Chapter 20

Robert wakes up early the next morning, with two bodies pressed against him. Taking a moment to clear his head, he realizes that Lucia and Mei actually have slept in the same position they were in last night.

“This is nice.” Robert thinks. “But I am kind of trapped here.”

A few minutes later he shifts slightly, and Mei wakes up, moving her head to look at him.

“Good morning, Daddy.” She says quietly, with a little grin.

“Good morning, sweet girl.” Robert whispers back, leaning down just enough to kiss her forehead.

Robert manages to slip out of the bed without waking up Lucia, and he and Mei head for the shower.

“Do you want me to make you breakfast?” Mei asks.

“Sure, after our shower.” Robert says.

As they get out of the shower, they see Lucia waking up. She grabs her clothes as they get dressed, and follows them out of the room. “You should have woken me up.” Lucia says.

“I wanted to let you rest.” Robert says. “Most of us have to be up early, but this is one of the few days you could have slept in.”

“I need to get breakfast going for everyone.” Lucia says. “Making breakfast for 11 is going to take a minute.”

Lucia and Mei go downstairs to start breakfast, and Robert decides to watch the news. By the time breakfast is ready, almost everyone is already downstairs.

“Alexia, can you go grab Amber and Emily?” Jane says. “It’s not like Amber to sleep in like this.”

A few minutes later all three girls come downstairs, Amber and Emily looking a bit sleepy still.

“I’m so sorry, Mistress.” Amber says, kneeling into her nadu position, head downcast. “I should have been awake to help make sure the girls were ready for this morning.”

“It’s fine.” Jane says, pulling her up. “You are going to need your sleep while you recover, and if you are going to make your weight goal, you need to start with a decent breakfast.”

After she finishes eating, Jane announces the plan for the day. “Robert is going to be taking Megan and Reyna in the car. Emily, Mei, Taylor, and Lindsey will be with me in the van. Make sure to grab clothes, and you can bring one box worth of sentimental items. I’d like to let you take more, but we just don’t have the storage space in this house. Robert did want to bring any books you have, so if you have lots of those, please let us know when we get to your home.”

“I suspect our group is going to be out past lunch, but Lucia, please plan as if Robert and his group will be back by then.” Jane continues.

“Yes, Mistress.” Lucia says.

“Any questions before we get going?” Jane asks, and when no one speaks up, she continues. “Great, let’s get moving. Remember to grab a collar and put it on yourself on the way out.”

Robert, Reyna, and Megan load into their car, and wait for the van to leave before pulling out.

“Ok, who wants to go first?” Robert asks. “With just two of you, we don’t need to worry too much about being efficient.”

“My room is in my sorority house near campus.” Megan says. “If we go now, maybe we can get in and out before too many people are awake.”

Robert gets the address, and plugs it into the GPS. 10 minutes later, he pulls into the parking lot outside of a large old house.

“This is it?” He asks.

“Yes.” Megan says.

“Remember, it’s Sir or Master when we are in public.” Robert says. “If anyone talks to you, I’d rather you didn’t speak without permission. I will explain that to anyone if they try to talk to you.”

“Yes, Sir.” Megan says, looking a bit depressed.

“Is there anyone in there that you need to say goodbye to?” Robert asks. “A close friend?”

“Not really.” Megan says. “I’m hoping we can just get in and out without anyone noticing me.”

Robert pops the trunk and grabs a few boxes from the back. He hands them to Reyna, and then rummages through Megan’s purse. “Are these the right keys?” He asks.

“Yes, Sir.” Megan says, and pauses. “Can I get my purse back?”

“We can discuss that when everyone gets back, tonight.” Robert says. “Is there something in here you needed to get your stuff?”

“No, Sir.” Megan says, staring longingly at the purse.

“If you are after your phone, it’s not in here anymore.” Robert says. “Jane has them locked up, but you can eventually earn yours back. Let’s go ahead and get this done.”

Robert hands Megan the keys, and she goes to the door, Robert and Reyna following. After unlocking the door, she slowly opens it, listening for noise, and then steps inside. Robert holds the door for Reyna, and then softly closes it.

“Lead on.” Robert tells Megan, and she heads up the stairs, and takes a right, ending up at a door at the end of the hall.

“Sir?” Megan says, looking at him.

“What is it?” Robert asks.

“I had a roommate. May I check to see if she is asleep, and if she is, can you both wait out here?” Megan asks.

“That’s fine, but if she wakes up, you come out and tell me.” Robert says. “I don’t want any surprises either, so I will be checking both of your boxes before we leave your homes. Do not pack weapons. If you have one that is valuable or sentimental, tell me where it is, and I’ll retrieve it, and keep it locked up at home.”

“Yes, Sir.” Megan says, looking relieved. “Thank you.”

Reyna and Robert wait at the door, and after about a minute, he hears a muffled voice.

He leans closer to the door, and hears. “ ... doing here? And what is up with the necklace?” the voice asks.

Robert can’t hear if Megan responds, and gives Reyna a look. She shrugs, clearly trying to hear as well. Robert waits another minute, and then knocks.

Megan comes to the door, and looks at Robert. “My roommate woke up.” She says.

“I heard.” Robert says. “Why didn’t you come get me? Also, you dropped your Sir.”

“Sorry, Sir.” Megan says, flushing with either shame or anger.

“Who is it?” The voice says, and a blonde woman around Megan’s age appears behind her.

“Hello.” Robert says. “I’m Robert, Megan’s owner.”

“Owner?” The girl says, and looks at Megan, finally taking in the collar. “Oh ... I thought you went to your parents’ vacation house for a while.”

Megan looks like she wants to respond, but Robert responds before she can. “Megan was detained, and I purchased her yesterday. She is here to retrieve her clothes and a few things. I haven’t given her permission to speak to anyone other than me. May we come in?”

“Whatever.” The girl says, walking back into the room. “Don’t touch any of my stuff though.”

Robert enters, seeing a messy room with clothes all over the floor. The roommate is sitting on the bed now, leaning back against the wall. “So how did you end up buying her?” She asks.

“We attended the auction, and bid on her, just like anyone else.” Robert says.

“Too bad none of the frats knew.” The girl says. “They probably would have liked having her as the house girl.”

Megan flushes red, glancing at Robert and Reyna fearfully.

“Bidding isn’t open to the public yet.” Robert says. “At least, yesterday’s auction wasn’t. Besides, the point of the program isn’t to provide maids for frats.”

“I don’t think they would use her just as a maid.” The girl says, and laughs.

“Well, they missed their chance.” Robert says.

“You sure?” The girl asks. “I can make a few calls, I’m sure some of them would pay.”

“Megan, can you step into the hall with me for a moment?” Robert asks.

Megan follows Robert into the hall, looking miserable. “Do you want me to have her make the calls?” He asks.

“No!” Megan tries to whisper, and nearly shouts. “Please, Sir, don’t sell me to the frats.”

“Good.” Robert says, and holds open the door for her to return to packing. “I’m afraid she isn’t for sale.” he tells the girl when he re-enters the room.

“Too bad.” She says. “If you change your mind, call the house. I’m sure someone’s Dad would like to have her, if the frats won’t take her. I’ve seen more than a few of them eyeing her.”

“I think we are good.” Robert says. “Right, Megan?”

Megan nods, nearly frantically, and the girl laughs. “Oh, come on, Megan. It could be like initiation week all over again.”

Megan turns deeper red than Robert has seen her yet, and Robert turns his back deliberately to the girl, and says. “Megan, finish packing please. I think we’d all like to get out of here.”

Megan finishes packing her clothing box, and Reyna hands her the empty one, while Megan starts cleaning out the rest of her room. Digging out a small bag from under her bed, she turns to Robert, and nods, holding the box.

“All done?” Robert says, and Megan nods again. “Great, let’s get out of here.”

As they walk downstairs, Robert pops the trunk, and has the girls put in the boxes. “Go ahead and get in the car, we can go through them when we get home. I just want to get out of here.”

Robert pulls out of the parking lot, driving to a nearby store parking lot before parking again. Turning around, he asks. “Megan, are you ok?”

Megan looks down at her feet and says. “I don’t know.”

“Was she always that much of a bitch?” Reyna asks.

“She was one of the nicer girls.” Megan replies softly.

“I hope today has helped make it clear why you have to sever your link to that identity.” Robert says. “You’ll never be able to work out well in the house if you are still in sorority girl mode.”

“Can we buy the hair dye now?” Megan asks. “I’d like to get rid of this blond hair.”

“We probably should.” Reyna says. “My cabin is way out in the National Forest, and I doubt we’ll pass a store between there and home.”

Robert puts in Reyna’s address, and searches for a drug store along the way there. When they stop, Robert says. “If you need to ask the employees for help, you can. I have no idea about hair dye, so get whatever you are going to need to get the job done.”

The girls follow Robert inside, and thankfully there aren’t many other customers yet. The girls quickly lead the way to the hair dye aisle.

“What shade was yours?” Reyna asks.

“Sort of blue black.” Megan says.

They browse through a few different types, comparing them.

“Is there even a difference between those?” Robert asks. “They look identical to me.”

“There definitely is.” Reyna says.

“I think this one is right.” Megan says, holding up a box.

“What else do we need?” Robert asks.

“We’ll grab it.” Reyna says, and the girls wander off a bit to pick through a few more shelves.

Robert pulls out his phone, texting Jane. “Finished up at Megan’s, she was a bit shaken up after talking to her roommate. Buying dye now before heading to Reyna’s.”

Putting the phone away, he finds the girls waiting for him.

“Got everything you need?” Robert asks.

Megan nods, and Reyna says. “Yeah, we are good.”

As they get to the checkout, the cashier, a man in his early thirties, gives them all a look. Megan immediately looks down, flushing again. Reyna holds her head high, and steps slightly closer to Robert.

“Do you have a problem with them being here?” Robert asks.

“No.” The cashier says, ringing up the items, and telling him the total. “Sorry, this is the first time we’ve had someone come in with...” The cashier seems uncertain what to call the girls.

“I call them my girls.” Robert says. “But the official term is concubine.”

“Is it rude to ask how much they cost?” The cashier asks, sounding both curious and wistful.

“Maybe a bit.” Robert says. “But I’ll indulge you. The blonde was $800, and the Asian was $5000.”

“Only $800?” The cashier asks. “I think I could afford $800.”

“Some women at the auction yesterday went cheaper.” Robert says. “That may change once there are more bidders though. If you want to get someone cheap, I’d go to the first auction you qualify for.”

“I’ll have to look into it.” The cashier says. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome.” Robert says, and puts one arm around each of the girls. “Just remember, they are people. You have to treat them decently, if you want to actually be happy with them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The cashier says.

As they file out of the store, Reyna says. “That was good of you, Master.”

“Maybe.” Robert says. “I see it as helping both him and his potential future concubine. After all, if he treats a girl like shit, she’s probably going to make him miserable too. Far better for them both if it starts well, and goes from there.”

“Not everyone will see it that way.” Megan says. “There are lots of really fucked up people out there.”

“Very true.” Robert says, getting into the car. “Hopefully that guy isn’t one of them.”

They begin moving towards Reyna’s cabin, and Megan says. “Thank you for buying me. And not letting her make those calls.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Robert asks. “You don’t have to right now, but at some point we need to.”

“Can we do that later?” Megan asks. “Privately?”

“With Jane.” Robert says. “I don’t keep secrets from her.”

“Ok.” Megan says. “Thank you.”

15 minutes later, they pull into the park, and Reyna guides them to her cabin. As they get out, Robert says. “This is beautiful. I always dreamed of having somewhere private and quiet like this.”

“Maybe if we find a large enough piece of property, we can get a little cabin put on one end, for whoever needs some peace and quiet.” Reyna says. “I know I enjoy it sometimes.”

Robert hands her the keys, and they enter the cabin.

“I’ve got some guns under the bed.” Reyna says. “And a pistol in the night stand.”

“Are they loaded?” Robert asks.

“The pistol is.” Reyna replies. “The rifles are empty.”

Robert goes over to the night stand, opening it and removing the pistol. Popping out the magazine and racking the slide to make sure it is empty, he puts the magazine in his pocket, and sets the pistol back down on the night stand. “It’s a nice piece.” Robert says.

“My grandfather bought it for me when I graduated high school.” Reyna says. “Any chance we can keep it? If we are on a big enough property, in the right areas, it would probably make sense to have me be armed while I’m checking out the property.”

“We have room for it in my safe.” Robert says. “Why don’t you go ahead and pull out the rifles?”

Reyna pulls two hunting rifles out from under the bed, and sets them on the bed. Robert verifies they are empty, and says. “I’m going to put all of these in the trunk. Why don’t you pull out your ammo cache, and we can bring that too?”

Reyna nods, and begins pulling ammo cans from under the bed.

“Were you preparing for the apocalypse?” Megan asks.

“No, this isn’t really that much.” Reyna says. “Just enough for some hunting and occasional target practice.”

“Did you not have guns growing on your parent’s farm?” Robert asks curiously.

“My dad had a rifle, but we never actually used it.” Megan says.

“Oh...” Robert says. “I just assumed you would be familiar with them, given your background.”

“I can teach the girls that are interested, if you want.” Reyna says.

“We’ll see if and when we find a piece of property.” Robert says. “I’ll go ahead and take the guns out now, if you want to go ahead and pack whatever else you want.”

By the time Robert had all 3 guns and the ammo cans loaded, Reyna was ready to go.

“That was fast.” Robert says.

“I try to be a practical girl.” Reyna says. “It was mostly just emptying entire drawers into the box.”

“Awesome.” Robert says. “Well, if there isn’t anything else, we can head back to the house.”

“There is one more thing.” Reyna says. “It would have to be a third box though.”

“What is it?” Robert asks.

“Probably easier to show you.” Reyna says, going into her closet, and coming out with a box larger than the one with her clothes. Opening it, she motions to Robert to look inside.

“Jesus, girl, that’s a lot of toys.” Robert says.

“I think I may have mentioned that I have needs.” Reyna says, clearly not embarrassed at all. “Any chance I can bring them?”

“As long as you can fit them in the car.” Robert says. “One of you will probably need to ride in the front with me.”

Reyna grabs the box, and Robert gets the door for her, motioning Megan ahead of him. “Grab the car door for her.” Robert tells her.

After some juggling of boxes, they eventually manage to get everything to fit.

“Anything else?” Robert asks.

“Nope, I think that’s it.” Reyna says. “Thanks for letting me keep my toys.”

“I’m sure Jane will look forward to going through them with you.” Robert says, giving her a grin. “And maybe I’ll make you sit in my office and use them while I have Taylor blow me.”

“That sounds hot.” Reyna says. “She’s definitely talented.”

“She is.” Robert says. “Let’s go home, I know I’m ready for lunch.”

Lucia has lunch ready when they arrive, and while the three sit down to eat, Robert has Alexia and Amber bring in the boxes Reyna and Megan packed.

“That’s the last of them.” Alexia says.

“Thank you both for carrying them in.” Robert says.

“We assumed you didn’t want us to touch the guns.” Amber says.

“Yeah, I’ll get those after lunch.” Robert says. “For now, why don’t you check for contraband in the boxes? Weapons, or anything that has an internet connection. Girls, anything you just now remember packing that you shouldn’t have?”

Reyna shakes her head, and Megan looks down at her food.

“Megan?” Robert says.

“There is a small pocket knife in with my clothes.” Megan mutters.

“And why didn’t you mention it to me?” Robert asks.

“My grandparents gave it to me when I was a kid.” Megan says. “I’ve always kept it with me.”

“Go ahead and show Amber where it is.” Robert says. “We won’t get rid of it, but the fact that you hid it is a problem.”

“I’m sorry.” Megan says. “I wasn’t going to do anything bad with it.”

Megan gets up, opens her clothing box, and unwraps a pair of socks, revealing a small single bladed pocket knife.

Amber takes it from her, and asks Robert. “What do you want me to do with it, Master?”

“Bring it over here.” Robert says. “Megan, why don’t you finish up your lunch?”

As they all finish lunch, Robert says. “Girls, please go ahead and unpack your boxes. Alexia, can you help them with that?”

Alexia helps them carry boxes upstairs, and Robert hears the washing machine start. “Amber, we obviously need to handle the knife situation with Megan. Can you try to think of an acceptable punishment for her disobedience? It’s not really much a weapon, but she’s already been warned.”

“I can come up with something, Master.” Amber says. “Would you like me to inform her and perform the punishment, or do you want to do it?”

“Do you already have something in mind?” Robert asks. “I don’t want to break her, but I do want it to be enough that Jane doesn’t feel the need to punish her again when she gets home.”

“I have a few ideas, Master.” Amber says. “None of them will break her, but they will give her time to think about what she has done, and hopefully incentivize her to change her behavior.”

“I’ll leave it to you then.” Robert says. “If for some reason you don’t feel safe or comfortable, please stop immediately and yell for me.”

“I’ve handled unruly subs before, Master.” Amber smiles. “Thank you for entrusting this to me.”

“Thank you for handling it.” Robert says, giving her a smile in return. “Did you already have lunch?”

“Yes, Master.” Amber says. “I had as much as I could eat.”

“Good girl.” Robert says, and he sees Amber twitch as her smile grows wider. “Why don’t you go help Alexia get them settled, and then handle Megan.”

“Yes, Master.” Amber says, and then asks. “May I hug you, Master?”

Robert stands up, and holds his arms out, embracing her. “You never have to ask if you can give me a hug.” Robert says. “Consider this permanent permission.”

“Thank you, Master.” Amber says, and then sprints up the stairs.

As soon as she thinks Amber is far enough away not to hear, Lucia lets out the laugh she’s been holding in. “She definitely liked that good girl.” Lucia says, still chuckling. “I bet you could make her cum without even touching her if you did that a few times.”

“A little kindness and affection goes a long way to someone who has been starved of both.” Robert says.

“That’s true.” Lucia says. “Hasn’t quite had the same effect on Megan though.”

“She’s had moments where I can see walls coming down.” Robert says. “She puts them back up afterwards though. She’s going to be a longer term project than Amber. Then again, Amber has done so much better than I ever expected.”

“You want me to help you carry up the guns?” Lucia asks.

“Do you actually know anything about guns?” Robert asks, a bit surprised.

“I’ve never even touched one.” Lucia says. “But that doesn’t mean I’m unwilling to help you.”

“Thank you.” Robert says. “Let’s go take a look, and if you are comfortable, you can carry one upstairs. I may have to re-arrange the safe a bit to fit them all.”

Amber is beaming as she heads up the stairs. “I didn’t know it could be like this.” She thinks. “‘Good girl’ shouldn’t make me this happy.”

As she walks down the hall, she hears Reyna, Megan, and Alexia talking. “I can’t screw this up.” Amber thinks. “Master has given me a task, and I will show him that I can be his best girl.”

“Are we done unpacking?” Amber asks as she walks into the bedroom.

“Almost.” Alexia says. “I need to speak to Master and Mistress about buying more clothes storage. For now they may have to keep their clothes in the boxes. I think if we stack them on their sides like this, it can be functional.”

Alexia shows that she has the two boxes stacked with the openings towards the front, where they can just reach in to grab their clothes.

“That should work, but I would put it in the bunk bed room closet.” Amber says, feeling her confidence coming back now that she has been entrusted with a serious task. “Can you and Reyna finish up here? I need a word with Megan.”

“Sure.” Alexia says.

“Megan, come with me please.” Amber says, not waiting for a response, and heading to the hangout room. She takes a seat on the recliner, and waits a moment as Megan enters the room.

“Don’t sit.” Amber says as Megan moves towards the other seat on the reclining sofa. “We need to have a serious talk. You may close the door if you don’t want Alexia and Reyna overhearing this.”

Megan slowly closes the door, and looks at Amber. “Ok, so what is this about?”

“Master and Mistress have entrusted you to me.” Amber says. “And I plan to do everything possible to show them that they made the correct choice. Right now, you are constantly screwing up, in both small and big ways. We need to fix that, before they decide they made a mistake trusting you to me, and in buying you in the first place.”

Megan looks bored at first, but gets much more serious at those last few words. “Did Robert say something to you about that?” She asks, looking alarmed. “It was just a pocket knife, not really a weapon. I wasn’t going to hurt anyone with it.”

“Be quiet.” Amber says. “It’s not time for you to ask questions, but I will answer this one. Master did speak to me, and he is concerned about Mistress Jane’s response to you smuggling a weapon into the house. You admitted it in the end though, and so he’s given me an opportunity to come up with your punishment before Mistress Jane comes home. The real question is whether you will submit to it, or cause more fuss, and be gone before dinner. Only you can make that decision, and it needs to be made now. Will you submit, or will Master and Mistress need to find a replacement girl?”

“Wait, hang on.” Megan says. “It wasn’t a big deal, it’s more of a toy than a weapon.”

“I’m not going to argue with you.” Amber says. “Master sees it as a potential weapon, and Mistress Jane certainly will. Beyond that, you also disobeyed Master, when he told you not to bring weapons. If you had told him about it, he would have brought it back with him, and given it to you when you earned it back. Now he has to ask whether he can trust you. If he can’t trust you, how can he have you in the house, around people he cares about?”

“I can apologize.” Megan says, getting frustrated. “I didn’t mean to make him angry, I just didn’t want to lose that.”

“He isn’t angry.” Amber says. “He is a bit frustrated, and concerned. Master Robert is a truly good man. If you had met my previous Master, you would have much more perspective on that. Apologies won’t work in this case. You will be punished by me, or by Mistress Jane, which is almost certainly going to be expulsion from the house, today. I need your decision, now. No more pleading or arguing. Are you going to accept my punishment, yes, or no?”

Megan breathes out slowly, clearly trying to think through the situation rapidly. “May I know what the punishment would be, if I say yes?” She asks pleadingly.

“You just did ask.” Amber says sternly. “Does that mean you are going to submit to punishment?”

“ ... Yes...” Megan says, sounding genuinely scared.

“Good.” Amber says, slowly rising from the couch. “No more talking from you until I give you permission. Please nod to acknowledge you understand.”

Megan slowly nods, staring at Amber.

“Eyes down.” Amber says harshly, and Megan quickly looks down. “I am going to show you a pose. You will have 30 seconds to observe, and then I expect you to be in the pose. You will not move from the pose until you are told. Nod if you understand.”

Megan nods again.

Amber takes up her usual nadu pose on the floor, butt on heels, legs spread, hands palm up on her legs, back straight. “This pose is called nadu. If I ever tell you to get into nadu, I expect you to do so immediately.”

Megan stares at Amber for a few seconds, and quickly gets on the floor, trying to copy the pose. “Legs wider apart.” Amber says, correcting her. “Elbows in tight to the side, like this.” She shows her. “Back straight, neck straight, but eyes downcast.”

Amber rises, walking around Megan to inspect her. “Ass lower, it needs to touch your heels.”

Megan lowers herself, wincing a bit.

“You may ask one question now.” Amber says.

“How long do I need to stay like this?” Megan asks. “It kind of hurts my legs.”

“You will stay like that until instructed to move.” Amber says. “It may burn a bit at first, while your muscles stretch. In the future you may wish to take up yoga or some other stretching exercise, especially if you plan to continue to be disobedient.”

Megan almost responds, but manages to catch herself.

“Your primary punishment is to remain in this position until instructed otherwise. I will check on you occasionally, and other girls may come in and out. You will not speak to them. You will not leave the position. When I release you from the position, you will say ‘Thank you, Mistress Amber.’.” Amber says. “You will be given extra chores to do over the rest of the week, and you will be stretching and practicing poses with me every morning. Please nod if you prefer this to leaving the house.”

Megan slowly nods again.

“Good.” Amber says. “I think deep down, you want to be good. I can help make you into that, but you have to decide that is truly what you want first. I hope that day comes sooner rather than later, for your sake. I am leaving for now, please take the afternoon to think about how you can change your behavior in order to please our Master and Mistress.”

Amber opens the door and walks out of the room, not looking back. “Either she obeys, or she doesn’t.” Amber thinks. “And if she doesn’t, I will have failed in my first real task from my Master.” Amber shudders a bit at this, hoping she will not be in that situation.

Going downstairs, she finds Robert and Lucia curled up on the couch watching a TV show.

“Everything go ok?” Robert asks anxiously.

“Yes, Master. She is in the hangout room.” Amber says. “She has submitted to my punishment, at least for now. I will check on her occasionally over the next few hours. She should be remaining in the nadu position until I tell her otherwise, so if you happen to walk by and see her out of that position, please let me know.”

“Great.” Robert says. “Thank you for handling that. I think I’m making minor progress with her, but it’s not fast enough for Jane, I don’t think.”

“I spoke to her about that.” Amber says. “She is supposed to be taking the time in the nadu position to think about how to improve herself, so that she can remain in this house. If you do choose to get rid of her, I can put you in touch with a few Gorean Masters who may want to purchase her.”

“I don’t hate her.” Robert says. “And I don’t really want to put someone in a position where they will be mistreated.”

“I understand, Master.” Amber says. “You are a kind man. I can mention it to Mistress Jane, if you prefer.”