Story: Mrs. Catherine Lucas. Chapter 5.

(re-posted to remove a few extra paragraphs from the next chapter that somehow got attached to this one. Apologies. Next chapter will come soon.) by Jackie J

With Catherine resigned to her role of a maid it was just after eight when her ladyship entered the dining room resplendent in one of Catherine’s finest outfits tastefully accessorised with Catherine’s jewellery.

“Well, Cathy, what do you think? Will I pass at the charity event?”

Catherine had to accept that Jacqueline would be representing her and would have to look her best and wearing Catherine’s designer clothes she of course did.

“Yes, Miss. Perfect, Miss.”

After being served breakfast by her former Mistress Jacqueline summoned her maid into the dining room.

“Cathy, this event.. Mrs Andrea Glendale, she is running the charity, isn’t she? And the address is 243 Wiltshire, correct?”

Cathy nodded.

“Yes, Miss. 243 Wiltshire it’s on the corner of Maple Avenue, a large house you cannot miss it.”

Leaving Cathy with a list of jobs to do around the house, from her own roster, Jacqueline slid into Catherine’s sumptuous leather upholstered Jaguar leaving her budget Nissan in the driveway and set off to the Glendale’s bash.

Arriving she introduced herself making a beeline for Mrs Andrea Glendale.

“Hi, pleased to meet you. I am Jacqueline Mayo, Catherine Lucas’s cousin, I am afraid Catherine couldn’t make it so I am standing in for her. Please keep it to yourself but poor Catherine is having difficulties with her finances.”

Andrea stood back.

“Really? Oh dear... Bad, is it?”

Jacqueline sucked on her teeth and leaned in close to her host.

“Not good I am afraid. That’s why I am here in Rockport really to help her out, she lost everything, something to do with her inheritance and with Michael being away the poor thing is distraught, won’t leave the house. Still family is family and we are not without so I will be staying on to look after things. What will become of her we really don’t know.”

Jacqueline leaned in close to whisper knowing that what she had told Andrea Glendale would be spread like wildfire amongst Catherine’s friends.

“I beg of you, please you will keep this to yourself won’t you.”

Andrea smiled.

“Of course, dear, not a word.”

When Jacqueline arrived back to Catherine’s house around seven in the evening Cathy was sat in the kitchen reading a magazine and stood anxious to know how things had gone.

“Was it alright did Andrea ask about me?”

Jacqueline poured herself a juice and sat at the breakfast bar opposite her maid and lied through her teeth.

“Yes it was fine and yes of course she did, I told her that you were a little under the weather she was fine with that.”

“Now have you completed the list of tasks I set you?”

Cathy had been kept busy and apart from the windows everything on the list had been done.

“Well done Cathy you must be tired, but not too tired to prepare my supper I hope.”

Cathy accepted the praise to be genuine and stood from her stool.

“No not too tired what would you like, Miss?”

“A sandwich will be sufficient the food at the Glendale event was lovely you missed a treat, Oh and by the way I donated the six hundred dollars you had in cash in your purse, I said I would forward the other two thousand.”

Before Cathy could speak Jacqueline turned towards the stairs.

“Bring my supper to my room Cathy I am tired myself it’s been such a gruelling day”

Cathy sighed

“Yes, Miss.”

Cathy had to smile two thousand six hundred dollars was much less than she herself would have donated.

The next few days continued in a similar fashion, Cathy left to work around the house fetching and carrying for her Mistress. Jacqueline out and about socialising and spreading the word, confidentially of course, that Catherine Lucas was broke, did not want to leave the house and she Jacqueline Mayo would be doing what she could to help her cousin.

On the Thursday Jacqueline called at the exclusive Spa were Catherine Lucas was a regular customer. Having explained to the manager that Mrs Lucas would not be returning due to her financial situation, Jacqueline booked a series of treatments for herself.  Jacqueline’s next call was the tennis and country club. Catherine’s coach was concerned of course, but told a convincing Jacqueline that he thought something was wrong the previous week at her lessons.

Jacqueline, having organised a membership in the name of Jacqueline Mayo could not have been more delighted when, leaving the club she was approached by two elegantly dressed ladies both looking a little perturbed.

“Jacqueline... Jacqueline Mayo, Catherine Lucas’s cousin?”

Jacqueline stopped and smiled.

“Yes, that’s right”

“We heard the news about poor Catherine is she alright.”

Jacqueline feigned surprise.

“Oh erm, erm, what, what, have you heard?

Margret and Elizabeth ushered Jacqueline back to a table in the bar.

Margret spoke in a whisper.

“Well that her money is gone and that you have come to try and sort things out for her, that she has gone to pieces, some sort of breakdown, won’t leave the house.”

Jacqueline hid her satisfaction that not only had her story travelled but had been embellished.

“Well I suppose it was bound to get out in the end, I am at my wits end with her. She has cut her hair, those golden locks gone even dyed it brown, won’t wear any makeup, her complexion is awful it really is, she is a shadow of who she was, it’s terrible. You are right in that she won’t leave the house but looking like she does I don’t blame her. I am trying to pick up the pieces with her social side and the charities of course.”

Elizabeth suggested a drink anxious to know more and Jacqueline accepted. It became obvious during conversation that no different to Catherine’s neighbour Pauline, Margret and Elizabeth had been envious of Catherine’s wealth and lifestyle and there was a veiled smugness at her apparent financial demise.

Jacqueline feigned a reluctance to speak about Catherine but having sworn the two ladies, who were hanging on her very word, to secrecy, after a few drinks, she did.

“You know ladies it was quite strange when I arrived, Catherine had obviously let her maid go, you know she had a maid, don’t you?”

Margret and Elizabeth both nodded.

“Well, and please don’t let this go any further, you must promise me that, well she was wearing one of her maid’s uniforms I don’t know what’s going on in her mind, it’s awful really.

Elizabeth and Margret could hardly contain themselves and spoke in unison.

“Well go on and?”

“Well I cannot get her out of the maid’s garb and listen to this, She calls me Miss, curtsies and everything I cannot stop her  it’s like her whole persona is changing she really thinks she is a maid? I don’t know what her husband, Michael I think he is called, will make of it when he gets back.”

Jacqueline then makes a joke, but of course it is not a joke it is exactly what she intends for the poor Catherine Lucas.

“Perhaps he will like it and keep her has his maid who knows?”

The two ladies sit open mouthed at Jacqueline’s revelation, the vision on the vivacious Catherine Lucas becoming a maid in her own house is just too much and they giggle and titter.

Margret smiles at Jacqueline.

“It’s hard to believe Jacqueline, it can’t be true surely, little Miss perfect Catherine Lucas becoming a maid and her hair, she spent a fortune at the salon on her hair.”

Jacqueline pulled her phone from her purse.

“I shouldn’t show you this I really shouldn’t but you have promised not to tell anyone, look.”

The picture on the phone is of Catherine in her maid’s uniform stood by the sink washing the pots then another of Catherine on her knees scrubbing the floor

Elizabeth gasped.

“OMG look at her, her hair, her face and dressed in what was her maid’s uniform just like you said, O Jacqueline what will you do, I hardly recognise her?”

Jacqueline slipped her phone back into her purse forcing a concerned look.

“Well what can I do, if it’s what she wants and perhaps now with her wealth gone it is truly what she wants?”

“Something must have snapped taken her over the edge, all I can do is go along with it all I guess?”

Jacqueline, happy that Catherine’s friends have accepted and are convinced of Catherine’s desired subservient role seeks to lighten the mood.

“Still I have to admit she does make a very good maid and with the maid she employed gone someone will have to take care of the rambling place.”

All three giggled together at the prospect of Catherine Lucas being the full time maid in her own home.

Margret looking quite serious turned to Jacqueline.

“But her face, in the photograph, her complexion it’s awful like orange peel did she have an accident?”

Jacqueline took a sip of her drink before replying.

“Seems not, I spoke with the manager at the Spa earlier, they have been treating the problem for two years with special lotions and cosmetics. Catherine now refusing to apply the treatments and special concealer, well that’s her natural look I am afraid.

Margret and Elizabeth looked at other.

“Well who would have thought it Margret, all this time looking like a china doll and it was all false, I wouldn’t be surprised if that hair of hers wasn’t false to! I know she is your Cousin Jacqueline and I don’t want to bad mouth her but she used to sit here like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth. You have opened our eyes about the high and mighty Mrs Catherine Lucas, seems she was a bit of a fraud.”

Jacqueline smiled.

“Well not so high and mighty now girls it seems?”

Jacqueline stood to leave another dagger in the character assassination of her Mistress driven home to the hilt with the peddling of her quite credible lies.

“Now ladies you will keep this to yourselves won’t you?”

Jacqueline smirked all the way to parking lot knowing both Margret and Elizabeth would do just the opposite.

Jacqueline lets that thought sink in.

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