Manon and Belle Pt. 08

"Did you sleep well miss?" Belle asked, laughing slightly at Claire, who was just coming awake and still cuddled tightly to Manon's side.

Manon patted the half asleep girl, "quiet now, you have a little longer," she said, soothing Claire who grunted a little and snuggled down again.

"I did dear, thank you. And you and your charges?" Manon asked.

"All good thank you miss. Beth found it hard to get comfortable I think, given the state of her back and the heavy chains, but managed. She's still asleep now." Belle was blushing slightly.

"Belle, why the blush? Have you something else to tell me?" Manon asked.

"Ah well, that Fiona, I sort of couldn't shake her off miss. So when I woke up just now, I found she was, well, ah licking me miss? I let her finish miss," She said warily.

"I see, so you let her bring you to climax then? Poor timid scared Fiona?" Manon said, arching an eyebrow at Belle.

"Ah yes miss, sorry miss I did. Well and Melissa last night, that girl knows how to used her tongue, once I'd sat on her face there was no stopping her. If that was too much miss, I'll report for punishment later miss, perhaps when we have rescued Poppy and Jen?" she added, smiling slightly.

"Yes dear, you will, and there'll be extra for you, as you are trying to manipulate me again, aren't you?" Manon said grinning. Belle tried to look innocent, but couldn't avoid smiling back.

"She's like that," a little voice said from under Manon's arm. Claire's head followed it up into view, peering sleepily at Belle. "Fi, I mean. She always seems to be frisky in the mornings when we wake up, braver than when she's been thinking about things," she said yawning.

"Oh sorry miss," I didn't mean to interrupt," she added suddenly looking nervous.

"It's quite alright dear," Manon said. "Since you are awake, go and get the others up, and you are all to use the bathroom, then wait for me and Belle, we need to talk about our day."

"Yes miss," Claire said, and walked sleepily out of the room.

"They are doing better than I thought miss," Belle said, "especially given everything that is happening."

"I agree dear, though I wonder if it's easier for them precisely because there is a lot else going on?" Manon said.

"Oh, as it serves as a distraction from them maybe being slaves?" Belle said.

"Exactly Belle. Now to business," Manon said, sitting up and sipping her tea.

"Those girls are all about to have a difficult start to their day Belle, I expect you to help them through it, but not by undermining me?"

"Oh miss, I'd never do that!" Belle said, shocked.

"No dear, I know you wouldn't deliberately, but you are sometimes a soft old Belle aren't you? Neither we nor they can afford that today, so you must be steely calm for me. You can be their big sister later, when we return. We might all need that."

Getting up and heading to the bathroom, Manon told Belle to get her a nightdress too, and when she'd finished and Belle had helped her dress, they went in search of the girls.

Manon was pleased to find all four of them kneeling prettily, waiting for her.

"Good morning. I hope you all slept as well as could be expected?" The girls all nodded.

"Now, that won't do. I asked a question so you answer, and worse I wished you good morning and you didn't return it. I expect better manners from my slaves," Manon said.

"Oh sorry miss, Claire and Fi" said, and then each girl wished her a good morning and said they had slept well.

"Better, thank you. Now, I'm going to explain as much as I can about how your day is going to work," Manon said briskly.

"First, I cannot be sure that the Dumains don't have their spies or informants in the hotel by now, they have certainly had enough time. So from as soon as our day starts properly, we are all going to be putting on an act, one which needs all of us, and especially all of you, to be in character, all of the time."

"And I mean all of the time. Even when you think we are alone in here, do you understand?"

All four girls quickly answered "yes miss."

"So, here is our play for the day then. I am a miserable, vicious and grumpy mistress, who values nothing that her slaves do for her, and makes over frequent use of any form of physical punishment that she can."

"You three," Manon said, pointing at her girls, "have taken the brunt of that. You have been rude, disobedient and unruly, and as a result have been punished severely, but this morning your awful mistress is going to finally lose patience. She's going to decide that you are more trouble than she is prepared to put up with, and so she is going to sell you."

"What this means is that you are going to be punished this morning by me and Belle, quite soon in fact, and then may take some more informal punishment later, as you are loaded into a cage on a wagon to be taken to the slave traders. It will hurt, and will mark you, but you won't be gagged, so make as much noise as you want, the more the better frankly."

"Melissa, shortly you are going to go and order our breakfast. You will be dishevelled and upset, and will show clear signs of the abuse you have received. To anyone who you might normally chat and gossip with, you will say how awful I am, that I've hurt you and done worse to my own slaves. But don't over do it, a few hints and your own marks will enough."

"When breakfast is brought here, it will interrupt me punishing one of you, so that whoever brings our meal, will see for themselves how terrible I am."

"Melissa, as soon as you have arranged breakfast you will return here, no dawdling or distractions."

"Then around midday you three will be loaded on a wagon, chained in a cage, to be taken and sold. Beth the keys for your fetters will be hidden, so that once things start inside, you can free yourself. I'd like you to protect yourself and your sisters as best you can, and keep out of harm's way. Once the fighting starts, things will be chaotic, and Belle and I will be very busy. Do not do anything until the fighting does start."

"Once this over, I presume we will be back here, and I promise you I will look after you, and we can get back to properly trying you three out," Manon said.

"Now, any questions? No? Very well. Melissa get dressed and get ready to go and order breakfast. Once she leaves this room, full time in our roles you understand?"

Manon smiled, as even Belle gave her a yes miss. Melissa came and stood in front of her, barefoot, having pulled a pair of knee length bloomers on over knickers, and a short chemise, that left her arms and shoulder bare.

"This is what you'd normally be seen wearing, if you were serving a guest like this?" Manon asked.

"Yes miss, even less sometimes," Melissa replied. Without warning Manon slapped Melissa open handed across her cheek, hard enough that the poor girl fell to the floor, her face a mask of pain and shock. The other girls, all except Belle, pulled back in shock, Fiona squeaking, before Belle hushed them and got them back into position.

Manon knelt and picked her up. "I'm sorry Melissa, there was no way I could warn you of that," Manon said, as Melissa began to cry as the pain overcame the shock.

She had a visible hand print going from white to red on her cheek, which is what Manon had intended. "Go and get breakfast," Manon said softly.

As Melissa left, still sobbing and holding her cheek, Manon shouted out loudly, "let that be a lesson to you guttersnipe, so be quick or you'll get more."

"And as for you three useless sluts, you have one more chance to persuade me you are worth keeping, or I'm done with you!"

"Belle, take Beth and strap her to the cross, it's time to teach her a real lesson." Manon said.

"Stupid slut, not like that, facing out of course," Manon said impatiently. Beth swallowed a bit but turned around to face front, and Belle quickly bound her into a column again, her arms over her head as last night.

"The flogger girl, start over her feet, and work your way up. You miss making any part of her red, and I'll make you twice the shade, hear?" Manon said.

Belle nodded and picked the flogger up, straight away striking down on Beth's insteps. She gave a deep groan, and was clearly surprised at how much that hurt. Manon sympathised, she'd been flogged over and under her feet for hours once, and screamed her lungs out through most of it.

Manon saw that Claire and Fi had both turned their heads away as Belle worked Beth over methodically, and walked behind them. "Watch you little bitches, it's your turn next," Manon hissed at them, grabbing handfuls of their hair and forcing their heads up to watch.

Manon hadn't spotted until then that the door had opened, and Melissa had come back, followed by three men pushing service trolleys, two stacked with covered dishes of food and plates, and one with jugs of water, fruit juices and glasses. A fourth man followed them in carrying three coffee pots and a pot of milk in his large hands.

Where the other men looked away or at anything other than than the spectacle in front of them, Mr Coffee Pot as Manon thought of him openly leered at Beth, licking his lips.

"Please Judd," Melissa whined in a stage whisper, "be quick, or she'll beat me again for sure." Mr Coffee Pot, Judd as Manon now knew him, turned to Melissa, one hand openly fondling her arse, "best be nice to me later for once then whore," he said and left.

Melissa flung herself to her knees at Manon's feet, sniffling. "So you are his whore then slut?" Manon said to her. "He wants me to be mistress, but I hate him, he'll do anything for money," she said.

Ah, so Melissa thinks that he is a likely source of information for the Dumains then, clever girl, Manon thought. However she said, "Well maybe I'll tip him to fuck you raw while I watch later then, might be amusing."

The door, which hadn't quite closed, pulled shut with a soft click. Belle stood back, sweating with the exertion, and Beth, crying steadily, was a deep pink all over the front of her of her body, which spread around her sides where the flogger had wrapped about her.

"Very good Belle," Manon said.

"It will take more than that," Beth spat, "you'll never break me."

Taking a hint, Claire and Fi surged to their feet and went and wrapped their arms around Beth, hugging her. "Never, you can't make us!" Claire shouted. Fi just cried, probably genuinely Manon thought.

The door opened again and Judd came back in, without knocking much to Manon's annoyance, carrying milk and cups on a tray.

"Oh that's the last straw, I am done with you useless sluts. I'm supposed to be enjoying a tour of Europe and instead I'm faced with the three worst slaves I've ever known. It's the slave traders for you, I've wasted enough energy on you all."

Manon whipped around and pulled Melissa up into a kneeling position by her hair, "and don't think I've forgotten about your part in their appalling behaviour. You'll be lucky if the hotel lets you clean toilets with your tongue once I've done with you," and she threw her back to the floor.

Judd, leering again, said, "will that be everything madam," and flushed an angry look when Manon curtly dismissed him.

"Lock the door Belle, I've had quite enough of these interruptions," Manon said. Belle locked the door in both suites and came back,

"Get Beth down please dear," Manon said quietly. "We can drop the show for a while, well done all of you. Especially Melissa and Beth."

"Sit, get some food. Belle and Beth have done such a good job, that I think hurting you more isn't necessary." Beth just grunted, but Belle went and hugged her, carefully as she was sore all over. Beth winced but smiled at her, "not your fault, maybe I can return the favour one day."

Manon laughed as she could see Belle go all weak kneed, the prospect of being at this strong girl's mercy was obviously enticing to her as well.

At about 10.30 Manon again sent Melissa down to reception with orders, this time for the concierge. She wanted a message sent immediately to Dumain et Fils, to say she would call on them shortly, in order to sell her slaves. The second was to tell the hotel that she would require a carriage to take her there, and a wagon to carry her slaves.

After a longer than expected delay, there was a soft knock, and Melissa returned, followed by Eric himself, wheeling a large trunk on a luggage trolley. "Your luggage has finally arrived my lady" he said, "and I brought the pastries you ordered as well."

"The arrangements you requested are all in hand, the carriage and wagon should both be ready at about noon. Also your dressmakers sent word they wanted to call on you at noon as well, so I took the liberty of telling them you wouldn't be available, and would tell them when to return."

Manon rudely dismissed him, with an insultingly small tip, at which he couldn't quite hide his grin, before he turned away and left.

"Luggage miss?" Belle asked, "I didn't know we had any? Pastries?"

"We don't dear, I think Eric or Sir James has sent us some things, let's see." Manon equally puzzled by the pastries, opened the box, to find it more than half empty, there were only two rather lovely looking almond slices in it, but then she started laughing as she caught up with the idea.

"Miss?" Belle asked.

"Clever Eric. I'd been worried about how to smuggle in the little bombs we've got. But pop them in here, cover them with some of all that icing sugar and these two Almond slices, and no one will suspect a thing."

Belle giggled happily, "oh, so we do get to play with some of the special fireworks, how lovely."

Manon opened up the trunk next, noting the small ink symbol placed by the lock, the silhouette of a small bird in a circle. It was the blackbird badge of the Master of the Queen's Wardrobe, otherwise known as Sir James Dunning, otherwise known to many fewer people as the head of her majesty's own secret service.

"From Sir James then," Manon said. The trunk Manon knew would have a sort of standard agent's away kit in it, though the precise contents could vary.

Opening the trunk and pulling back the fabric covering, she heard Belle squeal with happiness, and in truth she was herself delighted. The trunk was stacked with a bewildering array of pistols and knives, two so long as to be almost swords, together with ammunition and several grenades.

There were two long walking sticks, with large decorative metal heads, that just fit in the case diagonally. Lifting them out Manon could immediately tell the heads were weighted with lead, as they were much heavier than they looked.

"Sir James really does like you miss," Belle said. "He knows how much you like a single stick." Manon nodded, smiling at Belle who had in fact surpassed Manon's own considerable skill with one several years ago.

Most pleasing to Manon though was that there were two long black garments, known in the service as birdsuits. They were really catsuits, though these didn't have the full face hoods and integral gloves and feet, they were made of the same ballistic cloth.

They were thin enough to be worn under other clothes, if a little warm, and could significantly reduce the chnce of a bullet or blade penetrating the wearer. Against impacts and blunt weapons they were useless, but broken ribs from a pistol shot was better than a hole in the lungs.

They were also fabulously expensive, as the cloth was difficult to make and even more difficult to make into the suits. Try sewing something that's resistant to being stabbed, and you'd find out why. As far as Manon knew, only the Queen's chosen agents in the service ever got to use them, so she was very flattered to find them here.

Manon first got Belle to dress in one. They stretched to a ridiculous extent, so fit just about anyone, but were very difficult to get on properly as a result. That done Belle helped Manon dress in hers, and spent rather too long stroking it to make sure that there were no wrinkles or creases.

Thereby significantly arousing Manon, who found the feel and grip of the super soft fabric intensely erotic anyway, as Belle well knew. Manon couldn't quite bring herself to stop Belle, but had to to escape laughing after Belle got all four girls to help.

Fiona in particular seemed to be a very taken with the suit, and Claire had to almost literally pull her off. At the bottom of the trunk Manon saw there was in fact a third suit, with the integral hood and hands and feet, and promised herself she'd let Fi have a play in it later. The idea of the lithe graceful young woman in a figure hugging tight suit was quite alluring.

Manon and Belle both started to equip themselves then. They fitted small pistols to their legs where they'd be hidden by their skirts, the garter holsters also held a few few extra rounds of ammunition. Manon couldn't resist taking the large calibre Webley revolver that was there, even though it was cumbersome strapped to her leg.

The other girls watched this wide eyed, as Belle and Manon both strapped a chest harness on from which they hung several knives and daggers. Manon had three throwing daggers and a large knife, but Belle, who preferred to be very up close and personal, had two heavy duelling knives as she called them, and a pair of thin bladed stilettos as back up.

This done, Belle and Manon helped each other dress, making sure that their chosen outfits did as much as possible to conceal the gear they were wearing.

"You've done that a lot," Claire said so quietly it was almost to herself.

Manon looked over at her, "we have dear, yes, but why do you say that?"

"Oh, well miss, you both did all that in silence, yet you helped each other all the time, like it was a dance you'd rehearsed," she said thoughtfully.

"That's very close to the truth," Manon said, again impressed with this girl.

"Now we have to get you three ready," she said. "Melissa, are you travelling like that?"

Holding up a pair of battered and broken down ankle boots, "apart from these to drive with miss, yes."

Manon nodded at her. "Now, you three, you will be hooded and gagged, and I expect will be chained to the travelling cage, but they will have to get you out and inside, I'll insist on it in some way. Probably by asking what they'd part exchange for you, so we have to go to the holding pens to haggle."

"Now I think, I hope, they will leave the hoods and gags on. The reason being that you Fi and you Claire will have the spare keys to Beth's restraints in your mouths. It's essential that if they do take the hoods off, you keep the keys, we must get Beth free."

"Claire, you and Fi can get your own hoods off, as well as Beth's if necessary. She couldn't manage with out help. You have enough freedom of movement for that anyway."

"I can't plan for anything else, there's be no point. Keep an eye on what Belle and I do, and listen to any orders we give, and please stay safe. It's bad enough that they've hurt Poppy and Jen already, maybe badly, I couldn't bear it if you got hurt as well."

"Melissa, I'm hoping they might just tell you to get lost, if so drive away, but don't race, don't make them suspicious," Manon said.

"Miss," Claire said. "They won't do that? If you tell them you want to buy slaves as well as sell them, they'll expect Mel to drive them away in the wagon?"

"Clever girl," Manon said, giving her a smile. "She's right. Melissa you'll be horribly exposed if you stay out there in the courtyard. We need to get you inside with us. We can at least try and keep you safe there."

"Pastries," Melissa said. "Forget your pastries, and I have to bring them after you. Otherwise I know you'll whip me cruelly. Again," she said with a cheeky grin.

"Huh, two smart girls, whatever next. And don't tempt me Melissa" Manon said grinning back, though Melissa was now biting her lip nervously.