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London

Theirs was a forbidden friendship. The vicar's wife and the whore. Two lives as boldly different as the sun from the moon, and yet, friendship thrived.

Now it was about to end.

From the safety of a clump of overgrown boxwoods that hid the secret door in the garden wall between the vicarage and the brothel, Eden watched her friend Mary Westchester, the vicar's wife, who sat on a bench in the dappled shade of her garden waiting for Eden to appear. Today, Mary had brought her elevenmonth-old daughter Dorothy, knowing the presence of the child would be a rare and welcome treat. She leaned back and held her babe high above her head. Dorothy giggled delight and, laughing, her mother dropped her down and hugged her close.

Eden stood riveted by the sight and sound of the child's laughter.

The door that separated the modest vicarage from the house where Eden lived was a reminder of the days when both houses had been part of the same abbey. Eden's home, a four-story Gothic structure built of stone and mortar located not far from the financial center .Of London, was now an infamous, but expensively discreet brothel ironically called the Abbey.

A wave of jealousy shot through Eden. She ruthlessly pushed the ugly emotion aside. It was not Mary's fault that their lots in life were so different, or that Eden's life was about to be turned upside down ...

"Hello," Eden said, stepping from her hiding place.

Mary turned with surprise, and then smiled, holding up the baby. "I brought Dorothy. My mother-in-law wasn't feeling well and I was a le to sneak the baby out of the house. She hardly ever lets me take Dorothy anywhere. She insists fresh air is badfor children, but I know she is wrong."

Eden came forward. "She's beautiful." Reverently, she dared to reach out and lightly touch one of the baby's silver-blonde curls. She couldn't help herself. The baby's small, shell-shaped ears and perfect fingers fascinated her. Dorothy examined her seriously with wide blue eyes. "She looks exactly like you, Mary."

Mary laughed, obviously pleased with the compliment. "My mother-in-law insists that Dorothy takes after the Westchesters, but I think she is part and parcel of me," she said, nuzzling the baby proudly. "Here, do you want to hold her?"

Eden stepped back. "No, I couldn't."

"Of course you could! She's not going to bite you." Mary held the baby up. "But be careful. She weighs more than you can imagine."

Eden shook her head, shying away. "I can't." She wasn't fit to touch such perfection. She'd seen things and done things that made her feel soiled inside. None of that should ever touch a baby as sweetly loved as Dorothy.

Mary lowered the baby to her lap, her eyes filled with concern. "Eden, what is the matter? You wouldn't hold her the last time I brought her either."

"You wouldn't understand."

"Of course I would. I'm your friend. There isn't anything you should be afraid to confide in me."

Her words caught Eden off guard.

Immediately, Mary came to her feet and crossed to Eden's side, holding the baby on one hip. "Eden, what is the matter? You've gone suddenly pale. Did I say something wrong?"

Dorothy reached for the green silk bow on Eden's bodice. Eden watched the baby's chubby hands pull on the bow, untying it, before answering in a low voice, "I've been sold."

Mary stared at her blankly and then repeated, "Sold?"

Eden ached to kiss the top of the baby's head. She could smell the scent of milk on Dorothy's breath. "Yes. Madame Indrani has finally heard from the Sultan Ibn Sibah. He's agreed to pay the price she has asked for me." Madame Indrani owned the Abbey. Eden reached out with one finger and stroked one of Dorothy's soft curls. She'd imagined it would feel like silk. It didn't. It felt of something finer and more ethereal. She raised her gaze to meet Mary's. "I will be leaving the Abbey in two weeks' time."

Mary's mouth dropped open in surprise. "She can't sell you. People don't sell people, not anymore."

Dorothy tried to stuff the end of the ribbon into her mouth. "They do where I come from," Eden said briskly. "Madame Indrani took me in off the street with the intent of selling me. It has always been my destiny." She echoed the words Madame Indrani had used on her only an hour earlier.

"How can you be so accepting of this?" Mary demanded.

"Because I knew it would happen sooner or later."

Mary pulled the bodice ribbon out of Dorothy's hands. "But I didn't know!" She turned her back on Eden, hugging the baby close. Dorothy peeked over her mother's shoulder, intent on the green ribbon.

Eden took a moment to retie the ribbon before answering soberly, "No, I didn't think you would understand."

Mary turned then, tears welling in her eyes. The tears surprised Eden.

"Mary, you're crying."

"What did you expect me to do? I've never had a friend that I've felt as close to as I do you."

Her words deeply touched Eden. "We are such a contrast, you and I. You are all porcelain and lace whereas I..." She finished with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Whereas you are vibrant, alive, bold," Mary declared loyally. "Do you know I'm jealous of you? I'm jealous of your intelligence and calm good sense about practical matters. But I'm also jealous of your looks too. Many times I wish I'd had your dark hair or green eyes." She gave Eden a critical once-over before adding, "Or your perfect figure."

"Mary, your figure is excellent."