Manon and Belle, Part 15
Manon had sent a message the previous day to ask that a suite be made available for her and Belle at the same hotel they had stayed at before, and found it ready for them when they arrived in the City. It was a different suite than before, a little smaller with only the one bedroom. But it had a small sitting room and a nice bathroom so was more than adequate.
Eric Du Valle was nowhere to be seen, which in view of the sombre news they got as they arrived wasn't a surprise to Manon.
The Duke, Eric's half brother, had died from his wounds that morning, and the atmosphere in the city was bewildered and tense. The Duke's heir, Richard wasn't very popular, not least as unusually he was a devoted catholic, which wasn't the real issue. It was that he held to some fairly extreme views with it, and had spoken out against everything from same sex relationships to women having jobs outside the home.
He had spent a year in Poland as a young man, in the way that nobles were often sent to other courts, and it was popularly believed that his strict ways started there. The Poles, almost uniquely in Europe, had no women in public life at all, and outside the poorest families they weren't often seen outside of their family homes and then often only when escorted by a husband, father or brother.
His extreme views had been a source of much disagreement with his late father, to the extent that Richard had in effect set up a rival court of his own. Manon's knowledge of him was very limited, the wardrobe had never managed to gather much intelligence on him, and given that Aquitaine was England's staunchest ally against the French, they had tried. Poland wasn't a friend to the English Crown, in reality it was more hostile than diplomatic niceties would have you believe, and was very much a wild card in European politics The Polish influence on the heir to the Duke had been a considerable worry to English policy makers.
So apart from genuine grief at the death of both his parents, and anger at how they had been inexplicably attacked, there was no little nervousness amongst the citizens of Bordeaux about how the new Duke Richard the Ninth might change things.
Manon and Belle had just got settled into their room, most of their luggage had been sent ahead the day before, when Belle answered the door to a quiet knock. A bell boy delivered a note, addressed to Manon. Belle stood behind her and read over her shoulder at the same time as Manon.
"I will not waste time on pleasantries, as there can be none between us.
I have forgone revenge on you all this time, but now that you have severely interfered with my plans, I am going to enjoy tearing you down.
Only after everything and everyone you hold dear has been brought to ruin, will you and I meet.
Stephanie"
"Miss? Who on earth is Stephanie?" Belle asked.
"I have no idea Belle, but it seems we have annoyed her, presumably by what has happened with the Dumains," Manon said thoughtfully. "Belle dear, go and see if you can find out anything about who delivered this note to the hotel? And Belle, we stay armed at all times."
"Yes miss," Belle said and slipped out of the room. Belle returned a few minutes later, having found out nothing useful. The note had been delivered by a street child, who was still outside the hotel when Belle went to look. He'd been slipped a few coins by someone he was quite unable to remember to deliver the note.
Manon and Belle spent a restless night again, both of them finding sleep elusive, so after breakfast the next morning, they went to find Captain Harris and the crew of the Ruby. Beth deserved news of the death of her friends to come in person.
They found that the crew were still quartered at the same boarding house, but were mostly down at the docks, so they walked on there. The crew were busy sorting stores and materials intended for their new ship, that was expected next week, having rented a small dockside warehouse. Travers gave them a surprisingly warm welcome, for her anyway, as she grinned for at least a second at them when she saw Manon.
"Bosun," Manon said, getting a wince in return. Clearly her new rank still wasn't popular with her. "We need to see the Captain please? And if possible Beth, Poppy and Jen as well. I've news they need to hear, and I'd rather not have to go over it twice."
"Not good then," Travers said. "The office up there?" Travers said. "Captain and First Lieutenant Carter are there, I'll round up the others and bring them." Manon thanked her and led Belle up to the office.
The Captain and her newly promoted wife, Tess Carter, were both pleasingly happy to see them, though when Manon gave them a short account of why they were there, that turned sombre quickly.
Travers brought the others in, and to her surprise Manon saw Melissa hovering outside, she'd apparently been with Beth. "Melissa, if the Captain doesn't mind, you should hear this too," Manon said, and the Captain waved the girl in. She went and stood by Beth's side, and her hand slipped into Beth's as they waited.
Melissa's hair had been cut very short, shaped close to her head with a lick in front of each ear. It quite altered the way she looked, somehow making her seem both younger and harder at the same time, but Manon decided she quite liked it.
Pulling her thoughts together, Manon told everyone about the attack on the Château, and that both Claire and Kitty had been murdered in the course of it, leaving out the grisly details. Beth, usually so stoic and calm, sank to her knees crying, as Melissa hugged her. Poppy and Jen just cried quietly, hugging each other.
"Beth, if there was anything I could have done to save them, I would have done it," Manon said. "I'm so sorry, they deserved much better than that."
Beth stood up, visibly collecting herself. "My lady," she said, looking at Manon, "you forget I have seen you bleed defending others, rescuing Poppy and Jen. I know that if anything could have been done for them, you would have done it."
"Thank you for that Beth. It was my job to look after them, and the others at the Château who died, and I failed at it," Manon said, a wave of bitterness twisting in her gut. "If you get permission Beth, Belle and I can take you to where they are buried if you like. Just send word to me."
Beth nodded silently at her, tears running silently down her face.
Everyone stayed quiet then for a while, there seemed to be nothing to say.
"Captain?" Manon said, breaking the silence, "what news of your new ship?"
"Our new ship my lady," the Captain corrected her, "you own as much of her as I do. She's due here any day now. We'll need to look her over, and perhaps have some work done, but I don't expect there to be much. Crew to find possibly and then we can set about finding a cargo or two."
"Good, well I hope the handover goes smoothly. If there's anything you need me for, I'm staying at the hotel again," Manon said.
"Thank you my lady, I'll bear that in mind. Perhaps you'd do me a small service as well then milady?" Manon nodded at her.
"Beth was branded two days ago, and is now officially ship's girl. I allowed Melissa to stay with her today, but she's due back at the hotel, perhaps you'd escort her? I'm reluctant given all these goings on to have anyone on their own."
"Be happy to Captain," Manon said. "Melissa, say your goodbyes and wait for me outside?"
"Captain, I'm pleased to hear you are being cautious. I don't know what we seem to have stirred up, but I doubt I am done with it, whatever it is. After the slaughter of innocents at the Château, we are being cautious as well. As soon as Sir James returns, which hopefully he will soon, I intend finding out what this is all about."
They walked back to the Hotel with Melissa, who was very quiet. "I would like to talk with Eric Melissa, can you get word to him for me?" Manon said.
"I've not seen him in days miss," Melissa replied, "but I'll tell him when I do. Umm, miss? Can I stay with you and Belle? I don't want to be on my own, and everything at the hotel is very odd."
"Yes dear, you can. Eric told you that you were assigned to us for as long as we were at the hotel, so let's just say that instruction is still in force. If anyone wonders about you at the Hotel, just tell them that and refer them to me."
"Thank you miss," Melissa replied quietly.
"Now, when we get back there, I want you to see whoever you have to get some things for me? I want the punishment cross to be set up in my room, as soon as it can be arranged." Melissa and Belle exchanged glances, but didn't say anything, and Manon was in no mood for explaining.
Manon told Belle to supervise the cross being set up when it arrived, and sent Melissa to run a bath. "Melissa dear, you remember the rules, you are to be be naked in our rooms unless I tell you otherwise," Manon said, and the girl nodded and ran off into the bathroom, already pulling at her clothes.
"Me too miss?" Belle asked. "No not for now Belle dear, I need you to do something else for me. You could strip to your underwear though once the cross is here. Then bring two sets of restraints to us in the bathroom, gags and hoods as well, once I've had a soak and a chat with Melissa."
Belle gave her a long look, but just said "yes miss," quietly. Melissa had left her collar on, the heavy leather one that was the hotel's, but Manon took that off, leaving the girl naked. "Still very beautiful," Manon said, getting a quick smile from her.
"Now undress me, and then get into the bath with me, I want you to make sure I'm pink and clean all over," Manon told her. Melissa expertly did as she'd been told, giggling slightly when Manon bent over and told her to make sure that her arse was properly clean, and then they lay in the bath together, Melissa resting back on Manon.
