Her Lethal Seductress

Scarlet

Approximately 300 years later

As she was growing up she realised her world was different. It was very unlike Edward's, her friend from the local school.

Edward lived in a family where a butler tended to his every need, while she had to work most of the time to help her family. He had loads of books, toys, clothes, a load of almost everything that he wanted, while she had none. Even her daily clothes were tearing at their seams but she somehow managed to keep them together by darning them here and mending them there. She was only 8 years old but she was able to see the undeniable difference. 

Edward had both his mum and dad, while she had her mum and her mum’s friends. All her aunts adored her. No men who lived with them. They came and went all the time. There was a strong woman who owned their house and everyone in it. Auntie Martha is a stout proud woman and Scarlet would run errands for her all the time.

As she grew she realised how different her world was. She realised that her mum and her mum’s friends worked hard for their lives. They allowed men to use their bodies so they could earn their living.

By the time she was in her teens, she realised that her mum and the others in the house were fallen women and their profession was not considered a respectable choice. Although they were used for the pleasure of men, they were nevertheless ridiculed and exploited by the same men.

She did not judge them, she knew the story of each and every woman who lived in that brothel at the dockyards, even Auntie Martha’s! They were there, doing what they did due to their circumstances. They were managing their lives although they were practising an illegal trade.

Her mum had been a victim of her circumstances. At 16, her mum, a simple peasant girl, had fallen in love with the Lord of the Manor. A young man who inherited the Ulverston village greens when his father, a baronet died in a riding accident. The scoundrel had cut all ties with her when she got pregnant and left her alone at a East London rookery. Her family had disowned her for being characterless, so there was no going back..

She had been thinking of ending her life when Auntie Martha talked her out of it. She brought her to this house and helped her through the pregnancy. 

Scarlet was born in this house and every single person living there was her family. 

She had fought with Edward when he had asked her to leave them. He had changed school when he turned eleven but they had continued to meet after school hours. Edward had professed his love for her, but she didn’t feel any affection for him. 

She was fighting against The Contagious Diseases Act, which allowed the police to forcibly check prostitutes for venereal diseases. The bobbies would arrest the prostitutes and compulsorily jail them until they were cured.

This act had caused a lot of trouble for her family. It also increased the abuse and illegal detention of young working-class women. 

Scarlet was a beautiful girl. Her blue eyes, straight jet black hair were in contrast with her fair skin. She would always manage to get attention. One day when she was returning home from her market visit, a drunk constable stopped her. He wanted to take her to their assigned clinic for the examination.

It must have been her age and her clothes. But she couldn’t do much about any of the two. Her clothes were the best ones that she could afford with their meagre income. As she followed him, she thought about all the places where she would be applying for a job as soon as possible.

They reached a deserted lane that had an oldish looking house.

“Where is the clinic?” Scarlet stopped in her tracks. Her instinct was to run and hide but she stood still waiting for an answer.

He turned around slowly and narrowed his eyes at her, “how dare you, question me?” He came close to her and laughed. “I can check you myself. Follow me.” He turned and started walking again.

His breath reeked of alcohol. Looking at the menace in his cruel bloodshot eyes, Scarlet knew what was going to happen. She had heard Auntie Martha’s story. She had to save her honour. But she knew she wasn’t strong enough to fight.

The street was deserted and the sun had started going down. She had to do something quickly. The man was still walking ahead, towards the house that they could see. It could also be a brothel for all she knew.

She turned around and started running. The noise from her boots alerted the constable. He turned around and started following her.

She thanked her stars that he was drunk. That slowed him down.

But she wasn’t doing great either. The silk dress that she had worn for her market visit, interfered with her movements. She cursed herself for not returning with the two aunts who had been with her at the market. A shop with trinkets had distracted her and the aunts had asked her to hurry up as they left. They had to be back on time. Auntie Martha wasn't as kind to them if they were tardy. Scarlet had roamed around for a while longer casually looking at different goods displayed in different shops.

One shop with interesting paraphernalia had taken up most of her time. It was a shop consisting of materials used by convicted witches. She had roamed around looking at the shelves displaying all sorts of magical tools supposedly used by executed witches, long gone, leaving behind these tools which were waiting for a new owner. The shop's inconspicuous exterior was inviting and once she was in, she couldn't leave. A Scottish Basket Hilted Broadsword, with its hilt studded with an eye-catching emerald, captivated her until the shop attendant shooed her out. 

Thanks to that, here she was running to save her chastity or even worse, her life!

She dashed across the street and stumbled into a busy street through a by lane. Happy to find people around her, she slowed down. The constable stopped following her into that street and instead reached for his whistle.

She frantically looked around and saw a couple of policemen loitering in the nearby square. She didn’t know their ranks. If the bastard blew his whistle she would be arrested and she wasn’t sure what else would happen.

She had heard of horror stories about the peelers. So she did something unthinkable. She lunged at the scoundrel.

He missed his footing and fell, banging his head against the nearby lamp post. His head started bleeding profusely. The entire drama alerted the patrolling police, who blocked off any chance of an escape and arrested her.

She didn't know what happened next. She wasn't allowed to contact anyone from her house and spent the night in the police lockup. The next day she was roughly escorted to a paddy wagon which after a bumpy ride entered the docks. She heard the ships when the car came to a halt and the doors opened.

As she shoved and kicked to free herself a blow landed on her head.

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