Maids of Misfortune Read Online Free PDF Page A

please. I suppose that you are the kind of man who believes that women are incapable of conducting business. I have no patience with that attitude. Would you please state your purpose here, if you indeed have any?"
    The man gave a short bark of laughter that contained no mirth and said in an exaggerated drawl, "Well now, clearly looks can be deceiving, Ma'am. I'll be glad to leave as soon as you tell me how to reach the woman called Sibyl. I have a number of questions to ask her about a Mr. Matthew Voss."
    This statement completely mystified her. Why would a lawyer connected with Mr. Voss want to interview Sibyl, and why would he question whether she was old enough to run a boarding house? Maybe this man was a close friend or relative of Mr. Voss, and perhaps extreme grief prompted his odd behavior.
    With that thought, Annie moderated her tone somewhat. "Mr. Dawson, I am sure Madam Sibyl would be very glad to speak to you about Mr. Voss. She valued him highly as a client and is very upset at his sudden passing. But you must understand that, as a professional, she never takes walk-in business. It's late, and it would be much better for you to make an appointment for one of her regular consultations. I believe she could see you at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."
    She looked at him hopefully. "Or, if this is not convenient, perhaps you should write her a note about the nature of your business."
    Her attempt to placate Mr. Dawson apparently had the opposite effect. By the soft lamplight, Annie could see his jaw clench, and he grew very still.
    "A professional? She gives consultations, you say? That's a new euphemism for what she does, isn't it? I guess it is a useful blind for businessmen who are trying to cheat on their wives, though most professionals of her sort work late at night, don't they? Well, you just tell your Madam Sibyl that I don't want a consultation, even though I am quite sure she gives good value for the money. I am the lawyer representing Mr. Voss’s estate, and, unlike her other clients, I just want to speak with her. But it must be tonight."
    As the meaning of the lawyer's words sank in, Annie experienced the distinct impression that the floor had tilted under her. A real earthquake couldn't have surprised her more. This man thought that Sibyl was some sort of a prostitute. A prostitute!
    The idea was so unexpected and absurd that she felt a laugh begin to well up, but before it could surface, a second thought replaced her amusement with cold fury. If this idiotic man thought Sibyl was a prostitute, what did he think she was, the owner of a brothel? Of course, that was exactly what he thought! That would explain his earlier comment about me being too young to run this sort of establishment.
    Literally speechless with rage, she stood for a minute trying to figure out how to respond. How could he have possibly made this mistake? How could she possibly explain to him the mistake without subjecting herself to further embarrassment? She should just leave the room. But she couldn't just let the misunderstanding continue. And she still wanted to know what business he had with Sibyl.
    The sounds of voices in the front hall broke the silence and indicated that two of her boarders had just entered the house. This gave her an idea, and she acted swiftly. Trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible, she said as she crossed over to the door that led into the hallway, "If you insist, I will get Madam Sibyl for you. Please wait in here until the maidservant comes to direct you to her."
    The couple standing in the front hallway, being assisted by Kathleen in the removal of their wraps, were Annie's prize boarders, the Steins. Mr. Herman Stein was a prosperous city merchant and banker, and his wife, Esther, was on the board of virtually dozens of local charity organizations. They had been very good friends of her Uncle Timothy and Aunt Agatha, and they had welcomed her when she moved back to San Francisco over a year and