“Of course not.” Faith smoothed her hand over Iris’s thin shoulders, beginning to understand the hard choices and sacrifices women like Iris made each day.
“Your mother wouldn’t drink this.” Iris shivered and huddled closer to the stove. “She said life belonged in God’s hands, not ours.”
Faith agreed, but she understood why her aunts, who had lain with several men a night, would cleanse their bodies each month to avoid pregnancy. Right or wrong, she couldn’t condemn them for it.
“I’m going to move away, and if I’m . . . if I have to, I’ll pretend to be a widow like you did.”
“Nonsense. You’ll stay here and marry Patrick.”
“I can’t. I don’t have what it takes to be a wife and mother.”
“Poppycock.”
“It’s true.” Iris moved to lean against the counter. “All I needed at the brothel was a smile and a body men wanted to touch. They didn’t care about me or the woman inside. But a husband would care. Patrick cares. Even knowing what I did before I came here, he wants me. And he wants to know about my life.” She pulled a handkerchief from her house robe and blew her nose. “But how do you tell someone your own mother sold your virginity to the man who provided for you?”
Faith covered her mouth, horrified.
“She was a geisha, Faith.”
“Is that a Japanese word for prostitute?”
“No. A geisha is a trained hostess. Geishas spend years learning dance and music and the art of conversation so they can entertain men in teahouses. Some entertain them privately. When a geisha reaches mizu-age, her virginity is sold to the highest bidder. My mother wanted to go back to Japan, so she sold my virginity to buy our passage.”
“How awful.”
“She didn’t see it that way.”
“But you did.”
Iris nodded, tears pearling up on her lashes. “I hated her Japanese blood and everything about her. When I scrubbed that man’s filth off my body, I scrubbed away as much of my Japanese appearance as I could, then I left her house.”
“Your Japanese features make you beautiful. Don’t hate what you are.”
“I don’t,” Iris said. “I’ve had twelve years to think about this, and I don’t hate being Japanese. It’s my mother I hate.”
“Have you seen her since you left home?”
“No, and I don’t want to. I assume she’s still in New York City with that despicable man, since she couldn’t find passage back to Japan, I guess the money did her no good anyhow.” Iris sighed. “She said she loved me, but she sold me to a man I detested. She killed the love I had for her. At the brothel men loved my body, and some men thought they loved me, but I’ve never loved—not until Patrick. And because of him, I can’t drink this damned tea.” She banged the cup down on the counter and stared at the sloshing liquid. “I should drink it. I should leave here.”
“You can’t.”
“If I stay, I’m afraid he’ll tear my heart out like my mother did.”
“Oh, Iris, you can’t let that stop you from trying. God knows I’m afraid I’ll never measure up to the sort of woman Duke deserves, but I’ve got to try. If I don’t, I’ll only live a half-life. And you will, too, if you don’t open your heart.” She hooked her finger in the cup handle. “Let’s pour this out, all right?”
Iris looked at the cup, obviously torn. “I’ll be risking everything if I stay”
“You’ll risk having nothing if you leave. You have to be brave like Aster and Tansy. They’ve found love and happiness. Dahlia has found her place here. She’s made new friends and is happy being able to help Anna and the women who stay with her. Even Anna is making a new life for herself now. You need to find your place too, Aunt Iris, and I think that place is here with Patrick. Don’t you?”
“I don’t know. I honest to God don’t know.” Iris dumped the tea into the sink, then fled.
o0o
Adam was alone in his bed, scared about everything. Duke and Faith had been home a week, and whatever Duke did to get Cora back had got his face all scratched up. His shoulder was real sore so he’d probably had to fight somebody.
If Adam had muscles like Duke, he would have beaten Judge Stone until he couldn’t move, but the man had kicked him so hard and so fast, Adam’s head exploded with black dots that swallowed him up. He was still having bad dreams about the judge coming to take Cora away.
A lawyer named Steven Cuvier had arrived this morning from Syracuse. He’d told Faith he got a big offer on the brothel property right away and just needed her and Duke to sign the deed so he could close the sale, then he could transfer a lot of money to the bank for them. Adam thought Faith would be happy, but she’d cried real hard, like when their mother died. When the lawyer hugged her, Duke didn’t say anything about the man being familiar with her. And the man was odd. He seemed too friendly, like he was family or something, and he kept giving Adam a sad look, like Adam was going to die or something. He was even staying the night in the guest room.
