty, still pretty, and hadn’t let herself run to fat, so she said, “Why don’t you come work for me for as long as we’re here?”

“What’s your cut?”

“Two copper crowns a hump. I’ve been giving the girls half for now, and they get to keep any extra. You’ll have the potion to keep you from getting sick, and men to watch over you. You can let your regulars know to come see you here.”

Nora snorted. “Nobody’s going to pay two crowns for these saggy tits and old pussy.”

“I think you’ll be surprised. You can cut your ask if you’re not getting enough humps, though. You can charge your regulars whatever you’ve been asking and keep it all. Up to you.”

“But why?” Nora asked.

“I make just as much treating my girls well as I would shaking them down. They stick around longer, and they pull in more men when they’re happy. And I just want to see you get back on your feet.”

Janus said, “Just take her up on it. She keeps her word.”

Nora chuckled and said, “Guess I’d be stupid not to. I need to take care of what animals I have left, though.”

“I’ll send one of my boys to come get you and take you home. You can work afternoons. If things pick back up, that’s when I need the most help anyway,” Betty said with a smile.

“Guess I’m working for you now. When?” Nora asked.

“Tomorrow. It will take a while for men to find out we’re opened back up,” Betty said. She then waved for Ulis, who was passing by on his way to move another bed. “Make sure she gets home safe.”

“And back tomorrow. I heard,” the sellsword said as he approached. He then looked at Nora and said, “If I had the time, I’d show you who’d pay two crowns for a romp with you.”

Nora blushed, but she’d been in the game long enough to cock her hip and say, “Is that so?”

“Oh yeah,” Ulis answered, and then broke out into a wide grin.

Betty suggested, “With all the soldiers still on hand, we could do without you for a little while.”

“Well, then...” Ulis said as he reached into his purse. “I just happen to have a few copper crowns. Let’s get you home safe - and quick.”

Nora laughed - still blushing - as she took the two copper coins. She separated them, handed one to Betty, and then sauntered at Ulis’ side down the lane toward the road.

Sounds of passion emerged from down the hallways as Betty relaxed on the new, deliciously luxurious couch with her accounting book in her lap. A list of things to do before heading out for the Kip sat on a table next to the couch. It had been there for a couple of days - untouched.

Her girls had shown resilience in getting back to work after the ordeal they’d been through. She knew that nightmares still awakened them on occasion, and they weren’t alone. Fortunately, Betty hadn’t had one in three days, and the frequency of sudden screams in the night had ebbed in the rest of the house as well.

The first couple of days, the only men coming had been Corra’s soldiers and travelers from the road. Then the locals had started returning, and finally, men from town. The day before had been busy from dawn until after dusk, and today was shaping up that way as well.

A wail of release sounded loud and long from the direction of the room Nora was using. Betty glanced at Ghent, and they both chuckled. After years of only hair-trigger young men and oldsters without much energy, Nora wasn’t having to play up much for Corra’s virile soldiers. In only a few afternoons, the older blonde had earned more than enough coin to replace her livestock, but she was in no hurry to do so.

Janus walked in the front door and asked, “Mind if I borrow Ghent for a bit?”

Betty patted her man’s leg and said, “Go on, honey.”

“Got another load ready for the wagon?” Ghent asked as he heaved up from the couch.

Janus’ smile was positively beaming. “And another order from town.”

With Josephine’s vile influence gone, a lot of neglected mantles and chimneys suddenly needed repair, and Janus’ business was booming. There was also tremendous curiosity about his miraculously un-pocked appearance, which he used to segue into business opportunities.

She knew that wasn’t the only thing putting a smile on his face, though.

“Here, let me get the door for you,” Janus said as he stepped aside on the way out.

“Thank you,” Keri said as she entered. She tried to hide it, but Betty caught the redhead glancing back at Janus before the door closed - and the blush in her cheeks. She was holding a carefully folded dress and said, “Another for Nora.”

“It looks beautiful,” Betty said. “Just put it down on the table here and I’ll see that she gets it. I can tell you’re itching to get back to work.”

Keri nodded. “Have her let me know what she thinks. I did something a little different with the bosom on this one.”

The young woman was a genius with cloth. She’d used ornamental piping and lace to hide supporting straps and cups that helped to lift and separate the breasts, providing a provocative appearance and unexpected comfort for busty women like Betty and Nora.

Betty ran her fingers over the lace-trimmed bosom of her dress and said, “I know my girls are happy. I’m sure hers will be too. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Keri said, and let out a giggle. “I’m going to get back.”

Betty saw Keri looking toward the kiln where Janus - now likely shirtless - was loading bricks. It had become obvious that Keri was smitten shortly after the new cloth had given her something to think about other than the attack. Everyone - even her sister - had chosen not to tease her about it.

Janus, having absolutely no experience, was oblivious to the signals the redhead was sending out. Betty planned to clue him in soon, but there was something that needed sorting first. To those ends, she’d secretly sent Lilly, Jan, and Lana to his bed for several nights to introduce him to manhood. By all accounts, he was nicely endowed, and an attentive, gifted student in the art of pleasing a woman. Ginny’s job was to make absolutely sure her sister knew nothing of Janus’ instruction.

Keri deserved to be awestruck once the two of them inevitably fell into bed together. Once the two started courting and Keri was ready for it, Betty planned to see about teaching her what she needed to know as well - albeit with vegetables.

The soldier who had been romping with Nora emerged from the hallway wearing a smile. Betty waved and said, “Come again,” as he passed through the room. The townie who had been humping with Lana wasn’t far behind. He gave the blonde’s butt a squeeze before leaving.

Betty saw a pair of men walking down the lane when the door opened. “Two more,” she told Lana.

“Swallowed that one, so I just need some water,” Lana said, and headed for the kitchen.

“Pour two. Nora should be out in a minute.”

Lana nodded and giggled. It was highly likely that Nora wouldn’t need the outhouse either. She had an ability to swallow a prick without choking the likes of which Betty had never seen - and she was no slouch in that department herself. One of her first customers in the house had remarked about it in shocked awe as he was leaving, and Nora had ended up demonstrating on Hoss - who was anything but small - before leaving that evening.

She had actually licked his balls with his cock in her throat, and she wasn’t even done. They were all more than a little jealous as they watched her laying face up on a table with Hoss fucking her mouth. They could see his cock stretching her throat, and the only croaks she made were as much an act as anything. She took his cum with him balls deep in her throat, and didn’t so much as flinch.

Word had gotten around to Corra’s soldiers. Between that amazing ability and more than a few genuine orgasms, she was very popular with the General’s men.

As Betty had suspected from the wailing, Nora walked in on wobbly knees with a flushed look of satisfaction on her face. She barely had time to down her cup of water before she was back in the room with another of Corra’s soldiers.

A steady - but not overwhelming - stream of horny men continued to fill Betty’s account books until Ghent poked his head in the door and said, “Raven’s back.”

Betty popped up from the couch and walked outside to see Shad and Wynn heading toward the stable. They waved to her when she emerged from the house. The younger of the two brothers looked happy, and he had his bow slung over his shoulder. Raven laughed at something Ghent had said, punched him in the side, and then turned her attention to Betty.

“From Alice,” the rogue said as she handed over a satchel.

Betty accepted the satchel and asked, “How was the trip? Wynn looks better.”

“Slow, but at least we ate well. Getting away for a while was what Wynn needed. He’s not half the cook your girls are, but he can make a passable meal out of whatever he shoots. He’s picking up what that fletcher in Stingy Pussy showed him pretty fast too. Doubt he’ll be hurting for arrows before long.”

“And Shad?”

Raven shrugged. “No interest in talking to the locksmith or jeweler while we were there.” She drew an ornate, glimmering dagger from a sheath in her boot. “Pinched me this from some rich prick, though.”

“Is that silver?” Betty asked.

“And gold, and real gems. Useless, but I like it anyway.”

“That’s quite a gift,” Betty said with a little concern creeping into her voice.

“Ha! Don’t worry, he’s not gone sweet on me. He broke a couple of hearts while we were in town. Too busy chasing pussy to bother with learning a trade. Half wonder if I shouldn’t start leaning toward him becoming a confidence man. How’s the little one doing?”

Betty smiled. “Pallah’s proud of him, and he’s got a knack with horses that’s almost eerie. Studly doesn’t even give him guff. You should have seen them when Stillbrand passed back through and said he was looking forward to a letter elevating Abel to journeyman as soon as he was of age.”

A couple of men had passed in and out of the house as they talked. Raven nodded toward the most recent man exiting and said, “Looks like you and the girls are getting along well.”

“It’s steady, and we’re not jumping at shadows all the time. One day at a time.”

Raven rolled her eyes. “You may as well get used to the fact that you’re established here, and you’re not going anywhere. Alice knows it. You’ll see when you read her letter. Better find some good bully boys, because she wants Hoss and Mack back too.”

“Ghent has a few men he’s looking at.”

“Admit it. You’re staying.”

Betty sighed. “Fine. I’m leaning that way.”

“Lean hard, and find those bully boys. You’ve got Alice’s nose twitching with some of your ideas. I’m going to go have a bath.”

“All yours,” Betty said.

While Raven bathed, Betty took her place on the couch, updated her accounts, and then opened the letter. Raven had the right of it. Alice was strongly hinting that she shit or get off the pot, and do it quick. She was all over the idea of retaining Ulis and his boys, and had already sent letters out to get the rest of the madames to share the cost. She wanted patterns from Keri, and she most certainly wanted Hoss and Mack back.

The letter ended with a few personal notes, revealing that Cammie was learning the books and taking a larger role in running the brothel. Hannah had been elevated to full-fledged partner, and she was advising Yasmine on her venture to expand with an eatery.

Desiree had also made a stop, which proved to be a lucrative evening for the Kip and its girls. The apparently insatiable blonde was on her way to the Cat in Lakenshire next.

The remainder of the space in the satchel was filled with packets of seeds to get a garden going, and one of the miraculous little potions that had saved Janus’ life.

Betty had been contemplating her reply for a while when Ghent walked in and said, “Some overdressed fella in a carriage here. Wants to see you.”

“About what?”

“Wouldn’t say.”

Betty shrugged and said, “Well, let’s go see what he wants.” Having just read about Desiree, she added, “Hopefully he’s here to pay ridiculous amounts of coin for someone to fuck his wife.”

“Heh ... That would be nice.”

Betty stepped outside and saw a carriage parked at the far end of the yard. Four mounted guardsmen surrounded it, once again summoning up the memory of Desiree and her husband. A bald, well-dressed man stood watching the house with his hands folded behind his back. He had the look of a servant rather than a wealthy man in his own right.

When they reached him, Betty started to introduce herself, but he spoke first.

“You are Betty?” he asked.

“I am. What can I do for you?”

“I am charged with certain matters we must discuss in private.” His eyes darted toward Ghent for a moment.

Betty wasn’t especially fond of the cold way he was speaking to her, so she said, “Anything you can say to me, you can say to my man. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your time and mine.”

The bald man’s brow furrowed for a moment, but then his expression softened and he said, “I am told you are responsible for the burial of the woman Josephine?”

“You heard right. She’s up the road a piece.”

The man nodded. “Then on behalf of my employer, I wish to thank you.”

“Who will remain nameless?” Betty asked.

“Unfortunately, yes,” he answered, and his tone left little doubt that he wasn’t fond of the situation. “I am Franklin. A common enough name that it should cause my employer no distress to reveal it. After what rumor says she has done, I find it astounding that you would see to her burial.”

“Don’t get it wrong,” Betty said. “I just made sure she had a proper grave. That’s it.”

“Quite understandable. She was a troubled young woman. Please accept my apologies for the distress that has befallen you at her hand.”

Betty noticed that he said my rather than my employer, but decided to let it lie.

“Might you direct me to her grave?” Franklin asked with just the slightest crack in his voice. “I am to see that she is buried next to her mother.”

Though he was trying to hide it, Betty could see the sadness in his eyes. “I’ll probably have to show you. It’s a ways off the road, and they replaced the sod after they buried her.”

“If you and your man would be so kind as to direct my driver?”

“Ghent, let Hoss know what’s up and have him keep ticks for the books until we get back.”

“Yes’m,” Ghent said, and then headed back to the house.

Franklin said, “If this is an inconvenient time...?”

“Things can get along without us for a little while.”

Franklin nodded. Ghent returned a few moments later, they all climbed in the carriage, and Betty provided directions. Soon enough, they stopped in the field near the graves.

Betty pointed and said, “She’s the one on the right.”

“The other? Someone important to her?” Franklin asked.

“Not in the way you’re thinking, no. He was just her guard. Probably didn’t mean any more to her than your men there,” Betty said - nodding toward the mounted men who remained near the carriage.

Franklin turned, faced the grave, hung his head, and sighed. He then quietly said, “Please know that she was once a sweet, bright, beautiful girl. The trauma of her mother’s passing, a man more concerned for his reputation than the child he fathered, and the failure of the man charged with her well-being are to blame for her troubled soul.”

There was so much anguish in the man’s strained voice that Betty couldn’t help but empathize. “Take her home to rest next to her mother. That should bring her soul some peace.”

“I pray that it does,” he said. He then wiped his eyes, straightened, and adjusted his coat before turning around. “There is one last matter with which I am charged. I am to see to the disposal of the house Josephine had appropriated, to sever any remaining links between her and my employer. Would you be interested in its ownership?”

Betty let out a snort. “I’ve been inside. I couldn’t afford one room - never mind the whole place.”

“You misunderstand. The house will be yours. I will see that ownership is quietly transferred to you, in exchange for silence as to the nature of the acquisition to the general public. I find it fitting as some small measure of recompense for what you have endured.”

Her stunned disbelief evident in her voice, Betty responded, “You’re just going to give me the place? And all I have to do is not yap about how I got it?”

“Exactly. The proper high-ranking officials have already been well compensated. I assure you it will be perfectly legal and binding. The papers will take approximately one week to arrive, should you be in agreement.”

Betty looked at Ghent. He shrugged, and then nodded.

Betty shrugged as well and said, “Well, I guess you’ve got a deal, then.”

“Excellent. Then allow me to return you to your place of business, that I may return and discharge my final duty.”

Betty and Ghent turned back toward the carriage, but Betty paused and said, “Do yourself a favor. Don’t unwrap the shroud, or at least don’t be around when someone else does it. Remember her how she was.”

“I will be guided by you in this.”

Betty prayed - for the sake of his sanity - that he heeded that warning. The nightmare of Josephine’s twisted visage haunted her more than the man she’d put a bolt through.

With a couple of hours remaining until sunset that evening, the girls were still steadily humping away. Keri was busy with supper and finally seemed completely at ease in the house.

Ginny walked into the front room - shaking her head - and took a seat next to Betty. She looked perplexed, and Betty could hardly blame her. The man had wanted to watch while someone else humped Ginny. He had waited patiently until Betty found one of Corra’s soldiers willing to fuck the redhead with someone else in the room. The strange customer had then whispered some additional instructions to Ginny before he walked to her room ahead of her and the soldier.

“So, how did that go?” Betty asked.

“It takes all kinds, I guess,” Ginny answered quietly enough that the words wouldn’t carry to her sister in the kitchen. “He didn’t even touch himself. Once the General’s man left, he wanted me to tell him how pathetic he was, make him lick the cum out of me, and then kick him out. Didn’t even want me to fake liking it, which was a good thing because it made my skin crawl. Left an extra copper and did a good enough job that I don’t need to hit the outhouse, so...” She shrugged.

“Just wait until you get one that wants you to play at being his sister or mother,” Betty said, and chuckled.

Ginny scrunched up her nose and asked, “Really?”

Betty nodded. “I’ve had two of them. Some men get stiff for the strangest shit.”

“It’s their coin, I guess,” Ginny said, and then stood as the door opened to admit another customer. She toyed with a strand of hair and said, “Well, hello there. Looking for some fun?”