"Go on," hissed the Duchess desperately. "There's someone coming up the steps behind us!"
Norman heard the clatter of footsteps below them. He hadn't time to hesitate, but leaped up the steps three at a time.
"Eeeek!" a startled shriek escaped one of the women. "Wasn't that a man, Cheryl?"
"Yes! Yes, it was," replied the one addressed as Cheryl, "with a girl chasing him like mad, the hussy!"
"What would a man be doing in here?"
"Now what do you think a man would be doing in the female slave barracks?"
The excited chatter of feminine tongues all wagging at once overtook the pair as they raced upward. Norman's heart sank like a stone. The way was closed behind them. Unexpectedly, he popped out on the roof, paused to catch his breath.
"Go on!" panted the Duchess. "Go on, for heaven's sake! The party on the stairs below us. I caught a glimpse of them. They were plant men!"
"Plant men!"
"Yes! Yes! They must have been inspecting the barracks. Hurry!"