by Jackie J
Lying in her bed, in the solitude of her room, Cathy stared at her new uniform hung on the closet door reflecting on her situation. When wearing the abaya and niqab she could move anonymously wherever she wished, couldn’t she? The charade of being a maid really no longer was relevant, was it? She could just stay back in her own home. Pauline could continue to cover for her at the social events and if she needed to leave her home, why she could just don the Islamic dress no one would be the wiser.
Cathy smiled to herself, she would discuss her plan with Pauline in the morning, her days of scrubbing and serving would be over, wouldn’t they? Pauline would understand, wouldn’t she?
The following morning, with her idea that had crystallised the night before fresh in her mind, Cathy slipped into her uniform and with spring in her step entered the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
With everything prepared and laid out on the dining room table Pauline entered and smiled watching her maid pulling back a chair for her to sit.
“Thank you, Cathy.”
Unseen, Cathy was smiling beneath her veil and would wait until her mistress finished her breakfast before mentioning her plan.
The plates removed and Pauline taking another fill of coffee Cathy stood back from the table.
“Miss I have something to discuss with you. May I speak freely? I mean like we would before I became your maid?”
Pauline was intrigued.
“Well remove your veil, Cathy. What is it?”
Pauline listened whilst Cathy relayed her plan to Pauline who sat expressionless hearing Cathy out before speaking.
“Well, very interesting, Cathy. Now tell me this, what if after a couple of days, weeks, I would have done the same, reneged on our agreement, left you like Jackie did, exposing you to your worst fears? I have reluctantly, and against my better judgement followed your instructions to treat you like a common maid, not an easy task for me, having to treat my rich neighbour like a lowly maid. The situation with the bank and your car awkward very awkward but I did it for you nonetheless. Have I once complained having to do all this for you, attending all the social functions covering for you? And who provided your new uniform? Yes me, me your Mistress. Now you want to cut and run, turn your back on all I have done for you, do you think that is right?
Listening to Pauline, the way she spun things, Cathy’s shoulders slumped, she had asked Pauline to be her Mistress hadn’t she and to be treated like a common maid? Pauline had done everything that had been asked of her and sheltered Cathy when Jackie vanished without a word.
Pauline could see the change in demeanour of her maid and continued.
“The agreement we have, the agreement you signed remember, to protect us both from going back on our word is that I will remain your Mistress and you my maid to forget Catherine Lucas until your face is healed and your hair grows back, is that not right? Your face is still a mess and your hair is only just showing some odd tufts so I do not see that how our agreement is concluded, do you Cathy?”
Cathy just looked at Pauline, Pauline was right, they had an agreement and the conditions of that agreement had not been met but surely Pauline would release her from her obligations? This could not continue indefinitely. Pauline was her friend, wasn’t she?
“But like I explained, Miss, with the cover of the abaya and niqab I would be fine. And yes you would still have to cover for me at the social engagements but you would not be burdened by having to treat me like a common maid. We could go back to how we were. Like you say it is not easy for you.”
Pauline stood picked, up the niqab and handed it back to Cathy.
“Cathy, I will think about what you have said but you being my maid is, well, sort of payment for what I am doing for you, isn’t it? I doubt you would want me to broadcast what you and Jackie got up to? That reminds me there is something I need to speak to you about. You naughty minx, I have heard you in your room, now put this back on and I will hear no more of this nonsense. I am your Mistress and you are my maid and just like you wanted, not me you, we must both forget about Mrs Lucas.”
Cathy, standing with her niqab in hand, looked a little sorrowful at Pauline with her plan to return to a level of normality having been dismissed, slipped it back over her bald scalp and curtsied.
“Yes Miss”
Being reminded by Pauline of her debauchery with Jackie her maid, her Mistress, made Cathy feel a little queasy. Pauline had not mentioned this before, but now she had, would her Mistress be seeking to use her like Jackie had? Out into the hallway returning to the kitchen the queasiness faded to be replaced by a tingle of repressed desires feeling warmth in her loins and a realisation these were the same feelings she had whilst serving the friends of Catherine Lucas the previous day. Hidden behind her veil and swathed in her abaya those feelings of vulnerability and the helpless weakness of having willingly allowed herself to be transformed from one who would dine with them, a lady of leisure, to being their humble servant a Mistress's maid.
It was late in the morning with Cathy preparing lunch when Camille arrived. Camille silently chuckled being shown into the study by Pauline’s veiled maid.
“Pauline what are you doing to that poor woman, that get up was just for the bank visit, wasn’t it? Anyway here is the stuff you asked for.”
Pauline swivelled around in her chair, stood, walked to Camille and gave her a lingering hug letting her hands drift down onto Camille’s tight ass.
“Yes that’s right it was, just for the bank but I cannot get her out of those robes, it’s her new uniform now and she genuinely likes it. I had some of her friends over for lunch yesterday and she revelled in fawning around them.
Both giggled and Pauline poured two glasses of wine before asking about Miss Jacqueline Frobisher.
“So, Camille, how is your maid settling in?”
Camille chuckled.
“Very well. Simon just loves it, and I mean that literally, she is still quite clumsy and forgetful but it wouldn’t be Jackie if she wasn’t, would it?”
Pauline laughed and turned her attention to the bag Camille had brought with her
“So, Camille, let’s see what you have brought me. I hope the guy at the store didn’t think it was for you?”
Camille chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
“Mmmm I hope not! It was quite embarrassing. He did keep looking me up and down all the time, places like that are always a bit seedy, give me the creeps.”
Camille emptied the contents of the bag she had brought with her onto the desk and accompanied by chuckles and giggles each item was checked over before being placed back in the bag.
Camille put the bag by Pauline’s desk and smiled.
“Someone’s in for a treat?”
Pauline smirked.
“We will see.”
Camille took lunch with her friend and then left, leaving Pauline in her study pawing through the latest holiday villa brochures.
Cathy, now happy to venture outside hidden by her garb, was at the front of the house cleaning the downstairs windows when she scurried back inside to find her Mistress in her study.
“Well, what is it, girl? And do not waste your words.”
It had taken some time but Cathy, through punishment, her own escape into anonymity and a wish to please her Mistress found the referral to herself, who she was, in the third person, now second nature. The portrait hung in the hallway by the mirror, the contrasting images that stared back at Maid Cathy insidiously reinforcing the divergence of the two personas, the elegant lady and the veiled maid.
“Miss, a car... It is Mrs Lucas’s husband Michael. He is returned from his business trip.”
Pauline placed her pen down on the desk and her fingers toyed around the edges of her strap.
“That is no concern of yours, Cathy. Return to cleaning the windows. I will no doubt speak with Mr Lucas in due course.”
Cathy’s eyes drawn to the fondled strap knew better than to question her Mistress and returned to her bucket and cloth outside at the front of the house.
Taking care to clean the corners of the large panes of glass Catherine’s mind was in turmoil surely her time of being a maid, being Cathy, would be over now with Michael's return. How was she going to explain what had happened to her, becoming the maid of her neighbour, her disfigurement and now, dressed like she was cloaked and veiled, and what about her own maid Jackie disappearing like she did? Cathy’s conflicting turbulent mind needn’t have worried: no explanations would be necessary, no explanation would be sought, and her days of being her neighbour's maid over!
Seeing Michael walking down the avenue approaching the drive Cathy was in a state of panic and, stood on the short steps, turned back to face the windows she couldn’t be seen like this she couldn’t.
Michael entered the driveway and called out in a gruff manner.
“You there... The owner of the house, is she here?”
Cathy ignored him at first and just kept on rubbing.
“I say you there, girl, the owner of the house, is she here?”
Cathy did not know what to do and just pointed to the door.
Michael walking not more than ten feet from his wife smirked at the figure wrapped in her concealing robes and rang the bell.
Pauline opened the door and glanced across at her obviously quaking maid.
“Michael, please come in back from your trip I see.”
Pauline purposely showed Michael into the lounge and stood with her back to the windows, the windows which were being cleaned by Cathy, Catherine Lucas, his wife.
“Pauline, I see that Catherine is back. She must be out in her car, it’s not in the driveway, do you know where she is?”
Pauline smiled noticing that a distracted Michael was now looking beyond her and staring directly at Cathy.
“That’s Fatima by the way, Michael, my new maid but I call her Cathy, No disrespect to your wife of course it’s just easier, only a little grasp of the language but a good worker. In fact it was your maid Jackie that organised everything, delivered the woman to me, without Jackie I am sure I would never even have thought of having a maid and certainly not this one”.
Pauline put on a more concerned expression.
“But in answer to your question no, I saw Catherine the other day when she returned, she looked fine and asked me to hold onto the key. She put a number of cases in her car and drove off, but actually where she was going I don’t know!”
Michael averted his gaze from the veiled woman cleaning the windows.
“I have tried her cell but no answer, probably doesn’t know I am back. No matter, Pauline. She will get in touch when she is ready, I guess.”
Michael was not too concerned about his wife but Jacqueline Frobisher he had to find out what had happened to her?
“You mentioned Jackie, our maid? I don’t suppose you have seen anything of her have you?”
Pauline looked straight into Michael’s eyes
“No, cannot help you there either, Michael. Like I said she delivered this maid to me and I have not seen her since.”
Michael shrugged his shoulders.
“Well, I am going back to the office now. Perhaps Catherine will be home when I return this evening I can find out what’s been going on.”
Pauline showed Michael to the door.
“Michael, look if Catherine is not back later why don’t you join me for dinner save you eating alone?”
Michael turned.
“Sure, I may take you up on that.”
With Michael having left, Cathy made her way inside and into the study to see her Mistress surely with Michael back this changed everything, how wrong could she be.
Cathy in a bit of a flap curtsied.
“Miss, with Michael being back, he will want to know where I am. What will I do?”
Pauline turned and smirked.
“Ask about you my maid? You will do nothing, Cathy, Mr Lucas will not ask about you why would he? He will not ask about his wife Mrs Lucas, because I have told him she was away. Mr Lucas walked past you, ignored you just like Mrs Lucas’s friends the other day. Be calm, girl. You are just a maid, your mistress will make sure you are not discovered how you are. The only way anyone would know your identity would be if you spoke. Mr Lucas will get to know everything but all in good time you must trust your Mistress, Cathy.”
“Now did it not excite you like it did with Mrs Lucas’s friends, your own husband not knowing who you were hidden away behind your veil?”
Cathy could not reveal how she truly felt about Mrs Lucas’s friends her desires and seeing Michael certainly did not make her emotions flow in the same way.
“Yes a little, it was strange and you're right he ignored me.”
Pauline smiled and turned her chair to face Cathy, time to reinforce Cathy’s dependence on her Mistress's discretion.
“That’s right, Cathy. No one knows who you are, not even Mr Lucas. Now come closer dear I want to discuss what you and Jackie did to each other before she left you in my hands.”
Cathy trembled and slowly walked towards her Mistress.
Control and resulting dependence in its many forms within this story is very well described, the addition in this chapter of Cathy questioning Pauline about need to continue in 'roles' and the powerful put downs given in response added to the story for me greatly.
ReplyDeleteInitial loss/giving up control, submitting to another's power both can put even the most strong person on a downward spiral, the psychology of this phenomenon is most intriguing.
The story of Catherine Lucas, is a story that just keeps giving.
betsy
Hi just want to know when this story is going to continue. It's such an exiting story.
ReplyDeletethank you
I agree with Bethany, it’s a very exciting story with so many possible scenarios. What’s to become of Cathy, Jackie and then there’s the question of Michael. I know someone’s gotta turn him into a pretty little maid.
ReplyDeletePlease Jackie j we need more of your wonderful story.