I think what makes it sex work for me is if you would not be having sex with that person if you were not getting financial gain for it.

But there's no inherent reason (as in, not just talking about your grandmother here) the kept woman can't be the emotional primary in the group of relationships. Would that still make it sex work?

Hmm. I suppose if you were the emotional primary, possibly not. (But, again, I may still mentally file it as such, depending on the particulars and the extent of support given.)

Because there's no way anyone could love Hugh Hefner? Or no way Anna Nicole could love anyone? I am not supposed to be the romantic one here, but that seems rather absolute about people neither of us actually know.

Because Occam suggests that beautiful young women rarely flock to really old, really wealthy men for the sake of love alone. I'm sure they could have fond feelings for them, but doubt that Cupid's arrow is the only thing involved.

I think what makes it sex work for me is if you would not be having sex with that person if you were not getting financial gain for it.

I don't think my line is so cut and dried, but that's a good line to have.

I think what makes it sex work for me is if you would not be having sex with that person if you were not getting financial gain for it.

I agree with that, mostly. I don't think that whether you're married or not has any inherent link to it, though. Your intentions are what's important, not how many other people are being slept with, or if there's certification.

Because Occam suggests that beautiful young women rarely flock to really old, really wealthy men for the sake of love alone. I'm sure they could have fond feelings for them, but doubt that Cupid's arrow is the only thing involved.

While I'm sure that there are hot young women sleeping with rich old men they wouldn't otherwise sleep with, I don't think I know which ones are which, and wouldn't even know which ones are *likely* to be which. I encounter a lot of "I wouldn't sleep with someone their age, so why would anyone?" and I get flustered by that. It makes no sense. Obviously some people fall in love with "unlikely" people, and there are no impossible pairings.

There are old people I'd totally hit like a Mac truck, but fair point, and I'll amend it to "high probablility of it being sex work."

Plei. I'm sorry I pinged a personal issue by phrasing it such a way as to sound like I thought everyone who disagreed on interpretation had not read the text. Not what I intended to imply but it certainly came out that way, so still completely my fault.

Eh, happens.

For whatever it's worth, two of the most commonly suggested inspirations for the character are Lillie Langtry [link] and Lola Montez [link] either of whom would have been in the "who a reader in Doyle's day would have thought of when thinking of royal mistresses and potential scandals and stuff like that" category.

Lola Montez! Lola Montez!

HIGH ON MY LIST OF HISTORICAL HOTTIES, YES.

Wait. Right. That's totally not her appeal for you. I keep forgetting. ;p

Wait. Right. That's totally not her appeal for you. I keep forgetting. ;p

Nope, sorry. I just think she's awesome.