Previously in Frankengeld. Damion has been woken in the early hours to find a soldier ready to escort him to Durishaus. The Chief of Police requires his help at a scene of murder. Durishaus! Damion recruits Alicia and Freida to assist him, and they investigate. Costache and Bogdan are dead, as is Damion's Mother Marianne. Gerda has died from her impalement, with Alicia 'tending' to her, to make her undead. Karl has been stabbed through the shoulder, is badly wounded, and may also die. Belali is about to get into bed with Karl, with the intention of keeping him warm.
Now read on...
26th June in the year 1784, very early in the morning.
As she removed her blouse I caught sight of her small, but remarkably pointed, breasts. They were very firm and quivered with every movement of her body. But it was the unusual markings that really drew my eye. From a spiral on each shoulder a line of dots ran across the top of each breast, down between them, and then circled around the aureole twice to end pointing at her prominent nipples. I could not initially work out what these marks were. They were not tattoos, and they were too artistic to be torture. Then I realised that they were little scars, pricks by some thorn or similar item, perhaps as an initiation to womanhood.
Her skirt dropped to reveal her narrow waist, generous buttocks, and a thick thatch of black curly pubic hair over her quim. For a moment I wondered what it would be like to penetrate such a dark cavern, my light-skinned phallus, into her dusky body, then duty dragged me back to the task in hand as I watched her slip under the sheets beside my brother, and snuggle up close.
"Yes," I told her. "That will work. But I will have a word with Bruno about some bedpans. We would not want my brother waking and overexerting himself on finding you next to him."
She grinned, an impish smile of delight. I was pleased that her spirit had not been broken by her maiming and slavery but I could not stay and tell her this. There was much to do. I thanked her and almost ran to rejoin the others. Talking about bedroom romps had reminded me of my sister, and I had remembered another fact about the monastery at Gelenberg. What if the Abbot had not been taking Elodie to the monastery Guest House but somewhere else?
If he had wanted to get Elodie out of Durishaus and into safe accommodations he could have simply taken her to a reputable tavern in Carlsbruck. The innkeeper would have been delighted to receive such an honoured guest and would, doubtless, have pampered and cared for her as if she was his own daughter. The fact that the Abbot had taken her to the monastery at Gelenberg might mean he intended to place Elodie in the other establishment on that site, the Asylum!
When I got back to the Chief, Alicia and Freida I found, however, that I was still required and could not yet leave. "We have one more to interrogate while we wait for the sun to permit a search," the Chief said. "Your steward. I need you to make him compliant."
"Bruno is an observant man," I admitted. "He may have much to tell."
We walked across to the servants quarters and the Chief hammered on the door. After a few seconds it was opened and Bruno stood there. He invited us in and took us to the staff room, the equivalent of a withdrawing room for their class.
"Tell me what you know of these events," demanded the Chief.
Bruno thought for a moment. He was probably working out, even in the midst of a murder inquiry, what family secrets he should keep. The Chief and Freida noted his pause which made me decide that honesty might be the best policy against these two clever sleuths.
"Tell all, Bruno," I said. "My Father is gone from this place, Mother is dead, as is Gerda. My brother is badly wounded and may not survive. I am the most senior of our family able to advise you. And I advise you to tell the Chief all you know."
Bruno nodded, though I noted he had gone white as a sheet. It was clear he had not heard until now that his mistress was dead. I wondered if he had feelings for my Mother, or if she had simply requested him to pleasure her, and he had complied.
"Your Father had ordered distant family, and some friends, to gather for a handfasting," he explained. "It was to be a very private occasion with minimal servant contact, to avoid gossip."
"For whom was the handfasting?" asked the Chief.
"Master Damion and mistress Elodie," came the reply.
"Not to each other," gasped Freida.
"No," Bruno smiled. "Marriage partners had been found for each of them. Lord Frankengeld was determined that there would be no more delays in getting them settled with their life partners. He was annoyed at your avoidance, master Damion, and your sister's delaying strategies."
"So Herr Doctor," said the Chief. "Why were you not there?"
Time to tell him the truth, as far as I could.
"I was there, at the start," I said. "For I was tricked into attending the event. Yesterday afternoon I was sent a letter stating that Elodie was seriously ill and needed my assistance. When I arrived at the house I was conducted to the ballroom but, once inside, I was manhandled by Bogdan and Costache and forced to place an engagement ring onto the finger of their sister, Katy. The woman my Mother and Father had chosen for me."
Bruno spoke up spontaneously, "I was told to take master Damion to the ballroom when he arrived, and to say nothing to him. But I had no idea he had been deceived. I am sorry."
"Not your fault, Bruno," I assured him.
"What happened next?" asked Freida. I could see that this was the question the Chief was going to ask as well. Suddenly I was the focus of questions, not Bruno.
"The Abbot of Gelenberg," I said. "Had been invited to the event to do the ceremony. But, for forms sake, there was to be what Father called 'a suitable pause' between engagement and marriage."
"So, you returned to Carlsbruck," suggested the Chief.
"I could not," I admitted. "I was to be married to Katy after merely one hour. I was taken away and put in my room by Bogdan and Costache - the two you found slain in the ballroom - who were to guard me while the family indulged their carnality. My Father had decided that the event would be one that honoured ancient family traditions."
Everyone contemplated this revelation. I decided, I'm not sure why, that I needed to explain the Fucking Stocks.
"I can confirm that, when I was in the ballroom earlier yesterday, Elodie, Gerda and Mother were all in the Fucking Stocks. The ladies were there to provide... er... gratification to the guests. I had been told, when I came of age, the purpose of that item. In ancient times it was used to hold women so they could be freely used by men. Either captives, servants, or sometimes members of the family. I had never actually seen it used, until now our costume balls had been raucous and saucy but never actual orgies. During the engagement ceremony - such as it was - I was shocked to see the three ladies of the house, naked, bent over by the device, as they waited to be abused. And an empty space, presumably for Katy once the marriage had been consummated."
"So, Herr Doctor," said the Chief, possibly anxious to get back to the matter in hand and avoid thinking about the strange erotic practices of aristocratic society. "Why are you not married? Or are you? Is this Katy now your wife?"
"I was rescued by one of the guests, a young lady called Monifa, who took pity on me and released me from my captivity before I could be forced to make my vows."
Accurate, and avoided mentioning a magical cat.
