Mister Arlington

03

I sat in a room with almost fifty other women all dressed in the same white gown as I. I noticed they were either my age or slightly older than me, not one of them could've been over ten years older than me. Meaning they had an obvious age limit for their business.

After cleaning myself I had exited the bathroom and met Gordon standing outside, waiting for me with a paper and pen in his hand. A contract that I had signed before he brought me here.

Besides the chatter from some of the girls outside I was able to hear the knock of a hammer on wood while people called out numbers and another man who conducted the auction.

Each time I heard the slam of the hammer a man entered the room, calling on the next girl who was to be displayed and bought. The auction drawled on until I was the only one left in the room.

It wasn't long after the hammer hit the wood when the man that had lead out the previous girls came for me. The only words the man had said to me were, "stand on the X marked on the stage."After that it was silence between us as I was led down a small hallway before I followed him onto a brightly lit stage with a sea of an audience.

I fiddled with my fingers behind my back, digging my nails into the palms of my hands as I stood directly on the X that was taped to the wooden floor.

"Angelica Whiting. A teenage girl around eighteen to twenty, extremely quiet and docile with manners of a proper lady," the announcer called to the buyers.

I wanted to scoff at the introduction he had given me but thought against it.

"We'll start the bidding off at two hundred pounds."

"Three hundred," a woman called.

"Three seventy," a man called.

It wasn't long before the price for me had risen to one thousand pounds.

"One thousand three hundred pounds. Going once... Twice... S–"

"Two thousand pounds," A man called. It sounded familiar, though I did not look, thinking deeply to myself about the decision I was as making.

For a week I had tasted the bitter sweet taste of freedom. Was I possibly selling myself to be in a house just like the one I had managed to squeeze out of after being stuck there for nineteen years, my whole life.

"I mean what do you have to lose? You could simply come back here if you don't like it."

That's right. I could go back to the bridge anytime. This was a second chance, a second shot at life, a chance to not be a monster. The bang of the hammer on wood pulled me from my thoughts.

"Sold for two thousand pounds to the gentleman in the back. That concludes the auction for this year, anyone who purchased can you please make your way to the next room where you are to have payment upfront in cash. Everyone else please exit the building and have a wonderful evening."

I was urged along the stage by the same man from before who escorted me to another room that was much fancier necessary, filled with the girls from before. From the double doors, men and woman with fancy attires entered the room.

"Wait here for your buyers to find you," the man who had lead me here said before leaving the way we had just come.

Alright, I suppose I would have to stand here like a fool and wait then. During that time I watched the other girls meet their purchasers. Indeed, they were well mannered and perfect at everything.

But they were all too similar, everywhere I looked they all had the same sweet smile plastered onto their face. Where had they gotten these women?

"Strange isn't it, all this. I had no idea things like this happened in London and here it is happening to me."

I jumped slightly, snapping my head to the side where a girl with firey hair stood beside me. She looked at me with a small graceful smile.

"You're Angelica right. The new girl who entered the auction last minute."

I nodded.

"My name is Violeta. I was bought by the man over there, I was told he's a family man who owns a garden nursery. The others say I had bad luck with the auction but I don't believe so."

At my silence and long stare she apologised. "Im sorry, I'm known for being a chatter box, I can't help it."

This girl was unbelievably lively, i didn't react to her previous conversation before simply because I was startled but now I found myself smiling ever so slightly. It was barely there but it was still something. Which shocked me.

The girls frown turned into a smile as her sudden nervousness calmed and she was back to her previous self.

"I have to go but I hope we meet again Angelica, it was nice to meet you."

I gave her a nod as a gesture of my goodbye, watching as she walked up to her buyer with a smile.

What a strange girl.

The view of her leaving with the friendly-looking man was blocked by Gordon, beside him was the man and lady from the incident in the hallway, earlier. They continued towards me, making me realise it was him who had bought me. Who had called the silly price of two thousand pounds to buy a mere girl like me.

"Angelica, this is Mister Arlington and Miss Mary."

This time, I took the time to study the intimidating man. He wore a black and white suit and dress shoes just like all the other men here but the black cane he held in his hand wasn't an ornament the rest had. What intrigued me was that the handle was a sliver crown

"Mister Arlington is the one who purchased your abilities to be a perfect maid. Please be good, he's an old friend of mine."

I curtsied and bowed my head. Violeta had said she was bought by a man who owned a garden nursery, so what was this man's occupation?