* Further pleasure for myself * An exhibition of strength * A wonderful bath

* Another discussion of freedom * Further exploration of the door

* I feed my host * We work our plans

I puzzled over that strange statement as I hobbled back to my room, refusing the chair. Was this some kind of sentence for the two of us, for some crime I had no memory of committing? And who was it that would give us our freedom? Or was the doctor speaking only to the Count? And if so, was I to be the one who would give this man freedom? Or was there another party yet to be seen? So many questions and puzzles and seeming contradictions.

The two young maidens appeared in my room and helped me to undress, storing my gown in the large wardrobe and offering me the dressing garment to sleep in. I accepted it, but as soon as they had left, I slipped out of the soft cotton and walked naked over to the mirror, remembering this same scenario and how it had played out the previous night. It may have been but a trick of the light, or perhaps it was truly the result of my unbridled appetites of the past two days, but it appeared that my already plump body had grown even more so. Indeed, my stomach was engorged to such an extent that the poor skin which tried to stretch itself over the swollen sphere seemed dry and poorly-complected.

There were some oils and lotions on the vanity, scented with patchouli, sandalwood, balsam, bergamot and other essences. I unstoppered the crystal bottles and poured the fragrant unctions into my hands, then once the oil had warmed up, I began anointing my skin, feeling my hands moving over the soft flesh which encased my over-sated stomach. Roaming farther afield, I began massaging my breasts, delighting in the warm sensations that began flowing through my flesh. My fingers soon found their way to my private parts, and showing none of the previous eve's hesitation, they plunged right into my deepest recesses, sending heretofore unknown pleasures resounding through my soul, weakening my knees and leaving me quivering on the floor in the throes of ecstasy.

The next morning found me transported, somehow, to my bed, attired in the garment I had cast off before beginning the explorations of my body. It was most unsettling to think that the serving girls had found me recumbent on the floor, the evidence of my sinfulness obvious in my naked form. And who, I wondered, had then assisted them in carrying me to the bed? I didn't have to wonder about it for very long, for, no sooner had I awakened, Lily and Rose made their soundless way into my chamber, awaiting my instructions for the morning.

When I asked them my question, they answered by informing me that they had been assisted by no others in moving my unconscious body from the floor. "That is ridiculous!" I replied. "The two of you are so slight and slim that it is impossible for you to have lifted a six-stone child, let alone a twelve-stone woman."

"Closer to thirteen stone, I should think, milady," Rose said, smiling.

"No, matter," I answered, somewhat annoyed at the young girl's insolence, "for whether I am twelve stone or thirteen, you can not possibly have lifted me alone. And I find the thought of some other member of the staff entering my chambers and finding me in such a state of... illness and dishevelment... as I was last night, to be highly improper and frightful."

"There was no other, Lady Maureen, but my sister and I. We are very strong for our size. Let us show you." With that, she motioned to the other and they approached me where I sat on the bed, tangled in the comforter and blankets. I was somewhat apprehensive, but they both smiled at me, then, one on either side of mattress, they lifted the entire oaken bedstead three feet above the floor. I was speechless at the ease with which they performed such a feat as would have taken the combined efforts of several of the strapping young men from back home. They lowered me carefully, then, with no signs of exertion whatsoever, they asked if I was ready for my breakfast.

The whole episode had left me shaken and confused, and I informed them that I would not be partaking of the morning's meal, and that, instead, I wished to dress that I might continue my inspection of the strange door which enforced my captivity. They brought me the laving bowl and a soft towel, but the oils I had spread on my skin were still very much present and uncomfortable, so I asked the girls if they would draw me a bath. They informed me that there was no bathing room in my chambers, but they would be glad to assist me in my ablutions. Assenting to their offer, I waited several moments while they went off to find some hot water and sponges, passing the time by examining myself in the mirror again and wondering if it was true that my weight had increased by a stone since last I weighed myself. My breasts were certainly fuller than they had ever been and my hips seemed to have acquired a greater roundness, while my derriere appeared to project further behind me. If I continue on this path, I thought to myself, I shall soon not need a bustle!

The girls returned a few moments later and I stepped into the large basin they had brought, while they began mixing the waters to a comfortable temperature and lathering up the cloths. Soon, I was enjoying the attentions of four soft and gentle hands as they explored and caressed my entire body. I tried to think of the experience as something cold and clinical, but I was unable to hide from myself the deep pleasure and warm sensuality of their humble service. I even imagined at one moment, with a great shudder of excitement, that it was not their hands with which they were washing my breasts, but, instead, that they were performing their duties with their warm, soft tongues. So powerful was the reverie, that I forced myself to open my eyes at one point, to ensure that it was just my imagination.

When they had finished bathing me and drying me and dressing me in the new blue-and-cream frock which the seamstress had created for me, I thanked them, then, just before they left my chambers, I stopped them and asked them, "Do you think a man would find my form to be unattractive? Is my corpulence distasteful?"

"Not in this place," Lily answered. "As My Lord says, castle Scudamore has not before been graced with such a beautiful guest. We are honoured to serve you, and are somewhat ashamed of our meagre figures."

"Yet your slenderness gives you the freedom to come and go from this place as you would, while all my supposed beautiful flesh keeps me trapped here."

"You speak most confusingly, milady. My sister and I are not free. We are servants, and although we are treated with great kindness and civility, still we are bound to this place and to our Master. You are a free woman, temporarily confined, and when you see your way out of here, you shall know infinitely more freedom than we ever shall."

"Nonetheless, I shall reduce myself. Perhaps then I can become slender enough to pass through the doorway. You should inform the kitchen that, from this point onward, I shall require a menu suited to shedding excess weight."

"Milady, please do not be angered at my impertinence in presuming to instruct you, but I must tell you that, even were you able to force your body to become as slim as mine or my sister's, you should still not be able to fit through that doorway. We are different creatures, with different abilities, and just as a hawk and a fox seek the same prey, one must approach from the ground, while the other must approach from the air. Indeed, fasting such as you propose will never solve the puzzle placed before you." They took their leave and I remarked to myself how the two girls continually surprised me. What other surprises might I find in this strange place, I wondered?

My ankle was feeling stronger and I felt capable of allowing it to bear my weight as I walked down the hallway. It was slow going, for I found it necessary to lean against the bookshelves and rest after every several steps. I wished that there was something in the building that I could use as a walking stick, but the Count had already informed me of his fruitless search for such a thing.

The doorway was well-lit by the window in the room which faced it across the hallway, and I rapidly confirmed all my findings of the night before: the two turning handles, the pressing plate in the centre of the doorway, the small door which would not even admit the width of my head. I began inspecting the walls and was rewarded after several moments with the discovery of another pressure plate on the right wall. This one, too, was so finely machined that only pressure directly perpendicular to its surface would permit it to move in its track, but said pressure -- if coming from the proper direction -- need only be ever so slight. After only another moment, I discovered a matching device in the opposite wall at the same height from the floor as its twin, yet both were a few inches lower than the central one on the door. Further examination found no other devices or catches, so I turned my attention to the pieces of the puzzle which I had already unearthed.

For the next several hours, I tried and tested all the devices, attempting to find some method of activating all five latches at the same instant. So engrossed was I in my explorations, that I did not notice the Count's presence for quite some time. I do not know for how long he waited politely before clearing his throat softly so as not to startle me. When I turned to face him, the first thing I noticed were the bandages covering both of his hands. Noticing my gaze, he said, "It looks much worse than it is. The doctor says the burns were so hot and clean that the chance of any sepsis is quite unlikely, and that I should be able to remove the dressings in two to three days. There shall be scars, however, and they shall serve to remind me that I should not presume to go against my nature. Now, tell me what you have found in your industriousness?"

Despite my perplexity at the severity of his injuries from merely touching an object I myself had already handled a dozen or more times that day, I described for him and showed to him each of the devices and how they worked. My newest discovery, made only moments before he arrived, was that the pressure plates, although they moved easily when pressure from the proper angle was brought to bear on them, refused to move when that pressure resulted from anything but contact with flesh. I pressed on one of the side plates with my little finger, and demonstrated with what ease the catch could move. Removing my shoe, I showed the same motions and was greeted with the device's stubborn immobility. "If only I had five arms," I said, feeling somewhat exasperated.

"Perhaps it is not a matter of activating all the switches at once," the Count offered, "but of activating them in the proper sequence. I propose that we partake of some luncheon while we pencil out all the possible sequences. Then, fed and rejuvenated, we may return here to test out the theory."

"I must decline your polite invitation, because I have undertaken a fast. I cannot help but think that it is my corpulence which is preventing me from manoeuvring myself through the small door, as my two maidservants do."

"I am saddened to hear that you might be doing something which would affect your bounteous physical charms, but," he said, "if that is your undertaking, and you think it might free us, then I will not interfere. Only..." He held up his gauzed hands, then continued, somewhat ashamedly, "I would much prefer your assistance in feeding myself my meal to the poor ministrations of my manservant."

His plight was presented so clearly, that I could not help but feel a tenderness and agreed to assist him. We retired to the small dining room and I sat myself next to him, cutting his food into small pieces, then bringing the fork to his waiting mouth and wiping the small drips and drizzles from his hairless chin. My close proximity to his face gave me great opportunity to inspect his every beautiful feature; his black eyes, black hair, translucent skin, firm chin, long and thin nose, ears which seemed more pointed than round, lips which were full and pink, straight white teeth. He thanked me with each mouthful and said, "I only wish I were feeding you, for my enjoyment of this fine meal would only be heightened by the sight of you enraptured in all the sensual delights. I have never seen anyone who appreciated the complexities of taste and sensation as you have evinced each time you have dined in my presence."

The food did smell wonderful, and my serving girls had been correct in their appraisal of the futility of my reducing diet, and the nearness of his face and his sweet words spoke to all my hungers. My foolish resolve to deprive myself of such pleasures disappeared and I asked the captain to bring me a plate. The Count was thrilled, and true to his word, he too ate with gusto so that sometime later, we were both reclining in our chairs, sated and happy. Nonetheless, I had not forgotten my plans, and I said, "My dear Count, we must now continue to evaluate the logic of that mechanism. Have you pen and ink and paper?"

He signalled the captain to bring us the required goods, then turned to me and said, "You need not call me 'Count', My Lady. My given name is Cambel and I wish that you would address me by that appellation."

"Very well," I said, "in that case, you must call me Maureen. We are called equals in the outside world because our ancestors were similarly respected by their kings. Nobility is something, however, that is accorded by free men to free men. Therefore, in this prison, where neither of us knows freedom, and nobility can not be assigned, we are truly equals."

"I shall call you Maureen, because I find that to be a most beautiful name and quite fitting for your person. But know this: true nobility is not found in a title or a position, instead, it is something that is in one's heart and soul. By that measure, you should be noble no matter your station."

His words passed through me like a delicious spring breeze and I felt myself revelling in his praise. Had he touched me at that moment, I am certain I should have forgotten the last of my propriety and flung myself into his embrace, to be smothered in that love forever. Instead, at that moment, the servant returned with the requested writing implements and we set out to delineate the possible sequences for the five latches. I found concentration difficult, both because of the large meal in my stomach and the soft force of his breath in my hair as we leaned together over the paper. Nevertheless, we managed to describe the one-hundred and twenty possible courses of action and returned to the doorway to follow through with our testing.

My initial high spirits soon faded to frustration as we moved through our list with no good result. Finally, having tested the last of our solutions, I sat dejected in the gathering darkness, realising the foolishness of our assumption that each of the devices must be used only once. "There is nothing to indicate that each latch is only used once in sequence, or whether each is used at all," I said. "And that complicates our predicament even further."

We ate dinner together, but my disappointment and my growing concern for the people who must have been mourning my absence dampened my appetite. Instead, I partook of too much wine and had to be assisted to my room. I do not remember being undressed by the two girls, for I passed out immediately as my head hit the pillow.

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