Page 63 of Seduced

Poppy closed her eyes and leaned back in the water. These baths were magic. Minutes ago, she had thought that she might go crazy from the pain, but now she was almost comfortable.

“I am so ashamed,” Poppy murmured as Rania waded to stand next to her, water lapping gently at their clinging gowns.

“Of what?” Rania asked.

“Of everything,” Poppy said. “Of existing, I suppose. Of being me.”

“Someone has done this to you; no one is born ashamed.” Rania grasped her hand lightly in the water. “We must undo it. It is going to be a lot of work, but it can be done, you know. You have your faith to come to your rescue, do you not?”

“I am not sure I have it,” Poppy sighed. “I keep failing…God.”

“God or your brother?”

“What did you say?” Poppy felt her eyes grow big.

“I said,” Rania said patiently, “are you quite clear that they are not one and the same? You can believe in God andnot be ashamed of yourself. You can have your faith and happiness, both.”

“It…It had not occurred to me.” It hadn’t, honestly.

“Well, now it has. What are you going to do about it?”

“I don’t quite know.”

Rania began untying her black hair. “Well, I don’t know either,” she said, “but I am telling you this: Do you know what my function is in this club?”

“I imagine you work here in some capacity,” Poppy replied. “I do not know exactly where, but I know you to be the kindest and, honestly, the most beautiful lady of my acquaintance.”

Rania burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face.

“Lady of your acquaintance,” she guffawed. “Bless you, Poppy, you made me laugh. I am no lady, child, you know that, right? Why, I am what you call a whore.”

“You are not,” Poppy said.

Rania sobered up quite quickly. Abruptly.

“I am,” she said more quietly. “I provide services to men in this club in exchange for money.”

“I know that,” Poppy said. “I’ve known from the start. I am not stupid, no matter how I may appear. But it seems to me that neither Had—Lord Perlin, nor anyone else in this place treats you like a common woman. Therefore, I do not think you should refer to yourself in this manner.”

“You…” Poppy watched as tears spilled down Rania’s cheeks and through her fingers. She tried to stop them, but couldn’t.

“It is not my place to judge what is best for you,” Poppy went on. “If you have the choice of remaining employed thusly, or doing something else that would allow you to survive and thrive, then that is your business. If you wereforced into it, then it would be another matter, but I do not think you have been.”

“I have not,” Rania agreed, and the tears stopped somewhat. “Well, not since coming here. Hades made it clear that I can do this only if I want to. Otherwise, he shall find me another position.”

“There you are.”

They got out of the water, reluctantly, and got dried up and dressed.

“It seems so strange to me that you say you shall not pass judgement on me, and yet you pass judgement on yourself,” Rania said once they were back in Dante’s cozy rooms, sipping hot tea by the fire and drying out their hair. “You are quite, quite cruel to yourself, you know, my dear.”

“It’s…it’s not me,” Poppy said, and then gasped, because she hadn’t realized it until she said it.

Rania nodded, as if she had known all along. “Who is it then?”

“It’s him,” Poppy said.

“God?”

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