Golden Boy by Maggie McIntyre

Author:Maggie McIntyre [McIntyre, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ryeland Press
Published: 2023-11-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Working Girls

It was Alessa who found their lodging for the night, an old tenement building near the lakeshore. It had a creaking sign which was to the point, ‘Rooms Available’. But what she hadn’t noticed was the writing scrawled below, ‘By the hour.’

They led their horses into what seemed to be a busy mews area at the back, and Hesta, as normal, went around to the main door to negotiate a price. When she emerged ten minutes later, she had a strange expression on her face, which Alessa mistook for pride in the bargain she’d struck over the room rent.

Thea was busy as always installing their three mounts into the livery stables, but Hesta handed a large room key over to Alessa and said, “We need to keep the door tightly locked, or I think we’ll be interrupted.”

“What do you mean?” asked Alessa, distracted by the working of her insides. She was already suffering nervous stomach aches in anticipation of seeing her son for the first time in his life the next day.

“We’re booked into the town brothel, darlin’. It could get rather noisy later on.”

Alessa took the room key, and turned it over in her hand. It was smooth and worn with constant use. She grinned. “I’m so sorry. Do you want to move on somewhere else?”

“No, no. The woman at the house front did think it strange, me wanting a room for three of us all in together, but I went on again about us both being war widows, and that seemed to stop the questions. She said, though, that she was pleased we weren’t hoping to work here, as the city is already full of whores. She already knew the soldiers had come to town! The cost, though, was the cheapest yet, only three denarii a night for us all, and another three for the horses. I paid two denarii extra though for fresh sheets and pillowcases.”

“Ugh,” said Alessa. “I can’t believe that’s only an optional extra. But I’m ready for bed. I’ll just tell Thea we’re booked in. What’s the room number?”

Hesta remembered, rather than looked at the wooden block on the keyring. “Thirty-nine.”

“That will be the third floor. I’ll tell her to follow us up there.”

Hesta stared at the keyring. “Three nine. Is that what it says, thirty-nine?”

Not for the first time on this adventure, Alessa was spiked through with guilt that she’d never taught Hesta to count beyond twenty, and had also left her functionally illiterate for the last eight years. She had to put that right as soon as there was time to sit down.

“Yes, my love, it means we have one final little wooden hill to climb.”

As they went up two flights of roughly carved timber steps, Hesta said,” I don’t know. In the last place I was thought to be a respectable freewoman, fit for marriage. Now it’s assumed I’m an old Pro! I’m not sure which is more flattering or more insulting.”

Alessa said, “Both descriptions woefully underestimate you, my goddess.

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