Claire sighed. Did she have a reason to sigh? She was wearing fine garments, lived in this lovely chateau, had no lack of food to eat, and the horrors of the French Revolution had finally calmed down. Her husband, Olivier, was not part of the aristocracy. Indeed, he was a merchant, albeit a very successful one. He was an elderly man, and when he first saw the beautiful but homeless and penniless Claire, he felt he could reclaim some of his lost youth by marrying her.
When Claire heard Olivier's proposal of marriage, she felt a little like a beautiful canary being led to a golden cage. She had very little options, and therefore very little choice. She was not attracted to Olivier at all, but her growling stomach reminded her that she was desperate, so accepted his proposal. She was determined to be a dutiful wife to him in return for his offer of safety and succor. Since Olivier had many servants to maintain his chateau and its surroundings, Claire had very little to do during the days. Her job was mainly to climb into bed in the evening and let Olivier use her sexually. His penis, such as it was, functioned enough to give him an erection which he could then thrust into Claire, always in missionary position and always lasting less than three minutes. Olivier would grunt and spew his dribble of semen, roll off of her, and promptly fall asleep, satisfied.
Claire endured this, trying not to breathe too deeply since Olivier habitually reeked of garlic. And their brief sessions of intercourse did nothing to arouse or pleasure her. But as a dutiful wife, she laid there and let him have his way. "This is better than being cold and starving," she reminded herself almost daily. And so the days passed. Claire found some solace in reading, doing needlepoint, and learning to play music. She also enjoyed sitting in the shade of their trees, visiting the stables to pet the horses, and walking the grounds, watching the gardeners at work.
One day months after they've been married, Olivier came to breakfast with a spring in his step, and a look of immense satisfaction on his face. Sitting at the other end of the table, Claire looked at him with an inquiring expression. Olivier noticed that and his smile even widened a little more. "I've just received wonderful news, my dear. I have the possibility of capturing one of the most lucrative deals I've ever encountered. If this goes as I expect, I'll be the wealthiest merchant in all of France! I'm even looking forward to the long sea voyage that I must take to close the deal."
"A long sea voyage? Where do you have to go?" Claire inquired.
"Alas, I must travel all the way to China and meet the people in person. The trip may take months, but I know that the servants here will take good care of you in my absence. You have gradually taken over the handling of the finances needed to run this estate, and you've done that admirably. I feel quite comfortable leaving it in your capable hands, my dear," Olivier stated.
Claire blushed, turning her cheeks a delicate shade of pink. She loved it when Olivier recognized her efforts and complimented her. "I hope you have a safe voyage, my dear. I know that you'll be absent for a considerable time, but I see the smile in your face and the gleam in your eye, and I'm happy for you."
It took several days for the servants to get everything ready for Olivier's journey. But the day came for his departure and he gave Claire a hug and a kiss, saying, "I don't want you to accompany me to the docks to wave goodbye. The port is an unruly place, full of hooligans and harsh scruffy men. You'll be safer just staying here. I will not say 'adieu' - I prefer to say 'au revoir' to you."
"Au revoir, my dear," Claire responded. She felt a tear rolling down her cheek because she knew her husband was a good man and she would miss him. She did wave goodbye as his coach pulled away, heading for the docks and his ship.
For a week or so, Claire was able to keep herself occupied in the usual way, but boredom was beginning to set in. She knew that if her husband managed to send any letters, the chances were better that he would arrive back home before they showed up. She decided that as the lady of the house, she should explore it more than she had. After all, visiting parts of it that she'd never seen before was interesting. Some rooms had artwork she'd never seen, and sets of furniture that were being kept clean and shined by the housemaids, even though they were seldom used. Still, as a diversion, this exploration was a pleasant addition to reading, needlework, and music.
One day she chanced upon a door in a far wing of the house. Since it was hidden behind a large tapestry, she'd never noticed it before. She judged it to be closer to the stables than the garden, and wondered if it led outside. It was difficult to turn its knob -- at first she thought it might be locked, but it was just stiff from disuse. When she finally got the door open, it opened into darkness. Curious, she fetched a candlestick with a lit candle and peered into the darkness. It was fortunate that she'd not just stepped inside, because the darkness hid a long staircase leading downward. There was a layer of dust on the steps, indicating no one had used them in a long time. In the light of the candle, she found the key on the inside of the lock, and pocketed it.
She had to duck under the hanging cobwebs, not wanting them to get tangled in her hair. When she reached the bottom of the steps, there was an opening into what must be a large room. With the light from her candle she looked around and found a few more candles to light. Gradually the blackness of the room receded. Claire had found a dungeon, albeit an unused one. She wandered around, daintily trying to avoid most of the dust and grime that covered the floor. As she looked at the various devices, a dim idea began to take shape in her mind, one that promised to alleviate her boredom somewhat. But it would require some help.
She chanced upon a door, which seemed to be the only one in the various walls. It had a key in its lock. The key protested being turned since the lock mechanism was also rather stiff. But Claire finally opened the lock, and the door's hinges squealed and creaked as she pulled the door open. That eerie sound made her breathing quicken and her heart thump, causing her to wonder if she should abandon this exploration. But curiosity won out. Still using her candle, she walked down a short passage with slightly fresher air to a second door which she also unlocked. This door opened with less of a protest, and Claire peered out through its opening. She was seeing the stables! So this was the secret entrance to the dungeon! It made sense -- a prisoner might be brought in a wagon or carriage, and then could be easily conveyed into the dungeon from it.
No one was in her immediate sight, so Claire cautiously stepped through the doorway, curious to see what it looked like on the other side. She found that it was virtually covered with common stable items such as bridles, halters, spare horseshoes, feed and water buckets, and so on. The lock and handle of the doorway was virtually unseen. Perhaps the stable hands were not even aware of its existence, since the stable items also had a patina of dirt and even some mud, indicating their lack of use. All this added to the forming idea in Claire's mind.
Leaving the door slightly ajar, she began walking through the stables, with their earthy scents that she enjoyed so much. She knew that Pierre should be working today. Many times she'd noticed how kind and gentle he was with the animals. Also he was a good, hard-working stable hand and always took pride in doing his work correctly and thoroughly. Claire felt he'd be perfect for what she had in mind. Also the fact that Pierre was big, strong, and pleasing to her eyes didn't hurt at all. She found him stripped to his waist, mucking out a stall. Pausing to admire the muscles moving under his ebony skin as he worked, she waited quietly until he noticed her.
"Oh, Madame! I'm sorry for ignoring you. I didn't see you standing there. Is something wrong?" Pierre asked as he bowed courteously.
"It's all right, Pierre. I knew you were concentrating on your work. And that is precisely why I wanted to speak with you. I have a task for you that you can work on whenever you are finished with your stable duties, and I will give you one gold piece if you agree to start on it.
Pierre was visibly startled! Now to him, one gold piece was the equivalent of more than two months' salary! He'd really like to put a gold piece into his pocket. "Yes Madame? I am listening. What is this task?
"It would be easier to show you than try to describe it. Grab a lantern, light it and follow me into the house."
"One moment, Madame. If we are entering the house, I feel I must cleanse myself a little." With that, he went to a washing barrel, splashed water on his upper body and toweled away his sweat. Claire almost regretted that, because she found the scent of his clean sweat invigorating. She didn't regret the fact that he cleaned off his boots, though.
Smiling, she led him with the lantern he'd fetched and lit to the secret door. "First of all, I want these door hinges and its lock well oiled." Pierre looked surprised to see that there was a door hidden in all this unused tack. He surmised that oiling a door couldn't possibly be worth a gold piece, so he waited patiently to hear what else was involved in this task. Indeed, she showed him a second door that was also stiff in its action and would require oiling. And then they entered a large, dark room. Pierre lifted his lantern and his eyes widened in surprise to see the filthy, disused dungeon. "I had no idea this room existed, Madame," he pronounced, almost whispering.
Claire continued, "I'd like you to add several lanterns in here to more fully light up this room. I think they used torches in the old days, but lanterns would be better and make less smoke. I will provide the funds for you to buy the lanterns, of course." Pierre was speechless, peering around at the cobwebs and dust of... at least decades, if not longer.
"In addition to the doors and lanterns, I'd like you to clear the cobwebs and dirt from overhead rafters and supports, since starting up high and working downward makes more sense to me. Then clean all these devices thoroughly, oiling them where necessary. Finally, clean all the dust off of the floor, so this room is restored to a room I can be proud is part of the house. Do you understand the task?"
Pierre was now a little daunted at the size of the work. He walked carefully around, taking in the size of the room, and the number of devices it contained. "Madame, you know I work hard and want my work to be pleasing... but this large room... in such neglect..." His voice trailed off. He did not want to outright refuse the job, perhaps insulting her... certainly angering her.
Claire understood what he was trying to say, and she held up her dainty hand to forestall his protests. "I neglected to mention something, Pierre. I was waiting until you saw the extent of the size of the room and its condition. If you can do a good job here, I'll give you 5 more gold pieces when it's finished. One when the ceiling and rafters are completed. Two more when the devices are cleaned. And two more when the floor is cleaned. And this room must remain a secret. No gossiping to the other staff."
Pierre's eyes felt like they were bulging out of their sockets! Six gold pieces in total! She was offering him a fortune! Only a fool would turn down such an offer, and Pierre was no fool. "I am very happy to take on this task, Madame," he stated. "Before long, this entire room will gleam under pleasing lantern light," he promised. "Each day, after I finish my stable work, I will work in here."
"Wonderful," Claire rejoined. "Here is the gold coin I promised if you agreed to start. And here are some lesser coins for the purchase of the lanterns, and cleaning supplies. If you need more for the cleaning supplies, just inform me."
He accepted the coins and bowed more deeply than normal. "I will do as you say, Madame. I can oil the hinges and locks of the two doors now, if you wish, so that you can lock them for the moment. I note that the outer door can only be locked and unlocked from the inside." He looked around. "There appears to be no suitable place for you to sit down in this grimy room. Perhaps you would prefer to wait in the garden for the short time this will take? I believe the chairs are in the shade of one of the trees."
