"Oh Sarah. My God, what have they done to you? Those fuckers! I swear on my mother's grave, I'll be getting back at every single one of them, and give them a piece of my mind! And let me tell you, it is not good! Not good at all!" Madam Eli, the owner of the brothel, reacted furiously, the moment Delilah walked in with a limping Sarah, right past the opened door of the tavern.
"Quick girls. Help this young woman carry Sarah upstairs. It's too late to call for a doctor to inspect her wounds, so try to keep her as comfortable as you can, throughout the night, and tomorrow, we can send for the good ol' doc"
"Oh, there's no need. I'm uh...I'm a doctor. I can see to her wounds" Delilah quickly interjected, then had the good sense to blush furiously, when all eyes turned to face her. The statement had been somewhat of a lie after all.
"Merciful heavens, will the whole cursed city never stop throwing blissful surprises at us? First gypsies, now female doctors? Next, we'd start hearing of pregnant babies and horny unicorns!" Madam Eli raved, in that same powerful enthusiasm it seemed she used to do everything else, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation
Did the woman not know how to talk normally? Delilah thought. She was either shouting her words out, like everyone listening to her were half deaf, or acting over dramatically, such as throwing her large burly hands up in the air, like a silly going through various stages of tantrums.
Though what could Delilah truly say? She'd never ran a bawdy house before. Madam Eli may Peharps be sentenced to a life of talking this loudly, or she'd have a lot of disobedient and unruly girls on her hands to deal with
"Mary! Offer the young woman a seat, don't be stupid! And offer her some ale and bread, if she'll have some" Madam Eli snapped at another one of her girls, who quickly sprang up to do the madam's biding with all gusto, admist her blatantly obvious timidity. It was clear to Delilah there everyone was constantly on edge, and in a state of motion, around Madam Eli. Even timid people.
As soon as she'd handed an almost dozing Sarah to the awaiting arms of two young woman, Delilah was instantly ushered to a clean table and chair, with a drink she could only guess to be the ale Madam Eli had ordered, placed right in front of her.
"Um, I can't really stay for long. I've got to get back home. It's quite late. I still have another one mile or so left, before I reach my residence" Delilah muttered the protest on a lighter note, when the bread was placed right in front of her, not wanting to anger the Madam who'd extended her curtsey to her in the first place.
"Nonsense! What are you saying young lady? It's too late to be journeying back home, or anywhere, this late into the night. There are dangerous men out there. I tell you, if they can rape a prostitute today, they'd rape an upstanding lady tomorrow. You just mark my words" the big woman landed with a heave, right on the seat opposite Delilah, and poured some ale in a cup, before handing it to Delilah.
Delilah gracefully accepted the cup, staring wide-eyed at the transparent liquid swirling within its depths, before cautiously bringing the brim of the cup to her lips, for a sip.
Not bad. Not bad at all.
It wasn't as if she hadn't tasted ale before.
"Plus, the weather's so cold and windy. It looks like a rain and a storm are just waiting to happen. You'd either freeze before you get to your house, or drown to death in that batter"
"Wow. Thank you for successfully telling me all the ways I can die, if I choose to go home." Delilah finally replied, albeit sarcastically, when Madam Eli was done, not knowing what else to reply to her.
"Well what's your name, young lady?" The woman asked, with the same blind enthusiasm she used to do everything else
"My name's Delilah... Salvador" Delilah relied, choosing to add her last name only at the last minute.
"Well, Miss Salvador, I'm Madam Eli" the large woman gushed, offering her hand for a shake, which Delilah took
"Yeah, I know. Sarah mentioned you, on the way"
"Now miss Salvador, how about I offer you a room for the night. Clean bedsheets and all. And send you on your merry way tomorrow, with a good breakfast. Lunch too, if you'd love to take extra food? It'd make me feel better, if I didn't send the saviour of one of my girls, right into the hands of this raging storm. These girls have been placed right under my care, and I feel very personally about them. You've earned my forever gratitude and respect, for saving one of them from harm. Plus you did say you're a doctor. Sorry for my initial reaction to that. But if you truly are, then you can help us check on Sarah and give her medication while you're here, so we don't have to send for the old doctor anymore."
The woman did put up a convincing argument, Delilah thought wistfully. She wasn't so eager to go back out into night, and into the storm just beginning to start. Not that sleeping over in a prostitution house was the best of choices either, but it really was the safest choice at the moment.
YOU ARE READING
Gentlemen Of The Court
Short Story"If I die tonight, donate all my organs to those in need, except for my middle finger - give that to the king" - Delilah Salvador ~~~~~ THERE WAS A WAR COMING! between gypsies and humans. And whether Delilah liked it or not, she has been placed in...
