The Emerald of Elche: Part VI
Esmeralda lounged back on her bed, a far more suitable substitute to the ratty lice-infested thing she had slept in during her teenage years. As she neared 23, she reflected on how much had changed in her life. The room she was resting in, her room, was no longer some cramped chamber shared with a bunch of less pleasant prostitutes. Now she had her own quarters, a private room at a much more reputable inn that catered mostly to merchants and bureaucrats, men who had decent money but lacked the status of the nobility. It was a step up from the dingy tavern she shared with others. She couldn’t have remained there with her new clientele. The idea of bringing a noble, no matter how minor, to the filth that had been her previous home brought a smirk to Esmeralda’s face. This inn at least lacked the beer stains and smell of vomit. Appearances meant something here, and that was suitable enough to her more discreet clientele that couldn’t risk bringing her to their own homes.
Of course her living quarters were not the only thing that had changed. Puberty had been kind to Esmeralda as she left her teenage years behind. She had gained a few inches, bringing her close to five and a half feet tall. Her figure had filled out, even more than before. Her breasts were plump but not overbearing, and her hips were curvaceous enough to draw a man’s eye. She did not seem as petite as she had before. She was undoubtedly a woman, bringing a new sense of allure that differed from her previous girlish charms. Perhaps that was what kept her clients coming back.
Business was better than ever, if one could call what Esmeralda did a business. Her liaison with Alejandro had proved a great boon, for the nobleman had proven good on his word. Not only had he visited her frequently over the past few years, paying her quite handsomely for her services, but he had spread word of her talents to his circle of friends. Nobles from all across the kingdom came to see the Emerald of Elche, and a few times Esmeralda had even been summoned to far away cities to meet these men at their own estates. These new railways opened up the country to her, extending her reach beyond the confines of Elche. And reach she did, for a night with a noble was worth a month of drunken peasants. She would never let go of this opportunity.
These nobles were a different breed of men to what she was used to. The drunks she had catered to before were just average men, those looking for a quick romp to satisfy their needs. They were merely satisfying some base urge. It did not take long for Esmeralda that these nobles were different. While they of course were driven by carnal desires, they were more particular in their choices. They did not so much want a brief moment of pleasure, but more sought an experience. Here were men bound by societal rules that determined their behaviour. One mistake amongst their associates could ruin their reputation forever. Many of these noblemen were so heavily repressed, and they needed a release, a moment free of that burden. That was where Esmeralda came in. She gave them that freedom, a moment to escape the pressures of their station to enjoy what it was to be human. A night with a noble had to be a performance, an experience he would remember. The drunks just needed a warm body to do what they wanted with. She supposed when it came down to it though, nobles weren’t so different from the common man; the latter were just more honest with themselves.
There was at least one man though who was different. Esmeralda still saw Vicente from time to time. All he ever wanted to do was talk, an unusual request to make of a prostitute. She supposed the fact that she looked so much like his late wife made him feel comfortable around her, enough to open up and confide in her. It was an unusual role, but one she did not mind. It was almost soothing to know there was at least one man out there who didn’t want her for her body. He no longer took her out to balls or soirees, for eventually word did get out of his wife’s passing and the man’s father had been pressing for a second marriage. It would have been downright scandalous to show up at a party with his wife’s lookalike when everyone thought her dead.
A knock on her door drew Esmeralda back to the present. She sighed, not in the mood to entertain clients. She didn’t have any scheduled, so it was most likely some merchant or bureaucrat who frequented the inn and decided to risk approaching her.
“Open up, my dear.”
Esmeralda growled, an uncomely sound for a young woman, and rose from the bed. The voice was unmistakably Juan’s, her procurer, or rather ex-procurer. The two had had a falling out last year back after she had first decided to move out of the dingy tavern and do business elsewhere. When it became clear to Esmeralda that she could manage her own business, especially with Alejandro practically pimping her out to his fellow nobles, she had unceremoniously pushed Juan aside. The man had helped her through her early years, but she was a grown woman now and didn’t need him anymore. He had already skimmed enough of her profits away over the years to have bought out this entire inn if he pleased.
“Go away, Juan,” Esmeralda said, standing a few feet away from the door.
“Come on, my dear. Don’t turn me away. You need me.”
Esmeralda glanced around at her much more opulent quarters and said, “I seem to be doing quite well without you, ‘my dear’.”
“My dear, you wound me so. I know we had our falling out, but a girl needs someone to look out for her. You won’t make it on your own.”
Esmeralda’s expression turned down into a scowl. Her entire life men had used for their own needs. Juan had used her to further his own greed. Alejandro, the man responsible for much of her new-found wealth, only helped her for sexual favours. Even Vicente only sought her out to fulfill some emotional need. No man had ever cared what she wanted. She was tired of being used. In this man’s world, a woman had to fight to decide her own fate. Many would think a prostitute a sinful profession, but in truth she was freer than most women. To sleep with other men for money was her own choice. If she could continue to do so on her own terms, without other men taking control of her life, she would do so. She didn’t need a procurer, for she could handle her own affairs from now on.
“Everything I have done, every cent I have earned, was my own doing. You have reaped the rewards of my work for too long. I’m done with that arrangement. Leave me in peace so I can conduct my business on my own terms.”
Silence ensued for a good minute. Esmeralda wondered if perhaps Juan had left, but then she heard him clear his throat. “You’re a fool, my dear. A woman such as you will never make it in this world. You will fail, and on that day you will crawl back to me and beg for forgiveness.”
The stomping of feet told Esmeralda of Juan’s departure. She immediately slumped down on her bed, emotionally exhausted. She wanted him to be wrong, but fear nipped at the edge of her senses. What if he was right, that she wasn’t ready to take control of her fate and pave her own path. She was treading dangerous ground, offering herself up to these nobles whose whims could be so fickle. Perhaps for now she was this rarity, a shimmering object to draw their attention. Soon though they may grow bored of this new curiosity and she’d be right back where she started, alone and destitute. She had to continue on, though. She had to prove Juan wrong. She would be strong enough, for she could not afford to fail. She would not rest until every man, both noble and commoner, knew of the Emerald of Elche.
* * * * *
((Esmeralda is officially open for business. If anyone wants to make use of her services, after hearing of her through the nobles' grapevine, just send a letter to her requesting her presence either in Elche or at a location of your choice (you better be paying for her train ride), being as open or discreet as you like. If you'd prefer not to get caught sending letters to prostitutes (you never know when the Church or a jealous wife is going through your mail), address it to my lovely quasi-pimp Alejandro instead. The Emerald of Elche is here to fulfill your every desire.
))
