Story: Mrs. Catherine Lucas. Chapter 15.

by Jackie J

Tuesday morning, breakfast served, consumed and the laundry in the washer, Cathy was summoned into her Mistress's study. Hands held clasped across her apron, head slightly bowed, a pose of respect demanded by her Mistress and now unquestioningly adopted by her maid, Cathy awaited her mistress’s instructions.

Pauline pointed to a chair on the opposite side to where she herself was sat.

“Sit, girl.“

Cathy moved slowly to the chair, she had been disciplined earlier and her bottom was still tender.   Lowering herself into the chair her gaze remained lowered and she let out a soft sigh when she sat.

Pauline smirked.

“Your own fault Cathy the bacon was overcooked. Let that be a lesson, you know my rules and you know the punishment.”

Cathy murmured her response.

“Yes, Miss.”

Pauline spread a number of letters across her desk then picked them out one by one. Of course the three letters from the bank appealing for Mrs Catherine Lucas to contact them immediately were not amongst them.

“This is correspondence for my neighbour Mrs Catherine Lucas. This is from Johnson Investments, this from Exclusive Spa, this from Rockport Country Club, This from Royalty Hair Emporium, and there are more. It seems a number of bills have not been settled.”

Pauline spun her laptop to face Cathy.

“You will check Mrs Catherine Lucas’s accounts and settle these bills. Do it now, girl.”

Cathy was confused she had not logged into her finances for some time, she had no need to her accounts were always settled by the bank?

“But, but I...”

Seeing her Mistress's eyes tighten Cathy immediately rectified her error.

“Sorry Miss I mean Mrs Lucas, Miss Lucas, her accounts, the bank would settle all outstanding bills for her.”

Pauline, although knowing only a few cents remained in Catherine Lucas’s accounts, gave nothing away.

“Cathy, you will log into Mrs Lucas accounts and settle these matters now.”

A nervous Cathy drew the laptop to her and tapped in Mrs Lucas’s security details and passwords, the same digits that Jacqueline had typed in to clear her accounts. Cathy skipped quickly through all of the accounts.

Catherine Lucas had been physically and emotionally abused and drained by her mistress, more maid than lady, but the revelation before her hit her like a freight train and she stared motionless at the screen.

Pauline forced a look of genuine concern.

“What is it girl, don’t dally resolve these matters now.”

Cathy at first remained stunned into silence then spun the laptop back to face Pauline, then looked in disbelief at her Mistress.

Cathy stood and stared at the window, turned back to Pauline then wilted to the floor in a heap and started to sob.

“No, no, no it cannot be true no, no, no,”

Pauline looked at the screen already knowing what had been revealed.

“What, what Mrs Lucas’s accounts are empty just a few cents what is going on, what have YOU done with Mrs Lucas’s money?”

Cathy, who was collapsed on the floor, just sobbed and sobbed. She was rich, extremely rich, multiple accounts, investments, she had no financial concerns where was her money?

“Nothing, nothing  I have done nothing the money its gone all gone?”

Pauline had planned this scenario for some time and let her maid sob out her distress before standing to comfort her.

“Cathy, come stand up, onto your feet, sit back at my desk.”

Pauline helped Cathy back into her chair and called up recent transactions onto the screen of the lap top.

“Now look Cathy, look at the screen, Mrs Lucas transferred everything from this account too here four weeks ago.”

Another account examined the same, and another, and another and another, each account cleared and transferred during the same day by the account holder, Mrs Catherine Lucas.

Pauline spoke in a sympathetic tone.

“This is serious you say you haven’t done this then who did? It must be an error at the bank, it must be for all the accounts to be cleared like this, an accounting error we will need to go to the bank, today, immediately.”

Cathy looked at Pauline questioningly and gently stroked her scarred cheeks. She would have to leave the sanctuary of her Mistress's house, travel to the bank, no doubt she would be seen, how she was, how she looked and ridiculed for her appearance. Cathy’s mind was in turmoil she had to go she must, but the thought of being seen and mocked in public was almost more than she could bear.   

Pauline was ready Camille had devised an excellent plan to ensure the bank was placated and not question the significant transfer of funds further. A simple plan but one guaranteed to be successful.

Pauline stood and put her arm around Cathy, her projected concern, whilst welcomed by her maid, who was still in a state of shock and disbelief, was just part of her treacherous scheme.

“Cathy you will have to leave the house but don’t worry Mrs Lucas need not be seen. I anticipated that there could be emergencies, a need for you to leave the shelter of your anonymity that I have provided for you, agreeing to let you be my maid.

Cathy sat and listed to Pauline convincingly outlining her plan for Cathy to remain unseen whilst visiting the bank. Cathy agreeing to the ruse a letter of authority would be required, for Pauline to speak on her behalf, which Cathy obligingly signed.

Pauline hid her smirk when Cathy spoke

“Miss you would do this for me? O thank you miss, thank you I couldn’t face being seen like this I just couldn’t”.

Pauline, pulling an holdall from behind her desk, Cathy was soon dressed in her black garb, her Abaya and Niqab concealing all but her eyes visible through the narrow slit.

Pauline walked around her shrouded maid.

“Perfect, just perfect.”

Into the car Pauline and Cathy drove downtown to the bank.

Inside the bank Cathy was told to stand at the back rail and not say a word to anyone or risk exposure, Cathy, draped in her Islamic dress meekly complied. Pauline would resolve matters for her wouldn’t she?

The bank manager was summoned, Pauline handed her the letter of authority that Catherine had signed and pointed across the bank floor to the figure swathed and veiled in black.

The manager listened intently whist Pauline wove her web of lies, how Catherine Lucas had recently converted to Islam, that women of the sect she had been inducted into could not hold any possessions in their own right. How Catherine had transferred all her money to the Imam of her mosque before accepting her vow of silence and entering purdah. That she must fulfil her obligations by distancing herself from mammon and close all her accounts.

Pauline purporting to be Catherine’s advocate in these matters given Mrs Lucas could no longer be seen or communicate.

The bank manager mindful of the sensitivity of what Pauline was telling her stared across at the veiled Mrs Lucas and smiled.

“My goodness Miss Crabtree I do not wish to be disrespectful in any way and we have strict codes of practice concerning the embracement of ethnic diversity and of course we will do what Mrs Lucas requests. But of all the customers Mrs Lucas would be one of the last ones I would consider to convert so completely to such an authoritarian religion. However it is her choice and we at the bank will respect her wishes I will organise the paperwork this afternoon.

Pauline could not stop the manager walking across towards Cathy. Miss Watkins smiled at the nervous eyes visible within the veils. Whilst she had known Catherine for many years she could not help herself from speaking in a slow condescending voice as if to someone from another planet.

“Miss Crabtree has explained everything and I will ensure all outstanding matters are resolved, have no worries and thank you for your custom.”

Cathy, so programmed could not have cemented her fate and convinced Miss Watkins of her commitment to her new life of servility more eloquently if she had tried when, without a word she lowered her gaze and dropped a respectful curtsy.

On returning home a tow truck was loading Catherine Lucas’s expensive car onto a trailer and having pulled onto her driveway Pauline told Cathy to stay in the car, she would find out what was going on.

It was a company claiming the car to recover outstanding debts and Pauline, on returning to Cathy, told her that Jackie had noticed a knocking noise and had asked for a garage to inspect the car before she left.

Pauline smirked.

“It’s not like you need a car is it Cathy?”

Pauline’s explanation was plausible.

“No Miss.”

Letters confirming that all Mrs Catherine Lucas’s accounts had been closed arrived the following day with a final settlement cheque for sixty cents which a laughing Pauline tossed into the trash. Camille’s scheme had worked. No bank would want to become embroiled with the sensitivities of the Islamic faith. Miss Watkins had unwittingly and unknown to Catherine herself, condemned Catherine Lucas to irrevocable financial oblivion and with the house being in the name of Michael Lucas, for tax reasons, Catherine Lucas was now to all intent and purpose destitute.

With Cathy content that Pauline, her Mistress, had resolved her financial matters and the business with the car being towed away just a repair Cathy was relaxed and having returned to the sanctuary of the Crabtree residence served tea to her Mistress in the lounge still wearing her Abaya and Niqab. Cathy had found the reclusive garments quite comforting masking her identity and disfiguration and was in no hurry to return from behind the veil.

Pauline smiled at her maid when she entered the lounge still wearing the outfit she had given her for the trip to the bank.

Cathy curtsied, she was misguidedly genuinely appreciative of Pauline’s efforts on her behalf at the bank and with the car and spoke in the third person which she knew would please her Mistress.

 “Thank you for all you have done for Mrs Lucas at the bank Miss and the confusion with Mrs Lucas’s car.”

Pauline lifted her tea cup, took a sip and smiled.

“Yes Mrs Lucas will be quite surprised at what I have done but everything is resolved at the bank and will be of no further concern of yours Cathy.”

“Now I see you are still wearing the Abaya and Niqab that your mistress so kindly gave you do you like wearing it?”

Cathy could not lie she did like wearing it and foolishly told her Mistress so.

“Yes Miss it is very comfortable and, and, well it does hide my, my scars Miss.”

Pauline took another sip from her cup.

“Indeed well I have no problem with you wearing that, in fact you shall wear it, it will be your new uniform. It will save me having to look at that ghastly complexion of yours.  Yes you will wear it at all times is that understood?”

Cathy Curtsied she was not displeased with her Mistresses decision never suspecting its true purpose

“Yes Miss.”

Catherine Lucas unknowingly penniless and having willingly accepted to be cloaked into obscurity went about her duties, the duties of housemaid for her neighbour, her Mistress, Miss Crabtree.

Having been consigned to life behind the veil and told by her Mistress, under the threat of the strap, to speak only when explicitly asked to, maid Cathy spoke little if at all. Visitors that called in the ensuing days were amused by Pauline’s muted and apparently Muslim maid, little suspecting who actually was hidden beneath the folds of black cloth. Some of the visitors were known to Cathy, friends of Catherine Lucas, and she took a strangely perverse pleasure of being introduced to them. Excited by having to serve and curtsy to ladies she knew, being directed under their gaze by her Mistress, a developing trait that did not go unnoticed by Pauline.

The evening after a particular group of ladies had visited Cathy was cleaning in the kitchen and Pauline entered and sat at the breakfast bar.

“So Cathy Lydia, Jennifer and Caroline thought your service this afternoon was impeccable, you are becoming a very good maid. I think you enjoyed serving them curtsying to them didn’t you. Of course they are your betters aren’t they Cathy, you being a housemaid and they being ladies of leisure?”

Cathy remained silent her hands in the sink at the pots she was washing.

“You may speak girl, tell me how you felt serving Mrs Lucas’s friends today?”

The feelings that Cathy had felt during the afternoon resurfaced within her and she gave a slight shudder drawing away from the sink

Pauline chuckled seeing her maid’s robes shake.

“Well, tell me Cathy serving Mrs Lucas’s friends how did you feel?”

Cathy could not divulge her true feelings the strange erotic connotations of how she felt

“I felt safe but vulnerable at the same time I cannot really explain. Within my guise and unseen I felt truly to be their servant a desire to serve them, it was not an unpleasant feeling Miss, it is my new uniform, I had the same feelings the first time I wore it at the bank.”

Pauline smiled, walked to the cooler and poured herself a juice.

“Interesting you should say that about your new uniform and how you felt Cathy. Perhaps I can find other adornments for you to enhance those feelings, would you like that Cathy?”

Cathy, her blushes hidden behind her veil spoke quietly as if sharing secret.

“Yes, Miss.”

Cathy could not have known what those adornments would be and why should she want those feelings of weakness, of hopeless servitude that she had felt to be enhanced no matter how erotic they may have been? Was Catherine Lucas eventually losing her mind?

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