While Heidi’s Away - Part 3

“That’s better,” Anne said as she put her empty mug down on the table. The empty plate showed the fact that the first round of waffles and pastries had gone, as Coral went to collect some more from the oven.

“They do seem to have slept in for a while,” Suzanne said as she looked at the clock on the wall, “I’m going to look in and see if they are stirring.”

“I’ll come up with you,” Sue said as she stretched her arms up before standing up, “I want to take a shower anyway.” As the two women left the kitchen, Amy said to Veronica “have you seen the forecast yet for today.”

“Changeable,” Veronica said as she sat herself down at the table. “Looks good so far, but it might rain later. Still, I think we may get some time outside with...”

She looked up as there was a thump on the ceiling, and a shriek from someone. The women looked at each other, as Anne put her mug down on the table.

“Sue,” she said quietly, before standing up and running for the door. Veronica sprinted after her, as the others brought up the rear, slightly more slowly as they wondered what was going on.

As Anne and Veronica reached the top of the staircase, they saw Sue sitting across Suzanne, pulling her hands behind her back as she wrapped a length of rope round them. As she pulled the knot tightly, Sue glanced to the side and saw both of the women standing there.

“Oh,” she said quietly, before jumping off and sprinting to the read end of the corridor. Anne gave chase as Veronica knelt down and started to untie Suzanne. Amy followed Anne, as the other women reached the top of the stairs.

“What happened,” Veronica said as she helped Suzanne to stand up.

“I don’t know,” Suzanne said as she stood up. “"I knocked on the door of Joanne and Alexa's room and there was no answer. So I opened the door and it was empty, both beds had been slept in, I checked Jannifer and Alice's room next which was empty too, that's when Sue grabbed me."

As she talked, Dorothy and Coral went down the corridor, opening doors and looking in rooms. “They’re all empty,” Coral said as she closed the door to Andrea and Chloe’s room, “What’s going on?” Dorothy stood for a moment, lost in thought, before she shouted “The Attic!” She ran for the stairs, the others following.

“Hey - that’s tight.”

Sue looked over her shoulder as Amy knelt behind her, pulling her elbows together so that they almost touched as she bound them with the rope. Anne had finally caught her sister in the kitchen, and made her sit in the chair as Amy tied her wrists together, her hands palm to palm.

“Sorry, but you’re going to have some rope marks,” Amy said as she stood Sue up. She tried to move her arms as she stood there in her grey cotton top and shorts. “That’s OK,” she eventually said, smiling at Anne as Amy frogmarched her back towards the stairs.

“Well, we know where they went now,” Coral said as she looked round the attic. There were the row of beds, all identical with iron head and foot boards; and on each bed was one of the girls. They were lying spread-eagled on their backs, their wrists and ankles attached with ropes to the four corners of the bed. Each girl also had one of the black hoods covering their heads, with only the holes for their noses showing.

Cindy was recognisable as she lay in her clothes from last night, while the others were all in their night clothes. Alice and Chloe were twisting round slightly, and as they stood there they could hear low mumbles, but the others seemed to be perfectly at rest.

Veronica quietly walked to Jannifer, as she lay there in her night gown. Running her finger up the bare sole of the girl, she watched as Jannifer stirred and tried to move her foot away, mumbling before she settled down.

Suzanne turned and whispered to Dorothy “What happened when Sue left with both of you last night?”

“Well, we went up to my bedroom, and Sue showed me how to tie Cindy up - hands behind her back, arms tied tightly to her side, ankles and knees. Once she was comfortable, I use a couple of scarves to blindfold and gag her. Sue then did the same to me, and she left us sat next to each other, propped up against the bed.

“Well, I must have eventually gone to sleep, because the next thing I remember was waking up in a dark room, wearing my underwear with my hands tied in front of me with a scarf. I looked at the clock, saw it was about four am, and untied the scarf with my teeth. Then I got changed and went to bed. I just presumed Sue had taken Cindy to her bed - seems she did a bit more as well.”

There was the sound of footsteps on the stair, and Sue came in, followed by Amy and Anne. Anne looked round the room, then at Sue as she said “So, sis, just what have you been up to?”

Sue smiled as she said “Well I just thought that you had such a good time the first night here that I'd let the younger ones experience some Duncombe hospitality." Anne shook her head before taking Sue by the arm.

“We’re all going back downstairs,” she said as she motioned to the others, “We have things to discuss.

Wednesday, 9.45 am

“There - we should be able to enjoy a peaceful breakfast now, with no chance of anyone else getting mysteriously tied up again.”

Amy stood up as Sue grunted on the kitchen floor. She was lying face down on a rug, her upper body encased in a rope harness which had bound her arms tightly to her sides as her wrists were held together behind her back. There were bands of rope around her ankles, calves and thighs, while her wrists were secured to her chest ropes with a length of rope. A second length held her wrists to the ropes around her upper legs.

Sue’s cheeks were bulging from the pair of sports socks which Anne had stuffed in, while her mouth and lower jaw were covered in several layers of silver tape. A further strip covered her eyes, which were covered by pads of cotton wool.

Anne reached down and tickled Sue’s bare soles, smiling as her sister squirmed at the touch. Veronica looked at the other women. "Talking of quiet breakfasts" she eventually said "The girls did look quite peaceful up there. We shouldn't disturb them."

"No queues for the bathroom" said Coral with a smile.

"I can always make brunch later" added Suzanne as she nodded. The others all agreed silently.

“OK who's for more coffee" said Coral as they headed to the kitchen.

In the attic there was the occasional muffled grunt, the odd foot twitching, maybe a creak of mattress, but the 8 girls slept on, blissfully unaware of what had happened.

Wednesday, 12.30 pm

“That was a great brunch, Mum,” Joanne said as she put her knife and fork down on the plate. The other seven girls agreed as they sat back and sighed. They had eventually been woken by having their feet tickled by the mothers, who had first removed their hoods to reveal the tape gags underneath. They had struggled and tried to laugh for a few minutes, then were untied and allowed to shower and change. Once they had all donned shorts and tops, they had come down to a very hearty brunch.

“Good,” Suzanne said as she collected the plates. Anne came into the kitchen, dressed in a white sleeveless top and denim shorts. “Come with me, girls,” she said as she held the door open, “I have somebody you will want to see.”

She escorted the girls into the front room, where Sue was sitting on a bench, her back up against one of the wooden pillars that ran from ceiling to floor. She had been allowed to change into a bikini top and denim hot pants. Her hands were held above her head, the wrists tied together and to the pole, while her elbows had been bound in a similar way. Sue’s legs were stretched out in front of her, and tied together at her ankles, below her knees and her thighs, as well as down to the wooden bench. Her big toes had been tied together with parachute cord, which was then secured to her ankles, while a white cleave gag was holding in another pair of white socks on her mouth.

“Cool,” Joanne said as she looked at Sue, who turned her head in the direction of the noise. “How long has she been like that?”

“Long enough - do you want to show Sue some appreciation for this morning?”

The girls looked at each other, and simply smiled as they moved forward. Natalie sat at Sue’s feet, and her fingers started to stroke the soles of her bare feet. Cindy sat slightly to her side, her hands going under Sue’s legs.

Joanne and Alice sat either side of Sue’s seat. While Alice started to tickle her stomach, Joanne ran her hands around the bottoms of Sue’s shorts, tickling her thighs and occasionally slipping her hand under the material.

Jannifer sat behind the pole, her hands tickling Sue under her arms. Sue jerked up and tried to get away from the exquisite torture, her squeals increasing in volume and vigour, but with little effect on the assault.

Upstairs, Coral could hear the screams of laughter, and as he left the room she saw Victoria come out as well.

“The girls must have finished breakfast,” Veronica said as she pulled her top down, “Let’s go and see what they are up to.”

As they walked in, they were in time to see Alexa and Andrea replace Alice and Natalie at the torture stations. All the girls were focused on Sue, as she screamed through her gag and tried to move out of the way, without much success.

“Not interested in tickling her, Chloe,” Suzanne said as she saw the young French girl standing and watching.

“Non - I think they are quite enough for one woman,” Chloe said as Dorothy whispered something into Amy’s ear. She then stood up and walked over to where Chloe was standing. As she whispered into Chloe’s ear, the young woman’s eyes widened very slightly, before she glanced at Amy.

“Oui, I can do that,” she whispered as she headed for the door, followed by Dorothy and Amy, their hands together. Veronica paid no attention as Anne finally stepped forward.

“All right, girls,” she said as she came towards her sister, “Enough is enough. I think you’ve exacted enough revenge for now. Sue looked up at Anne, the sweat running down her red face, as she said “snttnffnw?”

“Not quite,” Anne said as she held a number of objects up. Sue groaned as Anne pushed a set of earplugs into her sister’s ears, and pulled the end of a roll of white bandage free. Putting two cotton wool pads on Sue’s eyes, she wound the bandage around her head, covering her eyes and ears, then moving down to cover her mouth. As she then pulled one of the black hoods over her head, she said “now it’s enough - leave her be for a while girls.” She tickled Sue’s feet, and getting only a muffled response sat down and picked up the paper.

“It’s raining again,” Alice said as she looked out at the steadily falling water. “Guess a walk or a swim are out of the question now. Got any ideas, anyone?”

Joanne looked at Alexa and moved her head, taking her girlfriend’s hand as the two of them slipped out of the room. “There’s a Wii console here,” Jannifer said, “and a copy of Virtua Tennis. Anyone fancy a tournament?”

“Well, this is nice.”

Amy looked into Dorothy’s eyes as they knelt on the floor of Dorothy’s bedroom, their arms wrapped around each other. They looked into each other’s eyes, knowing how the last few minutes had passed while Chloe was tying Dorothy’s wrists together behind Amy’s back.

“That is not too tight? You are comfortable, oui?” Chloe tied off the rope over the white socks that were covering Dorothy’s hands, then walked round and checked the rope around Amy’s arms.

“It’s fine, thanks Chloe,” Amy said as she placed her head on Dorothy’s shoulder.

“And now your legs please.” Amy and Dorothy had their legs wrapped around each other as they sat on the floor, Amy’s left leg over Dorothy’s right and vice versa. Picking up another length of rope, she pulled Amy’s grey sock covered ankles together and began to lash them to each other. Amy smiled as she moved her legs, the socks covering her black leggings as Chloe cinched the coils, and then tied them to her wrists. Walking round, she did the same to Dorothy so that they could not move without toppling each other over.

“Comfortable, Ladies?” They looked at Chloe and nodded in agreement as she unravelled a long length of rope, smiling at them as she did so.

She tied the end of the rope around Dorothy’s shoulder and then started to wind it round the two women, pinning them tightly together as she did so. Every so often, she tied a knot in the rope to anchor it to an arm or a leg, or cinched the coils between their bodies, so that when she was finished they could hardly move, so tightly were they held together.

“Happy,” Amy said to Dorothy, who nodded as Chloe tied off the last knot.

“You wished to be blindfolded and gagged, correct,” Chloe said as she looked at them. Both women nodded, as Amy said “Yes please.”

“We just want to know what it is like to be held helpless together,” Dorothy said as she rested her chin on Amy’s shoulder. Chloe smiled as she picked up a pair of black socks and a roll of tape. Balling up one of the socks, she held it in front of Amy’s mouth. Amy opened side, allowing the sock to be pushed in. As she felt it pressing her tongue down, she closed her lips and nodded as she felt the tape holding her mouth closed and the wad in place.

Dorothy was just as compliant, as the two women smiled with their eyes over the grey layer of gag. Finally, Chloe took two sleep masks and fitted one over each of the women.

“Au Revoir, Mesdames,” she said quietly as she left Amy and Dorothy in the room, closing the door before she started to head downstairs. Amy and Dorothy sat with their heads on each other's shoulders listening to each other’s breathing as they wriggled slightly. The ropes were secure without being too tight but with hands and feet wrapped round their partner opportunities for movement without falling over were limited.

“Now try,” Alice said to Cindy as she switched the console on. Natalie, Veronica, Coral and Anne were busy moving the furniture out of the way, while Sue wriggled in her seat, blissfully unaware of what was going on.

“That’s it,” said Cindy as she tried a few practice shots. Although it was possible to play the game by just flicking the wrist, their quiet morning meant that Cindy felt she had to move round while playing, as she danced from side to side, taking shot after shot. As she played, she failed to notice how close she was getting to the edge of the rug, until she tripped over it and fell to the floor.

“Looks like we’ll need to move that as well,” Veronica said as she rolled the rug up, leaving the wooden floor bare as Cindy got up.

“Right,” Natalie said, “Teams. I’m playing with mum - Veronica.”

“I’m playing with Jannifer,” Cindy said as she brushed herself down. Andrea stood next to Coral, while Alice shrugged her shoulders and said “Looks like I’m without a partner right now.”

“I will play alongside you, mon ami,” Chloe said as she walked into the room. “Suits me,” Anne said as she stood up, “I need to clear up after brunch anyway.”

“I’ll help you,” Suzanne said as she followed Anne out, leaving Cindy to jump up and say “all right - who’s the first challenger?”

“We’ll take you on,” Andrea said as she dragged Coral up with her. Natalie smiled, stood up and said “Do you want to make this a little more exciting?”

“How,” Jannifer said as she looked at her friend.

“Knockout over two rounds - and the winners get to tie the losers up.” The girls looked at each other and shouted “Sure!” as Veronica looked at Coral.

“Oh my,” Coral groaned as she took the controller, “What have you dragged me into now, Andrea?”

In their bedroom, Joanne and Alexa were on the bed, Joanne’s clothes and Alexa’s shirt lying on the floor. Joanne lay in her underwear on the bed, her wrist secured behind her back and her ankles crossed and tied. A red silk scarf had been tied into a wide band and used to blindfold her.

Alexa was still in her bra, jeans and socks, as she crept slowly around the bed, teasing Joanne from different angles and at different parts of her body. One moment she would kiss her lips, the next tickle her sides. One moment she would stoke her breasts, the next suck on her toes. Joanne could do nothing but respond, moaning, screaming, but always a little too late to stop Alexa from moving on.

“Two games to one - Championship point!”

Andrea shouted out as she served the ball, but Cindy managed to get the return in, taking the game to Advantage her and Jannifer. Andrea stood still, in her grey sweatshirt and short denim skirt, before she served. As she moved, however, she slipped on the floor, her thick black socks acting like skates as she fell. Her skirt rode up, showing her leggings as she careered into her mother and brought her down, making Jannifer’s shot the winner.

As Cindy and Jannifer jumped around and hugged each other, Andrea said “Sorry Mum,” as she helped Coral up, knowing what was going to happen.

“That’s all right,” Coral said as she stood up, “I wasn’t going to do anything this afternoon anyway.” They looked over at Cindy, who simply said “OK - sit over there while we get the rope.”

Coral and Andrea walked over to the corner of the room, sitting well away from the play area. Coral was dressed in a grey t-shirt under a navy blue cardigan, with a matching knee length skirt. Her legs were snugly covered by thick black tights and grey socks that came up to her mid calf.

Jannifer walked over, carrying a pile of ropes and other items, before saying “OK - hands behind you.” She sat herself behind Coral, while Cindy guided Andrea’s arms behind her back. Placing their hands together, palm to palm, the two girls tied their captive’s wrists tightly together, and then their elbows, making sure the ropes were cinched. They then took ropes around their upper bodies, pinning their arms to their backs and ensuring the ropes were again cinched to hold them in place.

The two watched as their legs were tied at their ankles, as well as below and above their knees, with the rope. Cindy had to lift Coral’s skirt slightly to tie her legs above her knees, but folded her skirt back down once she was finished.

“We’re going nowhere,” Coral said as she nudged Andrea, while Cindy and Jannifer each balled up a sock. “Open wide now,” Jannifer said as she held hers in front of Coral, who opened her mouth and allowed her to push the cotton wad in. As Cindy stuffed Andrea’s mouth, Jannifer sealed Coral’s mouth with two pieces of microfoam tape over her lips.

Once Andrea was gagged in the same way, sleep masks were placed over their eyes, and earplugs fitted. They sat there, leaning on each other as the next game began.

Veronica was in a pale blue pullover with matching trousers over tan tights, while Natalie was wearing a long sleeved white blouse, a blue cardigan and a calf length tasselled dress. She was, as always, barefoot, with a rope anklet around her right ankles and rope bracelets on both arms.

Facing them was Chloe, dressed as always in a tight black long sleeved top, very short denim skirt over black tights, and red socks that matched the scarf around her neck. Partnering her was Alice, in a white jumper, red checked skirt and black tights.

The match was exciting, if only for the way Chloe and Alice kept slipping over. Veronica took a few tumbles as well, but Natalie stayed sure footed in her bare feet, eventually leading her mother to a 3-1 victory.

Alice sighed. She knew that being bound by Natalie and Veronica was not going to be an easy time. As she sat down, Chloe looked at Veronica.

"May I make a request before I am tied up please? When you have finished, may I have one of Madame Sue and Anne's hoods to finish me off?" Veronica nodded, and went to find one of the numerous hoods that people were coming to know this week, whilst Natalie grinned at Alice preparing to tie her friend up tightly.

“Right, Alice,” she said, “Cross your arms behind your back.” As Alice crossed her wrists, Natalie gently guided her arms up so that they were folded behind her back, her elbows resting in the palms of her hands. She took Alice’s left wrists and passed a rope around it twice, tying a knot before she pulled it against her right elbow and tied it off. Repeating the process on the other side, she then tied her forearms together, cinching it between her arms.

“Comfy?”

“Actually, yes,” Alice said as Natalie wrapped more rope around her upper arms, pinning them to her body and then cinching it to ensure she could not move more than a wriggle. “Now your legs,” Natalie said as she tied rope round her legs, the white nylon contrasting with the black of her tights. She was bound at the ankles and above and below her knees, and as Natalie tied the last knot she looked over to see what Veronica was doing.

Chloe had her wrists crossed behind her back and tied, her elbows were also pulled close together. Loose ends from both these bindings were passed round her body, above and below her breasts in the case of her elbow bonds and looping over her shoulders. Her socked ankles were crossed and tied and her legs were tied below her knees. Her knees were drawn up to her chest and ropes passed behind her thighs which were pulled round her body and looped up round the back of her neck keeping her in this folded position. A line of rope went from her ankles under her bottom and was tied off to her wrist bindings forcing the French girl into a tight little ball,

"That looks fun mum" Natalie said to Veronica.

"Want to try it dear?" cane the retort.

"Maybe later."

Veronica took a rolled up sock and pushed it into Chloe's mouth before smoothing a length of microfoam tape over the top. She put the hood with padded ears, eyes and mouth over her head, fastening it at the back. Natalie was finishing using a scarf to tie a second balled up scarf into Alice's mouth before tying a third scarf over her eyes. She then walked to the bound helpless Sue and tickled her bare feet for about 30 seconds before turning to the TV and games console.

"Right ready for the final?"

Jannifer was sitting next to Cindy. She was wearing a red top and a short black skirt, her black leggings complemented by white socks. Cindy had a pink top, Short Denim skirt and stripy, multicoloured socks which came up to her thighs.

"Change of team tactics." said Cindy as she and Jannifer reached own removing their socks. "We noticed bare feet seem to grip better so we're not letting you have the advantage Nats."

"Seems like we're at a disadvantage now." said Veronica, wiggling her toes in her tights.

Alexa had stripped down to a pair of black knickers and was now lying on the bed, tied spread eagled on the mattress with a single black scarf covering her eyes. Joanne was reading questions from a Trivial Pursuit set, in a game they had worked out. If Alexa got the question right, she would be kissed somewhere, somewhere sensual, such a she neck or lips. If she got it wrong, she had to kiss Joanne, but somewhere not so sensual. The question before last had led to Alexa kissing Joanne’s foot - now, after another wrong answer, she was sucking on the big toe of Joanne’s right foot.

"Sport and leisure. Not generally your strongest subject is it? Who holds the world record for the fastest ascent of Mexico's highest mountain?"

"You’re making these up aren't you? Erm...Tom Cruise."

"Wrong." Joanne sat between Alexa's spread legs and placed her feet over her girlfriends face. "So your tongue had better do some overtime" she said as she lay back and began to stroke Alexa's soles gently.

In the main room, the game had been tense, but Veronica was at a disadvantage, as she slipped at a crucial point and lost the game. Not just the game, but the tournament as Cindy and Jannifer won 3-2.

“We won, we won,” they screamed as Natalie and Veronica looked at each other.

“Sorry, Mum,” Natalie said with a shrug, “I guess we have to pay the penalty now.”

“Hmm,” Cindy said as she looked at them, “We'd better make this good. You know what these two are like!"

"Like mother like daughter." Jannifer nodded as she picked up some rope...

.

In Dorothy’s room, she and Amy were still sat on the floor in their close embrace, murmuring and groaning occasionally as they wriggled from time to time, looking to be as comfortable as possible.

Twenty minutes had passed since the victory, and Natalie and Veronica were lying on the floor next to each other. They were lying in opposite directions, with their right arms touching, while they had their wrists and elbows tied behind their backs. Their legs were tightly bound at the ankles, above and below her knees - in Natalie’s case the rope above her knees went over her skirt. As they lay there, Cindy was tying Natalie’s right knee to her aunt’s right shoulder, while Jannifer was doing the same on the other side.

“Right, “ Cindy said as she lifted Natalie’s legs off the floor and bent her knees, “The final twist.”

“A hogtie? Is that all you’ve got?”

“Not any old hogtie, Nats.” Cindy bent her legs back, and then tied her ankles to the chest ropes around Veronica’s wrists, while Jannifer secured Veronica’s ankles to Natalie’s wrists.

“Ready for some more quality mother/daughter time?”

"We've been doing a loth mmpphhh wwggmm" Veronica was cut off in mid flow as Jannifer and Cindy in perfect synchronisation stuffed a balled up sock into their respective victim's mouth. This was sealed in with no less than three pieces of tape before a prepared length of tape with two gauze pads on was stuck over their eyes.

"Have fun together" said Cindy scraping her nails down Natalie's soles and making her jerk. "I wonder where mum got to."

With that Jannifer and Cindy left the six bound losers and Sue to struggle or enjoy their captivity.



Upstairs outside Dorothy's room the two girls heard a muffled groaning and bumping noise.

"Mum. Are you alright?" called Cindy.

"Just where do you think you two are going?" Jannifer looked to see a black figure at the end of the corridor pointing a small silver pistol at them.

"I - I think we'd better stop and do what s-she s-says." she said feigning a nervous stammer.

"Too right you better." Said Anne walking towards them "Now raise your hands and head down stairs.

Twenty minutes later in the small lounge / library of the lodge Jannifer and Cindy sat back to back with a post between them. Cindy's hands were tied behind the post and ropes were wrapped round her upper arms, body and the post, pinning her arms to her sides. The ropes were cinched between her arms and her chest making everything secure.

Jannifer sat on the other side of the post with her arms crossed behind her back in a box tie and cinched into her sides. Ropes went round her chest and round Cindy’s holding them tightly in place against the post. Further ropes around their waists held them back to back against the post.

Although it was near impossible to escape already, Anne made sure their legs were secured as well. They both had their legs tied together in front of them, rope around their crossed ankles and tied at thighs and above and below knees. Jannifer was gagged with a rolled up sock held in her mouth by a strip of tape whilst Cindy had a balled up scarf and a second scarf cleave gagging her. Both girls had black sleep masks over their eyes.

"Make yourselves comfortable." said Anne as she stepped out of the door and back up the stairs.

Entering Dorothy’s bedroom, she knelt down and removed their blindfolds.

"I've just saved you from a rather embarrassing scene with Cindy you know." Anne said as she freed Dorothy and Amy. Dorothy nodded as she stood up and rubbed her wrists.

"Thank you Anne. Did you enjoy it Amy"

"It was a wonderful feeling. Thanks for talking me into it Dorothy."

"Now." Anne said as she finished freeing Amy's hands. "Tie me up." She lay face down, holding her black socked feet in, with the stirrups of her trousers running over them, in her hands.

"Er why?" Amy said as she looked at her.

"When you finally untie your darling daughter and her friend, make it look like I had you all tied up then you escaped and jumped me."

Some time later, Dorothy and Amy gave each other a hug and kissed whilst Anne lay on the floor, her arms tied at her wrists and elbows, and her legs tied at her ankles and knees. Her wrists were secured to her knees while her ankles were pulled back and secured to her elbows. She was gagged with a pair of socks and a clean pair of tights and blindfolded with a sleep mask.

"Let's find Cindy then." Amy said leading the way out onto the landing and downstairs. They tried the kitchen first where they saw a figure sitting on one of the high backed chairs.

Suzanne had her arms pulled round behind the back of the chair where they had been pushed into a pair of white socks before being tied together with a cable tie. Further cable ties were around her ankles and knees fastening them to the front legs of the chair and contrasting with the black of her woolly tights. Brown hemp ropes were added round her chest and waist. A scarf covered her mouth and a second covered her eyes. Amy stepped forward and removed the scarf from Suzanne's mouth revealing a second scarf as a cleave gag. Removing this scarf Suzanne spat out a pair of bright pink socks. Dorothy lifted her blindfold.

"What happened to you?"

Suzanne looked over towards the table where a familiar black and white checked board sat with pieces on and around it. "Did you know that the Duncombe sisters were chess champions 4 times each at school?"

“No - no I can’t say I did,” Amy said as she and Dorothy started to untie their friend. “Mind you, it does not surprise me. Their minds are certainly of a strategic bent.”

“Yeah well - never ever play bondage chess with them. Anne had me beaten hands down every time. Where is everyone else anyway?”

“From the lack of sound of things, in their own little worlds,” Veronica said as she released her sister in law’s hands. “Apart from your daughter that is - I could hear her and Alexa having fun when we tied up Miss Duncombe.”

“Well, at least she got what was coming to her. So what are we going to do for dinner?”

“We’ll start cooking it once we have found the others - what did you last see them doing?”

“Well,” Suzanne said as she stood up and rubbed her wrists,” “they were going to play a tennis tournament in the front room. I guess that must have finished by now.”

“Yeah,” Veronica said, “but knowing the girls, I suspect some sort of forfeit was involved. Let’s look in there first.” The three women left the kitchen, and opened the door to the front room. As they walked in, they were greeted with a chorus of mumbled sounds.

“Oh yeah,” Suzanne said as she looked around the room, “Some sort of forfeit all right.” She could see Natalie and Veronica bound together in their hogties, while Chloe, Alice, Coral and Andrea were all on the other side of the room, twisting as soft muffled sounds came out of their well gagged mouths. Finally, Sue was still sat on the bench, humming happily to herself.

“All right, I’m guessing Alexa and Joanne are upstairs, and you say Anne is up there as well - which leaves Cindy and Jannifer unaccounted for. What do you think we should do now?

“Well, I can’t speak for you two,” Amy said as she looked round the room, “but I see two pairs of feet that need a tickle.” She walked silently up to Veronica and Natalie, and ran her fingers down the soles of their feet.

“MGghsthrre,” Veronica screamed out as she tried to twist out of the way, but only succeeded in nearly pulling Natalie over on her side. As the two started laughing, Veronica and Suzanne made their way out of the room and into the lounge, where they saw Cindy and Jannifer tied against one of the central poles.

“Well, I can see she made you real comfortable,” Veronica said, watching as Cindy and Jannifer turned their heads in the direction of her voice. “Hllmm,” Cindy mumbled as her mother and aunt walked over and removed their blindfolds.

“Anne got the better of Amy and me,” Dorothy said as she started to untie the two girls, “but we got her in the end. She’s upstairs just now - I guess she got anyone who wasn’t involved in the tennis match and nabbed them.

“What about Joanne and Alexa,” Jannifer said as the sock was pulled from her mouth. “Were they caught as well?”

“I very much doubt it, but we’ll find out later,” Joanne said as they helped the two girls to stand up. “Can you go and start to release the others, and we‘ll go and look for those two.”

“What about Sue?”

“NO!!!” Dorothy and Suzanne chorused in unison. “She stays as she is until Anne releases her. I think she has to be kept on a very, very short leash for the moment. Amy is in there anyway - I think she had an urge to tickle Veronica and Natalie.”

“Well, we need to spend some time doing that more often,” Joanne said as she emerged from the bedroom, buttoning up her blouse before turning to look at Alexa.

“Indeed - this has been a great holiday so far,” Alexa said as she pulled her t-shirt down. “Next time however, I pick the questions.”

As they passed Dorothy’s room, they heard the sound of feet knocking on the floor. “Funny,” Joanne said as she looked towards the door, “Aunt Dorothy’s still downstairs as far as I know.”

Knocking on the door, she said “Are you in there Aunt Dorothy?” Hearing only a muffled response, she opened the door and looked at Anne, lying on the floor and struggling in her bonds.

“Okay,” Joanne said as she slowly closed the door, “I get the feeling we missed on quite a few things while we were upstairs. Why don’t we go down and offer to help with dinner - might balance the scales a little.”

Alexa nodded as they slowly closed the doors, walking down the stairs where they met Dorothy and Suzanne coming the other way. “Good,” Suzanne said when she saw her daughter, “You can come and help us with dinner.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Trying to get free, I suspect - dinner, and then we can have a quiet evening.”

“What about Anne?”

“Leave her a while longer,” Dorothy said as she guided the two younger girls down the stairs, “I’ll untie her later...”

Thursday, 10 am

“Thank you, Anne - I really needed that.”

Sue wiped her chin with her napkin and looked round the table, as the assembled breakfast party looked down at her.

“Oh come on - you all slept in your beds last night? Nobody ended up in the attic? I kept my word.”

“The fact Anne kept you tied spread-eagled in your bed probably helped with that,” Amy said as she looked at the dark haired woman, the rope around her waist holding her firmly to the chair. Anne was sitting by her side, her eyes fixed firmly on her.

“What were meal times like in the Duncombe household, for goodness sake,” Alexa said as she drank her coffee. “Tense - but fun,” Anne said, and a smile crossed her face as she winked at her sister.

“Well, at least it’s not raining this morning,” Amy said as she looked out of the window, “so we can all go for a walk in the woods.”

“BOR-ing,” Andrea said as she pushed her plate away. “Is there something else we can do to make it more exciting?”

Amy looked at Veronica. “Yes, actually there is - we can have a little competition. Divide yourselves up into two teams, and we will as well. Then meet in the entrance hall in 45 minutes - and make sure you are dressed to walk.”

Thursday, 11 am

“Right,” Veronica said as she pulled on her padded coat, “Who do we have as the teams?”

The girls were standing in two groups, wrapped in jumpers and jeans. On one side stood Cindy, Alice, Chloe and Andrea, while on the other side were Alexa, Joanne, Jannifer and Natalie.

“I guess we do,” Cindy said as she looked at Veronica. So how are the adults going to be split up.

“We’re coming with you,” Veronica said as she, Dorothy and Coral stood with Cindy, while Amy, Anne and Suzanne stood with Alexa.

“Where’s Sue?”

“She’s already in the car,” Anne said as she threw the keys up in the air. “Now, we’re going to take you girls to opposite side of the lake from here, and your task is going to be to see who can get home first through the woods. We’ll leave you with maps, and two of the adults will walk the course with you.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Chloe said with a smile,” but I suspect a Tournez le dans le conte, non ?”

“Wait and see, Chloe,” Joanne said as she threw her keys into the air. “Right - come on.”

“Well, we’re here.”

After a thirty minute car ride, the group led by Cindy found themselves in a wooded glade, looking round at the tall trees around them.

“Well, it should not be too long a trip home,” Andrea said as she looked round, watching as Joanne put a duffle bag on the ground.

“We haven’t told you all the rules yet,” Veronica said as she opened the duffel bag. “Firstly, you’re going to be leading two hostages home with you.” The girls looked at Dorothy and Coral as they put their hands together in front of themselves and allowed Veronica to bind their wrists tightly together, then to their waists. She then knelt down and tied their ankles with a length of rope, not together but with a length of about a foot between them.

“All right, that might hold things up,” Andrea said as she watched her mother and Dorothy been gagged with microfoam tape and then blindfolded with scarves. “But not by much - we should be fine.”

“No - no you won’t” Veronica said as she held up the roll of Microfoam tape. “You are going to be gagged as well - then two of you will have your wrists tied, and two your ankles hobbled. The ones with tied hands will guide the prisoners, the hobbled ones will read the map.”

“I knew this was too simple,” Chloe said as she offered her hands to be tied. “I’ll volunteer as well,” Andrea said, “I don’t want to see Mum hurt.”

“Thsnssdr,” Coral mumbled as Veronica gagged both girls, then turned her attention to Cindy and Alice. “Why did we sign up for this again,” Alice said as she watched the rope been tied between her legs.

“Fun,” Cindy said as she watched Veronica tie the tape off, “and it is too. Rgggvrrnc?” Her words were cut off by the tape over her mouth, as Veronica handed her and Alice a map with a route marked on it and a compass.

“Right, let’s see how the others are,” Veronica said as she dialled a number.

“Yeah, we’re good to go here,” Anne said as she looked at the assembled group. Amy and Suzanne stood between Alexa and Natalie, while Joanne and Jannifer looked at the map.

“All right girls - on your marks, get set, GO!” She waved at the group as they set off, following the two girls as they strode down the path.

“They’re on their way Veronica,” she said as she headed back to the car. “I’ll see you at the lodge.” As she climbed behind the driver’s seat, she looked over to Sue and said “How about a game of chess when we get back?”

Sue nodded as she tried to wriggle her fingers. She was securely ball tied and strapped to the seat, a large ring of black tap encircling her head and mouth to keep her quiet. Anne smiled as she started the car and reversed out of the clearing, heading back to the road.

Cindy and Alice looked at the map again, checking the layout against the paths they could see, then turned and pointed to the path on the left hand side of the fork.

“Tswww,” Alice mumbled as Chloe and Andrea guided Coral and Dorothy along the path, patting their legs when they needed to step over tree roots and rocks, their bound hands supporting them the best way they could.

“Whrrrwww,” Coral mumbled through her taped mouth as she was helped to walk down a steep part of the path. Andrea patted her arm and said “ntsrr” as they gingerly stepped down the leaf strewn bridal way. Chloe looked round, the wind making her glad she had put her usual scarf round her neck, when she saw Cindy stumble in front of her.

“Rulrrt,” she said as Cindy fell onto her knees, but laughed under her gag as Cindy stood up, her knees covered in wet leaves and streaks of mud. “Ltsg,” she mumbled as she brushed herself off, and the party set off again.

“Uvgttbjkng”

Amy looked at the shallow stream that ran across their path, then at Suzanne, and finally at Joanne and Jannifer as they consulted the map.

“Sreremmm,” Joanne said as she looked back at the others, “wgtsswee.” She stepped out into the stream and waded through the shallow water, stopping as the others slowly caught up with her.

“SSCLLDL” Amy screamed as a little of the free flowing water made its way into her walking shoes. The others laughed in their gags, until at the next step forward, when Alexa slipped and fell into the stream, screaming through her gag as the water flooded into her pants.

“Sllgrl,” Joanne said as she went back and helped her friend up, “lmkkbtrrltr.” Alexa looked at her friend, nuzzling her and pressing her wet pants against Joanne, making her squeal as well.

“Ltr,” Jannifer said as she looked at the others laughing, “ltsgtgnng.”

“Sounds like you’ve had an interesting week, Heidi. I’m just sorry your mum wasn’t here to take your call, but I’ll pass on your regards to her.”

Veronica put the receiver down and walked into the front room, where Anne and Sue were sitting by the fire. Sue was bound by the ankles and legs, but her hands were tied together in front of her as she held her mug of coffee.

“How is Heidi,” Anne said as Veronica sat down.

“Missing us - tell me, Anne, have you ever heard of something called the Pearl of Great Price?” Veronica watched as Anne and Sue looked at each other, before Sue said “If we had, Veronica, we could not tell you - but why are you asking?”

“Heidi just spent an interesting night in their company - she’ll tell us all about it when she gets home.”

Anne smiled before saying “Do you play Chess, Veronica?”

“Oh no - Suzanne told me about yesterday. No way am I taking either of you on.” Their conversation was interrupted by Veronica’s call phone ringing, and as she took it out she said “Veronica Cabot?

“No,” Veronica said as she suddenly stood up, “I am afraid Amy is out at the moment, Your Ladyship. Can I possibly be of help?

“I see, well that is certainly a most generous invitation. We had been wondering as to how Heidi was going to return, but what you describe sounds as if it could be fun.”

Sue and Anne looked at each other, then back to Veronica as she nodded and listened to the voice on the phone.

“Of course - I wonder if it would be possible for me to bring an extra person - a friend of Heidi? I think that would add something to the day you are describing, and of course Amy and I would be more than willing to help in any way that we can.

“Very well, Your Ladyship. I will start to make the arrangements, and will call you back in a day or two. Thank you again.”

“Your Ladyship,” Sue said, her head cocked to one side. “Who was that?”

“I’ll tell you in a minute,” Veronica said as she dialled another number on her phone. “Hello, Katherine? It’s Veronica - Veronica Cabot.

“No, Natalie is fine - I wonder if you would answer a question for me?”

“TLST!!”

Cindy looked down the path, through the gap in the trees at the lodge, and turned back to the others. They were all caked in mud, and it was obvious they had taken a few tumbles, but their cheeks glowed and they looked as if they had had fun. Running was not an option, given how well four of them were hobbled, but it was a relief to them as they walked down the path, the sun starting to lower over the tree line as they came out onto the pathway.

“Ddwn,” Dorothy said as the six of them walked towards the cabin - only to have their question answered as the other six emerged from the other side of the path, looking if anything even more wet and bedraggled than they did.

“Drw,” Joanne said as she looked at the other group, and a weary nod of the head from all of them told its own story. They all walked and shuffled up to the house, looking forward to release and a warm bath.

“OH NO YOU DON’T!!”

Amy was about to step into the lodge when she looked up and saw Veronica and Anne standing there, their arms folded as they blocked the doorway.

“Hcmnsss,” Amy said as she looked pleadingly at Veronica.

“No way are any of you coming in here that muddy,” Veronica said with a firm, thin smile on her lips. “You need to be cleaned up first.”

“Bthecnwthr,” Suzanne said as Anne shepherded the group into a row at the side of the driveway.

“Like this,” Veronica said with a smile, “Sue?”

The gasps and screams from the twelve gagged girls and women as the spray of cold water hit them could probably be heard in the town several miles down the road, but there was no escape for them as Sue aimed the hose over all of them, washing the mud and leaves away from their clothes as they ducked and weaved and tried to get out of the way. There was no escape, however, until they all stood there, dripping wet but somewhat cleaner.

“Now you can come in,” Anne said with a smile, “There are dressing gowns inside, and we’ll make some hot drinks and warm some muffins up for after you have dried off and changed.”

“Fnksbnshsss,” Amy said as she walked in, waiting as Anne untied her hands and legs and handed her a dressing gown after she had stripped off. One by one they came in, putting their wet clothes into a laundry basket before they headed up the stairs to their room.

Thursday, 7 pm

“...and that was what Lady Holderness said. Interested?”

Amy and Natalie were sitting with Veronica, the remains of the hot meal on the table as Suzanne and Dorothy got on with the washing up.

“Interested?” Natalie’s eyes were bright as she looked at her mother and Amy. “You bet I am - but we’re not allowed to tell Heidi when we speak to her?”

“Nope - I’ve spoken to your mother, Natalie, and we’ll fly in on the Tuesday. I’ve booked the flights and the hotel, and Lord and Lady Holderness will meet us the day we fly in to explain exactly what is going to happen.”

The others had retired to the front room, with the promise of an evening of popcorn and chick flicks, but Veronica had held her family back to explain what she had discussed on the telephone earlier.

“Well, I don’t mind a trip away for a few days - and we fly back with Heidi?”

“That’s the idea - we’ll sort out the details when we get back on Saturday.” Veronica stood up and stretched. “Come on - we’ll join the others. You two going to be much longer.”

“I don’t think so,” Dorothy said as she smiled at the group, “Just save some popcorn for us.”

Friday, 1 am

Natalie stirred slightly as she felt the hand on her shoulder. Turning over, she saw Cindy standing by her bed, a pair of joggers over her legs.

“Cindy - do you know what time it is,” she mumbled as she sat up in the bed.

“Yeah, I do - I think it’s time for a little revenge,” Cindy said, and as Natalie woke up she saw a large grin on her friend’s face.

“Revenge - for what?”

“For the other night - I think our mothers would appreciate the chance to enjoy some quality quiet time. Want to give me a hand?”

Cindy held up a rucksack, which Natalie could see several hanks of rope hanging from, and in her hand were two of the special black balaclava masks.

“Oh you wicked, wicked girl - who do you want to start with?”

Cindy said nothing, but waited for her friend to climb out of bed and pull on a dressing gown, before they crept down the corridor and slowly opened the door to Dorothy’s room.

Her mother was lying on the bed, her white nightdress covering her legs as she gently snored. Cindy took a roll of white tape from her rucksack, the special microfoam tape, and tore off a length, which she gently smoothed over her mother’s lips. Dorothy stirred slightly at the feel of her daughter’s fingers on her jaw, but then went back to sleep again as Natalie pushed a set of plugs into her ears, and then held her head up as Cindy tied a scarf around her mouth, and pulled the hood over her head, so that only her nostrils could be seen.

Rolling her gently onto her stomach, Cindy guided Dorothy’s arms behind her back and tied her wrists together, side by side, before taping her hands together. As she did this, Natalie folded back the hem of Dorothy’s nightdress and gently, slowly, started to bind her ankles together.

Dorothy slept on, blissfully unaware of what was happening as Natalie pulled more rope around her legs, drawing her nightdress into her body as she did so, while Cindy tied her arms together just below her elbows.

“There’s no way we could lift her up to the attic, is there,” Natalie whispered as Cindy fed some rope under her mother’s body and started to tie her arms against her back. “Are you that strong,” Cindy quietly replied, and Natalie smiled as she pulled Dorothy’s ankles back, holding them as Cindy attached them to the chest ropes with a short length of rope.

“Who’s next,” Natalie whispered as they closed the door to Dorothy’s room. “How about Veronica - and then we can make our way around the rest of the rooms,” Cindy whispered as she put her hand on the door to Veronica’s room and quietly turned the handle...

Friday, 9 am

“Well, you two slept in!”

Joanne looked at both Cindy and Natalie as they walked into the kitchen, the rest of the girls sitting round as Alexa and Andrea handed out plates and cutlery.

“Are we the last ones up, then,” Cindy said as she sat down and poured herself a glass of apple juice.

“The last of us, yes,” Alice said as she bit into a muffin, “btnnftadltrpyt.”

“Not even Sue?”

“Oh come on,” Andrea said as she sat down, “Anne keeps her sister on a very, very short leash. After all, we don’t want a repeat of Wednesday, do we?”

“I thought it was fun,” Natalie said as Joanne picked up a mug of coffee and headed for the door. “Where are you going?”

“Taking mum up a cup of coffee - she said to make sure she was up by ten, to check on the laundry from yesterday.” As she left the room, Alice looked at Cindy and Natalie. “All right,” she finally said, “Why the big grin on your faces?”

“You’ll see,” Cindy said as she sat back and drank her fruit juice. After a few minutes, Joanne came back in, looked round the room and simply said “All right - which one you hellions took revenge for the other day?”

The group looked at each other, as Cindy and Natalie slowly pushed their chairs back. “Freeze, Cuz,” Joanne said as she caught the movement, “Do I detect a sense of revenge creeping in here?”

“Who, us,” Cindy and Nats said in unison, as the others looked on.

“Yes, you - who else would bind every single one of the adults up, nice and snug and hogtied, and leave them hooded on their beds.”

“All of them,” Andrea said as she gave out a low whistle, “Even Sue?”

“Err.... nope,” Nats said with a smile, “Sue had already been very tightly secured. But Anne - yeah, we did her too. I think Sue woke up for a moment and saw us, but she could not say anything.”

“Why not?”

“Because of the thick band of grey tape around her head,” Cindy said as she drank her orange juice, and the whole room burst out laughing. Joanne just shook her head, and said “Look, you need to go and free your respective mothers. Cindy, you get your mum, Andrea yours, and I’ll do mine. Nats you get Veronica, Jannifer Amy, and Alexa can calm down what sounded like a very surprised and aggressive Anne.”

“I always get the good jobs,” Alexa said as she stood up, before Alice said “Why?”

“Sorry?”

“Why? When we were all bound the other day, they let us sleep until midday. Why don’t we extend them the same courtesy, and we’ll wake them up for lunch - which we will cook of course. Besides, Anne deserves it for the hose yesterday.”

She looked round the table, as one by one the girls nodded their agreement. “We’d better make it a good one,” Joanne finally said as she sat back down. “Right, who wants more juice?”

Friday, 1 pm

“Well, that has to be the most restful night I have spent in some considerable time.”

Veronica sat back and pushed her plate away as Natalie collected up the dirty plates. “I take my hat off to you,” Anne said as she handed her plate to Cindy, “You two managed it without even walking me.”

“They have learned well, sensei,” Sue said with a smile as she finished her coffee. “Where are the others anyway?”

“They went down to the swimming hole - they should be back later.” Nats sat down and looked at veronica. “Listen, we were wondering, given this is our last night here; could we all go out tonight? I’m told there’s a good pizza place in the town.”

“Well, it would save us going for some food later,” Amy said with a smile. “I’ll call them up and make a reservation for all of us - providing Sue is on her best behaviour?”

“Hey - public places I can be a good girl,” Sue said as she raised her bound wrists, Anne nodding in answer as well. “I’d like that,” before adding “But I have a suggestion for one last game - a little last bonding experience.”

“Really,” Joanne said as she looked across the table, “What?”

“Mother Daughter Matching,” Anne said as she looked at Sue, “and it will give us some measure of revenge on your two as well...”

Friday, 4 pm

“Mum, why the heck do I have to dress like this?”

Joanne was tugging at the front of the blue checked cheesecloth blouse she was wearing, the ends tied together on her belly, while her mother had an identical blouse on. Both also had on knee length denim breeches, and flat deck shoes.

“Because we were asked to,” Suzanne said with a smile as she fixed some rubber bands into her hair, making two pigtails that stuck out to the side. “Besides, it could be worse - look at Cindy and Dorothy.”

Joanne looked at her friend and her mother, who were standing there in floor length skirts and long sleeved cotton blouses. “I thought we’d left these at home, Mum,” Cindy complained as she tugged on her sleeves, but Dorothy just smiled and said “You like dressing up - stop complaining.”

“Good,” Anne said with a smile as she and Sue brought in several carefully coiled lengths of rope and other material. “Two down, four to go.”

The door opened and Coral and Andrea came in, both dressed in identical powder blue sleepsuits with a pair of fingerless mittens on their hands. “I cannot believe they make these in adult sizes now,” Coral was saying as Andrea smiled, while they were followed in by Veronica and Natalie. They were the smartest dressed so far, in grey trousers suits with camisole tops underneath and black heels.

“Who brings business suits on a holiday,” Amy said as she walked in, wearing a short sleeved yellow sun dress with white polka dots and a thin belt, and white heels.

“I don’t know, sis,” Veronica said as Jannifer walked in, wearing a blue version of the same dress,” the same sort of person who brings one of her daughter’s dresses with her, just in case?”

“Touché,” Amy said with a laugh as the other girls came in and sat around the room. “Right,” Anne said with a smile, “We’re going to have a real live mother/daughter race here, with a little difference. The aim is that you have been clothed identically, and you need to help each other to get free from what we’re going to do.

“And the others?” Suzanne said as she looked at Alice and Alexa sitting smiling at them.

“They get to watch - right, mothers hug your daughters.”

The five older women looked at their younger counterparts and put their arms around them, while Anne and Sue went round and bound their wrists tightly together behind the girls’ backs. They then secured their partner’s wrists, and bound the two sets of hands together.

The others watched as the two binders worked their magic with the ropes, starting with Coral and Andrea as their upper bodies were secured tightly together, the rope sinking into their sleep suits as they looked at each other, winding around their bodies and arms in a lattice.

As they were helped to kneel down by Sue, Anne went to work on Joanne and Suzanne, their bare arms showing a line of pale skin as the rope pulled tightly on them against their bodies. “This is tight,” Joanne squeaked as Alexa walked over and squeezed her bottom. “Later, tiger,” she whispered as she looked at Suzanne, who is turn was looking at Alexa and motioning with her head.

Sue finished binding Andrea’s ankles, and the tied their legs together above their knees, both individually and to each other, before she walked over and helped the two cowgirls to kneel. Anne moved on to Veronica and Natalie, who said “It feels strange having shoes on,” as she felt her wrists been bound.

“Well, that’s the price of been the daughter of a realtor,” Veronica said with a smile as she watched Suzanne and Joanne been bound together. “Besides, one day you may have to wear an outfit like this. Where did you get yours anyway? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in something like that before.”

“I got it for a wedding - but I lost the shoes at the first opportunity.” She said as she was helped to kneel with Veronica. Anne had moved on to Jannifer and Amy, who were giggling as they were drawn together.

“Wonder what Heidi would think of this,” Jannifer said with a giggle as she and Amy were secured together, while the other three twisted round on their knees. The last to be bound were Veronica and Cindy, the ropes compressing their blouses and skirts as they knelt, Veronica looking over at Amy as Anne bound them.

As the two of them were helped to kneel and their ankles bound, the rope wrapping their skirts around their legs, Anne went to a bag and took out a set of sponges, still in their wrapping, as well as a roll of microfoam tape. “Open wide,” she said as she walked over to Coral and Andrea, smiling as they allowed them to stuff a ball into each of their mouths, and then smooth a wide strip of the tape over their mouths.

“Sssffnn,” Coral mumbled as a pair of earplugs was fixed into the ears of her and Andrea, and then one of the black hoods pulled over their heads. They mumbled and tried to look round as one by one, the remaining couples received the same treatment, until all five were tightly secured, silenced and unable to hear or see anything.

Anne indicated with her fingers to the others, and watched as Alice, Alexa, Chloe and Sue walked out of the room, following after them. “May I ask a favour of you,” Chloe said as Anne closed the door.

“Of course,” Anne said with a smile, “What is it Chloe?”

“Will you secure the three of us in another room - it seems so unfair that we have to miss out.”

“Very well,” Anne said as she looked at Sue, “but we do not have any of the hoods left. Is that a problem?” She looked at the three girls, who simply smiled as they fixed a sleepmask over their eyes.

“Walk Indian style,” Sue said as she took Chloe’s arm and started to walk them towards the library...

Friday, 6 pm

Coral blinked as she felt the hood been loosened and pulled off her head. She looked at Andrea who had her eyes closed, humming to herself as she rested her head on her mother’s shoulder.

“I’m going to unite both of you,” Anne said as she whispered into Coral’s ear “as you both need to get changed. Don’t take the gag off until you go out of the room, but I need you to stop by the library before you go upstairs.”

“Whhh,” Coral mumbled as the rope around their bodies was loosened, and Andrea opened her eyes. “You’ll see when you get there,” Anne smiled in reply as she untied the mother and daughter. “The reservation is for eight, so I need you to do this fairly quickly.”

Andrea nodded as she and her mother were helped to their feet, and they walked out of the room, watching as Anne knelt next to Veronica and touched her on the shoulder. As she reached up and peeled the tape away from her mouth, she spat the wet sponge out and said “All right, I can see why you like sleeping in these, Andi. Why do you think Anne said we should go to the library?”

“Can you hear anything,” Andrea said after she had removed her own gag. Coral listened carefully, then said “No, why?”

“Because we weren’t all tied up,” Andrea said with a smile as she opened the door to the book lined room. Looking inside, they saw why Anne had asked them to stop.

Chloe and Alexa were lying on their sides on the floor, their knees drawn tightly against their chests with rope that ran around their backs, crossed under their legs and then were tied in front of them. Their arms were boxed behind their backs, and their ankles tightly tied together. A large scarf was wrapped over their mouths and noses, while the sleep masks covered their eyes.

As for Alice and Sue, they had been tied in the same way as the toher pairings, face to face, but with scarves covering their mouths.

“We’d better get to work,” Andrea said as she walked over towards Sue and Alice, while Coral knelt down next to Alexa and started to untie her...

Friday, 11 pm

The group came in one by one, dropping their coats on a couch as they sat on the chairs and floors. Last to come in were Veronica and Amy, carrying two trays with glasses and a bottle of champagne on each.

“We think a toast is in order,” Amy said as she set the tray down, “and for once, age is not an issue. Each of you take a glass.” As she handed the glasses out, Veronica opened the wine and poured some for each person in turn.

“It has been a hell of a week,” Amy finally said as she filled her glass, “but it has been fun, and sadly it’s coming to an end. We’ve had good times, we’ve had surprises, and we’ve made some new friends.” As she said this, she looked over at Sue, who nodded in acknowledgement.

“I propose a toast - to family and friends.”

“To Family and Friends,” the group said as they raised their glasses and toasted each other, before taking a drink. “Now, bed - we need to be out of here by nine tomorrow, and we can stop for breakfast on the way home.”

“Can I drive, Anne,” Sue said as she looked at her sister. “Possibly,” Anne said warily, “Why?”

“You’ll see....”

Some weeks later

“You are kidding me!!”

“I’m not - Sue trussed Amy up like a ball, sat her in the back of the SUV, and drove back with her sitting there, and nobody - NOBODY saw her.”

Heidi sat back and laughed as she looked at Cindy and Natalie. “I’d like to have seen that,” she said quietly, “I’d really like to have seen that. Sounds like a fantastic week - I wish we could have been there.”

“Compared to what you said, I think we had it quiet.”

Heidi laughed again. “Maybe one day we will see it, maybe...”

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