Chapter 2: The Tour of Rimini

The following morning, I join Bea outside the entrance to the railway station. Georgina and Fiona are taking yet another browse through the tourist shops before hitting the beach. The weather promises to be hot and sunny, so they are keen to show off their latest bikinis.

When Heidi made the offer of a guided tour last night, I wasn’t sure if she intended to join Bea and me. However, Bea arrives alone. Unlike last night, she is dressed more appropriately for walking through town. The appearance of normality is marred only by the necklace she is wearing. Her steel chain-link band around her neck has small black letters spelling ‘sklavin’ on it. I suppose the lettering isn’t that noticeable unless you look hard, and you understand that the word is German for a female slave.

“Hi Becca,” shouts Bea enthusiastically as she steps off the bus.

I’ve never been called Becca before. At home, school and work I’ve always been called Rebecca. I could correct Bea about my name, but it seems churlish after she’s offered to take me on a tour. It occurs to me that Bea is possibly short for Beatrice, so perhaps Bea normally uses diminutive forms of names.

“Hi Bea,” I reply. “Thanks for offering to take me on a tour of the town.”

“It’s my pleasure. Besides, when the Baroness says do something, then she expects it to be done,” says Bea as she links her arm in mine and guides me towards to town centre.

“Oh! Are you expected to obey her commands?” I ask, sensing there is something kinky about Bea’s relationship with Heidi.

“Do you mean, am I her slave?” replies Bea, correctly guessing the underlying purpose of my question.

“Um ... Yes, I guess so. The way you were dressed and behaved last night started me wondering.”

“I’m her slave for the duration of the holidays,” laughs Bea, enjoying the look on my face. “The von Herrschaft Foundation provides me with financial support while I study at university. In exchange, I spend the summer break with the Baroness obeying her every whim. It’s a lot of fun once you get over the initial shock of the lifestyle.”

“Like last night, you mean?” I ask, wanting more detail of this bizarre way of living.

“Yes. Although that was fairly tame stuff compared to some of the private parties the Baroness attends.”

“Are there others? ... Slaves, I mean.”

“Oh yes. The foundation supports over a hundred young men and women worldwide. I don’t know what conditions are attached to everyone’s contract. As I said, mine requires me to spend six weeks of my summer holidays with the Baroness as her personal slave. I know Sophia’s contract is different, but the terms of each person’s contract isn’t revealed to others unless we choose to do so. I think Antonio’s and Paulo’s contracts are similar to mine, but we don’t have much contact with each other.”

“How does Sophia’s contract differ from yours?” I ask, getting curious at what Bea has told me so far.

“Sophia isn’t a student. She’s a full-time maid at the von Herrschaft Schloss in Bavaria. She works for the Baroness all year round. Technically she isn’t a slave, but she has chosen to adopt the lifestyle of one. Her wages get paid into a trust fund that she can access if and when she chooses to leave.”

We pause our conversation when we reach the first of the several places of interest Bea has decided we should visit. The domus del chirurgo is an excavated Roman villa in the ancient town centre. We spend nearly an hour walking through the villa and admiring the many artefacts that have been unearthed. While I’m interested in ancient cultures, I can tell that this is Bea’s passion.

“Are these the sorts of ruins that you study at university?” I ask, recalling Heidi said that Bea was an archaeology student.

“Yes, and older ones as well. I’m hoping to persuade the Foundation to continue funding my studies for another three years so that I can complete a doctorate. It’s an expensive subject to study. I’m lucky the Baroness chose to spend a few weeks touring Italy this summer.”

We stop at a café for coffee before walking to the ancient Tiberius bridge over the old course of the river. These days the river flows further north, and the mouth of the old river is truncated stretch of water reaching inland as far as the Roman bridge.

“What about you, Becca?” asks Bea. “Are you a student or do you work?”

“I never achieved good enough school grades to contemplate further education. Until a few months ago I was a tour guide for a coach company. But they went bust last winter and I’ve been temping since then. I only came on this vacation because the three of us had already booked and paid for the trip. We go home tomorrow and then it’s back to my sorry excuse for a life.”