Manon and Belle Pt. 07

Manon stood still in the lobby, collecting her thoughts after Sir James had left. Deciding that she simply had to wait and see what he had to tell her until she saw him for dinner later, she determined to get on with her day.

First stop was the bank next door, where after a brief series of conversations with underlings, she was soon sat with the Manager. She gave him the details of her bank in London, well one of them anyway. Manon had banks in various names all over Europe, and he set about verifying her credit worthiness, so that Manon would be able to draw on funds here.

It would take two days to confirm, but Manon paid to use the swift system that the Banks maintained. It was expensive as it relied on magic to send messages between banks in Europe and keeping it working was a delicate task, as it required expensive and constantly renewed warding to ensure it didn't break down.

Returning to the hotel and catching the eye of the helpful concierge, she approached him. "My lady, how can I help?" he asked.

"Well, Monsieur?"

"Du Valle, but please just Eric my lady."

"Well then Eric, I wonder if you can tell me where this is?" Manon held out one of the pieces of notepaper that she had acquired last night, from the man that had been following her girls. She'd folded it so only the address was showing, handily concealing the bloodstain.

She snorted to herself, thinking that they weren't hers yet, but then she was ready for a new project and they had rather fallen into her lap. "Oh, my lady, that's the Dumain House. I presume you want some equipment for your slaves, or are you perhaps thinking of selling them?"

Well, Manon thought, slave dealers, that makes sense of a sort. "Ah, equipment actually," she said. "Three of my slaves are very new, they aren't even bonded yet, but are on trial."

"Well my lady, Dumain et Fils will have anything you need I am sure. Would you like me to order the Hotel's carriage for you? They are on the eastern edge of the City, it would be a little far to walk."

"That would be most kind, thank you," Manon said, waiting as Eric turned to one of the bellhops, a pretty young girl she noticed, and sent her off to order the carriage.

"Eric, could you have a message sent to a boarding house near the docks for me? My companion is there organising things, and I'd like to instruct her to come here?"

"Of course my lady, I shall fetch you pen and paper." Manon wrote a note of instruction to Belle, incorporating two code phrases to confirm it was genuine, and having addressed it handed it to Eric.

She'd also instructed Belle to make sure their existing landlady was well paid, and that she overheard Belle telling the three girls about how lucky they were to provisionally be bought by her mistress, given they'd no money and no jobs.

Manon wanted to be sure that anyone enquiring after the girls, such as their would be kidnappers, got the impression that some rich woman had beaten them to the punch, and taken up the girls. Which oddly was the truth, just not all of it. It also meant the trail would lead the kidnappers to her at the Hotel. That way if Manon failed to find anything useful at the Dumain place, perhaps the kidnappers would come to her.

"I'll see it delivered at once." Manon thanked him, discreetly tipping him well again. The same bellhop led her to the carriage and politely handed her in, and Manon tipped her as well. She was a firm believer in the benefits of securing the willing help of any staff wherever she stayed.

Half an hour later the carriage drove through a gate into the courtyard of a white painted three story warehouse, which backed onto the river. Surrounded by a high wall, Manon's critical eye noted several guards observing her arrival discreetly, and saw more at the sides of the warehouse.

Dumain et Fils took their security seriously it seemed. The coachman helped Manon down where she was greeted by a doorman, and led into a showroom, where a well dressed older man greeted her graciously in French. Manon made a point of replying in English, as she wanted to set a scene here.

"Good morning madame and welcome to Dumain et Fils. I am Pierre Dumain, how may we be of service?"

"Good morning to you," Manon said, just on the right side of rudeness. "I arrived in Bordeaux recently but find I am in need of equipment for my servants. Some of them are very new, and I simply don't have anything suitable for securing and training new slaves. The Hotel gave me to understand that Dumain would be able to supply my needs," she said a little disdainfully.

"I see, we shall endeavour to please of course. May I enquire as to the nature of your staff, and what you require for them?" he said, not quite masking a pained expression.

"Well, yes, I suppose you must. They are three household servants, my personal servants you understand? Well apart from one girl, she's a great clumsy thing, so I shall need something different for her. Anyway, I found them yesterday, all but begging as they were destitute, and so I rather thought I'd take them in, if they prove suitable."

"I've got them on trial for a week, and if it goes well I'll take their bonds, I can always use more slaves. Well for a while anyway. "

Manon saw a slight flicker in this Pierre's eye, and knew he recognised Manon's description of the girls. "Ah madame, then if your new finds are to be personal servants, perhaps my sister would be better suited to helping you? She is more familiar with a lady's needs than I?"

"Yes, very well, I'd certainly rather deal with a woman for this," Manon said, rudely turning her back on him. Shortly after there was a soft cough from behind her, and she turned to find herself facing a woman of about thirty, her ash coloured hair piled high in a tight bun on top of her head, exaggerating her already considerable height.

"Madame? I am Cecile Dumain, I understand you need equipment for some new maids?"

Manon nodded, "Maids? Hah, yes I supposed they will be of a sort," she said, deliberately crudely.

"If you would like to come with me Madame, we have more feminine equipment there, and have staff who can model it for you if required."

Manon followed her through a curtained doorway, and was led around a series of display cases, full of all sorts of collars, cuffs, arm and leg binders, and many more things. All the time Manon was very aware that this woman, although being very polite, was watching her very carefully, making her feel quite ill at ease.

Manon thought that Cecile was the one to watch out for here, her brother seemed like a snake, but this woman was altogether different. There was a glint of barely concealed intelligence in her eye that had instantly put Manon on alert.

"Splendid selection you have here, I am so pleased the Hotel directed me to you," Manon said, and in truth she was impressed.

"Now two girls are quite ordinary, so I'll take two sets of those," Manon said, pointing at a mannequin that was wearing a full set of cuffs, a waist belt, and a collar in silver gilt. "You have Arkwright adjustable chains I assume?"

"We do madame."

"Then I want two sets of chains to match as well. Actually no, make that three of everything, I don't see why my current slave should miss out, I've been too lenient with her recently."

"Now I want something much heavier for the last girl. Fetters really I suppose. She is a big strong thing, and I'd like her to feel some real weight and restriction, I presume you have something suitable?"

Cecile Dumain nodded at a young woman who had been standing behind her, who quickly left, returning a few minutes later, clearly struggling with the weight of silver coloured metal she was holding.

She placed it all on a low table, allowing Manon to inspect what she'd brought. "These are burnished steel madam," Cecile said, holding up a pair of heavy ankle fetters, "but they are made for indoor staff and to allow long term use, so all the edges are smoothed and rounded. We can supply a belt with a double chastity fitting that matches the ankle and wrist restraints. There are also thigh and arm cuffs. The chains are traditional I'm afraid."

Manon interrupted her, "Yes I know they will be too heavy for the Arkwright system. What do you use, hexagonal keys?"

"We do Madame yes," Cecile said, a slight flare of her nostrils betraying her annoyance.

"Good those look ideal, I'll take a full set, thigh and arm cuffs as well," Manon said.

"Is there anything else Madame requires?"

"Yes, discipline hoods, four of them. Proper ones, detachable eye and mouth pieces, plain and with internal gags. A basic selection of canes, floggers, tawse and paddles. I'll have to teach these girls their place quickly, so nothing fancy, just what gets the job done?"

"Indeed madame, I understand," and Cecile waved the girl away again, presumably to fetch what Manon had asked for.

"Madame, if you will forgive my being personal, but if you are breaking in new stock, will you require a harness or such like for your own use?"

"Hah, damn me, I almost forgot the best bit!" Manon said cheerfully. "Yes I will, best make it two of them, I like to see them perform on each other," she said laughing loudly.

Cecile led Manon back out to the main room, while her purchases were packed, and those she hadn't seen yet were fetched for her approval. "Now about payment, will this cover today's purchases?" Manon asked, brashly banging down a full purse on the table, making the heavy chains rattle under it.

Pierre Dumain came and inspected the contents, which Manon knew were more than enough to pay for everything twice over.

"That is much more than required madame, we will make a tally for you," he said.

"Well if it wasn't there's plenty more on the way. Went to the bank next to the hotel this morning and arranged to be able to draw on funds from home, should be done in two days I'm told," Manon said.

"I'll need more from you next week. I'm planning to spend the rest of the year here, and go home next spring, so I'll need cages and so on. I presume you can supply those? Oh, and I'll need more household staff as well, so whenever you have a good stock of new fillies, be sure to let me know?"

"These three new girls won't stay fresh for long," she said laughing.

Manon had now done as much as she dared to establish herself to Dumain as a rich, crude user and abuser of slaves, and one who could be a valuable repeat customer. Since they knew from the liveried carriage she'd arrived in where she was staying, they could also guess which Bank she had referred to.

If these folk were operating an illegal slaving business as well as this legitimate one, then that was more than enough of a trail for them to follow.

Manon nodded her approval of the hoods and punishment tools that were shown to her, and a final bill was presented, which she didn't even look at properly, just telling them to take what they needed to cover it.

"Madame, we do have number of fresh slaves, as well as some experienced ones currently, if you have the time now, I would be happy to show you around?" Cecile said. So not immune to greed then, Manon thought smugly.

"Very well, I may as well while I am here," Manon said, pleased to be given the opportunity to snoop more.

The assistant led Manon and Cecile to a curtained door, and unlocked it with a heavy key that Cecile passed her. She led them into a rather spartan room, that had two other doors opening off it. Through one, Manon saw two men sat at a table, who put their hands of cards down and bowed the heads politely to Cecile.

"Carry on," she said, "I've a customer to show our current stock." As they sat down, Manon took stock of the whips and long knives at their belts, and the two heavy cudgels on the side of their table.

"Hurry up Marika," Cecile said sharply, returning Manon's attention to her. The assistant who had led them in was pulling her dress over her head, leaving her naked, but for the collar and wrist cuffs that were revealed, having been hidden before by the long sleeves and high collar of the dress.

Marika turned her back to Cecile, who quickly locked her cuffs together behind her back, and then attached her collar to a chain that was fastened to a wall.

Marika looked to be in her late twenties, and had clearly been whipped quite recently, her back and legs were striped from behind her knees to over her shoulders.

"I find that a daily whipping concentrates our slaves minds," Cecile said, having noticed Manon looking at her slave.

"Indeed, and a very pretty striping that is too," Manon said. She actually meant the compliment, it was an expert job. The stripes were evenly spaced and only one overlapped another.

"Thank you," Cecile said, with a faint smile, "I do try and keep in practice." She ushered Manon out of the remaining door, and down a steep staircase, where she unlocked another heavy door.

"We keep our female stock on this floor, and the male below, but I gather you have no interest in them?" Cecile said.

"None at all," Manon replied, surveying the scene in front of her.

It was a very professional set up, three rows of five barred cages, each maybe 20 feet on a side, about 12 feet high.

Each cage held from two, to in one case 8 women and girls, who sat or lay on the straw covered floor.

"The women are easier we find," Cecile said, "not least as they like to keep themselves and their pens clean. The pens on the far side there are all experienced stock that will be auctioned in a week's time, or purchases awaiting delivery."

"This row," she said, "are new stock, most if not all untrained. As you can see many aren't yet branded, though that will be attended to shortly." Manon walked down the corridor between the cages, the prisoner's eyes following her as she went.

"And the last row?" Manon asked.

"Ah, stock ordered by customers, or in some cases, that we hope to sell to customers as we know their requirements."

Manon wasn't listening and was glad she had her back to Cecile, as she had gone rigid with shock for a moment, before forcing herself to move on and behave normally. At the far side of the last pens in this row, a young woman lay on her side on the straw, unconscious or asleep, Manon couldn't tell.

Her left arm was tightly bound in a sling, one ankle bandaged. It was Poppy and she was chained to the bars with a heavy collar around her neck, her face showing a number of bruises and cuts. Being naked, it was easy to see she had been savagely whipped. She had numerous welts and open cuts still bleeding slowly on her back and legs.

Next to her, sitting up but at best semi conscious was Jen. She too was naked and chained by her neck to the bars, but her face was battered and bloody, both eyes swollen shut. Manon hadn't seen her back, but was fairly sure she too must have been whipped as she had clearly seen the marks left where a whip had curled around the girl's torso, cutting into her breasts and chest.

"Some of your stock seems the worse for wear," Manon said as calmly as she could manage. "Oh them? Runaways, we were commissioned to recover them by a regular client," Cecile said, fairly dripping contempt. "Still they've had their first lesson, and will I'm sure be taught many more once we ship them to their owners."

"Well, thank you, this has been delightful," Manon said. "I shall certainly call on you again, your stock seems most suitable. But I must be getting on, all this has rather whetted my appetite for getting started on my new girls."

"I quite understand madame," Cecile said with a leer, and led her out and back up to the shop.

Manon's purchases had been packed into several stout boxes and loaded onto the carriage, and Manon left, feeling her skin crawl as the two Dumains watched her leave. She was so angry, it was all she could do to sit quietly, but she promised herself she was going to be back very quickly. Like tonight. Leaving Poppy and Jen there for any longer was unthinkable.

Some ten minutes away from Dumain et Fils, as Manon was driven through a commercial district near the river, her carriage came to an abrupt halt, causing Manon to draw her revolver.

Entering the carriage, Sir James Dunning was a little discomfited to find it pointing at his face from only a few inches away, the aim held perfectly steady by Manon.

He gently pushed the gun aside, which Manon, relaxing, allowed. "What, exactly, were you doing at Dumain?" he said icily. "And don't flannel me, I've no time for it."

Banging on the carriage roof to tell the driver to move on, Manon told him the whole story. About the three girls she'd 'acquired' and the man she and Belle had dealt with, and then finding Poppy and Jen in the pens at Dumain.

"So what my dear Manon are you intending to do?" he said.

"You know me well enough that I don't need to answer, but I'll indulge you. I'm going to get Poppy and Jen out of there. I'm going to find out what the connection is with this Jenkins orphanage in London, and who those girls are being sent to."

"And then I am am going to kill every last one of them that is involved, or make them suffer. Probably both if I have the opportunity."

Sir James sighed heavily, "your lack of moderation is most vexing," he said, "though only what I'd expect from you."

Manon smiled at him coldly, "Perhaps, but it's why you like me so much. I get things done that others can't or won't."

"You forgot shouldn't," he said absently. "Well we need to talk," he said as the carriage pulled up at the hotel.

Back at the hotel she arranged with the coachman that her purchases would be sent up to her suite, and ordered some tea to for both of them to be brought up as well.

When tea was delivered it was accompanied by two messages. One was from Belle, saying she and her girls would arrive at about four, and the second was to say that the dressmakers from the shop were downstairs, and wanted to know if they could come up.

Reluctantly Manon sent the same pretty bellhop back down, replying that the dressmakers would have to return tomorrow morning, as with her apologies an unexpected appointment required her. Sir James sent his own whispered message with the girl, but Manon was too agitated to even bother trying to listen.

Sir James had poured tea, and stared pointedly at Manon until with a sigh she sat down, her feet drumming with anger and impatience.

"There's no damn point in my telling you to leave well alone is there?" he said.

Manon just gave him a look, "again Sir James you know me better than that."

"Thought not. Well we will return to the subject of Dumain shortly, I've a guest arriving. In the meanwhile, let me tell you about that dreadful mess you caused in London?"

Reluctantly Manon sat back and sipped her tea, she knew she couldn't rush the old fox if he didn't want to be.

"What on god's green earth did you think you were doing Manon? No on second thought, I don't want to know. So your attack on your half brother, did you intend to kill him and his friends?"

"Honestly Sir James no. I intended to humiliate him, grossly, but things didn't quite go according to plan, as he had a third man there, when I'd been expecting two."

"I see. Well once your involvement came to my attention, which didn't take long given the scandalous state those men were found in, I was able eventually to divert police attention from you."

"The scandal sheets are full of the tale of your brother's perverted deviant lifestyle and how you have had to leave the country, mortified by the shame of it. Shocked to the core by the scene of debauchery you stumbled upon apparently, at least according to the Times."

"Ah, thank you?" Manon said hesitantly.

"Damn right thank you, we've had to give a knighthood to the editor of the Times to keep him sweet. Her majesty isn't best pleased with you," he said glowering at Manon from under his formidably bushy eyebrows.