Story: Veronica and Aunt Miranda. Chapter 10.

by Jackie J


Mrs Ryder’s head popped out of her office just as Jekaterina was walking down the hallway to the main staircase.

“Mistress, could we have a word please? Just a few minutes of your time.”

Jekaterina was anxious to strip out of the maid’s uniform and take a bath before dinner but agreed and stepped into Mrs Ryder’s office.

“Thank you. Please take a seat, Mistress.”

Jekaterina sat on the chair which was a little lower than her housekeeper's so she had to look up at her sitting behind her desk.

Mrs Ryder looked directly at her. Mistress this would be pivotal to her scheming.

“This is very awkward for me, Mistress. Embarrassing. I felt awful, Mistress, when you made me do what I did to you in the kitchen. You put me in a very difficult position in front of the maid, you made it that I had no choice but to do what I did. I don’t know why you made me do that but it was very wrong of you making your housekeeper spank you like that.”

Jekaterina looked up at her housekeeper. Was she serious? She was made tospank her bare bottom, was she really?


“Made you? Really? I don’t understand, Mrs Ryder. I was just preventing the maid from further punishment, that’s all.”

Mrs Ryder sat a little taller in her chair.

“Really, you undermined my authority. I wasn’t being serious about you being punished. A housekeeper spanking her mistress? Ridiculous! But when you removed your bloomers and put them on the punishment rail you left me with no choice.”

Mrs Ryder sighed for effect.

 “It’s the whole maid thing, Mistress. You wanting to help out whilst I find a replacement maid. I wasn’t comfortable with your idea from the start and it just hasn’t worked,  has it? Instead of making things better it made them worse. Ronnie is getting further behind with her work. I have no idea what the two of you were doing this afternoon but you weren't working, that’s for sure.”

 “When you suggested all this nonsense I was hoping you could help Ronnie for a few days. Until the end of the week perhaps. Help the maid get a little in front with her work. Why, I even managed to find you a uniform that would fit you. A waste of time that was. One afternoon’s work. Well, one afternoon wearing a uniform is more accurate. Anyway, whilst I am not sure it should be me apologizing, I am sorry for treating you like I did. It’s just the work on the rota was not completed and I just saw red for that moment on the stairs. You not wearing your cap, that’s one of my rules, but obviously you weren’t to know and seeing you in your uniform I forgot you were the Mistress. And that is why this nonsense must stop. A Mistress being a maid, how would any housekeeper manage such a contradiction?”

With no response, Mrs Ryder continued to bait her trap.

“You see, with your privileged background you have never done the work of a maid or knew what a maid must do. You have no experience; if you had it might have worked. I am sorry to be blunt but you were obviously more of a hindrance than a help for the maid. You must see that, Mistress.“

Jekaterina was seething inside. Why did she just not get on with the work instead of messing around with Ronnie? She could have had Ronnie at anytime. What a fool she had been.

“Look, you are right, Mrs Ryder. There is no need for you to apologise. It’s my fault. And the spanking... Well, I guess I deserved it. I did not mean to undermine your authority with the maid, it was rash of me, stupid really.”

“But what you are saying is that if I can prove I can be a help, do the work, then I can help the maid until the replacements arrive at the end of the week or so?”

Mrs Ryder rocked back on her chair and smiled hiding her delight at such a suggestion.

“Mistress, please forget it, it was a good and kind gesture agreeing to help the maid, but why continue with this nonsense. And say I agreed to your proposal. How could you possibly prove you were capable? Tell me. But wait. Yes, I have an idea. The bed in the Mistress's chamber is yet to be made and the rugs in the hallway need to be cleaned and that polishing of the rear stair banisters should be finished. You are still in your uniform, complete those duties."

Mrs Ryder paused and looked at her watch.

"I will give you two hours. complete the work to my satisfaction and we will talk again, agreed?"

What was Jekaterina trying to prove? That she could be a maid? It was some ten years since she left Lowercroft and assumed her new identity. Was she mad? She should strip the stupid uniform off, take that bath she was looking forward to until her housekeeper asked for a chat, then get back to being the Mistress of Kingsley.  Was it pride, wanting to stop Ronnie being run ragged with her duties or to put her housekeeper in her place? She will show her housekeeper that she was not useless.

Mrs Ryder watched her Mistress in thought, the letter she had received from Rose Robinson was quite explicit on what a good maid Jane had been at Lowercroft. Her Mistress should have no problem accomplishing her little test but sensing some hesitation offered taunting prompt.

“Well, Mistress, I am glad to see you have thought better of such folly. I will get the maid to do those tasks before she goes to bed tonight. She knows what to do.”

That tipped the balance. Poor Ronnie would be left with the work again and Jekaterina stood from her chair.

“No, no need for the maid, Mrs Ryder. Two hours you say? Right, agreed.”

Mrs Ryder smirked.

“Well, if you insist, Mistress but I don’t share your confidence after this afternoon’s performance. Off you go then and make a start.”

 Jekaterina needed some help and headed to the kitchens to find Ronnie busy preparing dinner.

“Ronnie, there you are. Where do you store the bed linen and the stiff brush for the rugs? In the hallway?”

Ronnie stared at her Mistress who was still wearing her maid’s uniform.

“What? Why are you still wearing that uniform, Mistress? I thought you were taking a bath before dinner?”

“Ronnie, I don’t have time to explain. I will tell you later. Now, the linen for my bed, the Mistress’s chamber, and the brushes. Where are they kept?”

Ronnie put down the large spoon she was stirring the soup with.

“The hard brushes are under the rear stairs, the bed linen and towels are in the cupboard in the room at the end of the top landing past the guest rooms. But why do you want those?”

Jekaterina turned and left without answering and Ronnie shrugged her shoulders and went back to the stoves.

The bed was not a challenge. Corners folded, pillows fluffed, towels neatly laid, then on to the banisters polishing and buffing. Jekaterina’s arms ached but she worked on. Leaving a perfect sheen on the glistening woodwork she sorted through the brushes under the stairs. She chuckled to herself pressing the bristles deep into the short pile of the rugs. Hindrance indeed. I will show Mrs Ryder. Sweat on her brow her back and arms with a dull ache she was finished and wearily returned the brush to the cupboard under the stairs.

Finding Mrs Ryder still in her office Jekaterina entered.

“Finished. Would you like to inspect my work?”

Mrs Ryder smiled and looked at her watch.

“Very impressive. Quarter of an hour to spare, but then it’s not how quick, is it? Let us go and inspect the quality of your work.”

Mrs Ryder could find no fault, not that she expected to if Rose was to be believed.

“Well, well. I am impressed, Mistress. If I did not know better I would say you have had practice. What a shame you did not put this level of effort in whilst helping the maid this afternoon. Those spankings would not have been necessary, would they? You have made your point. Shall we go back to my office? I can see you won’t let this go and wish to help the maid with her work.”

Mrs Ryder sat back at her desk and Jekaterina returned to the lower chair still looking a little flushed.

“Well, Mistress, why I do not know but it seems you are adamant in playing, sorry that’s not fair is it, in being a maid in your own home helping my maid with her duties. From what I have just seen of your work you are no doubt competent, so why not, if that is what Mistress demands.”

Jekaterina smiled happy. She had passed Mrs Ryder’s test and Ronnie would now have some help. She started to stand to leave.

Mrs Ryder was not finished, not by a long way.

“Mistress please wait. Sit. If you are to help my maid we need to agree some ground rules. If you are going to do this, don’t we? We can’t have a repeat of the embarrassing situation in the kitchen, can we? Whilst you have been at your tasks I have written down a few things to agree between us, nothing much but we need to be clear, boundaries and such.”

Mrs Ryder slid the piece of paper across her desk and Jekaterina picked it up to read.

A smirk, a smile, a chuckle, a frown, a suppressed laugh then a long stare at her housekeeper.

“You have been busy, Mrs Ryder. You really expect me to agree to all this it’s for a few days, a week at most you said?”

Mrs Ryder maintained her serious persona.

“A day, two days, a week. You have said that you wish to help my maid with her work. I supervise that maid, allocate her duties and ensure the work is carried out to the highest standards. I have had no complaints from the Mistress of the household, have I, as well you know.”

“This afternoon I returned to find the work given to my maids was not completed. That led to a very embarrassing and awkward situation for me. Spanking a maid for her indiscretion is fine but spanking a Mistress? I am retained at Kingsley to maintain discipline with the servants so how can I maintain that discipline if my maids don't follow my rules? A maid’s work can be tiring. How easy for you, being the Mistress at Kingsley, to down tools and retire to your chambers, leaving my maid to struggle on. What is my maid to think, her housekeeper unable to control her fellow maid? I fear she would become rebellious and not without justification. I do not think it is unreasonable that whilst you engage in this masquerade you accept my jurisdiction of you and the household and follow my instructions like a good maid should.  A mistress being a maid although only temporary and under sufferance mind, I can accept, but a maid being the Mistress as and when she decides, well there is the contradiction. I am afraid it will have to be all or nothing for this to work and for me to agree. These are my terms, Mistress, and with your signature of course they will protect me from any repercussions that may follow this situation. As you can see at the top of the notes and the bottom this is your idea and wish, not mine, and I am only agreeing to follow your instructions.”

Jekaterina looked again at the hand-written agreement for her to assume the role of a maid in her own household under the supervision of her housekeeper until such a time that new maids were hired. Like Mrs Ryder had said it was made clear in the wording these were her wishes. Whilst fulfilling the role of maid, to avoid the obvious contradiction and potential embarrassment, the term Mistress would be retained within the household but it would not relate to her and to fill the void the housekeeper would become head of the household during her time of being a maid.

Jekaterina pointed to various terms and laughed.

“Well, Mrs Ryder, I can see that you are not happy with my proposal for me to help around the household and I doubt you sincerely thought whilst concocting this missive I would ever concede to signing such a document.”

Mrs Ryder leaned forward questioningly.

“Of course I am not happy, Mistress. It will be very awkward for us both, as we found out earlier, but I see no other way.  What housekeeper would call her maid a Mistress? Have her fellow maid curtsying to her? Indeed a maid retaining the privileges of Mistress, running the household? Please Mistress how would that work? I agree it may seem a little formal but we must have something in place. Surely you can see that, Mistress."

Jekaterina considered what her housekeeper was saying and scanned the neat document again before pushing it back across her housekeeper’s desk. 

“I am going to take a bath before dinner. I will consider this matter and speak with you this evening.”

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