A Mortal Bane(47)

“Blind, mute, and….” Bell swallowed and did not finish his sentence because Ella was looking at him with bright interest and he could not call her an idiot to her face. He turned abruptly to Magdalene. “Why?” he asked. “Do you collect discards?”

“Do my women look like discards?” she snapped angrily. “Each one of them is beautiful, clean, skilled at her work. Discards indeed! I searched long and hard before I found my women.”

That was not really true. Ella had been cast out of a house, bruised and bloody, and had fallen almost at Magdalene’s feet. She was weeping hysterically, totally unable to understand why she had been so treated, repeating over and over that she had done her work well and carefully, that she had not broken anything or stolen anything. Only after she had got the girl home and clean and calmed did Magdalene learn that Ella had been in both the father’s and the son’s beds in that house, that she had thought that the greatest fun, was always eager to return, and never once asked to be compensated. It was, of course, the women of the household who had mistreated her and driven her out.

Letice and Sabina had been chosen more deliberately. Letice had come herself, having heard of Magdalene’s house through the rumor that flew among such places. Because she was mute, the whoremaster for whom she worked had used her for what she knew was dangerous and dishonest work—like placing genuine seals on false documents. Letice did not mind the dishonesty; she was only fearful that she would be thrown to the wolves when the true guilty parties were suspected. Still, she had been resigned until the whoremaster decided she could be given to men who enjoyed hurting women because she could not scream. Then she had fled.

Sabina had been sold to Magdalene by another whoremistress, who complained that she was altogether too popular because her clients were forever leaving without paying. Since she could not name them nor point them out without touching them, it was almost impossible for the whoremistress to wrench the money out of them. That was unimportant to Magdalene, who collected the fee before the client joined his woman or, from many clients, received a weekly or monthly stipend that permitted reasonable access by appointment.

“Apurpose?” Sir Bellamy asked. “You chose them apurpose?”

[page]“You may be certain I did, and also my cook, who is deaf.” She smiled at him. “Have you never heard the tale of ‘hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil’? This is a safe house. Safe. I told you my clients pay very well to be assured that their possessions, their affairs, and their persons will be secret and inviolate. They feel more at ease with women who cannot speak to identify them, cannot see to describe them, and cannot remember when, where, or who. They can say what they like, do what they like—so long as they do no damage to their partners—and feel that no one will be the wiser.”

She then laughed aloud. “It is not true, of course. Letice can make herself understood when she wishes; Sabina can see a great deal with her ears and fingers. Ella….”

He burst out laughing. “But you see and hear all—”

“Not what goes on in bed, I assure you. And that is where a man likes to feel perfectly free. In the outer chamber, he wears what armor he likes and no one tries to see what is beneath it. Also, most of my clients know me of old and know I will not betray a secret.”

He stood shaking his head for a moment, then said, “I hope they realize they must tell me the truth.”

“I did,” Ella said. “I told all the truth, and that cruel man hit me with his staff. Will you hit me if you do not like my answers? They were the truth. They were.”