Story: Florence, Lady Cranwell. Chapter 6.

By Jackie J

The first three days of Jessica’s introduction to the life of a maid were brutal and took a heavy toll on her both physically and mentally. Constantly tired every slender weak muscle in her body ached, her joints burned and her reddened knees, chaffed knuckles and blistered palms that would soon harden into calices, bearing testament to her gruelling toil. Gruelling toil for a lady of leisure who had not lifted a finger of domestic work since her early teens, but for a trained and accomplished maid like Cathy just the normal daily routine. 

The brasses that hung in splendid decoration, that Florence had previously admired, now a burden of work. The gleaming floors she had trod during her initial tour of Stoneleigh now swept, scrubbed and mopped clean by her own delicate hands. Jessica’s only refuge being the hard bunk that she collapsed tearfully into each evening. Brushing, scrubbing, mopping, dusting, polishing, this apron, that apron, standing, curtsying Jess, her name now shortened, looked wearily at Lizzy her evening meal slopped onto her offered plate.

Sat with the other maids on the long wooden table Jess sighed and spooned her food. If there was a saving grace to her wretched existence, that she had so foolishly sought, it was Lizzy’s food. Lady Florence ate like a bird but now, here at Stoneleigh, Jess the trainee maid scooped the cooks stew with gusto. 

Jess had not seen much of Lady Isabelle since her arrival excepting when she stood to watch Cathy serving her Ladyships meals. The gleaming silver cutlery, fine china and glistening cut glass adorning the table in readiness to receive Cathy’s expert service. Watching Cathy at work Jess could not help but think of herself sat serene at such a table with her maid Janet in attendance, how she longed for the tedium of Cranwell now.

 Miss Hutchings however was a constant surveyor of her progress. Cathy, her mentor, was demanding but not cruel and Jess soon realised that the maid she had been put with, to learn the duties of a maid, was only trying to help her.

Jess’s plate clean, the maids around her giggled when Maud brought Jess a second helping and two extra cobs of bread. Peggy, the upstairs maid, started grunting mimicking a pig and all at the table laughed Jess offering a weary forced smile.

Cathy jumped to her trainee’s defence.

“Hey stop that we have all been trainees here once, Jess is doing fine and I do not see any of you turning your noses up at Lizzy’s cooking.”

Peggy shrugged her shoulders, she was perhaps the more corpulent of the maids at Stoneleigh and in comparison, Jess was but a waif, and looked across at Jess.

“Sorry Jess no harm just a bit of fun, sorry.”

How strange, less than a week ago Lady Florence in her finery would not have even know of these girls’ life’s existence let alone be sat here on a bare wooden bench at a shared table scoffing gruel from tin plate with them.

Jess, her eyes heavy, hutched along the bench making room when Lizzy and Maud who joined the maids at the table bringing mugs of grog. Jess found it hard to understand how cheerful they all were after the days toil. She ached and was sore and desired only to lie in her bunk.

Another day followed another day and another and another and another and another. Bees wax in one hand rag in the other Jess was polishing furniture in the main hall and stretched for comfort her back aching. Cathy looked across at her and smiled it was obvious to Cathy that her trainee had not been used to such work. Back in the store room Cathy saw Jess showing discomfort her hands within her skirts.

“What’s wrong Jess?”

Jess was weepy from dawn to dusk something Cathy had come to accept and a teary-eyed Jess turned to an inquisitive Cathy.

Jess raised her skirts and lowering her knickers looked quite forlorn.

“O’ Cathy it’s this, this belt I have to wear it’s so uncomfortable it really is.”

Cathy stared at the belt; unlike Jess she knew its true purpose but also knew better than to disclose that to the new maid at Stoneleigh.

Cathy rummaged along the shelves and pulled out a stone jar and removed the lid.

Lie down Jess and lift your skirts this will help, you should have said something sooner look at your thighs that must be really sore.

Jess was surprised that Cathy said nothing about her having been placed into chastity on her arrival at Stoneleigh as though it was a normal thing to encounter.

Jess tensed then softly moaned in pleasurable relief feeling delicate fingers between the belt straps and the chaffed skin of her inner thighs and her legs spread wide.

“Oh, Cathy that’s so soothing what is that?”

“It’s a balm that Lizzy prepared honey, herbs and laudanum and who knows what else but it works.”

Florence had never felt the light and delicate touch to her intimacy by another girl only ever the rough, rushed, fumbling, probing of the thick fingers of her husband and of course those of Maud on her arrival at Stoneleigh. Was it her tiredness, being so long since the arms of Jonathan had been wrapped round her or perhaps the helpless isolation she felt at Stoneleigh but whilst Cathy’s gentle small fingers worked the balm she sighed not from the relief of the soreness but something else, feelings that she had never experienced before.

Cathy giggled seeing a genuine smile slowly grow across Jess’s face; she had not seen her trainee maid smile since her arrival. Even at table with the girls Jess’s smiles had been weak and without any endorsement of humour or pleasure. 

Cathy continued to tease at the edge of the restrictive concealing belt and around Jess’s groin.

“You like that don’t you Jess.” 

Jess whimpered her response.

“Yeeeeessssss.”

“Have you ever been with a girl Jess, laid with her?”

“Noooooooooooooo.”

The distinctive sound of heels heralding the approach of Lady Isabelle down the hallway brought an abrupt end to their brief shared intimacy with Cathy quickly removing her fingers and standing to replace the jar on the shelf.

“On your feet Jess quickly, quickly now.”

A flustered Jess stood pulling up her knickers her knees weak her breathing settled and both girls looked fearfully towards the door. The sound of Lady Isabelle striding past the doorway brought a communal sigh of relief from the two cowering maids.

Cathy and Jess looked at each other and Jess broke an awkward silence.

“Thank you for that Cathy.”

The balm had numbed and eased the discomfort of the belt straps but the sensations of its application by Cathy’s gentle touch had awakened sensations that no ointment could ever cure.

Cathy knew that she had dallied at the extremities of forbidden fruit. Her trainee maid’s honey pot had been sealed beyond touch for Lady Isabelle’s private and exclusive pleasure not those of a common maid. If Lady Isabelle had caught her or even suspected Cathy of teasing her prospective toy in such a way she would be flogged without mercy. Lady Isabelle would not be denied her perverse pleasure of seducing straight girls, especially pretty ones like Jessica with such fine delicate features. 

Cathy thrust a scrubbing brush and mop into Jess’s hand and picking up a bucket pointed to the door.

“Come on Jess we have the floor of the main hall to clean if we are caught dawdling in here we will be in trouble.”

When Miss Hutchings commanding bark echoed around the walls of the main hall demanding the presence of Jess in her study Cathy feared the worst and whispered to Jess.

“Not a word about the balm Jess not a word.”

Jess meekly entered Miss Hutchings study and curtsied.

“Miss?” 

A funny looking gentleman stood at the far wall fiddling with a box on a tripod which Jess recognised to be a picture box.

Miss Hutchings grabbed Jess by her shoulders and pushed her against the wall removing her cap.

“Stand there and don’t move, keep very, very still. Right Alfred this is the girl do what you have to do.”

Jess stared questioning at the man, his head now covered with a cloth behind the large box. A flash of light and a puff of smoke from a tube held high in his hand Jess continued to stare although blinking from the light, intrigued by the man and his device. She had heard of this invention but had never actually seen one.

Miss Hutchings beckoned Jess to her desk and pointed to an inky pad.

Put your hand flat on the pad Jess then press it down onto the parchment under your details.

Jess looked confused but did what she was told without question.

“Right girl back to work off you go.”

A respectful curtsy and maid Jess returned to her duties oblivious of the reason, significance or consequence of what had just taken place.

There was no existing picture of Lady Florence Cranwell, neither was there a hand print of Lady Florence Cranwell. But there certainly now was of Jessica Thornberry. When developed the picture would be attached by the side of the hand print below all the details provided by Lady Florence Cranwell of her maid Jessica Thornberry. The signature and seal of Lady Florence Cranwell, along with that of Lady Isabelle, at the foot of the official document, bearing witness to the true identity of the plain looking, somewhat bemused maid staring out of the picture, Jessica Thornberry.

With three weeks having almost passed, for Jess to toil in the service of Lady Isabelle and having tasted the sting of Miss Hutchings strap more that she could recall, she had become increasingly proficient not only in the laborious and tiring routines of keeping the manor pristine, under the tutorage of Cathy, but also the duty of serving table for the Mistress of Stoneleigh. There was a buzz about the manor a distinguished guest would be arriving and Miss Hutchings harried the staff to ensure not a thing was out of place.

“Cathy you and Jess will serve table this evening for Lady Isabelle and her guest. The finest setting and the lace trimmed aprons for you both.”

Cathy and Jess curtsied in unison.

“Yes Miss.”

Whilst cleaning the windows of the dining room, in preparation for the evenings service and looking out over the lawns to the courtyard Jess saw the guest arriving. A finely dressed lady perhaps a little older than herself but not by much, she looked radiant stepping from her coach and her beautiful dress reminded Jess of those that would be waiting for her on her return to Cranwell when her torturous time at Stoneleigh would be over. Only one more week and her month of training would be completed. Jess chuckled to herself, Let Lady Catherine every doubt that she could carry out a maid’s duties after this.

Jess had not recognised the lady stepping from the coach, why would she and the courtyard was some distance from the window through which she gazed.

Lady Isabelle greeted her guest with displayed affection.

“Mary my dear how good to see you again I do hope the journey was not too tiresome, how are things at Downton hall and what gossip do you bring?”

Only when inside Stoneleigh manor and in the privacy of the parlour did the relationship between this tall elegant young women and the more mature Lady Isabelle manifest itself. Mary grabbed hold of Lady Isabelle pulling her close their lips meeting in their passionate embrace, Mary soon discarding her fawning hostess.

I have missed you too now help out of this ridiculous dress Isabelle I presume you have my things ready. Lady Isabelle had indeed prepared the outfit for her visitor and soon stripped and redressed Mary tied back her raven hair and sat comfortably in her leathers. Lady Isabelle had caught Mary on the rebound from a failed engagement but over time it was Mary who had become the dominant in their Sapphic tryst. Lady Isabelle now infatuated by the commanding and demanding charismatic Lady Mary Downton. 

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