Chapter nine

This is my continuation of one of Jeb`s stories, the first eight chapters can be found here: jebsadventurebound.homestead.c…

Ramon and Lupe led them to a room that seemed to have been a luxurious dining room. Now, the huge table and some chairs were all that was left. Belinda looked through the panorama window and could see a gravel path leading away from the building.

“If only we could get out, then we could follow that path! It should lead us to the door and then, we could-“

“Sit down, Fräuleins!”

The Baroness` sharp voice interrupted Belinda`s thoughts. Since this was the first order the woman had given to them that was neither humiliating nor frightening, the three captives obeyed. However, when Ramon placed his bag on the table and started to cut several lengths of rope, they knew that they were not meant to just sit down and relax.

“As I told you, we have quite a lot to do before our departure. So, unfortunately, we can`t take care of you all the time. But we will make sure that you will not try anything silly whilst we are away!”

She waved Ramon, who had finished cutting the ropes, to get over to her. Together, they stepped beside Jana, who looked at them with uneasiness. Then, the redhead moaned when Ramon grabbed her arms and brought them over the chair`s backrest. this was so high that the top dug into Jana`s armpits and forced her to sit upright when Ramon tied a piece of rope around her already tied wrists and connected them to a horizontal bar between the chair`s rear legs.

Next, it was Belinda`s turn to get her arms secured the same way as Jana. The reporter groaned into the panties and the cloth stuffing her mouth when she felt the backrest press into her armpits. In addition, the position seemed to emphasize her big boobs even more and the way Lupe looked at her made her blush once again.

It then turned out that the petite Diamond Dayle was just too short to be tied the same way as her fellow captives. When Ramon had forced her arms over the backrest, the girl`s butt was a few inches above the seat. Diamond whimpered and the Baroness scratched her chin.

“Hm, if we leave you like this, you may suffer. Not that I would mind too much about that, Fräulein Dayle, but it could diminish your value – and I am first and foremost a businesswoman!”

She ordered Lupe to get a pillow and shove it under the singer`s butt. The Mexican woman obeyed and Jana and Belinda watched with dismay as Lupe took advantage of her order, pinching Diamond Dayle`s buttocks when upholstering the seat for her. Then, when she was finished, Ramon tied her wrists to the chair, too.

“Comfy, Fräuleins?” the Baroness asked. None of the naked captives answered, fearing what this woman would do if they complained too much. However, Lupe didn`t seem satisfied.

“We should better secure their legs, too!”

“Of course, Lupe! Ramon, we will start with the redhead again!”

The man stepped behind Jana and pulled her chair back, so the Baroness could step in front of her. Playfully tapping her palm with her riding crop, she ordered:

“Cross your ankles, Fräulein Riley!”

Jana stared daggers at her, but then, seeing no point in being defiant, she did as she was told, trying to keep her thighs as close together as she could. Smiling, the Baroness shook her head.

“Behind the chair!”

When Jana protested through her gag and shook her head no, the Baroness raised her riding crop. Then, she quickly turned right and hit Belinda on her naked thigh.

“Uuhhmmph!”

“Do as I say, Fräulein, or your busty friend will pay for it!”

She raised her arm once more and then, with a groan of sheer horror and her eyes staring at the Baroness, Jana opened her legs. She struggled to get her feet behind the chair, but now, Ramon helped, grabbing her ankles and crossing them.

“Now, you might feel quite vulnerable, Fräulein Riley! But this will get you a glimpse of what lies ahead of you!”

She let the top of her crop slide over the triangle of reddish pubic hair so openly displayed by Jana who shifted on her seat and was once more blushing all over. Belinda gulped, knowing that soon, she would be tied the same way.

Ramon had meanwhile tied her ankles, but instead of letting Jana go now, he took the dangling ends of the rope and pulled her feet upwards. Jana moaned and tried to squirm, but the man brought the rope`s ends over the redhead`s shoulders and tied them off just in front of her throat.

When he let her go, it was clear that Jana had two options: keeping her legs in a straining and humiliating position – or strangling herself.
It seemed that Diamond had come to the same conclusion, for she suddenly started screaming through her gag and flailing her legs like mad. Belinda waited for the Baroness to shout at her – or to use her riding crop once more. However, she seemed amused by Diamond`s frantic struggles and just ordered Lupe to help Ramon in tying the singer`s legs. And so, despite her desperate resistance, after just two minutes, Diamond Dayle had her legs tied the same way as Jana, her thighs splayed and her feet held by a rope around her neck. Now, the Baroness turned her attention towards Belinda:

“You won`t put up such an unnecessary fight, will you, Fräulein Carver?”

Belinda felt an almost unstoppable desire to kick the evil German, but instead, she opened her legs, allowing Ramon to cross her ankles and tie them together. Then, when he had tied the rope around her neck, Belinda just concentrated on breathing.

For an entire minute, the three criminals watched their helpless victims squirm in their tight bonds, grunting through their gags and trying to minimize the pressure on their throats. The Baroness then asked with a surprisingly friendly smile:

“Would you want us to reduce the pressure of these ropes around your necks, Fräuleins?”

She giggled when all three naked women emphatically nodded their heads. She bent to Lupe and whispered something into her ear. The Mexican smiled maliciously and whilst the Baroness told her latest idea to Ramon, Lupe cut three more ropes, each some two yards in length. She handed one to her Mistress, the other to Ramon and then, each of them stepped in front of one of the damsels.

Belinda, who had the Baroness standing close to her, saw her doubling the rope and then, she bent forward, slinging it around her waist and threading the ends through the loop. Then, she pulled.

“No! She can`t mean this! No!”

But Belinda was helpless and could do nothing but to watch in horror as the Baroness now brought the knot to her backside before bringing the ends to the front, between Belinda`s open legs. She then pushed the rope through her waist rope and pulled the slack out, producing a crotch rope.

“Your wish is my order, Fräulein Carver!”

She grabbed the rope around Belinda`s neck and pulled it down, forcing her to raise her feet even more. Then, she tied the ends of the crotch rope around it, taking care the knots were tight.

Drawing by Hugues66

“Now, you even have something to pass the time!”, the Baroness giggled and stepped back, admiring her work as Belinda tried to cope with her new position. Indeed, the pressure on her throat had gone – but at a high cost. The rope now was pulled tight between her legs, almost bisecting her crotch and when she tried to lower her feet, things only became worse. Belinda sent another deep groan through her mouthfilling gag.

“All right, Fräuleins, don`t chatter too much, we now have some work to do!”

***

For a while, all three captives tried to work on their bonds once the criminals had left. However, it was to no avail. Belinda had reached for the knots of her wrist ties, but even if she had been able to work on these, her elbows would still have been tied. In addition, the knots of the rope that bound her hands to the chair were well out of reach. The same was the problem with the cord around her ankles and so, they were condemned to wait for things to come.

Jana had even tried to get her chair closer to her companions, but with her legs spread to her sides, she had only managed to make the chair shake and she had nearly toppled over. With their bodies covered with sweat, despite the room being rather cold, all they could do was to look out of the window where they could after a while see Diamond Dayle`s famous Bentley that Lupe had parked on the gravel path, directly beside the room where they were held.

Currently, Ramon was busy doing something inside the car`s large boot. Belinda guessed that he was preparing the hidden transport of Diamond and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She remembered what the Baroness had said about getting both the car and its owner across the border. Involuntarily, she gulped, though she knew exactly that it were her colleague`s panties that her saliva had been filtered by. But as their captor had told them, if she didn`t control her gag reflex, things would only become worse.

“Calm down, Belinda, as long as we are alive, there is hope!”, she told herself, fighting down the urge to pull on her bonds. Belinda knew that this would only exhaust her. Her legs now were burning from the strenuous position she had to keep and she had to lower them the little she could, though this made the crotch rope pull even deeper inside her soft flesh.

“Ah, good, you are still here, Fräuleins!”

It was the Baroness, who entered the room, took a chair and sat down opposite to the three naked, bound and gagged women. She said nothing and just seemed to enjoy their heavy breathing, oppressed sighing and slightly struggling. Then, when she had satisfied her sadistic needs, she said:

“Lupe is in the kitchen now. I am afraid it will be a simple meal, but once Ramon is ready, he will help me to get you dressed up for lunch.”

Belinda frowned. Since the Baroness had threatened them to keep them stark naked 24/7, she wondered what she was now talking about them getting dressed. Sure, this was another perfidy, but Belinda could not yet guess what it was.

The Baroness now turned her attention to Diamond:

“Of course, we will keep you as naked as you are, Fräulein Dayle! You will go on your trip immediately after lunch and so, it would be a waste to get you dressed, only to take it off from you after some hour.”

The mentioning of her fate made the singer groan with fear and the Baroness bent forward and gently padded her cheek.

“Oh, don`t be like that, Fräulein Dayle! Just try to think of it as another step in your career!”

She reached for Diamond`s crotch rope and gave it a hard yank, causing the girl to scream into her gag. The Baroness slowly nodded:

“I must not forget to enforce your gag before your departure. But now, I think Ramon is ready!”

Indeed, the man now entered the room, carrying a large box. He placed it on the table and the Baroness went to it, rummaging through whatever it contained. Then, she looked at Jana.

“We had to guess the size of your shoes, but if they don`t fit perfect – well, you will have other things to distract you from that little discomfort.”

She now produced a pair of black leather lace-up boots that had high stiletto heels. Meanwhile, Ramon had untied Jana`s feet. The redhead sighed with relief when she could finally lower her legs and close her thighs. Besides, the crotch rope now was loose and almost no longer irritating her.

“If you try to kick me or Ramon, you will wish you had never been born!”

Jana did not react. She was still to wobbly on her legs to even thinking of more than shaking them a bit. So, she did not resist when the Baroness put the boots on her feet and started tightening the laces whilst Ramon worked on the other one.

“This is the first and last time I will work as your boot servant! But I think that loosening your arms and letting you do it by yourself would only lead you into temptation!”

When they were finished, Belinda could see that the boots that reached up to Jana`s knees made her look even more naked than before. The redhead weakly moved her unbound legs; obviously, the Baroness and Ramon had pulled the laces a bit too tight for her.

“These will help you to work on the way you walk. And speaking of that-“

The Baroness now took a pair of leather cuffs, connected by a chain that was some foot in length. With the help of Ramon, she tied them around Jana`s ankles. Then, she went for the box again and took out another black leather garment whilst Ramon loosened Jana`s wrists from the chair and helped her to stand up. The girl staggered in her high-heeled boots, but the man held her in a vice grip.

The new garment was a corset and when the Baroness put it around Jana`s waist, Belinda could see that it did not cover her breasts. With a yank, the Baroness removed the redhead`s crotch rope, then, whilst Ramon held Jana`s arms up, she started tightening the corset. It was not before the stiff material cut deeply into Jana`s slender waist and her bust was heaving from her breath that the Baroness seemed satisfied and tied the laces off. Belinda could not help staring at her friend: her already slim waist now was a perfect wasp waist and this made her hips and breasts look even more rounded and buxom. The reporter shivered when she imagined which effect such a garment would have on her.

The next thing was an iron belt that had two cuffs with short chains welded to its sides. Once it was closed around Jana`s waist, Ramon loosened her wrist and elbow ties and tied her hands with these cuffs. When Jana now tried to reach for her gag, she had to learn that the chains were just too short to do so.

“Hey, stop this, Fräulein! This belt is meant for allowing you to serve me at the table, not to ungag yourself whenever it pleases you!”

Ramon emphasized the Baroness` words by slapping Jana`s butt, making her jump forward and grunt indignantly through her gag. The Baroness laughed and produced a broad leather collar she tied around Jana`s neck. An iron chain was connected to it, allowing her to use it like a leash.

The Baroness called for Lupe and when the Mexican arrived, handed her the end of the chain.

“We will now get the other one ready and then, they may help you with the lunch. In the meantime, you can lead Fräulein Riley up and down the corridor. She needs some training in walking like a Lady anyway!”

Lupe obeyed and the Baroness did just giggle when she saw that her accomplice had also taking her riding crop from the table. Belinda exchanged a compassionate look with Jana, but then, she felt Ramon loosen her leg ties. She let out a deep groan when she could lower her burning legs and like Jana, she offered no resistance when they put a similar pair of lace-up boots to her feet. They seemed to be a bit too small, but as the Baroness had said, this was not the worst of their current problems.

There was, for example, the corset. She had tried to prepare for this since she had seen them force Jana to wear one, but whilst her friend was slender, Belinda was buxom. Not fat, but definitely not meant to have a wasp waist. However, the Baroness thought otherwise and with the help of Ramon, she managed to pull the laces extremely tight before knotting them off. Belinda now felt it hard to breathe properly and she knew that even the slightest effort would lead to exhaustion soon.

Her legs were cuffed, too, and so were her wrists when the Baroness had buckled another iron belt around her waist. Then, Belinda was collared, too, and the Baroness forced her to follow her to the corridor where Lupe was just spanking Jana`s butt for not swinging her hips enough whilst walking in her high-heeled boots.

“Just stop education for now, Lupe. Get them to the kitchen, Ramon and I will get Fräulein Dayle there, too!”

Lupe obeyed and took the end of Belinda`s leash from the Baroness. Then, the Mexican realized that the steps of the stairway were too high for the two captives with their legs tied and so, she removed the ankle ties before forcing them to follow her to the kitchen where three plates with sandwiches had been prepared, together with three plastic bottles filled with water. Beside these, there were more plates and a deliciously smelling meal in a pot.

“Lay the table, Señoritas! And you better don`t drop or spill anything if you know what`s good for you!”

With no real other choice, both Belinda and Jana obeyed, finding it quite hard to balance the trays with their bound hands. More than once, they almost dropped something, but finally, the table looked like Lupe wanted it to be. It was obvious that there would be two classes: three places had good dishes and wine glasses whilst the others offered just the plates with the sandwiches and the water bottles.

Now, the Baroness entered the room, followed by Ramon and Diamond. the latter was still stark naked, but Belinda could see that they had changed her ties: her arms now were packed inside a narrow leather sheath that had been laced so tight that the singer`s elbows were crushed together. the sheath ended in a single glove and so, Diamond`s fingers were trapped and immobile. two leather belts went from the upper end of the armbinder over Diamond`s shoulders, were crossed between her breast and then went under her armpits where they were connected to the armbinder, preventing it from slipping down. Another strap was tying her arms to her body and was closed tightly around her waist. Belinda could also see another strap dangle from Diamond`s fingertips, but for some reason, they had spared her the crotch strap so far.

Once Diamond was sitting on one of the chairs, Lupe handed a tray to Belinda and another to Jana. Then, she placed two carafes on each, one containing water, the other red wine.

“Just stand beside and be prepared to serve us! You will be allowed to eat once we are finished!”

Lupe then loosened the cloth of Diamond`s gag and helped her to work the totally sodden wad of cloth from her mouth, followed by Belinda`s white pair of panties. Diamond panted, then, she looked desperately at the bottle of water. It was open, but with her bound hands, she could not reach for it.

“We won`t remove your arm ties, Fräulein Dayle. You have the choice: either use your mouth or stay hungry and thirsty! And don`t even think of talking, or we will regag you immediately!”

Diamond`s eyes widened, then, after some hesitating, she bent forward and managed to grab the bottle with her mouth. Greedily, she drank. Then, she looked at the sandwiches. Of course, Diamond was frightened to death, but on the other hand, she had not eaten for more than 16 hours and she had been forced to do sports in the morning. So, reluctantly, she started to eat, though she could not use her hands and hat to leap it from her plate.

When she was finished, Diamond`s face and chest were covered with sauce and crumbs and the Baroness shook her head as if the singer was a naughty child.

“Fräulein Riley, Fräulein Carver! Please, put your trays aside! Ramon! Lupe! Ungag these two!”

Since the trays had become quite inconvenient, the two were quite happy about this order. And having their gags removed felt almost like heaven! Belinda had been gagged with a pair of panties the night before, but on that occasion, it had at least been her own. When she now could spit out Jana`s peach coloured panties, she breathed with relief. Jana, too, did not seem too unhappy to get Diamond`s used underwear from her mouth.

However, instead of allowing them to sit down and eat as well, the Baroness ordered:

“As you can see, Fräulein Dayle has done quite some mess over there! I want you two to clean her up! Use your tongues– and better do a good job, otherwise I make you do the floor as well!”

“But-“, Jana started, but the Baroness raised her hand.

“No, her butt is not of interest now! Just concentrate on Fräulein Dayle`s front! And you, Fräulein Carver, do her face!”

The two women glanced at the Baroness with widened eyes whilst Diamond let out a croak. The German laughed and then, she said:

“If you refuse, Ramon will have to clean Fräulein Dayle up! But then, you two will have to serve him instead!”

It took both Belinda and Jana only one look at Ramon`s face to bent over the trembling singer. First, Belinda was glad that she had to work on Diamond`s face with her tongue whilst Jana had to do her body. But of course, there was far more sauce on the singer`s lips and chin than on her chest and the Baroness did not allow Diamond to assist. Belinda had to lick and suck up everything by herself. And like it had been in the shower previously, it took a long time before the Baroness allowed her to get away from Diamond`s face. The singer now had to stand up and the German examined her closely.

“You have done an excellent job, Fräulein Carver! You may sit down and start eating!”

Almost reflexively, Belinda waited for some insult, but then, she sat down, looking down at her plate. The Baroness now addressed Jana:

“You, however, have been a bit lazy, Fräulein Riley! There are still a few drops on Fräulein Dayle`s breasts – and I think I can see some crumps in her pubic hair!”

Jana gasped and Diamond, already red as a beetroot, shook her head, but the Baroness continued mercilessly:

“You will lick her clean now, Fräulein Riley! You have the time Fräulein Carver needs to finish her meal! And for any crump or sauce spot I can see after that, you will get one strike with the crop – on your breasts!”

The Baroness waited for a few seconds, then, she turned her head towards Belinda:

“Don`t even think of playing the ›I am not hungry‹ - game! Fräulein Riley will have to work on Fräulein Dayle`s breasts and pubic area as long as it takes you to finish your plate!”

Belinda took a deep breath, then, she bent forward and tried to eat and drink the best she could without using her hands. She tried her best to ignore the panting and sobbing of Diamond and the small slurping sound Jana made during her process of cleaning the singer`s body. It was hard to chew and swallow, but Belinda forced herself to eat as fast as she could.

“Gut, Fräulein Carver! It seems that you will become a perfect, obedient slave! Now, let`s look at Fräulein Dayle!”

Belinda raised her head and could see from the expression on Jana`s face what an ordeal it had been to her having to lick Diamond clean. However, the Baroness seemed satisfied. she reached forward, brushed through the singer`s thatch of pubic hair and found one single crump. She held it under Jana`s nose.

“Well, since this is the only thing you have missed, I will spare you the whip!”

She smiled and held her index finger to Jana. If looks could have killed, the German would have been dead at once, but the redhead obediently licked the crump from the Baroness` finger. Satisfied, she now clapped her hands.

“Now, time to gag our guests again! Fräulein Riley, you have the time Lupe needs to fetch her bag to have your meal!”

Not waiting for any further threats, Jana obeyed whilst Lupe left the room. Though she was fast, Jana managed to empty the water and to finish one sandwich before she returned. She placed the open duffle bag on the table and then picked up the wad that had gagged Jana.
Lupe used the still damp cloth to wipe Belinda`s face and chest clean. Then, she forced her to open her mouth and reached for Jana`s panties. Belinda closed her eyes and sighed, then, she opened her mouth and allowed Lupe to stuff the sodden garment deep into her oral crevice.

This time, Lupe took another leather item from her bag. It looked like the cup of a bra and had two straps attached to it. In the inside, Belinda could see a rubber ball the size of an apple.

“Now, open wide, Señorita Carver!”

“Nnnnggg!”

Belinda could not help retching and moaning when the big ball was forced into her mouth, pushing the panties even deeper into her throat, almost choking her. When Lupe buckled the straps tight, the leather cup closed around her mouth and chin, forcing her to bite down on her enormous gag. Giggling, Lupe secured the gag with a small padlock.

Now, Belinda had to kneel beside the wall. With compassion, she watched as Lupe gagged Jana with Diamond`s panties again and then forced a similar gag mask upon her. When this was padlocked, too, Jana had to kneel beside Belinda and the Baroness picked up Belinda`s white panties. letting them dangle in front of Diamond`s eyes, she asked:

“Do you want these back in your mouth, Fräulein Dayle?”

Clenching her teeth, the singer shook her head. The Baroness laughed and put the panties away.

“Just as I thought! Lupe, you know what that means!”

“Of course, Madam!”

With a gleeful smile, the Mexican lifted her skirt and reached under it. With some difficulties, she managed to peel down her panties without showing Ramon too much of her private parts.

“I hope you don`t mind that I have been wearing these since the day before yesterday!”, she giggled when she carefully turned the panties inside out before balling them up. Diamond tried to jump up, but now Ramon grabbed her and held her to her seat whilst the Baroness grabbed Diamond`s hair and pinched her nose shut with her free hand.

“Nnoouuhmmph!”

Diamond`s cry was stifled when Lupe thoroughly stuffed the panties deep into the singer`s mouth. Then, she reached for the two wads that had been used to gag Belinda and Jana and were still wet with their saliva. With the help of Ramon, she managed to cram these into Diamond`s mouth, too, making her cheeks bulge and forcing her mouth open.

“We have to make sure that you don`t attract any attention when Lupe crosses the border with you!”, the Baroness explained whilst Lupe took a leather strap and buckled it tight between Diamond`s lips to keep all the packing inside. then, Ramon pushed the girl`s jaw upwards, forcing her to bite down hard on her gag whilst Lupe started winding duct tape around the lower half of her face, pulling the tape tight and doing at least 30 rounds.

“Lupe, you should better change into Fräulein Dayle`s outfit now. And Ramon – before we finish off Fräulein Dayle`s gag, you should better take her to the bathroom! After all, it will be a long trip to her finals destination!”

Grinning, Ramon grabbed Diamond`s arm and forced the reluctant girl to follow him outside the room. Filled with horror, Belinda and Jana stared at the door, knowing that a few yards away, Diamond now had to relieve herself under the man`s prying eyes.

When they came back, Diamond was staring wildly and her face was even deeper red than before, but Ramon seemed satisfied. Belinda registered that now, the crotch strap had been tightly applied, cutting the girl`s pubic mound in two.

Diamond had to kneel opposite to Belinda and Jana and they exchanged a fearful glance before the baroness approached. She pulled Belinda`s panties that had gagged Diamond before over the singer`s head, making sure the crotch part covered her nose. Above, she pulled a sheer, tight nylon stocking, then, more tape was wound over Diamond`s eyes and mouth.

“Luckily, she`s so petite!”

Ramon now grabbed Diamond`s legs and bent them upwards. Testing the girl`s litheness to its limits, he crossed her ankles behind her neck before tying them together with a leather strap. Now, Diamond was a small bundle, helpless and immobile and unable to utter a sound loud enough to be heard outside the room. The Baroness checked the last fact by pinching Diamond`s nipples, then, she reached for Belinda`s and Jana`s leashes.

“You sure want to see her leave, Fräuleins! Maybe, you want to hum ›Auld lang syne‹ when the car drives off!”

As on keyword, Lupe now came. With the wig, together with a straw hat and big, pink-toned sunglasses and wearing Diamond Dayle`s clothes, the Mexican looked indeed close enough to the singer. The Baroness seemed pleased, too, and ordered Ramon to carry Diamond whilst she pulled on the leashes, making Belinda and Jana follow her outside.

The Bentley`s boot was still open and now, they could see what Ramon had been doing. The car`s reserve wheel was stored in a tiny space hidden under a hatch in the boot. Now, the wheel was leaning at the wall and the tiny space had been upholstered with a cut foam mattress. Even the hatch was upholstered on the inside.

“Ramon has drilled some air holes and so, Fräulein Dayle will be able to breathe – but she will not be able to do much more!”

The Baroness laughed whilst Ramon pushed the weakly struggling Diamond inside the tiny space and then closed the lid above her. He then placed several trunks over the hatch and closed the boot whilst Lupe was getting on the driver`s seat.

The Baroness ordered Ramon to enter the car, too, since he should get off in the city and fetch her own car. When the Bentley started, Belinda looked along the gravel path and now, she could see that it led to an iron door, some 400 yards away.

“Mph!”

Belinda raised Jana`s attention and then, she pointed at the door with her chin. It was now or never! They were still naked, bound and gagged. They were wearing high-heeled boots that were not the least convenient for running and their tight corsets would ensure they would soon be out of breath. But now, both Ramon and Lupe were away and now, one of these seemed to have used the remote control, for the iron door slowly swung open.

Once more, she looked at Jana and the redhead nodded. Then, Belinda jumped forward, pulling the chain from the Baroness` hand. With a surprised gasp, the German spun around, but now, Jana kicked her in the butt, causing the Baroness to land on the grass.
“Uhhmmph!”, she groaned and started to run, too.

“Mmph!”, Belinda answered. She nearly staggered in her boots and already, she felt the corset restrict her breathing. But she persisted, concentrating on the open door in front of them.