Story: Florence, Lady Cranwell. Chapter 5.

By Jackie J

Having been helped aboard and seated in her coach, for the return journey from Stoneleigh to Cranwell, Lady Catherine managed to wait until she passed by the barking dogs at the gate house of Stoneleigh before she could contain herself no longer and chuckled and chortled for a good two miles before dabbing her tears of laughter from her cheeks.

The image of her bemused and contrite daughter in law curtsying aproned and dressed in a maid’s uniform meekly handing over all of her clothing then displaying the chastity belt she had been locked into and Florence’s hair, that lovely hair, hair that she had watched Florence tireless brush for hours into a glorious sheen having been unceremoniously hacked for her head. That look of desolation and desperation in Florence’s pleading eyes when she bid her good bye, it was all too much for Lady Catherine. She could not have hoped for things to have gone better.

The coach rattled along its way the journey punctuated with fits of uncontrolled giggles from its passenger. Cranwell was hers again and with the first part of her scheme in place she had work to do.

Returning to Cranwell Catherine summoned Janet.

Catherine could not help but smile when Janet appeared and curtsied in front of her, not that it was unusual for Janet to pay due deference to her but the vision and thought of her daughter in law, now Jessica the maid, performing such a roll in the household of Lady Isabelle would amuse Lady Catherine for some time.

“Janet, Lady Florence decided to travel to the Crimea to join the baggage with the other wives to see her husband Lord Cranwell. It was a spare of the moment thing, I could not dissuade her, she was quite insistent. She is taking the ferry this evening and I want you to help me pack her things into her trunks given she may be there some time.”

Janet and Catherine raided Florence’s closets and drawers packing two large trunks with everything a Lady would require whilst travelling. Janet taking extra care to fold everything neatly in place for her Mistress.

Within hours a well paid and discrete coachman appeared to collect and deliver the Trunks, not to the docks of course. With no questions asked and in the lea of an old barn two miles from Cranwell the contents of the trunks then the trunks themselves where burned to ashes which were quickly scattered by a strengthening wind.

Back in her study Catherine was busy most of the evening writing at her desk. The letters would be received and responded to within the week, one particular letter taking much longer than the rest.

Out in Crimea things were not going well in fact disastrously with little known excepting for a select few, the print detailing the full extent of what had happened still fresh and wet on the presses of the nation’s newspapers.

A blood splattered Lord Cranwell almost fell from his horse with exhaustion when he returned to camp with the three remaining hussars from his troop. The saddle master and his squad cheered the returning hero his heroic exploits had been relayed to camp before his arrival.   Held back from the main charge Lord Cranwell, with reckless disregard for his own mortality and that of his troop, had hacked and cut his way through the enemy lines to cover the retreat of his wounded comrades.

The following day when summoned to the tent of the Major General Jonathan was unsure if it would be a court martial that awaited him. Only Jonathan knew the truth behind his exploits of the previous day. Believing he had been forsaken by his wife he had cared not had he lived or died when he drew his sabre, spurred his steed and rode into the jaws of death. His beloved Florence had not replied to his last ten letters how could she have, she never received them nor had he hers. All their love filled correspondence intercepted and confiscated and in the hands of his scheming conniving mother since she had hatched her plans. The last letter he received, on the eve of his perceived heroics, which almost ended his life, a meticulously forged and cunningly contrived missive by his mother, purportedly from Florence, telling him she was tired of his absence and the tedium of life at Cranwell and had found another. That she would not be at Cranwell when he returned.

On entering the Major Generals tents the junior ranks applauded and Jonathan was lauded a hero and not the fool he had truly been. The rush of adrenalin should still have been coursing through his veins from such valour but he was morose and down hearted the loss of his love heavy on his heart and mind. How could she have been so cruel to desert him whilst away at war fighting for Queen and Country?

The Major General sensed his mood and suspected it was the decimation and loss of so many of his comrades in the charge that was haunting him. Shaking Jonathan vigorously by the hand he handed him a goblet of port.

“Bloody bad business yesterday, bloody bad business, but a jolly fine show from you, old boy, you showed them buggers, you will be rewarded for this, mark my words. The Prime Minister and I have heard the Queen herself have your name on their lips.”

This meant nothing to Jonathan compared with his recent news and politely accepted the praise before taking his leave.

Had his mother known the potential consequences of that wicked letter she had so mischievously constructed would it have been sent? Of course, not her only thoughts were those of removing Florence Collingwood from her blood line at whatever the cost.

Jonathan received a promotion within days, many of the more senior ranks having been slaughtered in the charge which was quickly passing into folk law. With the promotion came extra responsibilities which would keep him on the Crimean Peninsula for some time yet although he yearned to return home to hopefully rekindle his love with Florence.

 The second letter sent by Lady Catherine brought the visit of Lady Annabelle to Cranwell. Lady Annabelle being one of Lady Catherine’s regular guests at her afternoon tea soirees and whom had sown the seeds of Lady Florence’s demise. The letter mentioned nothing of Florence’s fate only that Lady Catherine had news she wished to share that could not be committed to the written word.

 Janet served tea and Lady Annabelle sat forward in her chair anxious and intrigued to know Catherine’s news.

“Well Catherine what is it that was so important that it could not wait or be shared in your letter?”

Catherine smiled.

“I did it, what you said, I have done it.”

Annabelle looked questioningly at Catherine a little confused at the ambiguity of her response.

“Done what Catherine?”

“What you suggested, with Florence, the maid thing?”

Annabelle tittered

“O my goodness Catherine, what did Janet say or did you send Janet away? Are you going to get her to do it again, perhaps get maid Florence to serve all of us at one of your afternoon teas?” I guess that Janet’s uniform fitted her alright, she must have looked a picture, I wish I could have seen her, I really do Catherine.”

Catherine sat back and chuckled.

“Annabelle you must not say anything of what I am about to tell you now, you promise don’t you?”

Annabelle nodded.

“Of course not, why is there more?”

Catherine sipped on her tea then told an open-mouthed Annabelle how she had taken Annabelle’s suggestion, to get Florence into a maid’s uniform so that Catherine could start to manipulate and discredit her, a step further. When Catherine told Annabelle about Stoneleigh Annabelle gasped and put down her cup genuinely shocked.

“O’ Catherine Lady Isabelle and Stoneleigh of all the places I have heard awful things I really have, you know, what women do to each other?”

Catherine laughed

“O’ Annabelle you are such a prude you really are spit it out so Lady Isabelle is a dyke so what.”

Catherine continued sharing the detail of how she had left Florence in the clutches of Lady Isabelle and her house keeper and how the Mistress of Cranwell had been prepared for service, the uniform, her hair and Annabelle nearly wet herself in disbelieve when Catherine told her about the chastity belt and the reason for it being administered and locked to Lady Florence.

When Catherine had finished Annabelle offered her cup for a refill and pondered what she had been told.

“So how did you get Florence to agree to this, she could not have known about the reputation of Lady Isabelle and you organised all this?

Catherine chuckled.

“No, I did little apart from sow the seeds, it was Florence who took things forward. She applied for the trainee position for herself under an assumed name like I said. Lady Florence wrote the letter of introduction requesting that Jessica, that’s the name I gave her to use by the way, be accepted for a trainee maid position that was available at Stoneleigh. Florence completed an application form in the assumed name then I went with her to Stoneleigh to commence her training. No doubt Florence thought it would be two weeks of playing at being a maid but I knew the training would be anything but playing, which Florence already now knows from how she was treated on her arrival and it would not be for two weeks but for a month.”

Annabelle sipped on her tea listening intently no less amused than Lady Catherine.

“But what will happen after the months training is completed?”

Catherine smiled.

“Well when the training is over and Lady Isabelle is satisfied that Jessica is a competent maid, which I have every confidence will be achieved, that after all was the main condition of the agreement that Lady Florence insisted on, Lady Isabelle will write to Lady Florence asking her to collect her trained maid and settle the costs incurred in Jessica’s training.”

Annabelle frowned trying to reconcile the obvious conundrum.

“It seems your scheme is flawed Catherine, I do not see how that can be, if Jessica is actually Florence how can Lady Florence possibly be contacted by Lady Isabelle to agree to collect her maid, which is actually herself and then settle the account.”

 Catherine smirked and chuckled.

“Yes, Annabelle exactly the only way would be that Florence would have to admit to who she is but we both know the reputation of Lady Isabelle she will be beyond furious at being taken for a fool and the outcome, if she actually chooses to believe that Jessica is in truth Lady Florence, will be quite interesting. Especially given that Jessica will be a trained and no doubt obedient maid by this time. Perhaps having the once mistress of Cranwell, Lady Florence, secreted away at Stoneleigh to serve her needs may appeal to her? In fact, I am counting on it. Once Lady Isabelle turns her pretty maid Jessica and why wouldn’t she entice her into her harem then my problems with Lady Florence will be over for good. 

Annabelle could not help but be shocked by what she had been told of the implementation of Catherine’s wicked scheme for her daughter in law and it showed in expression.

Catherine laughed.

“What, why are you looking at me like that, it was your idea to have Lady Florence aproned a way for my Jonathan to remarry into a noble blood line instead of that commoner, Florence Collingwood, such a common name.”

“Anyway, it is done and I have already written to Lady Downton explaining Florence is no longer at Cranwell, the poor girl was heartbroken when that little witch stole Jonathan away for her. You agreed with me that Lady Mary is the perfect match for Jonathan and she will be visiting with me next week. I intend to go with Mary to the Crimea to see Jonathan for I am sure he is quite confused that his wife deserted him and Mary will be able to offer him some comfort. Hopefully he will see sense that it was a mistake to marry beneath his station and he and Mary can eventually become the Lord and Lady Cranwell that this house deserves.”

Annabelle listened to Catherine watching her eyes begin to bulge in a kind of madness which it surely was being possessed with her obsession.

“Catherine what have you done, what have you told Jonathan?”

“It doesn’t matter he knows his wife is gone she told him she was leaving him, look Annabelle it was your idea so don’t be so precious now. It is what we both wanted Florence out of the way and Jonathan free to marry again, we have talked about it many times this is the perfect solution and you are just as complicit in this as I am so don’t sit there and judge me.”

Annabelle felt uncomfortable at Catherine’s suggested insinuation that she was somehow responsible but it was true they had considered the demise of Lady Florence many times and it was her idea to have Lady Florence aproned that had spawned Catherine’s plot.

“Catherine what you have done, what you are doing will go no further you can trust me on that it’s just, well it’s just I didn’t think you would take things this far that’s all and so quickly.” 

Catherine poured the remaining tea into their cups and smiled.

“So, will you help me Annabelle?”

Annabelle picked up her cup and took a sip.

“Of course, I will help you Catherine, the ends justify the means I guess and I never liked that girl as you know, what was her name again? Jessica, I think you said.”

Both ladies chuckled at Lady Annabelle’s presumption that all that would soon remain of Lady Florence, the Mistress of Cranwell would be a maid, maid called Jessica.

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