Chapter 104

Thursday

Six Days To Go

Martinè

"Master," Isabel said softly.

I had just opened my eyes; she was kneeling beside my bed waiting for me. I smiled at her; it isn't fair to wake up grumpy when you own slaves. They think your moodiness is their fault; it unsettles them for the whole day. Much better to smile, then they feel that they've cheered you up, and they feel good all day. These little things, they're so hard to learn, but so important to our family life.

"Yes, my girl," I answered.

"Mistress Bands is back, Master, and she would like to see you after your breakfast." Isabel looked thoughtful, as though she was checking that she'd remembered the whole message.

"OK, does Jill know?" I asked. Jill would need to check with the FDD to make sure that there weren't any conflicts.

"Jill said that your diary is clear for this morning, Master. She said that she had pencilled in swimming and cuddling Susan." The last bit was said with a smile.

'A good morning then, ' I thought.

I sat up, "OK, is the shower..." I heard the shower start and smiled. My girls do look after me. I cupped Isabel's cheek, "What have I done to deserve such wonderful girls as you?" I asked.

"MASTER!" Isabel was shocked. "It is we girls who thank our Gods every day that we are owned by you. It is we who are privileged, we who are blessed beyond all other slaves." She knelt proudly in front of me, "My Master, this girl would never ask for her freedom, for she knows that she is the one who actually gains the most for being a slave of the Baron."

As I stood, humbled by her words, I felt her cheek brush along my thigh. I also felt a wetness start running down my leg, 'Tears, ' I thought. I tried not to let Isabel see me brush away my own tears.

I was showered, and dressed, quickly. The girls obviously knew that Elastic wanted to see me, and as soon as she could, too.

"I'll have my breakfast in my office this morning. Please let the Chef and Captain Bands know." I said to no one in particular. One of the girls, through no system I could work out, would be chosen to take the messages. I noticed one of my new girls hurry away. I wondered what her name was?

"What is the name of the girl who left with my messages?" I asked. Again, to no one in particular.

"That girl is slave Sandra, Master," Isabel replied.

"Where's Umber?" I asked.

"Here, my Master." Umber replied from behind me.

I turned, "Umber dearest, has Elastic's present arrived yet?"

Umber smiled. "Yes Master. It arrived yesterday; I put it in the Coven's office. I thought that you'd want to make a special event of the presentation, so I had a word with Commanders Wilton and Backhouse. They agreed to my suggestion that..."

I had to smile, then laugh out loud. Perhaps this would be a little payback for Elastic.

"So the keyword is 'Terrible', OK?" I confirmed.

Umber smiled widely, "Yes, my Master."

"And I know just how to get her out of the way too." I said. We both broke into conspiratorial grins.

"OK girls, I'm going to my office. Umber attend me, and choose three other girls as well." I didn't wait, Umber was far better at organising my girls than I was so I just left her to it.

I had just sat down in one of the chairs in the informal area when Elastic knocked on my door.

"If you're going to drag me off to another parade, then go away!" I called.

She opened the door and entered. She was in uniform, another new uniform I saw. A VICE ADMIRAL'S uniform! She'd been bumped three grades!

I hurried to her and we hugged. Over her shoulder I saw Umber looking at me, I nodded, and she mouthed 'Terrible, ' I nodded again.

I leaned back, "Come and tell me all about it. Have you had breakfast yet?"

She shook her head, "I've been too excited and I wanted to wait for you. You've done this for me, your influence was what actually got me this rank, and the post of FONT." Her eyes glistened with incipient tears.

We sat, Umber and Jo served us breakfast. I called Sandra and another new girl to my sides. They would receive the 'crumbs' off my table today.

Elastic finally settled a little. "Boss, There's just so much for me to tell you,"

I knew that security would be recording our conversation, and Umber would also be taking mental notes. Everything would be ready in time. Of that I was certain.

London

Sasha, Nigel and Geoff stared through the large opening that Geoff had made in the wall. The cleaning cupboard now really did look fake. 'But, ' Sasha asked herself, 'Why?'

"Get Jessica down here and let her have another look," Sasha ordered. Voices along the corridor passed her message and, shortly, a nervous Jessica arrived.

"Well, Jessica, what do you think?" asked Sasha.

Jessica looked into the cupboard, examining the mops, the solitary bucket and the few other items in there.

"Well, Ma'am," she started.

"Jessica, call me 'Sasha', or 'Boss', if you absolutely must."

"Yes, Ma'am." Jessica replied.

Sasha and Nigel both burst out laughing.

"Now I know how Paul feels," said Sasha. Jessica looked on, now even more nervous.

Sasha gently took Jessica by her arm, "Jessica, what you have just done is the same as a joke that we've played on my beloved for ages and ages. It took Nigel and me by surprise when you answered as you did. Now, please, please call me either 'Sasha' or 'Boss'." Sasha's warm smile and tender approach convinced the frightened woman that her employer really did mean what she said.

"Yes ... Boss."

"Oh, I really am going to have to take you to see Paul," Sasha said with a smile. "You'll like him, really like him. He's such an ordinary person."

"Why shouldn't he be ordinary?" asked Jessica.

"Well, when you're a Baron, and a multibillionaire, then people might forgive you for being a little detached from the cares of ordinary life," replied Nigel. "But the Baron, hasn't been changed by his peerage or his wealth. He really is a nice man. I'm sure you'll like him."

Jessica covered her mouth in shock, "Oh, but I couldn't meet someone as posh and rich as that. Whatever would he say to me, and me just a cleaner?"

Nigel leaned forward a little, "Do you do the lottery?" he asked.

Jessica nodded; the hope of a large win was, for her and most of her neighbours, their only chance of escaping from the squalor and violence of the estate that they lived in.

"Then ask him about his lottery win," suggested Sasha. "He was a normal wage slave just like you and me. But he won the Euro-millions, and now he has turned his lottery win into a huge financial empire."

Still unsure, Jessica felt it would be better to just agree. She was certain that neither Ms. Dempsey nor Mr. Morton would actually take their cleaner to meet a billionaire. That sort of thing just didn't happen in real life.

"Now Jessica, what do you think of this cupboard?" asked Sasha.

"Well, Boss, the mops are wrong. The heads aren't right for that type of handle. Those handles stopped being made in the 60's, but those mop heads are much later, 90's or so. And that bucket, I mean, five mops and only one bucket. What use would that be? And that bleach, that hasn't been legal for over forty years, but look at the tin, it's practically new. If I had to suggest a reason for them to be in there like that, I'd have to say some man tried to make this look like a cleaner's cupboard."

Sasha, Nigel and Geoff stared at her detailed dissection of the items in there.

"Nigel," said Sasha, "about Jessica's bonus, my eyebrows had better go up when I sign her cheque."

"They will, Boss. Oh, they will," promised Nigel.

"Now we have another puzzle to solve," Sasha stated. "Geoff, are you free for three or four more days?" she asked.

"Ma'am, just try and get rid of me," Geoff replied with feeling. "I haven't ever had a case like this."

Birmingham

"Mr. Atkins," Dr. Lu paused, smiling for once.

"What!" he growled. What on Earth could that bitch want now?

"I've come to inform you that the Maternity unit has had its first fatality free week for the last eight years." Dr. Lu said proudly. She turned and left his office.

Dr. Atkins stared after her, unable to wrap his mind around the good news she'd given him. He got up and went to his window. Atkins watched Dr. Lu as she walked back to her maternity unit. She'd only been at the hospital a few weeks but the other staff members greeted her warmly. However had he thought of her as small, he wondered.

Cumbria

"Well, Mr. Policeman," the Moroccan seemed to enjoy calling him that, "Have you got the weapons?"

Sir Gerald nodded. He pointed to a pile of boxes in the corner, "Everything you asked for," he said.

"And the special ammunition?" the Moroccan asked.

"That's in there too, just as you asked." Sir Gerald hated meeting these men. He didn't like the way that the Moroccan looked at him. He knew that there would be blackmail attempts after that Bastard was finally dead. Still, he was sure that he could arrange ... accidents ... yes fatal accidents, for those who survived Winters. He smiled to himself, his humour never reaching his face at all.

Yes, a few accidents would put everything back on course.

London

"How are you doing, Sal, pet?" Bertie asked quietly. He placed a cup of tea beside her on the coaster.

Sally looked up, her eyes sparkled, happy about the way her book was now looking, and ecstatic with love for her mate. "I've just finished the acknowledgements. It reads like a who's who of the journalism world."

Bertie smiled, "And your name is on the top," he reminded her.

Bertie sat down beside his lover. "When this is all over, I want you to meet some old friends of mine. I've been talking to them about you. And so have a few other people too. I want you to think about taking an Editor's position."

Sally looked at him open eyed, "But I'm only..."

He took her hands in his, "You're only the only who has organised all of this," he gestured to the notes and printouts surrounding her. "You are the one who convinced all of the others to join you. You are the one who kept them hard at work when there were other things that their bosses wanted them to look at. You did all of this, and I know what it takes to become an editor." Bertie tapped his chest. "And you, Sal, pet, have it in you to be one of the greats." He hugged her, tears pricking his eyes as he realised that he wouldn't see her true greatness. That would come long after he died.

Martinè

"So, I went into the Admiralty Boardroom and found them all waiting for me. Some smiling, others, well, not so happy. And I remember who was doing what," Elastic added almost to herself.

"Well, I've got something for you to have a look at," I said rising. "Come on, it's not too far away." We went to the drive and there was a car waiting for us. Another car, with our protection people and, only, two slaves waited behind it.

We were driven off to the west, to the new site for Elastic's training school.

Jean-Paul and Analise were waiting for us in the Hotel de Ville.

"Baron, Admiral, please take the coffee?" Jean-Paul gestured to a small table, a coffee pot and cups waiting for us.

I introduced them to Elastic and we sat and made small talk as one of the admin staff poured our drinks.

"Jean-Paul, Analise, I have brought Admiral Bands here for her to look at the land I purchased. She's here to see these plots with a view to starting a new, joint, Anglo-French naval training school." I could see that they were impressed by Elastic's project.

Jean-Paul showed Elastic a large scale map showing the three plots I'd bought, either of the two farms would be ideal for the actual training establishment. They both have good, or improvable, road links to the local motorway. There are small airports within an hours drive, and, as we'd seen on the drive here, the local villages and this small town were all improving their own infrastructure to support the expected 600 trainees and up to 200 staff.

"Baron," said Analise.

"Yes," Elastic and I said together.

I looked at her and she blushed a deep red. This made me smile. "Did you get an early birthday present while you were in Buck House?" I asked, smiling.

"Oh Boss, I'm so sorry, with everything else that happened, I forgot to tell you."

Jean-Paul and Analise leaned forward slightly, both very interested in what they might hear.

"I was given two messages for you from the Lord High Admiral."

I wondered what messages The Queen would send to me.

"The first is 'Glastbroke, get a move on.'"

I nodded, then thought for a moment. That could only mean one thing. The Queen knew about my troubles with the Cumbrian's and wanted me to finish it quickly.

"And the second?" I asked, barely able to keep myself from laughing.

"To keep the status quo, Her Majesty is minded to elevate Glastbroke to Viscount." Elastic replied.

I laughed out loud, "So I'm a Viscount now?"

Elastic nodded.

Then I thought back to her little slip a moment ago, "And what are you, what little prezzie did you get?"

"Baroness Irthlingborough," she replied shyly.

I hugged her, "That's marvellous, finally someone with real talent has been rewarded."

As we hugged each other I noticed Umber quietly sneak out of the room. I was certain that she was going to report this news back to Martinè.