Chapter 17 – The Duke’s Pox Query
Ellie’s position was painful and vulnerable. Her wrists and ankles were very securely tied by thin, but strong, taut ropes to near the base of four stone columns in an eight-foot square. Her body was supported only by the large oak barrel under her back just below her shoulder blades. Her head was hanging down, keeping her fully conscious while allowing her to see next to nothing. The tautness of the ropes made her hip and shoulder joints ache and the arching of her back made her spine hurt and her chest tight, curtailing her breathing. Contrary to Jeffers’s expectations, she could barely moan and could certainly not scream.
To Ellie’s left was the roaring fire, spitting out heat that made her uncomfortably hot on that side and billowing out smoke and soot that clung to her clammy skin and sometimes choked her. Close by her left foot was the bench with its collection of whips, tools and other items that her captors would soon use to cause her agonising pain in an effort to persuade her to answer the Duke’s questions and put her townsfolk at great risk.
The debilitating ache Ellie often felt in her crotch had returned with a vengeance, with frequent sharp spasms rippling up her tummy and across her pelvis. Her newly branded feet still burned and bore testament to her captors’ enthusiasm for hurting and maiming her. She knew they could and would do much worse to her over the coming hours, fuelled by revenge for their dead friends and the sight of her nubile, young body so lewdly displayed in front of their lustful and sadistic eyes.
And with every minute that passed, Ellie felt even worse.
A couple of the guards held torches close to Ellie’s aching crotch to get a better view.
‘That dirty cunt's ideally positioned for a whippin’ competition. ‘orsewhip from five paces. A penny a go. Winner takes all. Nearest the clit wins.’
‘Shut up, Christie. Let the Duke decide what we do first,’ replied Jeffers rather irritably.
‘I’m going to fuck the whore before she dies. It’s the least I can do considering she tried to kill me,’ stated the Duke.
‘Just a moment, Sire. You make a good point, Christie,’ said Jeffers. ‘She is dirty. We need to know she’s clean before the Duke fucks her. Go to my chamber in the west tower and fetch Maxie. Be quick about it!’ ordered Jeffers.
The guard scurried off up the steps and out of the cellar.
Ellie was well aware of what was being said, even though she could see so little. From the moment she had been captured she had known she would be raped, unless they killed her first. She hadn’t really expected the Duke himself to do it, but now it seemed quite a natural course of events. Ellie was dreading being raped. She knew it would be physically excruciatingly painful due to her condition, but she knew the emotional impact would also be very profound. She had to steel herself for both if she was to endure the ordeal.
While they waited for Maxie to arrive the guards busied themselves moving a table and benches from the cold darkness of the cellar to near the warm fire. They placed a barrel of ale on the table and a goblet each and began to drink. Some came over to Ellie to get a closer look at her stretched form, admiring her firm, pale breasts with their hard, pointy, pink nipples so beautifully presented. Then they crouched down to gaze into her spread sex, wondering when they’d get the chance to pound their hard cocks deep into its pink folds.
With the Duke and Captain watching very closely, the guards knew better than to attempt to touch their pretty captive, yet.
‘You can all have a go. Jeffers can follow me, if he wants to, then the rest of you decide for yourselves what order to go in,’ explained the Duke. ‘If the bitch decides to talk, you’ll have to stop for a while.’
‘Just a regular fuck, men. Nothing more creative until everyone’s had their turn. If the bitch still hasn’t talked the Duke will decide the next steps,’ added Jeffers.
The door to the cellar opened and the guard returned, accompanied by Maxie.
Ellie looked to her right to see Maxie approaching. She was surprised to discover Maxie was a woman; slim, middle aged with dark, shoulder-length hair. Ellie had expected a man.
‘I hear this little tart tried to murder you, Sire,’ she addressed the Duke, and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. ‘I hope you’re not badly hurt.’
‘She killed five guards and came at me in my bed with two daggers, but I managed to fight the bitch off.’
‘Good. You are so brave. How did you find young Virginia last night, Sire?’
‘Who?’
‘Virginia. You know, the pretty blonde girl I sent to you last night?’
‘I don’t really remember her. I’m going to fuck this whore now anyway, but I need to know she’s not going to give me the pox. Can you check her out?’
Maxie stepped between Ellie’s spread thighs and eyed her sex. She muttered, ‘I hope you find this dirty bitch more memorable than young Virginia, Sire.’
Maxie ran her fingers up the tightly stretched skin of Ellie’s right thigh. She frowned and then strummed the rope attached to Ellie’s ankle. ‘I know you like your girls tight, Sire, but this is ridiculous. I can’t examine her like this. Can you loosen these off a little?’
‘Let the ropes out a bit, but not too much,’ the Duke ordered the guards.
As the tension in her limbs reduced, Ellie groaned and craned her neck to try and see what Maxie was doing.
‘Fetch me some fresh water and a rag,’ she instructed. A guard quickly brought them.
Maxie soaked the rag and washed Ellie’s spread sex lips and then inserted the index finger of her left hand inside her. Ellie moaned a little at the intimate intrusion. Maxie extracted her finger and looked closely at it before sniffing it purposefully.
‘Get a torch right close here,’ she ordered. A guard approached with a torch, placing the fiery light just above and in front of Ellie’s sex. Poor Ellie could feel the heat of the flames on her thigh and crotch and whimpered audibly.
'Shut up, you little harlot. Nobody's done anything to you........... yet,' growled Maxie.
Maxie pushed the same finger deeper into Ellie’s sex this time, slowly right up to her knuckle. Ellie winced and squirmed as much as her bonds allowed as Maxie prodded her sex channel. Then Maxie partially withdrew her finger and used the index finger of her right hand to pull apart Ellie’s labia and peer inside, manoeuvring her fingers to pull apart the folds of delicate flesh to be able to see as far as possible down her love channel. Just as Ellie’s skin was about to burn from the flame of the torch, Maxie finished her work and pushed the torch away.
‘Well?’ asked the Duke impatiently.
‘She’s certainly no virgin, but she has no warts, sores or blisters that I can see or feel. There’s no smell of infection. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have the pox, but there are signs of scarring and bleeding. I think that’s more likely to be due to something else rather than disease. Maybe she’s recently lost a baby early in the term, for instance. It’s your choice, Sire, but I doubt she’ll give you the clap.’
‘Good,’ replied the Duke.
‘Just to let you know. She’s quite tight and very, very dry. I doubt she’s had sex for some time so I think you’ll cause her really bad, cramping pains if you shove your enormous, virile member too harshly up her cunt, good Sire. She’s also very tender up there and she’ll likely bleed and scream in equal measure. If the bleeding gets too bad you’d better stuff a rag up her to stop it or she could even bleed to death.’
‘Too bad. We’ll make sure the bitch doesn’t die until we want her to.’
‘You’re welcome. Enjoy!’ Maxie kissed the Duke again. ‘Wow, you’re sweating a lot, Sire. I’ve never known you sweat before. I must go now. There are traders due at the market today that I need to see. Do you fancy a blonde or brunette girl for tonight, Sire?’
‘Maybe a freckle-faced redhead like my wife, only younger and prettier of course.’
‘I’ll see what I can do.’ With that, Maxie left the cellar as the Duke took her place between Ellie’s trembling, wide-splayed thighs.
‘Before you start, Sire,’ interrupted Jeffers. ‘May I propose a toast?’ He handed the Duke a goblet of ale.
‘To our fallen comrades,’ the Duke and all the guards raised their goblets and took a drink. ‘To Pugh ………to Barney McGrew………to Cuthbert………… to Dibble………….and finally, to Grub.’
‘An’ don’t forget Pugh’s bruvver is also one of us,’ added Christie.
‘Yes. Don’t forget our comrades were viciously murdered last night going about their duties to protect the Duke. Viciously murdered by this dirty whore! Let’s make her fucking pay!’