The Fall of Charlotte Richards
A Devils Paw Story
© 2013 Mr. David R. Dorrycott
Chapter Six
Charlotte Richards stared in wonder at the cabin she was to share with her Aunt. It was fully four times larger than their Furry Flyer compartment, its appointments more muted yet still as rich. Knowing now what to look for it was a simple matter to discover the brass fittings that she had previously discovered aboard the Flyer, noting that these were more strongly mounted yet even now she had but an inkling of their use. Helping her Aunt complete their packing Charlotte finally found the courage to ask about them, what she learned next was shocking.
“They are binding points my dear” Martha Morton explained. “In order to insure that your pleasure partner is unable to move, or to hold him or her in a position allowing complete access to their body.”
“How barbaric” Charlotte gasped as images swept through her mind. Images that had little to do with reality, still her only experience so far had been with the living tables thus one could grant her the error, for now.
“Do not be so childish” her Aunt demanded. “If your husband wishes you bound it is your responsibility to assist him in the binding to the best of your ability. You and your body are his to do with as he needs, not to deny him any part of yourself for any use he may dream of. How my dear niece, do you expect to hold your husbands interest if you continue to insist that sex is only for the creation of children, then only for the limited time required for that and never after? You will lose him in an instant and with him a great deal of your wealth through the courts. Then who would want you, a used woman who has proven herself a block of ice in the bedroom?”
By now the mink knew better than to bring up her church’s teachings. She had discovered that where any Church stood her Aunts beliefs were strictly controlled. Taking a deep breath she touched one of the used but well polished rings mounded discreetly on the bed. “If I must Aunt Martha, then I must” she agreed. “But how in Gods name are such things used?”
“Once the black pennant goes up I will ask one of the stewardess’s to explain such to you” the collie decided. “Such instruction is available, though we may have to wait a day or so. Will you accept being bound to your own bed by another woman my dear niece?”
Charlotte ran her teeth over her upper lip, imagining herself bound to the bed assigned her without the ability to escape, perhaps even naked. “It will be only a woman?” she asked in a weak voice.
“You have my word Charlotte, that as long as I remain your Guardian no male will touch you in such a way as to devalue your body to your future husband.”
“Then...” Charlotte took a deep breath, forcing her somewhat impressive chest out against her tight blouse. “Yes Aunt Martha, only to understand and only by a woman.”
“Very good now put these Summer dresses out, we certainly will not require our Winter clothing until we return home.”
Martha Morton watched as her so innocent niece hung up the clothing her collie Aunt had chosen, keeping her own expression blank. Slowly she was edging young innocent Charlotte Richards into the world of adulthood, the young mink unaware that her Aunt fully intended to dispose of her in some way before returning to Washington D.C. Dispose of her only in order to save her own life from her greedy Uncle. For one of the papers prepared for Charlotte to sign was an updated will, one giving all her liquid assists to her favorite charity and her company shares to her Aunt. At this rate by the time Devils Paw made her turn back North Charlotte Richards would be open to almost anything. According to her Uncles carefully laid plan, visiting the slave auctions in Habana during their month stay would be the last free choice the mink ever made. Martha was required to be in the audience, watching as her helpless niece was sold to the highest bidder to vanish forever. Seven years would not be too long to wait to declare her legally dead and by that time her ‘liquid assets’ would be all but gone. It was an evil thing to do, a thing that would burn the collie’s soul forever yet her brother had been so exact in his explanation.
“Marty, as you refuse to marry if you wish to continue your current lifestyle this is your only choice. Refuse and I assure you that I will ship you off to Kellogg’s Sanatarium. When that religious madman is done with you sex will never enter your life again, if you remain sane that is. Some have not, he is after all a Puritan madman. Charlotte is a half-breed, our sisters daughter yes but also a base low Jew. She has no right to fathers money or our company. Get rid of her, an accident aboard ship, vanishing in Habana where slavery is still legal, anything you can think of just arrange her will so that her property is split between us in seven years, then we will own the company equally and be done with her.”
So Martha was keeping her options open, perhaps another less destructive way could be found for her nieces disappearance. She certainly hoped something would come up, Charlotte was her sisters only daughter after all even if she was supposable nothing but a lowly mink. She could of course tell Charlotte the truth, but would her niece believe that her beloved Uncle wanted her dead? That her only chance was to hide somewhere until he either died or was otherwise defeated? This the collie didn’t know so she planned, discarded and planned again. In truth she loved her niece, mink blood or not. Besides, she had been as attracted to Charlotte’s father as the collie’s sister had been though she had never acted upon that other than warning her sister.
As to her brother, Charlotte’s uncle, Martha had no illusions that he would not do everything in his power to destroy her even if his niece did vanish. Martha had already placed several road blocks in her brothers way, one being that all of her niece’s property would go to her Aunt, not be split as her Uncle desired. That he still wanted his sister was plain, that he wanted her as a toy for himself and his newest wife was also plain. Margarete had been giving Martha more than friendly looks for years now and the fact that she too was a collie, her name almost the same as Martha’s told the collie more than she every wanted to know. She could save herself or she could save Charlotte, considering Charlotte’s holier than thou personality the collie’s decision had been an easy one to make, but not an easy one to carry out. Martha’s own will gave everything to her favorite charity in the case that she die, disappear for greater than six years or be legally found to be mentally unstable. A cold knife into her brother and sister in laws guts, but any revenge was a dish best served cold after all.
Once Charlotte had completed her task Martha assisted her in storing their luggage. Though the greater part of their luggage, that which they needed for two weeks at sea was in the hold. “Shall we take the deck?” Martha asked her niece.
“I would like that” Charlotte admitted, she had never been aboard a ship of this size before and found it overwhelming. As she started to leave her Aunt stopped her, brazenly running a hand under the minks skirt, up along her leg until she met very delicate bare fur. “Aunt Martha” the young mink gasped.
“I did warn you that I would inspect you randomly, didn’t I?” the collie asked, not moving her hand an inch.
“This is unseemly, I should depart this ship now” the mink snapped pulling away from her now laughing Aunt.
“I am a Lady, not some night walking tramp. I will be treated as a Lady.”
“You are no Lady Charlotte” Martha informed her niece. “Not yet, you are a spoiled brat believing herself the better of all others, your morals twisted by a sex mad priest who should be gutted and left for the dogs. My own mother did this same thing to your mother and I every time we left the house, only in our case to insure that we were wearing ours. Now straighten your skirt, we have pleasantries to make and I wish to speak to the crew woman in charge of insuring that our needs are met. You did agree to the binding as I recall.”
“Yes, that I did” the young mink agreed, though her cheeks were red now.