Story: The Secret Slave. Part 3.

by SW

The carriage door had hardly closed behind Sophia when the two young ladies broke into giggles and laughter and after wiping away tears of mirth from her cheeks Elizabeth said, “Sophia my dear, what a display.  You were simply wonderful!” and mimicking Sophia's slave voice she continued, “'I wonder if Mistiss F'licity would let me say goodbye to her gals Mistiss,'  What an actress you are, you would be on the stage if it were a respectable profession.”

Sophia laughed again and almost admitted to her friend that she had genuinely wanted to say goodbye to the Morgan slaves but she checked herself and smiled in return.  She reasoned that it might be circumspect to preserve some of her thoughts and feelings regarding the adventure.  On their way to the railroad station Elizabeth stopped the carriage and took a short stroll.  Wisely, she had hired a closed landau and Sophia pulled the blinds and changed from the maid's uniform into a fine silk dress that Elizabeth had brought for her in a valise.  When Elizabeth returned and the carriage resumed Sophia felt much more like the aristocratic and cultivated young lady that she truly was.  

The drive to the railroad station took little more than a few minutes and the expression of bewilderment upon the driver's countenance when Sophia alighted from the landau caused more mirth; he had collected a mistress and maid and yet it was two elegant ladies who got out for their train.  The railway carriage being busy with passengers, there was little opportunity there for Sophia to discuss her experience and when, at last, they arrived at Elizabeth's home Sophia's excitement had subdued sufficiently that when she did begin to talk it was more a measured account than it might otherwise have been.

Elizabeth was 'all ears' to hear about the torture that her friend had just endured and Sophia gave an amusing and enlightening summary of events.  However, certain principal incidents were omitted from Sophia's narrative: the distressing assault by the dreadful Johnstone man, that she had shared a bed for a while with a housemaid, and too, that she had received a kiss on the lips from the same girl.  Elizabeth gave Sophia every sympathy for her humiliations and for the drudgery and tasks she had been made to perform.  She frequently interjected with exclamations and when she was told how Sophia had been wrongly accused at breakfast and had been humiliated before the guests, Elizabeth said vehemently, “Oh! How awful my dear!”  But Sophia countered, “Is that not how you and I treat our slaves?”  

Elizabeth replied, “Of course, but that is what they expect and what they are used to - it's not at all the same for you Sophia.  You are not one of them and you can not expect them to feel as you do.”  Sophia, nodded her agreement, but all the same, she knew that the slaves did indeed feel these injustices and slights and, in her new way of seeing things, just because slaves might be used to them did not mean that they were not wrong.

Just before dining, Elizabeth took out three dollar bills and a half dollar coin and offered them to Sophia but she declined firmly saying, “It was your idea, and anyway dear Elizabeth, I should feel the experience reduced if I accepted the earnings for it.” Elizabeth protested but Sophia would not concede and laughing she said, “If you wish, you might buy me a copper necklace and ear-rings with the half dollar.”  Elizabeth rejoined, “Very well, I shall, since it seems that you served well and behaved as a good slave should.”  Both giggled and went through to an excellent dinner and, soon after, Sophia excused herself and retired early to Elizabeth's sumptuous guest bed-chamber as she was so very tired.

The following day, Sophia returned to her River View plantation but not before making plans with Elizabeth for a shopping trip together in early August.  Sophia was very pleased to be home in her accustomed luxury and she felt almost as if she had been away for a month not a few days.  She wrote down a very full account of her time at the Morgan place and took care to lock it away safely.  During quiet times in the days after her return she often found herself replaying the recollections of her short time there.  At night though, she was troubled by disturbing dreams: dreams of Johnstone forcing himself upon her and dragging her to a room for sinful ill-use, of Milly's gentle caress in a slave pallet-bed and that proceeding to a very intimate exploration and, a very bad nightmare, where she had displeased Felicity Morgan and received a flogging from her in the presence of Mr Morgan and the other slaves.  

When she awoke from these horrors she called on her girl Sally - who's little room adjoined to her own and with which there was a communicating door to her own chamber.  Her maid would go to the kitchen and fetch milk for the mistress and rub her back until she fell asleep and Sally wondered, in silence, why her mistress seemed troubled at night for it was quite unusual for her to have nightmares.  Distressing though these dreams were, Sophia could not deny that when she woke from them she found herself considerably aroused.  It was clear that her brief period of servitude had produced a profound change in her and she tried in vain to make sense of it.  Sally wondered not only about the nightmares, but also why her mistress had become noticeably softer and more tolerant with her and had not threatened any beatings with the crop.  Indeed, when serving in private, Mistress Sophia had now started to thank her for her services - something that had, hitherto, been unthinkable.

Two weeks elapsed before Elizabeth and Sophia met again; this time, when Elizabeth visited River View.  Sophia's parents took tea in the warm and sunny garden with their daughter and guest but rose to leave as soon as the two attending slaves had taken the empty cups and cake plates away.  Elizabeth had always got along very well with Sophia's parents and they very much approved of their daughter's friend - they considered Elizabeth to be a very sensible, beautiful and sophisticated young lady.  As Sophia's mother was about to leave she said to Elizabeth,  “My dear, do see that Sophia does not remove her bonnet,” and she chuckled, “I leave you fully in charge of her.  I declare, I am quite sick and tired of chiding my daughter for allowing herself to become so dark this summer.  Why! Put her in a uniform and she might be mistaken as a nigra housemaid!”  Elizabeth and Madame Solano laughed loudly but Sophia shrank a little and blushed deeply.  “Oh Ma-ma!” She complained, “Do stop embarrassing me so.”

Again the two other women laughed, as did Sophia's father.  Then Elizabeth said, “You can be assured that I will see that your girl adheres to our orders and if she disobeys I will give her cause to regret it.”  Sophia blushed yet more and flashed a dark and disapproving look to her friend; but her sex tingled deliciously.  Later, left to themselves at the table, Elizabeth said, “My dear Sophia, I am so dreadfully sorry but I must cancel our shopping trip to Savannah.  You see, I am invited to visit my cousin Caroline at her plantation near Augusta and I have not seen her for several years.  I simply must go.”

“No!” Sophia exclaimed, “You can't leave me here with nothing to do.  All of my friends, apart from you, have for weeks on end, gone to the coast for cool air.  There are no balls until September.  What am I to do!”  Sophia looked down at her hands and mumbled, “How long shall you be gone for?” and Elizabeth rejoined, “Two weeks.”

“Oh really Elizabeth, this is awful,” replied Sophia, almost angrily and added, “I shall simply die with boredom.”

Elizabeth chuckled and said, “I'm afraid that the invitation extends only to me and not to a friend too, otherwise I would take you dear Sophia.”  Then her expression transformed into a wide grin and she said, “Of course, you could come if you wish!  Caroline is expecting me to bring a maid for my hair,” and she laughed loudly.

Sophia looked quickly at her friend and tried to read her countenance.  Sophia remained silent, but curiously, so did Elizabeth.  At last, Sophia said, “Are you quite serious?” and Elizabeth said guardedly, “Well, whatever else, you certainly wouldn't have time to be bored.”

Sophia squirmed in her garden seat.  The possibility that she could again experience slave life caused a jolt through her lower abdomen and then her breasts tingled.  She felt a warmth spread across her chest and downwards whilst the sensation in her loins spread up to meet it.  Without the slightest hesitation or thought she said, “Very well, I shall go as your personal maid.”

The arrangements were soon made up.  Sophia asked her parents that she might be away for three weeks to visit Elizabeth's wealthy and respectable relatives at their Georgia plantation.  Her father was, at first, against the idea but Sophia worked hard upon his good nature and - being an only child - she almost always got her way with him in time.  Her mother was more agreeable to the suggestion and, trusting that Elizabeth would chaperone her daughter carefully, she too helped to bring Sophia's father to agree to the visit away; she had said, “After all, she might meet a suitable young planter there and it is high time your daughter was betrothed.”

Mr Solano at last relented and Sophia bid farewell to her parents on the first day of August.  The first three days of her sojourn were spent in relative seclusion at Elizabeth's house.  Elizabeth instructed her slaves to stay clear from the garden and Sophia found a private spot there to brown herself in the sun.  The two friends agreed it prudent for Sophia to darken more than for the Morgan's; she would be a slave for almost a fortnight and her skin would begin to lighten by the second week.  It was decided that Elizabeth would describe Sophia's heritage as 'Quadroon'.  Elizabeth made a trip to town to purchase another serving uniform and three homespun work dresses for Sophia together with turbans, mop bonnets, aprons and shoes - of work and serving varieties.  The two young ladies took much amusement from the fact that the total cost of these items came to something like three dollars.

The day before their departure, Elizabeth's slaves were collected, by previous arrangement, by two gentlemen who had hired them for the duration of Elizabeth's visit away.  Early the following morning, for they had to be at St George's railroad station before ten, the two young women left Elizabeth's house for a second time as mistress and maid and commenced upon their new adventure together.  Elizabeth maintained an air of calm for Sophia's benefit but she had some inner anxieties about the trip.  She had not met the slightly older Caroline for many years but remembered her as a head-strong girl with a fiery temperament.  She warned Sophia, gently, that she should do her very best not to attract Caroline's wrath and certainly not let her disguise slip, not with anyone.  Of course, Sophia was greatly exercised by the prospect of almost two weeks of service - it would seem like true bondage and be extremely testing but she assured Elizabeth that she would take care not to embarrass either of them with any importune deed by word or action.

Their train arrived in Hamburg Station at four o'clock where a 'Cypress Hill' carriage awaited them.  The liveried coachman approached them and respectfully asked Elizabeth if she might be 'Miss Deveraux' and taking the valises from Sophia, he showed them to an open carriage and the two fell fully into their respective roles.  On the way to the plantation Elizabeth said, “Here Sophie, wear these for your visit, I want Miss Caroline to see that you are afforded nice things by your Mistress. You may put them on now.”  Sophia let down the parasol that she had been holding above Elizabeth's head and took the copper necklace and ear-rings that had been handed to her.  She put them on saying, “Oh, thank you Mistiss.  They are so very lovely.” and both smiled for of course, at home Sophia was accustomed to wearing gold.

They arrived at the gates to the plantation somewhere around half past five after a journey through pleasant countryside.  The house was large and imposing and the drive that led to it was a broad avenue of well established magnolias draped in ethereal wreaths of Spanish moss.  It was clearly a wealthy concern and as they neared the house Sophia saw that it was even bigger than her own home.  The carriage stopped in front of the wide veranda and a slave girl appeared from the doors and, clasping her dress, she hurried down to meet them and open the carriage door.  When Elizabeth had alighted the girl curtseyed and said, “Welcome to 'Cypress Hill' Missus! I kin take yo' bags Ma'am.”  

Elizabeth replied, “That's alright, my girl can manage,” and turning to Sophia who was  closing the carriage door she ordered, “Come along with the bags Sophie, let's not keep our hosts waiting,” but the girl countered, “Pahdon me Missus but yo' gal ain' 'llowed up the porch Ma'am, she has ter go 'roun' the side of the house.  I kin take the bags,” and she took them quickly from Sophie and followed Elizabeth up the wide and white steps to the veranda where Caroline Cranstone now stood smiling and waiting.

Slightly bemused, Sophia made her lonely way to the back of the house when a slave girl came to meet her and called, “This way gal, an' hurry.”  Whilst Elizabeth embraced Caroline and was taken immediately within to the large withdrawing room, Sophia was hurried along into the kitchen and was met by a severe looking slave woman of about thirty years of age who said.  “Alrigh' gal, bes' if yo' sit heah until yo's called.  Mistiss will likely be wantin' ter see yo' aftah Rosa has taken in the tea.”

Sophia nodded and sat at the kitchen table, her heart raced and she wondered what sort of treatment and work she might expect for the next two weeks.  The housekeeper said, “I'm Jane but yo'll have ter call me Miss Jane, yo' heah?” Sophia nodded and said, “Yes Miss Jane and I am Sophie,” and thought it odd that she should be required to accord a slave with the honor 'Miss'.  The housekeeper placed a wooden bowl filled with tea in front of Sophia and told her to drink it up quickly and as she took her last gulp the kitchen door opened and the slave who had met their carriage came in and said, “Mistiss Caroline wan's the tea brought in and yo's ter help me gal.”

Sophia nodded and stood up and she was surprised to be put to work so quickly. The housekeeper handed her an ornate silver tray bearing plates and a dish with biscuits and told her to follow Rosa who was already exiting the kitchen with a tray of tea things given to her by the girl who had fetched Sophia from the side of the house.  As Rosa led Sophie across the immaculately polished parquet floor of the finely furnished and beautifully dressed hallway she whispered, “Jes' watch me gal an' do like I does, I serve the tea then you move straight away aftah me wid them cookies.”  A moment later Rosa placed her tray on a small hall table by a large door and swung the door open, then she collected her tray and entered.  

Sophia followed her in and when Rosa had closed the door both girls curtseyed deeply.  The room was magnificent, large and sparkling.  The furnishings were of the finest quality and were beautifully lustered from years of polishing.  Arranged around the chamber were large and exotic plants rising out of very fine china floor pots and vases.  The room boasted several heavy oak armchairs - four of which formed a semi-circle, and a chaise longue; all upholstered in fine red leather.  It was immediately apparent that the Cranstone family enjoyed great wealth.  

The two white ladies were seated and engaged deep in conversation when the girls entered and Rosa had stepped quickly to a side table where she began to pour tea.  Sophia stood near her, awaiting instructions but neither of the Mistresses paid the slaves any attention and so she took a moment to observe Elizabeth's cousin.  Though seated, Sophie could see that she was a beautifully attired and elegant young lady with an excellent figure and Elizabeth had already told Sophia that she was two and twenty years in age.  She was remarkably pretty with long golden hair in nicely curled tresses falling almost to her shoulders and she was made up with rouge and powder but not so much as to appear vulgar.  Her countenance gave no indication as to whether she was of a severe or kindly disposition and, in that regard, Sophie found her inscrutable.

Rosa stepped around behind the half circle of chairs - the middle two of which were occupied by the ladies - and Sophia followed.  The Cranstone house-slave served Elizabeth from the tray and after she had added cream on Elizabeth's instruction she curtseyed deeply and moved to her owner.  Sophia presented her tray to Elizabeth, from which she took a plate and a cookie and Sophia curtseyed in similar fashion.  This performance was repeated for the lady host except that Sophia's proffering of the biscuit tray was brushed away with a wave of the hand.  

The Mistress Caroline had not once let her gaze fall upon either girl and Sophie moved to join Rosa by the table and they set down their trays.  After some time standing to attention and listening to the ladies discourse upon Elizabeth's journey, the health of mutual relatives and some other talk of little import, Caroline Cranstone suddenly turned to the slaves and said,  “That will be all Rosa, take Miss Elizabeth's bags up, but you girl, come stand before me.”  Sophia's heart beat faster again and she dipped and obeyed while Rosa quietly exited the room.

Sophia stood anxiously with her head raised but eyes lowered and her hands clasped behind her bottom and she was kept waiting for some time before Caroline Cranstone said, “Well girl, for the next two weeks you are, to all intents and purposes, a Cranstone slave - that means you will behave as mine do while you are here.  Do you understand?”

Sophia nodded and replied, “Yes Ma'am.”

“Then if you understand that you are a slave of this house why do you address me as Ma'am and not as your Mistress?”  

Sophia grew more nervous and replied, “I wasn't sure to call you 'Mistress' because my own Mistress is present Ma'am.”  Caroline Cranstone sighed and turned to Elizabeth, “She will, of course, answer to you first Elizabeth but she is, from now, also a slave of this house and unless she receives conflicting orders she will do as the house requires of her.”  

Elizabeth replied, slightly discomfited thought Sophia, “Why of course, Caroline, I shall use her for attending to my hair and toilette but in every other regard she is here to serve as you require of her.  Sophie, you will address Mistress Caroline as you would me.”

Before Sophia could answer Mistress Caroline smiled and said, “Very good,” and she turned back to Sophia, “You may look at my face.”  Sophia obeyed.  “That settles it then girl, you have two mistresses while you are here.  Understood?”  Sophia looked Mistress Caroline directly in the eyes and replied, “Yes Mistress.”

“Aha, we have a girl with airs do we?  You will address me as 'Mistiss'.  I do not favor house slaves who hold themselves with pretensions.  You look like a quadroon but I shall tell you here and now girl; whether the blackest wench of full African lineage or the lightest yellow octoroon, you are all the same to me.  I make no differentiation or allowance, you are all just slaves and in this house you will speak like one and not some damned white maid on holidays with her employer from New York,” then, her voice rising she said, “Is that clear?”

Sophia was by now very anxious and she replied “Yes Mistiss,” but in her nervous state she again neglected to curtsey.  Caroline Cranstone shouted, “Damn you girl! Curtsey! What kind of behavior is this? Really. Elizabeth!”

Sophia immediately dropped a very low curtsey and said, “Ise sorry Mistiss!” Elizabeth came to her aid saying, “Oh Caroline, my girl seems timid and nervous, it is, I suppose, a trying moment for a slave to meet for the first time those they shall serve.  I assure you, she is a good girl at home and I know she will serve well here.  She is very obedient and respectful by nature.” She turned to Sophia, “Are you a little frightened girl?” and in reply Sophia nodded in silence like a child.

Her cousin responded, “Very well, I shall give her some allowance for now but she must sharpen up and fast, we have high standards here and I don't tolerate any slackness or fault from our nigras.”  Elizabeth returned, “Leave it to me, I shall have words with her later and make sure that she understands what is expected from her.”

“Very well,” said Mistress Caroline and she dismissed 'Sophie' with an order to clear the tea things and a wave of the hand towards the drawing room door.

As she closed the door, Sophia wondered just what sort of a woman Mistress Caroline would prove to be; she was highly nervous when she returned to the kitchen and hoped that the awful introduction had been merely to make a firm first impression and to frighten her into submission.  As soon as she set down the tray 'Miss Jane' said, “Foller me gal, I has ter git yo' changed, dis way.”

Sophia was led through a dingy rear corridor to the house-slave quarters adjoining the back of the building and there she was ushered into a small bedroom.  Jane said, “I dunno if yo's is ter sleep heah or next to yo' Missus upstairs but I have ter wash an' dress yo' to the house rules.” She told Sophia to 'shuck down' her dress and seeing the hair shading Sophia's sex she rumpled her face in displeasure.  “Oh, we need ter git that off, kin yo' do it or must I gal?”  Sophia stood in shame and said that she could do it.  Jane disappeared for a moment and came back with a bucket of water, lard soap and a razor and said, “Don' take long.”

Sophia, awkwardly removed her pubic hair though presently, when Jane returned, she expressed dissatisfaction at her efforts and quickly finished the job - much to Sophia's mortification at this attention to her intimate parts.  That done, she quickly drew a wet towel over Sophia's face and body and then dried her with a rough towel and opened a chest of drawers.  From it she produced what looked like two white cotton rags, one large and one small.  Sophia was then told to face away from the housekeeper and a moment later she felt what she thought was string pulled tightly around her waist and tied at the back, then some scanty triangle of cotton covering was drawn over her sex and between her legs, which 'Miss Jane' had patted apart, and that pulled tightly between her buttocks and fixed to whatever tight band encircled her waist.  She looked down to examine the strange garment that had been affixed in place over her mound of Venus but she was told to stand straight.  She felt a length of cotton placed over her breasts and twisted into thin straps at her sides and drawn very tightly across her back - it was a plain white bandeau.

Jane turned Sophia by the shoulders and spread the material out to cover the lower and mid portions of her breasts to just above the nipples.  Sophia was very surprised to be given such strange under-clothing and her amazement increased when Miss Jane next produced a pink ribbon which she tied tightly round the middle front of the bandeau with a dainty butterfly bow thereby drawing the material to a narrow strip at the central point between her breasts.

Sophia looked down at herself in astonishment and said.  “Oh Miss Jane, this is very strange under clothing, and why do I wear a pink ribbon?”  The housekeeper replied matter-of-factly, “Missus's orders for all gals.  She has her reasons - iffin yo's lucky yo' won' find out why, but mos' likely yo' goin' ter find out soon enough,” and after quickly smoothing and adjusting her handiwork she ordered, “Put yo' dress on gal, yo'll be servin' soon.  Won' be long befo' yo' Mistiss's come down from changin' fo' dinnah.”

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