Chapter 80

I took Fantine back to the Chateau with me. She was a little surprised to realise that I meant to leave her clothes strewn along the river bank.

"My clothes..." she said plaintively.

"Your friends will take them home for you." I gestured to the group who'd been watching us as we'd made love in the sunshine.

Fantine's eyes widened as she realised that she'd had an audience through such an intimate time. But then she looked at me, "You're teaching me things aren't you. You're taking me places that I'd never go to on my own. I'll come out of this knowing more and being happier, won't I?" she asked, I could see her hoping that I'd say yes.

I smiled down at her. Seeing the other villagers who'd watched her, she'd shrunk down, trying to hide herself. I was past that, if they wanted to watch they could. If they thought that my poor excuse for a body was worth watching, then let them watch.

I shrugged, "You have a body. I have a body. I think your body is nice. It gave me pleasure. I think I pleasured you. Let them look, they might not have realised yet that our bodies are basically the same as theirs."

"I don't think that they've seen as many naked bodies as you have Baron," Fantine replied.

I realised the truth of her statement. "Then perhaps it is beholden on us to show then a couple more." I undressed and left my clothes with Fantine's.

Holding my hand tightly, but giving no other sign of her nervousness, Fantine walked at my side through the crowd to the car. Melissa got in the rear with us and Umber got in the front.

The Chateau was in absolute chaos when we returned.

"What the fuck's happening?" I asked Harold. He'd been hurrying by with a sheaf of papers but I'd grabbed him and pulled him into an alcove out of the way of people moving things from one place to another.

"We have to rearrange things a bit. Your Generals need more room and Sasha said that Karen needs a lot more space as well." He said.

"Oh Harold, I'm so sorry that I've caused all this upset." I was really upset that I'd brought this chaos into Harold's nicely ordered life.

He laughed, "Don't be, I'm not. I haven't had so much fun since I set fire to my sister's underwear drawer when I was ten." He hurried off.

I watched him leave and smiled to myself. Harold really was enjoying himself.

I held on to Fantine and led her to the pool. Cecy was reading her paper in a lounger, when she saw us; she almost jumped up and hugged me.

"You took Sasha's advice then?" she asked with a smile.

"I know when to listen to my love, and when to do as I'm told." I replied. "Cecy this is..."

"Fantine Maury, I knew you'd pick the best of the bunch." Said Cecy. "Fantine, welcome to the Chateau."

The two women kissed cheek to cheek.

Suddenly Fantine jumped, "I'm still dripping," she hissed!

Cecy stepped back and looked at Fantine's legs. "Paul, you beast! You dragged poor Fantine up here with your cum dripping down her legs."

Within seconds Jo and June were there with bowls of warm water. Fantine watched in amazement as they washed and dried her legs and vulva, cleaning all of the escaping semen from her skin.

"How are Eloise and that little sexpot of a daughter of hers?" asked Cecy.

Fantine looked sad and glanced at me before answering.

"Fantine, don't ever be afraid of speaking within the Baron's hearing. To my certain knowledge he's never judged on what he's heard, nor has he spoken of it. You may speak freely, knowing that if he helps you will truly be set free."

"Eloise has a broken collarbone and two cracked ribs. He beat her again."

"Her husband?" I asked.

Fantine shook her head.

"Her husband was the kindest, gentlest man you could find. He's in prison. We all think he was falsely accused of theft, armed robbery, but his DNA was in the bank, and they wouldn't believe his alibi. So my sister had to come back to live with me and our father." Fantine looked at me a haunted look on her face. "Oh god, it's nearly lunchtime, if I don't get back quickly he'll expect her to..." she stopped, too frightened to go on.

"To what, Fantine?" I asked gently, though I was sure what their father would require Eloise to do, even with cracked ribs and a broken collar bone.

She just looked at me, "Monsieur, not all men are honourable, not all fathers protect their children's virtue."

"When did your Mother die?" I asked.

Fantine laughed, "Our Mother had the good sense to run away when she could. It's our misfortune that she couldn't take us with her."

"And now you two are being made to fulfill his missing wife's 'duties'?"

Fantine nodded.

"I think it's about time I met your father. I also want to ensure that Chloe knows when to come here tomorrow."

Fantine was about to say something but Cecy put her hand on Fantine's arm.

"Fantine, shall we go and see what Chef is doing for dinner? I do like to keep an eye on these things." Cecy said almost dragging Fantine away with her.

"GIRL! My clothes. I have business in the village!" I was pissed offand now I had an outlet for the anger that'd been building up inside me over the past few weeks. Fantine and Eloise's father was going to learn a lesson.

I noticed that Sandy came running out with my girls, she carried a pair of boots and another pair of heavy shoes. I smiled. I liked the looks of those shoes. I had one more request of Sandy. She looked puzzled but ran to get the toys I asked for.

A car took me back to the village. I noticed our clothes were still where we'd left them by the riverbank. Better still Fantine's handbag was also there. I had the car stop and gathered up the clothes and handbag. Back in the car I checked inside the handbag, sure enough a set of house keys were there. There was only one 'Yale' type key; that should save me time getting into the house.

Quickly I walked along the lane to the secluded house. I couldn't hear any noise from within but I knew that it was ten minutes into the usual worker's lunchtime here. Their father should be home by now.

The key fit the front door as I suspected. The door opened straight into the living room. Where a huge man was forcing a slim woman down on to her knees, his waiting erection left no doubt as to his intentions.

"Non papa." She cried as she was relentlessly forced downward.

I pushed the door hard and it slammed into the wall, letting the man know I was there. He smiled at me but continued forcing the woman down.

I pulled my belt out of the belt loops. My belts never lasted long; I didn't expect the thin soft supple leather to last long. That wasn't why I wore them. They were a leftover from my time on the borders during the troubles. Northern Ireland when and where just being English could be a death sentence. I'd survived nearly nine years there. I'd learnt a few lessons in the provinces too.

I folded the soft leather into a sling and slipped a marble into the tiny pouch. The man still didn't realise the danger he was in.

He succeeded in getting his penis into her mouth and fucked her while he watched me.

"Get away from her." I ordered, but it was obvious he didn't understand me.

"Qu' est-ce que tu veux?" ("What the fuck do you want?") The giant asked.

I swung the sling once and let the marble fly into his right arm. I heard the sound of his arm breaking from across the room. I could have aimed for his head just as easily, with far more deadly consequences.

With surprising speed for one so large, he ran across the room and snatched open a drawer. Eloise dropped sobbing to the floor.

My second marble caught him on his right shoulder, breaking his upper arm. This just seemed to enrage him.

"Qu' est-ce que tu veux, con? Pourquoi on ne partage pas la conne? Elle a une fille, quand tu les veut plus jeunes" ("What the fuck are you doing cunt? Why don't we just share the bitch? She's got a daughter if you like them young.")

He snatched an automatic pistol out of the drawer holding it awkwardly with his left hand.

"Pourquoi tu fais ça? Elle n'est qu'une pute, qu'on peut partager." ("Why're you doing this? It's only a bitch, we can share.") He yelled at me.

I walked slowly toward him. That pistol had been picked out of a drawer full of junk and shit. Who knows what was in the barrel.

I watched as his finger tightened on the trigger. If I was mistaken then he'd shoot me and I would most likely die. But I knew that I was right. I don't know how I knew, I just did.

The giant's finger went white with the pressure on the trigger. He stared at the pistol uncomprehending. I grabbed the gun and twisted it out of his hand, breaking his index finger in the process.

I took the gun in my right hand and released the clip, then I pulled back the action, the chamber was empty. Three more flicks and the pistol dropped in pieces on the floor.

I'd been right; the safety was still on and, as that pistol had the safety on the left hand side, and he'd been using his left hand, he hadn't released the safety when he tried to shoot me.

I stepped back away from him. "Now down on the floor." I ordered.

"Il a dit mets-toi au sol!" ("He said get on the floor!") Eloise translated.

"Pourquoi je le ferai?" ("Why should I?") he asked.

"Eloise, tell me what he said." I said trying to sound as gentle as I could under the circumstances. "Tell me the truth.

She sobbed a little harder. "He asked why?"

"Because I'll kill you if you don't." I answered him.

Eloise looked at me beseechingly.

"Tell him Eloise, and tell him the truth."

"Il te tuera quand tu ne le mets pas au sol." ("He will kill you if you don't get down on the floor.") Eloise translated.

"Il est qui?" ("Who is he?") asked the man.

"Je ne sais pas." ("I don't know,") she answered.

"Tu sais quoi alors!" ("You DO know!") he roared.

"Il est mon sauveur" ("He's my saviour.") She sobbed.

With a roar he charged at me, arms open wide to overwhelm me and crush the life out of my body.

I'd been expecting this and let fly another marble, a slightly larger one this time. It flew true and smashed into his head before he'd taken two steps toward me. He died before he hit the floor, his brain pounded to mush by the small glass toy smashing though it.

I looked down at the giant at my feet. I'd taken no joy at his death; I only wondered how they'd gotten into this situation in the first place. I suppose I'd never find out. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a shadow move from the window. I ran there to check for more danger and saw Sandy walking away, a carbine at her side. I smiled to myself, they'd been watching over me and saw that the old man could still look after himself even though he was ancient, and decrepit.

"Eloise, do you need a doctor?" I asked the stunned woman as she stared at the body on the floor.

She nodded slowly. "Is he really dead?" she asked quietly.

"Yes." I answered.

With a screech, she threw herself at the body. "YOU BASTARD!" she cried, pounding his lifeless chest. "Why couldn't you just ask us? We'd have let you fuck us, if only you'd asked." She broke down crying then.

Em pushed by me. "Master, let me look after this woman. You take her daughter up to the Chateau, we'll be along soon."

I watched as Em held the sobbing woman for a few minutes and then she gave her an injection. Eloise quietened then.

Hearing a noise from the side I turned and saw Chloe watching me. I turned to her. "Will you come with me to the Chateau? Your Aunt is still there." I asked.

"Will we still ... you know ... make love?" she asked hesitantly.

"Do you want to?" I asked smiling.

Chloe nodded; her eyes bright with adolescent lust.

"Come then, let's go and find your Aunt." I held out my hand to her.

As she passed her Grandfather, Chloe's foot lashed out in a vicious kick to his head. "It's time you got what you deserved for raping my Mother and Aunt all this time, you bastard!" She spat on him. "They're your children; only animals rape their own children!"

Two of Elastic's marines passed us wheeling a gurney into the house. There was a black body bag on it already.

I led Chloe out into the street where a small crowd had gathered.

"What happened, girl?" someone asked.

"My Grandfather was raping my Mother again and the Baron stopped him." She answered.

A number of the women in the crowd nodded their heads. The men looked a little sheepish.

"Why didn't you men stop him?" Chloe screamed at them. "You could have done something. You're supposed to be our friends but you let him carry on raping them both. He was going to start on me soon too." She finished in a very quiet voice, as though she'd just realised that. "He was going to start raping me..."

The crowd quietened and backed away from Chloe's anger. I could see shame in their faces and attitudes. These people would have to do a lot of making up to Eloise, Fantine and Chloe for the suffering they'd endured.

"Come Chloe; let's go find your Aunt." I held her and guided the now sobbing girl to the waiting car. Sasha took over from me as soon as Chloe sat down. Chloe cried into Sasha's shoulder all the way back to the Chateau.

Fantine was waiting on the steps for us. She looked nervous, wringing her hands together and moving her weight from foot to foot. She paled visibly when she saw Chloe huddled in Sasha's arms, but nearly danced when the girl looked up and smiled at her.

Chloe almost flew out of the car into her Aunt's arms. They started chattering in French and I was lost immediately. Cecy guided them both into the Chateau, and to a sitting room for drinks and a light snack I supposed. But I was wrong, Riddley came running through and walked back a few seconds later with Fantine and Chloe, leading them to the sick room.

I was happier now that Em and Riddley were looking after them. However bad a person he was, he had still been their Father / Grandfather, and his death at my hands would be an awful event for them.

I entered the Chateau, Sasha by my side. She hugged my arm but stayed silent, knowing that I was coming to terms with killing a man.

We wandered around the ground floor, watching my 'Generals Office' take shape. Jenny was in there talking with her fellow Generals, she was holding the dress that I'd ripped from her. They were all concentrating on the ruined garment.

"It's a real June," declared Sue. "Just look at the stitching. And the lace work is fabulous!"

"Beyond fab," interrupted 2, "I've never felt anything like this in my life. It's sooooo soft. What did it feel like against your skin, Jenny?"

Jenny sighed, "I ... I really wasn't thinking about this then. I was ... waiting to be ... wanting ... to be captured."

Her friends looked at her with sympathy.

"First time any of us gets to wear a £25,000 frock and she's thinking about something else." Carol said with a laugh. This caused the others to giggle too.

To let them know I was in the room I said "Hello ladies."

"Boss!"

"Master!" said Jenny falling to her knees.

"We were looking at Jenny's dress. It's gorgeous, where did you get it, it must have cost a fortune."

"Well Carol," I replied, "I don't really know how much it cost. Karen makes them and she had that one on hand when I needed a very good dress for Jenny."

"One of your girls ... your slaves, makes these!?" 2 exclaimed.

"Oh yes, my girls are extremely talented..."

One of the girls giggled.

"In areas other than horizontal athletics." I said, trying to look stern. "Anyway, if you want Karen to make you a few dresses just ask her. It might take a few days but she's very good at what she does."

The girls gasped.

"But ... but ... these are real June dresses, they're worth tens of thousands," said Julie. She went to her handbag and pulled out a battered copy of Oui magazine, quickly flicked through it and held it open to show me a picture of Chantille attending some red carpet event. She was wearing one of Karen's more modest designs. The caption said that if the reader wanted a gown like Chantille's, then they should expect to pay around €35,000.