Mistress For Sale: The Greenbrier Trilogy, Book Three

Chapter Three-1

Chapter Three

It was almost eleven o’clock before the breakfast dishes were cleared and the Countess announced it was time for the new guests to go on their tour. Dima and Katrina excused themselves for other activities while Tara was dismissed to take care of the two little dogs that had been identified as a breed known as Petit Barbet, miniature poodles. Laurent took the Countess’ arm and assisted her to her feet.

“Come, come, my guests, let us give you the grand tour of La Chateau de la Rose Noire,” the Countess said over her shoulder. “Let us start with the Baths, Laurent. Everyone loves the Baths.”

They made their way from the dining room and continued right down the hallway, away from the main entrance and deeper into the estate. Up until now, the place had always been uncommonly quiet. But, as soon as Laurent opened a plain looking door, everything changed. Laughter and loud conversation filled the air. The splashing and trickling of water could be heard, and the unmistakable sound of someone being struck with a paddle, followed by the sharp cry of pain mixed with pleasure.

Lucy tightened her grip on Beau’s arm. “We’re just looking now, my dear. Don’t be shy; and, if you see something that interests you, make note and we will discuss it later,” he whispered to her.

Even Nora seemed to hesitate as they moved deeper into the room and the scene spread out before them. The room was dimly lit with a low ceiling held in place by thick, round pillars, and everyone instantly broke out into a light sweat from the heat. In some way, it reflected the front entry for the space was round and seemed divided into other chambers that circled it like spokes on a wheel. But it was the center that drew Lucy’s attention first. Here was a large, steaming pool of water. In it, a dozen, quite naked men and women swam, played, and enjoyed themselves completely at their ease.

As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, the contents of the little rooms around the main chamber became clear through the permanent mist of the space. The floor of each of these rooms was covered with carpets and pillows and could be screened off from the larger space by dropping a pair of sheer curtains. But even the rooms where these drapes had been drawn, the interior could still be seen. Two men, the source of the sound of paddling, occupied one of these rooms. Both were naked, but one had taken his place over a pile of cushions while his partner wielded the paddle with expert precision and clear delight. The shaft of his engorged c**k was as plain as day. Lucy heard Nora gasp at the sight of it and at the two men so engaged. She noticed, as well, how quickly her cousin averted her eyes away.

The Countess was beaming. “You will learn to love this room, ladies. In fact, you’ll strive to come here. This is how we reward our slaves in training. I always like to show this room first. It’s such a delightful space and so relaxing.” She and Laurent began to walk around the perimeter of the pool; and, although the people present continued to relax, it was clear they were also quite aware that the Grand Domme was there and dutifully offered their respectable greetings to her as she passed. It was like being in the presence of royalty. “Clearly, you can tell why clothing here is not recommended. The natural hot springs keep the water in the pool a wonderful one hundred and twenty degrees. The rooms around the edges can be used freely by anyone, slave and Dominant alike, for any purpose. Normally, this chamber is reserved for the slaves to relax after a hard day or night’s training, but that is not to say that the Masters and Mistresses do not take advantage of it as well. After all, it is our prerogative to enjoy everything the Chateau has to offer.”

They had walked to the opposite side of the room now, and Lucy dared to glance back as she and Beau left the Baths, catching a glimpse of the two men again and the arch of both their c***s as they changed positions and the paddler had become the paddled. She quickly turned back and let the door close blessedly behind her.

The Countess continued to talk. “Of course, we do have our punishment rooms, too,” she giggled with almost girlish delight. They had entered a short, wide hallway. The stone floors, walls, and ceilings continued to dominate; but, at least here, one wall gave way to a series of arched windows that let in a fair amount of morning sun. Along the other walls were four doors. “These are the classrooms reserved for the submissive,” the Countess explained. Laurent held the door open for the Countess.

The room was void of all furniture except for one chair and a large wooden crate. On the crate a naked female rested on her knees, holding perfectly still. Her upturned hands rested on her knees, her back was straight, and her eyes were cast down towards the floor. A man was standing beside her, looking out at the rest of those in the class. It was a small group of four women and three men, all were naked, and all maintained the same posture as the girl.

As the visitors entered, the instructor turned around. “Countess, what an honor. I heard we had visitors.” He was young and British and decidedly full of himself. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and hung at least a foot down the center of his back. His gray eyes studied Lucy and Nora with uncomfortable interest.

“Sir Benjamin, this is Dr. Addams and Mr. Wilson from the States. And this is Lucretia, the doctor’s wife, and Nora, Mr. Wilson’s wife.”

Sir Benjamin greeted the men properly enough, but when introduced to the ladies, gave them only a passing smile. “I’ve heard much about you, Dr. Addams, from Mistress Vivianne, and of your girl. What terrible news we get from America these days. I am glad you have all arrived safely.” He was a tall, rail of a man and smartly clean-shaven. His attire consisted of a pair of skin-tight leather pants, knee high riding boots, a white poet’s shirt without the benefit of a proper cravat, and a vest opened to reveal his black suspenders.

“As are we.”

“For the benefit of our guests, tell us what you are teaching, Benjamin,” the Countess said.

“Proper postures. Lily here is my model.” He stepped away from the visitors and returned to where he was when they had entered. “Presently she is expressing her willingness to be used by anyone in the room. Note how her palms are turned up and her knees slightly parted. The rest of the class copies and holds the pose until I say otherwise.”

“Are there many of these poses?” Lucy asked.

He seemed shocked that Lucy had dared to speak. “There are twelve.” His cold gaze went to the doctor. “Will your wife be joining this class, Dr. Addams?”

Beau nodded slowly, “Perhaps.”

It seemed Beau was as uncomfortable as Lucy felt. Beau had once behaved very much like the Englishman, distant and aloof, when she’d first been taken to him at Greenbrier, his training school for young ladies in Virginia. He’d softened considerably since those days. Perhaps he was seeing a little too much of himself in this young teacher.

“We should let you get back to work, Sir Benjamin, and hope to see you at dinner this evening.”

“At your request, I shall certainly be there, Countess.” He came forward again to take her hand, kissing it as Beau had the night before.

The next classroom was furnished with four small tables. At each table was a single chair, and a large carpet covered the floor. Katrina stood as the instructress; and, as in the previous room, she was the only one dressed. The kind of service that appeared to be taught here was familiar to Lucy. How many times had she sat by Beau’s side at the table or in the parlor, holding aloft his drink or dessert plate? She could not help but smile. “Ah, my friends, enter, yes. Come in Master Addams, Master Wilson, everyone.” Pride beamed from Katrina’s eyes.

“Meal service,” Beau said quietly to Thad. “Lucy knows a bit about it.”

Thaddeus nodded, “I like it.”

“Morning class is also beginner class. Now they are learning how to balance a cup and saucer without spilling it on the palms of their hands. It’s quite simple…”

“For the first five minutes,” Lucy interrupted.

Katrina grinned, “Ah, you have done this, Mrs. Addams.”

“Yes.”

“Is fine way to serve the Master,” Katrina turned away. “Da, is simple for first five minutes then things get shaky.” She plucked a cup and saucer out of the hands of one of the males. “Even big boys have trouble after awhile. At ease.” The man lowered his arms with a quiet moan. “He is better, can go now for almost twenty.”

“What about the other classes?” Thad asked.

“You like for your girl to be furniture, Sir? She can be table or footstool for you, too. At graduation, they get to be part of buffet spread.”

Thad’s smile grew wider. “That sounds wonderful. What do you think, pet?”

Nora smiled sweetly, “If that is what you want me to learn, Master.”

For a moment, Lucy felt a twinge of resentment. Nora was so much better at this than she was. How would she ever be so willing to do what Beau wanted her to do? What would she have said had Beau asked her the same question? They were saying their goodbyes to Katrina and stepping into the hallway again while Lucy pondered this. So far the lessons did not seem all that difficult to her.

They heard, rather than saw, what was happening in the third room as soon as the door was opened. A loud snap of leather to flesh spoke of a whip or flogger in use on bare skin. “Spell ‘constitution’,” the man near the blackboard instructed.

The one he directed this order to was suspended by his wrists, his toes barely touching the floor. As all the others, he was stripped of all his clothes with the exception of a blindfold over his eyes. The instructor carried a flogger and acknowledged the presence of the visitors with a silent nod. They waited and watched until the lesson was through.

“Constitution,” he repeated.

“C-O-N-T-I….”

The flogger struck the student’s bare ass again, making his erect c**k bob up and down. The man yelped, sucking in a sharp breath as he tried to steady himself and concentrate.

“Constitution,” the instructor demanded. Like Sir Benjamin, this man wore tight leather trousers and riding boots, a look that was starting to have a rather powerful affect on Lucy.

“C-O-N-S-T-I-T-U-T-I-O-N,” the slave spelled out carefully.

“Very good, Robert,” he said as he turned to face the Countess. “Countess, how nice to see you here. These are our guests?” Introductions circled again and they came to find that this man was Master Joel. “We are teaching concentration and trust here,” he explained. “As you can see, everyone is blindfolded with their hands behind their backs so they may not remove their blindfolds. I am at liberty to do anything to any of them at any time here. I can have them do things to each other. Trust is very important to The Society. If we cannot trust you, and you cannot trust us, then we have no business together.”

The idea of this class made Lucy nervous. For starters, she’d never liked blindfolds. Too many things had happened to her in the past while wearing a blindfold; and, even if those things had later been revealed as not so horrible, at the time, all she could feel was terror. No, she decided, she did not like the idea of this class in the least.

A gentle knock came to the door. “Excuse me, but there is an urgent message for the Countess.” It was Madeline, forever clad in her skimpy maid’s attire. She handed the Countess a neatly folder paper.

“Bastard,” the Countess blurted out and heaved an angry sigh. “I am afraid we will have to end our tour here for today, my friends. Duties call. Doctor, you know your way well enough to show your friends about, don’t you?”

“I think so, Countess.”

“Then feel free to wander about as you like. Forgive me. Come, Laurent.” The Countess moved as quickly as she could from the classroom and down the hall.

“Well,” Beau rubbed his hands together, “I think we should pay a visit to some of the more private rooms the Chateau has to offer.

They traveled down more hallways and through more doors that quickly got everyone but Beauregard lost. There was a number two neatly painted in white on the door he now opened. Light streamed through the windows and made the white tiled floor gleam. Pale blue walls and a matching ceiling made the room seem colder than it was. The doctor drew his wife in behind him, his eyes alive with excitement and anticipation. Lucy looked up into the corner of the room and almost yanked her hand from her husband’s. A larger, copper barrel was mounted to the wall and from it ran three identical lengths of tubing. It was just like the tank they had at Greenbrier before the place had been burned to the ground by General Franks and his Union soldiers.

“I think it’s time school started,” Beau said. His blue eyes fixed on Lucy.

She looked at the tanks and the tubing and the unmistakable metal tips that each hose ended with. Her eyes ran quickly over the three tables, noting how anyone who occupied them could be strapped into place and tipped back, upside down. Lucy shook her head, “No, not like this, Beau.”

He only smiled at her, holding her arm a little tighter, “Are you or are you not here to be trained as we discussed last night?”

“Yes, but…”

“No,” his gaze was hard. She didn’t like it and yet there was something in the way he looked at her so seriously, so severely that made her heart melt a little inside. The part of her that wanted to obey and please him, shuddered and tingled at the look he gave her.

Lucy swallowed back the fear she felt. “Yes,” she heard herself say, “if it pleases you, Master.”

Beau looked at Thaddeus and chuckled. Lucy looked at Nora and was certain she saw her own expression of terror reflected in her cousin’s eyes.