A Proper Young Thief: Chapter 20 :Brothel

A Proper Young Thief

M.K.Barry

Chapter 20: Brothel

Lawson's house was a large, red townhouse, squat between two other houses, one of grey stone, and one of wood. She had expected the house to look less classy. From what she had heard bout Lawson, from what she knew, she expected the house to look like a brothel, though she didn't know what a brothel looked like. She had half imagined scantily clad women to be lingering outside the building, pulling men into what she had certainty imagined as a shady and dark doorway.

She didn't' imagine a place that looked like a nice respectable family might live there. It was made of red stone, the doors of were plain wood, smoothed out nicely, with matching shutters on all the windows. The windows on the second floor were open wide, but all the ones on the bottom were closed.

She almost felt a little disappointed.

She jogged across the street, ran up the three marble stairs to the door. A simple brass knocker, a simple circular panel with the ring hanging down with no decoration, was the only adornment on the door. She reached out, an gave it several quick knocks before standing back from the door. A moment passed, and then the door glided open. There was a tall man on the other side, very pale, and very pretty, with long brown hair, and no facial hair. He had the look of a skinny person who had recently gained a lot of weight. He looked down at Lissa, staring for a moment.

“You look a little young.” he said in a high, feminine voice.

“Pardon?”

“Of course, it's no problem if you're young, just most kids dont' know what they're-”

Lissa felt her face redden quickly, “I' just here to deliver a package.” She snapped.

“Oh.” He said. He opened the door wider, “Come in then, don't stand out there cluttering up the door.”

Lissa talked through the threshold, and into the front room, which was done up like an inn. He went behind a wooden counter, and opened up a book. “Ok, who is this one for?”

“Lawson's new wife?”

“Oh!” he quickly closed the book, “Sorry, I assumed it was a present from one of the regulars. You'll have to go see her then. I can take packages for the girls, but not for the family.”

“That's fine.” she said. She realized that she didn't have any paper, and that the apothecary hadn't given her anything to have signed. She hoped that the new wife would be nice enough to give her a note or something.”

“Ok, to get to her room, you-” His voice faltered as footsteps echoed out from the hallway. They turned just as Lawson himself, looking just as old, just as alert as he had when she first saw him. He glanced quickly at her, then at the man.

“New customer, Len?”

“No, just a delivery boy. Package for Mara.”

Lissa twitched. She had been about to turn to Len, and demand to know just who he meant. It couldn't be her Mara? It couldn't her her mother.

“Good enough.” Lawson said, “ If this doesn't loosen her up, I'm going to have to send away from the islands for something. Good gods, you'd think she had ice in her-” He glanced back at Lissa, “Nevermind... Sorry kid, used to having older, more, shall we say, experienced people around here?” He shrugged, then turned to Len, “Go on, take him to Mara. I have other things to attend to.” He went to the desk, and picked up a slender book.” I just needed this.” He turned on his heel, and strolled back down the hall.

“Come on then. Let's hurry. I have to get back here in case anyone shows up.” Len said. He sounded hurried, but at least not mean. He gave Lissa a quick smile as he passed her, “this way kid.”

Lissa followed him down a hallway, with numbered doors on either side. From two of them, she heard grunts and moans, but the others were quiet, save for one where she heard two women talking and laughing. The floor was covered in a long, threadbare carpet of purple and black, and the walls were all of polished redwood. Between every two doors, there was a table with a pottery vase, with a collection of flowers inside.

At the end of the hall, there was another door, with a large lock on it. He took a key from a chair that hung around his neck, and quickly unlocked the door. On the other side was the entrance to what looked like a proper house, but it looked the same as the brothel. The same wood, the same carpets. They entered through was was a side door in a large entryway, with a single staircase leading up to the second floor. A large set of double doors with large stained glass windows were at the other side, casting coloured light onto the carpet. Obviously a separate entrance going into Lawson's proper house, which she had not been told about.

Rather than take her up the staircase, Len led her behind the stairs, towards a small door, tucked away in the corner.

“... His wife lives here?”

Len nodded, “Yes. Until she pleases him, she sleeps here, Afterwards, she can share a bed with him.”

“That's horrible!”

“.. why is it? He doesn't want to share a bed with her if she's frigid. Besides, she's not being mistreated.” He knocked the door twice with the back of two fingers, “Mara? You have a package.”

A moment passed. Lissa heard a click come from the door. Len waited a moment, then opened the door, and stood aside for Lissa.

Inside, it was a small room, with the same carpet and walls as the rest of the house. A small bed sat along one wall, a plain wardrobe stood alone on the opposite wall, and between them both was a vanity, with a large oval mirror on it. Lissa could see her own reflection in the mirror, next to the reflection of her mother, who was sitting, her back to Lissa, at the vanity.