Story: Mrs. Catherine Lucas. Chapter 10.

by Jackie J

Jacqueline Frobisher was not a maid, she never was. Camille, at the request of Pauline, had carried out some checks on Jacqueline and discovered that she was head of legal services at Dawson & Laing, the same company that Michael, Catherine Lucas’s husband, was a director. To allow time to complete her scheme with Catherine, she had taken a six-month sabbatical from Dawson and Laing purportedly to teach orphans in South America.

Checks on her finances revealed that for many years Jacqueline had been living beyond her means but had in recent weeks settled her debts and received significant funds into her accounts. Working for the Lucases Jacqueline had managed to successfully bluff her way through her domestic duties and, with Michael always there to cover for her, Catherine had never suspected anything was amiss. Tonight things would be different. Not only was she dressed like a wet dream for either sex, she would be expected to diligently perform the duties of a housemaid under the watchful gaze of Pauline and who knows who else!

With the doorbell chiming Jacqueline wiggled her way to the door and opened it for the first two guests.

The two elegantly dressed ladies flounced over the threshold, giggled at the welcoming maid then tossed their wraps into the hands of Jacqueline.

Jacqueline stuttered, bobbing a curtsy

“Erm erm, this way, ladies. Miss Crabtree is in the lounge.”

To the amusement of the first arrivals Jacqueline almost stumbled in her heels placing the wraps on the coat stand but managed to keep her balance.

Three further couples arrived to be greeted by the pretty maid, all of them ladies. Thankfully, Jacqueline recognised none of them.

Jacqueline did her best to remain anonymous, sheepishly serving champagne to the gathered guests, their eyes watching the pretty thing flitting around the room balancing her tray of flutes.

After what seemed an age, to a nervous and increasingly servile Jacqueline, Pauline announced dinner and the group made their way into the dining room with a look of collective disdain dumping drained glasses onto Jacqueline’s tray.

Pauline glared at her maid.

“Starters, Jackie!”

Jacqueline took a deep breath and entered the kitchen to find a flustered Cathy placing the last of the entrees of duck pate onto a large serving platter.

Cathy stood away from the counter and stared at Jacqueline, her mistress, dressed in the revealing maid’s uniform.

“Miss?”

Jacqueline reached for the tray.

“Not a word from you, understand? This is some sort of joke from your neighbour, just get on with your cooking!”

When Jacqueline disappeared back into the dining room Cathy giggled draining French beans into a colander having seen Jacqueline dressed like she was.

Whilst Jacqueline was in the kitchen, to bring the starters to table Debbie, one of the guests, inquired about Pauline’s pretty maid.

Pauline laughed

“Eyes off girl, certainly until after we have dined, I have borrowed it for the evening from my neighbour.”

The guests around the table laughed all having eyed Jacqueline with the same thoughts of having the pretty maid between their thighs.

Debbie blushed

“No, no I didn’t mean that. It is just that she looks familiar but I cannot think from where.”

Pauline looked at Camille and chuckled then turned back to Debbie

“You used to work at Dawson & Laing, didn’t you, Debbie?”

Debbie with a somewhat confused expression turned back to Pauline.

“Yes, a couple of years ago until I was let go with the reorganisation, some new bitch had taken over the legal department. I heard she only got the position because she was fucking one of the directors.”

Debbie looked across the table to Monica.

“You worked there as well, Monica. We left at the same time.”

Monica nodded.

“Yes, my daughter still works there. I heard that the cow that had us fired is off on some jolly in Peru for six months. Never met the bitch, wouldn’t want to.”

Pauline chuckled

“Did you never meet her, Debbie?”

Debbie shuffled in her chair obviously uncomfortable recalling how her work had been belittled and ridiculed by that witch.

“Yes I did a couple of times but that is all in the past a different life.

Debbie lent against her girlfriend who gave her a gentle squeeze

“And I wouldn’t have met Jasmine if I was still there would I?”

Jasmine smiled contently at her girlfriend’s show of affection.

Jacqueline entered the dining room precariously balancing the large serving tray and proceeded to awkwardly place the starters before the guests.

All served, Pauline pointed to the door.

“Kitchen, Jackie. I will ring when we are ready for our mains.”

Camille could not resist and tapped Jacqueline’s frill bedecked bottom when she passed on her way back to the kitchen.

Pauline looked over at Debbie’s confused expression.

“Do you still not recognise my maid, Debbie? I will give you a clue: she works, well worked for Dawson & Laing, but I doubt she will be returning there, I think she has found her true calling now?”

Debbie giggled

“Oh, Pauline, you have me all intrigued now, of course  I worked in the top offices so I probably would not have come across her anyway. If she was just a clerk or cleaner or something in the general offices, maybe I just passed her in the lobby.”

Pauline chuckled.

“Indeed, never mind. Like you say, obviously below you level.”

The starters consumed and Pauline’s bell rung, Jacqueline returned to remove the plates and lay fresh cutlery for the main meal. Debbie looked at Jacqueline intently making Jacqueline feel even more uncomfortable and self conscious than she already was.

Context being everything Debbie still could not place Pauline’s maid Jackie to be Jacqueline Frobisher the cow that had fired her.

Jacqueline returned with the mains and with the meal well underway Pauline rang her bell to summon her maid back from the kitchen to replenish the wine.

With Jacqueline about to pour into Debbie’s glass, Pauline smirked.

“Jackie, you work at Dawson & Laing, don’t you? What is it you do there? Debbie thinks she recognises you?”

Jacqueline froze with Debbie’s and her eyes meeting with an instant moment of recognition by both.

Jacqueline blushed bright red and Debbie laughed out loud.

“Oh my goodness it’s you! It’s bloody well you Jacqueline Frobisher, head of the legal department! Now a housemaid, well how the mighty have fallen and what a pretty maid you make, GIRL!”

Jacqueline was speechless at being exposed in front of one of the employees she had contrived to fire.

Debbie looked at Pauline then at Monica.

“Monica, I thought your daughter had told you this tramp was in Peru?”

Monica laughed.

“Well obviously not, like Pauline said, seems she has found her true calling.”

Jacqueline stared across at Monica, now also recognising her to be an ex employee of Dawson and Laing, Monica Mountford and her daughter, her daughter still worked there? Who was that, which department did she work in?

Jacqueline momentarily glared at Pauline for being exposed but instantly remembered that Pauline had the goods on her and she could not risk what she had done to Catherine Lucas coming to light. She had to think quickly.

Jacqueline turned to Pauline speaking in a weak contrite voice.

“Oh, Mistress, I did ask that you would not mention about my other work. I feel so embarrassed now.”

Jacqueline looked down at a gloating Debbie. She had to placate the silly cow and, unaware of whom the other guests were, a tissue of lies flowed easily from her tongue. This, much to the delight of Pauline who watched her eloquently denouncing her status and confirming her new rank, that of a housemaid.

“Miss Kingston I can only apologise for what happened to you and the others at Dawson & Laing. It came from the top, I was only following their instructions and yes your friend is right I am taking a sabbatical supposedly in South America but Miss Crabtree and her neighbour have allowed me to be their maid to help me learn some servility for which I am grateful. Please don’t judge me too harshly for what I was made to do and you can see I am head of nothing here, I am just a housemaid, which I can see amuses you.”

Jacqueline’s convincing diatribe made Debbie feel a little awkward and she glugged on her wine.

Jacqueline, having perhaps been a little too convincing with her appeasement of Debbie Kingston, gave little thought to who the other guests were or the consequences of her declaration to her willingness to being just a housemaid. After all she had Catherine Lucas’s wealth, hadn’t she?

Pauline interceded having drawn Jacqueline that little bit deeper under her control.

“Jackie, why don’t you trot back into the kitchen and compose yourself I can see you are upset I will ring when we are ready for dessert.”

With Jacqueline out of the room Debbie looked up at Pauline.

“I have hated that women for two years and now, well I sort of feel sorry for her.”

Monica just shrugged her shoulders and carried on eating.

“Karma, Debbie. Karma.”

Camille who had been away from the table for quite some time returned and took her seat next to Pauline giving her a knowing nod. Pauline sat back in her chair drained her glass and chuckled.

“Come, ladies, let us finish our meal. This salmon is gorgeous.”

Back in the kitchen Jacqueline was seething and sat without a word. She was watching Cathy at the sink washing the pots and pans as her mind was considering what else Pauline could have planned for her that evening.

Catching her reflection in the glass of the kitchen door, a pretty maid staring back at her, Jacqueline sighed and put her head in her hands cursing Pauline under her breath. Pauline had connived to have her admit to having practically turned her back on her career and taken up the role of a housemaid.

Jacqueline reconciled that at least it was only Debbie Kingston but that Monica, Monica Mountford, her daughter... That bloody cow, she is going to screw everything up. Jacqueline scoured her memory, Mountford, Mountford, there was nobody called Mountford on the payroll... Jacqueline could not have known that Monica’s daughter Christine who worked under her in the legal department, now Christine Roberts, was married to John Roberts, head of HR at Dawson & Laing.

Cathy could see her Mistress was distressed but dare not speak and when the bell rung in the dining room to summon the deserts Cathy sheepishly placed the bowls on a serving tray.

Jacqueline snatched the tray from the counter and headed from the kitchen to serve. Forcing a smile, pretty maid Jackie entered the dining room feeling all eyes on her. Why wouldn’t they be following Jacqueline’s confession of a successful business woman accepting the lowly status of housemaid and serving table in her revealing sexy uniform. But perhaps more poignant, during Jacqueline’s absence, being Pauline’s comments that her maid Jackie served her Mistress in other ways than just at table!

Jacqueline could sense a change in mood within the room whilst she presented the deserts to Pauline and her guests: the looks, the titters and giggles increasing her nervousness. As she put the last bowl from her tray in front of Camille, she took Jacqueline’s hand and pressed a piece of crumpled paper into it and smiled, whispering eight, four, seven, six, two.

Jacqueline with a puzzled expression looked at Camille, tucked the paper into her apron and returned to the kitchen. Only when she unravelled the paper did the significance of what Camille had whispered to her hit her like a freight train.

Jacqueline stumbled down onto a stool feeling faint, her legs wobbly staring at the numbers on the creased piece of paper, her own handwriting, the paper from the desk drawer in Catherine Lucas’s study. Jacqueline’s breathing became shallow her hands clammy reading her own scrawled figures, the combination to Catherine Lucas’s safe which she had changed!

The colour having drained from her Jacqueline’s mind was in a daze. Camille would no doubt have changed the combination keeping her away from her ill-gotten gains and, sat in her frilly uniform, the realisation began to sink in that Jacqueline’s own subjugation, at the hands of Pauline and Camille, was already well-advanced.

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