Authors: Cassandra Cole
“Come in, come in, my child! May I offer you some refreshment? I mostly have drinks what you’d consider to be men’s, but I’m sure I can whip us up somethin’ real lady-like,” she winked surreptitiously, moving about the room, but keeping her eyes glued to Esther, who still dared not speak of the reason for her visit.
“My, my, there must be something real bad troublin’ you, child,” she continued talking. She knew that girls usually don’t come to her of their own free will. Something pushes them to make this deal with the Devil himself, either to save themselves or their families. In Esther’s case, she was sure it was the second one.
“Come here nah,” she outstretched her arms towards Esther and approached her slowly. “I can’t help you before you tell me what’s wrong. And when you do tell me, I promise you, all the horses in this here Wild West won’t keep me from doing so.” She smiled a crooked smile, but a affectionate one nonetheless. Despite her line of work, she wasn’t heartless. She wasn’t there to force anyone into doing anything they didn’t set their mind on in the first place. And this is why Esther knew she could trust Madame Claude.
“I need money…” Esther barely whispered, as her words dissolved in front of her. Madame Claude kept on smiling, with her hand pressing gently on Esther’s shoulders, in show of support.
“My pa’s in debt… in a whole lotta debt, and we sure can’t pay the money back… they don’t know what to do, so I’m….” Something was stuck in her throat. Her last chance of escape was drawing to an end, and she knew that once she revealed her plan out loud there would be no turning back. She wouldn’t be the old Esther anymore, but someone different, someone new, someone who wouldn’t let her family come to any harm, no matter the cost. She closed her eyes and continued.
“I’m here to sell the only thing I have of value… my… virginity.” Once the words were out, Esther felt at ease. That horrible gnawing feeling had left her the moment she had expressed her plans to this woman who was now her mother, her confidant, her friend, her everything, because without her, there couldn’t be anything.
Madame Claude stood up, and turned her back to Esther. “I see.”
“I need the money bad, for my pa, and if you don’t help me, there is no hope for me, no hope for my family, we’ll be left all alone, without a roof over our heads, without food in our bellies… Please, you…” Esther managed to find her voice again.
“Shhh,” Madame Claude’s voice was calm and reassuring. “Calm down, my child, don’t cry.” She caressed Esther’s cheeks with her long, branchy fingers. “You don’t need to tell me of your troubles. You can rest assured I’ve seen them all, ever since my dear husband, blessed his soul that rests in the world beyond, died. I know. I know that the Devil doesn’t let us off his hook that easily. His grip is too tight, and trust me, I know how tight it can be. But don’t you worry, I’ll help you as much as is in my power.” She lifted Esther’s face and gazed at her deeply and affectionately. “You will be alright, I promise you that.”
Then suddenly, she jumped up, as if propelled in the air, and regained her usual, more serious demeanor.
“This is what we’ll do.” She took Esther to the mahogany bureau and sat her down in one of the chairs. “We’ll organize an auction, where the winner will get… well, you.” Esther’s forehead wrinkles appeared in a frown, but she knew that it was too late to set any conditions in this matter. “We’ll get you all dressed up, because, you have to play to the gallery, you know.” She leaned towards Esther and took another look at her clothes. “You are mighty pretty, but that dress doesn’t do you justice. I’ll see what I can do for you there. In the meantime,” she reached for something in the drawer, and pulled out a long cigar, “you need to stay here, with me. Is that understood?” A flick of the match, and the room was filled with a potent, but pleasing aroma of heavy tobacco. Esther cleared her throat and simply nodded.
“But, what if someone recognizes me? My pa… he’d die of shame… I can’t be responsible for that, I just can’t…” Esther’s voice was shaky, but defiant. Madame Claude took another puff of her heavy cigar. “Oh, that? Don’t you worry, child. This isn’t the first auction of the sort I’ve organized,” Esther’s breathing got interrupted, but she tried not to show her shock. “Of course that no one wants to be recognized under the circumstances, so these kind of auctions are organized only for out of town men, not locals. I send the notice and we all gather around, and do our business. It’s all very simple, you see.” She concluded matter-of-factly. “So, let’s find you a room to stay in, and we’ll deal with the rest when the time comes.”
*****
Time passed quickly. More so than Esther would have expected. Her stay at Madame Claude’s was unpredictably agreeable, and she realized that many of the girls there were not just harlots and shame-worthy whores. There were all women like her, sisters, mothers and daughters, down on their luck, left to their own devices, in a cruel world that valued manliness and fighting over talking. The only way a woman could make it on her own was to work for it, instead of against it.
The night of the auction arrived quickly. Esther was sitting in front of a little boudoir mirror, all pinked up and fluffy. She didn’t like it too much, but her own reflection still made her gasp once Victoria, one of the girls, was done with her.
“Yup! Ya look dreadfully pretty, Esther,” Victoria smiled at her. “Ya’ll make a real shindy there when they see ya!”
Esther took her by the hand. It was cold and clammy, and she knew that the rumbling in her stomach wasn’t from any lack of food. “Ya’ll be fine, don’ worry,” Victoria fixed up her hair a little more and lifted her eyebrows in a questioning gesture, expecting a comment. Esther had never looked more beautiful. Her rouged up lips looked plumper and more prominent, while her eyes hid beneath a heavy layer of coal black eye lashes. Her hair fell in tresses, with the back picked up in a loose and modern bun. One small butterfly pin was barely noticeable behind her left ear. She touched it, and felt that in the process of doing her hair, Victoria entangled it, so now it was impossible to get it out without running the whole hairdo. Not that she wanted it out.
It was all… perfect. As perfect as the situation required.
There was a knock at the door, and she knew it was time.
*****
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Madame Claude had already started the show. “Do I have a special treat for y’all tonight!” A loud thunder of clapping electrified the big room. There were at least fifty men present, all dressed like thoroughbreds. Some appeared stand-offish, as if they were wasting their precious time here, while others waited for the main dish impatiently, behaving like blowhards, in an effort to show off in front of others. Whatever sort they were, Madame Claude had seen them all before, and knew that no matter what they looked like or how they behaved, they were all here for the same reason.
“You’ve all received my special invitation, and I promise you, gentlemen, your trip will be well worth it.” The men were all silent, and this is exactly how she liked them. “Now, this one is a delicate little flower, so I’d like to ask you mighty nicely to refrain from any lewd comments. I assure you, gentlemen, those who do not follow my rules, will be shown out, immediately.” She looked in the direction of two massive men standing in the darkened corners, who nodded in agreement. All the guests, however, were already familiar with her rules, so they knew to keep both their guns and their tongues holstered, if told to do so.
“Alright then, we’ve set down the rules, now we can move onto the business of the night. I assume you all have your bidder numbers, so let’s have our lovely lady out!” A roar of applause opened up before Esther, as she entered the stage and sat on the designated seat. Every nerve in her body was shaking, and she could feel sweat dripping on the back of her neck. She tried to remember Madame Claude’s advice.
“Don’t look at them as people, but rather as means of achieving your goal. They are doing the same to you, most probably. Be proud. Be stern. Don’t allow anyone to put you down because of what you are doing, because they don’t know you. They don’t know why you’re doing what you are and they don’t need to. Both parties are here for the same selfish goal, so just look at it as a business deal, which will soon be over.”
Esther opened her eyes and daringly looked at the audience, which was soaking up her every move, her every glance, her every breath. She felt her courage dissipating with the acknowledgment of every individual face in the crowd. Then, Madame Claude’s words brought her back to reality. Proudness and indifference, that’s what she would be striving for.
“Isn’t she lovely, gentlemen? A true gem indeed! And I think you’ll agree with me that such a rare flower can’t possible have a starting bid beneath 500$!” Her arms spread out theatrically, as she usually did, enticing all possible bidders to act now.
“550!” A voice was heard from the back rows. “Ah, Mr. Montgomery, always a pleasure to have you!” She responded cheekily, eyeing for other bids.
“600!” It was Otho Borgeson, who sounded his bid, with his eyes fixed firmly on Esther. “Thank you, Mr. Borgeson!”
“700!” Wylie Tumlison was brought here by his older brother and it was his first auction ever. “My, the younger Mr. Tumlison! What an honor to have you here for the first time!” Madame Claude was a real professional, and Esther only now realized why there would be no need for her to ever fear losing her business.
Then, a silence. “Well, gentlemen, it seems we’re still on 700$, which is a nice price indeed. But, maybe we could do a little better than that, hm?” Her voice was as smooth as honey.
“Ummm… 750!” A barely audible voice coughed out the number. “Ah, Mr. Torrance! I thought you wouldn’t be bidding tonight! So happy to see I was mistaken,” she added. “750$! My, my, my, that is quite a sum. Anyone else willing to go higher?” She inspected the room.
Esther tried to take a better look at Mr. Torrance, but having all the lights aimed at her didn’t help her in this endeavor. But then, to her horror, he stood up and she could see that he was about her father’s age. She gasped and instinctively moved backward in her chair. She couldn’t possibly go through with this! She could… run! Just run away and pretend like this never happened. But something kept her feet nailed to the floor. She couldn’t budge, forced to watch this horror show in the front rows.
“750$ going once!” Madame Claude’s voice echoed throughout the room. There were whispers, but no hands were raised. “750$ going twice!” Last call, Esther thought to herself. This was it.
“One thousand dollars for the girl!” The crowd gasped. The sum was unheard of, and they all turned around in both shock and awe to see who was willing to spend this insane amount of money on a woman, even if she still hasn’t been deflowered. The man was standing in the last rows. His hat was cocked to the side, and his long coat covered most of his body, so it was even more difficult to tell anything about him.
“One thousand dollars, gentlemen!” Madame Claude accentuated every single word deliberately and with great delight. “This is the highest bid we’ve ever had! 1000$ going once.” She repeated the words as slowly as the first time, as if every letter brought her immense pleasure. There was not even a stir with the audience. “1000$ going twice.” She turned towards Esther, then back to her audience.
“Well, then! 1000$ it is! Sold! To a Mr… I apologize, but I’m not sure I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance.” The figure in the back was silent. “Never mind! We’ll deal with that in a second. As for the rest of you, gentlemen, it was a pleasure to have you as always, and please, feel free to stay the night and amuse yourselves to your heart’s content! If you will just follow Elias to the hallway, he’ll show you to the girls’ rooms. Enjoy yourselves and have a splendid evening!” Another round of applause closed the auction.
Esther felt anesthetized, devoid of any emotion. At least this part was over.
*****
When Madame Claude knocked on the door, Esther was already done with taking off her makeup and even her hair was already untangled, and neatly made into a braid. She turned towards the door, in expectance.
“Well, it was a success!” Madame Claude open the door wide, like a gush of strong wind. “I have never witnessed such a sum raised for any girl in all my years. You should be really proud of yourself.” She wasn’t looking at Esther, but actually at Esther’s reflection in the mirror. “You will have more than enough money to pay off your father’s debt, and you will even have some left! My, my my, this is all too much, I have to sit down,” she quickly glanced around the room to find a suitable seat.
Esther was surely feeling like it was all too much, but for a completely different reason. She liked this strange lady in front of her, but wished that they had met under a different set of circumstances. She turned toward her benefactor, with a hanging question.
“So, now what?”
“Eager, aren’t we?” Madame Claude laughed heartily. “Well, I can only offer some information, not too much, though. Only as much as I myself was given. Here,” she offered Esther a piece of paper, with some writing on it. It had a name and an address. Esther could see that much, though she didn’t really have any desires to accept the proposed item.
“This is where you will be going, and the man’s name is…. Let me just take a look…. Ah, there we go. You will be seeing a Gabriel Goddard. My, what a sound name!” She almost giggled. “I have to admit, I haven’t had the pleasure of conversing too much with the gentleman in question, he seemed to be in a bit of a rush. He simply left me this piece of paper, with all his info, and with this!” She whipped out a large slot of banknotes. “It’s half of the money! He said the rest will be paid upon your leave from his house, the address of which we’ll find here.” Her eyes flared at the sight of so much money, but Esther didn’t even wince. “I’ll just hold on to my part of the bargain,” and without even counting, she slipped several banknotes in the ruffles of her dress. “The rest is yours, this, as well as what you get… well, after the job is done.” Esther nodded in silent gratitude.