Free The 7th of London by Beau Schemery

There’s a bathing room at the end of the hall, if you’d like to clean up. But get some sleep. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.” Sev watched Jack descend the stairs before he turned his attention to the door at the end of the hallway. “There are fresh clothes in there as well.” Jack’s voice drifted up the stairwell. “They should fit nicely.”
    Sev walked down the hall and turned the fancy brass knob on the door of Midnight’s guest bath. A gas lamp dangled from the ceiling, illuminating a room the likes of which Sev had never seen. He barely remembered the bath in the house he’d lived in with his parents. The wooden tub the family sometimes bathed in had also served as the washtub for the laundry. This room was a far cry from that worn, gray half barrel. The room was covered from floor to ceiling in black and white tiles in a chessboard pattern. Copper pipes and fittings snaked and twisted from the walls to the various accommodations.
    A giant, porcelain-coated iron tub dominated the center of the room. To the left stood an elaborate sink, shaped like an oyster with a gilded mirror above it on the wall. The right side of the room held a brass rack draped with clothes next to a full-length mirror. On the side of the tub opposite the door sat a stand festooned with jewel-like bottles filled with liquids of various colors. Sev assumed they were soaps or perfumes. He wondered how and why Midnight had acquired the items.
    Sev approached the bathtub apprehensively. He had no experience with such things and honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a proper bath. Sev regarded the knobs and faucets that led into the basin. He turned the knob emblazoned with an H . The pipes banged and groaned before a jet of water emerged from the spout below. Sev passed his hand beneath, feeling cold water at first. As he allowed the water to pass over his hand, it warmed and grew piping hot. Even when they’d bathed in his parents’ home, they had to heat the water on a stove before dumping it into the tub. This was a marvel. Sev couldn’t control the temperature, so he slowly turned the knob with the C on it. Cold water mingled with the hot and steam rose, curling above the surface of the water. He dropped a plug into the drain and tested the gathering liquid for its temperature. He fiddled with the knobs until he had the right proportions to draw a good hot bath.
    Satisfied, Sev stripped slowly out of his clothing, peeling off layer after layer until he stood bare in the strange room. He walked to the stand and inspected the perfumed liquids. He chose a bottle and drizzled a pink, rose-scented concoction into the water. Bubbles formed on the surface. He stepped back and inhaled the scent wafting from the tub. When he opened his eyes, he caught sight of his exposed body in the large mirror. Sev fingered the puckered skin over his ribs just below his right pectoral muscle, the brand Fervis had burned into his skin. A pink, angry 7 constantly reminded him of the hell he’d faced at Fervis’s hands. Each of his six siblings had been branded as well, all Sev’s fault. He pushed the memories away as tears rose in his eyes. He tried not to think about that night. He’d had the noblest intentions, wanting to free all the children who had been enslaved by Fervis.
    The door to the bathroom clicked, then creaked as it opened. Jack Midnight popped his head in, averting his eyes. “I brought you a towel,” Jack offered, holding out the soft cloth. Sev cried out in surprise, his hands dropping to shield his nudity. Jack tossed the fabric. Sev caught it instinctively and wrapped it around his waist, noticing Jack’s eyes.
    “Thank ye,” Sev said, flushing.
    “You might want to turn that water off. Your first dip will foul the water. You’ll want to rinse off, then bathe.” Sev considered Jack’s words, using one hand to hold the towel and the other to cut off the flow of water. The two young men regarded one another