Chapter 100. Trussed and Ready.
“First of all, put on these petticoats. This is yours, Philip…this one is yours, Matthew.”
Dana had picked up two pretty garments, each consisting of a mass of crinoline surmounted by a short silver vest. She handed them to the boys, who, thankful at least to have something to wear, attempted to put them over their heads. But the crinolines were so voluminous, and the little vest so narrow, that, to the amusement of the women, they had to be helped.
“Put your arms up – through the armholes, silly – that’s right.”
Matthew was looking seriously alarmed, but obeyed helplessly. Philip was feigning reluctance, but in truth he was rather thrilled by the feel of contrasting textures – the soft, slippery silk of the vest and the stiffness of the crinoline – against his skin. The slips were adjusted to the onlookers satisfaction, and they stood back to admire the effect.
The waistline was high, and the layers of crinoline buoyant and bouncy, so that, even when standing straight, the boys’ pull-ups were on view.
“Perfect,” murmured Jess.
“Now your dresses,” said Dana, taking them down from the mantlepiece on their hangers. She slipped off the polythene covers, and handed the yellow one to Matthew and the pink one to Philip. “You’re going to need some help with these,” she added.
The dresses were of shimmering satin, sleeveless, with round necklines, and broad bands of ribbon around the waists, each decorated with a big bow placed just off-centre. They fitted perfectly over the petticoats, the bodices close-fitting, the skirts lying neatly on the crinoline, and of exactly the same length, so the layered white edges showed under the colourful canopy of satin.
The women looked delighted. Dana whistled. “Boys, you look beautiful!” said Jill.
Philip was relieved. This wasn’t anywhere near as bad as he had imagined. These were not really baby outfits – maybe toddlers' or little kids'. But they were actually pretty. Well, the pull-ups detracted from the look somewhat. But that was about to be taken care of.
“Now, “ Dana went on, “the pièce de resistance.” She produced two pairs of little bloomers, one pink and one yellow. “Here – have a look.” She handed them out.
Philip examined his pair carefully. They had the same shimmery satin on the outside, but inside was a layer of bluish rubber, so they were quite heavy.
“See? Rubberised satin? Smart and waterproof. Clever, eh?” said Jess.
The bloomers had short legs with frills, and the leg-bands were pierced at the sides and threaded with a length of contrasting ribbon – Philip’s pink ones had a yellow ribbon, and Matthew’s yellow ones a pink ribbon. They were also equipped with a strong belt, the same colour as the bloomers, which buckled at the back, so they couldn’t slip down. Along the seat were two rows of ruffles, in the same contrasting ribbon as at the legs. They were designed to be seen as well as to be functional. Matthew looked at Philip with an expression that seemed to say, “help me – think of something!” But his friend had no hope to offer.
“Come on then boys – pop them on,” said Dana, taking Matthew’s from his hands and holding them out for him to step into.
The bloomers were pulled on, buckled securely at the back, and the women fussed around tying pretty bows at the boys’ thighs.
“You look gorgeous!” said Jill, when they’d finished. “Now, where are the accessories…?”
At this, Matthew’s dismay turned to alarm. “Ac-accessories?” he stammered. “What…?”
“Here we are. Bootees first of all, Dana?” said Jess.
“I’ll do Matthew’s,” said his mother, taking a pair of yellow bootees out of a box and kneeling down in front of her son. “Left one first, darling.”
They consisted on a flat rubber sole to which was sewn a soft, lined satin bootee with a short leg, coming a few inches above the ankle, and secured just below the top by a contrasting ribbon, to match the bloomers. Once both boys were neatly booteed and beribboned, out came two pairs of mittens, also in soft, padded satin, with contrasting straps, rather than ribbons, around the wrists. Philip noticed hardly a word was said about these, except for Jess casually muttering, “Okay, now the mitts.” He frowned as Dana and Jess pushed them onto his hands. He soon discovered they were lined with heavy rubber, which fitted tightly over his fists, preventing him from opening his fingers.
“Hey. What’s the idea of these…?”
But they were already buckling the straps, effectively immobilising his hands.
“Just to make sure you can’t mess with your outfit,” said Jess, casually.
“I can still punch,” blurted Philip, petulantly.
“Not advisable,” returned Jess, with a firm smile.
If the boys thought the session was over, they were quickly disappointed.
“Now, where are those bonnets?” asked Dana. “Oh, thank you, Jill. You see, boys, we’ve thought of everything. No baby should be out and about without a bonnet.”
“Out and about?” said Matthew, tremulously.
“Well, I’m sure Auntie Mary wouldn’t be so cruel as to have you cooped up there for weeks on end. I’m sure there’ll be outings. So you’re going to need bonnets. Now these are lovely, don’t you agree?”
She held up one on her hand, and twirled it round in front of their faces. Matthew’s was yellow with pink flowers, Philip’s pink with yellow flowers. There was pretty ribbon frilling all round the face. It was designed to completely enclose the head, and there was a strap under the chin (decorated with a tiny silver bell) to hold it in place, and another across the lower part of the face aperture, the purpose of which was, for a moment, lost on Philip. Jill noticed his puzzled expression.
“Oh that? That one’s for your pacifier, silly. To stop you spitting it out. Look, the ring and the boss fit in this slot, and when it’s buckled up, hey presto! We don’t have to worry about it dropping out onto the ground.”
Dana continued with her explanation. She turned the bonnet inside out.
“As you can see, it’s lined, and there’s extra thick padding at the sides, next to your ears. That means you won’t be disturbed by outside noises, like other babies crying, if you want to go to sleep. And you won’t be able to understand what people are saying, which on the whole is probably a good thing. So come on, let’s get them on."
The bonnets fitted firmly, and once on, as Dana had predicted, speech became muffled. The boys could see the women were talking – and laughing – but what they were saying…that was a mystery. However, hearing was superfluous when they saw Jess produce from a little box two pacifiers, one pink and one yellow, with gigantic teats! Philip saw Matthew’s eyes widen in terror. But his discomfiture and protests were ignored, and the pacifier – his was the yellow one, of course – was forced between his teeth and strapped and buckled firmly in place. Then it was Philip's turn. Jess held him tight while Dana advanced on him with his pacifier. Philip stared at the glistening, obscene-looking rubber excrescence sprouting from its concave base, and turned his face aside. But Jess firmly turned his head back again, and squeezed his cheeks, forcing his mouth open and allowing Dana to push the thing in, and fasten the strap. The boys stared at each other's comically-plugged mouths in mute, impotent disgust. Escape, attired as they were, was unthinkable, and now they were unable, not only to use their hands, but even to hear or to speak. It dawned upon them that they were utterly at the mercy of the three women. And when Dana briefly left the room, they couldn't, of course, hear her call upstairs, “Girls? The boys are ready! Come and see!”
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Topic: The Settlement (Read 88871 times)
