Black Hills 2/?
Title: Black Hills
Author: anatomy_jane
Pairing: Andy/Miranda
Rating: hoping to go to R, but for now, barely PG-13
Summary: This story begins at the end of August, begin of September of 1877. The Bella Union Saloon in Deadwood is the place where it all happens.
Author's note: First, I'd like to credit kitnkabootle for providing the inspiration for the fic. Second, a big thank you to skeeter451 for the info on Deadwood. And I'd like to add, if anyone sees asomething out of place, an error in chronology, or something similar, please don't hesitate to point it out :)
Disclaimer: I own nothing...
Part Two
Andy stretched out her arms and stifled a yawn. She had just finished unpacking her belongings, and was now watching Harriet put away her last few dresses.
“So,” Andy said, deciding to strike up a conversation with her recently appointed roommate, “how did you end up here? Just hoping to earn some money, or was it the adventure calling?”
Harriet chuckled softly. “Well, the money was one of the things that attracted me, but the main reason I’m here is that I just wanted to get away from where I was.” She sighed and turned to look out the window. “It was the first offer I came across and I took it. It didn’t matter what kind of offer it was, I would’ve gone to Timbuktu if they had asked me to.” Andy watched as Harriet smiled wryly and hung the last dress in the closet. They both sat down on Harriet’s bed.
“So why did you want to get away?”, Andy ventured, looking up at those emerald-green eyes.
Harriet started to fidget with her dress and looked down at her hands before speaking. “I... It’s... complicated. There was -”
“Ah, here you are!”, Emily spoke as she rushed into their room. “All settled in? Good. Madam Priestly is expecting you downstairs.” That said, she marched back out of the room, leaving the two startled women to stare at the spot she had just been in.
Harriet looked at Andy questioningly, but she simply shrugged and moved to get off the bed.
At that moment, Emily stormed back into their room with thundering steps. “What’s taking you so long? We don’t have all day, you know!”, she said, rolling her eyes.
Andy and Harriet scrambled off the bed and rushed downstairs. They were greeted by the rest of the new girls and , naturally, by the matron, who was tapping her foot impatiently.
“Please, do take your time. There’s nothing that excites me more than waiting for your arrival.” She looked the both of them up and down and frowned when she noticed Andy’s rumpled dress. “I see you haven’t seen it fit to change out of that -”, she paused and pursed her lips, “- excuse of a dress.” Andy felt the blood rushing to her face as she stared at the floor, embarrassed by the scathing comment, and wishing she could sink through the floor right then and there.
“I don’t know what you’re used to wearing back home, and frankly I don’t care. If you want to work at the Bella Union, you have to look at your best at all times.” She let her icy blue eyes wander to where the other girls were standing. “That goes for all of you. Have I made myself clear?” There was a soft chorus of ‘yes, ma’am’, while the girls tried to smooth out the wrinkles in their skirts.
“Now, as we got that out of the way, I trust that Emily has informed you about the way it works around here?” Andy watched as several heads bobbed up and down in confirmation.
Emily had been very clear about what they had to do. They were supposed to bring drinks at the poker tables and keep the customers company. It was their job to make sure that the gentlemen drank as much as possible and lost enough money gambling, no matter how they accomplished that. However, she had been pretty vague about the subject of sleeping with the clients. There was a possibility that they would have to do that, but they would have to wait and see.
As for the money, they would receive a small monthly salary, but they had to give half of their tips to Mr. Miller, as a down-payment for the ‘advance’ they had been given.
Andy was surprised to see that madam Priestly had suddenly vanished from the spot she had occupied only a few minutes ago, while Andy was remembering her job description. She nearly jumped when she heard the soft voice call from the back of the room.
“Christine, let’s see if you have any talent”, the white-haired woman said, pointing at the small stage (which was actually just a platform, maybe two feet high) at the other end.
The blonde girl just stood there, looking around wide-eyed, clearly confused about what she should do.
“Oh for God’s sake,” Madam Priestly huffed, and continued, her voice laced with annoyance, “did they send me a carriage filled with idiots, or are you just deaf? Walk up to the stage and sing.”
Christine blushed as she stepped onto the stage, trembling just slightly. “Um, what song do you want me to sing?”
The older woman just rolled her eyes and waved her hand in the air, signalling her to start singing.
As the first wobbly tones resounded in the saloon, Christine was immediately interrupted. “No, no, no... That simply won’t do. Is there at least something you’re good at?” She raised her eyebrows as Christine hesitatingly answered. “Well, I’m pretty good at playing the piano... Shall I play something?”
She rushed over to the piano standing in the corner of the stage and started to move her slender fingers over the keys. She hadn’t lied, she was an exceptionally good pianist.
The matron just nodded and motioned for the other blonde, Paula, to step onto the stage.
“I can’t sing, I don’t play any instruments and the only dancing I’ve ever done was at my sister’s wedding. But people have always told me I’m a good conversationalist...” That said, Paula just stood there, right hand on her hip, looking expectantly at the matron.
Andy was surprised at Paula’s bold attitude, and apparently, so was madam Priestly, because the only thing she did was sigh and say “Very well, you may step down.”
Next, it was Harriet’s turn. She took a deep breath and started singing an old Irish folk song. Andy had never heard of the song, but Harriet sang it beautifully. However, if she listened very carefully, Andy could detect some impurities in her voice, but normally no one would ever notice.
“Acceptable,” she heard madam Priestly say, “you can sing that song tonight. But make sure you actually reach your high notes next time.”
Harriet stepped down from the stage, obviously relieved she had survived the ordeal.
Andy knew it was her turn now, but as she walked to the front of the stage, she couldn’t think of a single song she could sing. Her father had always told her she had a beautiful voice, but she had never sung in front of an audience before. Her mind went completely blank as she stared at the woman in the back, who simply raised one eyebrow. She looked around, hoping for a song to magically appear in her head. Then her eyes found Lily’s, who had joined the group a couple of seconds earlier. She smiled encouragingly at Andy, and suddenly, she heard the words of the first song that popped into her mind roll from her lips.
I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee,
I’m going to Louisiana, my true love for to see
It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry
The sun so hot I froze to death; Susanna, don’t you cry.
Oh, Susanna, don’t you cry for me
I come from Alabama,
With my banjo on my knee.
She kept on singing, strangely reassured by the fact she hadn’t been interrupted yet. She didn’t know what compelled her to sing such a song. But somehow, the song had felt like it was the right one to sing, as she remembered the times her father had sung it teasingly to her mother, Susannah.
She hadn’t dared to look at madam Priestly, fearing she wouldn’t be able to remember any of the words as soon as she encountered her scrutinising gaze. And as she let the last line come from her mouth, her eyes were still fixed upon Lily’s face, who beamed up at her.
As all the other girls laughed, clapped and cheered, Andy felt relief wash over her. She finally looked up to meet ‘Lady M.’s eyes and saw that the woman’s mouth was curled into a playful smirk.
“I must say, that was a very interesting choice you made. It has been quite a while since I’ve heard that particular song.” Her eyes glinted with amusement. “If you can find a suitable dress for this evening, you can be the main act. You’ll sing three songs... Go over them with Christine, you have a couple of hours to practise.” Andy’s jaw dropped as she processed what she had just heard.
“That’s all”, the matron said as she rose from her chair and swiftly walked out of the room.
Andy couldn’t believe what had just happened. She had barely managed to sing in front of a handful of people that she already knew (kind of)... And now she was supposed to sing to a room filled with strange men? After just a couple of hours of practise?
She looked incredulously at Christine, who simply shrugged and said ,“So... What songs were you thinking about singing?”
Oh dear... this day just kept on getting better...
***
They had been practising for a few hours now, and Andy was starting to get a good feeling about it. She had chosen three songs she hoped her audience would appreciate and she and Christine worked quite well together. Now she was just worried about what she was going to wear.
She went up to her room and started rummaging through the dresses she had brought with her. None of them seemed quite right, but eventually she settled on one of the dresses she had inherited from her mother. It was an exceptional piece of craftsmanship, trimmed with fine lace and beautiful beads. When Andy turned to look in the mirror, she was shocked to see how much she resembled her mother in that dress. When she was a child, her father had often joked about her being a mini-version of her mother. And after her mother’s death, he’d had trouble looking at her, because she reminded him of her. Andy had never thought she looked much like her mother, but now, tears filled her eyes as she took in the woman in front of her. Oh, how she missed her...
She quickly wiped her eyes as Harriet walked into their room. She looked amazed by Andy’s appearance.
“Wow, you look wonderful, Andy! I bet that madam Priestly won’t be able to say anything wrong about it”, she exclaimed while she smiled brightly at Andy.
“You think so?”, Andy asked, biting her bottom lip. “I’m sure of it”, Harriet reassured her with a wink.
As she walked towards the stairs to go down to the gambling hall, she almost bumped into the matron, who was exiting her room.
Madam Priestly appraisingly looked her up and down and then suddenly she gave her a contemplating look, tapping her finger against her lips in thought.
“It’s acceptable, but there’s something missing...” She whirled around and gestured at Andrea to follow her.
The next moment, they were standing in a large bedroom, with a luxurious four poster bed and insanely beautiful decorations. It suddenly hit Andy that they were standing in the matron’s bedroom, and she looked around wide-eyed, amazed by all the luxury (and of course by the fact that she was actually standing there...).
She was vaguely aware of the other woman rummaging through some sort of jewellery box, but she was too busy taking in all of the wonderful things that were displayed in the room.
She used all of her self-control to contain a gasp as she felt slender fingers expertly move through her hair. She was having a hard time breathing, something Andrea was determined to attribute to the other woman’s heavy perfume (although it was the most heavenly scent Andy had ever smelled, and it was as light as a feather), or to her tight-fitting corset. Surely, it wasn’t because of the small distance between her and madam Priestly or because those fingers occasionally grazed her skin. What a preposterous thought!
When the woman stepped away, Andy turned to look in the mirror and was astonished by what she saw. Her hair, that had been held up by several pins, was now hanging loosely over her shoulders, while a few of her front locks were held together by a single pin at the back of her head. At the side, her hair was pinned back with a beautiful clip that matched her dress as if it were made for it.
Andy had never thought she could look this pretty.
“Much better”, she heard the soft voice mutter. “Now, run along. You have clients to entertain.” She was ushered out of the room before she could even say thank you.
***
At first, Andy had been a bit nervous about talking to the men who were seated at the poker tables. But after bringing a couple of drinks to several tables, she noticed the appreciative glances that were cast her way. It gave her the small boost of confidence she needed to strike up a conversation with one of the gentlemen.
He was an elderly man, but he was very witty and charming, so after a while, Andy was laughing heartily with his jokes. She felt much more at ease, and soon enough, she was able to even flirt with some of the guys. It got her a very nice amount of tips.
At around nine, she heard the room fall silent. She looked around to see what was happening, and spotted Tom Miller as he stood on the stage.
He cleared his throat and started speaking in a loud voice. “My dear gentlemen, I’m glad to see that so many of you have decided to come and spend insane amounts of money at our establishment.” Laughter bubbled up from several corners of the saloon.
Mr. Miller chuckled and continued, “As you may have noticed, we have been honoured by the presence of a couple of new young women. And as it turns out, they’re also quite talented... I would like you to give a round of applause for Harriet. Harriet, darling, would you please come to the stage?”
The raven-haired woman walked over to the stage and flashed a smile at her audience, while a few wolf whistles mingled with the applause.
Harriet started singing, and Andy noticed she had made some progress. There were less impurities and her high notes were reached without much difficulty.
After Harriet’s performance, Mr. Miller stepped back onto the stage and announced the next act.
“Wasn’t that just lovely? For our main act this evening, we have also chosen one of our new arrivals. Let’s hear it for Andrea Sachs!”
Andy fidgeted with her dress as she stepped onto the platform. She was nervous as hell and her palms were damp with sweat. But as soon as the music started playing, something clicked in her mind, and she sang as if there was nobody watching her.
Her first song was ‘Sweet Betsy from Pike’. She felt more and more confident with each couplet, and by the time she reached the phrase “... and she showed her bare arse to the whole wagon train”, she added a wink and a big smile, and the whole room filled with laughter.
Her other two songs were also very well received, and when she had sung her last song, several men gave her a standing ovation.
She looked over at the table in the back, that was occupied by Miranda Priestly and Tom Miller. She could barely contain a grin when she saw the look on Mr. Miller’s face. If it were possible, he would have had two dollar signs in his eyes.
Andy didn’t quite know what to make of the look on the matron’s face. She’d never seen such a look before. It was rather strange. Plus, the only acknowledgement Andy got for her performance was a curt nod.
But she felt too elated about her performance to worry about weird looks. So she spent the rest of the night talking to customers and receiving many generous tips.
By the time Andy went to bed, she was utterly exhausted. But even though it was around two in the morning, she couldn’t sleep. She kept replaying the day in her mind, and she realised that Harriet still had to tell her why she had left her home. She made a mental note to ask her the next day, because judging from the steady breathing across the room, she was already asleep.
Andy glanced at the nightstand and saw the clip madam Priestly had leant her, glittering in the moonlight. That had been strange... Not to mention the look she had given Andy after her performance. Oh well, Andy thought, guess she’s just a strange kind of woman.
But as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, the last image that flashed through her mind were a pair of piercing blue eyes...
TBC