The Heart of a Soiled Dove (16 page)

If anyone was known as the gossip of Pine City, it was Iris Finley, owner of the Meadow Lark Inn. Aurora hitched her horse and announced her appearance with a couple of taps of the doorknocker. A maid greeted her.

“May I speak to the madam?”

“Please come in.”

She waited a long while before Iris made a dramatic entrance. “Did my maid not offer you refreshment?”

“She did, I declined.”

Iris swept past Aurora and sat down elegantly, displaying her slew of skirts in a fan-like pattern. “I admit I am curious to see you here.”

“I am being blackmailed and would like your help,” Aurora said bluntly.

Iris perched in her seat, obvious interest stretched across her features. “Surprised you came to me after showing me up at that auction.”

Aurora swallowed. “I would do it again. Carrie Anne was no whore, just a scared girl. And now, happily married.”

“So I’ve heard. State your business with me and I’ll decide if I want to warrant any help to you.”

The maid brought Iris a glass of sherry and Aurora waited until she left the room.

“How well do you get on with Sheriff Bradbury?”

Iris shrugged and sipped. “I pay my dues. Other than that, he keeps his end of the deal and doesn’t bother us.”

Aurora had to bargain that Iris told the truth. She could not afford to have Iris turn her back and go squealing to the sheriff.

“Is Corbin bothering you?” Iris imposed, and then answered for her. “He’s a yellow-bellied coward. Walks around town like a strutting peacock, as if he’s bigger than life.”

Stifling a grin, Aurora confessed, “He has some information about my past and I need to talk about it before he does. I will not be blackmailed or controlled by that man, by any man.”

“Why don’t you tell me what it is you’ve done?”

“First, you need to know that I am no longer ashamed of my past. And although I’ve been redeemed, it’s nobody’s business.”

Iris set her empty glass down, waiting.

“I worked as a prostitute before I came here. In a place such as this.”

Iris raised an eyebrow. “Always knew you were peculiar. Seemed to know too much for a gentle lady. And Corbin got wind of this? What is it he wants from you?”

“He says he wants me… my body. But I think it’s more than that. He wants control of me. He wants to break me down and return to my old ways.”

“What he wants is whatever that Thatcher Poe puts him up to wanting. I hear you got Josie Callahan holing up at your place?”

“She lives with me, yes.”

“Thatcher has had her since she was a young’un. And all was fine in his world until you came along.” Iris smiled, adjusted her heavy bosom and shifted in her seat. “Josie is more to him than you know and he does not like interference, and what Corbin likes is money.”

“So if I go spouting off about my past, it will make no difference?”

“None whatsoever. You’ve gone too far, you’re a woman and you’ve proven yourself strong. That’s as much as a death sentence out here.”

Aurora stood to leave and Iris eyed her figure. “You still got it in you? We could make a pretty penny you and I.”

“To sell myself? No way. I have a ranch now and, as unnatural as it all appears, a family.”

“Thought I’d try. You know, you should have come sooner, I’d have liked to get to know you better.”

“You act as though it’s too late.” Aurora stated, Iris it seemed, would have been a worthy friend.

“Maybe you best prove me wrong then and whip them two hooligans back to their places. I have to hand it to you Miss Young, you came to the right place iffen you’d wanted it blasted all over town that you was a whore.”

“You mean you won’t?”

“I’d much rather sit back and see what you can do.”

“I appreciate that. Thank you for the visit.”

“You remind me an awful lot of myself when I was your age,” Iris said. “Young, pretty and full of stubbornness. Take care now.”

“You do the same.”

Before going home Aurora stopped at the mercantile. Mr. Clawson balked at the items she ordered. “What are you going to do with all of this stuff? Hold up a bank?”

Aurora leaned in from across the counter and whispered, “Something like that.”

“It’s called target practice,” Aurora announced.

Carrie Anne stood awkwardly – while Josie gripped a pistol with confidence. Aurora placed one tin can after another along each fence post. Emmy sat on a blanket in the grass, portraying no interest and was only there at Aurora’s insistence. Aurora stood behind Carrie Anne and ran her hand down the length of her arm. “Steady. Aim. Shoot!”

Carrie Anne giggled, the bullet went nowhere near the can and Aurora said, “It’s why I ordered so much ammunition – figured it would take us a bit.”

Josie laughed and, without Aurora’s help, took aim and managed to hit the fence post. A chip of wood splintered off.

“That’s good, Josie.” Aurora moved alongside both of them and wondered briefly what Roman would think seeing his farmwife wielding a rifle. “This is for self-defense. Of course we hope not to shoot anybody for real but they need to know that we can.”

Josie glanced at her. “I don’t know, Aurora. I got a lot of victimization stored up in me. If I see Thatcher or the sheriff step a foot onto this property here, I might just go – what do they say? Oh, yeah, trigger happy.” She fired again, hitting nearer to her target. She reloaded. “The way I see it, I just picture the head of them scum sittin’ all smug and arrogant on them posts and I reckon I’ll be hitting them before long. What do you say, Emmy? Should I knock one off for you?”

Her smart-alecky comments actually earned her a crooked smile from Emmy and when Josie aimed and fired, the can flung off and bounced about. “Who was that, Emmy? Poe or the sheriff?”

Emmy stated bitterly, “Richard Berger.”

All three women looked at her, puzzled. Aurora knelt beside her. “You’re safe now.” Whatever this Richard Berger must’ve done to her precious Emmy had never been talked about, but Aurora knew that he’d been Emmy’s final customer.

“Maybe so, but I ain’t never gonna be safe from my mind.”

“Would you like to practice with us?” Aurora asked.

“No, it’s plenty entertaining from this end.”

And almost as if to prove it, Carrie Anne fired another ill-aimed shot. No one knew if anything but the air was hit, but it broke the mood, and to Aurora’s relief, Emmy smiled real wide.

Later in the day, Aurora and Josie rode into town to pick up strychnine. The influx of barn mice had been unbearable. As they passed by Kate’s Place, Aurora took note of the prostitutes standing around in their shimmies, taking turns pouring buckets of water onto each other. Bathing in broad daylight. It was meant to be enticing with their camisoles soaked to the skin – and see through. They had suds smeared all over and were laughing coquettishly; undisputedly having fun.

Aurora felt a stirring of compassion and finally knew what it was like to be directed. Confident she was not stepping out in her own strength, she said to them, “I could use a few more hands on my ranch. Any of you like to come and work for me? Earn money with your bare hands, not your bare bodies?”

A big broad girl who seemed to have delegated herself spokesperson, stepped forward. “You got any men out that a way?” Shrieks of laughter echoed behind her.

Aurora answered, entirely up to the banter. “Just a decent married man, two kindly cowhands and an old Mexican who tends to my horses.”

“I’ll bet he does!”

Josie whispered anxiously, “
What
are you doing?”

Ignoring her, Aurora continued, “All of you ladies happy here? Doing what you’re doing?”

A few girls nodded and sidled up to each other – sticking as sisters. Others became solemn as if she may be serious after all.

“I pay good wages and you will never be indebted to me.”

A pretty blonde girl, sporting a petite frame and emerald green eyes, spoke candidly. “Who’s to say what you offer is for real? Say we up and take to your talk and end up with nothin’? Kate’d have us whooped no sooner than we come crawling back here.”

A slew of agreements followed and the leader said, “Yeah. Good-thinking, Pearl.”

Pearl crossed her arms and nodded succinctly.

“Of course you are right,” Aurora answered. “Why don’t you ask Josie here about how it is at my place?”

One Aurora knew as Sophia McHenry asked meekly, “How’s Emmy?”

“You know Emmy?”

“I was here when Richard Berger attacked her. He was one of them Southerners who can’t forget that coloreds are free.”

Aurora swallowed hard at this information Emmy clearly didn’t want her to know of. “She’s… doing… fine. You are welcome any time to come see her.”

“You’d let someone like me come to your fine house?”

“I would let any one of you come over, and my word is honorable. I am looking to hire anyone willing to work. You’ll earn your pay decently – I guarantee it.”

The leader jutted her chin towards Josie. “If she’s settin’ there all in as fine of clothes as you without having anybody pokin’ on her, we’ll take you at your word.”

Josie spoke up. “It’s true… what she says.”

Elation more than filled Aurora. She might actually save these women from a continued life of misery, fulfilling the destiny God had for her. “I live east of here. Take that dirt clearing of a road and it will lead you to me. I live just beyond a stretch of the tall pine trees.” Aurora grinned prettily and saw admiration, even hope in some of their eyes.

Pearl asked, “Is your place ‘round about near that cattle baron, Ramsey?”

Aurora shifted uncomfortably. How should this woman know Donovan? A spark of unwanted envy filtered through her. She needn’t worry at the thoughts entering her mind because another lady put it to rest quick enough. “He’s so fine – wish he were one to set foot at Kate’s. We never get the good ones.”

Several others added their thoughts on Donovan Ramsey, and Aurora nearly smiled at their exuberance over his fine looks. If only he wasn’t so surly all the time.

One of the women, who’d been combing wet hair with her fingers, remarked, “Some of us like Miss Kate and she isn’t going take well to you butting your nose into her business.”

Undeterred, Aurora answered, “You can take my offer or leave it. This has nothing to do with Kate. It has to do with those of you who want a better life. I don’t judge nobody, nor do I own nobody.” She scanned the half-naked women. “I am not here to make trouble. You suit yourselves in this matter. You all know where I live now and my offer stands not only today, but always.”

While Josie went for the strychnine, Aurora headed over to the bank and made a hefty withdrawal. She would need it should she start employing every prostitute in town. She would up her allowance until profits from the cattle began coming in. She anticipated a few testing the waters and realized for the first time that Kate may indeed take this personally and tallied Kate to the list of her personal enemies.

Today must be the day for prostitutes to be out because Aurora saw two of Poe’s girls in the street nearest the bank. The girls Aurora knew as Lauren and Betsy started back towards the Lady of the Night Saloon, but not before Lauren gave Aurora a shy look of appreciation. It took only seconds for Aurora to extend the same offer as she had done with Kate’s girls. Lauren’s eyes bugged with longing and Betsy was skeptical. “Why are you doing this? First Josie, now us. And Kate’s girls? Don’t you want to live long?”

“I intend to live very long. I just know there’s something better out there for us.”

“You mean for
us
–
whores
. What do you know about that?”

Aurora decided that her past would be the key to winning the hearts of these captive girls, and for the first time, she felt released in sharing her testimony. “I was a whore myself and not so long ago that I’ve forgotten what it was like.”

Lauren gasped in complete shock.

The confession seemed to move Betsy. “How come it’s so easy for you? I’d rather not sell my body but it has to be done. No one’s going to hire me to do nothing else in this town and I haven’t any money to strike out on my own such as yourself.”

“You’re wrong about two things. It has not been easy for me in the sense that you mean and you’re looking at one person in this town who will hire you.”

Josie asked in all sincerity, “How you faring at Poe’s?”

“It’s been hard on us since you left.”

Aurora looked to Josie to see her response – guilt ridden is what she was. “I shouldn’t have abandoned you,” she said.

“I would have done the same, Josie. No hard feelings.”

“Is it good out there where you live now?” Betsy asked.

Josie’s voice softened. “You should come see for yourself.”

As Lauren and Betsy turned towards Poe’s, their steps seemed laden with diminished hope and regret. Aurora stopped them. “You could come now if you have a mind to.”

They halted together. Lauren looked pleadingly at Aurora and took a step towards her. Betsy shook her head. “I don’t know….”

“We’re going to pay anyway with Aurora’s big mouth spouting off all of this Promised Land stuff,” Josie said. “Might as well come Lauren – or else you’ll take the brunt of it.”

“What of my clothes?”

“I’ve plenty to get you started with,” Aurora said. A nervous shiver started throughout her middle. This was really happening.

Aurora took one last look at the Lady of the Night Saloon and said what they all knew. “We best hurry.”

They rode double all the way home.

That evening, Josie carried a lumpy gunnysack past Aurora. “What’s in there?” she asked, dismantling her new gun.

“Mice mixing with strychnine. Too bad it isn’t sending them a message to keep out of our hay.”

“Where are you taking them?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take them out in the woods and bury ‘em deep. That suit you?”

“It does. When you come back supper will be ready.” Aurora turned to the other girls and said matter of fact, “First thing in the morning, I’ll teach you how to shoot.”

Betsy mumbled, “Oooooh… we should not have come.”

“We’ll take care of each other, and in a short while our men will be back from the cattle drive.”

Lauren belted out in laughter. “Bet they’ll be surprised to find us out here instead of their first stop in town.”

That familiar sliver of envy, which she did not want affecting her, pricked at Aurora. The thought of Donovan’s first stop at a whorehouse was not a picture she wanted in her mind. Her gaze settled on the two in front of her. Had he ever made love to Lauren? To Betsy? Maybe Josie…?

Someone shouting with exuberance interrupted the horrible thoughts tormenting her.

“I made it!”

Simultaneously, they turned and saw Sophia McHenry in her high-heeled lacy boots and carpetbag walking up the road with one hand on her hat to keep it on. “Where’s that Emmy?” She was breathless.

Emmy poked her head out the front door. “What is all this nonsense?” She asked. “You opening up your boardinghouse after all?”

Aurora raised her chin with finality. “I reckon that this
will
be a boardinghouse, just of a different kind.”