Elsie

Chapter 4: A New Life

A/N: Hannah is pictured above.

Eileen attended the opera with a patron dressed in her finest gown. The man was more interested in companionship than anything else, often hiring women from the brothel to attend various social events. They sat in the balcony, Eileen fanning herself and sending flirtatious glances his way. Every now and then, she would offer a playful touch to his arm. In reality, she felt a bit bored. When the opera ended, the man escorted her back to the parlor house. Once there, he tipped his cap, thanked her for her services, and left Eileen at the bottom of the staircase.

Eileen pivoted on her heel and began to make her way up the steps when she heard the madam call to her.

"Oh, there you are, Jewel! Right on time!"

Eileen turned to see the madam approaching with a man. He looked to be about mid-forties, his dark hair showing touches of gray near his ears. He had large bushy eyebrows to match his bushy mustache, and there was something about his eyes that made Eileen feel uneasy. She was quite accustomed to men leering at her, but this man's green eyes seemed to hold something more sinister.

"This is the girl I was telling you about, Mr. Pike," the madam was saying.

The man looked over every inch of Eileen's body. It wasn't uncommon for a client to request a specific type of woman. Some preferred a foreign girl with an accent of some sort, others wanted the girl with the longest legs. When Eileen was specifically requested, it was usually because a client fancied blonde women with blue eyes.

Eileen waited silently as the man continued to analyze her every feature.

"Jewel is one of my best," the madam continued. "She can take good care of you, sir."

Mr. Pike finally met eyes with Eileen. "Yes, she has that innocent look about her," he smirked.

Eileen's stomach churned a bit at the expression on his face.

"Jewel, was it?" Mr. Pike approached her. He grabbed one of her loose curls and tugged. "They should call you 'baby'," he whispered close to her ear, and his sour breath hit her nose.

However, Eileen had a strong constitution. She would not have been so successful in the industry if she cringed at every gross man. So she smiled flirtatiously and batted her eyes. "What's your pleasure, sir?" she asked, running a hand up his arm.

Over the course of the next week, Elsie began to settle into her new home. At first, she was apprehensive and guarded around the house, but she learned to relax after a few days. The fact that Mr. Jones left New York for a business trip to Boston certainly calmed her nerves. While she knew she had nothing to fear from Mr. Jones, she was accustomed to walking on eggshells around Ray Sullivan, a man who constantly reminded her that she owed him her life. If her debt to Ray Sullivan had been immense, her debt to Mr. Jones was surely insurmountable. No matter how polite and kind Mr. Jones was to her, she couldn't shake the insecurity she felt in his presence.

Her new job was certainly the most leisurely job she had ever had, consisting of cleaning the upper floors, polishing furniture, tending to the fires (when there were any), and other various household tasks. Sometimes she would offer to help Hannah with the abundance of laundry: clothes, bedding, curtains, and other linens that all needed to be washed on a regular basis.

She learned to enjoy herself rapidly, making friends with the other people on staff at Elmsdale. She especially enjoyed the company of Lois and Verda– or "Verdie" as Lois affectionately called her. The sisters were excellent cooks and even better friends. Neither had ever married, and Elsie took to them quickly. She and the twenty-two-year-old Hannah were friendly with one another, though Hannah was quite shy, making it more difficult to form an immediate bond. She met the groundskeeper, Adam Schultz, the only member of the staff she hadn't met on her first day. Adam had sandy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He had a boyish, if not mischievous, grin and an easy-going demeanor. Elsie got along with him quite well from the very beginning. At twenty-four, Adam was the second member of the staff closest to Elsie's age at Elmsdale.