'Will they not leave?', Astrid asked in as calm a voice as she could muster, for she sat now at least untouched.

'If you will have it so', Julia sighed. She had no illusions that Astrid might attempt to overpower her. It had been attempted but once before by a young aristocrat who had fought like a tigress for a minute until the snarling of a whip around her naked bottom had finally quelled her. 'You will not mind if I take precautions, Astrid?', she asked, letting her book fall upon her chair as she rose. Astrid's momentary curiosity in that moment was her undoing, for her eyes chanced to fall upon an illustration which the open book revealed. In so doing, a fierce blush rose into her cheeks since that which she saw seemed to her the most infinitely shameful thing she had ever encountered.

Alas, that moment of inattention proved her further undoing, for in a trice Marie and Amy were upon her, binding her arms to her sides with a fine rope which had lain in readiness under the bed. While Astrid, now laid full-length, screamed her protests, which were as much of anger as humiliation, her long and beautiful legs were similarly secured until she lay completely trussed and panting.

'That will do', Julia declared, having watched the struggle with passionate interest.

'Oh, my God, you will surely suffer for this! The moment that Papa learns of how shamefully you have treated me he will…'.

'He will do nothing', her hostess declared, seating herself beside the writhing girl and quelling her further words by placing her hand over her mouth while Astrid's noble eyes blazed into hers. 'Cry and scream as you will, my love, for no one will hear you, save those whose pleasure it is to do so.