When he pulled into the driveway of a house she had never seen before, she wondered for a moment if he was picking up another girl. She thought maybe he was already training another girl.
'He wouldn't choose this as the right time to introduce me to this slave he's chosen to take, would he?' she wondered.
He shut off the car and came around to her side, opening her door and offering his hand to her. As she got out, a man she had never seen was walking toward them from the front door of the house.
"Little one, I hope you don't mind that I told Charles about your bad luck. I wanted him to know before hand about the bruises so you wouldn't be forced to tell the whole miserable story again," he kissed her forehead and turned to greet the man, "This is Charles."
Sir Charles was shorter than Sir Thomas by a few inches, his hair had a little more gray in it and she guessed he was in his early fifties. He shook Sir Thomas's hand and they greeted each other warmly. She trusted Sir Thomas's judgment and knew he wouldn't let harm come to her so she smiled at the man as he turned to her.
"Hello, dear. My! Where has old Thom been hiding you?" he kissed her hand and motioned for the both of them to follow him into the house.
Sir Thomas leaned down to her as they walked and said," He has been a Master for a long time. He's a good friend of mine."
She nodded in reply.
Sir Charles lead them into the dining room, which was beautifully decorated with rich red fabric covered walls and a formal dining table made of wood polished to a shine so bright you could see your own reflection in the surface.
They sat and ate a delicious lunch served by a pretty, silent Asian girl.
"This is my Kay. She's the best girl I've ever owned." Sir Charles told them.
This made the girl blush and quickly head for the kitchen.
The two men talked casually, not speaking to her much, but she was used to this and happily finished her lunch while listening to their conversation.
"Why don't you go help Kay in the kitchen?" Sir Thomas told her when he saw she was finished.
"Yes, Sir." she said, happy to have something to do.
She got up and went through the door she had seen Kay go through just minutes earlier. It was a very well equipped, large kitchen with an island in the middle for preparation and a huge stainless steel side by side refrigerator. Kay was standing at the sink, her back to her, with her face in her hands. When she walked toward Kay, the girl turned around and smiled, quickly wiping tears from her face.
"Hello." Kay said and quickly turned back to the dirty dishes.
"Hello, Kay," she said and wondered if she should ask her what was wrong. Instead, she said, "I haven't ever had a chance to speak with another slave. I've only seen them at parties with Sir Thomas."
She went to the sink and offered her help drying while Kay washed. Kay thanked her and the two talked while they worked.
She found out Kay was Japanese and had only come here two months ago when her mother, who had been Sir Charles slave before, had become very ill. Kay had come to care for her.
"She passed away only a month ago." Kay said and looked as if she were going to cry again.
She stopped scrubbing and asked Kay, "So, you're not Sir Charles' slave?"
Kay frowned, "It is difficult to explain. I want to help Sir Charles because he was good to my mother. He cared for her until she died. He loved her. So now I return the favor. He is a good man. I do what he asks for now but I will leave when he finds a replacement."
Suddenly, she had a horrible feeling.
'Replacement?' she thought.
