[CW: reference to prostitution; reference someone being shot dead]

Ben had never thought he could set foot in a place like this and he mentally cursed the young lass responsible for bringing him here. The Diamond Pony. That place had had a reputation even before some Carrington getting shot in the face had exposed the full degree of the depravity behind its doors. And a smart lass like Lory thought it a good idea to work there!? The thought of going there abhorred him, but he owed it to Paul to get his daughter out. He would have hoped his brother would do the same for his children if their places had been reversed.

He hadn't wanted to believe it at all when old Dan Willis had asked him whether his niece had really gone to work in a town because he had seen her coming out of the Diamond Pony. And yet there was that instant and very insistent realization in the back of his mind: it made sense. Mary sometimes complained that Lory seemed to lie a lot and was secretive. And he knew that the girl was headstrong and had her own ideas about life and what she wanted in a way that eerily reminded him of Simon.  

So he hadn't wasted another moment. He hadn't gone to discuss it with Mary first. He had gone straight to the Diamond Pony and marched in, still wearing his fisherman's hat. He'd spit on the floor to show his contempt for this robber's den, if he hadn't been too preoccupied looking around for any trace of Lory.

God, oh God. The drinks kept flowing, and the fruity cocktails in hand were almost as good as the pay. Some of the girls had trouble with a few too many. They got thinking the guys liked them instead of what they represented, or that they could impress a man beyond what they could do in bed.

But Ruby? The more she drank, the less shits she gave. Sure, sometimes she spent too much attention on the other girls, but it hardly hurt business.

That’s why she was leaning on the piano just so, so her far from modest dress pushed her breasts into full view of any passersby, while Antoinette played away for that damned baronet. What was his name? John? James? Something stupid. He’d begun the night by chatting Ruby up, but she’d already been well into her cups by that point. Her gaze had kept on straying to her latest starlet, who was smiling yet avoiding making eye contact with anyone but the baronet at the same time.

“So, she strums and you sing?” the baronet ventured, snapping his fingers to get Ruby’s eyes back on him.

“If Queen Antoinette so commands it,” Ruby laughed, carefully tipping her glass to avoid smearing her lipstick.

“She’s wild this time of night, trust me,” Antoinette laughed, eyes back on the piano music.

Antoinette would know.

Ruby laughed again. Gagged a bit. Tossed back the rest of her martini, and popped the olive in her mouth with her eyes rolling back in self-indulgent relish. God, sometimes she still smelled fish creeping up on her, she swore. Little did she know …

The smell creeped up on her fast. The red hair had given her away, even though the revealing dress, the paint on her face, and the body language didn't match the fisher lass he knew. The voice was Lory's, he heard, as he approached. Poor Paul. At least he wasn't alive to see how deep his daughter had fallen.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. "Lory. What the hell are you doing here?!"

Was it a mercy or a danger that it was such a quiet night that night? There were people at tables, certainly, but most about were too deep in their own business to pay any heed to others’. The piano let out a cacophony when Lory was grabbed, but no other sign of acknowledgment rang out.

Not even from Lory. She grit her teeth behind tight lips, heart threatening to burst out of her chest with every step.

She knew well enough that Uncle Ben wasn’t here to spend coin. She wished he were. Lust was an easier sin to shame than wrath.

Her chin jerked up, but she was still too afraid to take her arm back. There was no answer that would knock him off his high horse or dull his notorious rage, and so Lory stayed silent.

"Out," he ordered in a low voice, but he didn't wait for her to obey of her own accord. He began to move in the direction of the exit, pulling her along by the arm. He didn't care who saw and what they thought, those bastards who had lured his niece into this life. If he'd need to punch his way out, he'd be glad for the excuse.

The dandies and damsels kept their attention dutifully on each other … aside from some of the dandies who cast sneering smiles their way. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

Oh, God. He handled her rougher than the johns did. Had Simon even liked men? Or had Uncle Ben’s treatment of him just left getting fucked over and paid for it as the logical step up from how the men of his life treated him?

Thank the godless drink in her blood. It was not from the crowd that the fight came: instead, Lory reeled her free arm back in a fist and aimed for her uncle’s face.

“Get off me!” she snarled, voice raw.

Ben let go and stepped back, looking at her horrified. The punch had hit him on the cheekbone where it didn't do as much damage as it could have done elsewhere - although he was certain there was a cut where a ring had scraped his skin. It wasn't the pain that had caused him to stumble back, but rather the fact that she had punched him in the first place. Never in the world had he imagined she would or could.

But he instantly moved forward again and grabbed both her wrists. "You rotten girl! Your father would turn in his grave with shame if he knew you were here. Home. Now!"

Everyone just watched. Everyone just stood around and watched. It didn’t matter if it was a shack that reeked of sea, or the highest class brothel. People were all the same: they did nothing, except for the ones who rended everyone else through their brittle, vicious fingers.

What should she do? What could she do? It was the second question that typically stilled her in helpless rage. She couldn’t hit him, she’d thought, because he was a helpless old man on the brink of death.

But she’d hit him, and he just dragged as relentlessly as the tide … and dug his words deeper than his nails. She dug her heels into the floor, leaving scrapes on the polished wood as she dragged.

“Rotten!” she laughed, though there was no smile – only teeth, and volume. “You! Call me rotten! Simon’s dead because he took after you!” she raged, yanking her arm back hard.

Ben's eyes widened and his face seemed to blanch for a moment, before turning red. She was a woman. He didn't hit women. But he very much wanted to hit her. When she yanked, he gave a sudden hard yank back, let go of her wrists and lifted her up to carry her out. "Ye'll regret that!" he threatened.

Chéri did not often spend the time with the rest of the girls downstairs. It wasn’t just because of their unusual habit of going to bed early and getting up early if and when possible, it was also because their customers preferred discretion for the most part. It was very ironic: upon seen them, very few would wonder what could possibly be attractive in them, but even less would openly admit liking what they had to offer. The irony was wasted on Chéri’s matter-of-fact mind set.

The opened their door, wearing only their shirt and pastel blue pants, still giggling for the older gentleman who was leaving their room. They played once again with his moustache, let him squeeze them one last time, putting a little bit of adorable pink on their cheek, then heard the commotion downstairs.

Chéri didn’t understand what words were being said, but they knew what violence sounded like. Quick and ready, they run into the piano room and found a less than gentle looking man… who was lifting Ruby up.

Without waiting a second, Chéri threw themselves to the man, intending go get Lory off his hands and behind their back. They were not big, but they were very strong, their muscles hadn’t forgotten the years of training and they still spent a lot of their time exercising to a degree. In French, they shouted a horrible insult and said only one word in English “Off!” Try to put themselves between Lory and Benjamin. Had it been someone else, maybe they would have just shouted, but they liked Ruby, enough to get into trouble for her.