In Search of a Pony, a Devils Paw Story

Chapter Five

Two days out of Granada Ruth finally found the courage to ask. “Mistress?” she said, waiting for Penny to look up from her painting.

“It’s Penny” the mouse reminded her secretary.

“Bind my ankle’s with iron then throw me over the stern Mistress, I will never call you by your name again.”

Pausing her painting, a view of Aletha from the drivers seat of her Hanson Penny turned to look at her secretary. “I freed you all, I burned those contracts while each of you watched, you are now paid the same as any in your position and you may leave this ship at any time. Then why do you refuse to call me by my given name?”

“You bet yourself like property” the Springer Spaniel explained. “Mistress, that means I can never be better than you, I would never have had the courage to do something like that.”

“I see, was Mrs. Beckenbauer property” the mouse asked.

“Not a slave no Mistress” Ruth agreed. “We both know though how men see women even today. A toy, something to keep their home, give them pups and keep them warm on cold nights. Replaceable if need be but not something to honestly share ones life with. Not something to love.”

Penny sat her tools aside, standing to walk over to her trusted servant. “You are my servant, you handle all the money this ship generates, you schedule absolutely everything and know almost as many secrets as Calico. I trust you to enter my rooms as I sleep or are away. Stefanie wears the pants in that family, even had I lost and she allowed the game to finish I would never have been in danger. She would never have accepted me in her house and slavery is illegal upon Granada.”

“Then... I know Mistress that you have never gone against your word. Would you have done so that night?”

Penny laughed, bending down to kiss the spaniel on her nose. “No my friend, if Mrs. Beckenbauer could have found it within her to have a pleasure mouse within her home I would have gone in chains to the German’s home. Never you or any other member of my family in my place, never as long as I live.”

Troubled the spaniel looked away. “We would never have allowed that Mistress” she finally admitted. “We are all so deeply in love with you.”

Penny knelt, now looking up into the seated hounds face, noting the tears that wanted to fall. “As I love you, now will you please accept that you are no longer a slave, that you are a trusted member of my family? Will you now call me Penny. Please” she asked.

Rose looked down into the face of a women who had once purchased her from her previous owner, thus keeping her and the pup she carried from feeding wild alligators. “I will never call you that name again” she answered softly, tears falling from her eyes. “I accept the rest but to me, you saved both me and my pup. For that, please be my Mistress, I will always freely be your pet.”

Reaching up the mouse dabbed at those tears with her fingers. “As you wish, you will be my pet but you are my family too. You are not now or ever again will I allow you to be a slave.” Then she lifted herself up and surprised the spaniel by kissing her on her lips.