04 Lowcountry Bordello(8)

Gently, I said, “Olivia, honey, we’re all here for you. But we have to know what’s going on before we can help you.”

“I told you what was going on.” Her voice was subdued, which was a blessing.

“Well, you told me part of the story,” I said. “But I have a lot of questions. And we need to bring Robert and Nate up to speed.”

I looked at Nate, then Robert. “Olivia called and asked me to meet her at 12 Church Street this evening. She was quite upset, so of course I went straightaway. Olivia, tell us about the house on Church Street.”

Her shoulders rose and fell with a sigh. “Fine.” She studied a spot on the rug beside the ottoman. “Granddaddy Beauthorpe inherited the family homeplace here on Stella Maris. He had three sisters. The oldest girl married a Quinlan. The younger two girls, Willowdean and Mary Leona, never married. Great Granddaddy left the family home in Charleston—12 Church Street—to them, so they’d never have to worry. Or at least that’s what he thought. He left them money, too, of course.

“But property values in Charleston have skyrocketed. The taxes, upkeep, insurance, and utilities on that house are insane. But it’s been in the family ever since it was built in 1810. Aunt Mary and Aunt Dean couldn’t bring themselves to sell it. When the money ran low, they started taking in boarders. It was a very word-of-mouth kind of thing. Friends of friends. Only young ladies from proper Charleston families, or with references from one. That was their idea, anyway. There were several College of Charleston students, a young nurse who worked at MUSC—like that. Things were working out. Or so I thought.

“Aunt Mary passed a few years back. She left me her half of the house, and I’m in Aunt Dean’s will to inherit the other half. I suspect they thought I would be more understanding of their affairs than anyone else in the family. Mamma would’ve lit the match herself and burned the house to the ground.”

A confused look slid over Robert’s face. “Why on earth would she do that? And why didn’t you tell me you’d inherited the property? That house must be worth millions.”

Olivia dropped her chin and widened her eyes. “The money wasn’t my first concern. Literally on the way out of the attorney’s office, my second cousin, Seth Quinlan, was waiting for me. He’s been blackmailing me ever since.”

“Blackmailing you?” Robert’s voice was incredulous.

“Yes,” said Olivia. “It seems the proper young ladies who now occupy the guest rooms are actually mistresses—perhaps exclusive, high-dollar call girls is a better description—of several of the pillars of Charleston society. One of them—possibly more—has other clients on the side, I’m told.”

Robert looked like he’d swallowed a live fish and was trying not to choke, but being real mannerly about it.

Olivia continued. “I could just hear Mamma saying, ‘Olivia, Beauthorpe women simply do not own bordellos.’” She reached for Robert’s hand. “I was afraid of what it would do to your career, our reputation.”

He grabbed her hand and wrapped it inside both of his. “But why didn’t you tell me? I’m an attorney, for Pete’s sake. I could’ve had your cousin arrested and we could’ve evicted the prostitutes.”

“And then we’d’ve had a financial millstone around our necks,” Olivia said. “We couldn’t sell that house out from under Aunt Dean. She’s lived there her entire life. And she still owns half. But without the money coming in, the expenses would’ve fallen on us. Robert, that’s an eight-thousand-square-foot, two-hundred-year-old house. And the scandal. We have our children to think of.”

Robert closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose.

I said, “Olivia, why did you go to the house tonight?”

“I finally worked up the nerve last week to tell Aunt Dean that Seth was blackmailing me. Seth lives in the guesthouse. He’s the handyman, has been since he was a teenager. He thought they should’ve left the house to him. He was mad as fire that it was coming to me. Anyway, Aunt Dean and I have been trying to come up with a plan. She knows he’s a problem, but he is family after all, and she depends on him for a great many things.”



 “That’s one way to put it,” said Colleen. “Get her to elaborate on what all Seth does around the house.”

“Exactly where does he hang in the family tree?” I asked.

“Granddaddy Beauthorpe’s oldest sister, Frances, had a daughter. She got pregnant as a teenager. It was quite the scandal. She never married and she died in childbirth. Aunt Frances and Uncle John raised Seth. He was always in trouble. Mamma never let me have much to do with him and that was fine by me. Aunt Mary and Aunt Dean felt like he just needed more love and attention. He spent a lot of time with them, helped out. Eventually he moved into the guesthouse and went to work for them full-time.”