Time Rider Ch. 08

Nanu's eyes widened when she saw what they were approaching. The long, massive building was made of gleaming white stone, stretching a long way in either direction. A great fountain in the middle of the black road greeted them, and they circled around it to stop in front of the place.

"I no longer think you are wealthy, Mistress," Nanu murmured, gaping out her window as Becky turned off her car, sitting still for several seconds and staring at the steering wheel.

The blonde took a breath. "Okay... I'm ready..."

"Quid est?" Nanu asked. Mistress had been speaking her dreadful En-gush.

"Sorry, honey," Becky said, squeezing Nanu's hand. "I was just getting myself ready..."

She got out of the car while Nanu tried to unbuckle herself. Becky came around and opened her door, letting Nanu out before they turned and walked up the short flight of marble stairs to the big white doors. Someone was already waiting for them, a serious-looking woman in grey clothes.

"Is that one of your teachers?" Nanu asked quietly as she held Becky's hand. "She looks like a teacher."

"Miss Fischer, welcome," the woman said, smiling and nodding her head. "I am Tatyana, seneschal for Mr. and Mrs. DeBourne."

"Thank you, Tatyana," Becky said, coming up the stairs. "Please, call me Becky, and this is Nanu."

"Hello, Nanu," Tatyana said, smiling.

"Hi," Nanu said, remembering how to greet someone and holding up her hand to wave.

"Nanu doesn't speak English, we communicate in Latin," Becky explained. Nanu figured her Mistress was telling the stern woman how she didn't speak En-gush, so she just listened quietly.

"Then you will need to be my translator, since I confess that aside from English, I only speak Russian, and no Latin," Tatyana replied, gesturing for them to enter and then following. They stopped in the grand foyer, and Nanu was gawking around, her jaw almost on the floor.

"I'm sorry if we're early, I didn't want to compete with traffic," Becky confessed, handing the seneschal a bag in which she was carrying two bottles. "And I've always been terrified of being late where the profs are concerned, so better to be early. I brought some wine I thought they might enjoy."

Tatyana nodded. "They are in a virtual conference call at the moment. I have standing orders to make you both as comfortable as possible until they greet you. Let me call the staff, and we'll get started."

Nanu watched as the stern woman brought her wrist up to her face and spoke quietly into some device wrapped around it. She then put her wrist down and waited patiently. Nanu was still looking all around, as if her head was on a swivel. The ceilings were so very tall! Everything was white, with gilding. The giant staircase at the back of the entrance hall was flanked by two huge suits of armour, each of them holding a menacing weapon. Nanu resisted the urge to hide behind her Mistress.

What kind of teachers were these?

Soon, she heard people approaching, and then they were assembling behind Tatyana. When they'd all fallen into place, Tatyana began introductions.

"Right, as you lot might have heard, Mr. and Mrs. DeBourne have some special guests today. "I would like to introduce Ms. Rebecca Fischer, and her friend, Nanu."

"Welcome," they all said in unison, nodding, except for two women in strange black dresses trimmed in white, who did a graceful little bow that also bent their knees.

"Miss Fischer, I'll let my people introduce themselves," Tatyana said, gesturing to the staff. Becky stepped forward, bringing Nanu with her, and she started at one end of the line.

"My name's Dave, senior landscaper," the gruff looking man said, shaking Becky's hand. He was positively ancient by Nanu's assessment, bald on top with greyish hair on the sides of his head and his moustache and beard. He looked rugged and tough for a grandfather.

Next up, she greeted a young and handsome black man. "I am Yolatunde, but please, call me Tunde," he said, shaking her hand. "I am the junior landscaper."

"Please call me Becky," the blonde said, smiling. She felt Nanu tugging on her arm and looked down at her.

"They have a Nubian slave?" the Egyptian girl asked, hardly able to keep the wonder out of her voice.

Becky chose to not try and address this issue right now, and would simply have to see to it before Nanu said anything awkward. The woman she now stood in front of was tall, rangy and strongly built. She had her dirty blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, and her denim overalls did little to hide her curves or her large bust. Her hazel eyes reflected her good-natured smirk. "Andrea, mechanic, plumber, and electrician for the estate."

"Can I call you if I ever need my plumbing flushed?" Becky asked as she shook Andrea's hand, feeling something pass between them. Andrea laughed heartily. Yes, this girl would be fun indeed. Nanu seemed in awe of how imposing this woman's build was, not unlike a gladiatrix from Rome, but taller.

"Glenda, estate chauffeuse," said another woman, smartly dressed in a grey outfit and wearing an odd little cap Nanu couldn't quite figure out. "If you need to go anywhere while you're staying with us, don't even think of driving yourself, I'll take care of it. It's how the bosses would want it."

"Don't I know it," Becky laughed, moving down the line. She shook hands with Marie, a slight, frizzy-haired woman in glasses who was the botanist and gardener for the estate. She had a French accent, and Becky was relieved she'd kept up with her French, not only because she was afraid the profs would quiz her.

"Hey, I'm Ari," said a smartly dressed young man with dark hair and eyes and tan features. He was handsome, for sure, but he gave off a gay vibe. "Cybersecurity for the estate. You won't mind if I lock your phone down while you're here, will you? For your own protection as much as anything. It's a good idea to be behind our firewall."

"Do what you need to do, Ari, I know it's what the profs would want," Becky said, readily handing over her phone to him. Next in line was a sturdy woman wearing an apron and looking like she'd just come from the kitchen.

"Theresa," she said pleasantly. "Estate chef and sommelier. The pleasure is mine, and just let me know what your culinary preferences are."

"I'm willing to bet you're going to be Nanu's new favourite person," Becky replied, smirking down at Nanu, who heard her name but had no idea what was going on. She'd just have to wait for her Mistress to tell her.

"Hi, I'm Trilby, senior housekeeper," said one of the women in the black dresses. She had light brown hair and was wearing strange things over her eyes. They reminded Nanu of the 'glasses' her Mistress sometimes wore, but these obscured the woman's eyes from view. "If you're stayin' over, I'll be seeing to your sleeping arrangements."

"Well, I doubt we are this time, but if that changes, you'll be the first to know," Becky said readily. She hadn't been to Blackwell Manor in some years, so the idea appealed to her.

Lastly, they greeted an enthusiastic young woman, in another black outfit, but it was markedly different from the one the taller girl wore. This outfit was short and tight, and Nanu ended up staring right at the girl's big tits, which were in her face. Her legs were also visible, and if she moved just right, Nanu was sure she could see her undergarments.

"Hi, I'm Valentina, junior housekeeper, but just call me Val," the girl chirped, smiling brightly. Her dark brown hair was worn in a bob, and her brown eyes radiated cheerfulness. Nanu wasn't certain but she also looked like she might have cat ears on top of her head. What was this creature?

"Just call me Becky, please, I'm only Miss Fischer when I'm in trouble with your bosses," Becky said, shaking her hand. "And hopefully I'll manage to avoid that with the profs today."

"That all depends on how you answer certain questions, Miss Fischer," Tatyana almost seemed to quip, making several staff members chuckle. What on earth was that about? She didn't like feeling paranoid around the profs.

"Right," Tatyana announced, turning to look at her staff. "Carry on with your normal routines; if I have need of any of you, I'll call for you. Dismissed."

Everyone nodded and then dispersed, leaving Tatyana with Becky and Nanu. The only other one who remained behind was Theresa, and she waited patiently. Nanu was once again, looking around the huge foyer, gawking at everything.

"Hopefully your hosts won't be detained too long," Tatyana said, checking her watch. "Perhaps some food or coffee while you're waiting?"

Becky now looked down at Nanu. "Honey, Theresa here is the archimagirus for the estate. She is asking if you would like to eat while we wait for my teachers."

The tiny girl nodded readily. Theresa smiled and bent over slightly, her hands on her knees. This girl Nanu was adorable! "Nanu, what would you like to eat?"

Nanu figured out what was being asked, and she had her answer ready.

"Ba-lo..." she said missing a beat.

Theresa looked at Jenny for a moment. "Ba-lo?"

"Bologna," Becky sighed, shaking her head. "It is, without question, her favourite food, believe me."

"But I can make just about anything she likes," Theresa pointed out, seeming confused. "Why would she just want something as simple as that?"

"We don't have tastebuds like she does," Becky explained, while Nanu opened her mouth and pointed inside it, then smiled and licked her lips while rubbing her tummy. She looked like Nibbles the Mouse from old Tom and Jerry cartoons. "I think she's addicted to nitrates and preservatives, despite what havoc they wreak on her digestive tract. She was an actual slave where she comes from, so I'm pretty sure she has an iodine deficiency, she loves salt."

"Oh, the poor thing," Theresa cooed, taking Nanu by the hand and leading her toward the small dining room. "In that case, I'll give her all the bologna she wants."

"Ba-lo," Nanu said readily, willing to let this unknown person take her anywhere if she was going to get fed. Becky walked along behind, along with Tatyana, who watched intently.

"A very interesting life you lead, Miss Fischer," the seneschal mused.

"Tatyana, I wouldn't even know where to begin these days..." Becky sighed.

***

Thirty minutes later...

Nanu was still sitting at the table, eating happily and drinking milk while Becky and Theresa sat with her, the latter watching with no small amount of fascination.

"Goodness, she can certainly pack it away for such a little thing," Theresa mused. "I daresay she might give the lord of the manor or his son Alex a run for their money. Does she have two hollow legs?"

"She's not a slave anymore, so I stressed to her that she's always welcome to eat as much as she wants," Becky said, still feeling a certain morbid fascination in watching Nanu plow through everything she was offered. "Sometimes I just forget exactly what she's capable of."

"Well, as long as she doesn't explode and poor Val and Trilby have to clean her up," Theresa said. "She ate that whole slab of organic bologna I brought out, and now she's killing my brisket."

"And less than a week ago, she thought cow meat was a lowly peasant food," Becky sighed, eating her own croissant and having a coffee. It was still breakfast after all, but Nanu's metabolism knew no time zones. "I have yet to find a food she won't eat. She literally destroyed an entire pound of suicide wings the other night at a pub, even though it just about blew her head off. She's kind of relentless."

"Good morning, Miss Fischer," said a very elderly gentleman in a clipped but friendly English accent as he entered the room. "It has been some years, hasn't it?"

"Oh my goodness, Mister Winson," Becky said happily as she stood up and hugged the new arrival. Nanu even paused and looked up from her brisket to see what was happening. She put down her food and stood up, coming around the table now. She was trying to remember the manners Becky had taught her. Since she'd been a slave and had to stand when, well, anyone was in the room, it wasn't that hard for her to keep in mind. "It's so good to see you again, sir!"

"It is good to see you as well, my dear, but please, call me Jordan," the man said, returning the hug. "I'm retired now, and simply a member of the family, so I'm told."

"Okay, but call me Becky, then, or at least Rebecca," she replied, smiling up at him. She hadn't seen Jordan in many years, but he seemed the same as ever, crisp and dignified.

She turned to Nanu and gestured for her to come closer. "Nanu, come here and say hello, this man is named Jordan."

"Jorrrr-dah," the tiny girl repeated as she walked right up to Jordan and hugged him, just as she'd seen her Mistress do.

"Oh, hello," Jordan said, somewhat surprised by the greeting, but adapting to it readily. Theresa, who was standing nearby, couldn't resist letting out an 'Awwww!' sound at the sight. "It's very nice to meet you, young lady."

"Sorry, she doesn't speak English, we communicate in Latin," Becky explained as Nanu finally finished the hug. She helped Jordan sit while Nanu returned to her seat and continued showing the brisket who was in charge.

"I admit, my conversational Latin is about as rusty as my joints, but I'll endeavour to make myself understood," Jordan said while Theresa served him some tea. They discussed Nanu's phony background for some time, with other staff members occasionally coming in and out. Nanu seemed very taken with Val's tits, and made no bones about it. Val giggled as Nanu bent over in her chair and tried to look up her skirt.

Nanu seemed to have finally been sated when Tatyana came back into the room, smiling. "Your hosts are finally out of their meeting now and ready to receive you, Miss Fischer. If you would both please follow me..."

Becky thanked Theresa for the food (Nanu hugged her), and then excused herself from Jordan before following Tatyana out of the informal dining room. They went back through the long halls, arriving at the grand foyer again. Tatyana then took them up the stairs. Nanu only tripped twice, because she was so busy gawking at everything around her.

Up to the third floor they went, and Tatyana led them toward a lounge. The seneschal stopped outside the room and nodded her head. "If you have any needs, Mr. and Mrs. DeBourne will make sure we see to them. It's been a pleasure, Miss Fischer."

Becky nodded and watched as Tatyana turned and left. She took another deep breath and then took hold of the doorknob, opening the door and walking in, gesturing for Nanu to wait in the hall for a moment. The Egyptian girl nodded and stood still.

"Rebecca Nightingale Fischer!" chimed a heavenly voice, making Becky squeal with delight. She trotted up and threw herself into the bronze-haired beauty's embrace, laughing in relief. How she'd missed these hugs. "It is so good to see you again, my dear!"

"It's so good to see you both as well," Becky breathed, feeling her eyes sting at the sight of the two people who'd had more of an influence on her than anyone else in her life, her parents included. Karen DeBourne's hypnotic golden eyes shone with happiness. Next to her towered her husband, his electric blue eyes holding her spellbound. He cast a shadow over her, because he was so tall and so muscular. "I left Nanu in the hallway for a sec, just in case I started crying. May I get her?"

The huge blond man nodded. Becky went back to the door and gestured for Nanu to come in, her smile a reassuring one.

Nanu took her hand and came into the room, looking around, but a split second later, she dropped to her knees, her hands pressed to the floor and her head hung. She was almost shaking and they could hear her gasping and mumbling.

"Nanu?" Becky said, very confused by the reaction. She got it- meeting The DeBournes for the first time, especially Michael DeBourne, could be intimidating, since he was almost seven feet tall and solid muscle. But this was a rather extreme reaction, and Becky hadn't expected it. "Nanu, are you okay?"

Nanu kept mumbling, but she was trembling almost violently, refusing to look up.

"You're speaking to her in Latin," the tall, bronze-haired woman said.

Becky nodded. "She doesn't speak English, and I don't speak her native tongue, but she speaks Latin, so that's how we communicate," she said, still not at all sure what was going on. Was Nanu that frightened?

"You said she's Egyptian, yes?" Karen asked. Becky nodded. Karen stepped forward slightly and then spoke. "Nanu, alraja' alwuquf."

The tiny girl didn't comply with the request to stand, just trembling harder and still mumbling.

"Well, she doesn't speak Arabic," Karen mused, her finger under her chin. Becky seemed at a loss, which did not go unnoticed by her hosts. She looked up at her husband. "Not Arabic."

Mike nodded and took over, his voice deep and commanding. "Nanu, I want you to stand up."

At hearing her native Coptic tongue, Nanu paused in her mumbling, going silent. She even stopped trembling. Slowly, very slowly, she pushed herself off her hands, getting to her knees and then rising to her feet. She resolutely kept her head down, though, looking at the floor.

"Look up at us, Nanu," the huge man said. Nanu slowly lifted her head, and her light hazel eyes were brittle with fear, but also sheer awe. Her vision was filled with the sight of these two unfathomably tall and beautiful beings, the likes of which she had never conceived of. Even her Mistress was downright plain compared to them. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out.

"So we need to speak Coptic to her and not Arabic," Karen concluded, observing the girl. "She must be from a very remote part of Egypt indeed."

"Oh my God," Becky groaned in exasperation, looking at the ceiling and almost stomping her foot. "Am I the only person I know who doesn't speak this dead language?"

Karen looked up at her husband. "Coptic, and not liturgically, and Latin. Rather odd, I daresay." She looked at Becky now. "That must be taxing for you both, needing to speak in Latin to make it in an English world."

"You don't know the half of it, Lady Prof," Becky admitted. "I've never seen her react like that before, and she terrified of almost anything she can't eat."

Karen now stepped directly in front of Nanu, knelt and took the tiny girl's hands in hers. Nanu's eyes snapped wide open at the contact, her pupils shrinking in little more than pinholes.

"Nanu," Karen said softly, smiling as she spoke in Coptic. "Welcome to our home. I am so happy that you are here."

Nanu heard Becky call out in panic while her eyes rolled up into her head and she crumpled to the floor...

***

A few minutes later...

"Well, you weren't kidding about the extreme reaction to things," Mike mused as he and Becky watched while Karen was sitting on the long chesterfield with Nanu lying on her, the Egyptian girl's head in her lap. She hadn't quite come to yet, and Karen was stroking her hair gently. "Any idea what that was about?"

Becky was somewhat reticent to answer, since she wasn't even sure what to say. She finally decided that she needed to be honest. "I... well, this is going to sound ridic, but I think she thinks you're gods."

Karen looked up from the couch, one of her eyebrows raised. "You're right, Rebecca, that does indeed sound 'ridic'. What impossibly remote corner of Egypt could she possibly come from where polytheistic beliefs still hold sway?"

"It's... hard and weird to explain," Becky confessed rather lamely. At that moment, Valentina came in, and she was holding a small silver tray with an array of food on it. She handed it to Mike, curtsied, and exited the room. The huge man brought the tray to his wife, who examined the contents for a moment before picking up a rolled-up piece of Theresa's homemade bologna. She held it under Nanu's nose.