Manon and Belle Pt. 07

"Defeats me why she is so fond of you, the trouble you cause," he said grumpily. Manon thought it best to keep quiet.

"So as to the rest of things," he continued. "Your two maids impersonating you and Belle in Switzerland?" He was interrupted as Belle came in to the room, trailing the three girls behind her.

"You rang Uncle James?" Belle said grinning. She bounced over to him and kissed him on the cheek, as usual flustering him mightily. "Behave girl, what would your mother have said?" he said in a forlorn attempt to put her off.

Belle, or Agatha Bairstow as was her given name, was in fact no relation of Sir James at all, but Belle's mother had been the love of his life. She however had fallen in love with and married a different man, Sir James' best friend and fellow Guards officer. Sir James had never married, and after Belle's parents had died on overseas service, had taken the young Agatha in, before sending her to the Ladies College where she'd met Manon, and become Belle.

"And these are your three strays I take it?" Sir James said.

"They are," Manon replied, "would you excuse me while I get them settled, and perhaps you could bring Belle up to date while I do?"

He nodded and started talking to Belle in a quiet voice, as Manon herded the three girls into the next suite, through the connecting door.

"Sit," Manon said severely, and all three girls quickly perched on the sofa. "I've no time for explanations, and so I'm going to trust you to behave, Belle and I are going out tonight, and may not be back until morning."

"Quickly now, tell me, do any of you know two girls, Poppy and Jen, who I think might have been at the same orphanage as you?"

Surprised, the three girls looked at each other, but Claire answered readily enough. "We do miss, they were a little older than us, but Jen ran away, maybe two years ago, and Poppy not long after. Or that's what we were told."

"Well that wasn't a lie, they did, and I met them on the ship that brought Belle and me here. Ah damn, wait there. Belle!" Manon shouted.

Belle came in quickly, "Sir James told you I saw Poppy and Jen?" Belle nodded grim faced. "Have a message sent to the Ruby, telling the Captain that I know where they've been taken and will have them back within a day. They must know they are missing." Belle nodded and Sir James, looking over her shoulder confirmed it.

"The ship you arrived on, the Ruby? She was raided last night, in the harbour. The Duke's people are spitting mad about it, she was set on fire, and it could have taken lot more ships with it," she said grimly. "I didn't know anyone was missing from her crew though."

Manon equally grim faced, turned back to her girls and closed the door, leaving Sir James to finish briefing Belle.

"Taken?" Claire asked. "Yes. I paid a visit today to a slave trader's, the one that I think was going to take you three. Ah, talking of which, strip." Manon said.

"Sorry?" Claire said in surprise.

"Girl, this isn't the day to try my patience, I said strip, all three of you, and I mean right now. Or have you forgotten that you are my slaves for the week?"

"Er no, miss, beg your pardon miss." Manon was pulling open the packages from Dumain that had been delivered to the suite, and finding the right box, started to pull the restraints out she was looking for.

Turning back to the girls, she watched as they pulled the last of their clothes off, pleased that they were, in their very different ways, as attractive as she'd hoped.

Beth was simply magnificent. She had a body that demanded a sculptor immortalised it. As she stripped naked, quite untroubled by the act Manon noticed, her fully glory was revealed. Glory, Manon thought, was the only word for it.

She towered over Manon, who came to only breast height on her. Her breasts didn't look large on her broad shouldered frame, but once Beth was standing straight Manon saw that they were in fact quite heavy, and certainly more than a handful each. She had large brown areolas, with long thick brown nipples. Which would look even more lovely pierced with heavy gold rings.

"Fold your clothes and stand up straight," Manon told Beth, noting that the other two followed the order as well.

"Beth you are glorious," Manon said.

"Thank you miss," Beth said quietly. Beth rolled her shoulders as she stood taller, giving Manon a mouth watering display of rippling shoulder and arm muscles. Normally Manon would have been repelled by a woman built like this girl, but Beth though clearly very strong was beautifully in proportion and not grossly over muscled. Large strong thighs, and shapely though muscled calves, left Manon wondering just what it would be like to be gripped by those.

Which she intended to find out as soon as she could.

Manon walked around Beth, and stopped behind the next girl, Fiona. She was tall as well, but wiry and thin. Fiona in contrast to Beth was clearly nervous, and blushing across her shoulders and neck, though much of both was covered by her long and unruly dark brown hair. She turned to look at Manon over her shoulder.

"Face front girl, and stop covering yourself, you are going to be naked for me a lot this week, so get used to it," Manon told her.

The girl choked a sob back, but did as she was told, blushing as Manon came and stood in front of her. Manon pushed her chin up with a finger, so that the girl was looking at her. "Don't hide girl, not from your mistress. You are lovely too, and have nothing to be ashamed of," Manon told her.

After the third girl nudged her, Fiona squeaked out "thank you miss," though her head dropped straight away and she resumed studying her feet. This one, Manon thought, is going to be fun to break in. Turning modest shy girls into willing sex slaves was one of Manon's favourite pastimes. The only decision Manon had to make was how she'd do it, but that could wait until Manon had a better feel for the girl.

She wasn't sure either how to break Beth in, and it seemed neither of them were obvious candidates for the simple, violent methods, those that mixed beatings with forced pleasure. Though all Manon's girls got some measure of that.

Last Manon studied Claire. This one was defiant, Manon could read the challenge in her eyes that didn't drop from Manon's face, even though she was blushing red from her chest upwards.

Shorter than Manon, so tiny, she was thin and boyish. Tiny breasts with little pink nipples that Manon longed to nibble and clamp tightly, and almost no discernible hips or bottom, a build Manon knew well, as it was essentially the same as her own. Unlike Manon though, this girl had no wiry muscles, at least none that Manon had noticed as she'd undressed.

Dark gleaming eyes studied Manon back, under a helmet of dark tightly curled hair that fell to her shoulders, over a tiny upturned nose and narrow mouth. If Beth was the self appointed guardian in this team of three, Claire was clearly the leader and brains of the outfit. Manon felt a little frisson of lust looking at her. Breaking her in was going to be a different challenge to the other two, so she had a delightful three course meal to look forward to.

"So, Poppy and Jen?" Manon said, breaking out of her reverie. "Yes, they've been kidnapped, and from what little I was able to learn are going to be delivered to whoever it was that commissioned your own kidnapping and slavery. I'm going to get them out, and return them to the ship they are crew on."

"Miss, are they alright?" Fi asked timidly.

"I don't know girl, they were both looking pretty badly treated, Jen especially, but I only got a glimpse of them. I couldn't let on that I knew them. You may sit again," Manon said, pacing up and down.

Start with the strongest Manon thought. "Beth come and stand in front of me," she said quietly. Once she was there Manon walked around her, watching a shiver run up and down the girl's broad back when she stroked down her spine.

"Beth, you are magnificent, I've never seen a more attractive physique on a strong woman," Manon said. To her surprise, Beth actually blushed, mumbling "thank you miss".

"Beth, I've got restraints specially for you. They are heavy and quite restrictive, but will I think look good on you," Manon said, picking up the heavy collar. "Lower your head to me please," she said.

Getting the heavy collar on was actually easier than Manon had feared, and the hex key quickly screwed it shut, firmly locking it around Beth's neck. "Hands down girl," Manon said, as Beth went to feel the collar.

She quickly locked the wrist cuffs on to Beth, and then called Fiona over. "Fi, come here, and lock these ankle fetters onto Beth, I can see you were watching closely." With a bit of a gulp Fi came and did as she was told.

"Well done. Now put her arm and thigh cuffs on her as well, then the belt. Good girl," Manon said as Fi had gone on locking everything on without needing to be told.

"Stay kneeling there Fi," Manon said when she'd finished, and handed her one end of a heavy chain. "Lock that on the ankle cuff, and then this one," Manon told her, handing her the next chain. "to the other ankle." Manon meanwhile locked the two wrist cuffs together in front of Beth.

Beth hadn't moved, but was looking nervous, especially once her hands were locked together. "There girl, easy," Manon said, "you are going to have get used to this for the week, and maybe after, depending on what you decide."

"Fi, thread both chains through the loops there on the wrist cuffs, and then lock the ends to the hoop on the front of Beth's collar." The chains were heavy enough that Fi had to struggle with the weight a bit, but she got it done fairly quickly. She had long nimble fingers and was quite dextrous.

"Good girl Fi, stand there, and you've been good too Beth, thank you. How does that feel Beth?"

"Er, heavy miss? And odd," she said frowning in thought. "I can't move much miss," she added.

"Nothing cutting in or making you sore already?" Manon asked.

"No miss, through the weight is pulling something cruel on my wrists and especially my neck," she said.

"Well there's leather coverings in here somewhere," Manon said. "They wrap around everything and pad it out, when I've more time we'll get those on."

"Anyway, they are meant to restrict you and impede you," said Manon, making all three girls look up at her sharply. "It's to remind you all the time of your status, do you understand?"

"Yes miss, I think I do. I'm a slave," Beth said, sounding almost surprised.

"No Beth dear, you are my slave, and a very beautiful one," Manon corrected her. "Now go and kneel on the floor in front of the sofa, and be quiet please."

"Claire, come and put these chains on Fi please, quickly." Looking startled, Claire got up and started to sort them out. She got the ankle cuffs on first, as Fi literally shook with nerves or fear, probably both Manon thought.

"Miss," Claire said. "How do these lock?" she asked holding a chain. "Just get the cuffs and collar on, and I'll explain after," Manon said.

Manon watched as Claire quietly soothed Fiona, who was shaking and crying softly, trying to hide her breasts and pussy with her hands again. Claire actually told her not to, before Manon intervened, further confirming Manon's opinion that Claire had quite a dominant personality.

Claire stood by Fi, making her friend look up at Manon when her head fell. "Thank you Claire. Fiona, put Claire's restraints on now, quickly girl." Although she got in a bit of a muddle, Fi did as she was told quite swiftly. Claire kept her gaze on Manon throughout, occasionally stroking Fi and talking to her softly as she worked.

"Well done, now, Claire come and stand in front of me, I'm going to lock your chains on, and I need to you to understand how it's done."

Manon showed Claire the cylinder and that when you pressed the button on one end that it would lock the chain links to themselves, or to the cuffs or collar. Claire clearly understood quickly, it wasn't a complicated operation.

"I'm leaving your chains as long as they can be," Manon said, as she fused them first to Claire's wrists and ankles and lastly to her collar. "Do you know why Claire?"

"I'm not sure miss, but this doesn't seem to restrict my movement, so I suppose it's just a reminder of my status. As your slave," she added more quietly.

"Very good, you are correct, though you missed one thing. I like pretty girls, even more so when they are in pretty chains Claire. So you missed that I make you wear these simply because this pleases me. Now, put Fiona's chains on, like I did yours, then both of you go and kneel with Beth."

"Very good, backs straight and heads up please. You must always be alert and watch your mistress, your owner. You understand?" Three nods, Fi's very slight, but for now it would do.

"Good now follow me next door, and then kneel down together out of the way somewhere," Manon told them. "You may talk quietly amongst yourselves if you want, but do not disturb us."

As Manon returned to sit by her, Belle was listening to Sir James, who glanced at Manon and her naked entourage, as they came in and knelt down, but made no comment. Belle of course wasn't nearly as restrained, "ooh miss, don't they look lovely!"

"Yes dear, they do, but we've other things to deal with for now," Manon said.

Sir James coughed theatrically, "Yes, you two can play with your toys later. Now, I'd just finished explaining to Belle about London, so I'll recap briefly, for your benefit Manon. Belle can give you more details later."

"First your two maids that went to Switzerland impersonating you? That was quite clever of you by the way, if it hadn't been for what befell your Mr Dillon, even I might not have been able to track you."

"Anyway, sorry, your maids, Mason and Dixon I believe. I'm afraid they rather let you down, they absconded from the Sanatorium, and were arrested by the Swiss police in Zurich, having caused quite a lot of fuss with their licentious behaviour."

Belle gasped and Manon looked thunderous. "Now my dear, calm yourself," Sir James said. "Once we got involved the Swiss police determined that they had robbed you, their employer, and absconded while impersonating you and Agatha."

"Belle, Uncle, you big silly," Belle said laughing. Anyone less like a big silly than Sir James Manon couldn't imagine, but Belle loved to tease him, and he let her.

"So they are now spending the next ten years in the prison convent on the St Bernard pass, which as I am sure you know is a deeply unpleasant place. So while your taste for delivering retribution personally may not be satisfied, they are you will agree properly dealt with."

Reluctantly Manon nodded, ten years or more serving the nuns as sex slaves all winter and living on the mountains as chained shepherdesses all summer would do quite nicely. The huge sheepdogs made most effective prison guards.

"So, Dillon?" Manon asked.

"Yes, that's quite sad. I'm afraid he's ended up in bedlam, convinced he is a spider's mate and just waiting for her to breed him and then eat him. He ran naked down the strand and got most of the way down fleet street before he was stopped, searching for his queen," Sir James said. "We found your travel bookings when we went to your house after he was taken."

"Really Manon, what did you expect, you've been altering that poor man's mind for three years now, ever since you caught him trying to defraud you on behalf of your brother."

"Half brother please," Manon said primly. "Well, I've lost a good butler, which is most annoying," Manon said.

"Well I've taken a liberty there, and installed housekeepers for you. Well technically your lawyers did," Sir James said smiling.

"Now don't give me that frosty stare Manon," Sir James said. "You knew them well once, and I am sure will approve, not least because they are shall we say well aware of your preferences?" He laughed, seeing how impatient Manon was getting.

"Oh very well, forgive an old man teasing you. It's Linette and Vallon, the twins. I feel sure you remember them, as they most certainly do you," he said smiling.

"Last I heard, they were working in your domestic intelligence section Sir James, when they left the college, as analysts? Why are they happy to be housekeepers?"

"They were, but they seemed strangely keen to go and work under you. For the moment just accept that your household is in good hands," he said.

"Very well, but how did you find me here? I didn't know we'd be in Bordeaux until two days ago, when the ship had to divert," Manon said.

"Well I wasn't in fact looking for you here. We've people in Biarritz waiting for you, as we tracked you to the Ruby once we knew to look," he said.

"Ah, so you are here for the Dumain people then? And Belle and I have blundered into it?" Manon asked.

"Just so, and in fact you know why we and the Duke's people want them. They are the nexus of a illegal slave trading racket, or at least the nexus in this part of the world. The Slaver's Guild has been trying to track them for years, and eventually gave us enough evidence that we decided to act, though we had our own reasons as it happens when they did."

"I presume since the Master of the Queen's Wardrobe is acting and not the police, that it isn't enough evidence for the courts?" Manon asked.

"Just so," Sir James said. For the first time he really looked at the three chained girls kneeling at the side of the room. "This is a very indiscreet conversation to be having in front of them?" he said quietly.

"Please Sir James, you know perfectly well I could make it so they couldn't remember their own names if I need to," Manon said. "Anyway, I can't leave them unsupervised or unattended, I only have them for a week before they decide to stay with me or not."

"Oh very well, and before I forget, you'd best take these back," he said handing Manon and then Belle a small black wallet each. Manon flipped hers open, smiling at the large gold badge with the royal arms on it, the word's 'Crown Officer' picked out in black and red over gold under it. Belle had stroked her wallet fondly, before it disappeared somewhere in her clothing.

"Her majesty and I both appreciated your consideration in leaving those behind when you dealt with your brother, and went travelling," he said.

"I had to Sir James," Manon said. "I swore an oath to serve and protect the crown, not subject it to mortal embarrassment due to my own messy affairs, or abuse my powers by using my office in pursuit of personal affairs."

"And that sentiment is precisely why I agree with her majesty's decision to keep you in service, but I'd really advise not pushing your luck that far again, she was most cross with you," he said seriously.

Manon just bowed her head, acknowledging the point. "You said the service had it's own reasons for acting against the Dumains?" Manon asked.

"Yes, we do. We don't understand anything like all of it, but somehow this slave ring is involved in more than just that. We've come across their traces several times in the last year, both at home and overseas, during intelligence operations."

He sighed deeply, "You know about that mess in Edinburgh and the one in Warsaw last year?" Sir James said. Manon nodded yes, the Wardrobe had suffered two significant setbacks last year, when long term intelligence networks in both places her been discovered and dismantled.

"Well in both cases, we found links into this slave ring, so when the Guild brought more evidence about the Dumain involvement, we decided to act. Shutting them down is the main objective, but it provides us a perfect opportunity to see if we can find out more, without showing that we know about the spying, or so we hope."

"So that brings me to you Manon. Her majesty knows that these last few years have been very difficult, creating and maintaining your role as an assassin for hire in London's underworld hasn't been easy, even if we know at times you have quite enjoyed yourself doing it."