Around mid-afternoon, all but twelve of the captive senior Maidens were sent back to their residence. The chosen ten, plus Annabel and Olivia, were released from their bonds, blindfolds and gags. They were ordered to form a single column with their hands clasped behind their heads and ordered to march. All twelve were bunched up so they were pressed snugly against each other. Annabel was in the lead, statuesque Olivia directly behind, her breasts nestled between the tiny woman's shoulder blades. Keeping in step to avoid treading on each other's heels, they shuffled into the Annexe to get cleaned up, but only for the next phase of their ordeal. Alice was in the middle, her body proudly and defiantly erect. Her lavender top was stained with purple patches of perspiration and it slipped further down as her chest nuzzled the back of the girl in front, uncovering her nipples. They were also erect, and I suspected that the damp patch on her panties was not just sweat. I felt shame that I had stared so intimately, and anguish to be witnessing her discomfort and humiliation. Nevertheless, the signs of sexual arousal were unmistakeable.
Now we know that your body's reactions do not always reflect what's in your mind; but it gave me some reassurance that Alice's ordeal was not an unbearable torment. And of course it wasn't. Although the event was not exactly a fabrication, there had been a degree of stage management. While none of the women in the Maidenhall knew precisely what was coming, or when it would come, they all must have been aware that something was brewing. And they knew they had a role to play just as we Knights had ours. So they were not completely unwilling victims (even if one might debate the permutations of willingness).
As they made their way out of the common room, down the corridor and into the lobby, the women stared straight ahead, trying to remain oblivious to the spectators, both Knights and Maidens. Nobody spoke except for a few whispers and nervous giggles. I saw Kate and her roomies watching silently. I tried to read my sister's face, comprehend her thoughts and feelings. And then, for a couple of seconds, we looked into each other's eyes, and what I saw unnerved me. It was an expression I had rarely seen before and I couldn't quite define it -- not disapproval nor disappointment nor disdain. It was a sort of defiant condescension, if that makes any sense. We had come a long way from that proud hug and kiss at my interview, just three months before.
I turned away, and in my moment of disconcertion I did something I immediately deplored. Jane was at the very end of the line. I knew her vaguely, she was 25 years old with a PhD in something esoteric like analytical philosophy. She had fallen behind the girl in front, by just enough that they were no longer in physical contact. Urging her to catch up, I slapped her on the backside with my open hand. Although it was light, the sound seemed to fill the great room and echo off the walls. She jerked, but not a word nor a note issued from her pursed lips as she closed the gap. I glanced back at Kate in time to see her slowly shake her head.
Yet I didn't feel too much remorse, because that momentary manifestation of weak-minded malice was to prove a turning point in my understanding of the Templars and my relationship with both the Maidens and my fellow Knights. For as odd as it felt, as glad as I was to not be one of them, in a way I envied those dozen young women, indeed everyone in the Annexe and the Maidenhall. I saw in their faces, in their stoical expressions and dignified stances, what I did not recognize in my brothers. They possessed what I had not found during my short time in the Temple, what none of the Knights had found, what I could not discover, what I believe none of the Knights would ever come to know, because the very institution which promoted it as a virtue was incapable of instilling it.
In adversity the Maidens found strength.
***
Once more, with regard to the Councillors' investment ceremony, we were issued strict instructions to keep all Templar business to ourselves. I did not understand the need for such confidentiality, and it was hard withholding the news from Kate and Alice. Not that I was especially keen to take my seat; it was just that Kate would be proud of her baby brother, and Alice would be so pleased to learn that our discussions had borne this unexpected fruit. However, the actual reason we had to keep the secret became known to me the following week.
The incoming Council of Knights convened for a preliminary session a few days after the election. Ross Parnell, the retiring Senior Master, chaired the meeting and there was just one piece of business. We were each handed a folder embossed with the seals of the
Compagnie
and the
Société
, marked in large black letters: "CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL". Inside were three folios, dossiers on the nominees for the position of
Maîtresse
, who was the ranking female in the Order. The outgoing incumbent was Olivia, who had greeted us on our first day as Templars and could often be seen directing her fellow Maidens as they went about their chores in the Temple.
I wasn't privy to the pre-selection procedures but from the brief discussion I surmised that the three had been nominated by the senior Maidens. So the process was not unreservedly paternalistic, even though the male Councillors made the final choice. We could, indeed, veto any nomination but apparently had never done so. We received no personal statements from the candidates, just her academic and service records. The selection of the
Maîtresse
would be the first item on the agenda of our inaugural formal session, a few weeks hence. My job in the meantime was to scrutinize the rather sparse files. I did not know if I was allowed to approach the nominees personally or bring the subject up with any other Maidens or Knights. I decided that the classified nature of the Council appointments meant that I shouldn't.
And yet a mere three days later, the pretext for confidentiality was completely undermined. I was informed that I should once again be available on Thursday evening. Instead of joining the rest of the Knights, we Councillors gathered in the lobby. Mattias and I, the Cadets, were still in the dark as we were met by a contingent of twenty young women coming through the passageway from the Annexe, led by Olivia. Another member of the delegation was my sister bearing as joyful a smile as I have seen on her face, and Devi who was beaming with pride that her protégé had reached such heights so early. The girls separated into pairs to escort the Councillors. Kate and Devi came up to me. Kate winked and smiled but Devi kept her eyes downcast. They both offered the now familiar gesture of obeisance, sliding their dress straps off their shoulders. They took up positions of either side of me and, arm in arm, we joined the procession into the Annexe.
I was gratified that I did not have to wear my cheesy robe. In fact, I later learned that it was regarded as unseemly for Knights to wear ceremonial garb inside the Annexe. On the other hand, this was the first time I had seen every girl in the Annexe wearing her little uniform. All respectfully stood at attention, baring their shoulders as we passed. I did not see Sabrina, but Rachel, Hannah and Libby were there, looking bewildered. Lucy stood at the foot of the stairs. She flashed me a cheeky grin as she slid the slender straps slowly down her arms. Her neckline was slumped lower than most, which surprised me not at all.
We climbed to the top floor, where the Maidens' dining and meeting hall is located. It is, in typically stark contrast to the Knights', small and unadorned. Whereas ours catered for well over a hundred diners, this room seated no more than fifty. It was packed with twice that number of young women, sitting at the tables, standing against the walls, crowding in the doorway. And if any of us puffed up Knights had expected them to fall into deferential silence as we entered, the rising din quenched any such conceit. Above the commotion, I even heard wolf-whistles.
I scanned the room, hoping to see Alice. She wasn't present, but at the back was Sabrina, her expression priceless as she recognized me. The bulging eyes, raised eyebrows and drooping jaw said it all.
We men took our places at the high table. Kate, Devi and the other escorts occupied seats reserved for them along one of the side walls.
Maîtresse
Olivia, who was the only female seated out the front with us, rose to speak. She introduced "our" new Councillors, and she was anything but reverential. Given the nature of some of the risqué innuendo she inserted into her remarks, it was more of a roast than a tribute. And as we stood in turn to be acknowledged, the acclaim evolved from polite applause for the senior Knights into rousing cheers, and a few more whistles, for us younger ones.
The ceremony took about half an hour, after which those Maidens not allocated places at the tables departed. I'm not sure how the fifty or so privileged to join us in the meal were selected. As was the standard practice with Templar dining, the Maidens who served the meal withdrew once they'd finished their task.
I was seated next to Olivia, who was as pleasant to talk to as she was to look at. She had a dry, sometimes pungent wit but seemed genuinely interested in my research on the history of the Temple. She informed me that she was a third-generation member of the Order. Unfortunately, I feel ashamed that much of my attention was focused on her delightful
décolletage
