Page 2 of The Shadow of Breninsol
Shit.
Eleanor hadn’t considered this a possibility. She was aware the king invited prostitutes to the palace during the court season; however, she’d thought it would happen later in the year, or some other time entirely. Definitely not now. Stars, how much wine did she drink last night? A sufficient amount to have forgotten or blocked out this tidbit of information. She wasn’t the only one reeling from this declaration, as Madam Grace had to clap her hands to silence the sudden explosion of exclamations.
“You’ll be leaving for the palace tonight and for each night that you are required. You are all to be on your best behaviour. If I hear that any of you have displeased His Highness oranycourtier, then you will see exactly how displeased I can truly be.” The madam speared each of the selected ladies with a threatening look. Eleanor doubted Madam Grace would be the worst threat she’d ever faced, but it didn’t mean the madam’sthreat didn’t unsettle her. She’d grown accustomed to her bed, lumpy and small as it was. It was dry and private, with easy access to the cheap spirits that helped her sleep. The threat of losing that was reason enough to be on her best behaviour.
“This is a unique opportunity, and I won’t let you ruin it for me. Behave as courtesans.”
Eleanor stifled her scoff at the thought of her new title. Apparently, calling them prostitutes was too vulgar a word to use for the delicate ears of the aristocrats.
While the other women eagerly awaited their carriages to the palace, Eleanor lingered in the cold until the final white and gold one left The Ladies Grace, pulled by a team of sleek horses. In doing so, she’d found herself sitting across from Iris, Jasmine, and Calla, who were huddled together, as they transitioned from the uneven, dusty road into the polished cobbled streets.
Like the madam’s other ladies, she knew their names weren’t a coincidence. The triohappenedto be named after flowers. Madam Grace controlled everything in her little kingdom of The Ladies Grace, even their names weren’t their own. It was an unspoken rule everyone used the names that the madam gave them, and no-one went by any other name. As far as Eleanor was concerned, Iris might be the woman’s real name. It helped to separate themselves from their old lives, a change Eleanor embraced.
The Petals were the classically prettiest of the ladies. Despite everyone thinking they were the daintiest as they were shorter than most, Eleanor knew the truth. They were the feistiest.
She listened to the Petals chatting about the apparent privilege of being this Season’s courtesans and the possibilities that could come with their new status while she wrestled with the sinking feeling in her stomach.
“Eleanor, are you all right? I thought you’d be excited as we are?” Iris asked.
That woman was too sharp for her own good sometimes. “I’m fine. Just not sure what to think of this, that’s all.” She forced herself to give a reassuring smile, or as much of one as she could manage.
“Well, I’m grateful. It means that the king has paid the old bat a small fortune for our exclusive use, and we can have lie-ins,” Jasmine said.
Exclusive use.This was the first time Eleanor had heard of this. She didn’t like the sound of it. Not one bit.
“And there’ll be sparkling wine!” exclaimed an excitable Calla. “And all kinds of fancy food.”
“Did you see the look on Annabella and Mirabella’s faces?” Jasmine smirked at the memory of seeing the two women’s disappointment.
“Exclusive use?” Eleanor asked, redirecting the conversation back to Jasmine’s little detail that they’d seemed to breeze over. She knew clients could buy any service, as long as they paid enough. However, it was within the relatively safe confines of The Ladies Grace and the madam’s hired guards were nearby if anything got out of hand. She didn’t trust those guards to come to her aid quickly, and so she always had her dagger stashed somewhere. To set her mind at ease, she brushed a careful hand at her thigh where she kept a small Attarician blade concealed. Only the knives remained from her past, before she came to TheLadies Grace. They’d been part of a set that she’d left behind in what felt like another life, only taking two of her smaller blades. She was still yet to name them.
“Yes,flower. We’re courtesans now. We’re to serve only the courtiers and not see our usual clientsandif we’re not bought in the Collection, then we can charge double our rates,” Iris explained.
Eleanor had learned about the Collection from overheard conversations in the marketplace over time. It was a week-long bidding war between the aristocrats over the courtesans, elevating them to Favours. She swallowed uncomfortably. She guessed that was to be her fate now.
“Weren’t you picked last year?” Eleanor questioned. Despite her short time at The Ladies Grace, she’d already picked up on the gossiping among the ladies.
“I was,” Iris confessed, “but that was before I came here, and then the old bat paired us three together.”
Jasmine waved a careless hand among them. “We’ve become a novelty this way.”
Casting an eye over the trio, she couldn’t deny that the madam had an eye for grouping the ladies together in appealing groups. Their arrangement complimented each other; Jasmine’s rich black was a stark contrast to Calla’s creamy white while Iris balanced them with her warm brown. Paired with the usual colours they wore—white, light pink, and purple—they made a bouquet of pure loveliness.
“What was it like? The court?” she asked, wanting to find out any information Iris would give.
“Busy. Drink the wine, keep your head down and make sure you’re ready to leave in these carriages. Don’t stay past the midnight bells—that’s when the party palace closes for the night.”
Eleanor smirked when she heard Iris use the derogatory term for the king's palace. Rumours and gossip had spread over the years across the kingdom, and probably the neighbouring overseas kingdoms, of the wild parties and the outrageous nobles thrown into the mix. The stories were so wild and fantastical that no one could discern truth from embellishment. Although there was one certainty: the king was vain, and his nobles were just as vain and sheltered. They were more preoccupied with the latest trends set by the notorious marquis and the duke rather than the welfare of their people and the realm’s well-being.
“And everyone in attendance is of age?” Eleanor asked, sceptically.
“It’d be stupid if the king didn’t follow his own laws,” Jasmine scoffed.
Iris frowned but replied. “Yes, from what I remember the children aren’t allowed out of their rooms past a certain time.” Iris tilted her head in thought. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen or heard children in the party palace.”
“It’s apalace,” Jasmine replied with an amused smirk.
“Imagine if a lord falls in love with us. We could be the first Favour to become a wife, a real lady. Imagine we catch the marquis’s eye,” Calla gasped. “Or what if the king sees me and he falls in love with me? He’d make me the first queen.”
