Manon and Belle, Pt. 20

The next few months were constant activity, arranging the house, both the private household and the House proper, but Manon thought gradually things seemed to be coming together.

The twins were kept busy, initially because they shouldered a lot of the work keeping the household running, supervising temporary staff and keeping an eye on them, and then as that got more organised with new staff, they were running what had rapidly becoming their own little intelligence network for me.

More than a few of Manon's shadier contacts from the time she and Belle had spent mixing with some of London's less reputable citizens proved to be a useful source of people for the twins. These were sent out when enquiries had to made by someone in person, because the twins had to very careful what use they made of the Wardrobe's official resources.

Tracking Miss Tolley had proved to be a dead end, at least for now. After a lot work had they found she had travelled by ship from London to Hamburg in Germany, but after that her trail went cold. Manon, Belle and the twins all found the way she had quickly become so hard to track, and then vanished, peculiar if not outright suspicious.

Nicola, the girl who had attacked Manon and been enslaved and sold, had been sergeant in Miss Tolley's Caroline House, and they had been to say the least very close, given that Nicola was often to be found naked in Miss Tolley's rooms, serving her.

This also made Manon and her girls even more sure that Belle's suggestion that Nicola's sister, Sephanie, was the same Stephanie as had penned the note to Manon, but so far hard evidence to support that or refute it was lacking.

Work on identifying the Wardrobe's leak was continuous but for now at least had not led anywhere either. The twins were going through the records of every case in the Wardrobe's files for the last three years, tracking which staff had access to the information about the case and when, and looking at what had happened.

Domestically, Mrs Birch had been retained as Manon's housekeeper, and soon turned out to be invaluable. She had a small but remarkably efficient staff running surprisingly quickly, and Manon had, with public grace and private impatience, resumed a social round, accepting invitations to tea or morning coffee and giving out her own, now that the house was running smoothly.

Manon hadn't made any progress on working out how to make the private household, her inner core of slaves and lovers work in the longer run, but reluctantly she and Belle had agreed it wasn't a priority, but hopefully that was about to change, if the visits went well.

Manon, while musing on all this, is sitting in a coach that she has hired, with Christy and her younger sister Fliss on their way to the senior school from Woodbridge, where Fliss is due to spend 2 days, staying overnight. Melissa is driving the coach, and Belle has opted to keep her company, sitting with her on the driver's seat.

Fliss is very quiet, and equal parts nerves and excitement, gripping her sister's hand tightly. Looking at Christy, Manon thought she was if anything more nervous than Fliss. The school had sent a uniform for Fliss, so that she didn't feel out of place when she was there, and Belle had got all nostalgic as she had once been to the same school, and worn that uniform.

Manon had needed to visit the school anyway, in search of information on the mysterious Stephanie who had been a pupil at the school and been expelled when her sister caused so much trouble at College, and both Christy and Fliss had been eager to have company on the visit.

Manon was going on to the College after delivering Fliss, after investigating what the School records had to say, if anything about Stephanie. There was perhaps more information to be found on Nicola's fate at the College, or so Manon hoped.

Also the College headmistress, Miss Minniver, once her and Belle's housemistress, had arranged for Manon to see Katie, in effect to interview her, to see if she would come to London to work for Manon and run the inner household.

Miss Minniver had been oddly keen that the offer should be put to Katie, which puzzled Manon a little. Manon knew that Katie was important to the running of the College, so to be willing to sell a valued slave so easily seemed odd.

Back at the house Janine would be hard at work, training with the recruits for the house guard, who with a lot of help from Sir James had proved easier to come by than Manon had feared. 2 women, 4 men, a mix of ex-police and army, they had been an easy pick for Manon. They had all been recommended by Janine who done the hard work of getting to a short list from a much longer list of candidates, more than vindicating Manon's faith in her.

Janine was now almost totally recovered from her burns, the only sign of them being the black leather protective glove that she wore on her left hand at all times. Mrs Chapman had excelled herself, spending an hour with Christy discussing in detail what the Doctor wanted for her patient and meticulously measuring Janine's hand to ensure the right fit. All this after Melissa and Janine had already undergone a somewhat invasive process of being measured, while naked in the playroom.

Manon had ordered them an outfit each, which they had of course guessed, but she had point blank refused to tell them what it was, so as not to spoil the surprise. The outfits were due to be delivered any day now, and Manon grinned to herself, looking forward to that.

On arrival at the School, they were greeted by Miss Franklin, who had charge of the year 13s who led Fliss, Christy and Manon into her office, while Belle stayed with Melissa. The horses needed to be fed and watered and Belle went with her so that she could guide her back, as she knew her way around, having once been a pupil here herself.

"Well Fliss," Miss Franklin said as she sat at her desk. Fliss was standing nervously next to her sister, who was sat on one of the two chairs in front of the desk, Manon on the other. Manon hadn't wanted to be here, feeling that she would be intruding, but both Christy and Fliss had asked her to stay.

A girl of about Fliss's age had been waiting in the corridor, and Miss Franklin ushered her in with them, and she stood quietly at the back of the room, but had given Fliss a quick smile as they passed each other. Neatly turned out in the same uniform of course, and the sort of perfectly innocent look that Manon associated with young people who were in practice anything but.

"I am very pleased to meet you," Miss Franklin said. "Now I think you know what we have planned for you? You spend today and tomorrow with the class you would join if you attend school here, and stay overnight in their dormitory tonight?"

"Yes miss," Fliss said, looking very nervous still and being quite atypically subdued.

"Well, I know that may seem scary, since I gather you haven't stayed away from your sister before, but a lot of girls that join us have never stayed away from home before, so we will help you with that," Miss Franklin said. "Mary, come here please?" she said, and the girl came and stood next to Fliss.

"Fliss this is Mary Nolan, and you will be spending the next two days in her class and so she will be looking out for you during that time. When a new girl joins us like you are, I'd probably ask an older girl to look out for her for a few days, but since you are just visiting, and the purpose of that is so that you can see if you want to join us, I thought it better that a classmate takes the role."

"Oh, thank you miss," Fliss said. "May I ask a question please?"

"Of course you may," Miss Franklin said. "We are a school dear, our whole job is about getting our girls to ask questions and helping them find answers."

"Oh, well. I thought I was visiting so that you could decide if you wanted me here?" Fliss asked.

Miss Franklin laughed a little, "Oh no dear, well not quite. I suppose it is possible that you might be so horrible we wouldn't want you to attend, but even in this short time I can tell you aren't like that, not that I expected you to be."

"No Fliss, we know we would like you to attend, this is for you and your sister to decide if you want to," Miss Franklin said.

"Oh, Mary, answer that please?" Miss Franklin said at a knock on the door. It was Belle and Melissa, who with a murmured good morning stood quietly at the back of the room.

"Now if there's nothing else?" Miss Franklin said. "Good, now Mary you just have time to take Fliss to put her coat away in your dormitory and get to breakfast. Off you go."

With a last worried look at her sister, Fliss let herself be led from the room by Mary, who had tucked her arm through Fliss's and was whispering to her as they left. Manon heard part of it, to the effect that the teachers were nicer than they seemed.

Apparently Miss Franklin had as well, "Mary, I heard that," she said. "Sorry miss!" Mary sang out as the door closed on them, not sounding in the least abashed.

"That child will be death of me," Miss Franklin said, smiling.

"That might not be a wise pairing then," Christy said, a catch in her voice showing she was feeling quite emotional.

"Oh no Doctor," Miss Franklin said, "that's the main reason I chose Mary. She's clever and mischievous but a good soul, so will take good care of your Felicity," using her given name for the first time. "Maybe those two become friends, maybe they don't, but I am quite sure that either way they will find all sorts of creative ways of getting into trouble, if Fliss stays with us."

"Fliss I thought needs a foil, she's used to having intelligent adult company, and Mary I think will be ideal to allow her to be her own age a little more often. Mischief is small price to pay for that."

"After all from the reports I have, that worked for you Agatha? Sorry I should say Belle, forgive me." she added.

Belle managed a slightly strangled sounding 'yes miss' as Manon, Christy and Melissa all burst out laughing.

"Now, before we get you shown around, would you care to join me for some breakfast, I realise you must have had a very early start?"

That offer was gratefully accepted, and Manon was pleased to note there was no issue attached to Belle and Melissa sitting with them at the small table in what must have been Miss Franklin's sitting room. Not everyone accepted that slaves should be afforded such courtesies if they were the personal companions of their masters or mistresses.

Over tea and toast and some boiled eggs, Miss Franklin explained that Sir Graham had sent a whole hearted recommendation for Fliss. She and Christy had spent most of day with him earlier in the week, which judging from Fliss' happy mood when she got home had gone well. His recommendation not only supported what Christy had claimed about Fliss' medical skills and knowledge, but said that in his opinion she was 'an intelligent and engaging young woman, who any school would be lucky to have.'

Miss Franklin explained that her current plan was to rely on weekly visits from the school's retained consultant magus healer to keep Fliss engaged, and then rely on her judgement as to how to proceed from there, as Fliss got older and the rest of her education caught up with her command of medicine.

"We had a girl with us, something of a maths prodigy. We engaged two professors from Cambridge to visit, and push her along, as she was quite beyond anything we could have taught without that. Perhaps in time, we will do the same for Fliss, I think it or similar if you agree of course, would be likely."

"Had a girl?" Christy asked. "What happened to her?"

"She went to the College of course, they were perfect for each other, and has done very well. Oh and she's Mary's sister, who you just met."

"Now, I must pass you on if you don't mind two others who will show you around. Two of our year 18 girls will take you around the school, who have both been here since they joined when they were 13 as well. I thought you would prefer to be able to chat with pupils out of the hearing of teachers, to get the real view," she said with a smile.

"My Lady, after that you and I should talk and see about what information we can find for you?" Manon thanked her and then they were led out of the office again, and Miss Franklin introduced them to two 18 year olds, now into their last year at school.

They took Christy and Manon all over, Belle and Melissa trailing behind, into and out of classrooms, some in use where they politely greeted the teacher and where the girls in the class all stood and said good morning back.

Christy steadily got more relaxed throughout the tour, and seemed to warm to the young women who were showing them around, and the cheerful way they conducted themselves and interacted with the teachers and other girls they met. The only thing that caused Christy to pause was watching a class of 15 year olds in the gym, where they were sparring in an unarmed combat class.

To Manon's expert eye they were good, two of them in particular, who circled each other carefully and then exploded at each other in a flurry of punches and kicks that made Christy shift uneasily, until Manon took her hand, and quietly said, "just watch."

What Christy couldn't see until Manon explained was that none of the blows landed in the way intended. They were blocked or slipped. Hips turned so that kicks didn't land square, punches were deflected. For sure some of that would hurt, just not nearly as much as one that hit properly.

The girls showing them around explained that the two they had just watched were well known for their skill, and regularly sparred with older girls, but that at the school this training was more to enable a girl to defend herself than how to attack someone else, though as they said laughing, that isn't always as different as one might think.

When the teacher called time, the two girls fell about laughing with each other, and walked off the mat arm in arm breathing heavily, sweaty and smiling.

Manon wasn't sure that Christy was comfortable with it, but at least seemed to have reconciled to it. Belle helped it along by pointing out that without the similar training that she and Manon had that the outcome of their escape from Bordeaux would have been very different.

By late morning they had seen everything that Christy wanted to, and the girls returned them to Miss Franklin, who sat with them over lunch, before Belle took Melissa and Christy for a walk in the grounds. Diplomatically leaving Manon and Miss Franklin to talk.

"This is all we have on the Stephanie who was expelled. It isn't much frankly, she was 17, had been an excellent student. Her sister Nicola had been as well before her. I don't know if it will help, but I've had a copy of her records made for you as well, it's all in here," she said, handing Manon an envelope of papers.

"When Stephanie was expelled no one came to collect her as near as I can tell. The only record I could find showed that she was bought a train ticket from Woodbridge to London. I'm sorry but none of the staff who were here then taught her, and don't seem to remember much about her, other than what happened of course," Miss Franklin said.

"Well, it was worth looking into," Manon said, who'd had some small hope that something might turn up.

"Is there any record of her having visitors?" Manon asked, pulling the papers from the envelope and searching through them quickly.

"If I remember correctly, yes in her first two years. There, that pink paper," she said as Manon sorted through them.

"Well," Manon said, "that's something I didn't know. She had visits from her father, as you say for the first two years, it shows him as Niklaas Claasen, Dutch I presume."

"Coleman was I believe her mother's maiden name, some of the girls with foreign fathers still use their mother's maiden names now. I think they believe it avoids some complications," Miss Franklin said.

Manon laughed, "oh that I can well understand."

"Oh I am so sorry, that was terribly rude of me," Miss Franklin said.

"Not at all, I've used my mother's name and title my entire life, I'm not in the least offended I assure you."

"Thank you for this, but I should let you get on and go and find my companions. It already seems to have been a long day." Manon said. "And we have to get to the College still."

"Indeed, I know Millicent is looking forward to seeing you and Belle again."

"She must be even tougher than I remember then. Belle and I caused her a great deal of difficulty while she was our housemistress," Manon said ruefully.

"Well indeed, that tale is well known. But then as I implied earlier about Mary and Fliss, for a teacher, it's the clever difficult ones that you cherish the memory of."

And laughed when Manon said, "I really hope you are right." Miss Franklin accompanied her out then, and they found that the others were waiting with the carriage. Christy and Belle had elected to return to the Inn in Woodbridge where Manon had booked rooms, and return for Manon the next day.

"I will miss you Belle dear," Manon said.

"Thank you miss, that is kind of you," Belle said, with a sly grin.

"Belle?" Manon asked, knowing that Belle was clearly up to something.

"Well miss, I thought that you might want some time alone with Katie, if things go well," she said, as they watched Melissa first turn the carriage and Christy get in. "And the Doctor seemed in need of a distraction, since she is so nervous about her sister.".

Manon chatted with Christy on the way to the College, doing what she could to reassure Christy.

When they arrived at College Manon found it strangely disconcerting seeing Miss Minniver again. Not because she didn't like her former housemistress, or that they weren't well received and Manon both liked and respected her. It was just that a lot of old memories came flooding back all at once.

Belle must have felt the same way, as she came and said hello to Miss Minniver, almost shyly, before she left with Christy and Melissa. "Back by dinner time tomorrow," Manon instructed, and then they were gone.

Manon's welcome was in fact genuinely warm and she sat down on a sofa while Miss Minniver poured tea, and they exchanged polite pleasantries about the weather, the trains running late and so on.

Manon's sense of dislocation, the contrast between her memories of being a student here and how she was received now was made worse by being in the Head's study, as Miss Minniver had taken up the post after the old Head was dismissed, directly as a result what came to light in the wake of the attack on Manon. The Headmistress and Miss Tolley had both been dismissed, and Caroline house, Miss Tolley's house and perhaps not coincidentally the head's before her, was disbanded.

That girl who attacked Manon was Nicola, who was as a result enslaved by the College and sold, which had also got her sister Stephanie expelled from senior school. There was a lot of history, of memory here, for Manon and it seemed Miss Minniver as well, who hadn't got any less plain speaking it seemed over the intervening years.

"I imagine Lady Manon that this must be strange for you. It is certainly so for me."

"Please miss, that feels very odd, I was just Manon when I was one of your girls, I think I'd rather be that still?"

"And yes it has brought a lot of memories up, but then this whole affair has," Manon said.

"Not all bad I hope?" Minniver said.

"Oh no miss, not at all. Most are much happier, not least of course because this is where I met Belle, and that the College gave me an opportunity that I'd not conceived even existed when I arrived."

"So about one of those more difficult times, Sir James tells me you want to know anything you can about Nicola, and what happened to her after we sent her to be sold?"

"That's correct miss," I said. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, not least because at the end of the day we don't know for sure that Nicola and her sister are in fact involved in what happened to us on our recent trip." Manon was though somehow certain that they were involved, the idea had felt more right as time had gone on.

So Manon explained the important parts of what had happened in Bordeaux and about the strange letter she had received. "The only Stephanie we could think of was Nicola's sister, and had it not for Belle we wouldn't even have made that connection. She remembered Stephanie from senior school."

"The note, the way it was written, it implied that we should know who Stephanie is, and understand why she wanted revenge," Manon said.

"Which of course suggests Nicola, although from what I have seen of your career since leaving us Manon, you must have more than a few people who would happily get revenge on you and Belle."

Manon went pink slightly, as that was true. It also reminded her the dividing line between the College and the Wardrobe was very thin when it came to Miss Minniver, who she knew enjoyed Sir James' complete confidence.

Which she immediately got another reminder of. "I'm putting together copies of everything we have on Nicola, and for good measure on my predecessor as head and miss Tolley, as well as all the girls who were in Caroline house at the time. Perhaps the twins can find something in all that which I can't see, they are good at that."

So she knew Linette and Vallon worked for her now, Manon thought smiling to herself. "That is very kind of you, thank you," Manon said.

"Let me summarise what we do know for you. After Nicola was branded she was taken from here two days later after some medical attention, and transported to a slave training facility in London, on the Isle of Dogs."

"As you know training is something of a misnomer, they are often just holding places for slaves who are to be sold, though some are legitimate and some specialise in disciplining and retraining slaves who for some reason have been found wanting. She was to be sold as soon as possible, at one of the regular auctions, so shouldn't have been there long."

"We don't of course have any knowledge of what happened to her after she was taken away, save only that we received payment for her two weeks later, suggesting that the auction had been at most 3 or 4 days before that."

"The file has the details in, and I think you might have the resources to find the auction at which she was sold, and if you find that?"

"We could well find whoever bought her," Manon said. "You missed your calling miss, you should be doing my job," Manon added and got a snort.

"Thank you no Manon, your life seems far too exciting for a staid old school teacher." Which in turn made Manon laugh.

That turned out to be the only new information, as it appeared that Nicola hadn't had any visits while she was here, though few at the college did, but Manon told her about the Dutch connection that they had found at the Senior School.

"Curious, our records have no note about her father being Dutch that I recall," she said.

"So which side of the line then, do you know?" Miss Minniver asked.

Manon kicked herself, she hadn't thought of that question, though liked to think she would have. "We don't know, he might be from either the French or Burgundian sides. We won't find anything easily if she was from the French side."

The low countries had been split between the French and Burgundians for many years now, with each claiming they were the true sovereign of all of it. As a result the whole of Flanders and the low countries had been a major flashpoint for a very long time.

"I don't mean to be rude," Miss Minniver said, "but I have a staff meeting, but I hope you will join me for dinner, if you aren't too tired? I know you must have had an early start.

"Dinner would be splendid, thank you," Manon said. "Miss, will Katie be available to meet?"

"If you don't mind I've arranged for us to all to meet in the morning, here in my office, there are some things you need to know when you talk with Katie, and I'm afraid that she needs to know as well. As I think you know we will sell Katie to you if she wants to go, and be very sorry to lose her."

After a rest, it having been a long day, Manon went and ate in the dining hall with Miss Minniver and the teachers, at the teachers' table. Which she found very odd, though she was made welcome, but the constant sense that somehow she should be down below with the students nagged at her.

Manon had a restless night without any of her girls, she wasn't used to sleeping on her own, but it had been a long day, so in the end she slept well enough. The next morning, after she had been brought breakfast in her room, she washed and dressed, and went to see miss Minniver, who already had Katie waiting with her in her office.

"Miss Manon!" Katie said getting up from where she was kneeling and giving Manon a polite curtsey.

"Forgive me, that's my lady now," Katie said.

"Manon would be fine, but I never persuaded you of that when we met before," Manon said smiling, and hugged Katie, kissing her on both cheeks, which got her quite flustered.

"It's hard to know where to start this," Manon said, "so I'll save explanations for later," Manon said, getting Katie to sit opposite her in the armchair facing Manon's who sat next to miss Minniver.

"Katie I've a question for you, but before I do, you need to understand one thing. The answer is yours to give, there is no wrong answer, and you don't have to agree to anything that you, and you alone, don't want to."

Katie was looking very nervous, and very puzzled, so Manon got on with it.

"Katie, I own a really big house in the centre of London, and have recently moved back into it. You know who I went to work for, and still do, so there is a part of the house that is not only very personal, and very private for my own reasons, but has to be that way as well as it is where I work from."

"Belle, as well as Linette and Vallon live with me there, as do some others, and I need someone I know I can trust to run my private household, who won't be put off by the things that I like to do, with Belle, and the twins, and my other slaves."

"Er, yes miss, but I don't see how I can help?" Katie said.

"Katie, would you come and run my private household? If you want to, the College has given consent for me to buy you, and bring you to London. If you want to," Manon emphasised.

Katie just sat still, going pale and looking completely stunned. "Miss Manon, sorry my lady, I, well, I don't know what to think, or say," she said.

Manon left her to think for a little while, but it was obvious that Katie needed some time to think about this, which was understandable. Coming to London to work for Manon would be a very big change for her, so if Katie wanted time to think it over, time she would get.

"Katie," Miss Minniver said, firmly interrupting. "There's one more thing you need to know, that you don't, and my apologies Manon but you don't either. I only got permission from the Regents to tell you yesterday."

"Katie, when you made your choice to stay with the schools when you were made a slave, there was one clause on your slave registration that was kept secret. The condition for allowing me to have that clause inserted was that it was kept from you until such time as you could exercise it if you so choose."

"Katie, on the 10th anniversary of your branding, and every year thereafter, you have the right to take your freedom. You have a manumission clause Katie, and in 18 months that will be the 10th anniversary," Miss Minniver said. "I am really sorry you were never told, that I couldn't tell you, but I was expressly forbidden to."

Manon thought that Katie was going to faint for a moment, her expression went from unreadable to appalled to terrified, which Manon didn't understand at all.

"Katie, I didn't know about that clause," Manon said, "but I'll happily duplicate it, if you decide to come with me. I'd not have you lose that right, it's too important." Seeing that Katie was overwhelmed miss Minniver suggested it was time they talked privately so Manon led Katie out, and into her guest rooms.

"Please don't worry Katie. I just thought you would want some private time, somewhere quiet, to think about this?" Manon said, and got up to leave.

"My lady, don't go please," Katie said, kneeling in front of Manon. "I do need to think, but I'd rather not be alone," she said. Manon got Katie to sit in an armchair, so they could talk less awkwardly. So they sat for a while, as Katie was lost in thought.

"Oh," Katie said. "Why me then? Not to be rude miss, but surely you could get other people to do work for you?"

"Well, yes I could, but why would I want them? I wouldn't know if I could trust them for some time, and I couldn't tell how they would react to how I live, with Belle, and others."

"I'm sorry Katie, I can see this upset you."

"Thank you miss, but I think disturbed me would be a better way of putting it," she said with a little smile. "Miss, I've had a long time to get used to my life, and forget an old one. Each time I was transferred, first to the school and then to here, it was the same, disturbing."

"The College has been very good to me miss, they have given me a lot more responsibility, stretched me Miss Minniver called it once, and now you come and offer to stretch me more. It's a lot to take in, I'd never thought about leaving here."

Manon sat quietly and let Katie talk, it seemed to be what she needed. "I knew I could be sold miss, of course, but very few slaves from the Schools or the College are miss, and then pretty much only when they have been unsatisfactory. We get moved around between the different places, and of course within them, but not usually sold."

"Miss, tell me about your household please? How you see this working?"

"Well, it isn't particularly straightforward," Manon said with a laugh, "and is evolving still I think."

"So, first of course is Belle, my Belle. She is my deputy in all things, but you know I presume that she gave me her freedom when we left college?"

"Oh yes miss," Katie said, laughing herself, now. "That story got around very quickly."

"Er, yes, well so she is my slave too. Next are the twins, Linette and Vallon. They haven't changed much, a little heavier maybe but still as insatiable as they were in the dormitory," Manon said as she and Katie exchanged grins.

"They work for me, as my intelligence team, and live at the house. I've two new slaves, who both came back with me from Bordeaux, Melissa and Janine."

"Like Belle they both have other jobs, besides being mine. Melissa is my coach driver and Janine, who was a soldier in Aquitaine, commands my household guard, looking after my and the House's security."

"And finally I have two, well friends, made in Bordeaux who live with us. The elder sister is a doctor, the younger is spending two days, her last today, at the Senior School, to see if she wants to attend."

"Do you know what has been happening in Aquitaine?" Manon asked.

"A little miss, the new Duke, and all the changes he has been making," Katie said.

"Well Janine, the Doctor and her sister are refugees from all that, they'd have been killed if they stayed, so when Belle and I had to leave quickly as well, we took them with us."

"Oh, it sounds interesting," Katie said. "So where would I fit in, if I came?"

"Well, essentially, I need someone who can run the inner household, make it work domestically. So if there are other slaves or servants here, or at either school who you think would fit, they would be good. If you come of course."

"Katie, I'm setting things up so that the slaves in the inner household all have a bed in a dormitory and even Belle and my other three will I am sure sleep there at times. Unless the twins have suddenly changed, I'd wager they will be there too, probably more often than not."

"Anyone else we recruit, any other slaves, will too, so part of your job will be controlling and managing that dormitory for me."

"Oh, so I'd be like the dormitory sergeant?"

"Oh lord no Katie, much more. You would be housemistress, and me the headmistress. If the other slaves aren't performing some other duty, Melissa driving, Janine in her role as guard commander where they answer directly to me or in my absence Belle, then you will have absolute authority over them, and I would expect you to enforce it if necessary."

"But if Linette and Vallon want to use the dormitory?" Katie asked.

"Katie, you knew those two. They haven't changed so they will, the chance to play with others like back in Matilda house will be irresistible to them. But a condition of that will be that they submit to your authority. If for whatever reason they don't want to, they have a room of their own, as do Melissa and Janine who are sharing at the moment, and Belle of course is usually with me."

"What do you think Katie?" Manon asked, as she seemed to have settled.

"I think miss, that I would like to come and be yours, but I am terrified at the same time? Me, in London, it would be very different from my life now," she said.

"Well, yes it would be, and yet some part of if it would surely be familiar as well. I'm not trying to recreate Matilda house, but that is my model for how I want things run in my inner household, and you wouldn't have to deal with anything outside the house, until you were ready."

"I have a housekeeper, for the main house, and she has already recruited a small staff to run that. She's a good soul, and I am sure will help you, and when it comes to such things as supplies and household goods, you can have those ordered through her," Manon said.

"Miss, you said that you needed more people and that if I knew of slaves who I'd like to work under me? What do you need miss?"

"So, first off, over time I expect you to tell me what you need, just as Mrs Birch my housekeeper does for the main house. At the moment, I know we need kitchen staff, a cook for sure, and someone competent who can see that the inner household is kept clean, and maybe two or three more junior staff as well. Do you know people, who you would like to work for you?"

"Well I do miss, but if you will forgive me, I do have one problem in accepting, not for myself but because of a girl I look after."

"Tell me about her then?" Manon asked.

"She was a student miss, one that I knew very briefly at Senior School, and who came to College, in Matilda House as it happens. Rowena was her name then, she's Sally now. She'd left before I arrived, because she had become very ill. In essence she wasn't quite right after that miss, she'd had a very high fever for days, and it changed her mentally," Katie said.

"Well anyway when I arrived here, miss Minniver asked me if I'd take her on, to work for me. She wanted to come back to college, because she had been happy here, wanted it so much that she gave the College her bond miss, she's a slave now. She's sort of fixed on me, and I'd be very concerned about how she would fare if I were to leave her."

"Thats quite the tale Katie. What does she do?" Manon asked.

"She is one of the slaves assigned to Matilda house miss, looks after the dormitory, cleans, helps the girls. Miss you know that after you left, the rules were changed by Miss Minniver, so the slaves and the girls are allowed to be intimate? She's very sweet miss, good natured and good with the girls."

"I do Katie, yes," Manon smiled. "If you asked her to come with you, would she? I mean could she leave College?"

"I don't know miss. I'd never imagined I'd leave here, so it's not a question that has ever come up."

"Well, then I think you should ask miss Minniver about her, and then if she agrees talk to her, but not in a way that alarms her, and if it can be arranged I'd like to meet her. Now about others?" Manon asked.

"I can arrange that miss, she is one of mine," Katie said. "There were people at the Elementary school and the Senior School who were very kind to me miss, who are more than competent."

"Katie, it would have to be their decision, like it is for you. I know in theory I could buy them and they'd have no say in it, but I'd rather willing volunteers."

"Thank you miss. I don't know how they would react, or if the schools would be willing to sell them, but I'd like to find out? I don't know them any more either miss, so I would want to see them again, see how they are now?"

"Well, we can do that, tell me a little about them please, and why you want them?" Manon asked.

"Well, there's two at the Elementary school, who rather stand out. Miss the school was very good with me, when I got there I was very ill, and not fit for anything, but it was the first girl, Erin who really stood out."

"She was kind and patient, loving with me, even though being assigned to look after me must have been a terrible job for her, on top of her other duties. She cooks miss, and did very well back then, and was very competent, she was much in demand to help out in other areas when it was needed. So she'd be ideal I think."

"The second is called Orla. She was a brilliant cook miss, makes cakes and pastries and things to die for, but is quite hard to manage. Not because she is badly behaved, but because she can't resist pilfering some of what she cooks, she has a terrible sweet tooth. So she was often spanked or made to work naked as punishment."

"Katie, if Orla is a problem, she would be your problem to deal with, you understand that? If you have to discipline any of the staff, or frankly just want to," Manon said laughing at Katie's look, "that is your job, not mine. If something really bad happens, then bring it to me, otherwise you are my mistress of slaves."

"Oh, well, then I would like to see both of them, if that can be arranged?"

"There are others miss, at Senior School. Gwen, who was one of the first girls I was given charge of. She's one of those people who just gets on with whatever the job is, cheerfully, even if it's not one of the nice ones. She had that whole school worked out, navigating the people who ran the different departments, swapping favours with them to get things done. She worked really hard as well."

"She sounds intriguing, how would you use her?"

"I'd have her running the inner household miss, the cleaning and all that, seeing that any staff assigned to those jobs did them properly. If I'm house mistress, she'd be my choice as Sergeant I suppose. There are others miss, but some had already moved into other jobs, even when I knew them, so I don't know about them anymore."

"It's not too many is it miss?" Katie asked, suddenly a little worried that maybe she was suggesting too much.

"Maybe too few Katie, but I don't know for sure, like I said that will be for you to determine and make recommendations to me. Katie, you are sure? If you are we should probably ask to see Miss Minniver again."

"I'm incredibly nervous miss, but yes, I'd really like to be yours and work for you." she said smiling at Manon.

"Well that's splendid news, you have no idea how pleased I am to her that," Manon said.

"Miss, I should go and see miss Minniver," Katie said

"Of course," I said and she slipped out.

Sometime later, a servant asked me to join Miss Minniver in her study. "So she said yes then, subject to her Sally problem," Minniver said as we sat together again.

"She did, and I've asked her to seek permission to try and recruit a few more slaves from the schools to come and work under her, but I'll understand if they aren't available," Manon said.

"Well, I'm sure we can arrange something," Minniver said. "The influence of your employers will I am sure be helpful."

"I don't want to be pushy, but I'd like her in London as soon as she can come?" Manon asked.

"There's no point in making her wait any more than we have to, it will cause her unnecessary stress," Minniver said. "Talking of which, I don't want to fall into the trap of underestimating her, but she really shouldn't travel on her own especially not if she has Sally with her, that girl is very fragile in some ways."

"If I can't come to collect them, I'll make sure they have a proper escort, Belle would always be up for some travel, and were we both too busy I'm sure the twins would come, but thank you for the prompt. If there are others, perhaps they could all travel together, it would be easier on all of them as well as for me."

"That would be splendid," Minniver said. "Now I have arranged for Katie to bring Sally to see you in your rooms."

"Miss, can I ask what your view of Sally is?" Manon asked.

"Well, in her own way she is as a big a tragedy as Katie herself, more so in that what has happened to her was sheer bad luck. Katie knew what she was doing, and that as a result she'd end up a slave if not worse."

"Manon, Sally was a bright girl, well up with our best, probably destined for University and the law, though that wasn't a firm decision on her part. She got meningitis Manon, though from whom or how we never knew, as there were fortunately no other cases."

Manon winced, that was a serious illness, one that many didn't survive, even with expert medical attention.

"So she was in some ways lucky, in that we were able to get her help and to hospital in Cambridge when she could travel. She recovered well enough physically, though that was slow, and went home to live with her mother, but she was never the same mentally."

"In essence, she is simple now, childlike in a lot of ways. She fastened on very partial memories of College, as being her happy place, that she wanted to come back to. Ran away from home several times to try and get here, so in the end her mother wrote to us and asked us if we'd take her."

"That can't have been an easy decision miss?" Manon said.

"It wasn't, for her mother or us. Legally her mother could enslave her, as she wasn't competent and so is treated as a minor in law, but we needed to understand what she understood about what she wanted to do. Which in a way is the oddest things about all of this. She knew exactly what she was offering, what she wanted to do, I didn't have to spend very long with her to see that."

"Manon, her mother was herself quite ill, and she had her daughters very late in life, she was 40 when her younger daughter was born. She died within a year of Rowena coming here, and I think knew she didn't have long, and really wanted to know that Rowena was going to be safe and cared for."

"So we took her, and she has done very well here and has I think been very happy. Manon she is a grown woman, and very free with her affections. To the extent that I'd be very concerned for her welfare in an environment where anyone might take advantage of that."

"I see, and why is she so fixed on Katie then?" Manon asked.

"Ah yes, well there's a twist to this tale, or perhaps I should say more twists. Sally has a younger sister, Penny, who is about to graduate Senior School, and should come here. When Penny was in year 13 at Senior School, she had an accident, hurt her leg badly when they were out running, and it was Katie who rescued her and helped her."

"Rowena as she was then was in year 18, and very grateful to Katie, and for some reason in amongst all the memories and abilities she lost, Sally remembered Katie and how kind she had been, and has been attached to her ever since."

"I hope you understand that I am perfectly willing for Sally to come with Katie, if you allow it, and that I would look after her properly, but she has to want to come. Much though I would like Katie to come to London, I will not compel either of them."

"I wouldn't have expected any less of you Manon," Minniver said. "If it helps, Sally really is a sweetheart, a lot of staff and students would be very sorry to see her leave. Oh and perhaps I should mention, she is really quite attractive."

"Well it wouldn't hurt," Manon said laughing softly with Minniver and headed back to her room.

When she entered, Katie was waiting for her, sitting on one of the armchairs with a girl kneeling next to her. Manon waved Katie to sit back down, and came and sat opposite the two of them.

"Sally, this is Lady Manon," Katie told the girl. "You can call her miss, or my lady."

"Pleased to meet you miss," Sally said, smiling.

Minniver hadn't exaggerated, Sally was very pretty. Blonde hair cut short to chin length, thin face with a few freckles, green eyes and very striking dark eyebrows. She was kneeling neatly, knees together with her hands on her lap, and in addition to her collar, she had matching bronze coloured cuffs on her wrists, peeking out from the sleeves of her plain black dress.

"And I am pleased to meet you too Sally," Manon said.

"Miss," Katie said, "perhaps if we could assist you with a bath, it would give you an opportunity to talk with Sally?"

"That sounds wonderful," Manon said, following Katie's lead.

"Sally, undress here and go and run my lady's bath. You've been good today, so I'll ask her to let you wash her."

"Oh, thank you miss Katie," Sally said, obviously pleased. Sally's dress had an old fashioned placket buttoned over laces at the front, but she quickly undid both and stepped out of her dress, removing the loose linen smock which was all she wore underneath apart from a pair of white stockings, tied over the knee with ribbon. Her flat indoor shoes came off quickly and the stockings followed.

"Leave your things love," Katie said, "I'll deal with them."

"Thank you miss," Sally said to Katie, gave Manon a little curtsey and went into the bathroom. She had no body hair, but that didn't surprise Manon, Sally had been a Matilda and she knew that what she had started had become a tradition in Matilda house, and had spread to the other houses as well. Sally had small firm breasts, a nice handful each for Manon's small hands, flat fat nipples, and a lovely figure, narrow waisted with a round bum.

"She's gorgeous," Manon said, as Katie collected up her clothes and folded them neatly by the side of her chair.

"She is miss, yes," Katie said. "She likes to serve miss, so I thought this would provide an ideal opportunity for you to assess her, and for her to get comfortable with you."

"Well I like the idea so far Katie," Manon said. "You are very overdressed though girl, don't you think," she said, crooking finger at Katie, who smiling at Manon came and stood in front her, while Manon undressed her.

"Ooh, miss Katie," Sally said giggling as she came back into the room, finding Manon kissing the now naked Katie, one arm around her shoulders and the other kneading her bum.

"Tell her what to do please miss?" Katie whispered to Manon.

"So Sally, I'm ready for my bath, but I seem to have too many clothes on, perhaps you could help me with that?"

"Yes miss," Sally said, smiling as Manon sat down and held a foot out. Sally knelt, and unlaced her boot and eased it off, before doing the other foot.

"Stockings next please Sally," Manon said. Smiling as Sally said 'yes miss' from somewhere under her skirt as she felt hands searching for the ribbons holding her stockings up.

"So Sally, you work here too?" Manon asked as a slightly hot looking Sally emerged with her stockings. Manon stood up, so Sally could continue to undress her.

"I work for miss Katie," Sally said, taking Manon's jacket and handing it to Katie, before poking her tongue out cutely in concentration she started to undo the buttons on Manon's blouse. "Miss Katie looks after me miss, I have to have to have someone take care of me now, because I got very ill."

"That must have been very nasty Sally?" Manon asked.

Sally stopped and put her head on one side, looking slightly puzzled. "Well, yes miss it was I suppose, but I don't remember much about it. Oh, pretty," she said, as she eased Manon's blouse off, seeing the little pink silk cami top under it.

"Skirt next Sally, then my underwear last," Manon said. "So tell me then, you work for miss Katie, what do you do?"

"Oh well miss, I'm a slave now," she said giggling. "So I do what I'm told. Well mostly," she added with a sideways glance at Katie who was smiling back at her.

"Sometimes miss Katie has to spank me because I don't, or I've forgotten something important," she said. "Don't tell her though, I quite like it, as she always makes me feel really nice afterwards, so sometimes I forget things deliberately," she whispered to me, quite loud enough that Katie could hear, but apparently she didn't realise that.

"Well I won't tell her," Manon said. "So what jobs do you do?"

"Oh, well I look after the Matildas and the dormitory. Tidy up, wash the floors and dust, clean the bathroom, that sort of thing. I get to sleep with the girls often as well which is nice. I don't like to sleep alone miss," she said.

She pulled Manon's camisole over her head then, and kissed both her breasts on the nipple when they were revealed. "Sally, you didn't ask permission, and miss Manon is new to you," Katie admonished.

"Oh sorry," Sally said. "See what I mean I'm always forgetting things, I hope you didn't mind miss."

"No girl, I didn't mind at all, it was very nice," Manon told her. Sally beamed happily and knelt down, easing Manon's knickers down her legs and holding them while Manon stepped out of them.

"Please miss, may I?" Sally said, looking up at Manon from where she was kneeling.

"You may," Manon said and hummed happily as Sally kissed her over her pussy. "Sally, do you bathe Katie, or the girls?"

"Oh yes miss, I like to do that when I can. It's nicest in a bath, but I like helping them shower too. There isn't usually time for a bath during the week."

"Well I tell you what then Sally, you treat me exactly like you would Katie or one of your girls when you help them bathe, and then you don't have to worry about permission, would you like that?"

"Oh yes please, thank you miss," she said, and Manon caught Katie's eye, smiling at her. "Sally, leave my hair, it won't have time to dry now before I have to leave," Manon told her. So Sally led her to the bath, and helped her sit down, while she knelt between her legs. She carefully soaped Manon's chest, rinsing it off and then kissing and sucking on her nipples gently, 'to make sure they weren't soapy' apparently, not that Manon minded.

"Miss, would you mind standing up so I can wash the rest of you?" she asked, so of course Manon had to oblige. That went pretty much as Manon had expected, in that she washed her legs, pussy and bum, before pressing her face to her pussy and licking it.

Manon was getting seriously aroused now, and raised an eyebrow at Katie, who shook her head gently no at her, and said "Sally, you haven't washed mistress's back yet." Katie knelt at the side of the tub then, and Manon reached a hand out to stroke her face, which she leaned into, holding her hand against her cheek.

"Oh sorry," Sally said contritely, kneeling back up as she removed her head from where it had been pressing between Manon's legs. Once she had turned her back, Sally washed Manon's back with her hands, humming happily to herself. She rinsed Manon then, cupping water in her hands and letting it run down Manon's back.

"Your turn Sally," Manon told her turning around.

"Miss?" Katie said, "May I help please?" Sally squealed excitedly when to Manon's surprise Katie left the room quickly, and came back a moment later with a short length of chain, which she used to hold Katie's hands high up between her shoulder in a reverse prayer, the chain holding her cuffs to her collar at the back.

"This is one of Sally's favourites miss," Katie explained, giving Sally a quick peck on the lips. "Since she's been good I thought you wouldn't mind?"

"Mind, I love the idea," Manon said smiling at Sally, who was almost hopping from foot in her excitement, threatening to splash water out of the tub.

"Miss, when she climaxes, it will likely be quite hard, I haven't let her for a few days," Katie whispered to me. Manon found out quite quickly that was true, Sally was in fact on a hair trigger. Having her breasts fondled and stroked while Manon washed them very clearly took her right to the edge, she was whimpering in need when Manon ran a soapy hand through her pussy, and orgasmed, going rubber legged. Forewarned Manon helped Katie lower Sally to a sitting position.

"Oooh, thank you miss," Sally muttered after a bit, while Kaite released her hands.

"Out you get Sally, get dried and dressed again," Katie said.

"Yes miss," Sally said and wrapped herself in a towel before turning for the other room.

Katie picked up a towel and held it open for Manon, wrapping her up in it when she stepped out, and gently rubbing her dry. "Mentally she's a child in many ways miss," Katie said. "She does have more lucid moments, which sometimes make her sad as she remembers enough of what she was like before, but mostly she is like you have just seen."

"Well she's delightful," Manon said. "How independent is she really?"

"Honestly miss I don't know. She could I think cope better on her own than most people would think, at least taking basic care of herself, but mentally she isn't independent at all. She gets very sad, positively depressed, if she is on her own for any length of time."

"And you care for her greatly don't you?" Manon asked.

"I do miss, I can't help but want to take care of her, keep her happy. Which as you have just seen is essentially very simple. She needs affection and love, and to be kept busy."

Once all three were dressed, Katie left Sally Manon, going to fetch them all tea, while Sally went and tidied the bathroom. Once they were all sitting again, though Sally knelt between Katie and Manon, she asked a question..

"Miss, may I ask you something?" Sally said very quietly. "Are you going to take miss Katie away? She's been very nervous and sort of excited, and I wondered if that is why?"

"I know there's a lot I don't understand now miss," Sally said softly, "but sometimes I understand more than other times. I used to be someone else miss, but she got sick."

"Hush girl, you don't have to explain," Manon said, and stroked Sally's face gently.

"Please miss, I think I remember who you are now," she said a bit sadly. "You were once Matilda's house sergeant, there can't have been two of you."

"I was Sally yes. It's clever of you to remember, not many would now."

"Sally, I have asked Katie if she wants to come to London and work for me, to run my inner household. The college have agreed to let me buy her, but she won't come unless you want to come too. Sally, I wouldn't want her to come if it meant making you miserable, it would make her very sad too."

"London?" Sally asked, clearly shocked.

"I have a very big house in London Sally. So big it has two different parts to it. One is like a normal big grand house, but I have private household within it, which is what I want Katie to run for me. She'd be in charge, just like she is here. I have other slaves, who are my bedslaves too, and if you wanted to come you would work just like you do now for Matilda house, except it would be for me."

"Miss Manon wants me to recruit some other slaves too," Katie said. "You remember I've told you about some of them, who looked after me and helped me when I was very ill and first a slave."

"So I'd have people who I'd have to look after, and who would play with me and sleep with me?"

"You would yes," Manon said. "And Katie would still be in charge of you, and still love you, and I will always take care of you as well."

"Oh good," Sally said with a smile, "when do we leave?" and with that she went back to nibbling on a biscuit and sipped her tea. Manon asked her to stay where she was because she needed to talk to Katie, and took her into the bedroom.

"That was unexpected," Katie said, finally letting loose the giggle that like Manon she had been trying hard to suppress. Manon sat on the bed, getting Katie to come and sit beside her.

"Well, yes, but I think you do yourself a disservice. She may have wanted to come here out of old half remembered happiness and a sense of security, but both I think have transferred to you. Do you want to come then?"

"I do miss, very much," Katie said, so Manon kissed her.

"Katie I've decided I need to tell you something, which I would like you to think about carefully before you respond. Katie do you know that I am what healers call a binder as well as having quite strong self-healing magic?"

"Oh, well I've heard stories miss, I wasn't sure if they were true, but I don't really know what binding is. The self-healing is known at least in college because of what happened when that girl attacked you."

"Stories?"

"Well it's a bit of a legend at College miss, but you know what terrible gossips the girls are? Well the slaves aren't much better, though we keep it amongst ourselves. So the story is you bound your companion, Belle and some others before you knew about it, not long before I arrived but no one really said what that meant."

"Well, that much is true, I did, and have since bound others as well. In essence it's really simple, if I bind with someone, it makes a link between us. It exaggerates how someone feels about me and has much the same effect on me."

"I've accidentally bound two people who made a link with me, to draw on my power to help them heal someone who was very badly injured. So with them, they just liked me more than did already, but even with that weaker link I can sense them, sort of know what they feel and when they are nearby."

"With the girls I love, and have made love with that I have bound by doing that, the bond is much much more powerful. They couldn't lie to me without my knowing, and I can tell what direction they are in and even to an extent how far away they are, always. Belle and Melissa, another slave of mine, are both that way," Manon said nodding her head east and south slightly, "on their way from Woodbridge."

"Oh I see. Well yes then, if you are offering me the choice, bind me, and I'd recommend Sally too. You will be our owner anyway, and Sally will get a sense of security from it that I am sure she will like, given what you told me."

"Katie, I told you to think about it," Manon said.

"Well yes miss, and I did, but there isn't much to the decision from my point of view. I will be yours, your property, so if you want to bind me it isn't really up to me. But it is more than that miss, I like the idea, even the word, being bound to you, feels nice."

"Besides miss, it means you can trust me more easily," she said.

"I trust you anyway girl, or I wouldn't want you in my household, but yes you are right, it does, but remember that works both ways. I am linked to you as well as you to me."

"So then, when we get you to London, and I get to really enjoy you and have you service me, I shall bind you, and Sally too. Now though I need to get ready for the journey home, Belle and Melissa will be here soon."

Manon met with miss Minniver again and told her about Katie and Sally, who were summoned to talk with her as well. While they were waiting, Manon tried an idea out on Minniver, to see what she thought of it.

"If I were to insert a clause into the slave contracts for any that come, that said that in the event of any change of ownership from me personally, the schools had the right to buy any of the slaves back for a nominal sum, would you approve of that?"

"I see. So if there is any nervousness that they might get sold on into the unknown it would be assuaged?" Minniver said thoughtfully. "If that is the objective, then might I make a suggestion? Word it so that the schools are obliged to buy them back for the nominal sum, that way no matter who is sitting in this chair or who the Regents are in future, they are assured of coming back. I think Katie for one would like that very much. In the event that some other future would be their preference, that could be negotiated."

So when they arrived, Katie and Sally were quizzed by miss Minniver about what they wanted to do, and in Sally's case making sure she understood that she would be leaving the college.

Since that went well, Sally again being perfectly happy with the idea since she'd be with Katie, Minniver asked about who else Katie had in mind to approach. "So Manon, you will want to interview them, I will arrange it," she concluded having heard about Erin, Orla and Gwen.

"That won't be necessary," Manon said. "I trust Katie's judgement, and even if I met the three of them myself first would not be in position to make a better one. I would like to know from Katie that they are willing to come, which would mean Katie being able to see them? I could imagine that would be awkward to arrange."

"Leave that to me," Miniver said. "I can have all three brought here with a few days' notice so that they can see Katie. We swap staff between the schools often enough, sometimes just on a temporary basis to help out, so it won't be a problem. I'll write and let you know how it goes if that is acceptable?"

"Thank you, it is very kind of you," Manon said as a knock on the outer door interrupted. "Katie would you please?" Minniver asked, so Katie went to the door, to find it was Belle returned.

"Miss," Belle said to Minniver. "My lady, it is time we went to fetch Fliss, if you'll pardon my interrupting. Melissa and Christy are with the carriage waiting."

"Indeed, Miss Minniver, I cannot thank you enough for the help, information and hospitality, not to mention accommodating my desire to recruit Katie and Sally."

"I'm going to London with miss Katie," Sally said beaming at Belle.

"Well we will be very happy to have you," Belle said, looking slightly surprised when Sally hugged her but returning the hug anyway.

"Katie, Sally, come along, we will see our guests off," Minniver said and led them to the front door. Manon's last sight of the college, as it happened ever though of course she didn't know that then, was of Minniver standing watching them drive off as Katie held tightly to Sally's hand who was bouncing up and down waving enthusiastically.

Christy was very quiet on the journey to the senior school, but Manon decided not to ask what they had all got up to, and instead answered Belle's questions about the information she had found, and about Katie and Sally, and what she hoped would be their other recruits.

At senior school, Fliss was brought to meet them by the girl who had been keeping an eye out for her, Mary Nolan, Manon remembered, to Miss Franklin's study. Interestingly while Fliss hugged her sister Christy warmly when they came in, she stood quietly with Mary after that, so closely that they were touching shoulders.

"So Fliss, tell me how you got on?" Miss Franklin asked her.

"Miss, I'm not sure how well I did," Fliss said carefully. "Some of the lessons were very new to me, and I didn't do well at those."

"But you did very well at others," Miss Franklin said. "You would have to work hard to catch up in some subjects, but everyone who taught you was pleased with you."

"I'd help miss," Mary said.

"I'm sure you would," miss Franklin said, giving the girl a look that made her go quiet again.

"Now it's a long journey home for you, but Doctor Durand, we would be very happy if Fliss decided to be a pupil here. Please let us know what you decide when you can?"

"I will," Christy answered. "And thank you for the time spent on allowing Fliss to see what being here is really like.

"Miss Franklin, my thanks also, for everything," Manon said, "but if you will forgive me we have to get to Woodbridge, return the carriage and get our train back to London."

Since time was tight, Melissa pushed the horses hard to get them to Woodbridge so Manon contented herself with sitting quietly with Belle, resting her head on Belle's shoulder as they rattled along while she watched Christy and Fliss. Fliss chattered away happily with Christy the entire time, which made it clear that she had enjoyed herself at School, had made a friend, as Mary featured heavily in her stories, but also that the girl's normally impregnable self-confidence was a little cracked by her time at the school.

"I mean it's not that anyone was mean, the girls were all nice but they are clever, and know things I don't know anything about at all," she told Christy.

"You know dear that you can catch up, there's not really anything wrong with you," Christy said teasingly. Fliss just stuck her tongue out at her and giggled a little. They arrived in Woodbridge then, so left the carriage off at the livery and headed for the station. Manon and Belle walked behind Christy and Fliss, letting them talk, and after a few minutes Melissa caught them up, as she'd stayed at the stable to see the horses settled.

She was pink faced with exertion, not only from running to catchup, but because of the vigorous drive, and was grinning happily. "Take my other arm girl," Manon told her, as Belle had her right arm.

"You enjoyed that drive didn't you?" Mamon said to her.

"Oh god yes mistress, thank you," she said with a smile. "That was a very good team and they wanted a run too."

"Well, I tell you what? When we get home, you go and get cleaned up, and then wait for me in my bedroom. Belle and I could give you a run too, once I've had a chat with the doctor."

"Oooh, yes please mistress," Melissa said, getting slightly pinker.

They made the train from Woodbridge to Ipswich comfortably, and for once the express to London was on time, but it was surprisingly crowded given it was after 7pm by then. Fliss wanted to tell Melissa all about school, so she sat between Melissa and Christy, while Belle and Manon got a seat together one row further back.

"So tell me Belle, what happened with Melissa and you and the Doctor?" Manon asked quietly as they rattled along.

"Ah, well," Belle said, uncharacteristically hesitant.

"Belle my darling, why so coy? I now you would have wanted to take the opportunity to explore Christy, I as good as told you to."

"Ah, forgive me, but I promised the Doctor I'd let her speak to you first. Perhaps you should punish me later when we are with Melissa?" she said with slight smile. "I slept with Melissa Mistress, and the Doctor slept alone."

"I see, well it is a while since we have played, but I won't punish you for keeping a promise Belle, I know you wouldn't have given it lightly given it would almost certainly conflict with what I wanted. Still, perhaps a little discipline would be a good idea?"

"Yes mistress," Belle said, not quite able to keep the grin off her face.

"When I come to find you and Melissa, I expect to find you both suitably restrained and ready for me. Do try and be inventive though Belle dear."

"I shall do my best mistress," Belle said.

"You always do my love," Manon said, and kissed her cheek.

The only advantage of travelling home late from across London when they finally made it there, was that the streets were quiet by London standards, and it was easy to get a pair of cabs to get them back to the Strand.

Manon got one for Christy and Fliss, and Belle stopped another for them.

"Christy," Manon said, as Fliss was climbing into the cab. "Once she is settled, we need to talk? Come to my sitting room if you can?" She nodded, looking worried, and then settled in next to her sister.

Back at the house, all seemed to be quiet, and Christy went with Fliss to see her settled in bed, while Belle and Melissa disappeared off upstairs, looking furtive, which made Manon smile in anticipation.

Janine, Linette and Vallon wanted to talk, so she sat with them in the parlour kitchen, while they all had tea.

"There's news from Aquitaine my lady," Linette said.

"The papers are full of it, and we have a little more through the wardrobe," Vallon added, looking at Janine.

"I suppose it is best I tell it," Janine said. "My lady, it appears as though Aquitaine is only just short of civil war. The Duke's brother, Edouard, retired to his seat at Limoges, and has ejected the Duke's people from the City, refusing to let them back in. There seems to have been some fighting, but we don't know more. Most of the north of the Duchy has followed suit, from La Rochelle through Angouleme to Limoges itself."

"I see," Manon said.

"There's more my lady," Janine said. "The evening papers are full of the story, though the twins' sources haven't told us more other than to confirm that it is correct. Someone raided the Chateau where my Mary-Louise was being held prisoner and broke her out. There were over 40 guards stationed there my lady, and none lived, so at least publicly it isn't known what happened."

"That sounds rather like Eric Du Valle's work to me," Manon mused, as all three of the other women nodded. "So Mary-Lousie has I presume gone to Angouleme?"

"Unknown my lady," Vallon said. "It would be a difficult journey through my lady. She was being held south of Bordeaux, and would have to make it across most of the Duchy to the areas where Edouard holds sway."

"There's something else my lady," Janine said, obviously fighting hard to hold back tears.

"The Duke has proclaimed her outlaw, and put a price on her head, as a runaway slave. 1000 crowns my lady, a fortune large enough to tempt many."

"A slave? He enslaved his own sister?" Manon asked, incredulous.

"It appears so my lady. She had been condemned as a witch and heretic already, so perhaps that was his idea of mercy, not having her burned at the stake," Janine said.

"Oh gods Janine," Manon said. "Well she escaped, so we can presume I think that anyone capable of freeing her from such a well-guarded place will keep her safe. Girls," she said turning to the twins, "I want everything you find out about what has happened over there as soon as it is known. I imagine the government as well as the wardrobe will be very focused on this."

"We've already got that word out my lady," Vallon said. "One way or another, anything anyone knows in London, we will know within a few hours at most."

"I'll brief you all on what we found out at the school and college tomorrow, which wasn't much but perhaps has some leads we can follow. The good news though is that Katie is coming here, and she is bringing at least one other slave from College with her, and perhaps others from the Schools."

"Janine, I don't want you on your own tonight, but I have to talk with the Doctor now and then I have a promise to keep to Melissa and Belle, so you will stay with Vallon and Linette overnight from now on until I tell you otherwise."

"My lady," Janine said quietly.

"Janine, anything I can do to see Mary-Louise safe and you reunited with her, will be done, you have my word on it."

The tears came then, just ran down her face without a sound, and she slipped off her chair and knelt by Manon's legs, resting her head on her knees while Manon stroked her hair.

"Janny," Manon said, deliberately using her slave name. "Go with the twins now, they will take care of you." Linette and Vallon took her by the hands and got her up, then led her out, talking to her quietly.

Manon sat for a moment, enjoying the quiet, worrying about Janine. For all that the girl had submitted to her and become her slave, she was deeply in love with Mary-Louise still, and Manon was concerned that there was a happy ending for Janine in this situation.

She walked upstairs to her private apartments, but found Fliss and Christy waiting for her in her sitting room. Fliss was ready for bed, a thick nightdress on down to her ankles, hair unbound down her back and gleaming, since Christy was still brushing it. The girl was hugging her knees, studying her feet as she wiggled her toes in thick bed socks.

"Oh, my lady," Fliss said blushing suddenly as she came out of her reverie.

"Go on, you said you wanted to do this yourself," Christy said quietly from behind her, smiling at Manon over her sister's back.

"My lady, I would like to go the school, and Christy has agreed," she said.

"And?" Christy prompted.

"Sorry, and I want to thank you, for everything," she said blushing again. "I mean you rescued us, and have us somewhere to live and then arranged this introduction, it's more than I ever dreamed possible when things went wrong at home."

"You are very welcome Fliss, I couldn't have abandoned you or your sister anyway, but you forget, that with the binding, if I'd left you and Christy, it would have been like abandoning my own sisters, my own family. I couldn't have done that then, and I won't in the future either."

"Oh," Fliss said, and bounced up off the chair, and flung herself at Manon, giving her a fierce hug. Manon's pretended she didn't notice thee tears, Fliss wasn't the sort of girl who would like that type of sympathy.

"Right young lady," Christy said getting up. "Time for you to go to bed, Lady Manon and I have some things to talk about."

Fliss wished Manon goodnight, shyly giving her a little kiss on the cheek, something new which Manon thought probably had something to do with the casual affection that they girls at the School showed either, and let Christy herd her out of the room.

"I'll be back when she's settled," Christy said. "Oh, I nearly forgot. Belle said you'd know where to find her, she went down to the basement with Melissa." Christy was pink enough that she obviously guessed that meant the playroom, which was what Manon assumed.

Manon sat and went through some letters and notes the twins had left for her. They'd answered them on her behalf, accepting and declining invitations to tea or to dine with her friends.

Christy came back surprisingly quickly, accepting Manon's offer of a glass of wine, and taking it from her, sitting int he armchair facing Manon.

"That was quick?" Manon said, as Christy appeared to be finding it difficult to get started.

"She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. I don't think there was much sleeping in the dormitory last night, and she was kept very busy."

Here it comes, Manon thought. She could feel the dam holding Christy's nerves in break.

"Belle and Melissa are waiting for you in the playroom aren't they?" Christy said.

"I think so yes, I said I'd be with both of them tonight," Manon said calmly.

"Well, about that, and me. I mean the playroom, and submitting to you?" and she took a big gulp of her wine. "I don't want to continue, with that, with you I mean," she said in a rush then.

"I don't regret what we did, what I did, I enjoyed it at the time, a lot, but afterwards," she said and tailed off into an embarrassed silence.

"But it isn't for you," Manon said. "I understand, and thank you for being so frank with me."

"You aren't angry?" Christy said, surprising Manon.

"Angry no, why on earth would I be? Oh, wait a moment," Manon said and put her glass down, and slipped on to her knees, taking Christy's glass and putting it down and holding on to her hands.

"Christy, like I just said to Fliss, when we linked to heal Janine, it bound us, not in the way that Belle and Melissa are, but I still get quite clear impressions of what you and Fliss feel, especially when you are nearby and the feelings are intense."

"So I was fairly sure when we collected her that she wanted to go to school there, and that she was worried and upset about leaving you to board there. So I know," Manon said giving Christy's hands, "that right now you are scared and worried, but I can only guess why?"

"Oh," Christy said but Manon hushed her.

"Let me guess, you fear that because you don't want to submit to me, that I won't support you and Fliss anymore? I'm sorry if I ever gave you the impression that you submitting to me was a condition of that, because it wasn't and it isn't now."

"I'm sorry too," Christy said. "In my head I know you aren't like that, but with everything that happened, losing our home, our country even. I've been so afraid. it infects everything."

"You can't go on being this generous though Manon. Housing us, feeding us, arranging introductions for me so that I might go back to practicing medicine, and now school fees, and Fliss's school clothes. It's too much."

"Well we could argue about that, because you know I think that whatever the costs are of helping you I can easily carry them, and frankly I am happy to. But that isn't the point is it Christy?"

"You've been used to fending for yourself, making your own living and looking after Fliss. Your help here with Janine has been invaluable, I thought she'd lose the use of her hand and arm, and yet she is almost as good new, so you haven't been doing nothing."

"I'll do a deal with you though, if it will make you feel better. You officially become what you have in fact been doing anyway. You become physician to me and my household, and we call us even."

"That doesn't seem like much in return for everything Manon," Christy said.

"Well, it seems like a lot to me, and I strongly suspect it will be a lot more in time. You know my life isn't simple, and is in fact quite dangerous, I strongly doubt that is going to change and in fact I'm fairly sure for the reasons you know, that it will get worse. So you are likely to have plenty of work."

"Well I hope you are wrong about the amount of work, but regardless I would be happy to be your physician."

"Now, come stand up and give me a sisterly kiss, as I made the error of telling Belle to get inventive, and between her and Melissa that means I fear what sort of a mess they have got themselves into."

So they embraced, kissed each other on the cheek and Christy left to the room she shared with her sister. Manon was going to head for the playroom, but decided she'd check on Janine and the twins. Not getting any answer to her knock on the twins' room, she opened the door to find it empty.

She smiled, and wondered if she was right, so went to the stairs that led up to the attic rooms, where several had been knocked through to make the dormitory and a bathroom for her inner household slaves.

Sure enough, the twins had while she was away continued to see to its preparation, and while most of the beds were still to be assembled, two at the far end nearest the bathroom were ready to use.

As Manon walked in, Linette looked up at her smiling. She and her sister were indeed 'looking after' Janine in the way they knew best. All three were naked, with Janine on her back, as Linette was riding her face. Vallon was on her knees between Janine's legs, her face buried in her pussy.

The other two were too busy to know Manon was there and didn't have a view either, but Linette gave her a smile and a shrug, so Manon closed the door and headed all the way down to the basement.

Walking into the playroom, Manon couldn't help but start to laugh, as well as be incredibly impressed. Belle was standing with her back to the door, quite naked, her feet just over shoulder width apart held by shackled to the floor. Her legs and back were straining, muscles clearly defined and she was covered with sweat because of the strain she was under.

This was caused by two things. The first, though probably lesser was that her arms were stretched out at an angle over her head, held by chains and manacles in that position, though Manon saw she was using her hands to pull herself up slightly and take some of the weight she was carrying.

The weight was usually called Melissa, who had her legs crossed behind Belle's back over her waist, and her arms around Belle's chest, also crossed behind Belle's back. Her arms and legs were held there by cuffs, and quite how Belle and Melissa had managed to lock themselves up like this Manon couldn't imagine, until she realised that of course Linette and Vallon must have assisted.

Belle had the harness of a strap on dividing her buttocks, and as Manon walked around to see, wasn't surprised to find that Melissa was impaled on it. The girl was of course naked as well, and shared a double sided gag with Belle, holding their faces closely together.

Belle's eyes followed Manon, crinkling in a way that Manon knew she was smiling, but Melissa had her eyes closed, and was lost to the sensations caused by her essentially fucking herself on Belle's dildo. Her hips were wriggling and occasionally moving up and down slightly, and she too was covered in sweat, her short hair literally plastered to her skull.

Belle's thighs were shiny with more than sweat, as both girls had clearly climaxed at least once, and in Melissa's case probably more, depending on how long they had been here like this.

"Perhaps I should just leave you here like this?" Manon said as she started to undress. Melissa's shot open, and turned to Manon, which since she couldn't move her head was all she could do.

"Ma Belle," Manon said with a smile. "You are extraordinary. How long could you hold her up like that I wonder? Perhaps I should wait and see?"

Impressively Belle managed a slight shrug, while Melissa groaned. "But then I wouldn't get any fun." Manon finished undressing, piling her clothes on the chair at the side of the room, walking back to Melissa and Belle, making sure they both could see her before she walked behind Melissa. Just lightly brushing her fingers over the girl's shoulders and down her back.

"Belle dear, if you can't hold her for a few minutes without hurting yourself you are to tell me, and tell me the truth. If you can hold her, one grunt for yes, two for no."

Very deliberately Belle grunted once, her eyes fixed on Manon. "How I love you ma Belle," Manon said, and sank to her knees behind Melissa, pushing her face between the girls buttocks, making her squeal as she licked the girls anus.

Belle wobbled slightly, a rattle of chains from above telling Manon she'd probably gripped hard and pulled on the chains above to steady herself, caused by Melissa almost violently twisting and bucking up and down slightly on the dildo.

"And you girl," Manon said, pausing her tongue work and scraping fingernails gently down Melissa's lower back and over her buttocks. "You girl are a delight as well. So much was lost in Bordeaux, but we found you there and now you are mine, and I could not be more happy about that."

Manon buried her face in the girl's bottom then, and licked at her, feeling Melissa's orgasm overtake her as she shook and trembled on Belle's dildo, making very cute moaning noises into her gag.

"Let's get you down girl," Manon said. "You've work to do." Manon unbuckled the gag from Melissa first, though just grinned at Belle and shook her head no. Belle's part of the gag was staying where it was for now.

Melissa coughed and spluttered a little when she was able to pull her head off the gag. "Melissa arms first, yes?" Manon asked.

"Please mistress," Melissa said groggily as Manon walked behind Belle and undead the cuffs holding Melissa's arms in position. "Keep holding her tightly until I get your legs free," Manon told her.

When her legs were freed, Melissa squealed in surprise as she slumped down onto the floor, because the dildo dragged on her pussy before she came free of it. "You get to watch now Belle dear," Manon whispered into her ear. "If it's too much, safe words." Belle snorted, so Manon rather thought that Belle wasn't near the limit of her endurance now she was free of Melissa's weight, not that there was much of the girl.

Manon went and collected another of the strap on harnesses, and a gag and took them to the big four poster bed that conveniently Belle was facing.

"Melissa, come here girl," Manon said when she'd got herself sat on the edge of the bed, pointing at the floor between her legs.

"Yes mistress," Melissa said, who rather to Manon's surprise seemed to be recovering rapidly, though Manon had to smile when Melissa crawled over on all fours rather than stand up.

"You know what I need girl," Manon said, and got Melissa's lovely grin in return.

"I hope so mistress," she giggled and shuffled forward on her knees and started to lick Manon's pussy.

"You have got good at this girl," Manon groaned. Melissa was using the flat of her tongue and the tip differently, licking up Manon's pussy with broad flat strokes and using the tip more precisely, more delicately. Delving into Manon's again with it, swirling it around her clitoris but never quite touching it properly, which Manon was getting quite keen on her doing.

"Thank you mistress," Melissa giggled, but Manon's patience was running out, not least because of the way Belle both looked and was looking at her. So she used her hands to pull Melissa's head firmly back to her needy cunt, and then crossed her legs behind the girl's head to hold there tightly while she leaned back on her elbows, still watching and being watched by Belle.

Manon's orgasm followed when Melissa finally did what Manon needed, and used her tongue to swipe over her clitoris, sucking on it for good measure. Melissa sat up, grinning as Manon got her breath back.

"Such a good pet," Manon said, smiling at the girl. Belle was to Manon's amusement having some difficulty, her hips gyrating in a way that Manon knew meant she was desperate for some physical stimulation to take her over the edge, but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. Belle's wide eyed look back at Manon showed she knew it too.

"I like being our pet mistress," Melissa said, leaning into Manon's hand where it cupped her face.

"Well you remember that love," Manon told her but didn't explain more despite Melissa's puzzled look. "Go to the drawer and fetch some things cuffs for yourself," Manon told her.

Manon got her to stand in front of her while she put them on, making Melissa and Belle both groan when she teased Melissa's pussy with a ginger tip. Manon noted though that Melissa winced slightly as well at her touch.

"Sore pet?" she asked.

"A little mistress, Belle and I were a little vigorous mistress," she said, biting at her bottom lip.

"Open up," Manon said, and pushed the bit gag into Melissa's mouth, before buckling it behind the girl's head. It had very broad straps, including one that split into an inverted 'Y' over her nose and went over the top of her nose, and the deep green colour looked rather nice against Melissa's pale skin.

It did though have a very specific design feature, which Melissa didn't appear to realise, though Manon knew Belle would, as she'd worn it or similar on more than a few occasions in the past.

Manon stepped into the dildo harness then, and made sure it was nice and tight all round, revelling in the feeling of the dildo that slid into her own pussy and the promise of the ridge that lay along her pussy and was lightly pressing on her clitoris.

"Go and kneel in front of Belle, and put your head down on the floor," Manon told her. When she was in position, Manon locked her wrists behind her back and her thighs to her ankle cuffs, pinning her in place.

Melissa squeaked and wriggled when Manon used the thick lubricating oil from the drawer by the bed on her bum, working it up into her with first one finger and then two. Thoroughly enjoyed the way Melissa wriggled.

Manon used a generous dollop of the oil to smear over the dildo, and then positioned the tip of it on Melissa's bum hole, waiting until the instinctive clamping of the girl's buttocks relaxed, before she slowly slid the dildo into her, not stopping until her pelvis was pressing on Melissa's bum.

"Good pet," Manon said, and then Melissa found out what was different about this bit gag if she hadn't already. It had a broad leather strap at the back of her head that formed a handle, though Manon preferred to think of it as being more like reins.

Manon pulled her hips back until the dildo was almost out of Melissa and then pulled on the reins with both hands, hauling Melissa's head back as she thrust into her, getting into a steady rhythm as she braced herself like that.

Melissa went from grunting to moaning after a while, as Manon's own climax built up steadily. When she was close, Manon went to hauling on the remains one handed, using her other hand to reach under Melissa when she was buried deep in her and rubbing her pussy.

When Manon came, locked rigid in a deep thrust into Melissa he slumped over Melissa, letting the resins go, but using her index finger to press on and rub the girls clitoris, pulling another orgasm out of her.

Once she'd recovered a bit, Manon released the gag and her arms and legs, but all Melissa did was mutter and curl into a ball on her side, pretty much asleep already.

"So my darling Belle?' Manon said standing up. Belle was a mess, her pussy was running fluids down her legs and literally dripping on the floor, and her whole body was covered in sheen of sweat.

Belle was making noises that Manon thought were probably her trying to say please repeatedly. "Time you had your reward?' Manon asked.

Belle nodded frantically. "If you were shorter, or I were taller, I'd fuck your arse now my love," Manon said walking around her, slipping the harness buckles loose and letting it fall to the floor.

Manon went and put her arms around Belle, rubbing her face on Belle's sweaty back. "I love you my darling girl, I love the taste of you," she said, licking along Belle's spine, enjoying the play of Belle's muscles as she groaned and moved.

She kept her arms around Belle, her face pressed into her torso as she moved to Belle's front, nuzzling the sweaty undersides of Belle's breasts, and reaching up to lick her nipples as Belle groaned and blew air out of her nose hard enough that Manon felt it ruffle her hair.

The pleading noises resumed when Manon slowly sank to her knees, trailing kisses and licks down Belle's abdomen as she headed towards her pussy.

"Come for me Belle, I want to feel you," Manon said, and pushed her face into Belle's pussy, her arms going around Belle and gripping her bum tightly so that she could pull herself into Belle strongly.

Belle started to orgasm on the third lick, and although she twisted and bucked as much as possible Manon held on tightly and kept licking her until she climaxed a second time, a great gush of fluids and a groan so deep that Manon could feel it vibrate in Belle's body.

"Oh my darling girl," Manon said, standing up quickly and hitting the quick release catches on the chains that secured Belle's arms, since she'd felt Belle go completely limp. That went a little wrong, as Belle slumped forward, unable to move her feet because they were still shackled and fell across Manon flattening her to the floor with a surprised squawk followed by some rather breathless giggling from Manon.

"Coming," Manon heard Melissa say, who had it seemed recovered enough to be aware of what was happening, and crawled over and released belle's legs one by one, allowing her to roll off Manon sideways, since by then Belle was recovering, her stamina never ceasing to amaze Manon.

Belle grabbed Manon from behind and pulled her into a hug, as Melissa did the same from her front, sandwiching Manon between the two of them, while everyone rested for a bit. It became clear that Melissa was dropping off to sleep, so Manon wriggled free, and got up, giving Belle a hand up, kissing her.

"Can you get Melissa into bed?" Manon asked Belle.

"Yes mistress," Belle said looking slightly offended that her strength should be doubted. She scooped Melissa up in her arms and put her gently on the bed.

"Stay with her please Belle? That was a lot and she shouldn't be on her own. Remember you both need to up early before Fliss is around."

"What about you mistress?" Belle asked. "You shouldn't be alone either?"

"Well the twins were using one of the two beds that are ready in the dormitory, I thought I'd use the other and steal one of them or Janine," Manon said. "Thank you for worrying love but I will be fine."

When she got there, she found Janine was fast asleep in bed being held by Linette, so Manon slid into bed alongside Vallon, who rolled over and hugged her, which is how the fell asleep.