Chapter 21

Jane walks into the hangout room, motioning for Amber to bring in Megan.

As Megan assumes her position again, this time not needing correction from Amber, tears are still rolling down her face, but she is managing to stay quiet, although she is trembling slightly.

“Megan, we have a lot of sympathy for what you have gone through.” Jane says. “And everyone agrees you should be allowed another chance, and not be removed from the house today.”

Megan sighs deeply, clearly calming slightly.

“You do have to be punished though. You will spend this week training with Amber as she previously discussed, but for now, your punishment will be a spanking. After your spanking, Robert is available for cuddles, if you want them. You may choose either Amber or myself to administer the spanking.” Jane says. “You can take a minute to think about it, if you wish.”

Megan does take a minute, trying to determine the best course of action. “I’d like to choose Mistress Amber.”

“Very well.” Jane says. “Shuffle up here, upper body resting on the bed.”

Megan reluctantly shuffles forward, until her stomach is pressed against the bed. “Like this, Mistress?”

“Yes, that’s good.” Jane says. “I’d like Robert to hold your hands, and you to count the strokes. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Megan says, her voice wavering. “May ... May I ask, how many strokes?”

“Just 6 this time.” Jane says. “And hopefully we don’t have to do this again.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Megan says, stretching out her hands in front of her.

“Robert.” Jane prompts him, and he moves in front of Megan, firmly clasping her hands.

“Amber, would you like to use your hand, or a tool?” Jane asks.

“Can I see what you have?” Amber asks. “I’d rather not use my hand.”

Jane grabs a flogger and a crop from the next room. “Your choice.”

Amber grabs the crop, and turns to Megan. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, Mistress.” Megan says quietly, burying her head in the bed.

“Head up, and remember to count the strokes.” Amber says.

Once Megan’s head is up, Amber strikes.

“One, Mistress.” Megan squeals, tightening her grip on Robert’s hands.

Another stroke, and Megan jumps a little less this time. “Two, Mistress.”

“Three, Mistress.” Megan groans after the third strike, the pain clearly affecting her.

Once the last stroke has come down, Megan sags onto the mattress, burying her face as she begins to cry again. Robert slides down to hug her. She snuggles into him, trying and failing to contain her sobs.

“Megan, I’m going to remove your shorts to see how bad it is.” Jane tells her, pausing a moment until she sees her nod. Slowly taking down the shorts, she sees redness, but no broken skin or welts. “It looks like it’s just red. You should be ok without anything. If it starts to hurt too much, let us know and we can take another look.” Jane adds as she pulls the shorts back up.

Jane motions towards the door at Amber, and follows her out into the hall. “You can keep the crop. Hopefully you don’t need it, but if she starts to give you a problem, you can give her up to two strokes, but if you have to do it more than once in a day, I want to know about it.”

“Thank you, Mistress.” Amber says. “And thank you for giving me a chance to train her.”

“After what we just heard, I doubt I could get Robert to turn her loose unless she actually injures someone.” Jane says with a sigh. “If you can actually get her properly trained, I’ll be very grateful.”

“I will do my best, Mistress.” Amber says excitedly.

“I know you will.” Jane says. “I was thinking that you and Megan could sleep in our room tonight. Nothing sexual, just cuddles. It’ll let us keep an eye on her, and reward you for your efforts today.”

“Thank you so much, Mistress.” Amber says, beaming. “Can I sleep in between you and Master?”

“I think we should put Megan in the middle, to make sure she can’t attempt to escape.” Jane says. “But you can be next to her and either Robert or I, or on the edge next to one of us. We can do a night for just the three of us soon though. I still need to make the official schedule.”

“That sounds great, Mistress.” Amber says.

“I’m going to go check with Lucia and Alexia.” Jane says. “I may need to run out to the store after that, can you keep an eye on Robert and Megan, and break it up in about 30 minutes? Maybe get her on chores or something to distract her.”

“There is plenty of laundry to be done.” Amber says. “Reyna is working on it, and I did a bit earlier, it wouldn’t hurt for Megan to take a turn. Speaking of which, Mistress, you have mentioned relocation a few times. We will need more than one washer and dryer next time. Maybe 3 sets?”

“Good point.” Jane says. “Thank you for bringing that up. I should probably ask everyone to think of things like that. That definitely would narrow down the search a bit.”

“Very welcome, Mistress.” Amber says. “If there are going to be a dozen or more children eventually, we will need a lot of bedrooms as well, even if the girls do bunk beds like we are currently.”

“Yeah.” Jane says, thinking rapidly. “Maybe a house isn’t really what we need. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Amber says. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Just try to bond with the new girls.” Jane says. “Reyna and Megan are yours, at least for now, but getting to know all of them would be helpful.”

“I will, Mistress.” Amber says.

Jane walks downstairs, finding Lucia directing Mei and Lindsey in the kitchen. Seeing Jane, she stops talking to them, and walks over to Jane.

“I’m so sorry, Jane.” Lucia says. “I had planned to cook one of my recipes tonight, and we are sort of adjusting on the fly to make sure it’s something Mei and Lindsey are comfortable making.”

“It’s ok.” Jane says. “I appreciate you handling the kitchen duties. The punishment is done, and Robert is comforting her now. I’ve asked Amber to break that up in 30 minutes. I was thinking that you and a few of the other girls could keep him company after that? Maybe see if you can get one of your book club meetings going, some of the new girls like to read.”

“I’ll take care of it.” Lucia says. “He’ll be thoroughly distracted. Worst case I’ll see if a few of the girls want to have a play session with him.”

“Only as a last resort.” Jane says. “He needs his rest, and a recovery period if we want you girls to actually get pregnant.”

“I didn’t think of that.” Lucia says. “Either way, I’ll make sure he’s too busy to think about Megan.”

“Thank you.” Jane says. “I’m going to grab Alexia for a minute, and then I’m heading out to do some shopping.”

“Sounds good.” Lucia says. “I think we’ve got things covered here.”

“Oh, and Amber just mentioned needing a bigger laundry area in the next house.” Jane says. “Can you work with Mei, and figure out what size kitchen, pantry, etc you are going to need in our next house? With the one child per adult rule, we are looking at having close to 30 people in the house eventually, including kids.”

“Will do.” Lucia says. “She probably will have a better idea than I will, this is the biggest group I’ve ever cooked for.”

“Her restaurant experience is going to be valuable.” Jane agrees.

Jane catches Alexia’s attention, motioning towards her office. Alexia excuses herself from her conversation with Emily, and meets Jane in her office. “What can I do for you, Mistress?”

“I need an excuse to do some shopping.” Jane says. “Is there anything we need?”

“Clothing storage.” Alexia says immediately. “The new girls are having to keep their clothes in cardboard boxes right now.”

“Great.” Jane says. “Do some looking online, and find something that is in stock locally, and send me the link. I’ll be back in a few hours. Amber is going to handle Megan, and Lucia is going to keep Robert distracted. If anything comes up, text me.”

“Should one of us come with you, Mistress?” Alexia asks, slightly concerned. “I’d be happy to go, or I could get Reyna.”

“I’ll be fine.” Jane says. “And I don’t think I should bring one of you where I’m going. And if Robert asks, just tell him I’m going shopping. If he wants to know more, he can text me.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Alexia says.

“Good girl.” Jane says, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “If I’m not back by dinner time, call me.”

Alexia nods, a little worried, as Jane walks out of her office.

Jane makes it to the auction center thirty minutes before the Sunday afternoon auction, open to green and a few white cards with approved bidder status. She notices the parking lot is surprisingly empty, with maybe half a dozen cars outside of the staff parking area. Coming in the front door, she waves at Rosie as she approaches the front desk.

“I wasn’t sure if you would be working today.” Jane says.

“I’ll be working just about all of these.” Rosie says. “After today it’ll be weekday evenings, and Saturday mornings though.”

“Maybe you can come over for dinner next weekend?” Jane says. “I know you’ve been asking about seeing Alexia.”

Rosie reaches under the counter, pulling out a brochure. “I was actually thinking I might come earlier, if that works. Our turnout so far isn’t great, and the people that are turning out aren’t really the target audience, if you get my meaning. The director here has come up with an idea for us to ‘inspect’ houses that already have concubines in them, to see how it’s going, and hopefully come up with ideas for how to market the concept a bit. If you guys are interested, I could be the inspector. It comes with a free concubine slot, so you’d be at 13 instead of 12 as your max.”

Jane laughs, taking the brochure from Rosie. “Don’t tell Robert, he’d never let you in the house. Can I think about it, and let you know at the end of the auction? I have to figure out if I can sell the idea to Robert, without mentioning the concubine slot.”

“Yeah, no rush.” Rosie says. “If we don’t get volunteers, they may start getting pushy about it, and I may not be able to be your inspector. I figured you guys would be more comfortable with me than one of the random guys in there.” Rosie motions behind her at the auction room.

“Oh, definitely.” Jane says. “We want to have you over regardless. I just need to figure out how to get Robert comfortable with the idea of the government poking around our house.”

“If it helps, you can assure him I’ll keep anything out of the report that you don’t want in it.” Rosie says. “It’s more about seeing if everyone is integrating well, and if they are, finding out what is causing that, so we can encourage others to do the same. And we can also advertise, without using your names of course, a happy household with 8 concubines, for people who are leery about it working.”

“Maybe more than 8, when I leave here.” Jane says. “I’d love to chat, but I really want to get some preview time. I’ve got 3 girls I want to check out.”

“Of course.” Rosie says. “Let me scan your card, and then you can go back. Ron is back there, if you want to ask for the private room again.”

Jane pulls out the card, and after scanning, heads to the back. Finding Ron, she asks. “Any chance I can get that private interview room again?”

“I think the one on the end is unoccupied.” Ron says. “Do you have an interview list? We’ve only got 20 minutes until auction.”

Jane reads off the numbers for the three girls she wants to interview, and Ron goes to grab the first one while Jane goes into the interview room.

A few moments later Ron comes back with the first girl.

“Hi, my name is Jane.” Jane says, taking in the small woman entering the room. She is short, cute, and reminds Jane a bit of Lucia and Mei.

“I’m Maya.” The girl says, and pauses as she is about to continue to talk.

“It’s ok, if you have something to say, talk away.” Jane says encouragingly.

“I just haven’t seen any women in here.” Maya says. “I thought only men could bid on us.”

Jane laughs. “My husband is at home with our other girls. I’m authorized to bid on his behalf.”

“How many other girls do you have?” Maya asks.

“Right now we have 10 women in total in the house.” Jane says. “Including me.”

“Wow.” Maya says. “That sounds kind of crowded.”

“So far it’s working out ok, but we’ll need a bigger house soon.” Jane concedes. “That’s the next thing I’m going to work on.”

“So why do you need more girls?” Maya asks curiously. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Hubby doesn’t really want more.” Jane admits. “But we are allowed 3 more, and I’d like to see if there is anyone out there who can be a net positive in our house.”

“So what are you looking for in a girl?” Maya asks.

“Well, personality is very important.” Jane says. “You’d have to be able to get along well with lots of other girls. Everyone has chores, or some way they help in the house, whether it’s cooking, laundry, cleaning, or something else, so having a skill is a good bonus. And you are cute, which I think my husband would appreciate.”

“Do you have other black girls in your house?” Maya asks.

“Not yet.” Jane says. “We were going to bid on one yesterday, but her boyfriend showed up, so we helped them end up together. I’ve got two more interviews to do, so if you have any other important questions, please ask them quickly. I’m happy to tell you a bit about the house, our girls, hubby, etc if you want.”

“I think 10 girls is a bit much for me.” Maya says. “You sound really nice, but I need space, and quiet, or I’ll lose it.”

“I understand.” Jane says. “Thank you for being honest with me. Eventually we may be able to provide space and quiet, but definitely not right now.”

Maya stands up, and asks. “So are you going to try to buy me?”

“It doesn’t sound like it’s the best fit for either of us.” Jane says, and Maya nods. “Good luck, Maya.”

Ron takes Maya away, and comes back with the next woman.

“Hi, I’m Jane.” Jane says, smiling at the woman who enters. She is a bit older, Jane thinks she remembers early 30’s, and the profile mentions she has construction and handyman experience.

“Valentina.” The woman says uncertainly, pointing at herself.

“Hi Valentina.” Jane says. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”

Valentina nods, but looks uncertain.

“Valentina, do you speak English well?” Jane asks.

Valentina shakes her head, looking both a bit relieved and nervous.

“Un momento.” Jane says, taking out her phone. Dialing Alexia’s number, she quickly gets an answer.

“Mistress, is everything ok?” Alexia asks.

“Yes. Please go somewhere quiet where no one else can hear us. Let me know when you are there.” Jane instructs her.

A moment later, Alexia says. “I stepped outside. Will that work, Mistress?”

“Yes. I’m at the auction, speaking with Valentina, and she doesn’t do well with English. I need you to translate for me. Can you please explain that to her?” Jane says. “I’m putting you on speakerphone.”

Jane sets the phone down between them, and Alexia says a bunch of things that Jane does not understand, before Valentina responds, a smile coming to her face.

“Ok, she understands, Mistress.” Alexia says. “What do you want me to ask her?”

“Her profile says she has experience with construction, and as a handyman. Can you ask her if that is accurate?” Jane says.

Alexia fires away again, Valentina responding eagerly, seemingly thrilled to be speaking to someone in her native language.

“She says she used to pretend to be a man to work in construction, and has been working as a handyman for the past few years under the table.” Alexia says.

Valentina says a few more things, and Alexia continues. “She says she can do plumbing, electrical, carpentry, whatever we need.”

“Great.” Jane says, smiling at Valentina. “Can you explain a bit about the house, how many girls we have, that kind of thing? I want her to understand our situation, so we can find out if she wants us to bid on her.”

After a minute of back and forth between Alexia and Valentina, Alexia tells Jane. “I told her. She seems fine with it, but has a concern. When I explained about Robert, she told me she is a lesbian. Is that a problem?”

“I don’t think Robert will care.” Jane says. “Can you explain to her that Robert has plenty of girls, that the only issue will be that she will need to get pregnant once before she turns 40, to avoid going to a work camp?”

A moment later Alexia says. “She’s asking if she can do the turkey baster method?”

“Tell her that is fine.” Jane says. “And maybe explain that Robert is very respectful, and won’t touch her.”

Alexia tells Valentina, and Valentina responds with another question. Alexia says. “She is asking if she will get in trouble if she gets a girlfriend? I’m assuming the answer is no.”

“Of course she wouldn’t.” Jane says. “Explain to her that we have a few bisexual girls, and maybe that Lindsey also is off limits to Robert, so she wouldn’t be alone in that.”

Amber does, and a moment later says. “She is happy about that. Anything else you want me to ask?”

“Tell her that we are probably going to have to move to a bigger house, and that we would need her to be in charge of fixing it up, and maintaining it. Ask her if that is something she is able and willing to do for us, if we buy her.” Jane says.

Amber reports back. “She says she can definitely do that, and would be happy to be useful.”

“Does she sound like she wants me to bid on her?” Jane asks.

Alexia rattles off a bit of Spanish, and Valentina nods, saying something. “She says, yes, very much yes.” Alexia translates.

“Tell her I will try to win her then.” Jane says. “And tell her I need to interview one other girl, so she can go back with the guard.”

Valentina nods as Alexia translates, and smiles at Jane as she stands up. She walks out the door looking very happy.

“Any red flags that you noticed, Alexia?” Jane asks, taking the phone off speaker.

“No, she seemed fine to me, Mistress.” Alexia says. “One of us will have to translate for you guys though.”

“Can you find out if any of the other girls speak Spanish?” Jane says. “Reyna maybe?”

“She does.” Alexia says. “I’m not sure about any of the rest, but I can try to find out.”

“Ok, I’ve got to go, the next girl is about to be here.” Jane says. “Do NOT tell Robert I am at the auction.”

“I won’t, Mistress.” Alexia says.

“And text me the clothing storage stuff asap.” Jane says, and hangs up the phone.

The next girl comes in as she is hanging up the phone. She looks a bit nervous, and Jane gives her a welcoming smile.

“Hi, my name is Jane.” Jane says. “We’ve only got a few minutes, but I’d like to ask you a few questions, to see if you might be a good fit for us.”

“Hey. I’m Samira.” The woman says nervously.

“Hi, Samira.” Jane says. “I usually take longer in these interviews, but my last one took a bit longer than I expected. I just want to make sure the information I have on you is right, to start. Is that ok?”

Samira nods, and Jane continues. “You are 22, and your family is originally from Syria?”

“Yes.” Samira says. “We came over as refugees when I was 10.”

“And it says you are a nurse?” Jane asks.

“I have my RN.” Samira says. “I was about to start my nurse practitioner program.”

“That’s great.” Jane says encouragingly. “Do you understand how this program works?”

“I get up on the block, and someone buys me as their slave.” Samira says. “I don’t know what happens after that.”

“Well, if we both decide that I should buy you, you would come back to my house. We have 10 women total right now, including me. You would be our nurse, and help train another girl who is also interested in nursing. Have they explained the birth quota to you at all?” Jane asks.

“No.” Samira says warily.

“Each household has to have 1 child per adult, and at least 1 per year, until they meet that quota.” Jane explains. “They haven’t said, but it sounds like any woman who hits 40 without producing a child will be sent to the camps, so we are asking each of our girls to have 1. That protects them, but also keeps things fair.”

“So my job would be caring for a bunch of pregnant women, and then children.” Samira summarizes.

“Basically, yes, you’d be the first line for our medical care, if you feel you are capable of that.” Jane says. “And given the birth quota, we would need you to be willing to have at least 1 child at some point. We’ve only got like 3 minutes until they start the auction, feel free to ask whatever you want.”

“How often would I need to have sex with your husband?” Samira asks.

“You would only HAVE to when it comes time to conceive.” Jane says. “We would both like it if you wanted it regularly of course, but no one is going to force you.”

“Are you religious?” Samira asks.

“No, not really.” Jane says. “Is that a problem?”

“No.” Samira says. “I’m bisexual. Is that a problem?”

“I am too.” Jane says, smiling. “So definitely not a problem. A few of our girls are, and I may well be buying a lesbian handyman in a few minutes.”

Samira looks relieved. “I’m a virgin. I’ve never actually been with anyone, beyond kissing.”

“You are welcome to explore at your own pace.” Jane says. “If you want me to buy you, of course.”

Jane notices Ron tapping his watch, and adds. “Looks like our time is up.”

Samira stands up, trying to think. “Please buy me.” She says as she is nearly at the door.

Megan has finally calmed down by the time Amber comes for her.

“Master, may I borrow Megan until dinner? I’d like to have her help with some chores.” Amber asks.

Robert looks down at Megan, resting against his chest, and asks. “Are you going to be ok?”

“Yes, Master.” Megan says. “I should go help.”

“Ok.” Robert says, giving her one last hug.

“Mistress says we will be sleeping in here tonight.” Amber informs Megan and Robert. At Megan’s concerned look, she adds. “Just sleeping.”

Megan gets off the bed and follows Amber to the hangout room, where Reyna is still working on folding laundry. Amber shuts the door behind them, and asks. “How are you holding up?”

“My butt is a bit sore, Mistress.” Megan says. “But I expected worse.”

“If you have to be spanked again, it will be worse.” Amber says. “That wasn’t full strength, and Mistress Jane is probably stronger than I am.”

“I understand, Mistress.” Megan says. “I’ll do my best not to be in that situation again.”

“Good.” Amber says. “Reyna, Megan is going to take over folding. Feel free to relax for the rest of the day.”

“Thank you, Amber.” Reyna says, getting up and stretching. “I’m going to hang out downstairs.”

“You can leave the door open.” Amber says.

Amber pulls out her phone, messaging Lucia and Alexia to let them know that Robert was free.

“Megan, is there anything you would like to talk about?” Amber asks.

“No, Mistress.” Megan says, eyes on her folding.

“Ok, I’ll be back shortly.” Amber says. “If you finish those, feel free to grab a book and read, or watch something on the TV until the dryer finishes. Try to keep the laundry going, and keep each load separate, so that we don’t mix people’s clothes up.”

Amber steps out of the room in time to stop Lucia before she goes in to grab Robert. “Lucia, can I borrow you for just a moment?”

“Sure.” Lucia says, following Amber down the hall to the cousins’ room. “Then I need to grab Robert for a bit. Mistress Jane’s orders were to keep him busy, so he doesn’t think about the punishment earlier.”

“I was hoping you could help me find more ta-teeras, both for me, and for Megan.” Amber says. “And more of these shorts too.”

“The shorts are easy enough.” Lucia says. “I’m not sure about the ta-teeras. Where did you get them before?”

“Master Jackson had a friend whose girl made them.” Amber says. “I tried to look online, but I don’t really understand how the internet works. I thought you might be able to help me figure it out. I don’t want to bug Master or Mistress with this, if I can help it.”

“I’ll see what I can find.” Lucia says. “If I can’t find anything, maybe we can see if one of the girls can sew? No one has mentioned it, but it’s possible.”

“I can sew a bit, but not enough to make something like this.” Amber says dejectedly.

“I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.” Lucia says, anxious to get to Robert.

“Thank you.” Amber says.

Lucia enters the room, finding Robert staring at his phone absently.

“You ok?” Lucia asks, giving him a hug and kiss.

“Yeah.” Robert says. “I just struggle with watching people suffer. It’s always been a problem for me.”

“It was necessary.” Lucia says. “And she seems fine now, I just walked by the room, and she’s calmly folding clothes. You’ve got a houseful of girls who need some time with you.”

Robert sighs. “I have been neglecting Taylor and Emily, in particular.”

“You’ve got a lot of demands for your attention.” Lucia says. “You won’t have enough time for everyone every day. But you do have a few hours, and we could all watch something together, or go for a walk.”

“A walk does sound nice.” Robert says. “Do you think any of the girls would like to go?”

“I’m sure Reyna will.” Lucia says. “Let’s go see who wants to go.”

Jane looks around as she takes a seat, and notices less than 10 total bidders. “Either people are struggling to get approved, they don’t know about this, or people are generally not interested.” Jane thinks. “And I doubt guys just aren’t interested.”

As the auction starts, several women get no bids at all. Maya does get a few, being sold to an older man for $900. Valentina is the first of Jane’s targets up, and she attracts no interest at first. Eventually Jane bids $50, and the auctioneer is unable to get more. Samira attracts a bit more attention unfortunately. “That was bound to happen.” Jane thinks. “She’s young, pretty, and stacked.”

Jane eventually manages to get Samira for $800. At the end nearly half of the women have gotten no bids, and the auctioneer appears disgruntled. “Anyone want to take another look at any of the no bids?” He asks. “There are some quality women here, folks.”

Jane stands up and walks towards the door, along with most of the bidders. She notices Alexia has finally texted her a link to the storage she wanted her to buy.

“You got two?” Rosie asks as Jane reaches the front desk.

“Yep.” Jane says. “I think I can convince Robert. I’ll text you after I talk to him, that may be a few days, depending on how he reacts to me bringing home two more girls.”

Rosie laughs. “I just knew you hadn’t told him. Just remember, no refunds.”

“He won’t ask me to bring them back.” Jane says. “He may pout a bit, but he will get over it.”

“You coming back tomorrow?” Rosie asks.

“I probably should give it a bit before I come back.” Jane says. “No point rocking the boat, and with these two, our house is running out of places to sleep.”

As Jane pays, Samira and Valentina are brought to the front. Collecting their belongings, and making sure they have their temp collars fastened, she beckons them to follow her out to the car. After they get in, Jane says. “Samira, this is Valentina. She doesn’t speak much English. I don’t suppose you speak Spanish?”

“No, sorry.” Samira says. “Just Arabic and English.”

“Speaking of which, do you want some sort of head covering?” Jane asks. “I didn’t ask you about your religion.”

“Definitely not.” Samira says. “I’m glad to be away from religion. That’s part of the reason I asked you about it.”

“Ok, just checking.” Jane says. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, if it’s something you wanted.”

“Thank you for asking.” Samira says. “But I’d rather leave all of that far in the past, along with the marriage my parents were trying to arrange.”

Valentina looks confused, so Jane dials Alexia’s number again.

“Hi, Mistress.” Alexia says.

“Hello, sweetheart.” Jane says. “I’ve got Valentina in the car, can you explain to her that we are going to pick up the furniture you found at the store, and then we will be home? Once we are home, I’m going to assign her to you, unless you have a better idea.”

“I’m happy to take her, Mistress.” Alexia says, and then rattles off some Spanish. “I told her what you wanted, and that when she gets to the house, I’ll sit down and answer any of her questions while I’m helping her get settled.”

“Thank you.” Jane says. “Maybe tomorrow I can sleep in your room. Speaking of which, we have two new girls joining us, so start thinking about sleeping arrangements. Amber and Megan will be in the master with Robert and I.”

“I’ll come up with something, Mistress.” Alexia says. “Are we planning to add anyone else before we move? If so, I probably need to get rid of the desk in my room, and add bunk beds instead.”