The Summer of Francesca Ch. 27

Soon the calisthenics and the daily beatings resumed; Francesca was restrained in her practice but Anne had seen what she could do. The experience softened and opened her when she was offered to Mr. Schuyler's associates in the course of his business. Like Madame Byrne before him, he found that stripes added to her appeal; Paul gave up trying to buy her back.

The man who complained of her complimented Mr. Schuyler on her improvement. Anne was glad to be returned to service, to be of use to her owner, and to have Hermann and Andre and the others inside her again. She tried to remember how long it was since a man had taken her; it must have been Sir Nigel, but when was that? She could not tell.

His trading partners were often more amenable to terms after Anne had relieved them of their tensions. After one especially profitable negotiation, he suggested to Francesca that she reward herself and Anne with an outing on his estate. The next morning after a brief exercise with a short-handled leather crop, she unshackled Anne just as Frieda emerged from the house with a backpack.

After helping Anne on with it and fastening her bracelets and leash, Francesca herded her to a forest path. They followed it through woods of hemlock and oak, past a number of tame deer that Anne felt a special kinship with. After crossing a wooden bridge over a creek they entered a grassy meadow bordered with tall pines.

Francesca removed Anne's pack, took out a rope, and tethered her to a tree. Delving into the pack, she spread a cloth on the green. The kitchen staff had packed bowls for Anne and a sandwich, salad, and thermos of tea for Francesca. Anne lapped contentedly at her water bowl, stopping now and again to nibble on feed pellets while Francesca ate her lunch and watched her.

She sat on the grass enjoying the sensation of the green shoots between her legs and next to her skin, listening to Francesca describe her plans. The young woman was torn between post-graduate study and a career in business. Anne tried to attend to the details of a field in which she had little knowledge, nodding intelligently (she hoped) in the right places and asking simple questions now and then. Francesca was so eager to talk about her work that all she needed was a word of encouragement from time to time as she took Anne into her confidence.

Anne was in bliss, sitting and listening to Francesca speak so unguardedly of her hopes. She could not recall a happier time and her love became if possible even greater than before. This was apparent when it was time to go; as Anne rose, Francesca noticed the wet spot she left behind and smiled.

Anne lowered her eyes and blushed a little, but she was privately glad: she dared not express her feelings to Francesca in words, but the stain on the grass was as good as a sonnet. Francesca kissed her on the cheek before stowing the picnic goods and the rope, then put the pack on her and fastened her bracelets and leash for the return trip.

Sir Nigel came by often. An infrequent visitor before the test, after meeting Anne he appeared regularly now. One day in the library, as she held him in her mouth and he absently stroked her neck, he discussed plans for improving his estate. More cells to hold girls he was given by owners who wanted rid of them, for example; and a gallows.

Anne's blood ran cold to hear him describe the arrangement. He would put it in the "compound" where they could see it every day. To be effective as a warning, he would have to use it now and then in front of them; that would help with the overcrowding, too. Already a girl had volunteered.

She imagined herself bound, led naked up the steps to the scaffold above the crowd; the noose placed on her and made tight around her neck; waiting for the signal to open the trapdoor beneath her. Sir Nigel rapped her head with his knuckles and she got back to work.

Mr. Schuyler observed drily that between the dogs and Berthe, his neighbor already had sufficient means to thin his herd. Sir Nigel had recently bought one of Edward's soft garrotes from Paul and looked forward to trying it out.

Mr. Schuyler was more old-fashioned, or more frugal; plain rope had always been used in his family and it was good enough for him. His neighbor replied that Edward's device would be useful in training a girl before sale without leaving marks.

He listened, stroked his chin thoughtfully and said he would consider it. This one here would benefit from its application now and then, wouldn't you Anne. Her mouth full, she assented with little nods yes.

Sir Nigel expressed envy at his neighbor's possession. Mr. Schuyler replied "Be patient; I expect you'll have her in time". Anne found this ominous.

"Tell you what, Arthur; why doesn't she come visit my place, to see if she'd like it?" Sir Nigel chuckled at his own joke.

"Possibly. I don't need her till tomorrow evening when some Russian clients are coming over." Anne felt Sir Nigel rising in her at the idea, and gently massaged him while he grew. "You can have her till noon; but I need her back in one piece."

"Still breathing?"

"Yes, unmarked and in working order; I told you I need her for business."

"You drive a hard bargain Arthur, but I accept. I'll take her there now and return her mostly undamaged tomorrow afternoon." He continued to grow and harden as Anne stroked him with her tongue.

Mr. Schuyler gave orders, and Francesca appeared a minute later. He handed the end of Anne's leash to her.

"Jean is bringing the service cart around. She" - he pointed down at the kneeling Anne as she strained to entertain her partner - "will be staying overnight at Nigel's estate. I would like you to drive her there; he will lead you in his car."

Everyone watched silent and expressionless while Anne assisted Sir Nigel to a climax. Tears coursed down her face as he finally discharged himself into her and lingered there a minute or two.

A servant appeared and spoke to Mr. Schuyler. "The car is here, sir." Sir Nigel pushed Anne's head away roughly, leaving a quantity of his seed on her. Francesca shook the leash; Anne stood up at the command and followed her mistress outside, where Francesca fastened her collar to a chain on the back of a golf cart before wiping her face clean. Sir Nigel entered a large dark sedan which waited next to it.

Francesca drove the cart behind Sir Nigel's car back to his estate though not as fast as he would like. Anne ran to keep up, her hands bound in back, desperate to avoid falling. Either he considered Mr. Schuyler's instructions not to harm her merely a request, or more likely he enjoyed doing what he pleased and did not worry about the consequences. Eventually they reached the iron gates of his estate. Several large dogs growled at them from inside.

Sir Nigel was not a religious man, but his purpose in bringing Anne to his estate had much in common with many sermons: to show her the consequences of the life she led. Moral uplift was not his goal; he wanted for his own amusement to let her see what she would face when he got her.

He brusquely told Francesca she could come back tomorrow. She detached Anne from the cart, handed her to Sir Nigel and drove away. He sent his car to the house and walked Anne to a one-room cottage, followed by the dogs snarling and sniffing. One stuck his nose between her legs and licked her as she walked; that was actually rather pleasant. As Sir Nigel led her through the doorway, he told Anne this had been her friend Catherine's residence during her stay with him. "Nearly a month," he said; "longer than most."

At the cottage she met Nicole, his new assistant. Nicole was younger than Francesca and eager to advance her career at the estate. She secured Anne's collar to the ceiling tether and attached the garrote. Sir Nigel's presence made her nervous and she over-tightened it, choking Anne; Sir Nigel pointed out her mistake and she relaxed it just enough to let Anne breathe. The sight of her struggles attracted Sir Nigel; he fondled her for a moment and nodded to Nicole, who bent Anne over a table. She held Anne's cheeks apart and Sir Nigel plunged between them.

After he used her to his content he was preparing to leave when a gardener came by to ask a question. He invited the young man inside and offered Anne, still bent forward, to him. He made a short speech of thanks in a language Anne did not understand and entered her.

He was lithe and active; Nigel and Nicole watched from the side as he ground his way through her for several minutes before satisfying himself and leaving her moaning and shaking. After a few more unintelligible words to Sir Nigel he went away; neither of them had seen the other's face. She would never recognize him, though he might know her.

They left Anne to herself until dinnertime. She lay down to rest, but rose and knelt at Berthe's arrival. A kindly round-faced woman, she brought Anne a bowl of cold paste. Pulling up a chair, she fed Anne by spoon; swallowing was hard but Anne ate it all and thanked her. Berthe removed the garrote and inspected Anne's neck.

She frowned in disapproval of Nicole's carelessness. "When I put them on a girl - unless it's for good, if you know what I mean - I make sure there's room. The master has me do all the girls here when it's their time and he doesn't want to set the dogs on them."

"But I thought Gudrun -" Anne blurted out.

Berthe smiled. "You must know about Catherine. Her last request was for the lady from St. Agnes to do her, and the master agreed. He liked Catherine; there's a rose bush with her name out front. She was a problem child at first, but we brought her around.

"He even invited a few friends in to watch. It was very moving. She kissed the lady's hands first; you can't do it after, you see. We stood around her; she was on her knees right where you are now."

Anne began to shake. "Stand up." Berthe petted her breasts until she calmed down and knelt again.

Berthe went on. "It was a good job, I couldn't do any better; kneel, bag, garrote, all over in minutes. I'll show you."

Anne remained on her knees as Berthe fetched a dark canvas sack from a shelf and placed it over her head, tying the strings snugly below her chin. "Not much air in there," the trainer observed. Already Anne felt herself suffocating. Berthe reattached the garrote. She tightened it sharply for several seconds before loosening it and removing the bag. "You see? Nothing to it." Anne gasped for breath, unsure whether to speak or what to say.

Berthe held out a pair of beefy hands for Anne to kiss. "It's much better than being given to his dogs, believe me," the trainer said. "With luck he'll tell me to make it quick for you." Anne thanked her again.

"Stand." Anne stood. "Made you wet, I see. And look at those nipples; he's going to like you."

She told Anne Sir Nigel wanted to show her the courtyard where the dogs roamed at night. She removed Anne's tether, attached her leash, and walked her to the large house. He described the animals' training and led her to a stake in the center of the walled yard. At his instruction, Berthe fastened her bracelets to a hook near the top of the stake; this gave Anne a narrow range of movement around it. He pointed out the low doorways covered with iron grilles through which the dogs were let out. Several pairs of eyes watched her.

In the gathering darkness Berthe took Anne back to her cottage and laid her down on the earthen floor; the discomfort of the garrote and mental images of Catherine kept her long awake.

Some time after midnight, she woke to hear the barking of many dogs just outside. Her door was opened by an unseen hand and half a dozen large animals ran in growling angrily. She thought her time had come. She raised her head to let them at her throat and opened her legs for the one (the same one as before) who inserted his nose between them.

But they had been well trained and Anne was future prey, not present. They probed her and licked the sweat from her body. And her face; later Anne recalled their hot breath as she waited for their teeth to sink into her at any moment.

After what seemed like an eternity of terror, Anne heard a thin high-pitched whistle just beyond her door. The dogs stopped and ran outside; a moment later, all was calm. The only sound was the blood pounding in her ears.

The door remained open and she spent the rest of the night in an agony of fear, starting at every noise. A twig snapped outside her window; she almost jumped out of her skin. Sir Nigel knew how to provide the "severity" she needed; once she was his she would not last long beneath it, but it would be intense. Some men frightened her, but Sir Nigel filled her with an overwhelming dread; he knew it and he delighted in it.

Despite her fear he held a powerful dark attraction for her, she could not help herself.

The next morning when he and Nicole entered the cottage, she kissed the ground at his feet. He smiled wickedly.

"Enjoyed last night, did you? Be glad I just sent the boys in; if I sent the ladies you wouldn't be here now. They're the killers. All right if I bring them around?"

"Y-yes sir, if you wish."

"Good girl; I like that. I could use more like you. Nicole, hand me a cookie."

Anne was glad to know she pleased him. She looked up and held her tongue out for the treat.

After Nicole fed and watered her, he took her leash and led her to another group of cottages. In one of them was someone Anne remembered from the academy, whose master had given her to Sir Nigel a week earlier. Jessica was glad to see a friend, and they spoke animatedly of people they had both known (neither of them mentioned the future) until he tugged on Anne's leash; she kissed Jessica on the cheek before leaving.

In another was a young woman she had not met before; Olivia sat in dejection on the floor to Sir Nigel's annoyance. He ordered her to lie down and told Anne to "amuse" her. Anne was eager to show what she could do for him.

She lay atop the girl and kissed her on the mouth; Olivia opened hers and their tongues played with one another for a minute. Already she showed signs of warmth. Anne moved down her body and took each of her nipples in turn, squeezing it with her lips, biting it gently and sucking on it. Wistfully she recalled how Catherine had taught her this art, but the mood passed quickly and she returned to her work.

She continued downward, tracing a sinuous pattern with her tongue on Olivia's belly until she reached the cleft between her thighs. She licked its lips as Olivia began to moan, and entered the slit to reach the sensitive nub of flesh within. When she touched it, Olivia jumped as though from an electric shock; Anne caressed it while Olivia's moans grew louder and more frequent. Her hips began a rhythmic movement as Anne worked her for a minute until Sir Nigel pulled on her leash.

Olivia was now more resigned to her fate, or at least distracted from it; and the sight of her persuaded Sir Nigel to delay it. At a gesture from him, Nicole appeared in the doorway. He told her to take Anne back to her cottage. Anne tried to ignore the sounds coming from behind her.

Around noon Francesca returned with the cart. Sir Nigel handed Anne over and she inspected her charge.

"No new marks, very good; they didn't whip you?"

"No ma'am, not at all." Anne stood with head down, afraid to say more. Nicole had removed her garrote less than a minute earlier.

Francesca thanked him - he nodded and smiled slyly, almost unnoticeably - then hitched Anne to the back of the cart for her trip home. She led Anne at an easy pace; Anne had time to enjoy the woods on either side of the road and listen to the birds singing in the trees, so different from her apartment in the noise and haste of the city. Still, she was glad to hear the gates of Mr. Schuyler's estate close behind her, and happy to be back on the tether in her cell.

Francesca fed her, cleaned her up and left. When evening came Anne was rested and ready to serve the Russians in the library. By then the bruises on her neck had faded and no one ever noticed.

She did so well that Mr. Schuyler told Francesca to give her a little extra feed at dinner afterwards ("Not too much; just enough for her to notice, with my compliments").