Chapter 14

Jane wakes up around 2 am, and hears a strange whimpering noise, one that almost sounds like crying. She gets out of bed, and listens, remembering that Amber is on the floor, and that the noises are coming from her. Kneeling down next to her, she gently cups her face, noticing she is curled into a ball.

“What’s wrong?” Jane whispers, leaning in.

Amber doesn’t really answer, just pulling herself into a more compact shape, but not pulling away from Jane’s hand. “Amber, honey, please tell me what’s wrong.” Jane says.

“I don’t know, Mistress.” Jane hears her say faintly, through sobs. Jane feels Robert approach, having been woken up by her rolling out of bed.

“Can you help me get her into bed with us?” Jane asks him.

“Of course, honey.” Robert says. “Amber, are you ok with me picking you up? No one is going to hurt you, we are just going to move you to the bed.”

Robert can barely see Amber nod, and he reaches underneath her, picking her up carefully, and then hugging her to his chest as he rises. “If she wasn’t so skinny, I’m not sure I could do this. I’m not getting any younger, and my back isn’t getting any better.”

Robert gets her to the bed, and lays her as close to the middle as he can, Jane already getting in on the other side.

“Amber, would you prefer to cuddle with Robert or me?” Jane asks. “Or both?”

Amber doesn’t answer, but does scoot closer to Jane, who moves closer to put her arms around her, stroking her back gently as she holds her. Amber squirms her head deeper into Jane’s cleavage, as if she is trying to hide. “You are safe now.” Jane says softly, gently stroking the back of her head. “Everything is going to be ok.”

Robert watches, trying to figure out how to help, before accepting that he can’t, and laying down towards the far edge of the bed, giving Amber space. As her sobs fade, she says something to Jane that he can’t quite hear.

“Robert, can you scoot a bit closer?” Jane says. “She needs both of us.”

Robert slides over slowly, careful not to scare her, until he is close enough to put one hand on her arm, stroking it gently. Amber slides her legs backward a bit, letting her feet make contact with his, and he shuffles a bit closer, until he is lying against her back.

“Is this what you need?” he asks soothingly, and she just nods. Robert moves his arm past her arm for a moment to touch Jane, and he makes eye contact with her. She just nods, and they continue to cuddle her until she appears to be asleep.

“Let’s try to stay like this as long as we can.” Jane whispers over Amber’s head to Robert. “She needs the rest badly.”

Robert just nods, and Jane sees a tear go down his cheek. She moves her hand to hold his, on top of Amber, and the trio drift back off to sleep.

The next morning Robert wakes up, feeling his watch alarm go off. He quickly but smoothly moves it away from Amber, and works his other arm free, managing to turn off the alarm without appearing to wake her. Slipping out of bed he grabs his clothes, and decides to head to the guest shower instead of the master, to not wake up Amber or Jane.

Opening the door to the hallway, he nearly bumps into Alexia and Lucia, who are waiting at the top of the stairs. Lucia looks like she wants to say something, but Robert puts his finger over his lips, and points down the hall. The girls head that way, and Robert follows to their room, closing the door behind him.

“Is everything ok?” Lucia asks once the door shuts. “We’ve been a little worried.”

“Everything is fine.” Robert says reassuringly, hugging one of them with each arm. “Jane found Amber crying during the night, but we managed to calm her down. Cuddles helped a lot.”

“She got to cuddle with you both?” Alexia asks jealously. “Mistress Jane doesn’t usually do cuddles like you do.”

“If you are ever in as bad of shape as Amber is, and needed that, I’m sure she would.” Robert says. “Let’s try to keep things down this morning, and let them sleep as late as we can. Alexia, maybe you can hang out up here quietly after breakfast and listen for them to wake up?”

“Yes, Master.” Alexia says. “Lucia, I’ll text you when I hear them moving so you can start pancakes for the Mistress.”

“Thank you both. I think they both need to be pampered a bit today.” Robert says. “If either of you need anything, just text or come into my office. I’ll keep my camera off if I have any meetings.”

“May I bathe you now, Master?” Alexia asks, flirting a bit.

“You can join me in the shower, but just for washing today.” Robert says. “Remember we are keeping the noise down.”

“I’ll go start your breakfast, sir.” Lucia says, giving him a brief kiss before walking out.

“Any idea where the sir came from?” Robert asks Alexia a moment later.

“I think seeing you both take care of someone else is making us both appreciate you even more.” Alexia says, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Now, may this girl wash her master?” Alexia adds, trying to keep a straight face before giggling.

“Only if you promise to never, ever do the third person thing again.” Robert says, not finding it that funny.

“Oh, fine...” Alexia says. “I’ll try not to, very often.”

Robert sighs and just walks to the shower, knowing he isn’t going to win this one. After a quick shower, they are both clean.

“I need to check on work, and then I’ll be down to eat.” Robert says.

A few minutes later he does make it to the kitchen, and the three sit down to eat. As they enjoy breakfast, Robert says. “We need to figure out logistics for this weekend. Worst case, I think we could end up with 8 new concubines, including Amber of course, and that is going to cause some immediate problems. Can you both start thinking of what those problems are going to be, and what we can do to minimize them?”

“Sleeping arrangements are the first thing I can think of.” Alexia says. “I’ll have the second set of bunk beds built today or tomorrow, but we may need to order more, and rearrange things a bit to fit them.”

“I suspect Amber will want to stay close to either Jane or I for a bit, and I’m assuming you two don’t mind sharing with one of us?” Robert asks.

“Of course not.” Lucia says. “We will do what we need to do, and sleeping next to you is always a treat.”

“So worst case, we are looking at 12 people. We could do 4 in our bed, 3 in yours, 4 in the bunk beds, and 1 either on the floor, the couch, or an air mattress maybe.” Robert says. “3 in your bed would be a bit tight though.”

“3 of me would fit ok.” Lucia says. “But if they are normal sized, they’d be on top of each other.”

“What about your futon?” Alexia asks. “The one in your office.”

“I don’t dislike any of you enough to ask you to even sit on that thing for more than a few minutes.” Robert says. “It’s hard as a brick. I’d rather sleep on the floor personally. If we ordered another set of bunk beds, where could we put them?”

“We could ditch the futon and put them in your office, but everyone in your work would see them when you turned on your camera during meetings.” Alexia says. “I could try to re-arrange the existing bunk beds to fit a third in that room, I’d need to measure to see how that would work out.”

“I’ll leave you to tackle that.” Robert says. “I’m probably going to take tomorrow off to start prepping the house, or maybe Friday. Maybe check the local stores, and see if anyone has something in stock we can get delivered before Saturday.”

“I’ll take care of it, Master.” Alexia says. “I’ll come to your office once I think I’ve got it figured out.”

“Thank you.” Robert says. “Normally Jane thinks through these things, but anything we can handle before she realizes the scale of the problem is one more thing she doesn’t need to worry about.”

“We are going to need more food.” Lucia says. “We’ve been shopping for 4, not 12. We have room in the kitchen for more shelves, but we probably need more seating too.”

“Bar stools maybe?” Alexia says. “We could fit 3 or 4, if we clear off the counter a bit.”

“Good idea.” Robert says. “We may have to accept eating in shifts too, at least until we can find a new house with a proper dining room that isn’t also Jane’s office. As for the food storage, work with Alexia, and see what is in stock that we can either get delivered quickly, or go pickup before Saturday. I suspect things are going to start selling out next week when households start expanding.”

“I hate to ask, but do you think Mistress would mind going shopping one of the next few evenings? I’d like to fully stock the pantry, and we probably need a ton more clothes, bedding, etc too.” Lucia says.

“Would you two be comfortable going with me tomorrow or Friday?” Robert says. “If I take the day off, of course. I’d rather not put this all on Jane.”

Lucia looks nervous, but says. “As long as we can stay with you the whole time.”

“Of course. Anytime you go out, make sure to stay together. Lucia, if you could start putting a list together of items we need, and for the clothing, rough sizes and quantities. We don’t need a complete wardrobe, just enough to tide them over.” Robert says. “There is one other big thing I thought of last night, and it’s going to be a problem.”

The girls just look at him, both of them drawing a blank.

“Transportation. Our car can hold 5 at most, and if Jane and I both go to the auction, we are going to need 10 seats potentially to get home.” Robert says.

“My old car is probably still at my work.” Alexia says. “I don’t know where the keys went though, my purse got left at the office.”

“That thing barely ran.” Lucia says. “I don’t think Robert or Jane want to be stranded on the side of the road with a bunch of women they just met. Not quite the best first impression.”

“Lucia is right.” Robert says. “I appreciate you thinking of it, but we should probably abandon that idea. I could rent a van, I guess, if we get a reservation soon. We probably need to buy something soon though, we can’t rent a van every time we want to leave the house after all.”

“Would you like me to see what I can find?” Alexia asks.

“I’ll handle that one.” Robert says. “I’m sure I’ll have time during work. Maybe look at rentals, just in case we have to go that route.”

When breakfast breaks up, Robert heads upstairs to work, and the girls get on with their chores, Alexia working from upstairs so she can listen for Jane and Amber. An hour or so later, as she is pondering how to re-arrange the bunk beds to fit an extra one comfortably, she hears the master bedroom door open. She immediately heads to see if Jane is ready for breakfast.

“Good morning, Mistress.” Alexia says, managing to make it to the hallway before Jane goes down the stairs. “Would you like breakfast now?”

“Thank you, Alexia. That would be nice. Maybe something small for Amber too, when she wakes up. Scrambled eggs perhaps?” Jane says. “And one small pancake?”

“I’ll text Lucia right now to get started.” Alexia says. “Is there anything I can do in the meantime? Maybe a nice relaxing bath or shower?”

“Not right now.” Jane says. “Go help Lucia, if you don’t mind. I need to go over a few things with you both at breakfast.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Alexia says, and then hesitantly asks. “How is Amber?”

“She’s still sleeping.” Jane says. “I’m going to go grab a pen and paper from Robert’s office, so I can leave her a note. I don’t want her freaking out when she wakes up alone.”

Alexia heads downstairs to help Lucia with breakfast, and Jane heads to Robert’s office.

“Good morning.” Jane says, leaning down to wrap her arms around Robert’s neck as he works, and then kissing his head. “Work busy?”

“Good morning to you too.” Robert says, swiveling his chair slowly to face Jane. “Work is still slow. I realized last night that we need to start preparing to have a lot more people in this house. I’ve divided the tasks between the girls and I, and we are going to tackle as much as we can, so you can breathe a bit today.”

“I’m good now.” Jane says. “I think someone else needs a special day. What do you have Lucia doing?”

“She says we need more food storage, as well as additional places for people to eat, and clothes, toiletries, bedding, etc ... She is making shopping lists for all of that, as well as doing a bit of online shopping for bar stools and the food storage.” Robert says. “I think she’s probably going to try to organize the kitchen and pantry a bit more efficiently too.”

“She can work on that part tomorrow.” Jane says. “As for the shopping lists, I’ll work with her to get it done a bit quicker. After that she and I are going to have a girl’s day.”

“Oh. I didn’t realize Lucia was struggling, apart from her constant jealousy, which we need to work on.” Robert says.

“Not everyone that needs a special day is struggling.” Jane says, and then adds, teasing him a bit. “Let’s call this another surprise for you.”

“If it’s half as good as the last surprise, I’m ready for it now.” Robert says.

“Not until after work. Or maybe after dinner. You’ll just have to wait and see.” Jane says. “And tomorrow I want a you and me night. No helpers.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Robert says. “You know we can do that any time you ask.”

“I know.” Jane says. “Realistically, we will have fewer and fewer opportunities, starting in three days.”

“I’ll make the opportunities when we need them.” Robert says. “None of this works without us being rock solid.”

“I love you.” Jane says, hugging him tightly.

“And I love you.” Robert says. “I sent the list of 5 off last night, by the way. We have to make a bid on all of them, but if you are having second thoughts on some, we can probably avoid getting some of them.”

“I’m not having second thoughts, though I still wish you had picked some of my girls.” Jane says, pouting a bit.

“If we do another auction, and there aren’t essential skills we need, I’ll let you pick, ok?” Robert says. “I never want you to think that your opinion doesn’t matter.”

“I know.” Jane says. “Who knows, the bidding may get out of control on some of these girls anyhow, and we have to save our money for Mei and Amber.”

“Speaking of money, and I hate to bring it up, but we need another vehicle. One that can fit a lot of people.” Robert says. “Either before the auction, or we need to rent one, and buy something right after it.”

“I’m going to focus on Lucia, so I’ll leave that to you. Text me the options you come up with, and we can talk about them later.” Jane says, getting up. “I’m going to go find her now. I’m going to leave a note for Amber to check in with you when she wakes up. If you don’t mind making sure she is ok, and then texting Alexia to keep an eye on her if you are busy, I’d appreciate it.”

“Of course.” Robert says. “About Amber ... I don’t know how we figure out consent with someone that is that heavily conditioned to obey...”

“I know, honey.” Jane says. “I think as long as she doesn’t feel like she is being punished or excluded, we wait until after the auction, and after she is healthy.”

“Definitely.” Robert says. “The skin and bones look doesn’t exactly excite me. I feel so bad for what she has gone through.”

“Thankfully all of that is over.” Jane says. “We need to focus on her recovery, and that starts with love, affection, and food. Other than that, the only other thing we can do is take her for testing as late as possible, and obviously make sure we win the bid on her.”

“Honestly, as skinny as she is, I can’t imagine she will get a ton of bids.” Robert says. “Maybe we can coach her to act totally disinterested in what is going on, that could drive down the price more.”

“Good idea.” Jane says. “I need to move cash around later today, I know I said we could spend about 25k on bidding, but I don’t want to lose Amber or Mei. Do you mind if I consolidate things a bit, so we can go higher if we need to?”

“If we go over the 25k, we will need to only take women who are otherwise not getting many bids in the other auctions.” Robert says. “We are going to need more space ASAP if we end up with more than like 8 people in the house.”

“I know. I think it’s worth it, if you are ok with it.” Jane says.

“I’m ok with it.” Robert says, sighing. “I can’t imagine not coming home with those two. If we have to lose the rest of the auctions, so be it.”

Jane writes her note, and sneaks in to leave it next to Amber, who is sleeping peacefully. Heading downstairs, she finds Lucia making pancakes.

“Lucia, do you have a moment to talk?” Jane asks.

“Yes, Mistress.” Lucia says. “Are you doing ok today?”

“I’m fine.” Jane says. “A bit hungry.” She adds, laughing.

“Amber still asleep?” Lucia asks, flipping a pancake.

“Yeah, just need food for me right now. I’m going to let her sleep as long as she can.” Jane says.

Lucia flips the pancake onto a plate that already has a few, and takes it to the breakfast table. “I’ll grab the butter and syrup for you.”

“Thank you.” Jane says, and when Lucia comes back, she says. “Sit with me, let’s talk.”

As Jane works on her pancakes, she says. “Do you still want to lose your virginity to Robert before we bring in anyone else?”

“Absolutely, Mistress.” Lucia says. “Thank you for asking. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to beg you for a night with him.”

“Does tonight work for you?” Jane asks. “I want Robert for one night as well before we pack the house full of girls.”

“Tonight is great.” Lucia says, flushing. “Does he know?”

“Unless he’s a total idiot.” Jane says. “I dropped several hints earlier. So the plan is that you and I work together to get your lists made up that Robert discussed last night, and then we have a girls day. You can ask me anything you have questions about, and closer to time for Robert to get off work, we will get you a nice relaxing bath, and then get you ready to blow his mind. Does that work for you?”

“Yes, thank you Jane.” Lucia says. “I really appreciate how good you are to me. I don’t know how you do it, seeing him with us, and not resenting us.”

“I think I’m wired a bit differently than other people to start with.” Jane says. “But getting over jealousy took time, and the realization that Robert was the most important thing in my world. I wouldn’t want to live without him, or ask him to be anything less than fully fulfilled. And it’s not like I don’t get to have my own fun with Alexia.”

“That’s true.” Lucia says. “I know it bothers Robert when I get jealous. Can you help me work on that? I don’t want to make him unhappy.”

“He knows that it’s natural, and that you can’t help it.” Jane says. “We’ve talked about it a bit. As long as you don’t let it affect your relationships with him, or the other people in the house, you are fine. Robert is your first and only love, and it’s natural to want to guard that.”

“Thank you.” Lucia says. “I do plan to work on it though.”

“Good.” Jane says. “I’m always here if you need to talk. Let’s get these lists done, so we can really start the day. Where is Alexia?”

“I’ve got her looking at the profiles, trying to figure out what sizes of clothes they each wear.” Lucia says. “After that she’s going to get back to figuring out the sleeping arrangements.”

“Good. Let’s focus on things that are adjustable, and then once we get them in the house, we can size them properly. Some of them may have clothes somewhere we can go get, like we did with you and Alexia.” Jane says, casting a critical eye over the pantry. “We may need a full room pantry in the next house. So many mouths to feed.”

“Unless we have a grocery store within walking distance, I think you are right. Maybe 3 deep freezers too, especially if we are worried about shortages.” Lucia says.

“We should probably start thinking about what we want from a permanent house.” Jane says. “We’ll need to start looking as soon as we get everyone settled.”

Meanwhile, upstairs, Amber has woken up. She feels guilty for having slept longer than her new Master and Mistress, and a bit confused about how they are treating her. Master Jackson showed his appreciation for her by giving her more tasks, and setting expectations higher and higher for her. Robert, and especially Jane, are treating her almost like she is a child. She resolves to prove that she is a capable girl, who they can rely upon.

Seeing Jane’s note, she opens it, and it instructs her to go to Robert’s office, and to knock if the door is closed. She decides this is an opportunity to prove she can please her Master and Mistress, and she is determined to not let them down. Getting up, she quickly gets herself ready, and opens the door, quietly walking down the hall, peeking into rooms she hasn’t seen yet before finding Robert’s office. Entering quietly, she kneels a few feet to Robert’s left, entering the nadu position. “May I serve you, Master?” She asks quietly.

Robert jumps, nearly knocking into her as he swivels his chair in surprise. Seeing Amber, he stops. She is nude, sitting on her heels, arms on her slightly spread legs. For the first time he notices a tattoo on her left thigh. “Where are your clothes?” Robert asks, more than a bit startled, and realizing he should have expected this.

“A girl should never hide her body from her Master.” Amber says, as if reciting scripture.

“Was that a rule with your old master?” Robert asks.

“Yes, Master.” Amber says.

“I would like you to wear clothes.” Robert says. “You can serve me by going to Jane’s closet, and finding something that fits and is comfortable. I will have Alexia come to assist you, and approve of your choice.”

“Yes, Master.” Amber says, doing her best to hold in her disappointment that her body does not please her new Master. Slowly rising, she exits the room.

Robert picks up his phone and dials Alexia. When she answers, he asks her to meet Amber in their closet, and to find her underwear and some clothes. He also asks her to arrange some breakfast for her, and after that if she is busy, she can send her back to his office.

Alexia walks into the closet two minutes later, having been dragging furniture around in the spare room to hopefully fit a third set of bunk beds. “Good morning.” Alexia says to Amber.

“Good morning.” Amber responds. “I apologize, I don’t know how Master and Mistress wish me to address you.”

“Just call me Alexia.” Alexia says.

“Thank you, Alexia.” Amber says.

“Master Robert says you need clothes.” Alexia says.

“Yes, Alexia. He seemed displeased with my body.” Amber says, a bit mournfully.

“What?” Alexia says, more than a bit startled. “Did he say that? That doesn’t sound like the Master to me.”

“No.” Amber admits. “But he declined my offer to serve him, and told me to get dressed. He seemed upset that I was not already dressed.”

“Robert is protective of his girls.” Alexia explains. “He wants us to be happy and comfortable, and he probably didn’t think you were comfortable sitting nude on the floor of his office.”

“Can you teach me what he likes?” Amber says. “I am used to knowing everything about my Master, and training others about that. I never expected to find myself as the last girl.”

“Last girl?” Alexia asks. “Is that another Gor thing?”

“A last girl is the newest girl, the one who least knows how to please her Master.” Amber says. “I haven’t been the last girl since a month after I joined Master Jackson.”

“That’s not something you need to worry about right now.” Alexia says. “If and when the Master and Mistress are ready for you to serve in that way, they will be happy to teach you what they like. Or I can, if you prefer.”

“Have I displeased them in some way to not be allowed to serve?” Amber asks. “If this is a punishment I will bear it without complaint, but if I have done something wrong, I need to know so that I don’t do it again.”

“You haven’t been here long enough to do something wrong.” Alexia says. “Stop worrying, if you’ve done something wrong, they will sit down and explain what you did wrong. They are kind and patient. You won’t ever be punished for no reason, or without knowing the reason. Do you want to know why I think the Master is insisting on you wearing clothes, and not letting you serve him?”

“Yes, please, Alexia.” Amber pleads. “If I know, I will try to fix it.”

“Your previous Master mistreated you.” Alexia explains. “Every time they see your scars, how thin you are, and how you are so conditioned to please them no matter what, it makes them angry for you. They are very angry at your old Master.”

“My Master must have thought these punishments were necessary.” Amber says, reflexively defending Jackson. “A master may do as he wishes with his property.”

“Our Master believes that we are all to be treasured. He would never starve you, or hurt you. Even if he wished to, Mistress Jane wouldn’t allow him. And vice versa.” Alexia says. “Let’s get you some clothes, and then I’ll make you breakfast.”

Alexia ended up borrowing a pair of Lucia’s panties, and one of Jane’s dresses, and Amber was finally decent.

“We really need to get you some clothes that actually fit.” Alexia says.

“I brought a few things with me.” Amber says. “They fit ok I think.”

“Let’s go downstairs and get you breakfast. If you grab your bag I can go through your clothes while you eat.” Alexia says.

Heading downstairs Alexia makes Amber a passable pancake, and some hard scrambled eggs.

“I’m sorry about the food.” Alexia says, a bit embarrassed of the result. “I just started learning, I’m hoping we get another cook or two soon, this just isn’t for me.”

Amber tries a bit, and smiles. “I remember scrambled eggs.” She eats them quickly, and then tries the pancake. “I never really liked pancakes as a kid, but this syrup is really good.”

“Mistress Jane only buys real maple syrup.” Alexia explains. “None of what she calls ‘the fake shit.’”

“Mistress knows best.” Amber says, looking genuinely happy.

Alexia pulls out an outfit, and holds it out to see it. “What is this?” She asks.

“A dress.” Amber says.

“Is this something you would normally wear?” Alexia asks incredulously. “Or lingerie?”

“That’s what I would wear daily.” Amber says. “They are all like that.”

Alexia pulls a few more out, and they are all the same, skimpy up top, but worse below, with no fabric at all to cover the sides of the legs.

“What do you even call these?” Alexia asks curiously.

“Ta-teera.” Amber says. “All of Master Jackson’s girls wore them, when they were allowed clothing.”

“I don’t think the Master or Mistress are going to be ok with you wearing these just yet.” Alexia says. “Maybe once you put on a bit of weight, and they know you are ok, but even then, they may want you to cover up a bit more during the day. Maybe we can find you some shorts to wear underneath.”

“Do you think the Mistress would mind if I asked her permission to wear them?” Amber asks. “I will wear whatever they need me to wear, but these are familiar and comforting.”

“Let me talk to them.” Alexia says. “I’ll see if I can find a compromise.”

“Thank you.” Amber says.

Jane and Lucia walk in a moment later.

“Did you sleep ok after we brought you to the bed?” Jane asks.

“Yes, Mistress.” Amber says. “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” Jane says. “Your whole life has been turned upside down. It’s completely normal to struggle with that. Sleeping arrangements will be different tonight though. Alexia and I will be in her room, and Lucia and Robert are having a private night in the master bedroom. You are welcome with Alexia and I, but the bed is a bit smaller, so you’d need to snuggle up a bit.”

“Thank you, Mistress.” Amber says. “I would like that, if you and Alexia don’t mind.”

“I don’t.” Alexia says. “Rock paper scissors for who gets to be in the middle?”

“Not this time.” Jane says. “Amber is in the middle tonight. You can have it next time.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Alexia says, faking a pout.

“None of that.” Jane says, coming over to smack Alexia playfully on the rump. “Unless you want me to pull out the flogger before bedtime.”

“Yes, please.” Alexia says, and Amber looks at her like she’s insane.

“I’m sure the Mistress uses it playfully.” Lucia says, seeing the expression.

“She’s great.” Alexia says to Amber. “Just a tiny bit of pain, and lots of pleasure.”

“Tonight is Lucia’s big night though, so you’ll have to wait a bit.” Jane says. “Since I’ve been invited to watch, I’ll be a bit busy.”

“Can we go watch a movie now?” Lucia asks anxiously. “I believe I was promised a girls day.”

“Of course. Amber, would you like to join us?” Jane asks. “Alexia has some work to get done, so she will be rather busy.”

“I should help Alexia, Mistress.” Amber says. “A girl should be useful.”

“Go with Mistress and Lucia.” Alexia urges. “Most of what I need to do is just online shopping anyhow, it’s not really two person work.”

“If you are sure I can’t be of use.” Amber says.