Chapter 9: Reviewing Investments

Two days later, confident that the girls could be left without fears for their chastity, I found myself once more at the portals of Whitworth House, visiting the Institute of Practicing Engineers. Standing at the foot of the staircase that led up through the Institute's splendid cast bronze doors, I had a few moments to consider the conversation that I was about to have with Sir Bristow Merriweather.

I was met in reception by Sir Bristow's Bantu — as I had discovered — assistant, Ngoya Mbute. She was as pleasant as on our previous meeting, similarly dressed in high-collared blouse and long skirt. She moved through the lobby of the building as though gliding across the marble-paved floor, a beaming smile on her face as though nothing could bring her more pleasure than doing what she was doing right at that instant. She showed me to the elevator that would take us up to Sir Bristow's office. I couldn't help but feel, as we got in, that the elevator's cage was only a little more comfortable than the accommodation which the Tusker girls were then enjoying.

The elevator's cables creaked as we were winched upwards. Miss Mbute seemed unconcerned by the sounds of stretching wire and metal upon metal. Almost at once, we had reached our destination and stopped with a jolt, accompanied by a sighing from the cables. I found myself unconvinced of the benefits of this metallic cage over the more conventional stairs that I had used on my previous visit. Sir Bristow, who greeted us in the corridor, seemed anxious to praise the contrivance, however. "First rate," he said. "Imagine, it will become possible to construct ever higher buildings now people can be whisked skywards in one of these."

I kept my counsel on the matter. As far as I recalled, it was less than a week since one of the same devices had plunged to earth from a height of only three stories, killing a dozen souls within its metallic grasp.

In the doorway to his office, Sir Bristow continued to extoll the virtues of the elevator. To my disappointment, Miss Mbute abandoned us, withdrawing to another room that opened off the opposite side of the corridor. A few minutes passed, during which I thought I would learn more of powered lifting cages than any man has the need of. Then Sir Bristow suddenly stopped. His florid face took on a conspiratorial expression. "Here," he said. "Enough of this talk of machines of iron and steel. Let me show you some even more remarkable equipment."

He stepped across the corridor and, without pausing or knocking, opened the door through which Miss Mbute had gone minutes before.

No longer wearing her long skirt, Ngoya Mbute was sprawled on her back across the top of a large oak desk, one of her dark-skinned legs drawn up sinuously, the other draped over the end of the desk. Between her thighs, a naked, pale woman, hands bound crudely behind her back with thick rope, was applying her mouth and tongue to Miss Mbute's sex. Ngoya Mbute was growling appreciatively with each application of the other woman's ministrations. The pale back of the woman crouched between Ngoya's thighs seemed familiar.

"Don't let us disturb you, Miss Mbute," Sir Bristow called. From her lack of response I concluded that her attention was sufficiently diverted as to be unconcerned by our presence. "I thought you would like to see this," Merriweather went on. "You remember Nicola James, of course?"

"Indeed I do." It was then that I remembered Sir Bristow speaking of his meeting with Meriel James.

"Meriel was good enough to help me out. Poor Miss Mbute has a particularly powerful drive in the matter of carnal desire. It was becoming something of a distraction for her and, I must confess, for myself. There is only so much time a man can spare for amusement during the working day. Anyway, the good Mr James obligingly suggested that his wife would help out. Most generous; most thoughtful. Exactly the sort of chap the Institute should be working with. I was very happy to extend his contract."

I'm pleased to hear it, I thought, knowing that an improvement in Meriel's fortunes would find its way in part to myself. As for Nicola, even though nothing in her original adjustment had prepared her for it, she seemed happy enough with her face buried in the moist, pale pink flesh between the dark brown of Ngoya's labial lips.

"Well, come back to my office," Sir Bristow invited. "Let's talk about your latest project. I was hoping to suggest that some of our members might come and see how things were progressing."

We discussed the idea. At first I was not keen. It seemed that Sir Bristow's motivations were mainly voyeuristic and there was the danger that such a visit might disrupt the girls' learning. As we talked though, I began to see the potential benefit to my working relationship with the Institute and the contribution it could make to the girls' learning as well. In the end we agreed that a small party, four of the Institute's Board of Trustees and Sir Bristow, would visit Highgate in the coming week to see both my facilities and the two Tusker sisters.

When I returned to Highgate, I felt it was the time to share my progress with the twins. Although my methods are strict, there is nothing in my approach that is intended to be brutal and it is often helpful to involve my students in the assessment of their own progress.

Bringing them up from the cellar, out of their cages, I took them into the study. I loosened the straps of their gags but left them hanging about their necks and left their wrists cuffed behind them but allowed the two girls to sit. They looked at one another startled by the grant of this favour but then, being convinced that I was serious and without ulterior motive, did as I allowed.

"Tell me," I said speaking in a kindly tone, so as to emphasise my concern for their well-being, "are you finding your experiences here as you anticipated?"

The two girls first of all looked at me as though I was quite mad but then, evidently deciding that it was opportune to indulge me, decided to respond.

"It is, Sir, a singular experience to be sure," Amanda began. I was pleased by her tone. I had taken trouble to encourage the girls in a proper use of the English language, avoiding the slang expression and casual sentence construction that is so common amongst young people today. It was evident that my views on language were being heard. "I suppose we had both imagined that your methods would be much as they have been, but, in honesty, I believe neither of us anticipated the way in which we would find ourselves so deeply and quickly affected by them."

"I agree with my sister," Estelle volunteered. "I do believe that we are both making progress in the directions that you desire. Is it your view that we can achieve a good match as our guardian desires?"

"It is not usually my habit to discuss my students' progress," I said, "but I consider that you have both made significant strides and it would be dishonest of me to say otherwise. You do, however, have a significant test approaching. We shall be visited by representatives of those with whom you will be paired. A visit of inspection. To see whether you will be acceptable."

Amanda had bristled at the word 'paired' and looked towards me with a rather stern expression. "You speak as if this were merely some matter of allocation. Do we not get some opportunity to express our views on the individuals concerned?"

The thought had not occurred to me for a moment, I fear, and neither had I expected the girls to wish it. "Goodness no!" I exclaimed, shocking them by the extent to which I obviously considered this an absurd idea. "You must trust in the good judgement of your guardian and myself in this matter."

I could see that this was not well received by my audience. Estelle and Amanda exchanged looks that I viewed as the likely precursors of some expression of disagreement or even resistance. It was not my wish to engage in a debate upon the matter. I quickly returned each girl's gag to its proper position, pre-empting any proposed dispute. Their muffled disputations were of little relevance. "You will be visited shortly. I suggest you try to give as good an account of yourselves as possible. The arrangements for your future marriages are particularly important. Your acceptance of them is an essential part of the adjustment you must undergo. Please reconcile yourselves to the choices being made for you."