The hunt for Ella Bandita began with the women.
They raged with each new tale about the notorious seductress, these women who spent their lives caring for their beauty and enhancing their manners to appeal to the most desirable men in society.
Wives and courtesans worked hard for their pampered lives, fine gowns, and sparkling jewels. Ella Bandita was a spit in the face of their world.
Ugly in face and grubby in dress, how could this be a woman no man can resist? To be left as only shadows of their former selves once the Thief of Hearts moved on, her conquests would never be the same again.
The wrath of the women grew alongside the terror of the men.
I’ve never heard of a time when married ladies and harlots of easy living cast their rivalries aside, but they did to stand against her.
Ironically enough, the man who brought them together was more akin to a courtesan than a Patron. He was an easy conquest, hardly worth a mention if it weren’t for what happened afterwards.
He was a charmer, this man who set all the women against Ella Bandita.
He lived in the city, having arrived in society through a marriage of convenience. In some ways, the Charmer was blessed amongst fortune hunters.
His wife was lovely, with fair hair and creamy skin. Her beauty would have been almost as appealing as her generous dowry had she not been a malcontent.
Her dreary accent and petulant nature challenged his polished manners every day, and her company grated desperately on his nerves.
He hadn’t been married a year before the Charmer pursued a courtesan who was as exciting as his wife was irritating. He must have spent quite a bit of her fortune, for he stopped at nothing until he gained the favor of the most sought-after woman of her profession.
She was known as Adrianna the Beautiful.
Dark and fiery with a formidable lust, her appetite for pleasure was insatiable, her salons legendary.
Her guests were the handsomest, the wealthiest, the most powerful, and the most brilliant men in the city. She had her pick of lovers from only the best, and she was selective.
The Charmer was far beneath her usual choices, but he was witty and his courtship was relentless. He made himself irresistible enough that Adrianna allowed herself to be seduced.
But the Thief of Hearts ensnared his notice at the opera.
The Charmer was with his wife in a balcony above the stage. His mistress was also present, escorted by a handsome young prince. They sat across from the Charmer and his wife.
Adrianna even winked at her other lover when neither of their companions was looking.
He smiled and winked back just before his wife turned to him with a complaint.
Then the Charmer made his face a mask of attentive concern, caressing her hand and whispering gentle words until she was quiet.
He saw Ella Bandita as soon as he could look away, his regard drawn to the common seats on the floor where she sat. The Charmer found her gaze startling and riveting, reminding him of the way a predator stares at prey.
Then his attention was diverted when the lights faded and the velvet curtains lifted. He forgot about Ella Bandita once the performance was under, for opera was one of the few things he cherished.
The Charmer was a satisfied man, so it was surprising he fell under her spell.
He had a wealthy wife who seemed a Madonna in those blessed moments of silence, a decadent temptress for a mistress, a life of elegance and leisure. The Charmer was enjoying himself, his privilege too fresh to take for granted.
Who knows why we do the things we do?
Perhaps his wife was especially tiresome that evening, or the sight of Adrianna in a blazing red gown made the reality of what she was painfully apparent.
Maybe he sensed the boredom that would come.
All we know is when the Charmer caught sight of Ella Bandita during intermission, she had no trouble enticing him with a new game.
She met his gaze and grinned. Then she wove her way through groups of ladies and gentlemen, provoking the Charmer with brief glances behind her, eyes glittering when she smiled at him.
And he followed her, this man who had everything.
The Charmer returned to the balcony with his wife and finished the opera with her. Yet he left their bed and house late that night.
The next morning, he was found with the same witless expression and glazed eyes of her other conquests, muttering the same words as those who fell before him.
“Eh…eh…la bandita stole my heart.”
A few days later, the most exclusive courtesan in the city waited for the lover who never came. Adrianna had not heard the fate that befell the Charmer, and she was livid he dared not keep their appointment.
She had never suffered this indignity before. She was as notorious for her temper as she was renowned for her allure.
Her fury was at its peak when another courtesan came to call with the dreadful news about her favorite lover.
Then the wrath of Adrianna the Beautiful was all for Ella Bandita.
