Passion Light (13 page)

Evan chose that moment to jump into the conversation. “It’s a complicated thing to manage this place and entertain and feed and house a bunch of guests who expect and are accustomed to having a luxurious and comfortable stay in addition to their sexual pleasures. It requires more than knowing how to entertain men and flirt and have sex with them. It requires organizational skills and considerable planning.”

Angela walked closer to him and looked him over from head to toe, taking his measure and liking what she saw.

Isabelle suddenly realized she felt very possessive of her new husband. She thought of punching the woman, but Evan seemed to sense what she felt and grasped her hand in a way that reassured her before she completely lost her temper.

At the same time Angela seemed to lose interest in him and got back to the weekend’s entertainment. Isabelle realized that Evan had used his ability to compel her away from him. It was a revelation that she approved. She definitely did not want to share him with anyone else sexually.

Angela said, “All the staff can handle their duties as usual. You only communicate orders to them. They do all the work. I will enjoy telling them what to do.  I was born for this.”

It was a bit more complicated than that. Part of it was designing menus for the foods that were available. It was not possible to grow enough foods to make a consistent menu. Isabelle and the cooks were creating meals out of whatever they managed to grow. It changed every day. And someone, usually Isabelle had to come up with attractive recipes using whatever was in the gardens. Sometimes she really had to pluck things almost out of thin air and extend the ingredients to feed all the people who wanted and needed to eat. She and the people who cooked could never really relax. Additionally, their paying customers were demanding and many people who lived in the castle also had to be fed and with too little food.

The entertainments were difficult, too, especially since Isabelle was not cut out for thinking up raunchy stuff to entertain low company. She also cared little for gambling. Maybe Angela could handle those parts of it, she thought.

“I don’t really have any notes,” Isabelle said. “Our menus change every day and other things are handled on a case by case basis.”

Angela spoke again. “I want you to stay and advise me this weekend. You can leave on Monday so you will be here to help me with any problems that come up. After that I’m sure we can manage without your constant nagging. Additionally I want some of those slackers who hide in the dungeons to make themselves available for our customers’ pleasure.”

“Those people have tasks that are essential for the success of the parties,” Isabelle said mildly, but she thought it could quickly turn into a disaster. Angela had no idea how much work was required to keep the castle reasonably clean, food coming at all the times customers wanted it, along with plenty of hot water. She also had to oversee other tasks that were both complicated and labor intensive. Clean sheets and other bedding were needed for many rooms more than once a day. Clothing had to be washed, too. The tasks were never ending. Sometimes things happened that no one could anticipate.

“We need not do some of the things you have been doing, Angela said. “Men are pigs. They don’t need fancy meals or clean bedding every time they mess up the sheets a bit. They also don’t care whether the room is clean. We don’t need all these people waiting on them. They are just more mouths to feed. Your Uncle wants sex workers and people to draw customers to gambling, not waiters and cooks and cleaners. He would like for many of the people here to just leave.”

Isabelle knew that was what Uncle wanted and there was obviously not much she could do to protect the employment and the rather insecure existence of all the people who lived in the castle.

“It might not please the customers,” she said. “They want the comfort as well as the sex workers and cards and other gambling. It’s part of their expectations. We have offered some luxury that is unavailable anywhere else.”

“The men just want sex,” Angela said. “It’s what they all want and they will be happier with more of it and less pampering with other stuff. Believe me, I know men. It’s the sex that makes them come here.”

Isabelle did not have the heart to argue with her. “Is there anything else right now?” she asked.

“No, nothing,” Angela said, turning away from them. “I have set up an office in a room next to this one. You can help me with the management this weekend. I will also need any valuables or money you have put back. Your Uncle wants you to leave all of those things here, any jewelry your parents gave you and most of your clothing, not that you know anything about good clothes, but your new husband can provide for you in the future, especially since he has not been cooperative about making an alliance with us.”

Isabelle felt her eyes burn but she refused to cry. She had a few mementos that she was emotionally attached to, not that any of them were really valuable. It never occurred to her that she would not be allowed to keep them. It seemed someone else wanted her small treasures. She turned and headed for the door when Evan took her hand in his.

Evan followed and placed his other hand on the small of her back. It comforted her more than she would have expected if she had been able to think.

Chapter 12

In a day or two new guests started to arrive. It was Albert’s job to have the first contact with them. His routine involved taking and storing their more lethal weapons, directing the stabling their transportation and giving them a list of the rules. They had to have precious metal to buy their sport, though they were allowed to hold it until they began to order whatever they wanted. Everything from sex to baths to meals to clean sheets cost something, sometimes a lot, depending on what they ordered.

Isabelle had followed orders and was in Angela’s office. She could do little to make things work for the party. Evan stayed with Isabelle, looking more and more irritated and concerned.

The office amazed Isabelle, mainly because she had never had one. She managed the castle by walking or running swiftly from one place to another, checking the kitchens, gardens and the laundries, treating wounds or illnesses. The sex workers got hurt more frequently than she wished, in spite of the rules she had to prevent such things from happening. Often the guests did, too. They frequently fought among themselves. She ran through all the passages supervising and then heading back to the dungeons to pass orders on to Albert and Doris. Uncle’s men helped to keep things from getting out of hand, though they were obviously entertained by guests beating on workers or fighting each other. Uncle encouraged betting during such incidents and made money from every altercation.

Having to stay in Angela’s office was going to make the task of keeping things running smoothly and efficiently nearly impossible.

Angela was dressed for a party in silk scarves and jewelry and impractical shoes. She was ready to have fun, not manage the business. Isabelle was escorted by two of her uncle’s guards and Evan. He had refused to leave her, but she had been given little choice in what she was required to do.

Angela asked no questions about how Isabelle managed things. She did not seem interested. It mystified Isabelle why she had to be with her.

Angela wore a satisfied smile as she told them, “I have given orders that the bedrooms will not be given a good cleaning until the party is over. Most of the cleaners can be fired and we’ll save having to feed them all, too. I’ve kept 5 to handle the housekeeping. The rest will have to find new homes. We’ll keep most of the cooks. We do love our food, but they can do without you, easily.”

Noise erupted from the great hall. A guest was displeased about his room assignment.

Albert and a couple of the sex workers managed to get him in a better mood, but things were not likely to go smoothly without Isabelle’s management and ability to anticipate problems.

Later a fight required Albert’s intervention again. Soon a group of guests gathered in the great hall, complaining loudly about their accommodations and the lack of housekeeping and luxury baths.

“It might be wise for me to go back to supervising the laundry and cooking,” Isabelle suggested.

“You will do as I tell you,” Angela snarled. “If these people were competent we shouldn’t have these problems. We clearly need to make changes in both the kitchens and the gardens. Housekeeping should not take as many people and as much time as it does.”

Then the cooks burned some of the evening meal. No one brought the word to Angela. They were accustomed to Isabelle’s constant advice and had no idea what to do without her presence nearby. They forgot she usually yanked a scorching pot off the fire and dumped the salvageable contents into another cooker before the burned taste spread to the whole pot of food. They were struggling and failing to keep things under control without Isabelle’s constant attention to the details.

The poor dinner offerings displeased even more of the guests. Soon more of them started to leave, dissatisfied with their party and it’s unusual lack of luxuries.

Angela was flushed red with the effort and sweating profusely, although she had done no more than needle Isabelle. “What would you do with what is happening?” she asked.

“I would get word to Albert and Uncle’s men to restore order,” Isabelle replied. “Normally I would not have let things go so far, but there is no way for me to communicate with the right staff from this location.

“It never looked this complicated to me,” Angela whined. “I’ll go down and see if I can charm some of the guests into staying,” she said.

“I really think you should let Albert, Doris and I handle this situation in our usual way. I am concerned about your health and I don’t think you should appear in front of this rough group of men in your condition,” Isabelle said.

“I have told you I can do this. I know how to entertain men much better than you do,” Angela insisted. She left the room and asked the two guards to accompany her, leaving Evan and Isabelle alone.

“I’m going to get my people in here immediately,” Evan said. “This situation is deteriorating rapidly. Anything could happen. There are at least 20 men here who might start a riot or ally themselves with your uncle. Most of your people would be in trouble if that happens.”

“I must signal Albert, too,” Isabelle said. “I’m very concerned about Angela. She is far more ill than she realizes.”

In the great hall things were not going well for Angela. Though her enormous chest did gain her some attention the men who were determined to leave did so and quickly. The few who were interested in Angela’s attributes were willing to stay only if she agreed to entertain them. They meant to have sex with her.

Uncle was in his room with a few of the guests who were being entertained by some strippers. As yet he was unaware there was a problem developing, but the noise in the hall soon reached him.

Some of the guests were gathered around Angela giving her lots of rude attention, including touching her breasts and pulling the scarves from her swollen body. She was flustered and laughing breathlessly, sounding more panicked by the minute.

Isabelle ran to the peep holes where she could see what was going on and tried to think how to help. Uncle’s guests tended to be rough with women who were there for their pleasure. Isabelle was sure Angela was not prepared for what the men might demand from her. The woman was ill and could make others ill, too. She began to feel really alarmed.