Excerpt For Lord of Pleasure

LESSON ONE
'Tis truly a curse
to have no coins in your purse.
For you lose sight of all pleasure
and all means of leisure,
which makes life all the more worse.
-The School of Gallantry

London, England - January 1830
     Being a self-respecting lady born of impeccable culture and lineage -- at least on her father's side of the family -- Lady Charlotte knew all too well that she was not supposed to wink, wave, smile or nod in the direction of any man as a means of gaining attention. Especially from a hackney. But the pathetic jangling of the few coins that remained in the folds of her ribbon-drawn reticule reminded Charlotte that respectability was not only sorely exaggerated, but outright cumbersome.
     Though she had tried these past few months through various means to earn her wage most honorably, it was quite pointless. For it all ended the same. In her dismissal.
     As a kitchen-maid for a banker, she'd been repeatedly propositioned by his scruffy, pudgy-fingered chef to hitch up her skirts. For better pay. After rejecting his 'tasteless' advances, he eventually laid claim to the mistress of the house that she always burnt the soup, curdled the milk and evaporated the tea. All of which of course was untrue, but all of which, of course, had still led to her dismissal.
     As a house-maid for a naval captain, she'd been further humiliated and fondled in close quarters by the butler who was as determined as he was gangly. When she grew rather tired of dodging his eager hands and threatened to report his behavior to their employer, his retaliation resounded in her ears as he marched straight into the parlor and smashed an entire collection of antique vases. His accusatory finger not only resulted in the loss of her pension, but also every single one of her references. And yes. It ended in her dismissal.

     Sadly, the reality of her situation was this. She had no further means of earning a penny, her scoundrel of a husband was dead, and due to his overly inconsiderate nature, his entire family, including his four mistresses, continued to be well-coddled by his estate. While she? She was left to languish in her father's unfurnished townhouse with absolutely no annuity, while awaiting the cursed Court of Chancery to award her the one third of her husband's estate which was legally owed to her. A third of which she had brought into the marriage to begin with.
     In the end, contesting her husband's will had been more of an expense than she'd expected. It wasn't until she was forced to pawn off her only corset (indeed), that she realized her financial situation was quite pressing. Not to mention depressing.
     And so it was, as her hired carriage rolled into the most respectable part of the city, just outside of Hyde Park, Charlotte knew it was time to set aside her remaining pride and introduce herself to the genteel masses as being on the Market.
     With all the advances she had fostered since the death of her husband, she was certain an open invitation would secure much better payment. And hiring a carriage, as opposed to hiring one's self out of a brothel, was not only the safest form of advertisement, but also the most inexpensive.
     Charlotte shifted toward the carriage window and nervously eyed the approaching promenade. There were worse things than selling off one's virtue. Like selling off one's only home, which had been in the family for over a hundred years. Or having to beg to her husband's family -- or heaven forbid one of his four mistresses -- who had inherited everything, knew of her plight, and yet offered nothing.
     "Lord save me from myself," she muttered aloud, glancing toward the ceiling of the carriage. "For in my desperation I know not what I do."