Town and Country Ch. 14

The crisis came about two weeks after Lise's arrival. She was upstairs cleaning the apartment while Francesca and Anne were in the basement when they heard a car drive up and the unmistakable voice of Sir Nigel.

Francesca instantly released Anne's leash from the wall and led her to a narrow gap behind the furnace, signaling her to be as quiet as possible; then she removed the key from the small wooden door and slipped it into the pocket of her slacks.

She reached inside the door and turned on a light switch. It illuminated the stairs down to the hallway which ended in a large storage room. Leaving the door open she joined Anne in the hot, cramped space.

They listened as Sir Nigel and an assistant entered the cellar; as he swore on finding the room apparently unoccupied; and as the two of them ran down the lighted stairs. Francesca crept out to verify they were in the angled passage, then quietly closed the door, locked it and kept the key.

Taking Anne's leash, she led her upstairs and told Lise what was happening. The three of them descended the service stairs to a car that Francesca had arranged to borrow in case of need. A muffled banging came from the basement.

Bundling the two into the back seat of the car, Francesca drove it past a large black sedan. She paused briefly to be sure the banging continued, then let the air out of Sir Nigel's tires before heading into traffic. Anne glowed with admiration at Francesca's masterful handling of the situation; her luck at being owned by such a goddess was almost unimaginable.

The journey to Francesca's parents gave her plenty of time to fill in the others on her plans, such as they were. Improvising by necessity, her first priority was escape; what happened next would depend on circumstances.

Anne expressed pleasure that the car was so roomy. Francesca replied, "Yes, it's Marc's."

"Marc's, ma'am? I thought he -"

"You thought he had to borrow that rattletrap he took us to the academy in. Well, that was then; Jules used the money from Hamburg to buy himself a new car and gave this one to his cousin."

She felt the touch of Lise's hip against hers, and looked over to see the other girl smiling at her. She pressed her thigh against Lise's and smiled back. They kissed.

A moment later, Anne realized that Lise's hands were unbound when she felt their touch on her nipples. Her anxiety over the narrow escape began to ease; she sighed and felt herself relax.

Unable to return the favor she lay back and submitted herself to the girl's attentions. Lise stroked her belly for a minute before moving lower; Anne opened her legs and Lise caressed the insides of her thighs. By the time they reached their destination, she was moaning. Francesca slapped her gently a few times to bring her around.

Francesca had no time to call her parents, and they were a little surprised to see her drive up unannounced with a pair of girls; but they loved their eldest daughter (the first in the family to attend college) and they did their best to accommodate her.

She led her charges into the barn and handed their leashes to her mother while she went in search of a hired man. She helped him prepare a stall (Penelope was relocated, mooing) with fresh straw and a feed bowl before leading them to their new home.

Anne saw that Lise was happy here, poised and at ease as they shared the water trough or lay on the floor of the narrow enclosure. She was becoming bolder too, taking the softest pile of hay and being first to the feed bowl.

Francesca stayed for dinner with her parents. Their hospitality extended to Anne and Lise who joined them, each with her bowl of pellets and water next to the dining table. Francesca added a little white Burgundy, Anne's favorite wine, into her water bowl with a wink; she put her finger to her lips to enjoin Anne to silence.

Shortly afterwards she prepared to drive away since tomorrow was a class day, after tucking them in their stall for the night. Anne asked her if it was safe to go.

"I'm going to stay with Berenice and her roommates for a few days until I have a better idea. Mr. Schuyler should be able to tell me Nigel's mood, and I think it's you he wants. After today, I don't think he'll risk getting caught just to have his revenge on me."

Anne heard the car leave and wondered when she would next sit curled up at Francesca's feet.

Meanwhile, Lise lay before her in the straw. Once again she struggled against temptation for a minute before giving in to it. Lise was more ready this time when Anne began to kiss her, fastening her mouth on Anne's in response. She was eager to make love, and ingenious; Anne found it very stimulating to have someone lick her breasts.

She responded in kind and soon their cries were loud enough to reach the house. Afterwards they lay with their legs entwined and their bellies touching.

Lise liked to have Anne kiss her small buttocks, a more than adequate substitute for holding them in her hands. Then she rolled over on her back and Anne entered her, working upwards from her knees to the tender opening.

She returned the favor while Anne sweated and moaned. Some time after midnight they stopped worn out and slept till dawn; but every night they resumed.

Anne was pleased to see Lise begin to take charge of their couplings and even initiate them.

They were enlisted to do the housecleaning. Once Anne was dusting under the bed in Francesca's room when she found two photographs that had fallen there.

In one, Francesca held a leash while a woman like Anne knelt at her side. In the other Francesca was holding a branding iron, ready to apply it to a woman (possibly the same one, it was hard to tell) bent down and tied to a block on the ground.

Anne knew that block and that ground. It was an area at the academy where inmates were taken to witness the punishment of their associates who broke some rule or to be branded at the request of their masters.

Unsure if she were allowed to see the photographs, Anne cleaned them, dusted under the bed, and replaced them exactly where she found them before doing the rest of the room.

About a week later Francesca returned for a weekend visit. After dinner, as Anne sat at her feet (her question about that was answered) and they talked, the subject of St. Agnes Academy came up. Francesca rose and shook Anne's leash and said "Come with me; I want to show you something."

She led Anne to her bedroom, looped the end of the leash over a bedpost, and rummaged through a bureau drawer. "I was an apprentice at the academy about a year before you went there; I had a couple of pictures of me, but I can't seem to find them now."

"Ma'am?"

"Yes, Anne?"

"I found two pictures under the bed when I was cleaning there; I wasn't sure if I was supposed to see them so I put them back when I was done. They're on this side, right behind you."

"That was very thoughtful of you; yes, you may see them." Francesca bent down and retrieved the prints. "Here we are; you even dusted them; thank you." She smiled at Anne's thoroughness as a housekeeper and Anne glowed inside.

"This was Isabelle. I think she had a crush on me, even after I branded her; maybe more so. The picture doesn't show it but I was really nervous. I practiced on leather, but it's just not the same.

"They told me I did well; still, I'd rather not do it again. The brand was in characters I didn't recognize. Isabelle was sold the day before to a large place somewhere in Asia and they mark all their girls like hotel towels to show who they belong to.

"I stayed with her for half an hour until she calmed down and they took her back to her cell. They wanted me to brand her on the belly too, so a few days later we strapped her on her back to the block. After I got the fire going and heated the brand I held it over her as she watched me and pressed it down. Her new owners came for her the next day."

She was silent for a moment. "I'm not going to brand you, little one; I just couldn't."

Francesca stopped and looked down, frowning and drawn as though wrestling with some inner conflict. After a minute she spoke.

"Anne, I need to decide about you. I wish - no, there's no alternative, I know what I have to do. Stand up."

Without another word she led Anne out to the barn and left. Anne knew better than to ask, but Francesca's words perplexed her. Finally she fell asleep, curled up on the hay like a little child. Later that night a hired man came by, but she looked so innocent that he went back to the house unsatisfied.

Anne's birthday was in the first week of December, but living in the barn she had lost track of time. She was wakened one morning by Francesca who stood over her in the hay. She rose on command and her owner washed her face from the water trough and combed her hair before tying a colored ribbon above her collar and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Francesca walked her and Lise into the house where a surprise awaited them; next to Helene and her parents stood Anne's own. Anne stared down at the floor as they drank coffee from earthenware mugs and looked her over.

Country life agreed with her, said her father; she had gained weight since the fete at Mr. Schuyler's townhouse. Mostly in the breasts and buttocks, he observed; it looked good on her. And the thighs which were a little thin before.

Her mother agreed, noting that her belly was still nicely flat, and her fleece had grown more luxuriant.

"Plenty of exercise," said Hector; "and compost from the men" added Amelie. They all laughed.

Francesca introduced Lise to Anne's parents as "her current lover". "No use trying to hide it," said Helene; "we hear you two every night." Lise smiled but Anne turned scarlet.

Helene led Lise away and Anne knelt to her breakfast. When she had emptied her bowls, Amelie freed her hands and she washed the dishes. She sat on the kitchen floor and began her chores for the day, peeling potatoes for the family's dinner.

Her mother told the group that getting Anne to help around the house used to be impossible. Francesca agreed she was improving, but she still had far to go in obedience. Anne lowered her head and continued with her work.

When she was done, Amelie handed her a broom and she swept the downstairs rooms. A hired man put her back in the barn and goosed her; she gave a little yip, not very loud, and smiled at him.

Hector showed her parents around the farm and she did not see them again till dinnertime, when Francesca came and brushed the hay stalks off her before taking her inside.

She was allowed to eat in the dining room that evening. She was careful not to dip the ends of her ribbon in the water bowl, but it required close attention and she caught only snatches of the conversation above her at the table. Anne's parents and Francesca quickly became on familiar terms as they discussed her.

Francesca had come to a decision about Anne; did they want to know the details?

They did not. Their brilliant but willful daughter was hers to do with as she thought best.

They left shortly after dinner. Anne cleared the table and did the dishes before Francesca led her back to the barn for the night.

As she lay in the straw, she reviewed the events of the day. Her parents liked her owner, that was good. She had been a trial to them while she was growing up; their responsibility for her was over and they were glad.

They had not addressed a single word to her, that was for the best also; she would not have known what to say or if Francesca would allow her to speak to them.

One weekend Francesca arrived at the farm with her hand in a bandage. To her family she spoke of an accident, but when she and Anne were alone she confided that Sir Nigel had assaulted her. Anne reacted with horror and concern.

"Now for the good news. Without meaning to he made clear he doesn't know where you two are. This thing - she waved her bandaged hand - isn't as bad as it looks. He doesn't fight like a gentleman, you know; I could really get to dislike him in time. Anyway, his gun is in the sewer and he's not going to do battle again for a month: I broke his arm."

Anne cleared her throat and took a deep breath. She had to say it, no matter what. "Ma'am, wouldn't it be easier for everybody if you just, sold me to him?"

"Oh, probably; now stop being so noble. He won't get you. I don't want to hear any more about it, all right?"

"No, ma'am; I mean yes, ma'am; I didn't like the idea much myself." She giggled and Francesca hugged her.

As time passed Anne saw a growing interest between Helene and Lise on their outings together.

The two exchanged glances and smiles as Lise put her tongue out for for food into Helene's cupped hand and let it linger there; and occasionally Helene would squeeze one of Lise's breasts and the two would look into each other's eyes.

As the autumn sun sank below the trees one day and the air turned chill, Helene packed up the blanket they sat on and they all walked briskly - Helene and Lise in front, Anne following on her leash behind - back to the barn where she secured the two in their stall.

She had taken to bringing Lise into the house for the night, and Anne understood.