Chapter 7

Count Alexander was in his ancestral home in Russia as Emma went through her most ghastly punishment to date. He had received her letter from Sydney and was still trying to get over his loss. As soon as he had read the letter he had hired private enquiry agents (the best) to track her down and was ready at any time to fly out and plead with her personally to reconsider. But Emma had covered her tracks well, with the Professor's help.

He could see how the poor young woman was eaten up with guilt, and he shared her horror at what she had done. But the Count was older and wiser than Emma. He knew that nobody is beyond redemption. If only he could make her see this! The pain of seeing such a lovely person being destroyed was far worse than that of losing her.

The icon that Emma had touched in the Blue Room was now in the rebuilt monastery on the family's former estate. He had flown back to Russia especially to return the ancient and holy relic to the monastery personally. It had been the only one of his great grandfather's treasures that the hard-headed and mercenary old rogue had not sold. Even that died in the wool entrepreneurial capitalist had possessed some sense of the holy.

The Abbot and the Count were walking in the grounds and talking. Alexander had decided to stay for a while - a long while, maybe for ever. Although he had been born and educated in England and had always thought of himself as one hundred per cent British, the pull of his ancestral country and in particular this part of it was far stronger than he could ever have anticipated.

"We would always welcome you as one of our brotherhood, Count Alexander. I see you are a troubled man and I would greatly like to help. If you can find peace within these walls you are always free to stay and become one of us. But I doubt that you are ready to turn your back on the world. I feel there is work for you out there, my good Count!"

"Work, perhaps. Pain, certainly. At an age when I should be contemplating a steady and pleasurable descent into irrevocable bachelorhood, I have fallen in love, Holy Father! And not with a very suitable girl at all. Apart from being less than half my age she has known more of the world's wickedness and added more to it than I would have thought possible for one so young and beautiful. But I love her."

"Think long and hard, Count, before you make up your mind. And I will pray for you and for the young lady! Shall we both go inside and kneel before the Holy Icon that now occupies its rightful place again, thanks to you?"

Back on the island, Emma was being told to pull down a folding table which was flush with the furthest wall from the door. As she obeyed and lay obediently down, she saw that four wires were connected to it. At the end of each wire was a clip. Gulping, she realised what was in store. Without even needing to be told she attached a clip to each nipple and one to each of her vaginal lips. This last was not too easy, for Emma was a very hairy woman these days. She spread her legs apart and obediently put her arms beside her. Soon the clips snapped shut and she was secured.

She wondered how long this was to last and whether she could survive further and even more horrible pain. She hoped it would hurt even more than all the other torments combined, for she was more than usually full of self hatred at that moment.

"Go on, Prof! Give me the works! I deserve it and a lot more besides! Then just let me die, please! Tell the Count how much I love him and how sorry I am to have let him

down!"