A simple room

The walk from the 'hole' was thankfully short and Merthin stuck as much as he could to empty alleyways. When they arrived at their destination it didn't look like much, but the notary smiled with pleasure. The building was not far from the docks a drab warehouse with great wooden doors easily big enough for a double team of oxen to pull in a huge wagon. Merthin had to use all his strength to open one of the great doors far enough to create a passable gap.

"Good, there's no one here." Merthin led Christine confidently through a maze of barrels, crates, and giant bundles of wool until he reached a small door on the far side of the building. A key from the large ring on his belt opened the door and he ushered Christine into the dimly lit room. It was roughly five paces square, with a bared and shuttered window on the far side of the room and a table and bed along the heavy stone wall. "You'll be safe here, until we can find a better solution."

"Thank-you, Master Merthin." Christine spoke for the first time since being led from Bishop Anthryl's hole. "I thought you had forsaken us."

"There will be time enough for that later, Lady Christine." Merthin skillfully lit the lantern sitting on the small table near the bed, adjusting the flame until the room was not so dark. "I need to get back before Gregory starts suspecting anything." He noticed the empty pitcher and wash bowl and nodded to himself. "I'll get you some water, then I must be off." He paused before adding almost as though it were an afterthought, "Oh, and I'll need that cloak as well."

"But I have no clothes ..." Obviously, the notary knew she had no clothes. It had been he who had given her the cloak in the first place less than ten minutes ago.

"I will bring you something to wear and food when I come next," Merthin spoke with little if any patience, "but time is of the essence. Give me the damn cloak." So many people had seen her naked in just the past few hours that one more shouldn't make a difference, but it did all the same. Merthin was a friend of her father, not some nameless guard who didn't even know who she was. It felt like she was stripping for the bishop all over again as she slipped the heavy covering from her shoulders and placed it in Merthin's outstretched hand. With the cloak no longer covering her, she retreated to the bed, crouching as best she could to preserve what modesty she had left.

Merthin was not at all shy as he took in the sight of her young body and Christine could only wonder what the man's intentions were for her. It was wrong to be so ungrateful, but the past few days had taught Christine that people were inherently untrustworthy, especially men ... even the Bishop of Oldchester had lusted after her, could she be any safer from this wealthy notary?

"Good." The man nodded curtly. "Continue to obey me, milady, and there may still be hope for you."

Christine was almost surprised when Merthin, took the cloak along with the empty pitcher and headed out the door. The bed she sat on was small and hard, but she had no doubt that it could easily be used to hold her down and **** her. As small and tired as she was, there was little she could have done to stop him ...

When Merthin returned with the fresh water, she was still sitting naked on the bed trying to make sense of the ever-changing world. She should have pulled the blanket up around her when she had the chance. However, after all she had been through, she still wasn't thinking clearly.

Once again, Christine was acutely aware of the way the man's grey eyes took in every inch of her exposed flesh.