Page 31 of Veiled in Stars and Silver
Hook’s brow furrowed, worry in his gaze.
“Smee said he saw Pan at Mermaid Cove this morning. He is not gone,” Cora said. “Perhaps he hopes to flush you out?”
“What does this mean?” I asked.
“Usually when there is a day where everyone is free, it is because Pan has left Neverland,” Hook explained. “Gone to your realm. I don’t know what this means, only that we need to be careful.” He turned to Cora. “I must ask you. Who gave you that package you delivered to me?”
Cora frowned. “Not here,mon cher. Follow me and we will speak.”
“We also need a change of clothes,” he said. “And some nourishment.”
“I believe I have a belt of yours. Let’s ask the girls.” Cora sauntered over to the women. “Do any of you have any spare men’s clothes?”
“Oh, I have a shirt of yours, James,” said a tall, thin woman lounging nearby.
“I have a pair of trousers and an overcoat from when you spent the night with me last,” said another woman in a sleeveless gown, laying a card down on the table.
“You left your boots in Sasha’s room and Primi gave me a pair of socks you forgot,” said yet another.
I stared as nearly every woman in the room listed something. “You slept with all these women?” I whispered.
He raised aneyebrow. “Does it matter?”
I pressed my lips, telling the part that soured in my stomach that it wasn’t my place to judge. “You certainly didn’t leave here fully dressed very often.”
That elicited a roguish grin. “You forget. We here in Neverland don’t age. Over the years, I was bound to forget a few articles of dress.”
The thought that Hook had been living in this realm for so long hadn’t hit home until that moment. And to think that he and everyone in Neverland had been enslaved for all that time… The souring in my stomach turned into an ache of horror.
“You were never forced to…” I swallowed and motioned out toward the women.
He gave me a grim smile. “No. Madame Pearl’s is the one place where Pan seems not to control us. Only those not under his power may come here and, like I said, the ladies are freer than most. Even Cora doesn’t force them to do anything they don’t choose for themselves.”
Cora raised her hands, and the commotion died. “All right, ladies, place the clothes outside my door. Bella, you will prepare food for our guests. Eloise, Camille, and Ivy, you will help Miss Darling here get into something more… feminine.”
Eyes shifted to me for the first time. A look of utter resentment crossed the other women’s faces. And yet, the three women I assumed Cora had named rose to their feet.
“I am Eloise. If you will come with us, Miss Darling,” said a woman. Her dress was elegant, and her hair was wound in a high bun with flowers adorning it. She was beautiful.
I moved to follow them, but Hook stepped in front of me.
“I’ll meet you back here once we’re cleaned up,” he said, his voice low. “Remember, Pan can take over any of them at any time. Be ready. But for the love of the Jolly Roger, if he does, don’t hurt them.”
I clenched my jaw. “You think I would?”
“I know from experience, when you're being attacked, how difficult it can be to remember who the real enemy is. These women aren’t half as well trained as you.”
I stepped back, glaring at him. “Am I supposed to take that as a compliment or condemnation?”
His blue forget-me-not eyes flashed with amusement. “A little of both, I suppose.”
And with that, he moved away, following Madame Cora Pearl as she swished across her home in her flowing gown. They disappeared into a room on the far side of the building, a growing pile of clothing stacked by the door.
Chapter 13
Wendy
The three women led me to a room. A large bed filled most of the space with plush covers and huge fluffy pillows. The carpet was thick and soft. A rack of frilly, scandalous dresses lingered in a corner. One woman gripped my arm, startling me.
