Page 10 of The Shadow of Breninsol
“No, not your toes. I mean your foot…like yourwholefoot.” Lucy put extra emphasis on highlighting it wasn’t just a toe fetish.
They let that revelation sink in, which was followed by some giggles from Calla and Lauressa, while others shifted in their seats. It was hard to determine who was reacting with revulsion or anticipation.
Their clients frequently demanded specific requests, so discussions about these requests were commonplace. The fact that Eleanor wasn’t known for socialising didn’t mean she didn’t hear the general gossip. However, she acknowledged she hadn’t understood how certain requests could be sexual and provide sexual satisfaction. She found some revelations uninteresting and would redirect clients to the women that would fulfil their sexual preferences. Eleanor experimented with other requests that intrigued her. However, she could confidently state that she wouldn’t be adding foot licking to her list of revelations. She mentally resolved to avoid Lord Godefrey until the Collection was finished.
“Does he wash them?” Veronica asked thoughtfully, lifting her head from her book. Of course, Veronica was one of the ladies wearing a dressing gown and a faded woollen shawl. Eleanor was certain Veronica would spend all day in bed reading if she could, and Eleanor didn’t blame her in the slightest.
“That?That is what you think of?” Milk said, pointing his spoon at her from across the table, letting a piece of oat slowly drip back into his bowl. He had woken up early to get a thicker porridge consistency.
Milk was one of only two men at The Ladies Grace, who wasn’t a guard posted at the pleasure house’s entrance. He may have been up early enough to have a more forgiving porridge, but he hadn’t been up long judging by his colourful dressing gown that was tied loosely around his waist and the equally colourful scarf covering his hair.
Eleanor resentfully dug her spoon into the porridge that had turned into a paste-like texture and forced herself to chew the bland, sticky substance.
“Well, the sole of your foot is tender skin, so it’d be like having the inside of your elbow licked.” Veronica mused.
As Eleanor took a large swig of the weak coffee, she watched the quiet woman from the corner of her eye.
“If you want to have your foot licked, go ahead. He’s all yours,” Lucy said, wrinkling her nose.
Veronica lifted a shoulder as she flicked a page. “There’s something stimulating about a man going to his knees for you.”
Eleanor smirked as the entire kitchen went still after that revelation. It was always the quiet ones you had to watch out for.
Cookie broke the stunned silence as he walked into the kitchen with a wide grin. “Got any eggs today?”
“How the fuck should we know?” Lucy replied with a pointed look. “You’rethe cook.”
“Yeah…cook-ie,” sniggered Calla.
Cookie rolled his eyes and sat next to Milk, helping himself to the coarse bread and stale cheese from the middle of the table. Eleanor couldn’t remember what their client names were, but to everyone here, they were Milk and Cookie. When she’d first arrived at The Ladies Grace, their monikers had confused her. Eleanor had heard stranger names, but their lack of connection to appearance or manners baffled her.
They were both toned and slight, with boyish good looks. They were also gentle and not overpowering but, when needed, defensive of the women. Their disarming personalities fitted well with the group of women. She later learned that Madam Grace had accredited their presence in the pleasure house as cooks, but they were so terrible at it that everyone had to take turns cooking instead.
“Heard you ladies have been selected this year for the party palace,” Cookie said, helping himself to another slice of the slightly mouldy cheese. “Anyone been promised to be a Favour yet?” he asked, scrapping off a bit of mould.
“It’s only been one night. Give the ladies time to work their—” Milk coughed, which stopped him mid word. Eleanor kept her emotions in check, but the unfinished word hanging in the air, the one he’d abruptly stopped himself from saying, suspiciously resembled “magic.” After Milk had recovered from his coughing, he slipped back into his easy charm, “…the room. Shall we make a bet,ladies?” he said, waggling his brown brows in a comically suggestive look.
“Leave that for the marquis,shall weflower?” Iris quipped.
Eleanor had heard of the marquis—the entire kingdom had heard about him. His reputation was built on his clothes, gambling, and women. In that order.
“He still doesn’t have a Favour,” Calla said as breadcrumbs fell onto the table between her mouthfuls of dry bread. That topic was also making the rounds in gossip circles. Younger nobles at court had Favours, but the marquis didn’t. Rumours swirled about the marquis’s popularity with women, leading some to question why he would settle down when he could have any woman he desired. Another rumour speculated that he was making it fashionable not to have a Favour. If that rumour was true, it’d make him massively unpopular with the king and very popular with the executioner.
“He’s rich enough to have more than one,” Jasmine said, and Eleanor thought she saw a gleam in the woman’s eye.
“I’ve heard he’s richer than the king,” Mirabella mumbled around some bread.
Despite his notoriety, Eleanor, driven by curiosity, attempted to identify him at the palace, but she was unable to distinguish his affluence among the others. She was still making sense of theranks of dukes, barons, and earls. They had all looked the same to her. Every courtier had been jewelled to the hilt, making it impossible for her to distinguish their rank based on their attire.
“And how would you know that?” Lucy asked pointedly.
“No one’s richer than the king,” Calla replied with absolute certainty.
“Maybe Milk and Cookie need to offer themselves to him?” Eleanor said, watching the two men for their reactions.
Although men’s sexual relations with other men were not illegal, society did not encourage or acknowledge them. If the king didn’t do it, everyone believed it didn’t happen anywhere. Only in the dark, quiet corners did the same-sex relations happen. That was the real reason behind Milk and Cookie working at The Ladies Grace. Men requested them specifically, or in combination with men and women. Eleanor thought nothing was off limits here as long as it bought Madam Grace money.
All eyes swung to her in surprise, either at what she’d suggested or that she’d contributed something to the conversation. Milk burst out laughing, followed by Cookie, until the whole table was chuckling.
