It had snowed overnight, and it was still snowing. The roads were lousy, but passable, and the need to keep his attention on his driving kept Andy from being any more nervous than he was, which was pretty nervous. The girls had been so mysterious, so weird … what the hell was going on here, anyway? He hadn’t been able to keep his mind on the movie in their apartment, hadn’t been able to sleep much after he’d gone home. Ideas and scenarios kept going through his head, but nothing made sense, and nothing seemed to fit.

It didn’t help that Helena was very withdrawn when she came down the stairs with Acacia, both women dressed office-nice, in long, calf-length skirts and sweaters under their coats. Helena got in the front seat next to him, seeming almost withdrawn, almost morose. In recent weeks, they had gotten to the point of cuddling a little while he was driving, but she didn’t initiate it now – not that it would have been a good idea, as bad as the roads were – but just sat in the seat next to him, not saying much, just staring out the window.

The bad roads were giving him a headache, and it was still pretty early. He was low on gas, having forgotten to get any the night before, and about half an hour out, he pulled into a gas station to top up. Tank filled, he asked the girls, “Anybody like some coffee?”

“N-no, thanks,” Helena said distantly.

“I’ll go in with you and get some,” Acacia offered from the back seat. “I need to use the little girls’ room, anyway.”

As soon as they got inside the door, Andy turned to Acacia and asked, “Look, I know you don’t want to tell me what the hell is going on, but what’s the matter with her this morning? She seems more scared than she was in the bank. A lot more.”

“She is a lot more scared than she was in the bank,” Acacia said. “Believe me, having to tell you this is harder for her than it was for her to be strapped to a post and whipped last Friday night, because she’s so afraid you’ll take it wrong. She’s taking a big step with you, and hopes that it will work out all right. She likes you, Andy. Likes you a lot. She’s been scared of this day for months.”

“Acacia, this is really making me nervous,” Andy protested. “My God, it’s like the two of you must be vampires or something.”

“No, we’re not vampires, either,” Acacia grinned, reaching out to touch him on the side of the neck. “Too bad, too. You do have a lovely and tender neck, Andy.”

“Acacia, my God!”

“Try Goddess,” she grinned, then turned serious. “Look, Andy, I’ll say this much. Before long, you’re going to have an experience that you may think is one of the weirder ones of your life. And you may come out of it thinking we’re two of the weirder chicks you’ve ever met. But, if you’ll be cool and hang in there and hear us out, you could very well come out of it thinking that you’re one of the happiest and luckiest men alive. I’m not pulling your leg, Andy.”

“Acacia, what …”

“I’ve said too much,” she said mysteriously. “Just hear us all out. And I’ll give you the advice I gave Helena a long time ago. Don’t just look. See.”

It was just about all Andy could do to make the right turn out of the exit from the gas station and continue on, rather than the left turn and head back. But he glanced over at Helena sitting obviously worried in the front seat and thought of the courage she had shown a little over a week before, courage that he couldn’t comprehend, try as he might. But, he realized, he couldn’t ever shame that courage. Whatever it was, no matter how weird it was, it was important to her. And, very likely, important to him.

In spite of the difficulty of driving on the snowy side road, the driveway had already been plowed out, and there was a path up to the front door. Acacia started for the door, but Andy stayed back with Helena, who had her head bowed down, obviously in prayer. My God, he thought. This is really serious. Oh, well, Andy, whatever it is, relax. You’ll know what it is in a few minutes. Just hang in there and stay loose. Whatever the hell it is.

Before Acacia got to the door, it opened. Andy glanced up, to see Wade standing there also wearing a suit and tie. It looked strange. He’d spent a fair amount of time with Wade the previous Saturday, and had come to really like and respect the guy, even though he did run a little to the formal side. Andy knew that Wade was only a few years older than he was, but he seemed a lot older, a lot more mature, a lot wiser – and he didn’t seem like the same guy in that suit and tie. His vision of Wade was of Divebomber, in his EMS uniform. Now, he seemed, well, sort of like a minister. He had that sort of gravity about him, not like the paramedic he’d gotten acquainted with. “Did you have a good trip up?” he asked.

“Lousy,” Andy told him. “The roads stink.”

“You must have made good time,” Wade said genially. “But allow me to assist the ladies with their wraps.” Quite courteously, he took Helena and Acacia’s jackets, then Andy’s, and hung them in the front closet.

“OK,” Andy said. “Now, we’re here. Can you tell me what this is all about?”

“In good time, Mr. Brown,” Wade smiled. “All in good time. The ladies discussed the question with me late last night, and we shall soon enlighten you. Patience behooves, sir. Now, if I may have your leave, I must assist the ladies. Please come with me.”

Andy followed Wade into the living room. It was a warm and cheery place, a haven from the weather outside; a small fire was burning in the fireplace. Still with curiosity that approached pain, Andy watched as Acacia and Helena went up right in front of the fire, reached up to a plaque on the wall, and took down two leather straps. They stepped back a couple of paces, then fell to their knees gracefully, head down, each holding a strap in their outstretched palms. “Miss Curtis,” Wade said. “Are you sure this is the manner in which you wish to do this?”

“Yes, sir,” she said, still looking down. “Miss Rose and I have discussed it extensively, and we are of the opinion that it is the only way.”

“Very well,” Wade said. “Then that is how we shall do it.” He bent over slightly, took the leather from Acacia’s outstretched palms, and fastened it around her neck, as Andy looked on wide-eyed. All of a sudden, a couple of big pieces fell into place in his mind. His mind raced backward, to that night at that Greek restaurant in the spring, and realized, for the first time, that Wade and Acacia must have been that couple! He’d thought about it a lot, and had mentally written it off as a practical joke, or maybe a dare or something, at least, something not real serious. But there was a solemnity to this ceremony, or whatever it was, that told him it was very serious indeed. But that meant … but where did Helena fit into this? It didn’t make any sense … she’d been about as shocked at the sight as he had been, back last spring. His mind was racing so hard that he was barely aware of Wade taking the collar from Helena’s hands, and fastening it around her neck.

If Andy thought his eyes were bugged out at that sight, they bugged out even further when Wade turned back to Acacia, who still held her hands up in front of her, palms up, as if she were holding the collar. From his pocket, Wade produced a pair of handcuffs, and handcuffed her. When he turned to Helena, about the only thought Andy could come up with was that he was closest to the door … he could make it … but what about the girls? What in hell was going on here, anyway?

Once Helena had the handcuffs on, Wade said in a low voice, “At ease, if you would, ladies.” The two women stayed in their positions, knees on the floor, but bodies vertically upright, heads down – the only change was that they gently dropped their hands to let them rest in front of their bodies, wrists held together by the chrome handcuffs. Acacia had been right, this was one of the weirder experiences of his life …

“Mr. Brown,” Wade said gently, “You are doubtless wondering what is going on here.”

“Uh, yes sir,” Andy managed to say, eyes still bugged out.

“Mr. Brown,” Wade grinned. “I am sure you must remember the Halloween Party a few months ago.”

“Yeah,” Andy nodded. “I thought it was a hell of an act. I’m beginning to think it was more than that.”

“You are correct, sir,” Wade said in a friendly voice – not with the bombast and pomposity that he’d had at the Halloween Party. “We took the opportunity to engage in formalities in public that we usually keep to ourselves in private. Do you remember what I told you then, that Miss Curtis had asked me to put her in my charge, to be her teacher and protector in the absence of her father?”

Andy thought back and nodded. He remembered Wade saying a lot of outrageous things that night and he’d laughed himself silly. “Uh, yeah, Wade,” he said, still astounded at what he saw in front of him.

Wade’s demeanor became a little more serious. “Please, sir,” he said, slightly more stiffly. “If the ladies wish to be formal, then you and I should be. Please refer to me as Mr. McCluskey, and the ladies as Miss Rose and Miss Curtis, if only to honor their wishes.”

Boy, he’s laying it on thick, Andy thought. Well, if that’s what he wants. “Yes, sir, uh, Mr. McCluskey,” he said, showing his nervousness despite himself. “Now, can you tell me what this is all about?”

“Gladly, sir,” Mr. McCluskey said, stepping to one side so that Andy could have full view of the two women, kneeling on the floor in collars and handcuffs. “In fact, Mr. Brown, it is very simple. As I mentioned, Miss Curtis gave me that charge to act as her teacher and protector in the absence of her father. When she gave me that charge, she asked me to provide a very important service for her, one that is very important to her. It certainly involves her happiness, and conceivably could involve life and death were I to not perform my duties to the best of my ability. Would you care for me to explain in detail?”

“Yes, sir,” Andy said. “I’m afraid I’m totally lost.”

“Quite understandable,” Mr. McCluskey said. “Perhaps I should begin by noting that in other times, or other societies today, a father would wish to be sure of the worthiness of a man that his daughter would marry before giving his permission for the wedding. Today, it has become but a mild formality, but this was not always so. Frankly, much pain and suffering today could be saved were the custom more common.”

Andy frowned, and understandably so. “Excuse me, sir,” he said. “You’re saying that she’s asked you to determine if I’m worthy of marrying her?”

“Relax, Mr. Brown,” Mr. McCluskey almost laughed. “Almost but not quite. In matter of fact, should that question arise, you shall have to pass her father’s judgment. After last week, I doubt that you would have much trouble getting a favorable one. Her father and mother are much impressed with your courage, as am I. But that is not what Miss Curtis has charged me to do. Perhaps, at the same time, I should also say that she has not charged me with offering my opinion on whether you should become lovers. In fact, I rather wish you would if for no more reason than to remove temptation from my hands. The last several months have been difficult for me because of it, because my first loyalty is to My Lady, and though I cherish Miss Curtis very much and respect her to a nearly infinite degree, I dare not let myself get tempted, lest I trouble My Lady.”

Andy shook his head. “Now, I’m even more totally lost,” he said, and quite honestly. “Just what is it that she wants you to do?”

“Very simple, actually,” Mr. McCluskey said solemnly. “She has given me the charge to state my opinion on whether you, or any other man are worthy of being her master.”

Mr. McCluskey’s word echoed in the stillness of the room, and the power of it bounced hard through Andy’s mind, as several other pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Oh, my God! “Master?” he stammered. “You mean like …?” He glanced over at Helena and Acacia as he struggled for words that wouldn’t come. Finally, all he could do was shake his head, and nod in their direction.

“Exactly,” Mr. McCluskey nodded, as serious as he could be, which Andy knew now was pretty serious. “It is a small word, but it means a great deal, much more than you might expect. I will tell you right now, I will not render an opinion today, or perhaps not even soon. I am very uncomfortable with this charge, and cherish Miss Curtis so much so that I wish to be quite sure of my opinion. Indeed, it is my duty to her as her teacher and protector. In any case, the load that the word ‘master’ carries is so large and so poorly understood by most, that I expect to have to take some time to even explain some of what my understanding of it is, and I suspect it will not come easily. But I assure you, Miss Curtis knows well the meaning of the word, which is part of why she placed this charge on me.”

“But, uh, um,” Andy stammered. “I respect her and like her a lot, but, uh …”

“Feeling the noose tighten, Mr. Brown?” Mr. McCluskey laughed. “Perhaps I should also point out that Miss Curtis is not asking you to become her master by this process. She is merely asking whether, in my opinion, you are worthy of it. If I should agree, and you should then seek to become her master, you will have to prove your worthiness to her. Proving your worthiness to her is not a one-time process, Mr. Brown, not at all. It goes on continually and forever. It is a never-ending, dynamic thing.” He glanced over at the ladies, who still knelt impassive on the floor, but Andy noticed that while Acacia still had her head down, Helena was looking up, with her head cocked to one side. “Miss Curtis, do I detect that you wish to speak?” he said gently but firmly.

“Yes, sir,” Helena said, looking at him, and speaking with little emotion in her voice. “I merely wished to comment that I would not wish to marry a man who is not my master.”

“But … but sir, Miss Curtis …” Andy said, knowing he was in deep water, water as strange as he might have expected, but certainly not what he had expected. “I – I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I mean, Mr. McCluskey, I like Miss Curtis, I like her a lot, respect her a lot … but I just hadn’t gotten to that point. I mean, thinking about marriage, that is.”

“Understandably so.” Mr. McCluskey grinned. “That is a huge question, one best asked wisely, not in the heat of passion. For your information, sir, My Lady is still referred to as Miss Rose, since we have been unable to successfully conclude negotiations on that issue for many years. However, I am her chosen master, and wish to remain that way for the rest of my life, and dearly hope that she will accept that for the rest of hers. But understand, too, that the question I am charged with is only to determine if you are worthy of being Miss Curtis’ master. Neither she nor I are asking you to become her master or her husband. She feels, and I think correctly, that we might as well determine that worthiness now, before things get any more serious between the two of you.”

That was the first light Andy had seen at the end of the tunnel – and really, it started to make sense. If this was what Helena was, what she wanted – well, it would have been a lot harder if she’d dropped it on him after he’d asked her to marry him. And he realized that under normal circumstances, which God knew these were pretty far from, that question might well have been coming up in a few months. He really did like Helena … but if this came with her, was it too much to handle? “Miss Curtis,” he said, turning to her. “Is this what you really want?”

She looked up at him, smiled, and said, “Sir, my protector stated it far better than I could have done.”

“But Miss Curtis,” he said, waving his hand around, but mostly at her and Acacia, kneeling there before him. “I mean … this? Collars, and handcuffs, and like that?”

“Mr. Brown,” she smiled serenely, “Would I be here were it otherwise?”

Weird, weird, weird. Why would a woman … Andy thought, just unable to come up with words.

“I might clarify that point a bit,” Mr. McCluskey said genially. “You have doubtless heard the phrase, ‘my house, my rules,’ more than you want to, am I not correct?”

Grasping at a straw of something he could comprehend, Andy smiled, and said, “I’ve heard it. And yes, more than I want to.”

“Be that as it may,” the older man said, “It still obtains here. My Lady and I have developed rules that we live by over the years. Miss Curtis has seen fit to accept those rules while she is my charge. Should she allow you to become her master, the two of you will be free to develop your own rules.”

Somehow, that was calming. There might be a way out, maybe even with a way to keep Helena. “But sir,” he protested, “I like Miss Curtis and all, but I’m not sure I want to become her master, whatever that seems to mean.”

“An excellent point, sir!” Mr. McCluskey said jovially, even expansively. “That’s why the first step in the process has to be to enlighten you on what that word means. Speaking as a friend, though of but short acquaintance, you would be well advised to explore that point. Miss Curtis is a beautiful woman, sweet and loving, intelligent and with a great deal of self-respect, and appears to have an excellent future in her profession. You have seen for yourself that when pressed, she has the courage of a lioness. I do not know from experience, but I believe her ready, nay, eager, to take her master to heights of pleasures far beyond your very dreams. She is equally eager to submit to her master, to give him her heart and soul. But, to do that, she has needs that he will have to meet. So what we must do is find out if you are capable of meeting those needs, indeed, will constantly make every effort to meet them.”

There were a lot of good points in Mr. McCluskey’s speech, and several of them Andy thought he might want to explore. Yes, until last night, Helena had proved to be an interesting woman. Now, he knew that she was a much deeper, more complex person than he had dreamed. “It’s clear to me, sir,” he began, “that she has needs far deeper than I had imagined.” “But what’s this process of learning what a master is supposed to be, and finding out if I’m worthy of it going to involve?”

“I confess, sir, I would tell you if I knew,” Mr. McCluskey told him. “I have not done this before. Do not think me an expert, for I am feeling my way, much as you must do. I have only my own experience to guide me. I will be honest and say that I have learned much from working with Miss Curtis, and My Lady has admitted to learning much, as well. I expect that I will learn as much or more from working with you, as will the ladies. I would expect and hope you will find that the rewards from the successful completion of this process will be worth your effort, even should you not choose to become Miss Curtis’ master, for I expect you will learn much that will be of use to you. However, for you, the penalty for not starting or quitting along the way is steep, for Miss Curtis will be forced to seek a master elsewhere. I have prattled enough. Is it your wish to proceed, or take your leave?”

Andy knew it was decision time. Acacia had been right, all this was pretty weird. He glanced over at Helena, still kneeling in front of the fire, and saw the longing, hopeful look in her eyes. Was this going to be worth the trouble? Good question … but it was dead certain, now, that he’d never have a chance, never find out more, if he didn’t start, and if it got too far out of hand, he could still call it a day. A little uncertainly, he said, “I guess I want to know more about what it means, sir.”

“Very good sir!” Mr. McCluskey smiled expansively. “I admire your courage in the face of what must seem a strange situation, indeed. I once commented to Miss Curtis in a somewhat similar situation that it was the first step down a slippery slope, but I admire your curiosity. My Lady, would you please be so kind as to procure coffee for all of us? I seem to recall that Mr. Brown takes his light, no sugar.”

“As you wish, My Lord,” Acacia replied, rising gracefully from her kneeling position and heading to the kitchen.

“Come, sir!” Mr. McCluskey said. “Let us take our seats. I assure you, we have nothing that we shall try to conceal from you. I have found from my sessions with Miss Curtis that questions usually lead to discussions and to enlightenment, so feel free to ask whatever questions you might wish, of either me or My Lady or Miss Curtis. We will endeavor to answer them to the best of our abilities.”

Andy looked over at Helena, kneeling in front of the fireplace. “Mr. McCluskey,” he asked, “Are you going to leave Hel … uh, Miss Curtis on her knees like that?”

“So the lessons begin,” Mr. McCluskey said. “At the moment, it is not my pleasure that she rise. Miss Curtis, I believe Mr. Brown would appreciate your comments.”

“Sir,” she said, looking up and smiling, “I am willing to stay here as long as you desire.”

“This starts an important point,” Mr. McCluskey said, clearly sliding into a teaching mode. “As you see, she is willing to give me obedience. However, with that obedience, she has given me the responsibility for her. I am, of course, aware that she is injured and is uncomfortable sitting. In fact, I suspect she is more comfortable in the position we call ‘high kneel’ than she would be sitting. Miss Curtis, your comment, please.”

“Sir, my pain is much reduced, and I am capable of sitting for as long as need be,” she said. “However, should you desire, I am willing to remain in high kneel.”

“Miss Curtis,” Andy said. “That has to be uncomfortable for you.”

“Mr. Brown,” she replied. “You are aware, are you not, that I spend hours a day at my desk in something approximating this position? Have you ever wondered why I do that?”

In his mind, Andy let out a long, low ‘aaaaaahhh.’ Another piece dropped into place – a big one. Ever since he walked in the front door, there had been the niggling suspicion in his mind that this was all an elaborate practical joke at his expense – kind of a spin-off of what had happened at the Halloween Party. It wouldn’t have been that hard to do, given the way Mr. McCluskey had proved he could spout off back then.

But no. This was no practical joke. Helena was as serious as she could be about this.

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