ALL NOVEL Chapter 18: Leather Collar
It felt a little strange for Hannah to have Lord Hamish hold the door to the carriage open for her, but she wasn’t going to say no. Quickly, she climbed up in the carriage after her mistress, only slightly nervous about being in a carriage again since the last time it hadn’t made her stomach feel the best. Similar to last time as well, Hannah wasn’t sure where it would be most appropriate for her to sit. She had a feeling that Rayne and Hamish were going to sit across from each other so that meant she had to pick who to sit next to. Before she could worry too much about the decision, Rayne gently patted the seat next to her to let the fox know exactly where the lady wanted her. Still feeling nervous but better about not having to decide, Hannah took her seat.
Normally Rayne liked to sit facing away from the front, but this time she had purposefully picked the side of the carriage facing the front since she had heard that could help people that felt nauseous in them. Since it was obvious last time that the ride had made Hannah’s stomach unsettled, Rayne wanted to do the best she could to help keep her fox comfortable. It also felt nice to have Hannah sitting next to her this time instead of across. She liked being close to Hannah in any way that she could. Quickly enough, Hamish made his way into the carriage and then they were off with only a slight lurch.
Only after they started moving did it occur to Hannah that the coachmen were working on a day off. It also dawned on her that she didn’t see the coachmen for meals in the house. In fact she didn’t recall seeing any of them inside the home at all. She had questions now and for some reason they really wanted her to voice them to the lord and lady, but she didn’t feel it was appropriate. That being said, it must have been apparent on her face because her mistress asked, “Is there something you would like to ask?”
Hannah flushed ever so slightly but did say, “Do the coachmen not have days off?”
“The coachmen are not part of the hired staff,” Hamish replied. “Though we do own the horses and coaches, we do not have stables on the house grounds. We hire a service to look after them and act as our coachmen when we require it. As such there are a number of different coachmen that work for the service we hire, so there is always someone to drive us even on staff days off.”
Hannah nodded thoughtfully. The Hayward estate grounds were large, but they were still in the city so maybe there wasn’t enough room for a stables. Maybe there was and this was just how nobles of the Dewath Empire acted, she really had no frame of reference to know. Regardless, she liked to think that this meant those men still had their own days off, even if it didn’t follow along with the house staff. As they rode down the path to the large gate Hannah saw a few members of staff making their own way off of the estate though all of them were walking. One of whom was Anna, who looked up just in time to see Hannah looking at her as they passed her by in the carriage. Of course that clearly put a frown on the maid’s face but Hannah wasn’t able to catch it as they continued on.
It was difficult to not let herself feel sick at the movement of the carriage but Hannah did her best to not let it affect her on their trip. That didn’t stop her from wishing that Eda was here to rub her back gently like last time. Though for some reason Hannah felt like she would have felt even better to have Rayne do it to her. Sadly it didn’t happen though. Thankfully the trip wasn’t nearly as long as it had been from the Guild Row Market where Hannah used to live. Soon enough the carriage pulled up to the side of the road at the end of the Riverside market and let the passengers off. As evidenced by the name, this market was next to the Thelm River that ran through the city. In the past when Hannah had been close to the river there had always been a bit of a smell to it as one might expect from a river in a densely populated city. Here however there was no scent at all which surprised Hannah. Maybe being in a richer part of the city allowed the people to keep this length of river cleaner or maybe they were able to use magic to take away any unpleasant scents.
“Right then, I will be off,” Hamish said with a smile. “Not sure how long this might take me, but I should be back home at some point tonight. Though don’t wait up for me.”
Rayne returned her brother’s smile and did her best to ignore the few looks that were already being sent their way. If rumor wasn’t already out about the Hayward’s owning a slave, today was going to make sure everybody had heard. “We will see you later then. I hope your plans go well.”
“And I hope you have a fun time in the market.” He gave the pair of women a gentle nod before turning away and walking.
After a second or two Rayne turned to Hannah and smiled. “Right, why don’t we head to Lena’s shop first and see if there are any clothes ready that will fit you properly?” The cobblers was also very important because Rayne didn’t want Hannah’s feet to get blisters from the shoes, but she had been wearing them for a few days without complaint. Unless Hannah just hadn’t said anything to her. “Unless you feel like proper fitting shoes would be better first.”
Hannah shook her head, still shocked that Rayne wished to go and get her new shoes. The shoes she had on were fine, if only a little big. She hadn’t had a problem with them in the past few days so they could wait. Honestly the clothes felt like they would feel better than new shoes considering her tail had felt so constricted the past few days under the dress. She missed being able to easily pull her tail around and hug it. “We can go to Miss Lena’s first.” There was part of her that wanted to tell Rayne that she didn’t need to do any of this for Hannah, but the smile on Rayne’s face so clearly told her how happy her mistress was to do this. She wanted to make sure Rayne stayed happy. She liked seeing Rayne happy.
With a smile that never left her face, Rayne guided the two of them down the market street. Naturally, Hannah went to walk in step behind the lady, but Rayne wasn’t going to have any of that. She wanted Hannah to walk next to her, and that was what she asked of her fox. Of course, Hannah was clearly a little nervous by it but still did as she asked. As there had been when they first got off the carriage there were a few looks that came their way, but not too many at the moment. She wondered when that was going to change. Not everyone in the market would recognize who she was or the fact that her family had always been against slavery, but someone would soon enough. That eventual person was sure to speak and by the next time she took Hannah out there would be a lot more constant looks until people got used to this new development.
It wasn’t as long of a walk to Lena’s shop but on the way Hannah noticed more looks shot their way than she was used to. She was so used to humans just ignoring her in the streets that it felt so wrong to be noticed like this. Not only were there looks, but Hannah could also hear the whispers of some of them. Whispers of her mistress both good and bad. Most of the whispers were of confusion and surprise, which Hannah could understand considering the lady’s long held stance on slavery. Still, she really didn’t like the attention and found herself walking a little closer to Rayne than might be considered normal.
“Here we are,” Rayne said as they reached the storefront. There were many dressed in the display window, each looking more elegant and intricate than the last. It was a good display of Lena’s skill and it only cemented the feeling that Rayne had made the right choice by picking her to clothe Hannah. Obviously, Lena wouldn’t have all of the clothes ready by now, if she did Rayne would easily pay her quadruple the actual price, but the lady hoped that at least one outfit was ready. Even if that outfit was just a maid uniform. She was so desperate to see Hannah’s tail again.
Naturally Hannah went for the door to hold it open for her mistress, but Rayne, with her much longer legs, beat her to it. The lady pushed open the door to the sound of a bell chiming and gave a patient smile to Hannah as she held it for her. Not quite sure how to feel about the lady holding the door for her, but not wanting to say no, Hannah scurried inside with Rayne on her heels. The inside of the store was much a display room for both outfits and fabric. Dresses on mannequins and spools of fabric of every color and pattern littered the walls, while a small counter sat at the back of the room next to an opening into another room. From said room Hannah heard Lena call out, “I’ll be with you in just a moment. Alright, how does this feel? Too loose, too tight?” Hannah assumed she was talking to someone she was fitting.
“Take your time,” Rayne called back out.
“Rayne!” Lena was well past pleasantries of titles with nearly all her clients. Some liked it, some didn’t but Lena did it either way. “I didn’t expect you this early.”
“We were coming to the market anyway so I thought we might as well stop by. If nothing is ready yet, that’s fine.”
“Would you hold on a moment? Wonderful,” Lena said to the other lady in the back room. There was some shuffling before Lena appeared in the doorway with a wooden box in hand. “I will admit I don’t have much done at the moment. You wouldn’t believe how many dresses I have ordered already for the season. I do, however, have these ready.” All three women walked up to the counter, with Lena on one side and Rayne and Hannah on the other. The tailor set down the box she was holding and pulled open the lid so that all could see inside. Inside the satin line box sat four different collars. “Why don’t you see how these fit while I finish up back there.” With that Lena walked back out of the room.
Rayne was rather impressed with the collars. Throughout the years the lady had never really looked at the collars of slaves, in fact she often avoided it due to her beliefs, but now her eyes couldn’t look away. There was that worrysome mix of thrill and disgust at the sight of these displays of Rayne’s ownership of the fox. “Which would you like to try on first?”
Hannah studies the collars closely. They were all beautifully crafted and made and easily more expensive than any clothes Hannah had ever owned. The first one that caught her eye was a cream lace collar with a silk ribbon tie at the back. It was clearly more of a fashion item than it was of a clear representation of slavery, so much so that Hannah could honestly have seen any woman wanting to wear it. She was unsure of what would be appropriate for her to do next. Should she grab one on her own and put it on or should she allow her owner to do that? The thought of feeling Rayne put a collar around Hannah’s neck made the fox both disgusted and a little excited for some reason. She told herself that the excitement was only from getting to wear some fancy clothing, even if it was a collar. “I like the lace on,” Hannah said, still not knowing if she should take it or not.
Rayne smiled, finding the lace collar rather beautiful. She hoped that this would be a match for the cream outfit Rayne had ordered for Hannah. Instinctually Rayne reached for the collar and picked it out of the box. It was so light and silky. “Take yours off and I’ll help you put it on.”
Though she had already done it once before, it still felt strange to Hannah that she was expected to take off her own collar. It was a good strange though, even though doing so had only the purpose of replacing it. It was a little difficult, like last time, but it came off without much of a fuss. It felt good to breathe the air without a collar on. The lady motioned for Hannah to turn around, so the fox did so and at the same time lifted up her hair as if someone were putting a necklace on her.
At first there was no hesitation in Rayne’s action, but just before she was about to reach around Hannah's neck she stopped. The lady had struggled with these mixed feelings of disgust and pleasure ever since meeting the fox and she tried to focus more on the pleasure. It felt better that way, but now she couldn’t deny the disgust. She was about to collar her own slave…
This was so unbelievably wrong, what was she even doing? How could she willfully do this to another living, breathing person? She was declaring Hannah to be her property to the world by doing this and it meant going against everything she had ever believed. Her fists clenched around the collar, threatening to tear the delicate patterns of the lace. It was hard to deny that there wasn’t some part of her that liked the idea of putting a collar on Hannah. There was a desire to see a collar around Hannah’s neck. How far the lady had fallen…
Digging into that feeling, the lady felt a little reassured that she felt that the urge and pleasure didn’t derive from viewing the fox as property. It came from a place of wanting Hannah to be hers in a more… Dominating way? Was that the right word for what she felt? She wanted Hannah to be hers not for being forced to by others and law, but because Hannah wanted to be Rayne’s. Even then if Hannah could ever feel that way about Rayne, the lady didn’t want that meaning her fox wanted to be a slave. Well, maybe in a sexual way which even the lady wasn’t sure what that meant. All Rayne really knew was that she wanted Hannah under her, begging and pleading for more.
Shaking the thoughts away to stop anything from… arising from it, Rayne relaxed her grip on the lace. She forced a gentle smile onto her face, hoping to still portray the feeling of a happy day. Delicately, she reached around and placed the collar around Hannah’s neck before gently pulling on the silk ribbons to tighten it. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too tight, but it was clearly a collar meant to sit flush on the neck.
It was a strange feeling, having a collar put on as if it were nothing but a necklace. Before, humans had been rough and forceful when placing the old scratchy leather collar around Hannah’s neck. This was a delicate action performed by delicate hands that gently glanced across the skin of her neck. Goosebumps spread all over Hannah’s body at the touch and even made the fur on her back and tail stand up a little bit. Eda had been gentle when washing Hannah that first night, and Rayne had always been gentle when she gave Hannah physical affection so she should be used to it. Still it was even more gentle than all of that even as the lady pulled the collar tight. Hannah wasn’t sure how to feel about all of this, but her mind lingered on the gentle brush of her mistress’s fingers against her neck.
“How does that feel?” Rayne asked as Hannah lowered her hair.
Hannah moved her neck slightly as she turned back around to face Rayne. It was tight, but not restricting in any way, even when she swallowed. It also felt silky smooth against her skin and that in of itself was a strange feeling. She had grown so used to the feeling of that rough collar that the feeling of it typically faded into the back of her mind. One would think with something this light and gentle that it too would fade into the back of her mind, but it didn’t. It was an ever present physical reminder of Rayne around her neck. “It feels good,” Hannah said, trying her best not to blush for some reason. “It doesn’t scratch my neck like the old one.”
Rayne gave a bit more of an honest smile. She was happy it at least didn’t feel as bad as the old one. “Good. Why don’t you have a look?” She gestured to a small mirror sitting on the counter. Though this concept of a collar was still gross to Rayne, it was starting to feel like she was buying jewelry for someone she loved. Which was strange because she had never done anything like that before. She wasn’t sure about how addicting the feeling of buying things for Hannah was becoming. Even if she had technically already ordered all of these a few days ago.
Looking in the mirror was still a weird experience even though she had seen herself daily in the mirror in the bathroom. She wasn’t really sure how to process the feelings she had around seeing herself all clean and tidied up after so many years, so she focused on the collar. It was truly a work of art sitting on her neck. Hannah had owned a few lace things before being taken but those hadn’t been as intricate as this was. Even knowing it was a collar didn’t allow the fox to see it as anything other than a fashion accessory. A very delicate fashion accessory that Hannah now worried about wearing daily. The more she wore it in her life the higher the likelihood of something damaging it. She wouldn’t want to hurt such a thing her mistress bought for her, but she still wanted to wear it. Now that was a very upsetting feeling, wanting to wear the collar, but Hannah shoved that aside for the sake of wanting to make her mistress happy. “It’s very pretty.” She couldn’t help but reach up and touch it gently with her fingers.
“I’m glad you think so. You look very pretty wearing it.” It was true, even if in a way it wasn't a very nice thing to say. It felt good to tell Hannah she looked pretty. It felt good to compliment the woman the lady’s heart sang for. She could already tell this had the potential to be a dangerous habit. At least if she found herself doing it often in the presence of others. Maybe in the sitting room at night saying it a few times wouldn’t be harmful.
Hannah couldn’t help but blush at the lady’s words. It had been a very long time since Hannah had heard someone call her pretty. Flutters started to appear in Hannah’s stomach at Rayne’s words as she shyly kept her face angled away from the lady. She didn’t want her mistress to see how red her face had become. To see Hannah do her best to keep from tearing it. Someone thought she looked pretty.
At first Rayne had been a little worried by Hannah’s reaction, but both seeing and hearing the fox’s tail swish back and forth under the uniform harder than she had seen it do before made Rayne smile. It made her almost deliriously happy knowing something she had said made Hannah feel so good. Now Rayne was eager to have Hannah try on the rest so she could keep saying how beautiful she looked. “Would you like to try another?”
Hannah found her throat too tight to speak, so she just nodded her head. Part of her didn’t want to try on another because this was one that Rayne had said made her look pretty, but she was going to anyway. Hannah reached up and started pulling at the silk ribbon while Rayne pulled out another collar. This new one was a dark, rich leather with a fur lining, a golden buckle, and a ring that also looked more expensive than anything Hannah had ever owned. It was subtle, but after a second of looking at it, she noticed the leather was carved with flowers around the entire outside.
“This might be more of an everyday wear,” Rayne mused out loud as she unbuckled it. “The lace is pretty delicate after all.” The second she said that she regretted that it might mean Hannah wouldn’t wear it as often. She wanted Hannah to wear all of them freely as she so desired.
Hannah nodded her agreement, as she had already feared harming the lace. This time Rayne didn’t give Hannah enough time to turn around, the lady just reached around her neck to put the collar on. The lady’s actions with buckling the collar were a lot clumsier than one might expect, but Hannah found that oddly reassuring. The fur on the inside was so ridiculously soft against Hannah’s skin. So much softer than any fur she had touched before, both animal and kin alike. Rayne buckled it tight enough that it felt comfortably smug, much like the lace one. It felt warm in a way, like a warm soft hug. A hug like the ones Rayne had given her. How could a collar ever feel like a warm hug?
Rayne didn’t like having difficulty with things and she was surprised at how difficult it was to buckle a collar. Still she powered through and managed to do it. As she pulled away, one finger gently traced the outside of the collar, feeling the intricate carvings along it. Her finger rounded all the way to the front of the collar where she found the gold D-ring. Hannah’s old collar didn’t have one, and Rayne didn’t know if that was too common or not. In her thirty-one years she had seen a few other nobles put a leash on the collar of a slave, but from what she could tell that typically happened from women parading around their slaves as fashion accessories. She never wanted Hannah to become that to her.
After tracing the outside of the ring, Rayne found her finger slipping into it and hooking it gently. The lady felt her heart skip a beat in wonder. She felt such a strong urge to tug on the collar. To pull Hannah into her. How would her fox react? Would she be shocked? Would she blush? Would she make a noise? By the Goddess, what Rayne wouldn’t give to hear Hannah make a noise for her. Rayne bit her lip as she struggled not to yank the pretty little fox into her.
The bell of the door rang as a new customer walked into the store. Rayne quickly pulled away from the fox’s collar and turned to see who just walked in. “Lady Pinkerton,” she said with a smile.
