It had been three days since Lord and Lady Bostock-Palmer had heard from the kidnappers. No news, wasn't good news as far as Lord James was concerned; he wanted his daughter back. Lady Margaret Bostock-Palmer was inconsolable. It wasn't the money, he would pay anything to get Penelope back home, the kidnappers knew that; but they hadn't they been back in touch. After the initial contact with the usual warnings about keeping the police out of it, nothing; no phone call; no letter; nothing!
"Why don't they call" he said to his wife. The waiting was beginning to take its toll on his already poor health.
"Poor Penelope" Margaret replied, "How on earth did they manage to snatch her, she's such a sensible girl"
"Well judging by the mess they left behind it wasn't easy, Penny would have put up quite a struggle, and you know what a headstrong lass she is." He responded.
And so they waited. Waited, for the call that never came.
Penelope Bostock-Palmer was locked in a small coal shed at the rear of an isolated cottage near Sherwood Forest. The kidnappers were trying to decide how best to handle her; she was a hand full and no mistake. This was her second attempt to escape and only sheer luck had stopped her reaching the road.
"Fetch her in Bert" the leader, whose name was Robbie, finally said, and Bert went outside with Maurice to bring the young woman back into the house.
"How's the rich bitch today?" Robbie asked grinning inanely as she was bundled in and stood before him.
"Bollocks!" she answered.
"Look if you are assuming that we'll keep you alive to get the money, then think again" Robbie raised the sawn off shot gun to his captives head. "I've had it up to here with you. We're behind schedule already because of your tricks, and I won't put up with anymore.
Penelope had only seen this man once before, it was the other two that had been her guards for the last two days. She had already decided she disliked him intensely.
"Will you talk to 'daddy', we need him to see that you are still alive?" he continued.
"Fuck off!" she answered.
"Is that you final word on the matter?" he asked
"Is there something wrong with your hearing, little man" she defiantly retorted. "Or are you just congenitally stupid?"
"Fine! -, Okay strip her lads"
Penelope began to struggle she hadn't expected this turn of events. Her plan was to be as awkward as possible (as was her normal habit anyway) in the hope that they would tire of her, or at least delay them long enough to give the police time to trace them.
"Please stop it, you are ripping my blouse" she yelled.
"Bert!" The man stopped his assault on the woman.
"Well, Posh Tart, I'm waiting; are you going to do it yourself or shall I let the lads carry on?"
The woman began unbuttoning her blouse; she slid it from her shoulders and placed it over the chair. All six eyes watched her every move and Robbie still had his gun aimed at her.
"Now those" Robbie waved the gun at Penelope's purple slacks. She unzipped them
kicked them off and folded her arms defiantly across her bosom.
"That's all you're getting" she announced haughtily.
"Is it indeed….Bert the rope" and his compatriot quickly tied the noose around the hapless girls neck. Together the two men threw the loose end over one of the oak beams that ran the length of the ceiling and Penny held onto to the loop around her throat to ease her breathing; she felt she was fast losing the battle. Robbie quickly grabbed her wrists and manacled them behind her.
"It's too tight, please" she croaked
"No its not, we've tested it, you'll just have to stand on tiptoe." Robbie responded.
"Better still, Bert grab that stool" and Bert placed a small foot stool in front of Penelope and helped her on to it. The noose was easier now and she could breathe properly again, but Robbie tightened sufficiently to let her know that any slight step forwards or backwards would result in death.
"Right young lady, you might have all the money in the world but looking at you now you're just the same as any other tart out there." He snipped the straps that held her brassiere in place with his Stanley knife and pulled it from her body.
"They are lads, Posh Tits; see they're just the same as every other pair you've seen. –In fact I reckon my missus' is better" he added as an afterthought. He bent down towards Penelope, she could smell his foul breath as he spoke "You always speak like you got a plum up your arse, so lets see if its true" and with that he cut the lacy white panties from her helpless torso, and cruelly dug his hand into the cleft between her bum cheeks.
"No! no plum there, see lads posh totty is just the same underneath, she's probably a crap shag as well. Ain't that so my precious?" he added running his nicotine fingers under Penelope chin. She was weeping openly, three grubby men prodding and poking her intimate parts, humiliating her with their lewd comments and generally just staring and ogling at her naked and helpless body.
"Let's see you try and escape now Posh Cunt" Robbie sneered.
"Please I need the bath room" she sobbed.
"Oh I say she needs the barth room" Robbie repeated mimicking her accent. Do you think we'll fall for that one again? You can wait till we've taken a picture for Daddy"
"Please not like this, not to Daddy" The gang were not listening to her pleas. Maurice had gone to get a copy of "The Sun" from the car and Bert went to fetch some tape and a felt tip pen. Robbie taped Penelope's upper thighs together and fixed the newspaper directly underneath her crotch taping it place so as the days headlines could clearly be seen. Above it across her belly he wrote with the felt pen: ONE MILLION BY TOMMORROW OR WE START CUTTING OFF BITS. The camera flashed twice and Penelope burst in tears again.
"Good the crying will help convince him. He'll pay up quicker if he thinks you're in bother."
………………………………
Later that day Lord and Lady Bostock-Palmer received a package.
"They're Penelope's clothes" Margaret said as she glanced through the garments unable to comprehend the meaning of sending her clothes back home.
"Are you sure?" James asked.
"Of course, don't you recognise them? Look at the labels" she replied She held up the knickers ripped with the Stanley knife. "Look what they've done" she wailed, "poor Penelope"
James wasn't listening; he had found the photograph of his daughter that came with the bundle of clothes. It made him angry; angry not only for his daughter's safety, but real anger at the perpetrators of such demonic deeds, to say nothing of her modesty.
When the phone rang James answered it straight away" Hello Lord Bostock-Palmer." He announced.
"Hello Lord Toffy Nose, you got your parcel then?"