Manon and Belle Pt. 19

"Must be our generally adorable nature, I suppose," Vallon snarked back, at which point even Manon had to laugh. "So be it, and thank you, it will be most helpful. Will you run a little background check as well please?"

"Of course miss," Linette answered, snorting at the very idea they wouldn't.

"So," Manon said, opening one of the second letters, which she scanned quickly. "Fliss, this is really for you and Christy," she said passing it over the table to the girl. Christy went and stood behind her, resting her hands on her sister's shoulders.

Manon looked Fliss over as she read. She'd blossomed quickly for some decent rest and food. Her long light brown hair hung straight down her back, shining in a way that suggested she and her sister had spent a long time brushing it out, and she was neatly dressed in a pretty light blue jacket and skirt, a pale-yellow blouse with a white-collar underneath. Her hair was held back by a matching light blue Alice band.

She had knee length white socks on and black patent shoes on, done up with a strap over her instep and buckled at the side, and was clearly very much taken with her new shoes, having insisted everyone had a chance to admire them. Manon got quite a kick at seeing how fondly Christy looked at her as they read the letter.

"So, this Girl's school is in the City of London?" Fliss asked, looking at Manon.

"Yes, it is, that's the original, oldest part of London, still mostly within its walls, a lot of which are actually Roman," Manon said. "Maybe a mile east of us here, a 30-minute walk if you aren't rushing,"

"What's it like?" Fliss asked.

"I only know it by reputation, a number of friends I have in London went there, or in some cases have daughters who go there, so I know that it is a good school," Manon said.

Fliss just studied her carefully for a moment, flicking her eyes up at her sister who was still standing behind her. "What aren't you telling me Manon?" and wriggled away from her sister who gave her a gentle poke. "Sorry I mean my lady," Fliss said, embarrassed.

"Well, candidly? It educates well to do girls, and does it well, but for most of them that is the limit of their ambition from what I can tell. Most of their girls go on to lead ordinarily lives, marrying and raising families, and there's nothing wrong with that."

"Unless you want to qualify as a doctor like your sister," Fliss said a little tartly. "Yes yes, I know Christy. I will go, and I will keep an open mind, but well," she said shrugging. Christy rolled her eyes at that but said nothing.

"Manon, they want to interview her, and for her to spend a day with them on Monday, can we do that?" Christy asked.

"We?" Manon queried, but looked to the twins for an answer. "I'd like you to come with me please? I'm not English, you might see and hear things I'd miss," Christy explained.

"You've nothing in the diary," Linette said, grinning cheekily. Given that Manon hadn't known she had a diary until a few minutes ago, this wasn't exactly a surprise. "Happy to help," Manon said.

Manon opened the other envelope then, which actually had three separate letters in, two for Manon only, and one about Fliss. That she handed over to Fliss, who again started reading.

"Where is this place again please? Suffolk?" Fliss asked still reading.

"Belle a map please?" Manon asked but Vallon stopped her and said she'd fetch one. "It's a county north east of London Fliss," Manon said. "Specifically, the school is about 30 minutes from a town on the coast called Woodbridge, which is about three hours by train from London."

"Belle and the twins all went to the school Fliss, you should ask them about it if you want some sense of what it is like to be a student there," Manon added.

Fliss was biting her lip, looking a bit unhappy as she read. "So, I'd have to live there too?" she asked.

"Yes my angel if you decide to go there, and they have a place for you," Christy said.

Fliss said nothing, but Belle added, "Fliss, a lot of the girls there don't have families, or at any rate ones that can visit them, as they are in the Navy say or overseas. Those that do can get visits every month, and there are holidays where you can go home in the summer and at Christmas."

"Oh. It says here that they have been told that I am well advanced in the study of medicine, and that it would therefore be important that my education continued in that and related sciences. They want an independent assessment, from this 'Sir Graham Harper, of Harley street', who is he?"

Manon coughed a bit, this was clearly Sir James's doing. "Sir Graham is the queen's personal physician Fliss," Manon explained. "They've made an appointment for me to see him at Barts? On Tuesday, and say he is looking forward to meeting me and you as well Christy."

"Barts, St Bartholomew's, is a big London hospital Fliss, a lot of doctors and nurses are trained there," Christy said, looking at Manon in surprise.

"I feel like I'm being ganged up on," Fliss said, as she put the letter down and frowned at everyone. "Now Felicity," Christy said.

She stopped when she saw Manon laughing, and heard an outraged humph from Fliss.

"I'm sorry," Manon said, getting control of herself. "Fliss, you are right, if by ganged up on you mean that I at any rate think that Suffolk is almost tailor made for you, and even more that it would be good for you."

"But here's the thing, I promised Christy I'd help her find you a school, not pick it or make you go wherever I want. This is your decision and Christy's. No one else's."

Fliss just scowled at her, and Manon had to bite down the urge to laugh again. "Now, it so happens that Belle and I have business at the school and its sister college, that's a few miles away. Which is what these letters to me are about," tapping the letters in front of her, before she passed them to the twins and Belle to read.

"Mine say that I should come and make my enquiries when you come and visit, as that way we can all go together. So when are they suggesting?" Manon asked.

"Oh, that's quick," Fliss said. "Thursday and Friday of next week. They want me to spend Thursday and Friday, and go to lessons and stay overnight?" she said a little nervously.

"That's jumping their fences before they come to them Manon," Christy said. "This Sir Graham will have hardly had time to put pen to paper surely, let alone get it to the school."

"Hold on Fliss," Manon said, seeing that the girl was close to either crying or getting angry, "let me answer Christy first?"

"Christy, the way the people I work for operate, Sir Graham isn't meeting you both to see if what we have told them about Fliss's precocious skills is right. They want his advice on how best to teach her, to bring her on. The one probably being tested is really you Doctor."

"Now Fliss," Manon said, as the sisters looked at each other almost comically surprised. "I know Sir James, who you met, also wrote to the school, saying I would imagine that they should at least meet you. Sir James' opinion would carry a lot of weight. The school wouldn't ask you to spend two days there, and be prepared to invest that time in you, unless they were serious about the possibility of you joining them."

"They aren't testing you to see if you are suitable, they want to assess you and work out what they need to do for you. Your education has been odd, no offence Christy, and I told them plainly it was likely that in some areas you were going to be behind a lot of their girls, and streets ahead of them in others."

"So in two days, you will experience most subjects, like music and literature, maths and sciences, almost certainly some sport and more, and by staying overnight you will get a sense of what boarding there is really like. As I said before, talk to the twins, talk to Belle, get them to tell you about what their time like was there."

"So you have made your mind up then?" Fliss asked, challenging Manon.

"If you mean that were you my sister or my daughter, I would try and persuade you to go there, then yes, my mind is made up. I'd miss you terribly, actually I will miss you if you went anyway, just as I know Christy would miss you terribly as well if you went there."

"It's your decision Fliss, yours and Christy's, but for what it's worth you know what I think," Manon said.

Fliss just looked at her for a bit, and then up at her sister. "Well if I go and see them, I don't have to say yes do I?"

Christy just laughed softly, "no my angel, you don't, but I think you should at least go. If you don't like it then either we go for the City school, or look for something else. All this costs you is some time, and we get a few days out of London and to see a bit of the countryside. It could be worse."

"Alright then, I can't argue with that," Fliss said, not looking terribly happy. But then she brightened up, "Of course, I'm not sure I have the right sort of clothes? What should I wear? Will I need something new?" she said grinning.

Christy just rolled her eyes, but Sir James arrived then, so the twins took Janine and Christy and Fliss to the sitting room so they could all talk.

Manon let a breath out, and Belle laughed at her, "Oh miss, I've seen you face armed men with more happily than you did that."

"Poor kid," Melissa said. "Oh, you two have got close Melissa, why do you say that?" Manon asked.

"Oh sorry miss. Yes we have, she's like a little sister that I never had. Miss, Fliss is scared half to death most of the time, and a lot less confident of anything or anyone than she tries to show. Miss I think if you hadn't bound her and Christy that day, she would be worse, but that child thinks the world of you, so I know what you told her will sink in."

"She's afraid to let her sister out of her sight, and yet wants more independence. I understand that, when I was 13 I was desperate to be able to drive our wagons on my own, and yet scared stiff that I might mess up if I didn't have my Da by my side to help me if I got it wrong," Melissa said.

Manon and Belle exchanged a grin, "thank you Melissa, that helps me understand."

"Now off you go and get changed, I have to go out for a while, and you can come with me this morning."

Manon paused while Melissa scurried off. "Belle would you mind staying and keeping an eye on things for me here? When you do go out Belle, as much as possible, take Melissa and Janine with you, the sooner they start to learn their way around the better."

"Yes miss, and of course I'll stay. I thought I'd go and check the armoury, and make sure everything is in order. Miss, please go armed when you are out? Things seem quiet now," Belle said.

"But may not be, you make a good point. Now I must go and dress properly as well. I'm calling on lawyers and bankers, and then I'm minded to go and see that clever little leather shop off Chancery Lane, and see if they can help me. I need something made to protect Janine's hand and arm while they heal."

"Sounds interesting miss," so Manon told her about her conversations with Janine and the doctor while she dressed. Manon didn't make any concessions to female convention when she dressed today, so it was a white shirt and buff waistcoat, with her bottle green tailcoat with the leather lapels, tight white breeches and knee high black boots, that Melissa kindly shined when she came in.

Belle handed her favourite heavy Webley revolver which went on her right hip, and her short sword on her left hip, with a waist high walking stick with a heavy silver pommel. All finished off with a short crowned black hat with wide deep red hat band.

"You look very fine miss," Melissa said, kneeling in front of Manon and helping her step into her boots.

"Thank you dear, you don't look so bad yourself." Melissa had a deep burgundy short jacket over loose black trousers, sturdy looking black shoes peeping out. As Manon watched Melissa settled a beret on her head, in the same burgundy shade, and gave Manon a cheeky grin when she saw her watching.

"Belle picked them out miss, I really like them," Melissa said. "Belle, you did well, but you know what? I think looking at Melissa we might make another change. How do you think she'd look with blonde hair? That we let grow longer?"

"I think she'd look lovely miss, not that she doesn't already. Does that mean I can change my colour too miss, please?" Belle answered.

"Yes you may dear, and pick out what you want, but Belle? We have to be serious now, and a little discreet, so not the candy floss pink you liked so much, or anything similar."

"Yes miss," Belle said, her hopes dashed.

Manon led Melissa out at a brisk pace, and walked down the strand towards Ludgate and Fleet street. The streets were massively crowded, and Manon had to remind Melissa frequently to keep up and not stop to look at things, but soon enough Manon marched Melissa into her Bank.

Where as usual she was greeted by name by the doorman, even though she'd not been in the building for almost a year, who politely but firmly asked her to deposit her weapons with the doorkeeper. By the time she'd done that, the Manager was waiting for her, and gave her a courteous bow before leading her to a meeting room.

An hour later Manon emerged, having satisfied herself that all was in order and she wasn't about to become poor, and led Melissa off to her lawyer's offices overlooking Lincoln Inn fields, who by no coincidence at all were also retained by the wardrobe. This meant Manon could be quite candid with them about things that would have got anyone else and probably her arrested.

Another hour long meeting later with her assigned partner, and Manon left, pulling a somewhat bewildered looking Melissa along with her to a nearby coffee shop, where she stopped.

"Miss, I knew from your house you must be rich, but the numbers those people used? They were enormous," Melissa said, wide eyed, though that might have been the large chelsea bun she was trying to inhale all at once.

"I'm very lucky Melissa, I inherited a lot of money, and my own investments have done well, so I can at least afford to keep you in buns," Manon said.

"Yes miss, does that mean I can have another?" Melissa asked hopefully. "Yes dear you can, but order some for everyone, we will take them back with us for later."

A little later Manon was leading Melissa back towards chancery lane, where in a little side street there was a small shop, that specialised in making leather gloves and coats for ladies. At least that is what it said on the shop front and it was true as far as it went.

They also though made much more specialised clothing of various types for women, if they knew you or you came from the wardrobe, who used their artisans to make some things for their agents. Manon had commissioned quite a number of other items from them, and hoped that Miss Chapman, the pleasant middle aged lady who specialised in the more unusual commissions would be able to see her.

"Melissa dear, Miss Chapman looks like everyone's favourite aunt, and she is indeed a very nice lady. She is also a lot more, so you just be quiet and do what I or she tells you, no matter what."

"Yes Miss," Melissa answered, puzzled but compliant.

Things went wrong as soon as they got to the shop, well for Manon's purse anyway, as there was a glorious long black leather coat on display as they were led into Miss Chapman's area of the premises down in the basement.

It buttoned up tightly to the neck with a flap that covered the front and buttoned up as well, and Manon greatly enjoyed Melissa's surprise when she realised that it was actually being worn by a shop-girl, not a mannequin.

"Lady Manon, a pleasure to see you," said a white haired lady, twinkling at Manon. "Rachel, you can take that off now" and Manon enjoyed watched Rachel take the coat off, as she was quite naked underneath, wearing only her slave collar.

Probably as tall as Belle, she was curvier, softer basically, with glorious large breasts, and short spiky black hair, and she smiled at both Manon and Melissa as she went and knelt by the side of the room when she'd carefully folded the coat and wrapped it in tissue paper.

"Melissa, go and kneel with Rachel. If Miss Chapman allows it, you and Rachel may talk but do not disturb us."

"Yes miss," Melissa went and did as she was told, talking quietly with Rachel.

"Now what I can I do for you my lady?" Miss Chapman asked.

"Well for one thing, can you make me and Belle coats like that? It's magnificent," Manon said. "Has Belle changed?" Manon shook her head no, "good, well then with perhaps only minor adjustments she could have that one, I made it as I was experimenting with a new type of cured leather, and I have to say I am very pleased with it."

"I'll send her along for a fitting," Manon said.

"Splendid, I can see you aren't different, when will you ever put weight on girl? You look half-starved as always. So give me a couple of weeks and I could have one ready for a fitting. Same address?"

"Good," she said when Manon nodded at her, "I'll send word."

Manon had a long conversation then about what she needed for Janine, and Chapman made a few sketches before they agreed on a look. Miss Chapman smiled when she described that she also wanted some other garments for Janine, that would match the glove, but were for more intimate use. Manon could see Melissa's interest was caught when she heard her name mentioned, but she didn't need to know what Manon wanted made for her.

"My lady, that's two different protective gloves really? One for work if you like, and one for play? Same look but the play one can be a bit lighter if it's not for use out of doors, and more able to blend in with normal clothing."

Manon agreed with that. "If it helps, I could have her doctor available to you? She's staying with me, so it wouldn't be difficult."

"Well it might help yes, and here's our tea, thank you girls. Now you two kneel down there and sit quiet, while my lady and I finish up," Miss Chapman said.

Tea was poured, the weather was discussed, and tea was drunk, and so niceties observed, Miss Chapman resumed business.

"My lady, might I suggest that I visit you instead of everyone coming here? I could check Belle for fit for the coat, and get all the measurements I'll need then. It would be only me and Rachel, she's my main assistant."

"Yes, but I don't think we could do anything before Monday. Any time after 10 but we would have to be finished by three," Manon said thinking quickly.

"Rachel?" Miss Chapman asked. "Ah you have two appointments on Monday ma'am. Mrs er, sorry Mrs G at 11 and Lady N at 3. Mrs G will move day happily enough, but"

"Yes Lady N is more difficult, because she is about everything. Well, just cancel and make my apologies, and tell her I'll make a little something extra for that pretty little maid we are dressing up for her, that will keep her sweet, she likes a bargain."

"Yes ma'am, if you'll excuse me?" Rachel said. "Yes, off you go and send them both a note."

"Lovely girl, and a talented shoe maker in her own right, I am very lucky to have found her," Miss Chapman said after Rachel had left.

"And very attractive too," Manon said.

"Why yes dear, I suppose she is," Miss Chapman replied, with a smile. "Her father was a dreadful gambler, and since she wasn't 21 yet she was sold as well when he was taken for debt."

They were shown back upstairs and left the shop, walking back towards home.

"She seemed very nice my lady," Melissa ventured as they walked.

"Melissa, you remember Gran Foster? How she was grumpy and unpleasant but did good things for people? Miss Chapman is like that in reverse. She is very nice, and a very fine craftswoman, but she is also boss of a significant criminal gang. London is even more complicated than your old home town dear, and you must learn to be careful, and watchful. You heard her say about how Rachel became a slave?"