Madam by Cari Lynn Read Free Book Online Page B

squarely, his jaw quivering. “You gonna tell that to the baby when it comes?”
    Caught off guard, Mary recoiled. She could feel her own temper rising at his insolence. It was she who’d been caring for him since he was born, and she who brought in most of the money; he did honest work, but a whore earned more any day of the week than a potato seller. She’d already held her tongue enough times today, and, even more, what was Peter wanting from her anyway? She was doing everything she could to save money for his baby.
    Just as she was about to spit back a sharp word or two, a groan arose from Charlotte, who shifted uncomfortably in her sleep. Mary swallowed back the scolding, not wanting to wake her. She gave a smoldering look in Peter’s direction. He deserved some reprimand for what he’d said. And then it occurred to her—her little brother was a worried father, that’s what this was about. It could be any day now, and the panic of bringing a baby into this world, especially when their own mother . . . No, no, she stopped herself, she mustn’t go there. No need to rile up her own tensions any more tonight.
    “You must be tired, Peter,” she said. “Stop worrying and let me be.”
    Chewing on his lip, he moved to Charlotte, tightening the blanket around her and softly sweeping the hair from her face. He was a gentle soul toward his wife, and it made Mary’s heart ache to watch his tenderness.
    He settled himself into the rocking chair and closed his eyes. “You’ve always been so smart, Mary. Much smarter than me. But when it comes to Lobrano, you hide your smarts. Did you forget? You’re Josie.” He gave a little smile, but his face still seemed bereft. “You’re the conductor.”
    Mary knew the passage by heart from their growing-up years. It was a story in a magazine called The Nursery , which a man friend of Mama’s from a place called Boston had pulled from his satchel and given to little Mary. Having just learned to read—Mama made sure her children spent some time in the schoolhouse—Mary read to her brother every night. While Mama was gone working, Mary and Peter would huddle together on the cot they shared and try to cover with giggles each scary creak and crack of their dark, empty shack. Out of all the lines of verse and short stories in that magazine, Peter’s favorite was about Josie the conductor. He’d ask for the story over and over again. He’d call out, “All a-boarrrd” when it came to the part where the train left the station with the passengers in two blue cars, the US mail in the green car and Josie commanding the big red engine.
    “I ain’t smarter than you, Peter,” Mary said, knowing full well that wasn’t the point he was after.
    “Oh, Mary. Lobrano’s scared of you, can’t you see that? He always has been. I ain’t saying this to be nice. I had a long day, and I’d rather be sleeping than sitting here flattering my sister. I’m saying it ’cause it’s true. He’s scared of your smarts.”
    Mary had no response. She’d never thought of herself as smart. She thought a person had to be fully schooled to be smart, and she hadn’t even completed primary school. Although, she could read and write just fine, which was more than most whores could do.
    “Get some rest,” Peter whispered to Mary, and she watched as he gingerly crawled into bed, careful not to bother his wife. Mary pulled the curtain that divided the one room, offering a pretense of privacy, and prepared her bath.

C HAPTER THREE

S nitch, eyes wide as saucers, stared at rows upon rows of money. He’d never seen so much money—fives, tens, twenties even, and dozens of stacks. Still out of breath from having raced through Venus Alley to Anderson’s Saloon, his chest heaved as he watched Tom Anderson order the cash. He seemed almost hypnotized as Anderson methodically counted and stacked the bills, his chunky gold and jeweled rings sparkling as he carried the piles of money across the room to a