The Taker by Alma Katsu

8/2/2019 The Taker by Alma Katsu

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The Taker 233

e only subject that interested Adair and his entourage, the onlyendeavor they undertook with any seriousness, the preoccupation that

filled their days, was sex. Each member of the entourage kept a play-

mate, whether for the evening or for a week; it could be a Brahmin

met at a soiree or a comely footman co-opted for the night. ere was

a stream of women parading through the mansion, too, blowsy pros-

titutes, as well as daring society daughters. No one in the household

ever slept alone. Neither Alejandro nor Donatello seemed interested

in me at all, and when I asked Alej if he didnt find me attractive, he

laughed and told me not to be obtuse.

e family was given over to seeking and experiencing pleasure, it

was as simple as that. Everything about my surroundings was the an-

tithesis of how I was raised and eventually their lack of industry would

disgust me, but at first I was seduced by luxuries Id had no idea existed.St. Andrew had been a town of homespun linen clothing and raw pine

furniture. Now I lived surrounded by finery, each new temptation bet-

ter than the last. I ate food and drink I had never known existed, wore

dresses and gowns made from exotic European fabrics by a profes-

sional tailor. I learned to dance and play cards, was given novels to read

that would expose me to even more worlds.

Adair was fond of parties, and since he was still a sensation in Bos-

ton, we went to one almost every night. He took his entourage with

him everywhere, letting Alejandro, Dona, and Tilde charm the Bos-

tonians with their continental ways, outrageous fashions from Paris

and Vienna and London, and tales of decadent European aristocracy.

What really stunned the Brahmins, though, was when Adair

forced Uzra to accompany us. She would venture outdoors wrappedin a swath of burgundy cloth that covered her from head to toe. Once

we had arrived among the partygoers, the wrapping would fall to the

floor to reveal Uzra in one of her costumes, tight organza bodice and

a skirt of veils, her eyes rimmed thickly in kohl, adornments of brass


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the rest of us women in layers of petticoats and corsets and stockings.Uzra jingled softly as she walked, eyes downcast, aware that she was

being ogled and leered at like a carnival animal. e women clapped

hands over their mouths, now fallen open in shock, and the menthe

air would become thick with the musk of their desire, frock coats

hastily rearranged to cover their clumsy erections. Adair would laugh

later about the propositions he received, men offering huge sums of

money for an hour with his odalisque. ey would part with their

souls if he gave them the chance, Adair would say later, when we had

decamped to our house after the party and sat around the cooks table

in the kitchen, next to the still warm hearth, sharing a bottle.

You could do the same, Adair said to me in private, as we walked

up the stairs to our bedchambers, his voice soft as velvet. A mans de-

sire is a powerful thing. It can reduce a strong man to nothing. Whenhe sees a woman who fascinates him, he will give up everything for

her. Remember that, Lanore: everything.

Give up everything for me? You are mad. No man has ever given

up anything for my company, I scoffed, thinking of Jonathans in-

ability to give himself wholly to me. Deep in self-pity, I wasnt being

fair to him, I know, but I had been stung by my faithless lover and was

hurting.

Adair gave me a strangled look and said something I had never

considered. at is sad to hear said about any woman, but especially

sad to hear said about you. Perhaps its because you have never asked

for anything in exchange for your attention. You dont know your own

worth, Lanore.

My worth? I understand my worth only too wellI am a plaingirl from a poor family.

He took my arm and tucked it under his. You are hardly plain.

You have an appeal for certain men, the type of man who values a

discreet freshness and disdains a vulgar display of womanly charms.


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The Taker 235

ence men seemed bedazzled by these very parts, and the fact that I didnot possess them had seemed a detriment my entire life.

Your description of vulgar womanly charms sounds an awful lot

like Uzra to me, and she never fails to render any man who sees her

agog. She and I are as opposite as two women can be, I said, meaning

to tease Adair.

ere is not only one measure of beauty, Lanore. Everyone adores

the red rose, and yet it is a common sort of beauty. You are like a

golden rose, a rare bloom but no less lovely, he said, meaning to flat-

ter, but I nearly laughed out loud at his attempt. I was thin as a boy

and nearly as flat-chested. My curly blond hair was as unruly as a

thistle. I could only think he was flattering me for some purpose of his

own, but his sweet words were appealing all the same.

So if you trust me, let me guide you. I will teach you how to havepower over ordinary men. Like Tilde, like Alej and Dona, he said,

stroking my hand. Perhaps that was their purpose; maybe that was

their industry. ey did seem able to make most peoplemost men,

and they were the ones with powerdo what they wanted, and that

seemed to be a good skill to have.

It is not enough to be able to conquer your enemies; in order to

control them, you must be able to seduce them as well.

Consider me your pupil, I said, letting Adair lead me into his

bedchamber.

You will not regret it, he promised.


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TWENTYSEVEN

And so began my schooling in the business of seduction. It

started with evenings in Adairs bed. After that night when

Adair opened my eyes, he seemed determined to prove to

me that I was worth a mans attention: his. We continued to go to

parties, where he charmed the Bostonians, but he always returned

home with me on his arm. He took me to his bed every night. He

indulged me and gave me anything I asked for. I had beautiful under-

garments made, corsets (though I hardly needed them to hold up my

breasts, modest as they were) and stays of colored silks, trimmed with

ribbon. Garters decorated with tiny silk roses. Delights for Adair to

find when he peeled off my clothing. I devoted myself to becominghis golden rose.

I would be lying if I said I did not think of Jonathan during this

time. He was my first lover, after all. Still, I tried to kill the love I felt

for him by remembering the bad moments between us, the times he


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The Taker 237

Sophias funeral, knowing he was thinking of her. Kissing Evangelinein front of the entire congregation mere moments after Id given him

news of my pregnancy. I tried to see my love for Jonathan as a malady,

a fever burning up my heart and brain, and these wrenching memories

were the purgative, the cure.

And the attentions of my new lover would be my restorative.

Comparing my experiences with the two men, it seemed that the act

with Jonathan filled me with such happiness that I felt I would die. At

those times, I was barely aware of my body, I could have floated to the

ceiling in his arms. It was sublime. With Adair, it was all sensation,

a neediness for flesh and the power to have that hunger satisfied. At

the time, I wasnt afraid of this newfound hunger Adair had created in

me. I delighted in it, and Adair, instead of judging me indulgent and

sluttish, seemed pleased that he brought this out in me.Adair confirmed as much one evening in his bed, lighting up the

hookah after an acrobatic session. I judge that you have a natural

disposition for the business of pleasure, he said, grinning obscenely.

Id daresay you enjoy your adventures in the bedroom. Youve done

everything Ive asked, havent you? Nothing I have done has fright-

ened you? When I gave a little shake of my head, he continued, en

it is time to expand your experiences, because the art of love is such

that the more expert lovers one has, the more expert one becomes. Do

you understand? I greeted this statement with a frown, sensing that

something was amiss. Had he tired of me already? Was the bond that

had developed between us an illusion? Dont be cross, he said, feed-

ing the narcotic smoke from his mouth to mine in a kiss. Ive made

you jealous, havent I? You must fight feelings like that, Lanore. eyare beneath you now. You have a new life ahead of you, one filled with

a richness of experience, if you arent afraid.

He wasnt inclined to explain any more to me at the time, but I

found out the next night when Dona slipped into the bedroom with


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given a blindfold. e next morning, when I glanced at Tilde shyly aswe passed on the stairs, still dazzled by the pleasure she had given me

in bed, she growled, It was only a performance, you stupid cuny, and

trotted away, dispelling any doubt that it had been anything more. I

suppose I was naive, but the pleasures of the flesh were new to me,

the sensations overwhelming. I would become numb to all of it, and

numb to what it did to my soul, soon enough.

It was not long after this that a most notable event occurred, though

I didnt gather its significance at the time. It started with a lecture on

astronomy and navigational arts that we attended at Harvard Col-

lege. Science was a bit of a fad in that day and sometimes the colleges

would host public lectures. ese were places to be seen as much as

any party, a way to show that even though you were a socialite youstill had a bit of brain, so Adair made it a point to attend. e lecture

that day was of little interest to me, so I sat at Adairs side and bor-

rowed his opera glasses to scan the audience. ere were many faces

Id seen before even if I couldnt remember their names, and just as I

was thinking the outing was a waste of time, I spied Tilde chatting

up a man on the far side of the auditorium. I could see only a quarter

profile of his face, and mostly my view was of his back, but I could tell

he had a striking physique.

I handed the opera glasses to Adair. It looks like Tilde has found

herself a new man, I whispered and nodded in her direction.

Hmm, I believe youre right, he said, peering through the glasses.

She is a born hunter, that Tilde.

It was common to meet up with other socialites after the lecturesat a nearby public house. Adair had no patience that afternoon for

the small talk over coffee and beer, however, and watched the door.

Before long, Tilde came in on the arm of the young man wed seen

at the college. He was quite dashing, with a beautiful face (a trifle on


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The Taker 239

and while Tilde could hardly be mistaken for his mother, the disparityin their ages was hard to miss.

ey joined us at our table and Adair spent the whole time pep-

pering him with questions. Was he a student at Harvard? (Yes.) Did

he have family in Boston? (No, hed come from Philadelphia and had

no family in this area.) What was he studying? (He had a passion for

science, but his parents wished him to continue the family business,

which was law.) How old was he? (Twenty.) At this last answer, Adair

frowned as though displeased, a quizzical response to so straight-

forward an answer. en Adair invited the young man to dine with us

that evening at the mansion.

I will be blunt: the cook may have served a saddle of lamb, but

it was clear that the flaxen-haired young man was the main course.

Adair continued to ask him all sorts of personal questions (Any closefriends here at college? A fiance?) and when the young man became

nonplussed, Alejandro would jump in and distract everyone around

the table with self-deprecating stories and jokes. More wine than

usual flowed, particularly into the young mans glass, and then after

dinner the men were given snifters of cognac, and we all repaired to

the game room. At the end of an evening of faro, Adair claimed we

could not send the young man back to his rooms at the college in such

a statehe would be reprimanded for drunkenness if caught by the

tutorsand insisted he stay with us for the night. By that time the

young scholar was almost unable to stand without assistance, so he

was hardly in a position to refuse.

Adair had a footman help him up the stairs while we gathered

outside Adairs bedchamber like jackals preening before dividing upthe nights kill. In the end, Adair decided he and I would enjoy the

young mans company and dismissed the others. Drunk as he was,

he stripped gamely when commanded and followed me eagerly into

bed. Here is the curious part: as the boy stripped, Adair watched him


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it wasnt terribly misshapen and he had a specially made boot thathelped him walk without much of a limp. But upon noticing it, Adair

seemed visibly deflated.

Adair sat in a chair and watched as the young man swived me. I

saw, over the boys shoulder, disappointment on Adairs face, a detach-

ment toward our guest that he fought to overcome. In the end, Adair

took off his clothes and joined us, surprising the young man with his

attentions, which were nevertheless accepted (he didnt resist in any

case, though he did yelp a little when Adair got rough with him).

And the three of us slept together, our guest relegated to the foot of

the bed, succumbing to the effects of alcohol and the usual result of a

mans amorous effusions.

e next morning, after the young man was sent off in a carriage,

Adair and Tilde had heated words behind closed doors. Alejandro andI sat in the breakfast room and listenedor tried not toover tea.

What is that about? I asked, nodding in the direction of the

muffled argument.

Adair has given us standing orders to be on the lookout for at-

tractive men, but only the most attractive. We are to bring them to his

attention. What can I say, Adair enjoys a pretty face. But he is only

interested in perfection, you see? And I understand the man Tilde

brought to Adair was less than perfect?

He had a club foot. I didnt see how that made any difference;

his face was exquisite.

Alejandro shrugged. Ahthere you go. He busied himself but-

tering a heel of bread and said no more, leaving me to stir my tea and

wonder about Adairs strange obsessions. e thing was, hed swivedthat boy as though it was punishment for disappointing him some-

how. It made me uneasy to think about it.

I leaned across the table and clasped Alejandros hand. Remem-

ber the conversation we had a few weeks ago, about my friend? My


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The Taker 241

Do you think I would do that to you? he said, hurt. I know nowthat his offense was all pretend. He was a good actor, Alejandro was.

We all had to be around Adair, but this was Alejandros role in the

group, to be the one to lull the distressed or uncertain, to assuage and

calm the victim so she doesnt see the blow coming. At the time, I

thought of him as the good one whereas Tilde and Dona were evil

and bitter, the deceivers, but I see now they each had a role to play.

But at the time, I believed him.


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The Taker by Alma Katsu