Chapter Six
The door was opened and a man stepped into Gretel’s room. He was coarsely dressed in a rough workman’s shirt and breeches; no gentleman this time. He was tall and muscular, with close-cropped hair and large hands. And there was a look on his face that made Gretel cower in a corner of the room.
“Madam tells me you refused a customer,” he said, “and assaulted him. She wants you punished. And then I’m to break you in. I can promise you won’t be refusing any more gentlemen.”
Round his breeches he wore a heavy leather belt, embellished with brass studs. He unbuckled the belt and doubled it in his hand, then advanced on Gretel.
“No, please,” she begged.
He grabbed her by the arm and threw her face-down onto the bed. He sat on her back, pinning her down. Lifting up her dress to
