Manon and Belle

That afternoon they were caught up by a mounted patrol, 12 troopers moving at a steady trot coming up the road from Bordeaux. Manon knew there was no way they could out run them, so they stopped and waited, putting the sun at their backs.

She made Christy stay mounted, with the wagon between them and the approaching patrol, and told Fliss to get down from the wagon and stand by her sister's horse, keeping it between her and the patrol.

"If there's trouble, you mount up with your sister and run, get as far away as possible," Manon told them. "Melissa, you too, take one of our horses and go with them. No arguing, do what I tell you," Manon said.

She dismounted and gave Melissa the reins of her horse to hold. Christy passed the carbine from her saddle holster over to Manon who placed it in the wagon.

Janine had sat up, and Manon saw her pull the blanket up over her revolver where she'd put it in her lap, and she took hold of the carbine, and checked it was loaded. Quite what she would be able to manage to do with it with only one working hand wasn't a question there was time for.

Manon walked to the tailgate of the wagon, leaning her own carbine against the wagon, and checking that her own pistol was loose in the holster, and that her sword was loose in it's scabbard.

Belle had remained mounted, her own carbine held crossways across her saddle, and positioned herself on the other side of the wagon from Manon.

And then they waited, watching as the troopers, two a breast, approached. They stopped a little way off, apparently relaxed, but keeping a sensible distance, and one of them, a tall man, was waved forward by the officer at the head of the column.

He dismounted and handed his reins off, and approached on foot. "Ladies, this is a very cautious greetings to the Duke's guard," he said. Manon saw Janine jolt in surprise, a feeling she entirely shared as presumably did Belle since her horse danced nervously for a moment before she brought it under control again.

"Jean-Henri?" Janine said, as the man standing a few feet away was the same Sergeant Chef who had been Janine's second in command at the Château.

"I do not believe we have met mademoiselle," he said politely to Janine, "I would surely remember you if I had," his grin giving the lie to that statement. "Be safe, ma petite colonel," he said to Janine very quietly, and gave a small bow before turning away from them.

"Not who we are looking for," he called out loudly to the column. "No one I recognise, and besides there are five of them and a pretty child, we are only looking for three fugitives."

He remounted when he reached his fellows and the patrol resumed their course, riding two abreast past the wagon only a few feet from it and heading further along the road north. As they passed the wagon, every single member of the patrol, even the officer, a young lieutenant, bowed their head and touched their hat in a small salute to Janine as they drew level with the wagon.

Manon felt the tension drain from her, and looking around saw the same feeling on her travelling companions' faces, apart from Janine, who was crying quietly.

"I'm not a child, why does everyone call me a child?" Manon heard Fliss complaining, and even Janine laughed a little at that, along with everyone else. Which didn't improve Fliss's mood in the slightest, and she climbed up onto the wagon beside Melissa, scowling mightily.

Manon couldn't think of anything to say to Janine, so gave her a quick hug, checking she was alright before Janine shuffled back onto her makeshift bed in the wagon, and turned on her side, not looking at anyone.

They passed an inn a little later, but decided to press on, as they could see the patrol's horses hitched outside it. As evening fell after a couple more miles, Belle again found a camp site, a few hundred yards off the road, by a wood with a stream. From the look of the spot it was one used by others previously, since there were clear marks of other camp fires.

Fliss went with Melissa to water the horses, and Belle went along to help and quietly keep an eye on them. Janine carefully got down from the wagon, and as Manon laid a fire and got it going she watched Christy help Janine slowly walk a few circuits of the camp, stretching her legs.

Supper was a simple meal, as they found they'd been packed dried sausage and some vegetables, so Belle made a soup of the vegetables and sausage in the pot that came with the wagon, with some dried beans thrown in.

Manon took first watch, as Christy and her sister, now apparently back on good terms, shared one bedroll, and Melissa and Belle shared another, looking a bit crestfallen when Manon warned them to behave, given Fliss's presence.

Manon sat with her back to the fire, beside Janine, who lay down beside her, talking quietly. "We didn't really get a chance to talk," Manon said, "injuries aside, how are you?"

"In a state, I guess, if I'm honest miss. The patrol, well the reminder of what I lost when I was dismissed was painful. I'm worried about Mary-Louise and what that prick of a brother of hers intends mostly."

"No regrets about what I've done to you?"

"I offered miss, you didn't force me, so no regrets. Well, one maybe."

"I wrote to Mary-Louise and told her about you, and the um dinner invitation, but I don't know if she even got the letter," she said.

"And?" Manon asked, prompting her after a lengthy pause.

"And I still haven't got to sleep with you, and miss, little Janny still wants to come and play, well or be played with," she added, her teeth flashing white in the firelight as she grinned.

"I promise you, Janny, that I haven't lost sight of that either. In fact, I think I can safely say that once Janny is allowed to play by her doctor, that she's going to be played with, hard. She is after all very late," Manon said softly, and felt Janine shiver slightly as she stroked her face.

"Miss, that isn't helping me you know, this is difficult already."

Manon laughed softly, "I didn't think it would help. Oh don't forget that Belle promised to exact payment for being your personal transport. She will I can assure you get payment in full from your body."

"Oh god, please, don't tease," Janine said, but Manon just laughed and told her to get some sleep. Janine went and put her bedroll out beside Melissa, and lay down, and Manon saw a half asleep Melissa roll over and put an arm over Janine.

Manon found that despite everything that had happened she wasn't sleepy, and walked a few circles of the camp, settling the horses when she disturbed them. She was thinking about home, about London and what Sir James had in mind for her next, and thinking about the mysterious Stephanie, and if Belle's guess about her was right or not.

Christy got up and came and joined her, leaving her sister fast asleep in the bedroll. "Thought I'd best tell you. Now that she's less upset, her opinion was very clear, go with you to London, and accept your offer of joining your household. Not nearly so keen on the idea of school, but I'll work on that."

"I'm very pleased to hear that," Manon said, stopping her slow stroll and turning to Christy. "Belle and I haven't been home for a long time now, and it's likely to be a little chaotic at first, but we'll get you settled as soon as we can. You and Fliss can have your own set of rooms, so you'll be quite comfortable."

"Manon, just how large is this house of yours?" Christy asked. "Ah well, think stupidly large, and then add a bit? I had profligate ancestors."

Belle had got up and chided Manon for not waking her earlier, so Manon went and settled down with Melissa, as Christy returned to her sister. Melissa it seemed wanted to talk, and cuddled up close to Manon. "Miss? When you said you had wanted to bind me? I mean, why, I don't really understand what it means for me."

Manon hugged Melissa back, "Well as to why, I think it's simple at least in retrospect. I'd lost Claire and Kitty, and I didn't want to lose you. In the long run I don't know how it will affect you and me Melissa. With me and Belle, it makes it easier for us to love each other more and trust each other, so maybe that will be true for us as well."

Melissa was silent for a little while, and Manon felt her shoulders shaking as she was crying very quietly. "Melissa, what is it?"

"Does that you mean you love me too miss?" Melissa asked, and rolled over to face Manon.

"Oh of course I do girl, you don't think I'd want to keep you if I didn't?"

Melissa sniffled and burrowed her head into Manon's chest, her arms hugging her mistress tightly.

"The binding exaggerates the feelings that are already there, it doesn't make new ones. Or at least that's what I thought, but since Fliss got caught too when I bound Christy in the link, it looks as though there is more variation in how it works that I was taught." Manon said to her quietly, stroking her head.

Melissa fell asleep like that, and Manon, feeling pleasantly content, followed.

The next morning Janine announced she was much better, but got put firmly in her place by Christy, who having examined her told her she was doing well but had to be careful. She did grudgingly allow that Janine could ride with Melissa on the wagon seat, squashed between her and Fliss.

Apart from a two brief breaks to rest the horses, they didn't stop, and in the late afternoon saw La Rochelle in the distance, and pulled up at an Inn just inside the main gate in the early evening. The constables at the gate didn't show the slightest interest in them as they entered, reassuring Manon about their safety, even if she wasn't going to take it for granted.

The Inn had stabling and livery for the horses and a spot for the wagon. Belle organised rooms for them, but they only had two. Fliss pleaded for Melissa to be allowed to share with her and her sister, so Manon and Belle took Janine, and they all had the welcome pleasure of sleeping in their own, albeit narrow beds.

They had dinner brought to their rooms, and turned in early as Manon was keen to get to the docks in the morning to nose about and see what options if any they had for transport.

All six of them were eating breakfast when Manon saw there was a note on their breakfast tray, addressed to her. Manon read it and laughed, before explaining.

"It's from Gran Foster of course," she said. "Told us to leave the horses and wagon wherever we are staying, they'll be taken care of, and to ask for a ship called the Pearl at the docks, seems she has some sort of business arrangement with them."

"Says she has no other news, apart from the City was in turmoil when she wrote, apparently some dangerous fugitives escaped."

Janine came with them to the docks, walking slowly but looking much better, and the boy at the dock master's office told them, in return for a small donation to his education fund, that the Pearl was not due back until that evening, and told Manon where she was likely to find her master that night.

Christy surprised Manon by pulling some coins out of a money belt she had hidden around her waist, when they found a market where she bought herself and Fliss some more clothes. They were alright, though not as good as the things Gran Foster sold, and perhaps more importantly bought some shoes for Fliss, as she'd insisted that Janine take hers back when they had come out that morning.

Back at the Inn they organised baths for themselves, that caused a lot of grumbling at all the work from the staff, until Manon tipped them generously, when suddenly nothing was too much trouble. Melissa came with Manon, and shared two big wooden tubs with her, Janine, and Belle, but to her annoyance, Janine was only allowed to be washed carefully standing in a tub, not to have a soak.

Manon watched amused as Melissa fussed over her and teased her, carefully washing her from head to toe. That evening they ate together in the common room, before Manon and Belle headed to the tavern where apparently the Pearl's master could usually be found. The others were left, somewhat to their annoyance, at the Inn, after Manon exacted promises they'd stay in and stay quiet.

The Pearl's master was a little man, old and so wrinkled and burned by the wind and sun that he reminded Manon of a pickled walnut, but after a cagey start to the conversation, and dropping Gran Foster's name, he agreed to take them at high tide the next day, which was late morning.

The Pearl wasn't big, an open decked coaster that ran small cargoes from port to port along the coast, some of which clearly weren't the sort that customs men got to know about. He could take them only as far as Calais, but once there Manon would easily get them passage to London, as there were daily packet ships between the two ports, being that they were the two most important ports in England.

The Pearl didn't quite live up to it's name when they saw it the next morning, looking like nothing so much as a large rowing boat, with one main sail and another on a long mast jutting out of its bow. There were only three crew, including the master, who got them sat in a huddle in the middle of the boat, and told them sternly not to move.

The weather had changed, it was colder and raining, so as they ran up the coast and rounded Brittany and into the channel, they were all cold and wet in very short order, despite the tarpaulin that the master gave them to shelter under. The Pearl did though seem quite quick, at least to Manon's inexpert eye, and they made good time.

Each evening, sometimes quite late, the Pearl put in at some small fishing port or other, and twice in bigger ports, and Manon and her girls got to eat and sleep in an Inn. They were all fairly basic, if not outright rough, and they only ever had one room, but at least they were warmer and dryer than the boat. Janine steadily improved, got her colour back and generally came back to life.

Fliss was seasick more or less continuously while they were at sea, so by the time they crept into Calais harbour, she was really quite poorly, tired and uncharacteristically quiet. Calais though was familiar territory for Manon and Belle, and the wardrobe had its own people and facilities here, so it didn't take long for the coach that Manon got a startled dock officer to send for to arrive.

Manon and Belle enjoyed the reaction that the Pearl's master couldn't conceal when he realised his passengers were Queen's officers, but Manon just paid him his fee and told him to slip away quietly, what he was smuggling was no business of hers.

The Dock Officer couldn't quite get over having a Queen's badge stuck under his nose by the leader of a small and very bedraggled band of women, but followed protocol. A few hours later they were all warm, clean and well fed, in a comfortable set of rooms in the small house that the Wardrobe maintained in Calais, well looked after by the quiet older couple who acted as housekeepers.

The next morning they were on the noon packet boat out of Calais bound for London, a letter from Manon to Linette and Vallon having gone before them on the first packet boat that morning. By day's end, weary but happy, Manon saw the smoke of London growing on the horizon as they made their way up the Thames, aided by an incoming tide. Shortly after they disembarked at St Katherine's dock, near the Tower.

No one was there to meet them, but Manon hadn't really expected that, as the twins wouldn't have had enough notice to organise anything, so Belle got them two cabs, and they headed for the Strand.

The city was still very busy, and the traffic as usual atrocious, but Melissa and Fliss, still travelling together whenever they could, hung out of the windows goggled eyed, looking at everything. London was several times the size of Bordeaux, and much more densely populated, so even though it was dark and the only lights were from shops and gas street lights, they still got quite an eyeful.

Manon made her cabbie drive into the courtyard of her house, despite his grumbling, as they always preferred to drop you on the street where they didn't have the hassle of turning the horse, and the second cab with Belle, the doctor and Janine followed them in. A generous tip from Belle improved both of the cabbies' mood, and Manon watched as they carefully turned and drove out of the side gate.

Most of the house wasn't lit, two sides of the courtyard were dark, though the courtyard itself was lit, and Manon returned Belle's grin at being home.

"So, which is your house?" Christy asked.

Manon could hear Belle giggle, but ignored that. "Christy, this is my house, all of it," Manon told her. Christy just stood there open mouthed, but Fliss, already looking better for being on dry land, squealed loudly, before clamping her hand over her mouth and giggling. Melissa and Janine were standing by Belle, looking around and a bit bewildered.

Suddenly the door in the west side opened, and Linette and Vallon came racing out shouting and laughing. "Sorry, we should have been here, but we were trying to get rooms and ready, and, Belle!" They both shrieked as Belle grabbed them both about the waist and whirled them around her, laughing.

Once Belle put them down, they both came and hugged Manon, who returned both hugs with interest. She hadn't seen them in almost three years, but they hadn't changed much, the same cuddly figures and warm smiles, big dimples in each cheek. Their hair was different, both of them now wore it really short, so not much of it's old curl was apparent, and most oddly, both had little gold rimmed round glasses on, which Manon had never seen them wear before.

If anything, they were even cuter than before, and Manon was surprised at how glad she was to see them.

Establishing that the only luggage the travellers had was the doctor's bags, the twins led everyone into the big drawing room off the hall the twins had emerged from, where there was a big fire blazing away. The twins excused themselves for a few minutes, and came back later with a tray each, with all the makings for proper tea for everyone.

Manon watched as Belle, seeing Melissa and Janine hesitate on the edge of the room where they'd come in, steered them both to one side near Manon, and told them to kneel there. She stood by them, next to Manon, who gave her an approving nod.

"So, tell me everything," Manon said to the twins, after she had made introductions all round. The twins would have obviously preferred to find out the stories behind all these new people that had arrived with Manon and Belle, but mastered their curiosity.

Fliss and Christy sat together on one sofa, while the twins sat on the other, facing Manon in her big high backed armchair. "Belle dear, please sit, you are looming at me. Melissa, Janine, sit as well, and relax now, it's been a long journey and I know you are tired."

"Well," Linette said, "it all started with Sir James. We knew he'd got involved in the investigation into your brother's death of course, since we were working in the intelligence office, but just after all that was cleared up, he came to see us."

"We hadn't seen him since College, Manon, and were surprised he even remembered us," Vallon added. "Anyway, we got more surprised when he asked us if we wanted a different assignment, to come and work for you."

"He said that at first we were just to see to the running of the house, and make sure it was ready for you when you came home, and that there'd be more duties for us later. He was all very mysterious Manon, and wouldn't tell us more. We've been here ever since."

"So, in truth we haven't done much, we didn't know what you would or wouldn't like, so we've kept things clean, tidied up your special rooms downstairs, but haven't altered anything. We've hired temporary staff for cleaning and maintenance and the like, but thought you would want to approve any permanent hires," Vallon said.