Princess of Everdale Ch. 07

"You will," he said. "If you earn it. For now, I have something else in mind."

He opened his bag and withdrew her collar and lead. She raised her chin, allowing him to fasten the leather band snugly around her neck before attaching the gold chain to the hook at the front of the collar.

"Close your eyes," he instructed.

She did so, flinching as she felt him place a length of soft fabric over her eyes and pull it tight behind her head. She could feel her heart racing as he tugged gently on her collar, pulling her close and kissing her softly on the lips.

"With me, Princess," he said.

With her hands still cuffed behind her back, and still naked but for the stockings and suspender belt, she stood awkwardly and allowed him to help her out of the carriage. She thought of the driver watching at her as she followed Alec up the stairs to the doors of the manor and heard their footsteps echo over wooden floors as he led her through the house and down a flight of stairs. A door swung open ahead, the hinges groaning from lack of use, and she almost stumbled over a loose flagstone but Alec was quick to steady her. She felt him move behind her, unfastening the lock that held her cuffs together before securing something else to the cuffs that remained around her ankles. The door clanged shut behind her and after a few moments she tentatively reached up and pulled down her blindfold.

The room she was in could only be described as a dungeon. The walls and floors were made of grey stone with manacles hanging from ring hooks set near the ceiling. A mattress with a couple of cushions and blankets had been pushed into one corner of the room whilst in the other was a pile of fresh straw and a chamberpot. The room was clean, if a little cold and as she looked down she saw and length of chain connect her ankle to one of the ring hooks in the wall.

"Look around, Princess."

She jumped, spinning around to see Alec watching her through a barred window on the door behind her.

"This is your home for the weekend," he said. "If you follow my orders you may find your situation improves. If you refuse, you will be punished further. Do you understand?"

She nodded, looking around at the bleak room. This was certainly no place for a Princess to be sleeping.

"I will have some food brought to you in a little while," Alec said. "I would suggest you get some sleep afterwards. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

She bit her lip, watching his mouth twitch into a smile. He was enjoying this as much as she was.

"Yes, Sir," she murmured.

His eyes lingered on her for a moment longer before he turned and stalked off, leaving her to her prison cell. When he was gone she let out the breath she didn't realise she had been holding, feeling her heart begin to beat more steadily in her chest. She began to walk around the small cell, stretching her legs after the long carriage ride more than anything else. She paused by the manacles, running her fingers over the rough iron chains and leather cuffs, her mind filling with thoughts about how Alec intended to use her. She was excited and eager to get started and, after a meal of bread and cheese delivered through a slat at the bottom of the door by an unannounced worker, she fell back onto the mattress and pulled the blankets over herself, drifting off to sleep as easily as if she had been in her own bed back at the castle.