A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and emails! As a few people noted, the chapters seemed too short. This one is also small as it was written last week, but the Chapter Six is much longer.
THANK YOU to Brenda for beta-ing this.
***~~~SS~~***
“She is mute Dr Maxwell.”
He must have been staring. Ella was still smiling at him, but she looked a bit perplexed as to why he hadn’t handed over his coat. He had never seen a girl like her before. While she moved with grace and held an ethereal beauty, there was something off about her.
“My apologies to you both. It’s been a long evening and I am very tired,” he explained.
“Ella, please show Dr Maxwell to our guest suite.” She smiled and turned it on Jonathan, “The bed is small as I do not have guests often; however, it’s in the back of the house so you may rest undisturbed.”
Jonathan could only nod stiffly before following Ella up the stairs.
Ella moved down the narrow hall in a mannerthat Jonathan could only describe as catlike. She was slender in form, her blonde curls swaying with every step she took. He was having trouble keeping up with her with his nearly lurching gait.
Opening a narrow door, she then ushered him into a small bath. Her smile seemed unnaturally wide as she thrust a towel into his hands before currying out so he could do his business. He closed his eyes, leaning wearily on the pedestal sink, and listened to the housemaid move away.
***~~~SS~~***
Walking to the back parlor, Eliza sent as she reached up to pull out the pins that held her hat. She slapped the offensive mass of frippery on the bar before letting her attention slide to a thick sheet of crumpled vellum. There on the sideboard sat the same letter that she had been seeing about before she departed earlier in the Evening.
Grinding her teeth and growing, she picked up the missive again before tossing it into the fire. He did it, he finally bloody did it! Lord Addison had her ousted from The Order. The old white haired bastard evictly managed to get enough support with his constant preaching about consent and morality. Pets should be willing slaves, he said! Submission is a precious gift, he said! She snorted. A willing slave is an oxygenmoron. It was no secret that Marcus Addison was seriously ill. Maliciously, she hoped that he had a cought fit During one of his grandiose speeches. A fit that would put him in his well earned grave.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm down enough to think, she walked back over to the sideboard and poured herself a glass of brandy. Yes, even though she was a woman, it seemed that she had picked up nearly all of her father’s habits.
Her father. He had helped create The Order thirty-two years ago to mirror the Hellfire Club of one hundred years prior. He was surely rolling in his grave over her expulsion. While they made no secret that as a woman she was only allowed admission due to her blood relaterals, Eliza had hoped that at least David Longwood would have come to her aid, as his beliefs were parallel with hers. Unfortunately, he’s been weighed down with Scotland Yard sniffing about his private affairs for the past few years. It seemed that due to an anonymous tip, several members of the House of Lords had to get rid of evidence of their extracurricular activities. It worked out well in the end; that was how she had wound up with Ella.
Three years prior, she had passed along word she was looking for a new charge. It had only been a week when Eliza stopped by his townhouse. David wrapped the awkward thing up in a blanket and all but throw her into the carriage to be rid of her. She throw back the brandy in one go, feeling the burn down her throat.
She heard the floorboards creak overhead and was filled with the sure knowledge that her doctor had finished washing and was about to retire to the “guest suite” for the evening. She smiled when she thought of what wasto come. Her father had really outdone himself when he redesigned the interior of this building to suit his needs. He kept many pets here over the years and taught her exactly how to dole out punishments for infections. However, it wasn’t until she met Clinton that she began to see it as an art form. While her father was happy simply torturing his pets in various ways, Clinton enjoyed manipulating them not only physically but psychologically as well. She learned so much from him.
Dr. Maxwell…no, Jonathan, she mentally corrected herself. He was now her plaything and would be addressed as she saw fit, and would begin his training first thing in the morning. Finding out that he was a widower might prove to be even more beneficial. At first she was just going to keep him for a few days, then eventually blackmail him to keep the good reports on her health coming. Now he might have a bigger role to play. It all depends on his performance tomorrow.
***~~~SS~~***
A softknock broke Eliza out of her musing. “Enter.”
Ella walked into the parlor with her head bowed and her eyes abused. “Dr. Maxwell has gone to bed Mistress.”
“Thank you Ella. Now that we have a guest, there are going to be some new rules. You are a clever girl, so I’m sure you figured out what rule number one is. No speaking in Jonathan’s presence. Ever.”
She nodded, “Yes Mistress.”
“Good. This is going to be an exercise in trust, Ella. I know that David used that collar I designed to keep you from speaking, but I’m much kinder than he was, aren’t I?
She nodded again, tearing her fingers under the intensity scrutiny, “Yes Mistress.”
“But please know that if you slip up even once, I will utilize some of David’s old punishments.” Eliza leaned in close, “And I think you know that I can make them much more painful and bloody than he could ever dream of.”
Ella was shivering, “I know Mistress. I will not fail you.”
Eliza walked away to refill herdrink. “I’m glad. I can assure you that Jonathan will not be waking up any time soon, so please maneuver him into a more prone position on the bed and make sure he is secured.” She turned and raised an eyebrow, “You can manage that on your own, I assume?”
She nodded eagerly, “Yes Mistress.”
“Tomorrow morning he will need food and water. Is there anything I’m forgetting?” Seeing the answering headshake she told, “Very well, you are dismissed. After you finish upstairs you may retire for the evening.”
“Thank you Mistress.” Ella all but ran from the room.
***~~SS~~***
Jonathan came to consciousness slowly, thinking that possible everything he endured the night before had been a dream. Correction, a nightmare. Eliza Welsey’s behavior must have been a figure of his imagination, brought on by an overwrought mind. Yes, he probably was scheduled to see her today and just dreamed the whole ordeal. However, when he tried to move his hands to rub the sleep fromHis eyes, the familiar feeling of restraints biting his wrists caused fear to prickle up his spine.
Opening his eyes, he realized that he was not in the same position he fell asleep in the night before. He was still on the tiny bed, but it had been pulled out from the wall and moved to the center of the room. He noted that except for a well-worn blanket protecting him from the chill in the room, he was once again nude.
That was when he noticed – he was not alone.
***~~SS~~***
Notes:
The Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the eighteenth century. These clubs were rumored to be the meeting places of “persons of quality” who wished to take part in immoral acts, and the members were often very involved in politics. Neither the activities nor membership of the club were easy to ascertain.
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