I know the long breaks between chapters is onerous, but my stories really benefit from a little aging and editing. This particular installment 'benefited' from being lost for three weeks. I discuss this a little more on my blog, but thank you all, again, for your patience.
*
Evelyn had seen a train before. She'd seen several, really. They featured in many of the flickers and, of course, just about every class took a trip to the local rail station to see a train. Every school child studied them; they were the backbone of transportation on Wells and a shining example of the improvements the New Nobility had brought to the planet. But Evelyn had never actually set foot on a train. So it was an effort not to simply stop and stare at the long machine, hissing quietly like an enormous mechanical snake and shining in the dawn light. This was no plodding local that stopped at every little village to take on and deliver cargo, but an express; built for speed and comfort. It was a thing of beauty and Evelyn was obviously not alone in her desire to simply look; many others were doing so, even some of the house servants.
And it was Evelyn's job to get them back to work, which she did, as firmly as she could manage. Jahan had a private coach at the tail of the train and the household servants were very quickly and carefully loading his belongings into it. Though they were doing the work, Evelyn knew the results of their work were her responsibility. If the young master found the work satisfactory the praise would be hers. If the work was not satisfactory...
She wondered about that. He'd threatened to flog her and by all rights and laws he could do so. He could kill her with equal ease and lack of consequences. But she found it hard to imagine him doing so. His temper seemed shallow, easily changed but not given to powerful acts of anger. And when he'd fondled her the day before... She swallowed. He'd been firm, but nothing like excessively so. She'd had lovers who'd treated her harder.
The memory of his hands on her breasts brought life to her nipples and she felt them hardening against the fabric of her shirt. The fabric was thin but it was covered by the heavy fabric of her jacket. That, of course, created it's own set of problems. This early in the morning she already felt as though her nipples had been scraped raw by the fabric. And her mons *had* been scraped raw. She'd spent a good half-hour with a razor, head bent between her splayed legs as she carefully removed every trace of pubic hair. At least that sensitive skin was spared the abrasive feel of her skirt. Though tight, her long skirt didn't quite cling to her body enough to cause any discomfort. The residual sting of the razor, however, was evident; she'd never shaved her pussy before.
She was brought out of her inadvertent reverie by a polite question from one of the footmen and she had to take a moment to collect her thoughts before answering. Then the man was gone and Evelyn was again trying to concentrate. She'd been up the entire night overseeing the efforts to move the young master, studying the manuals related to her tasks as a body servant, de facto major-domo, concubine, and spy. She felt as though she had sand in her eyes and she knew she was woefully under-prepared to fill any of the four positions she was expected to fill. But, again, she blinked her eyes and forced herself to concentrate.
'I will not fail at this,' she swore.
"Evelyn," Jahan called.
She turned and saw him descending from the coach. He walked quickly towards her.
"Why," he demanded, "are you here rather than at the house where I could make use of you?"
Despite her fatigue, Evelyn blushed at the possible double meaning of his words. "I beg your pardon, my Lord. There were questions regarding the disposition of your belongings and I felt it better to supervise the preparation of the coach in person. You were asleep and unavailable for consultation. If I have erred in my judgment, my Lord then I beg your correction that I might better serve you in the future."
The words, and posture, were a mixture of suggestions drawn from her reading the night before. She felt that they blended just the right proportions of forthright honesty and willing submission. With her eyes cast down at Jahan's feet, she was unable to gauge the exact reaction he had to her reply, but his own reply was slow in coming. She'd given him pause, if nothing else.
"Very well," he allowed. "Is everything ready?"
"In another ten minutes, my Lord," she replied, lifting her eyes to his. "I have never supervised the preparation of a moving home and it is somewhat more difficult than the manual led me to believe." That she had never supervised the preparation of any home went unsaid. She'd managed to be humble, forthright, and make him aware that she knew there were directions for this activity and that she'd read them. Well... listened to them while following his instructions to shave herself bare. "We will be ready at least five minutes prior to departure, my Lord. Would you care to be shown the carriage?"
Jahan's response was to walk past her towards the carriage. She motioned to the footman standing next to the carriage, Lews, she noted, to bring Jahan's personal bag and then hurried after her Lord. The awkward skipping motion she was forced to adopt bounced her breasts under the jacket, scraping the nipples painfully and causing Evelyn to wince. Nonetheless, she managed to arrive at the carriage a moment before Jahan and open the door for him before following him in.
"The carriage is a rental, my Lord. Two years old and refurbished just two months ago. This is, of course, the sitting room. The bathroom is located in the room just there, and behind that is the bedroom. Immediate luggage goes there," she gestured, and Lews nodded and began unloading the contents of the luggage into the indicated closet. Jahan, meanwhile, had stuck his head into the bathroom and was moving back to the bedroom.
"Why are we connected to the general train?" he asked, pointing to the door at the end of the carriage.
"For meals, my Lord. Your meals will be prepared by the staff of the train and delivered here. It is also customary for additional staff to sleep in the car ahead of yours." She winced, inwardly, knowing that last sentence, a bit of half-remembered trivia from the night before, had been the exact wrong thing to say.