Jillian Chantal

Time for Tuesday Tales again. I missed the last two for various reasons I won’t go into here. This week’s word prompt is bauble. I am still in the Regency era book.

Check out the other tales here

The walk home was uneventful until she reached the crossroads a couple of blocks from her home. An elderly man stood on one corner and a young girl on the one opposite. The girl sang a song about a lost love as she held an almost empty basket of flowers. From where Jane was, they appeared to be wilted and sad. Jane’s heart broke for her. Having to stand all day and past midnight to try to sell enough flowers to eat was terrible. While she didn’t have much herself, Jane could not bear to see the child out working when she should be in a bed somewhere warm and cozy. With a full belly as well.

She crossed the road to give the girl a coin or two.

The old man she would have passed by if she had not been sidetracked by the girl, yelled across at her, “If’n yer gonna buy some dead flowers, lady, I got a bauble or two I can sell ye, too.”

Jane made the mistake of casting her eyes back in his direction.

He had opened his coat and exposed himself to her and the girl.

Forcing herself not to gasp and give the man the reaction he clearly wanted, Jane held out a coin to the girl. “How many will this buy?”

The girl giggled and handed her a couple of stems. “Ignore that old lecher. He lives across the way and stays inside all day and evening until he can come out and act the fool with any young ladies who walk past.”

“Does that not bother you? I mean him with his private parts out for all to see.”

“No. Not at all. I’ve seen better private parts on my baby brother.” The girl ducked her head but not before Jane noticed her grin at her own witticism.

Jane nodded and moved on with the flowers clutched in her hand, idly wondering why she had never seen either of them before. Surely she would have if the man truly lived on that street.

At the next corner, she glanced back. The girl had crossed the road and was laughing with the man.

Angry with herself for falling for the ruse the girl and man played on her, she almost tossed the flowers aside but decided at the last moment to keep them. No sense in wasting the coin they cost.