The Harlot (Taskill Witches 1)

So far she had not seen him, although she’d heard voices raised as if in anger, coming from the parlor where she had met Mistress Wallace. That first night she retired with disappointment, but felt hope for the following day.

At first she could not sleep, because her thoughts kept running back to Gregor. She craved the pleasure of lying alongside him. But this separation was just as well, she thought, for she would have to do without him soon enough.

It did not help that the attic was stifling hot, and she had to lie atop the bed in her shift, casting aside the blanket. Eventually, she drifted to sleep.

She awoke sometime later when a man entered the room.

He held a candle aloft and she could see from his fine clothes that he was the master of the house.

Jessie sat bolt upright, staring.

Her thoughts scrambled as she tried to remember her purpose and act appropriately. She let out a stifled scream, not loud enough to wake everyone, but loud enough to inform him that she was horrified to find a man in her room.

She pressed herself back against the wall and put her hand to her throat. “Who are you? What do you want of me?”

The man gave a most lascivious smile. “I have come to examine my new serving girl. I am the master of Balfour Hall. You may call me Master Wallace.”

“Yes, sire. Master Wallace. Forgive me. I am most astonished to find you here while I am in a state of undress.”

Jessie tried to get a quick look at him before she lowered her gaze and cowered in her corner appropriately. He was a tall, distinguished-looking man with intense eyes. His hair was thick and wavy, silver peppered with dark strands. He had once been handsome, she surmised, although his character marred his good looks somewhat. There was petulance in the set of his mouth, and the glint of greed in his eyes.

“Stand up, girl, let me get a look at you.”

Jessie did not expect to be meeting him this way, but Gregor had prepared her well.

Her mind ticked over fast, and as she rose to her feet she moved her hands. With her right forearm, she made as if to cover her breasts, squeezing them together beneath her thin shift. She pushed the other hand between her thighs as if to cover her intimate parts in reaction to his presence. He would believe her chaste, but his attention would be drawn to the places she touched.

It proved fruitful.

He moved his candle up and down, brazenly examining her.

Jessie did not like the man. She told herself that it did not matter. She had often serviced men she did not like, in order to fill her belly. This should be the same. But it wasn’t. It felt somehow more uncomfortable to her.

Just then the door of the room creaked open, and Mistress Gilroy stood there with a candlestick. She had a shawl flung over her nightdress.

The mood altered quickly.

“Lurking, are we?” Wallace snapped in her direction.

The housekeeper stood her ground silently, and whatever small persuasion it was, Wallace lingered only a moment longer, and then went to push past her. Mistress Gilroy turned her face away, and as she did, Wallace paused and ran a finger along her jaw.

The woman closed her eyes, and Jessie was not sure if it was from pleasure or dislike. It was a curious exchange, and it occurred to Jessie that the housekeeper had chosen that room for her on purpose, because her own was close by and she would hear if the master came a-calling. There was some history between these two. Whatever it might be, Jessie was glad of the opportunity to gather her thoughts.

When the master was gone, Mistress Gilroy stepped into the room. “You are safe for now, my dear.”

She acted friendlier than she had thus far, and Jessie nodded, giving her a weak smile.

“There is only so much I can do to protect you. If you honestly cannot find work elsewhere, be prepared to do whatever he asks, but mark my words—he can be a cruel man.”

Jessie could have guessed as much. She was unsure how to respond, but Mistress Gilroy reached out and squeezed her shoulder, then took her leave.

Jessie let the darkness soothe her. That she would be able to get close to Wallace was undoubtable. The man was a leering seducer. She would not need to seduce him at all. At first she’d wondered at Gregor’s choice in her, but he had been right to choose a woman who would honestly not be afraid of such a man. He had prepared her as an innocent, because that’s obvio

usly where Master Wallace’s tastes led him. Soon she would have his ear, and Gregor would know everything he needed.

However, when Jessie sat down on her cot, the room seemed suddenly gloomier and more oppressive. There was barely a light at the tiny window by her feet, and it felt more cell-like than any she had known so far. Moreover, she felt as if she were back there in Dundee, scraping for her living, saving every penny she did not need for food or lodging. She had been spoiled, in between. Comfortable quarters and regular food. And Gregor.

His image burned in her mind.