The Emerald of Elche: Part IV
1833
The carriage pulled up at the gates of an estate south of Valencia and Vicente helped Esmeralda step out. The woman nearly dripped on the hem of her dress and had to grab onto the noble to keep her balance. The gown he had given her was restrictive and had far too many layers. She was sweltering under all the fabric and found it difficult to breath with the corset she was wearing squeezing at her torso. How noblewomen could tolerate wearing such clothes was beyond Esmeralda. She much rather preferred her usual more revealing outfit.
Following behind Vicente, Esmeralda tottered her way into the extravagant mansion. Vicente had invited her to attend a ball outside Valencia, something she could not turn down. She needed to meet more nobles and find some potential clients. Of course she was out of her element, something she realized as she entered the building. Everyone was dressed in suit and gowns, dancing to music played by an entire orchestra. Esmeralda was used to using her looks to entrance men, but the puffy gown denied her that prospect. She still had her face, enough to charm most men. She was unsure how to go about charming a nobleman, but she’d have to try, that is if Vicente let her. She was his guest after all and he may feel hurt if she started flirting openly.
The two made their way through the hall, mingling with the other guests. Vicente chatted with a few fellow nobles he knew while Esmeralda remained silent, studying everything around her. She only had to nod along with the conversation and say a few pleasantries. Vicente had warned her to not go too in-depth in conversation with anyone, for it would raise too many questions. It would not be in either of their interests if everyone knew she was a prostitute. No, she had to be discrete about such things in this social circle.
Eventually they met up with the host of the ball, a well-dressed young man who seemed very interested in Esmeralda. A mischievous smile crossed his face as they approached, and the look in his eyes said he wanted to do more than just talk to her.
“Alejandro, it is good to see you,” Vicente said, shaking the man’s hand.
“You as well, my friend,” Alejandro said, although his eyes never left Esmeralda. “Now who might this be?”
“I’m Esm--”
“—Maria,” Vicente said, interrupting her introduction. He squeezed her arm and eyed her from the corner of his eyes. “This is my wife.”
“Esmaria? Quite an unusual name.” Alejandra raised an eyebrow at her before giving a predatory grin at Esmeralda and she could feel Vicente bristling next to her.
Esmeralda plastered on a smile to cover her error and curtsied. “Well my name is Maria, but I prefer to go by Esmeralda.” She glanced over at Vicente, who was trying to hide a scowl. He didn’t like her risking exposure. Vicente had wanted her to pretend to be his wife in every way, for with her uncanny likeness it was quite easy for Esmeralda to go along with it. Maria’s passing was not well-known, so it was easy to play it off that she had never died.
Alejandro, the epitome of suave, gently grasped her hand and kissed it, maintaining eye contact the whole time. “It is my greatest pleasure to make your acquaintance, Esmeralda.”
By now Vicente was barely containing how uncomfortable he was with this whole situation, so Esmeralda decided it was time to pull out. “As am I. Now I must excuse myself. I am in need of some refreshment. Why don’t you two get reacquainted while I go get something to drink.”
Before either man could respond, Esmeralda slipped back into the crowd, leaving Vicente and Alejandro alone to chat. She found the alcohol soon enough, some fancy champagne she could barely pronounce the name of. She pounded back a glass, apparently not the proper procedure for drinking such liquor based on the astonished gasps of the other guests around her. She scrunched up her face as the taste hit her. It was far too sweet for her. She preferred much harder liquors than this.
After eyeing up the guests for potential clients, she decided it was time to make her way back to Vicente. As she turned to leave, her foot caught on the hem of her dress again and she hurtled forward. Her collision with the floor was stopped though as Alejandro stepped out to grab her. With surprising ease, he twirled her up and around, pulling her towards the dance floor and making it seem as though her slip had merely been the start of their dance.
“I must apologize, my lady,” Alejandro said as he guided her across the dance floor, strutting alongside her to the music. Esmeralda did her best to follow in-step, but she was unaccustomed to such dance manoeuvres. The music she listened to was much more brash and so were the dance steps.
“Apologize for what?” Esmeralda asked as Alejandro twirled her around.
“For not asking for your permission to dance. I was so caught up on rescuing such a fair damsel from embarrassment that I neglected my gentlemanly duties.”
Esmeralda wasn’t sure whether to be turned on by such dashing behaviour or to laugh at his pomp. Instead she kept her calm, biting at her lip ever so slightly. “You are forgiven. Now how can I repay such kindness?” The lewd smile she wore suggested what she had in mind for repayment.
Alejandro licked his lips, his expression suddenly growing serious. “Vicente may not remember this, but I met his wife several years ago. Tell me this then: how is it that you, a woman of roughly 30 years, does not look a day over 19? I knew Maria and even though she was indeed beautiful, she never looked quite so young. Who are you really?”
Esmeralda nearly stumbled, but Alejandro caught her and guided her to the edge of the dancefloor. She casually played with her hair as he let go of her. “Can’t a woman just be naturally beautiful?”
“You are indeed gorgeous to look upon, but I also know that the real Maria passed away recently. Are you telling me I am speaking to a dead woman?”
Esmeralda tried her best to hide the turmoil boiling inside her. She’d been caught already, and by the host no less. “Can you keep a secret?”
“I can when such a beautiful woman is involved.”
Esmeralda nearly snorted at that comment, but stopped herself. She need to present this in such a way that Alejandro wouldn’t go blabbing to others or embarrass Vicente. “I am not Maria. Vicente merely stumbled upon me shortly after his wife’s death, and because he was having a difficult time handling her loss, he asked me to help him through this troubling time in his life.”
“So he plays you off as his dead wife and has you escort him to balls? Now that would be quite the scandal if people found out that a dead woman was attending social events.” Alejandro let out a small chuckle, clearing amused by this turn of events rather than threatening to go public with it.
“You won’t tell him you know, will you?” Esmeralda said. “I would hate to see him ill-treated because of me, especially since he has been one of the kindest of my clients.”
Alejandro raised an eyebrow and glanced around to see if anyone was listening in. He then lowered his voice and asked, “Clients? What is exactly is it that you do?”
Time to reel in the catch. Esmeralda ran a finger down Alejandro’s arm, feeling the goosebumps that appeared at her touch. “You could say that I’m an entertainer of sorts, trained to ensure that men have a most pleasurable experience during my performance.”
Alejandro gulped and licked his lips. “And could I witness one of these performances?”
Esmeralda smirked, drawing as close to Alejandro as she dared without garnering unwanted attention. “If you have the coin, you can see it all.”
Judging by Alejandro’s expression, he intended to take her up on that offer. “And where can I go to see this performance of yours?”
“Elche,” Esmeralda said. “Where else would you find the Emerald of Elche?”