Virtue

The farm was a sizeable one, and looked to be very prosperous, with a grand white house and many acres of fields. As the trio approached up the long drive, an overseer on a horse rode up to them to inquire after their intentions, but upon taking in the sight of Virtue, he appeared to understand that they were delivering the servant who had run from her indentures, and told them to continue on to the house. Once there, Fish told the footman at the door in his grand manner that they were there to speak with Mr. Hainsley, and the footman hastened to bring the gentleman for an interview. He returned with the butler, however, who informed them in crisp tones that he would bring the woman to Mr. Hainsley, and the reward would be brought to them if Mr. Hainsley was satisfied that she was the servant who had run away. Angier was inclined to argue with him, but Fish prevented him with several quieting looks.

The butler did not bother to untie Virtue's hands, but simply walked up the stairs in the front hall, clearly expecting her to follow him; he took her to a door near the head of the stairs, which, upon his opening it, proved to lead into a study. Virtue entered gladly, certain that it would lead to her freedom, and indeed, Mr. Hainsley, a tall and well-made gentleman who was sitting in an armchair near a window, beckoned for the butler to untie the neck-cloth around her head and remove the gag.

"Oh, thank you, a thousand thanks, sir!" she cried as soon as her voice would work again. "Please, you must help me."

He did not direct the butler to untie her hands, but she could invent a hundred benign reasons why this might be so, and strove to ignore it. "You do share her sweetness of countenance, clothing, and ample figure," he said, "but it is evident that you are not Isabella. How do you come to stand before me?"

"Oh, sir, it is all a misunderstanding. I was only out for a walk when one of the rogues who brought me here accosted me, seeking to entice me into an indiscretion. I rebuffed him, of course, as I am a good, honest woman, and he sought to revenge himself upon me by slandering me as a whore, and trying to have me taken up for thieving from him. It was then that the other, a Mr. Fish, came upon us with a newspaper, and, remembering the description from the notice you placed, informed the guardsman that I was a runaway. It was then that I was bound as you just saw me, and taken on the coach from the city. And, oh, sir, it was then that the first unprincipled man took very great liberties with me."

Mr. Hainsley looked very grave, and walked over to stand in front of Virtue. "How so?"

"Sir, I cannot speak the words. They would shame me, even closeted in private as we are."

"I am afraid that I cannot take any action unless I know what has transpired. I do have great influence in Harlem, so it would be all to the good to explain the events fully." Virtue's cheeks were stained red in her embarrassment. "Your blushes do you credit, my dear, and enhance your beauty even further."

Virtue attempted to collect herself, and explain what had happened. "First, he -- I do not know how to put it -- he placed his hands inside my stays -- and he fondled me there."

"Where?"

"I -- inside my stays!"

"If you are unable to explain, shall I ask your captor? I expect that he will be forthcoming if I threaten him with legal action."

"My bosom, sir," she said in a whisper.

"Your voice is too soft, dear lady."

"He toyed with my bosom." She flushed even more red at being forced to say such a thing in front of a gentleman.

"And was that all that he did?"

"No; then he wanted to see my garters, because they matched the ones you described in the advertisement. So he pulled up my petticoats and took hold of my leg, to put it over his lap -- which put me in a most indelicate position!"

"I can see. And did he content himself with this?"

"No, sir, he used his hand on me while I was held so -- so open."

"How did he use his hand? Do you mean that he beat you?"

"Oh, sir, please do not make me -- I do not know what to say!"

"But you must. In court, you know, they would make you say the same, but in front of a jury of gentlemen, and newspaper-men, and anyone who had come into the gallery to watch. You would not like that, I think."

"No, sir!"

"If you tell all to me, I believe that I can keep that from being necessary. How did he use his hand? Was it his hand, or his fingers?"

"His fingers. He put them inside of me, sir."

"And held them there?" Doubt was beginning to creep over Virtue, as Mr. Hainsley seemed just a little too eager to know the exact details of her abuse, and her hands were still bound behind her, though he well knew she was not his servant, but she forced herself to continue with the tale.

"No, sir: he moved them back and forth."

"I suppose it did not provoke any reaction in such a fine, upstanding woman as you are."

Perhaps it was true, as Angier had said and Virtue had feared, and she was indeed a lewd slut, but now she would make a liar of herself as well. "You are correct; I could not react to it. But it was a gross indecency for him."

"Yes, I see. And is there anything else? Did he take his degradation further? Have you been -- violated?"

"Sir, no. He contented himself with whispering more indecencies in my ear, but he did not cause me more physical harm."

"Very good. You know that I trust you, Miss ..."

"My name is Virtue Bell, sir."

"What a fitting name. You know that I trust you, but I must still question these men -- here, I shall make it easier for you to bear, and 'twill keep you silent as well, which will make it all go faster," he said, which puzzled Virtue greatly, until he quickly took hold of the discarded kerchief and pressed it even further into her mouth than before. She stared at him in amazement as he instructed the butler to bring Angier and Fish up to the study with haste, and then began to adjust her clothing as though she were only a doll. When they entered, the two men appeared slightly nervous and concerned that they might be in some sort of trouble, as the butler had previously told them that the reward would be brought to them, but their expressions cleared when they saw that Virtue was still as they had left her, unable to protect herself or speak.

"Gentlemen," said Mr. Hainsley, "I thank you for returning my servant to me." Virtue attempted to cry out in surprise, as he had already confessed to her that she was not the servant that had run from him, but the gag stopped her from making anything more than a slight moan, and none of the men looked round to her. "Would you please to relate to me the events of your finding her and bringing her back?"

"Oh, of course, sir," said Angier, before Fish could respond (though Fish looked uninterested in speaking, at any rate). "It began when I decided to go out for a walk on Bowling-Green, in the city. This remarkably pretty -- more for her figure than her face, I think, but her face does have an allure -- young woman approached me as I was lounging against a tree, and began to engage in some sweet conversation, where she made herself pleasant to me and insinuated that she would make herself even more so for the exchange of a few coins. I had just decided to take her up on the offer when I noticed that she had placed her hand in my pocket and attempted to procure those coins on her own. So, I held her fast and called for a guard, and it was at that point that Mr. Fish arrived and identified the strumpet as a runaway. We bound her hands and placed her on the back of the coach to Harlem, and as we were riding she made it clear that her body was at our disposal, most likely, I suspected, to gain our sympathy and let her go. Mr. Fish did not choose to partake, and read his newspaper rather than paying attention to her, but I was happy to follow her instructions, and to play with her wet cunt until she came, with many exclamations and protestations that she had never come as hard as she did on the back of the coach. She promised that she would see me spurt ten times, each the same intensity as her own coming, if I would only take her back to the city, but I declined, as it would not be right. She continued to plead with such foul, bawdy language that I felt it was only right to stop her mouth with her tucker, skimpy though it was."

"Now, here we have a quandary," said Mr. Hainsley. "Mr. Angier, your tale has ascribed a great deal of agency to this woman, which she has denied in her own retelling."

"She is a liar and a strumpet," said Angier hotly.

"It may be so, but there is no proof, and Mr. Fish was inattentive in both of your tales, so there is no evidence either way. However, there is one factual difference. You have claimed that she became wet, and reached orgasm."

"I don't know what that word means, sir, but as I said -- she came, all over my hand."

"That is the meaning. But my woman claims that she was no aroused by your ministrations. It seems quite clear to me that the truth-teller may be determined by an examination of the physical evidence."

"Ah!" exclaimed Angier at the same time that Virtue squealed behind her gag, finally realizing how truly terrible her situation was. Without saying anything else, Mr. Hainsley had rushed Virtue over to his desk, and pushed her down on it. Keeping one hand on the small of her back to hold her body down, he used the other to pull her petticoats up and onto her back, revealing her almost as fully as she had been on the coach.

"Legs apart," he ordered, and when she did not respond, he pushed them into the desired position with one booted foot. Now, she knew, all in the room had an unobstructed view of her slick folds, which had somehow become even more wet as she told her story and listened to Angier. "Mr. Fish, if you would make the inspection?"

Fish stepped forward smartly, and plunged three fingers directly into her depths. "Her cunny is as wet as my namesake," he said. "She seems to have enjoyed herself very much."

"So she is proven a liar," said Mr. Hainsley. "Gentlemen, I would you stayed to see her punishment for that." They consented, and made themselves comfortable. Virtue did not know what was happening until Mr. Hainsley began to rain blows upon her unprotected backside, occasionally punctuated with Angier's excited remarks about "the wanton trollop receiving her due."

"This will teach you, slut," he said, "to try to take advantage of honest men, an d to run from the man who holds your indentures. The court will have them lengthened, you know, and I do not doubt he will own you for many years."

"I shall certainly make every attempt to see that it is so," confirmed Mr. Hainsley, who had ceased his beating but did not allow Virtue to stand or cover herself in any way. "I am indebted to you, gentlemen. My butler will dispense the reward to you (and I believe you will be most satisfied with it) and I request that you give him your full names and directions so that I may invite you back at some future point."

"Well!" exclaimed Angier. "That is what I call a very fair treatment. Toasts will be drunk to your generosity, sir, in every tavern in New York City." He and Fish shook Mr. Hainsley's hand.

"Again, I must thank you for returning my property," Mr. Hainsley said, and the two men left in high spirits, even taciturn Mr. Fish, in anticipation of gaining their just reward. Once the door had closed behind them, Mr. Hainsley allowed Virtue to stand, and pulled the gag out of her mouth once more as she stared at him in terror.

"What deceit is this?" she demanded when her voice returned to her. "You assured me that you would protect me, that you would save my honor! You know that I am not your servant, and have never signed any indentures with you."

"But I have lost the woman who did -- a lady of much better breeding than you, I might add. She took advantage of my low opinion of her intelligence and found an opportunity to escape; she stole a maidservant's clothing to wear as a disguise. I do not expect that I will see her again -- she has probably found a protector by now. It is your misfortune that you happen to be dressed much the same as her, but it is certainly my good fortune, for now I have a replacement for poor Isabella. My servants will swear that you are her out of loyalty to me, and your resemblance is so strong that those few who met her outside my estate will agree."

"I have friends!" Virtue cried. "My family, my employer will look for me, and when they hear of this, they will bring an action against you in the court. This is monstrous of you -- you are indeed a monster!"

"They will not look for you in Harlem," he said calmly, "and I doubt they could afford to make a case against me. You may as well give in, sweet one; though not too much, as I think you will struggle in a delicious manner. Now, let us be rid of some of this bulk." Without further conversation, he reached under the skirts of her gown and untied her heavy quilted petticoat and the two linen ones beneath it, allowing them to fall to the floor around her feet.

"Sir, I will serve out Isabella's indentures working night and day for you," she pleaded as he pulled her forward with one finger, which he hooked over the top of her stomacher and stays. "I will scrub your floors, cook your meals, and work in your fields if you ask it."

"You will serve out her indentures and more," he corrected, as he sat in his armchair and positioned her in front of him, "once I report your return to the local magistrate, and he increases your contracted time in punishment for your actions. I have other servants for menial tasks; your purpose is to serve my pleasure." Taking her gown in one fist to keep her in place, he used the other to unbutton his breeches and release his cock, which became hard with the application of a few gentle strokes of his hand. "Since you are virgin, and you have done nothing to displease me, I will allow you to break your hymen in a more private setting -- in future, you will be expected to perform before and with other people, both gentlemen and ladies, so you should know that this is indeed a kindness." Virtue attempted to back away, but he used both hands to pull her forward and force her to straddle his knees; he then pulled first her right leg and then her left over the arms of the chair, so that she was sitting on his lap in front of his member, splayed open and unprotected. Whimpering, she attempted to plead again, but he ignored her promises and tears.

"How fortunate that you are still wet from your little adventure on the coach," Mr. Hainsley said, and, with little more preparation than to spread her lips with his thumbs for a moment, picked her up and thrust her quickly down onto his cock. Virtue began to plead through tears for him to stop, but he ignored her and continued seeking his own pleasure, which he found with merciful alacrity. After he had come to completion, he held her in place on his lap.

"Please, sir," begged Virtue, without the energy to struggle any more, "you have ruined me in the eyes of polite society. Will you not let me go and live in obscurity, now that you have had your way with me? I will even pledge to pray for your soul at every church that I come across in my travels."

"Do not be stupid," said Mr. Hainsley, as he pushed her off of his lap, to let her fall into a heap on the floor. "I have already told you that you will continue here and fulfill Isabella's indentures. Now, come, let us hear no more of this or you will be beaten." As he arranged his clothing and left the room, a footman entered, and, taking Virtue by the arm, pulled her to her feet and out the door. He towed her mechanically across the hall and into a small closet adjoining Mr. Hainsley's room, which, Virtue was given to understand, was to be her home for the future. As the footman shut the door and locked her in, all that she could do to console herself was to give way to tears and to pray that she might one day find freedom and justice.