Story: Professor Janice Sinclair Gets a New Maid. Chapter 4.

By Jackie J

Following Janice’s whinging rant Miss Drummond's face showed little emotion. She rose from her chair and spoke with a quiet authority.

“When you were a teacher, before you became my maid...”

 Again, Miss Drummond put Janice’s profession in the past tense.

 “For example, your Monaural theory... Oh yes, I have read your works. Did any of your students change the alignment of the orbs? Did they decide to adjust the three-coned matrices, perhaps making them square or round? Or did a student rewrite your theory altogether and suggest that you teach the alternative version?”

“No I don’t think so, in fact I know so.”

“Against my better judgement, I have bent over backwards to accommodate you, you begged for me to teach you, I have agreed to give you the benefit of all my experience by organising a full maids' training program. I asked for no fee, I did not want to do this but you begged and begged until I agreed.”

“I told you how you must behave, all the guidance you would require but you have ignored this. I went out on a limb letting you sign a binding legal agreement to allow me to apply for a full maid’s registration on your behalf but that seems to count for nothing. I cannot believe what you have done to me, treating me like this, I feel foolish and used. Thankfully, with all the legally binding documents, there is a cooling-off period of twenty-four hours and I can extract you from our contract which I will certainly do. I should have never agreed to this in the first place.”

Miss Drummond stood and walked towards the door leaving Janice looking dumbfounded.

“I suggest you remove the uniform that I have organised especially for you and leave it to be laundered and then dress in your normal day clothes. I should have known that you could never accept the discipline and training, you just do not have it in you, you have lasted less than two hours, unbelievable.”

Turning at the door and looking at the confused Professor, Miss Drummond knew she had the upper hand.

“I have a meeting that I need to attend to and I must check on Wendy. The sooner she is back here the better. When I return, I can only suggest that we forget all about any training, I will continue with my maid duties until Wendy returns and you will... Well you will do as you wish, Miss. You will find the key to the safe is in the top drawer.”

Miss Drummond chuckled and giggled to herself walking out of the driveway and into the lane towards the centre of the village. 

She had given a classic performance. Now it would be up to Professor Sinclair to play her part. Would she wriggle free of Miss Drummond's loosely wrapped tentacles? Or would she allow herself to become inescapably trapped in the web of the cunning Miss Drummond?

Miss Drummond could hardly contain herself when she returned to the professor’s house; her scheme was working: bedecked in her period maid’s uniform, a contrite Professor Sinclair stood in the doorway.

Miss Drummond knew this was the tipping point for the pretty professor and standing at the threshold waited for Janice to make way for her and without a word strode into the house to the study. Janice, her restrictive skirts lifted from her ankles and her petticoats rustling, scurried behind her; her voice was meek in tone as she pleaded with Miss Drummond.

“Please Patricia, I mean Miss Drummond, I am sorry, I realise what I did was wrong, I was disrespectful.”

“Look, I have kept the maid's uniform on. I want to continue, I was silly, stupid, punish me if you must, do what you want with me but please let us continue, please. I will do whatever you say.”

Miss Drummond concealed her satisfaction and turned to Janice.

“No, no and no again, I have spent the day chastising myself for allowing myself to even contemplate what you proposed. Please, Miss, go and change. It would never work, not now.”

Janice turned to leave almost in tears but the scheming Miss Drummond tempted her back.

“That is unless... No, no I won’t do that not after what you have done, Miss.”

Janice, seeing a glimmer of hope in Patricia’s words, questioed Miss Drummond.

“Unless, unless what, tell me unless what?”

Miss Drummond, her eyes tightening and lip curling, looked directly into Janice’s eyes.

“With having invoked the cooling-off clause the legally binding contract you signed defaults under common law of the maid’s statute to be enforced as if you were just any common girl being offered up for training. There is nothing I can do about that it is the law of the land. There is no differentiation, all defaulters are treated the same. The agreement was signed in good faith and I have already posted the copies to the courts and you have signed to be the sponsor. I would ordinarily just have signed off my acceptance for the agreement to be nullified.”

Miss Drummond pauses for effect.

“But if I don’t sign off you would then become, by order of the courts, indentured to me, even though you are a woman of substance, you did sign the agreement and the indenture would last until you are fully trained."

Miss Drummond omitted the fact that only when an indentured maid had been employed for at least three years following her training would she be released from her indenture.

“So, like I have said before, forget it, Miss, I did everything legally for you so you could get the full reward for your efforts. I never thought you would quit like you did leaving me to resolve all the paperwork!”

Janice curtsied, trying hard to show she will be compliant.

“Miss, I would not mind the indenture if it only lasts until I am trained. That should be completed by the end of the summer and I can return to my teachings.”

Miss Drummond offered a sly smile.

“So, you would agree to be my indentured maid?”

Not fully realising the implications, Janice agreed and dropped a curtsy.

“Yes, Miss. Thank you, Miss.”

Miss Drummond swept her skirts beneath her and sat at the professor’s desk. Janice stood expectant that Miss Drummond will relent and continue.

“Very well, go to your quarters. I will summon you with the maid’s bell when I have considered matters.”

Miss Drummond lets Janice stew for some time whilst preparing the final documents. The bell tinkled in the maid’s quarters and Janice hurried to what was her study.

Janice, anxious to please and show her compliance, entered and droped a curtsy.

“Miss?”

Patricia shuffled some papers and smiled, seeing the eagerness in her former Mistress's eyes.

“I have given some thought and checked my files and we could proceed. However, you must consider that not only will the contract be irreversible but you will also be required to offer up a surety, a bond with the break clause having already been taken. And I tell you now, after what you have put me through, the first thing I will do, if you decided to continue is to punish you.”

Janice had only half-listened to Miss Drummond. She was so keen to continue.

“I deserve to be punished, Miss, and will accept your punishment. It would only be fair for what I have done.” 

Janice never even considered what Miss Drummond's punishments could possibly be. If she had she surely would have stripped that maid’s tunic off there and then, but she didn’t and continued to seal her own fate.

“I understand I was awful to you, I will be a good maid for you, I will, I promise. And a bond? A surety? That’s alright, here take back the safe key, everything is in the safe remember, take the safe as surety, and let the safe be the bond.”

Miss Drummond stood from the professor's own desk and slowly walked around her soon to be maid. The two women were roughly the same height and built but there was an obvious strength about Miss Drummond.

Miss Drummond offered a pen offered to Janice and smiled.

“Then sign at the base of the indenture and your maid training can commence once again.”

Janice stooped to read and Miss Drummond raised her voice.

“Sign, Professor Sinclair, your last chance, do it now.”

A scrawl of the pen and Miss Drummond quickly snatched away the document, the professor having hardly had time to read its contents.

Neatly folding the parchment Miss Drummond turned to face Janice, a wicked grin of satisfaction on her face.

 “I told you that once you signed you would be punished for your misbehaviour earlier today, didn’t I, girl? Tell your Mistress that you have been a bad maid and that you deserve and want to be punished.”

Janice unsure but anxious to progress her training looked sheepishly at Miss Drummond.

“I have been a bad maid, Mistress. Please punish me as you see fit.”

Miss Drummond smiled. The mistress of the household was one of her girls now and there would be no going back for Professor Janice Sinclair.

“First, girl, you will help me out of these clothes and into some elegant day wear.”

Janice followed her Mistress upstairs into her own former bedroom now occupied by Miss Drummond.  

Miss Drummond stood by the vanity pouting into the large mirror.

“A good maid will dress and undress her Mistress on command, you want to be a good maid, don’t you girl?”

Janice dropped a curtsy.

“Yes, Miss. Thank you, Miss.”

“Well, girl, what are you waiting for? Disrobe me.”

Janice fumbled with the buttons and fastenings as she removed her former maid’s clothes for her.

“The underwear, girl, take it from me. I will not be wearing such plain underwear when I have drawers of expensive lingerie to choose from!”

Janice could only watch whilst the woman who was her replacement maid, who she willingly accepted to be her Mistress, who she had begged to train her to be a maid, rummaged through drawers and closets.

Her selection made, Janice dressed her Mistress in expensive underwear and then one of Janice’s fine dresses was selected from the closet by Miss Drummond. Janice helped her into the expensive dress before kneeling to slide her mistress’s feet into a pair of soft leather heels.

Miss Drummond smiled down at Janice kneeling by her feet and took the opportunity for a little reinforcement of their reversed roles.

“Stay where you are, girl. on your knees at my feet. Never place the right shoe before the left, never breath on your Mistress when you dress her. You will cut your nails, which are much too long, totally impractical for a maid. And your hair, do something with that or you will have to have it cut.”

“Right on your feet, girl, down to the kitchen. I believe you want something from your Mistress, don’t you?”

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