Chapter 6

NATALEE

Piano music,laughter, and voices drifted into the kitchen from the main room of the tavern. I sat at a small table across from Madame Sage, sipping hot lavender tea with honey, as I took in the warm and friendly atmosphere of the establishment that had become my refuge a short while ago. My hands shook as I brought the cup to my mouth, and I was trying my best to hold back tears. I still couldn’t believe what had happened tonight.

“Sweetie, are you sure I can’t call a healer to have a gawk at you? You look like you’ve been through quite an ordeal.” Concern reflected in Madame Sage’s gaze. “Would you care to tell me what happened?”

I stared at the kind madame, feeling some of the fright of my evening dissolve. I was in a warm, safe place, just as Trevonn had promised. A room was being prepared for me to spend the night in, and Madame Sage had assured me that I didn’t have to do anything to pay for the room. The woman seemed to genuinely want to help me without expecting anything in return.

“Let’s just say the couple I was living with were not as gods-fearing as they claimed to be,” I finally said, suppressing a shiver as I thought of Mr. Foxthorne. What a wicked man.

“Who were you staying with?”

“The Foxthornes. They live in the little blue house just down the street.”

Madame Sage frowned. “I’m familiar with the couple. Mrs. Foxthorne has spoken out against The Sweet Siren, or so I’ve heard. And Mr. Foxthorne—well, let’s just say the next time he shows his ugly face in The Sweet Siren, he won’t get the warm welcome to which he’s been accustomed. I don’t want him anywhere near you, if he’s been a scoundrel to you, nor do I want him near any of the sirens, period.”

I swallowed another sip of tea, reveling in the warmth that spread throughout my insides. A few minutes ago, I’d been alone in the dark and terrified. I thanked the gods for these kind people who’d come to my rescue without asking for anything in return.

“I’m not surprised to hear Mr. Foxthorne frequented The Sweet Siren. With the creepy looks he always gave me, I should have known it would only be a matter of time before he made a pass at me. However, I never expected he would… he would…” I paused and blinked hard against the rapid swell of tears. Emotion clogged my throat, and I couldn’t say another word even when I tried.

“Shh,” Madame Sage said soothingly and reached across the table to give my hand a squeeze. “It’s going to be all right. Tell me, did Mr. Foxthorne force himself on you?”

I shook my head. “He was trying, but Mrs. Foxthorne interrupted just in time. I felt relief when I first heard her voice, but then Mr. Foxthorne claimed I had tempted him. She believed him without question, and they tossed me out on the street.”

“I’m so sorry, Natalee. Do you have any family, or are you orphaned?”

I gave Madame Sage the abbreviated version of how I’d ended up in Faircross. It actually felt good to tell another woman who wasn’t Mrs. Foxthorne what had happened to me. Mrs. Foxthorne had scoffed whenever I claimed I couldn’t ask my family for help, but Madame Sage looked at me with nothing but understanding gleaming in her eyes.

“So, you see, I’m stuck in Faircross with only a few gold pieces to my name. Widowed with a claim no one seems interested in buying, and completely estranged from my family.” I laughed. How could I not? If I didn’t laugh at the ridiculousness of my situation, I would break down crying again.

A small smile tugged at Madame Sage’s lips. “Well, then, it sounds like you’ll fit in nicely at The Sweet Siren. You are welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

“But I can’t just stay here for free. I mean, surely you would expect me to work and earn my keep, wouldn’t you?” I didn’t want to be a charity case, even if that was what Madame Sage was offering.

“Well, we always need girls to serve drinks and food. I’m sure you could also help Lottie in the kitchen from time to time. We’ll find something for you to do that doesn’t involve going upstairs with the males. The sirens who go upstairs with the males wear necklaces with large blue oceanstone pendants, as well as very little clothing, but as long as you’re wearing a modest dress and no flashy necklace, the males will understand that you are to be left alone.”

Not for the first time tonight, I was stunned. Had the madame of a brothel actually offered me a job? One that didn’t include servicing customers in an amorous fashion?

I had never in my wildest imaginings thought I might be tempted to take a job in a place like The Sweet Siren, but now I was more than tempted. I was excited and felt hopeful at the chance I was being given. I thought of the desperate prayers I’d uttered in the street as I struggled to carry my valises. Perhaps the gods had answered my pleas for help.

But then I thought about the women who went upstairs. They had to be making decent money. The sort of money that could get me back to the Northern Isles should I ever decide to venture back home. Once, I’d formed a vague plan about how I could reconcile with my family, but unfortunately that plan required a great deal of coin.

Well, I wasn’t a virgin, I reasoned. And from what I could tell, The Sweet Siren turned away males who behaved badly. Strange as it was to say, this bawdy establishment was a rather safe place.

I thought of my dear sisters and Nanny Tess. Longing panged in my chest. The great, unyielding desire to return to the Northern Isle of Jathaway, no matter what it took. No matter what uncomfortable things I might have to endure in order to make my plan come to fruition.

I took a deep breath and stared Madame Sage straight in the eye. “Actually, I think I might like to wear an oceanstone necklace.”

The madame looked at me with uncertainty.

“I’m no virgin. And I could use the extra money,” I continued, then felt a stab of self-consciousness that Madame Sage hadn’t instantly accepted me as a full-fledged siren. Maybe I wasn’t pretty enough to wear an oceanstone necklace.

“Natalee, sweetie, you’ve been through an ordeal this evening,” Madame Sage said with a kind smile. “I’m not saying ‘no’ to you wearing an oceanstone necklace, but I would like you to start by helping out around the tavern in other ways first. Then if you decide in a week or so that you’d really like to go upstairs with the males, I will allow it. You seem like a good girl, and I don’t want you rushing into something you’ll later regret.”

“I can live with that, though I promise you in a week or so I will still wish to go upstairs with the males. I have a future to save up for.” I didn’t elaborate on my future or the plans I was still concocting that required a bit of money, and thankfully Madame Sage didn’t ask.

“All right, it appears we have a deal. Now, there’s only one bit of business left.” The madame tapped on her chin and stared at me thoughtfully. “You need your siren name.”

“My siren name?”

“Yes, all the girls who work at The Sweet Siren go by aliases, so as to keep their true identities private. Even females who only serve drinks and food have aliases.”

I felt some relief at that.

“You happen to bear a striking resemblance to every depiction I’ve ever seen of Julianne, the Goddess of Beauty, with your long flowing auburn-gold hair, your stark blue eyes, and your full pink lips.” She smiled. “Well, there we have it. Julianne. Your siren name is Julianne.”

I grinned across the table at Madame Sage. “Julianne. I like it. Thank you. You’ve been most kind to me. If Trevonn hadn’t found me in the street, I don’t know what I would have done.”

“Everyone here helps each other, Julianne. We lift each other up. I think you will get on well with the other sirens.” Madame Sage stood up. “Come, I’ll show you to your room downstairs. If you do decide to wear an oceanstone necklace, we’ll get you settled in a room upstairs, but until then we’ll keep you down here near the kitchen.”

I followed Madame Sage into a short hallway and through an open door. The room we entered contained a small but inviting bed that was stacked with pillows and blankets. A dresser was pushed against the far wall, and a mirror hung above it. There was also a table with a basin for washing set up in a corner. My valises sat atop a trunk that was pushed against the bottom of the bed. A lit lantern rested on the bedside table, casting a warm glow over the small but inviting space. It was a cozy room and I suddenly found myself yawning as I eyed the bed.

Madame Sage put an arm around me and smiled. “Get some rest, sweetie, and in the morning, I’ll introduce you to everyone. Also, I promise no one will come bothering you, but there is a lock on the door. Feel free to latch it if it makes you feel safer.”

“Thank you.”

The madame departed the room and closed the door behind her. I immediately went to latch the lock. After my ordeal with Mr. Foxthorne, I doubted I would ever go a night without locking my bedroom door again.

I slipped my shoes off and went to the basin to clean up. My dress would need washing due to my tumble on the street. I took it off and donned a nightdress, then curled up under the covers. Sleep claimed me quickly.

Thankfully, my dreams weren’t dark. Mr. Foxthorne didn’t feature in a single one of them. Instead, all night long, I dreamed about Knot Thazurok.

The orc’s dark, kind eyes. His black hair blowing in the breeze. I even dreamed of him taking his clothes off and crawling into bed with me, pressing his huge green body against mine.

But when I awoke in the morning, the memories of the dreams left me with a deep sadness. Because I shouldn’t be dreaming about another man only months after Logan’s passing. Furthermore, I shouldn’t be thinking about the handsome former priest at all.

He’d returned to his cabin in the mountains. He hadn’t stuck around town, and I’d taken it as a sign that he wasn’t interested in settling down. The pain in his voice when he’d spoken of his wife, Emalise, had been cutting. He clearly wasn’t ready to marry anytime soon, and, therefore, I needed to vanquish all thoughts of him from my mind.

Instead, I needed to focus on my new position at The Sweet Siren and my plan to make it back to the Northern Isles, where I would be free to marry again, and no one would know of my brief stint working at a brothel in a mining town.