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| - They let Purple Eye Spots rest after driving Blue Tentacles and his mother to the place as Aunt Violet believed in treating slaves kindly. Later he was in the vehicle maintenance section of estate checking that everything was OK. Those safety checks had become a priority since every Centaurian there remembered the storm when a boat carrying Aunt Violet’s late husband went out of control unexpectedly. Purple ran his tentacles sensitively and expertly through the vehicle engines, he tightened a joint here, loosened one there and adjusted the engines wherever he felt that was necessary. Later when he tried the engines out it was clear they were running better. Purple was pleased when Aunt Violet’s overseer told him he clearly understood vehicles. The overseer even told Purple to show his brother slaves how he improved engines. Capably Purple guided a young apprentice engineer’s tentacles through the engines showing where the points were that needed attention. “Thank you, you have shown me how to serve my mistress better.” the apprentice noted with respect and genuine gratitude. Purple envied the servants of Lady Violet who really loved their mistress and wanted to serve her well. It wasn’t only that of course since a valuable slave is usually better treated. Purple continued guiding while the other slave made every effort to learn carefully what Purple was teaching. Their tentacles rubbed sensuously alongside each other and Purple found himself getting aroused sexually with the other responding. Purple struggled urgently with himself to control the feeling and to stop it showing. Such feelings weren’t considered wrong, indeed masters were pleased if slaves formed relationships and added new slave children to their property. “This mustn’t happen,” Purple thought desperately, “supposing we make each other pregnant? A child of mine will grow up at the mercy of masters and mistresses. If this apprentice has a child I won’t even get to see my child as we belong to different households.” Later the overseer called Purple over and asked him to stop working with the apprentice, after this he was enormously relieved. Every Centaurian was amazed when the overseer said Lady Violet wanted to speak to him personally, she even offered to lend him robes that free Centaurians wear so he could go out without looking like a slave. Reluctantly Purple had to refuse as his master would be furious if he found out that Purple had been seen without wearing servile robes. Lady Violet asked the staff to prepare a good meal for herself and Purple Eye Spots. It wasn’t fussy like the stuff that her late husband had insisted on, instead there was plain nourishing food and there was plenty of it. There were plenty of plain tasty creepy crawlies to go with everything. At the mansion where Purple lived the more skilled free manual workers regularly got food like that as none of the overseers wanted them to get grumpy and leave. On special occasions when some Centaurian was feeling generous they even gave food like that to the slaves. Asking a visiting slave to eat with the mistress of the house was hardly ever heard of though. Did Lady Violet want to buy Purple Eye Spots and make him into her special house slave? In the servants’ quarters they talked about things like that, it could be good or bad depending on what the master/mistress wanted. Lady Violet was getting on and no longer attractive but she was a widow and all the servants said she was a kind and generous mistress. Purple could get to like her if she got him away from the tyrant who was his master. Purple tried to see lady Violet the way she could be rather than the way she was so he could make himself look eager and attentive. The servants’ quarters were full of stories about how bad her husband had been. Did Lady Violet hope he, Purple Eye Spots would take the pain of her late husband away and help her get her youth back? Purple imagined how his Lady would be younger looking, more attractive and happier with him as a companion, Purple dreamed and managed to get quite interested in the elderly lady. “I hear you’re the chauffeur and mechanic.” Lady Violet started, the Chauffeur felt sure she was just that bit inviting. “I am a mechanic, my master paid for me to get excellent training if it pleases you my Lady.” “Tell me what you know.” “I can manage cars and even aircraft but especially I'm experienced with boats my Lady. My master and mistress hardly ever ask me to work outdoors except with their vehicles. They both say that I’m a very valuable servant.” Purple added proudly. Lady Violet asked him about his work and about what he knew. Then by degrees the talk changed to what the servant knew about the Leering character they wanted her nephew Blue Tentacles to marry. Purple Eye Spots told her as much as he could glean from the servants’ quarters, she didn’t look happy. Lady Violet asked about the vehicles in the household of Leering Eye Stalks. Were the vehicles reliable, were the mechanics reliable? Purple told her as much as he knew about the vehicles and mechanics there. Lady Violet wanted to ask more but the long distance communication device interrupted her. Lady Violet's parents and some of her sisters and brothers had arrived with their families. Violet hoped Blue Tentacles would be a bit happier among his various relatives. Purple went back to helping Lady Violet’s staff with vehicle maintenance and felt very pleased they thought highly of him. Keeping the vehicles running safely was such a priority and Purple made sure Lady Violet could see he understood his job thoroughly.
* Chapter 20 Family joy and Family problems Footnotes
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