Read Online The Dolocher by European P. Douglas - Free Book Online Page B

smelled, but she was still hurt by his saying this. She blushed and looked out at the busy morning street. “You were in there for a week?” he said then.
    “Yeah, I think so.”
    “The night they brought Olocher in?” he asked. The name was unpleasant to hear.
    “The night before that.” He nodded and then looked out the window himself. She gazed up at him, and she wondered if he was drunk. She had often seen him and his friends go all day and all night with alcohol. “Where are you taking me?” she asked noticing that they were going in the direction of neither her home nor the brothel.
    “I’m taking you to my house; you can get yourself cleaned up and have a decent sleep and something to eat.”
    “I have no clothes with me.”
    “I’ll get one of my servants to run out and get you something.”
    “Why are you doing this for me?” she asked. He had used her services at the brothel many times and he had even brought her out in his carriage (not this one though she noticed) once or twice but he had never shown any interest in her that didn’t involve sex before.
    “I have some questions about the prison so think of all this as payment for your cooperation.”
    She saw that they had crossed the river, and she was amazed at some of the houses they were now passing. The streets here seemed to be much cleaner, and there wasn’t anything like the bustle of Hell or the Liberties here. She could see inside some of the houses, and there were fantastic candle chandeliers with some kind of ornate glass pieces hanging from them. She could see thick velvet curtains, and she imagined how warm these houses must be in the evenings.
    Finally, the carriage came to a halt, and Edwards jumped out and closed the door behind him.
    “Take her in by the servant’s entrance,” she heard him say to the driver and the carriage started up again. It was only two minutes before they arrived at the back door of the house. She got out and went to the door indicated by the driver, and she was met in the hallway by a maid who looked her over once and said.
    “Follow me.”
    She did, and she was amazed at almost everything she saw. She knew that Mr. Edwards had money, but she had no idea how much! Everything seemed to be gold plated or painted luxurious white. The floors had thick carpets her feet sank into that she imagined would be more comfortable to sleep on than any bed she had ever been in. The same beautiful chandeliers were here too hung from the roof of every room and hall she could see into. She came to a fabulous stairway and she could smell the wax used to keep the bannister rails looking pristine, she put her hand on the rail and she had never felt anything to be so smooth and sturdy.
    When they reached the first landing, the maid brought her into a room, and she was once more amazed by what she saw. It was a bedroom with a huge bed covered in blankets and pillows and surrounded by some sort of frame that ran up from the posts right up to the ceiling, with beautiful carvings in the wood all the way and on the headboard and base board. Again the carpet was thick and in this room a deep red colour she didn’t know the name of. The window was massive and was draped on either side by thick velvet curtains of the same colour as the carpet, but most wondrous of all to her eyes was the sight of the floor to ceiling mirror that occupied half of one of the walls of the room. She actually gasped when she saw this.
    “The bath is in through there,” the maid said pointing, “It’s already filled. There are towels and soaps for you to use in there as well... and some bedclothes too.”
    “Thank you,” Kate said for a lack of being able to say anything else.
    “I am to go get you something to wear and when you come out from the bath, you are to use this bed to sleep until lunch. I’ll come and get you at that time.”
    “Ok,”, Kate said trying to take it all in.
    “And you are not to leave these two rooms until I come and