Little Lost Leon: Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

It was a full week before Ruby allowed herself to actually entertain the thought that she had indeed succeeded in disappearing over the horizon.  The thought had been lingering in her mind for several days, but she was afraid of tempting fate or something like that to pay much attention to it earlier.

Ruby was afraid of a lot of things.  She was still afraid of Master Mark finding her.  She was afraid Alfred was dead and their father was still rampaging around the countryside.  She was afraid she might have given Bonnie too much of the sleeping potion for her to wake up before Wayne came back from his supply run.  She was afraid of what would happen to her baby if they did not want to care for him, and she was afraid that it was too late for her to be worried about that now.

Piled on top of all of that was the fact that Ruby had no idea where she was at, nor where she had been.  She knew she had been heading due west, but in regards to just how far she may have went, Ruby did not have a clue.

Ruby thought she had surely traveled at least a hundred miles away from Wayne and Bonnie’s place, but since she had never seen a map, she had no idea just how far a hundred miles was.  Of course, having a map would not help Ruby confirm anything since she did not know where she had started.

Ruby determined to keep running until she felt more secure.  That is, if she ever could.

Ruby stole food wherever she could find it and get away undetected.  She almost failed to get away one time while stealing some eggs from inside of a large hen house.  For Ruby was still in the hen house when a woman came in to gather the eggs, and Ruby had hid under a row of nests until she was gone.  Since she hated the taste of raw eggs and had no way of cooking them, Ruby decided to not go after anymore eggs after that.

The smell of bacon frying succeeded in overwhelming Ruby's fears one morning a little later on, though.  When she saw that it was a man frying it over a campfire and appeared to be alone, Ruby thought that it might be good for her to offer him some comfort in exchange for him sharing his breakfast with her.  The man took one look at Ruby and eagerly agreed to her proposal.  It was the first of many such encounters to come.

Ruby loved the idea of her earning a living doing something she loved.  When a thought about what Alfred would think reared its ugly head, she would just ignore it.  “After all,” Ruby reasoned with herself, “A girl has to eat to stay alive, and it was only right for her to get paid for services well rendered!”

  Ruby worked her way across the land until she came across a really big river.  She saw what looked like a fairly large town on top of a bluff upstream a bit, and docked nearby were two large riverboats.

When Ruby was near enough, she could hear what sounded like a grand party going on inside of one of the riverboats.  She had attended a couple of parties while being one of Master Mark’s comfortesses, and she would not have minded attending one every day.  That riverboat sure looked inviting to her.

“Most impressive—isn't she?”

Even though the question startled her, Ruby had worked hard on controlling her reactions.  So, instead of literally jumping as she turned in the direction the question had come from to see who was asking it, Ruby calmly turned in that direction.

It was not, of course, the question that had startled Ruby.  It was someone approaching so close without her noticing that Ruby found so startling, which really should not have been such a shock at all.  For it seemed like people had been sneaking up on her a lot over the years.  Now, that was something Ruby should have been startled about, but the thought was there one second and gone the next.

The question had come from a very distinguished-looking man wearing an off-white linen suit, who had unruly light-brown hair and a bushy beard and mustache.  To complete the description, he was puffing on a corn-cob pipe and looking at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“To whom were you referring, sir?”

“Whoa,” he drawled, “Not many ladies your young age employ such proper grammar.”

“I am just repeating what I heard my brother ask someone a time or two.”

“He is obviously a very sharp and well-educated man.”

“I do not know about the education part, but he was very sharp.”

“Was?”

“I have not seen my brother for many years, and I am fairly sure he is now dead.”

“I am sorry to hear that, miss.  My condolences on your great loss.”

Ruby looked at him with gratitude in her eyes.  Granted, she was not sure of just how sincere his concern was, but it was nice to hear the words, anyway.

“My name is Samuel.  May I be so bold as to inquire about your name?”

“My name is Amelia.”

“Truly a lovely name for a very lovely lass.  It fits you well, my dear Amelia.”

Yes, Ruby had adopted her mother’s name.  For she was afraid of using Rosie in case itching ears loyal to Master Mark might hear something about her and pass the information along to him.  Since she had told Sister Evangeline what her real name was, using it would pose the same risk.  Ruby had never said anything about her mother’s name to them, though.  So, it seemed safe to use.

Furthermore, Amelia was a name that would always catch her attention.  Whereas, there might be times when she would be slow to recognize someone calling her by a not so familiar name, which might raise suspicions.  Ruby thought that Alfred might have been quite impressed with her reasoning.

Oh how Ruby missed Alfred, but she felt like her survival depended on keeping her mind focused on the matters at hand instead of dwelling too much in the past.  “Today is today, and the past was past,” Ruby would tell herself.  “When I feel truly safe, if I ever really do feel truly safe, I will would take time to properly grieve for what I have lost.”

“The Shady Lady.”

“What are talking about, Samuel?”

“I was answering your question about who I was referring to as being most impressive.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“The riverboat right here in front of us.  Her name is The Shady Lady.  See, it is painted on the hull right there, as well as on the paddle wheels.”

Oh, I see that now.  Yes, she is most impressive.”

“She was originally designed to rapidly deploy troops along the Intracoastal Waterway.  She has a steam boiler powering that one large paddlewheel in the stern and another boiler powering the two smaller paddlewheels on the sides, with room to carry over three hundred cavalrymen, along with their horses and equipment.  She had several gun emplacements to defend herself when under attack, which were removed when she was transformed into this luxury passenger liner after the war.”

“War?  What war?”

“The Civil War between the north and the south.  It is fortunate that you were too young to remember it.  For there is much about it that I wish I could not remember.  Nonetheless, you were still affected by the war—regardless of whether you realize it or not.  Everyone in this country was in one way or another.  I am so glad it finally ended.  Tragically, it is still going on to some, and I fear that this will never stop until their old way of life is restored, which I do not think will ever happen.  I am surprised that you have not at least heard of something about it before.”

“I lived a very secluded life as a child, and my family did not talk about such things.  Evidently, I have never been around anyone who does before now.”

“Well, it is said that ignorance is bliss, but it is also said that those who ignore history are bound to repeat it.  By the way, are you planning on mounting your own insurrection someday?  I hope it is not today.”  The mischievous glint in Samuel’s eyes was back.

Ruby played along.  “Maybe tomorrow, but I just want to go aboard today.”

“How do you propose to do that?”

“What do you mean?  Does not someone just walk up this gangplank to go aboard?”

“Yes, they do, but they must have enough money to pay the price for admission.  The proper attire is also required.  If you would pay heed to the ladies going aboard, you would notice that they are all wearing fine evening gowns, which cost a pretty penny, I might add.  No, they are not cheap—certainly not around here after the war left the economy in shambles.”

“You sure do talk a lot.”

“Yes, I have been told that before.  I fancy myself as a writer, and one of a writer’s greatest skills is listening for something to write about.  On the other hand, I have found that talking is often the best way to facilitate listening.”

“I was taught to never speak until spoken to when not sure about the intentions of another.”

“You wound me, my dear Amelia.  I assure you that my intentions are nothing if not pure.  I am just curious about how you purpose to go aboard dressed like that.  Not that you look bad.  Quite the opposite, my very lovely lass, but the people in charge will still require you to be wearing a fine evening gown before they will let you aboard and attend the party.  I assume that it is the party that you are interested in—is it not?”

“Yes, I would very much like to attend the party.  Do you have any ideas?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.  If you will accompany me into town, I will tell you all about them in my hotel room over coffee and some of the best blackberry cobbler I have ever run across.”

Ruby was intrigued—not to mention rather impressed by Samuel's smooth approach. For the men she had been with generally saw no need for such niceties.

“No, Samuel might not be able to really help me in any way,” Ruby conceded to herself.  “On the other hand, a hotel romp with a true gentleman might prove very satisfying in its own right.  Besides, I really do think I would like some good blackberry cobbler right now.”

“I never acquired a taste for coffee, kind sir.”  No, Ruby did not want to appear to be too easy.

“What do you like to drink with your blackberry cobbler, Amelia?”

“Good Kentucky bourbon always hits the spot just right.”

“Surely a woman after my own heart.  I have a bottle in my room as we speak.  Shall we proceed?”

“Yes, I think we shall, Samuel.”

Samuel gently hooked his left arm around Ruby’s right one and led her toward one of the fine carriages parked nearby.  She remembered that the lady with the exquisite necklace her name is based on was riding in a carriage fit for a princess, and she wondered if it was like the one she was about to ride in.  As Samuel was helping her up into the carriage, she noticed that it had a shiny brass nameplate with Shire engraved on it.

The carriage was being pulled by a Morgan with a shiny black coat.  The mare reminded her of a smaller version of the mares that pulled her father’s wagon what now seemed like ages ago.

Ruby put that thought about her father’s horses out of her mind with great haste.  For it was still too soon to remember anything having to do with her father.  That is, other than Alfred at convenient times, of course.

Nonetheless, even the fondest of memories about Alfred held a great deal of pain and sorrow for Ruby.  So, she tried to limit her exposure to them to the barest of minimums when she could, and Ruby wished she was better at it.

Albeit only to herself, Ruby had to admit that what happened next caught her completely off-guard and even shook her confidence a little.  For she did not believe there was a man alive who could resist her sexual charms, unless it was a man who really wanted to be a woman or just not interested in sex for some reason.

Samuel certainly did not act like a man who did not like sex, but instead of rushing her into his hotel room as soon as they arrived, he led her to a dress shop a couple of doors down from the hotel.  Ruby was given her choice of any pattern and style available, and she choose a sky blue background dotted with tiny red roses.  Her measurements were taken, and if you are curious, she had a 34-inch bust, 20-inch waist and 30-inch hips.  Oh, and she was five-foot, two inches in height.

The style of dress Ruby chose was a full-length satin evening gown, with a stiff collar and rounded buttons up to an open neckline.  After paying for it, Samuel directed the owner of the shop to have the dress delivered to his hotel room when it was ready.

“Okay,” Ruby thought, “It is now time to get down to business.”  This seemed to be confirmed when Samuel stopped by the front desk of the hotel to ask for hot water to be brought for the bathtub in his room.  However, after luxuriating in the hot water for over an hour, Ruby was asked to put on a plush robe until her new evening gown arrived.  Samuel had the blackberry cobbler waiting for her, and he poured Ruby a glass of very fine Kentucky bourbon as she sat down to the table.

Samuel smiled broadly as Ruby scarfed down the cobbler like she had not eaten in a week.  It had actually only been two days, but her stomach would have given you an argument about that.

Samuel asked Ruby if she would like a thick porterhouse steak for dessert, and she giggled as she nodded her head up and down in an affirmative motion.  Ruby was starting to wonder if her services might not be required.

They were not.  Well, at least not the kind of services Ruby assumed.  Granted, Samuel did have need of her services, and it did involve sex—just not sex with him.

Samuel explained that he was he was writing a series of articles about the riverboat party scene that had sprung up after the war, which he planned on selling to one of the most prominent national news publications at the time, Harper’s Bazaar.  What he had in mind would cover all sides of the issue, and the main thing was organized orgies for special guests he had heard some rumors about.

In order to do that, Samuel needed a female perspective from a lady actually attending the parties and participating in the orgies.  Finding wives willing to tell their story was fairly easy to do when they had husbands sneaking off to go to the parties. In sharp contrast, all of the women he had approached at the parties so far flatly refused to tell him anything.

Ruby was also so inclined.  For she was afraid of being a part of such a series might attract the attention of Master Mark or her father.  Even if they never found out, she did not want to find herself gutted and thrown overboard to feed the catfish or with her throat cut and bleeding out in some dark alley.  For menfolk around such parties have a tendency to be rather touchy about people talking too much.

Samuel finally talked Ruby into it by promising to never disclose her real name.  He even asked her what name she wanted to go by in the series.

Ruby’s first thought was that it would be funny to have herself identified as Sister Evangeline, but a second thought convinced her otherwise.  For the real Sister Evangeline would surely want to find out who was using her name, and that might lead to Master Mark having her dragged by the hair all of the way back to his compound to give her a big drink of lye soap solution before her head was chopped off.  No, there was nothing funny about that.

So, Ruby settled on the name, Dusty.  Samuel chuckled to himself when he wrote it down because she had been rather dusty-looking when he first laid eyes on her.

It was just getting to be dark outside by the time Samuel and Ruby walked up to the gangplank to go aboard The Shady Lady.  It was fairly quiet, and Ruby was afraid that they had missed the party.  Ah, but the revelers were just taking a break, and the party was going full tilt again by the time it was fully dark outside.

Samuel and Ruby separated and mingled with the crowd.  Around three hours later, Samuel was back in his hotel room alone and Ruby was in another room riding an older man like he was a bucking bronc.

They were not the only two in the room.  By the time dawn broke, Ruby had been with fourteen different men and three women of various ages, sizes and shapes.  As that round of partying started breaking up, several of the men and women begged Ruby to come back soon.

It was almost like shifts in a factory.  For as one crowd was leaving to return to the real world for a while, another crowd shuffled in to begin the next round of partying.  Ruby did not leave The Shady Lady for five days.

Ruby would not have left even then if it was not for Samuel coming back aboard to tell her that he had to leave town the next day.  She felt beholding to him for all that he had done for her while treating her with great respect.  So, Ruby gladly excused herself from the party to go back to his hotel room and tell him about what she had seen, heard and actually participated in so far.

“Okay, Samuel, the rumors you heard about the orgies were true.  I do not want to disclose any names or specific details, though.  For even with using an assumed name for me in the series, such information could lead to my true identity being discovered.  Please do not think that I am just a silly little girl being overly dramatic.  For keeping my mask in place truly is a matter of life and death for me.”

“You can trust me, Amelia.  I will never purposefully do anything to place you in a compromising situation.  Besides, Harper’s would not publish salacious personal details, anyway.  For they could destroy the lives of innocent family members, and no one in good conscious would want that to happen.”

“I do trust you, Samuel.  I do not understand why, but I do.”

“I am glad, and I am also trusting you.  For I do not think I would make it very far out of town before a bullet made sure of me taking their secrets to the grave if you were to tell certain ones what I am working on.”

“Can you tell me why you have not made any sexual advances toward me, Samuel.  Do you not like girls?”

Samuel was in the process of swallowing a big slug of whisky when Ruby asked him that.  He did not spill a drop, but it was a struggle.  Ruby just sat there grinning while waiting on an answer.

“It can be argued, young lady, that I have liked girls a little too much during my youth.  For I had a hard time focusing on anything else until I met Angela.  She has brought out the best in me, and I would never do anything to break her trust.  If it makes you feel any better, being around you does make it hard to stay true to those sacred vows I took.  She might never know, but I would.  I do not think I would be able to ever look her squarely in the eye again afterward.”

Ruby had stopped grinning.  For Samuel’s devotion to his wife shook her to the core of her being, and she started to wonder how many men were cheating on their wives with her.  It almost derailed Samuel’s series before it really began.  That is, at least Ruby’s part in it.

The key word to that is almost.  For Ruby found being desirable to men most desirable.  She did not mind being desirable to some women, either.

Yes, everyone has their own thing, and sex was Ruby’s drug of choice.  Although, she did not think she was addicted.  For she had made it all of those months with Wayne and Bonnie without even thinking about sex, but it was most definitely on her mind now.

It was decided that Samuel would change the names of both the people and the riverboats to keep Ruby as safe as possible.  However, I will disclose the names to you.  For it would be just too confusing for me to try to keep all of the aliases straight.

As it came to pass, the older man Ruby had been riding like a bucking bronc was named, Jack, and he was the captain of The Shady Lady.  Captain Jack had his wife, Jill, living aboard with him, and she was one of the women Ruby had been also with that first round.

Yes, Jack and Jill really were their names.  Trust me, I am not that imaginative.

Captain Jack and his wife liked Ruby so much, they put her into a stateroom of her own, where she could make money entertaining guests privately.  No, Ruby would not receive a cut of what was essentially a cover charge for admission into the parties, but she would not have to pay for her Shady Lady room and board, either

Ruby had almost instantaneously became a huge attraction, and she could take a break to eat, sleep or whatever whenever she wanted to.  Just as long as she kept participating in the orgies, of course.

Orgy invitees generally paid extra ahead of time, but regular revelers were welcome to participate for free the first time.  The young and virile were always very welcome, but having a very rich reputation held its own kind of value.

It all started with a group of sexual enthusiasts banding together to pay a captain for a large room on a riverboat to hold their orgies and avoid incurring the wrath of the more religious around their particular area.  The owners of some riverboats caught wind of these arrangements and started organizing the events.

Certain riverboats, like The Shady Lady, were designated sites that would move from port to port every two weeks, with a week off between ports for travel and personal time.  This kept the fresh blood flowing, so to speak.

By the time Ruby stumbled across the scene, several riverboat owners had wanted in on the action.  There were a couple of so-called pirates, but the rest cooperated with each other to keep the cut-throating down to a minimum so they could all share in the booty.

The Shady Lady was assigned six ports of call while her sister riverboat, The Old Crow, handled regular traffic up and down the river.  This allowed the owner of both to maintain his license to conduct riverboat business.

Captain Ron of The Old Crow lobbied hard for her to be the designated site instead of The Shady Lady, but settled on free admission to the orgies for him and his crew whenever The Old Crow docked somewhere while The Shady Lady was there.  It was the other riverboat docked when Ruby and Samuel first met, and Captain Ron was one of the fourteen men Ruby was with that first round.  The Old Crow had headed north the next day with fifteen passengers, five hundred gallons of molasses and a hundred large bales of cotton.

Samuel was ecstatic over all of the information Ruby had gathered in such a short time.  He even suggested that she keep a personal journal of the real names, dates and destinations in case she might want to collaborate with him on a book after she retired from such active duty.  Ruby kept it to herself that she thought that might be something worth pursuing someday, but she did promise to meet up with him again in a couple of months.  Samuel thought that it might attract less attention from prying eyes for them to meet again right where they were at, and Ruby agreed.

Ruby did not make it, however.  For at another location around a month later, one of the men participating in the orgy at hand asked her if her name was Rosie.  When Ruby told him that it was not, the man told her that she sure reminded him of a young lady he had been comforted by a couple of years before back east.

Ruby received the message loud and clear.  It was time for her to disappear over the horizon again.