Working Woman *On hold*

Part 3 - Carriage Joyride

"Now, what 'ave we got 'ere?"

I jerked at the sudden sound of the voice, and my sparring buddy lept up faster than I'd thought possible. Sensing her urgency, I sprung up too and got my first look at the stranger. She had dark raven hair pulled up into a bun with...

IS SHE WEARING TROUSERS?

I gaped at her until I saw her scowl, and immediately dipped into a messy curtsy. Huh, guess an hour in an alley will do that to you. Or maybe it's her icy stare that is directly pointed at me...

"Who are you, and why're you attacking one of my girls?" She didn't just glare at me, her presence itself was enough to make me want to run.

I dropped my eyes. Despite wanting to be strong, I couldn't compete with her. "I'm sorry. I was looking for a girl named Annabelle, or Elle, and I mistook this room for the one she went into. I, um- I was attacked because she thought I wanted to cause harm." I heard a snort from beside me, but I continued to avoid her gaze, examining my heeled shoes and feeling out of place among the scuffed boots and ragged split skirts. The dress I parted with was an intricate, blue day gown, which I got from my mother for my first day at the manor. Thinking of her made my ears steam. I balled my fists and hid them in the folds my dress, still examining my shoes when I heard her voice.

"Hmph. Well that explains that. Now, how did you find us?" Her eyebrows rose and she crossed her arms, her scowl nearly forgotten.

"Well, I was abandoned by my fiancé and left to rot on the streets, so I wandered the alleyway until I tripped and caught a glimpse of a small hole. I was simply looking for shelter, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to..."

She interrupted me. "You were abandoned by your fiancé?" I heard a hint of remorse in her otherwise harsh tone, so I let my shoulders slump in relief. She isn't going to kill me. At least not yet.

"Yes..." I figured it would be inappropriate to call her Madam. So I went out on a limb and assumed she was in charge. "Boss. I was just looking for shelter. And is that what this place is, a shelter for the homeless?" I dared to question. I held my breath, hoping she wouldn't kick me out or kill me for asking a question.

To my surprise, she grinned. "This..." She gestured to the room. "Is the Working Woman Society. I have hired hundreds of women to participate in my 25 years as Boss." Aha! I was right! "This organization keeps women off the streets and grants them freedom." I could see the pride on her face, and rightfully so. It's an astonishing achievement.

"I see." Was all I could choke out. I took a deep breath and gathered my courage. "Well, would it be acceptable if I could join the working women? I don't have anywhere to go, or anyone to help me..."

She interrupted me with her hand. "How it works here, is that you go on trial for one week, usually doing the most dangerous jobs to test your courage and dependability. If you succeed, you may join. I'm guessing you don't have a place to go, so you can stay in room 107 on the right platform." She looked me up and down. "Don't disappoint me." And with that, she walked off.

"So I guess I'd gotta getta 'long with ya now, huh?" The woman beside me said with a scowl. She held out her hand with a glare. "I'm Landy. I'm anxious to see you fail."

I thought about what I should call myself. Elizabeth didn't exactly go along with the theme of this society, so I took inspiration from something that would give me strength to keep going. Something taken from fire. I shook her hand, giving her a determined look. "Pleasure, Landy. You can call me Amber. And I suspect you'll be seeing me much longer than a week. I intend on getting myself a spot here."

With that, I headed back to the platform as a huge crowd of women flooded from various rooms and headed downstairs. I suspect that 11:00 at night is the working hours. I remembered what the Boss said.