A Time for Honour

Chapter 10

'Wake-up,' Cassie heard a voice in the distance command, 'wake-up.'

As Cassie gingerly opened her eyes, she slowly became aware of Emerald standing over her. 'What time is it?' she asked sleepily, 'surely it is far too early to get up.'

Emerald walked purposefully over to the shutters and flung them open, flooding every corner of the room with bright sunlight. Cassie, who was sensitive to the bright light when she first awoke after a night of excess, immediately buried her head under the covers. 'Emerald,' she said irritably, 'why did you open the shutters? You know that sunlight, especially first thing in the morning after a busy night, always gives me a headache.'

Emerald walked back to the bed, firmly took hold of the sheet that covered Cassie, and pulled it back, leaving her lying naked on the bed. 'Wake-up!' She once more heard her command.

Cassie grabbed the sheet, that had been pulled unceremoniously away from her, and covered herself up again, 'I do not see why I have to get up so early in the morning,' she said, feeling disgruntled.

Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the bright morning sunshine, but the dull ache in her head was becoming more intense. She glanced over at the table by the side of the bed, which was littered with empty bottles from the previous night's excesses. She reached over and picked up each bottle, in turn, to ascertain whether there was anything left in them.

Emerald picked up a strange looking pipe that had been lying next to the bottles. 'If you insist on smoking opium,' Emerald said to her impatiently, waving the pipe under her nose, 'then you will spend your life in a stupor. It's a filthy habit, and one that will end in your ruin.'

Cassie ignored her warning and continued to carefully examine the bottles. Once she had found a little brandy, she poured the meagre measure into a glass and drank it quickly. 'There must be another bottle around here somewhere,' she said, as she scrabbled around the floor by the bed. 'I cannot believe I drank all that in one night.'

'Unsurprisingly, they are all empty,' Emerald said irritably, 'last night, you and Hoopern must have drunk the whole place dry.'

'Hoopern?' Cassie said, still checking the floor just in case a bottle, containing a little more brandy, had escaped her notice, 'I really don't remember much about it; not much at all.'

Emerald snorted. 'I'm not surprised,' she retorted, 'look at the state of you. You are a mess and deserve... Oh! Never mind,' she said, shaking her head.

'Deserve what?' Cassie said, giving up her fruitless search and sitting up in bed.

Emerald looked directly at her. 'You do know that none of the other girls like you,' she said, avoiding the question.

'I'm not here to be liked by them,' she replied tartly, 'I do not care a button what they think of me.'

'It's time you did' Emerald said testily, 'you never know when you will need their help.'

'I don't need their help,' she replied contemptuously.

'You think that you are so much better than them, don't you?' Emerald said, waving her finger at Cassie. 'But to him, you're just the same. And one day,' she said ominously, 'when he tires of playing with you, you will need their help.'

'Emerald, I really do not know what you are talking about,' Cassie said derisively. 'I do wish that you would stop being so cryptic. There's a bottle of gin on my dressing table,' Cassie said, changing the subject abruptly, 'won't you be a dear and bring it over to me.'

Emerald sat on the bed next to Cassie and looked at her seriously. 'Rosa,' she said gravely, 'how much of last night do you remember?'

'Only snatches,' she said, shaking her head, 'I find it better to forget most of my encounters with the men that come here.' She took a deep breath, and then said, 'I vaguely remember going upstairs with a gentleman. I cannot remember who it was, but it must have been Hoopern.' Cassie closed her eyes, trying to recall the events of the previous evening, but her mind was still a jumble of muddled memories. She vaguely remembered her brother losing at the gaming tables, but there was nothing unusual about that. Reggie regularly lost money, and she always was, one way or another, having to bail him out. There was something else, at the back of her mind, that was bothering her. 'Verity,' she whispered, 'no, she could not have been here. I must have dreamt of seeing her again.'