"ARRTISHEWWW!" It wasn't the first time Mary had sneezed because of the dust but before it was always concealed by the noise from below. This time she had only partly been able to suppress it. Roderick looked up. Mary peered down. He seemed to be the only one who noticed and he knew where the noise came from although it had been summer time when he was last up there.

Without disturbing the others he went to the door and found it locked. Squinting in the hole he could see the end of the key. "Not a good move young lady," he muttered. Sliding a newspaper under the door he poked the key through until it dropped on to the paper and he pulled it back under. "Good job these old doors don't fit too well," he said as he quietly opened the door and torch in hand ascended the staircase.

Mary jumped when she heard and saw the door at the end of the passage open. Grabbing the cricket bat, she moved to a position where she hoped to defend herself if it became necessary.

"Mary. Mary Jane, it's me. Roderick. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Leave me be Roderick, please. I don't want Michael or the others to find me. I don't want to be beaten and raped like that lot down there."

Slowly Roderick approached the frightened girl. "Put the bat down Mary. I promise I will not hurt you." He stopped when he was some ten feet from Mary and leaned against the wall. "I don't think Michael will either. He's been going sick out of his mind looking for you. He's outside still, hoping against hope you are all right."

"I can't believe you Rod. He brought me here knowing what it would be like and knowing how much I would hate it."

"I'm sure he didn't realise Miss. Please put the bat down and I will take you down to the kitchen which is sort of out of bounds for the guests. Sarah will be there if she hasn't gone to bed."

"You had better be true to your word, Roderick. I want to trust you. Perhaps you and Sarah are the only ones I can trust now. You're working people like me." Mary put the bat down and followed Roderick back down the stairs. Few on the hall floor heard the whispering. One that did was Bella.

"Stay in the kitchen, Mary. I must find Michael and stop him looking further. Sorry Sarah does seem to have gone to bed. It's been a long day for us." Mary sat on a chair and waited with some trepidation for Roderick to return with Michael. She wondered what he would do to her. If he tried to thrash her again she would fight with all her strength. If he harmed her she could go to the police and they could break up this crowd of perverts. The door opened and in strolled Bella, whip poised ready for use. Snotface followed bleary eyed, a few paces behind.

"So bitch you sort to steal my fur coat. That's a crime I can punish you for and by fuck I will. Give me the coat, thief!" Mary not wanting to anger her further slipped the coat from her shoulders, laid in on a chair and backed away. She shivered. The Roman slavegirl dress did little to keep her warm in the cooling kitchen. "You little shit. It's filthy. It's ruined. It will cost a fortune to clean. You shitted it all up." Dust flew from the coat when Bella picked up and allowed it to drop back on the chair.

I'm sorry." Her apology was cut short as Bella cracked the whip across her chest. Livid stripes appeared across the exposed tops of her breasts. Having seen what she had done with the whip to Sylvia, Mary's anger flared and she flew like a demon into the attack. Her right fist went deep into Bella's stomach, winding her. Mary might have been small but work on the farm meant having to carry heavy bales, sacks of fertiliser or buckets of feed. Her arm muscles were well developed and her fists hard. Before Bella had time to recover, a right hook closed her left eye. Another punch to the face, this time with her left fist, broke Bella's nose and sent blood streaming down her face. Sensing victory, Mary forgot about Snotface until she felt her arms wrapping themselves around her. Mary's temper got the better of her. She wasn't going to give in now without putting up a real fight.

"Aaaagghh!" howled Snotface as Mary's teeth bit deeply in her arm. Momentarily her grip was released but before Mary could get away she moved her arm lower, out the range of her teeth.

"Hold her Snotface. Bring her to the hall where I can deal with this piece of shit before bloody Michael gets back in. Quickly girl." Bella tried to wipe the blood from her face as she barked orders to her slave.

The disturbance had roused a few of the guests. More awoke when Mary was carried, screaming, struggling and kicking to the hall. Some were secretly pleased that Bella had been on the receiving end for once but a few of the men just thought it was all good fun and a continuance of the evening. "String her up by her ankles," Bella ordered two of the men she knew would love to see a young girl whipped. One immediately suffered a kick to the crotch which left min writhing in agony but another soldier took his place.

"Keep her ankles wide apart." Bella ordered. Still screaming and calling for Michael and Roderick to save her, Mary hung and swung helplessly upside down from the frame.

"You can't whip her Bella. She's a gold collar," someone shouted. Others murmured their disagreement to what was happening. They knew Mary was not one of them. She wasn't a willing participant. She could cause trouble. Bella had no such worries.

"She's a thief and she attacked me. You can see for yourself what she did. I can and will thrash the shit out of her."

"SWISH WHAAP" Bella wasted no time in landing the first powerful blow across Mary's arse followed by a backhander across her front. Another to her arse sent her screaming and swinging forwards ready for the return backhander. Mary had never known such pain. Bella angrily put all her force behind the blows. Even with one eye closed the blows were deft and accurate. For a few moments Bella waited for the swing to die down and readied herself to whip the exposed Vee of the girl's crotch. It never landed. One of the slaves ran head down and charged Bella in the stomach, knocking her backwards to the floor. It was Melious. She hated the woman. Hated her for the whipping she had been given earlier. Hated her arrogance. This poor kid she knew wasn't really part of the scene and could upset it for everyone. Almost mindlessly she'd charged. Bella still bleeding from the nose and half blind didn't even see her coming. For the second time her breath was knocked from her body. Melious snatched the whip from her hand.

"This is a slave's revolt," Melious cried out.

At that moment Michael entered and witnessed Melious's actions. Rushing to Mary he yelled, "That's enough, everyone. Party is over." Cradling Mary in his arms while others released her feet he looked into her weeping sobbing face, and with tears running down his own face, kept repeating, "Sorry Mary Jane, I'm so sorry. I didn't intend you to get hurt. That's why you were my personal slave." Turning to the group around Bella he said, "Someone give that bitch a taste of her own medicine." Melious grinned as she held the whip. Despite the horrendous pain, Mary began to feel safe and lay unmoving in Michael's strong arms.

Claudia accompanied Michael to Prude's bedroom. The bed was occupied by Prude and three other men. Prude's eyes opened. "You found her then. Try the bedroom above this. Go up the stairs at the end."

"I'll show you Sir," Roderick and Claudia followed. Carefully they removed what little clothing Mary had on and laid her, still sobbing, on her side.

"Have you any burn cream or similar in the house Roderick, please. Any sleeping pills? I used to be a nurse." Claudia asked

"We have a variety of creams Miss which we stock for these occasions. We put a supply in a first aid box in the hall and always one guest is instructed where it is. No doubt others will be wanting them soon. We keep a reserve supply in the kitchen so I'll get those. I think Sarah has a few sleeping pills left from when she had a bout of depression. I'll see what I can find. Should I run a cool bath for her? This room is en suite."

"Good idea, Roderick. Thanks but I'll do the bath while you get the other stuff." Michael meanwhile kept talking gently to Mary, trying to give what little comfort he could. It was not really sufficient. He lifted her in the bath and supported her in a kneeling position while Claudia bathed the welts on her breasts, arse and stomach.

Roderick returned. "I found these creams Miss, and painkillers and I brought a sleeping pill."

Claudia looked at them, "Well it has to be either the painkillers or the sleeping pill not both. I think we'll give her a few hours sleep."

"I'm glad you said that Miss. Shows you had some training as a nurse. Had to go to the hall for the creams. Don't think Miss Bella will be wanting to use a whip for a while. Miss Melanie went mad and had to be pulled off and what with the damage Mary Jane did to her face, she's in a right mess. Even Miss Julie isn't speaking to her. She is being looked after though."

"What did Mary Jane do to her?" Michael enquired. It was the first he'd heard of it although he had noticed the blood on Bella's face.

"According to Miss Julie who was there, when Miss Bella struck her with the whip in the kitchen where I thought she should have been safe, she went berserk and punched her in the stomach, then landed a blow to her eye and another to her nose. She'll have a black eye by morning and her nose is broken. Miss Julie said to tell you Miss Mary Jane, that she is very sorry for holding you so you couldn't get away from her."

Eventually they got Mary back into bed and sleeping fitfully. Claudia lay at her back and Michael in front supporting the bedclothes. It was 4 a.m. "Merry Christmas," whispered Claudia before she too fell asleep.

Five hours later, Mary became restless and woke, waking her bed partners also. Her body seemed on fire and she needed to pee. They helped her out and gave her another cool bath. Mary was still angry. "This is your fault Mike. I tried to tell you I didn't want to come but you insisted. I hate you!

"Merry Christmas, Mary Jane." In her anger and soreness she had forgotten the day. "Yes, I know dear. I'm sorry. Really sorry," Michael went on, "I know it was my fault although other events conspired as well. Your sister going away and the hotels being full didn't help, but I really did think you might have liked the sex. I did try and protect you but you ran away." Despite trying to hold them back Michael's eyes flowed with tears, "Mary, dear, I thought I had lost you. I walked and we drove miles hoping against hope you'd be behind the next bush, in the next shed, around the next corner. As the hours went by I lost all hope. I didn't want to lose you. You have become part of my life."

"Yeah, so much a part of it, you were prepared to let me be raped by any number of other men."

"I'm sorry Mary Jane. I was wrong. I did think you would learn to enjoy it."

"Stop bickering you two. Give her a kiss Michael and then find her clothes and mine. Mine are in Bag 2," Claudia said turning her arse to him so he could see the number. It was crossed by a number of strap marks but nothing too severe, she was after all the wife of a high ranking officer. Michael did kiss her but there was little response. He left. Claudia showered and talked to Mary. "Don't be too hard on him," she said, "He misjudged you but I know he cares for you and what he said about being in despair at not finding you last night is true. The open front door fooled them all. I have never seen a man so distraught. He really does like you. Whether it is love or not, is too early to say but give him a chance."

"People are moving about downstairs. Sarah is putting out a buffet breakfast. Others are still on the mattresses or applying cream to their sore places." Michael informed them when he returned. "Prude was being screwed again when I went in for your clothes. She was really upset that you had been whipped. Like me she never intended that to happen. Bella is being looked after by two men. I doubt if she will move from here today. One of them seems to have some medical know how and has put her nose back but she's not a happy bunny. Melanie is pretty welted too but her husband will take her home in the Jaguar. That's quite a comfortable car to ride in but I doubt her husband will find the drive pleasant!" Michael gave a little laugh. "His arse is pretty sore and his cock is still ringed as Melanie conveniently forgot to bring the key. You escaped lightly Claudia."

"Yes, Prude's choice of officer for me was great. He serviced me well but I did enjoy some good fucks from other soldiers. Sorry Mary Jane. Some of us do enjoy having more than our husband's prick inside us."