Chapter 3

The following characters appear in the next couple of chapters:

Young Count

Pretenders son, 5’-9” tall, 175 pounds, 28 years old, brown hair and eyes.

Old Count

Pretender, 5’-9” tall, 155 pounds, 65 years old, gray hair, brown blood shot eyes.

Henry

Lieutenant of Dragoons, 6’-2” tall, 180 pounds, 21 years old, brown hair, blue eyes.

New Sergeant

Dragoon NCO, 6’-4” tall, 220 pounds, 27 years old, blond hair, blue eyes.

Mac

Dragoon, 6’-2” tall, 210 pounds, 30 years old, blond hair, hazel eyes.

Robert

Captain of Dragoons, 6’-3” tall, 225 pounds, 30 years old, black hair, brown eyes.

Walter

Doctor, 5’-8” tall 175 pounds, 45 years old, black hair, brown eyes.

Claude

Valet and Aid, 5’-7” tall, 145 pounds, 34 years old, blond hair, blue eyes.

The morning of the third day, they awoke to the shriek of the wind. There were lines of snow on the floor where the wind had forced it through the cracks between the boards covering the window openings. Gabe got up and rebuilt the fire in the fireplace. Soon it was warmer and he got Celia up. She started to make the porridge while Gabe put the kettle on the fire to melt the ice in it. He also moved the large crock as close to the fire as possible to melt the ice in it.

After breakfast, Gabe pulled Celia close, and told her, “Little One, we will soon be out of food. We must make plans to leave, as soon after the storm is over as we can. How you can go without shoes, I don’t know, but I will not leave you behind. You must go with me somehow.”

“My Master, I may be able to make some shoes. I have these socks that you gave me, and there are the cutoffs from these pants. I can fashion shoes from them.”

“You will require a sole for any shoes, Little One. We have no leather, and the cloth would soon wear through,” Gabe told her. Celia looked brokenhearted and started to sob, her chin down on her chest. After some time, she raised her head. She was looking at the door, at the way to the outside and getting away. It was while looking at the door in dejection that Celia noticed the hinges.

The hinges that had given way and let the door fall earlier in the storm. They were not metal – as metal was expensive. No, these were primitive – made from large pieces of ... leather! Yes, she had seen similar hinges on many of the out buildings on the estate. These looked even more primitive than most, being about three inches wide and there was a good foot of leather attached to the door. There was one near the top and another near the bottom of the door. Celia’s face lit up immediately.

“Master,” she said excitedly, “the old hinges, they’re leather. Could we not use them for the soles?” Gabe looked up startled and turned toward the door to see what she meant. It was the first time he had paid any attention to the door, since securing it with the pick handles. He got up and went over to examine the old hinges more closely.

It was apparent that the ends where they had been attached to the frame were rotted from the rain coming in and wear from use. This was the reason they had failed, but this was only on the very ends of the leather. The straps appeared to be overly long on the door. Perhaps it was intended to move them over when the ends failed. Who could know the intent of the original builder now? There was definitely more than enough good leather here to make soles for the feet of a small girl. There were only a few nail holes in the good ends.

Gabe retrieved the trowel, that he had used earlier to scoop up snow, and using it in addition to his belt knife started to pry the leather up from the door. He managed to pry the nails out without having to pull them through the leather, thus leaving only very small holes in it. When he handed them to Celia, she was ecstatic. There was more than enough leather here for her shoe soles.

It was then that Gabe asked Celia the CRITICAL question.

“How are you going to sew all of this together, Celia?” he asked.

Celia froze in place. All she had been worrying about was finding the materials. She had never considered how they would be put together. The girls had made shoes before. She had watched and even helped. There had always been needles, thread, and an awl, but not here. Her face fell in despair.

“I don’t know, Master Gabe. The girls always had needles and thread, also an old awl,” she answered in dejection.

“I know. There are many at my home, but I never envisioned the need when I set out to come here, and brought none,” Gabe told her, also in dejection.

They sat there for several minutes in silent dejection.

“Would an old man living alone have such things on hand?” Gabe finally asked.

“I don’t...?” Celia started before she had considered her answer carefully. “Yes, it is very possible that he would, Master Gabe,” she said, after more consideration.

“Where would he have kept them though?” Gabe asked.

“I don’t know. They weren’t on the mantel board. I’ve checked there carefully. If they were here, they could be anywhere,” Celia moaned, heart broken.

“Get the candle holders from the mantel” Gabe told her, after several minutes. “We will make a more through search of this place to see what we can find. Perhaps something will show up.”

Celia got the candle holders from the mantel and placed a new candle in each, then lit them from the fireplace using a sliver of wood. They started to search the entire shack. It was a good twenty minutes later, as he was searching through a pile of rubble near the entrance to the back room that Gabe came across a small canvas bag that contained a number of items. It had been mixed in with the other broken furniture and crockery. It didn’t appear to be worth much. He called Celia without even opening it.

“Celia, look at this, and see if there is anything useful in it.” She came over and took the bag from him, and returned to the fireplace to examine it’s contents. On pouring it’s contents out on the mattress, she became very excited at the treasure trove it contained. There was a small scissor, several bobbins wound with linen thread of different weights, at least two with medium and heavy thread on them. There was a bone needle case with both cloth and leather needles, a cake of bees wax, a pin cushion with a number of pins, a wood thimble, and lastly a small sharp knife for cutting leather. There was also an awl for making the holes in the leather for the needle to pass through. Celia was ecstatic.

“Master,” she called to Gabe, “you can stop looking. This is exactly what we need. I can start on the shoes now.”

“So a gardener would have those things,” Gabe said.

“Yes, Master. A man living alone would need to repair his things. Seamstresses and slave girls were not always available,” Celia answered.

While Celia worked on her shoes, Gabe set to work on his limited supply of rope to fashion the snares he would place tomorrow to try and catch some rabbits to use as a food supply for the trip away from here. Their work consumed most of the remainder of the day.

Gabe also brought in more firewood from the back, and cleaned the hearth. The plentiful ashes were used in the area where Gabe had dug a hole so they had a place to relieve themselves during their stay here, as there was no slop bucket or other facilities. The ashes did a good job of covering everything up and absorbing any odor, along with a little of the dirt. The water in the crock was getting low also. Gabe went through the tunnel to the back door and collected snow to melt for the water.

As daylight had waned, so had the winds somewhat. Gabe spoke to Celia about tomorrow.

“It looks like tomorrow will be a calm day,” Gabe told her “I will set some snares and other traps in the morning, and check them late in the day. If the catch is good, we’ll leave here the day after tomorrow. Will you be ready by then?”

“Yes, Master Gabe. I’ll be finished with these by midday tomorrow. We can cook your catch in the night and leave early the next morning,” Celia assured him.

After it was dark awhile, they had the rest of that day’s porridge and got ready for bed. Celia made sure she was the last one in bed, with a promise to bank the fire. Instead after she had finished her business at the latrine hole, she put more wood on the fire, removed her pants, opened both shirts, and removed the outer woolen one, but she retained the inner linen one. Then she crawled into bed with Gabe.

Celia started to hug and kiss Gabe. She placed his hands on her small breast, and rubbed her bare pussy against his leg. Her desire was great, and she wanted him in her badly. She still believed, despite talk of leaving, that she was going to die tomorrow. She was frantic to taste the delights of sex again before she died.

Gabe felt her nearly naked body against his and knew that Celia was desperate. She shook and quivered, cooed and moaned. He had never known a woman so in need of a man before. Even though the slave girls he had used in the past had been willing and passionate, none had ever been this needy. He kissed Celia passionately and pulled her on top of him. She was so small and light that he hardly noticed the weight. He definitely noticed her hot and dripping puss, y as Celia rubbed it against his naked leg.

“Please, Master. Take me again. Let me know that I’m a woman once more!” Celia begged through her sobs and tears.

Gabe was in a quandary. He had already had her once and made her orgasm twice. She was so sweet and desirable. She seemed to need sex more than most girls her age, or at least she showed it more. Still and all, she wasn’t fourteen yet. Could he continue this? Was it right? Obviously, Celia wasn’t worried about it, but Gabe definitely was. Her continued rubbing, however, soon had the desired effect, and Gabe was as hard as a rock. Then when the little head started to do the thinking, it all seemed all right.

“Do you want to be on top again, my Sweet?” Gabe asked.

“No, my Master. You must be on top and make love to me like a real woman. Please love me a long time,” Celia pleaded as her body shook with desire.

“You’re so small, Little One. I fear I may squash you, or hurt you,” Gabe answered her.

“It is all right, my Master. Whatever happens to me is of no importance. Only that you love me and for a long time,” Celia pleaded.

“Will your back be all right, Little One?” Gabe asked then.

“Yes, my Master. I have retained the inner shirt, and it will be fine,” Celia assured him.

Gabe held her to him, and rolled over so that Celia was under him. He was careful not to put any of his weight on her. Celia had already spread her legs and now wrapped them around him as far as they would go. With Gabe’s width and her short legs, it wasn’t far. Gabe rubbed his cock across her dripping lower lips to lubricate it and then, being more careful than usual, guided himself to her small entrance. A short shove and he was in her.

“Oh yes, my Master,” Celia said, as she felt him enter her, “all the way now!”

“Easy, Little One. A little bit at at time. You’re very tight, and I don’t want to hurt you. We’ll go in several steps, but rest assured that I’ll wind up all the way in you soon,” Gabe assured her.

“Yes, my Master,” Celia said, shortly in delight. “Now make love to me for a long time. I need you so.” Gabe started a slow steady rhythm. It was one that he had been able to maintain for considerable periods in the past. With this hot, tight, passionate girl, he wasn’t so sure of his abilities.

Gabe lasted a lot longer than he thought that he could. Celia orgasmed twice under him before he was ready to fill her with his seed. When he was near, he told Celia that he was about there.