Crimson Palace (20 page)

"When Lincoln left me I figured I’d ask you to give me a job. But I thought it would be as one of the girls, not as the housekeeper."

"Honey, I don’t mean to offend you, but you never would make it as a fancy girl. You went with Lincoln because you loved him. What my girls do, well it’s different than that. They’re in it for the money, and that’s all. You never would have been happy living like that. I never would have let you do it."

"Well, if you really want me to be your housekeeper, than I guess you’ve got a deal."

"That sure takes a load off our minds, doesn’t it, Sofie? Between the three of us, we’ll make the Bonanza House so famous, they’ll be talking about it all the way to San Francisco."

Chapter 14

Finding a suitable cook for the Bonanza House proved to be a formidable task. She felt as if she had interviewed the entire population of Virginia City and still had not found a suitable candidate. Had Sofie and Alex been overly optimistic about her management abilities, she wondered? She rejected two applicants when they made it clear that cooking in a bordello was beneath them, that they had only applied for the position as a stop-gap between more suitable positions. One old Chinaman came to her who might very well have been en excellent cook, but he couldn’t speak a word of English. How could she ever manage a cook who couldn’t understand a word she said? It saddened her to have to do it, but all she could do was shake her head in the negative as he rattled off an endless stream of meaningless sounds.

One applicant even had the poor judgment to come to the interview half drunk. The man reeked of whiskey as he bragged about his culinary skills. Not only was he inebriated, it appeared that he hadn’t had a bath in weeks. She couldn’t end the interview quickly enough.

After two weeks of interviewing, she was no closer to finding a cook than she had been when she started. With the grand opening less than a week away, she realized her time was running out.

The next morning she awoke with a new sense of determination. The sound of birds chirping merrily just outside her hotel window cheered her. The day sparkled with a spring-like radiance. The light breeze that stirred the curtains at her window felt soft on her face when she opened it and leaned out to feel its freshness on her skin.

Dressing quickly, she threw a light woolen shawl across her shoulders and left her room. The air felt cool and clean on her face. Her heart sang with the coming of spring. With a light tread she climbed the hill to C Street.

Stepping into a small restaurant she frequently patronized, she found it nearly empty. The miners, its main clientele, had long since eaten and departed for their jobs at the mines. It would be an hour before the local merchants would start drifting in. And, as Shinonn was very aware, the sporting crowd rarely left their beds for breakfast before the sun hung high in the sky.

For the first time in weeks she felt ravenous, not the least bit queasy. She was tempted to order one of every item the restaurant had to offer, but settled for a thick slice of ham, three fried eggs and a stack of flapjacks.

As she waited for her order, a woman and two little boys entered and took seats a corner table. Shinonn sensed the woman’s desperation as she leaned toward the waiter and whispered something in his ear.

Although it was evident by her manner that the woman sought privacy in her request, the waiter obviously considered the matter of no importance and answered her in a brusque, offensive voice.

"No, we don’t need no cook. You can see we already got one, can’t ya?"

"But maybe you could use a cook’s helper, or another waitress. I’d wash the dishes, scrub the floors, anything. Please, let me talk to the owner. I’ve got to get a job."

"I tell ya, lady, we don’t need no more help around this place. It won’t do you any good to bother the boss, and I’m not about to get myself in trouble by calling him out here.

"Now, if you’re not going to order something, why don’t you take yourself out of here. This place is for paying customers only."

Shinonn’s heart went out to the poor woman. How could the man be so cruel? The woman stood, gathering her dignity about her as she picked up her few possessions and prepared to leave with her sons. Shinonn knew she had to help the woman and her boys somehow. She couldn’t bear to think of her leaving with the waiter’s ugly words ringing in her ears.

"Ma’am? I don’t mean to be forward, but I was wondering if you and your boys would like to join me for breakfast. I sure do hate to eat alone. You’d be doing me a real favor."

The woman hesitated for a moment. Shinonn could see that she wanted to escape from her recent humiliation, but that she and the boys were also desperate for a meal and perhaps a little friendly companionship.

"Please, come and sit with me," Shinonn urged with an encouraging smile. "I can’t remember the last time I got to talk to two such handsome youngsters."

"Well, if you’re sure," the woman answered, a question in her voice. "My boys haven’t had their breakfast yet and I suppose they are a mite hungry."

"I’m more than sure. Waiter! Bring me three more of those breakfasts I just ordered, and a throw in a couple big glasses of milk for my young friends here."

An expression of satisfaction briefly crossed the woman’s face but was quickly replaced by the tight, desperate look Shinonn had noted before.

Shinonn shifted her attention to the two boys. The older one, about four years old, had a shock of dark, unruly hair and an expression to match. She guessed that he understood only too well the humiliation his mother had just experienced. The expression in his eyes told of a child who knew too much of the world and hated what he knew.

"I hate to eat alone, don’t you?" she asked him. "I was just wishing I had some company, and then I noticed you over there and thought how nice it would be if we could eat together." She smiled at the little boy, hoping she could help relax enough to enjoy his breakfast. If she didn’t miss her guess, it had been a while since any of them had eaten a full meal.

"We’re very grateful, miss," the mother spoke in a humble, servile tone, making Shinonn feel uncomfortable.

"No, please, I really meant it when I said you’re doing me a favor by keeping me company. And the name is Shinonn, Shinonn Flannery."

"I’m Maud Turner and these are my boys, Clay and Ned."

Maud appeared to be nearly forty years old, but Shinonn knew that a hard life such as she must have lived often aged a woman far beyond her years. She was dressed in a plain brown dress that had seen better days. Her hair, a mousy brown that was already beginning to turn gray, had been twisted into a tight knot on the top of her head. Though the knot was firmly fixed, a few wisps of fine hair had somehow managed to pull free, giving the woman a slightly disheveled appearance.

"And what brings you and your sons to this unlikely spot on the map?" Shinonn tried to make conversation while they waited for their food.

"My husband, Clayton, he works here at the Chollar mine."

"I’ve heard about the Chollar. I hear it’s only been open a few months but it’s already a big silver producer."

"Yes, that’s what Clayton tells me. That is, that’s what he’s been writing. Actually, me and the boys, we just got to town yesterday and we ain’t seen much of their daddy to speak of."

"We seen enough," little Clay mumbled angrily.

The woman flushed in obvious embarrassment at the boy’s comment.

"Things... well things didn’t work out like I thought they would. I, uh, I thought he’d be real happy to see me and the boys, but, well, I guess I was wrong. He kept writing that he wanted us out here and that he’d sent me the money as soon as he could, but he never did sent the money.

"I had a job cooking for a real nice family ‘till the misses took sick and they decided to move back East where they had better doctors. When they left, I had just enough money to get me and the boys out here to be with their father, so I sent him a telegram and came on out. I thought he’d be happy to see us."

The last sentence was spoken so softly Shinonn barely heard it.

"I was wrong coming. He wasn’t happy to see us at all. I guess I never seen Clayton so angry. He stood there in the doorway of his house and wouldn’t even let us come in. Back in the house I could see a woman, a woman nearly full time gone with child. I heard her ask him who the crazy woman at the door was. She called him honey, just like he was her husband and not mine."

"There must be some sort of explanation," Shinonn suggested.

"No, ma’am, no explanation. He just told me that if he’d wanted me here he would a sent for me. When I asked him what the boys and me was supposed to do, he just said we could go to hell for all he cared and slammed the door in our faces."

She pulled on the corner of her jacket, her face taut as she fought to maintain control of her emotions.

Thankfully, the waiter brought their food at that moment, and all conversation stopped while the woman and her sons hungrily attacked the meal.

Shinonn picked at her food while she pondered the woman’s problem. She realized that the cook’s position at the Bonanza House would solve Maud’s current dilemma, but how could she ask the woman to cook in a bordello? Finally, she decided that all she could do was make the offer. If the woman was too insulted to consider taking the job, well so be it.

"You say you used to be a cook? How many people did you cook for at your last job?"

"Oh, usually a dozen or more. The Holtmans were a big family and often had guests to dinner. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I, uh, I might be able to offer you a job where I work."

A look of hope sprang to Maud’s sad eyes as she looked expectantly at Shinonn.

"Only, well, it’s not exactly a private home, or even a boarding house, for that matter. They have a saloon and a casino for gambling, and, uh, ladies to entertain the gentlemen."

"And a dining room for the guests?"

"Well, not exactly a dining room. That is, it’s not for the guests. It’s for the help. You know, the girls who do the entertaining."

"Entertaining. I don’t suppose that means singing and dancing, does it."

"No, that’s not exactly how they entertain the gentlemen," Shinonn’s lowered voice indicated her immense embarrassment.

"Are you one of the ‘ladies’?"

"No, Maud, I’m not. I’m the housekeeper. But believe me, Maud, they’re not what you think they are.

Well, in a way I guess they are, but they’re all good girls or Sofie wouldn’t have hired them. I know it’s hard to believe, but it really isn’t as bad as all that."

Maud slumped in her chair as if every ounce of spirit had suddenly been drained from her. She seemed to age ten years in just moments as she contemplated just how desperate her situation had become.

"I need the job. I guess I’d cook for the devil himself at this point." Tears of humiliation stung her eyes.

Shinonn could only imagination how difficult it must be for her to maintain her dignity, refusing to let her sons see her cry.

"The Bonanza House hasn’t opened for business yet, but it’s just about ready. The kitchen’s all set up, though. All they’re doing now is the last bit of painting and wallpapering. Do you think you could cook tonight, as sort of a tryout?"

Maud sat up straighter, looked Shinonn directly in the eye and replied, "Yes, Miss Flannery, I would be happy to give it a try."

To Shinonn’s great relief, Maud Turner turned out to be an excellent cook. Although her meals were not fancy, she always managed to satisfy even the fussiest eater with her wholesome family style cooking.

She had her own relationship with the girls, never rude or condemning, but they never felt she was one of them either. Without saying say a word, she managed to convey the message that though she worked with them, her world would always be completely separate from theirs.

Of necessity, Maud’s boys spent most of their time in the kitchen with their mother. Shinonn wasn’t entirely happy with the arrangement, but could think of no alternative. She would be happier when both boys were old enough to go to school, but until that time, she supposed they would have to remain where they were.

Sometimes Shinonn wondered if Clay would ever be free of the rage she saw lingering in his darkly shadowed eyes. She could not remember ever seeing the boy smile, let alone laugh aloud.

But Ned was an altogether different story. His laughter was contagious and his eyes sparkled with childish enthusiasm. When Ned rushed up to Shinonn one morning, threw his arms around her and gave her a huge hug, she thought her heart would burst with pure love for the child.

It was obvious to any casual observer that both boys loved their mother enormously, but Ned’s love was open and carefree, while Clay’s was fiercely protective. Shinonn sometimes felt that Clay believed that only he had the right to protect and love his mother, that even Ned was an intruder into their private world.

***

In a few short hours the Bonanza House would officially open its doors for business. Shinonn drew a satisfied breath as she carefully inspected each room that had been entrusted into her care. She felt extremely fortunate that she had found Ying Sang just days before. Without the wizened old Chinese man and his two young helpers who completed her staff, she could never have finished all the work in time.

She had never seen anyone worker harder than those three Chinese Coolies. She knew that the younger men had been brought to California to work on the railroads, so they were used to much harder work than any she was likely to give them. But Ying Sang was too old to have been enlisted in a work crew.

She wondered how he happened to have come all the way from China, ending up here in Virginia City.

But, since he spoke very little English, she supposed she would never learn his full story.

It appeared that none of the three needed instructions on how she wanted the rooms prepared. As soon as they appeared for work, they had happily attacked the labor, putting freshly laundered sheets on each bed, dusting and waxing each piece of furniture, even setting out fresh flowers on each of the girl’s dressers. All Shinonn had to do was keep out of the way of the busy men.