Story: Florence, Lady Cranwell. Chapter 21.

by Jackie J

Lady Catherine was in a state of confused shock sat at her vanity staring at her reflection. News she had received from one of her luncheon friends that afternoon had almost made her faint. A random collection of hay by one of the guest’s tenant farmers from Downton hall brought news that Lady Dowton had met up with Lady Florence and was now travelling with her and that Lady Downton had been away for a number of weeks already.

Florence had been publically disowned for deserting her husband Lord Cranwell and the conversations around the luncheon table following this disclosure were very awkward for Lady Catherine. Lady Catherine knew exactly where Florence was and the fate she had suffered at Stoneleigh. But Mary joining her, she had to investigate there must be some confusion especially with the news coming from a mere farmer, someone had their wires crossed? Miss Hutchings had intended the news to seep out from Downton hall with the message she had sent to Lucy Fairbright, head maid and house keeper at Downton hall, and now it had and reached its intended target.

Lady Catherine brushed her hair deep in thought Mary Downton was her choice of bride for her son a son who she had heard little from since he resigned his commission and headed out to India, her many letters going unanswered. She had to go to Downton hall and find out how these rumours started, there was no way could Mary Downton be travelling with Florence because Florence was a captive maid at Stoneleigh. But first she would write to Lady Isabelle who would hopefully dispel this nonsense.

Story: Florence, Lady Cranwell. Chapter 20.

by Jackie J

The first week of the new regime at Stoneleigh passed quickly and Jess’s routines became established. The care of Lady Isabelle was her constant responsibility, dosed with Laudanum morning noon and night she would never be returning to her station in life. Jess had no choice but to follow Miss Matrina’s instructions regarding her harnessed pet and by the end of the first week all the signs of Winifred’s emotional and physical capitulation to her torment were becoming manifest.

Thankfully still using the grid but now enthusiastically nuzzling slops from the trough. Jess wanted to remove the cowl speak to Winifred, find out what had gone on, gone wrong, who are these two amazons who had taken control of Stoneleigh, what happened to Mary Downton? So many questions but Jess already knew better than to disobey her new Mistress and having hosed down the pen and pet, filled the food trough with swill prepared to leave the east wing.

When Jess turned to leave stood behind her was a smiling Sharista making her jump.

“You were fond of that were you not Jessica but look at it now rummaging in its own filth.”

Sharista walked to the pen and hooking a lead chain to her pet’s collar pulled it from the pen and having wound up its clitoral stimulator chained it on a short lead to a wall ring.

Two million page views!

Just saying.

Anyway, interesting results of the Lady-to-maid survey. Unfortunately there appears to be no way to publish them  (or I couldn't figure out how) in an easy-to-see form, so let me just spell them out with my brief comments.  Alternatively, you can see them yourself when/if you vote. For the rest of you here are the main takeaways (bold is how I voted myself):
What lady-to-maid scenario do you enjoy most?

I like it when someone forces it on the main character: 37.6%
Doesn't matter as long as the character ends up as a maid: 33.4%
It has to be voluntary, at least in the beginning: 29%

Relatively evenly spread between the three options, but a bit surprising my preferred option did noе win. For me a scenario where someone ends up stuck due to own stupidity/curiosity/bad luck is so much more powerful than when there is an evil protagonist playing with others' lives.

Does the story need to be as realistic as possible for you to enjoy it?

Story: Florence, Lady Cranwell. Chapter 19.

by Jackie J

Sharista chuckled taking Winifred’s hand.

Part of the deal for Sharista to take Lady Downton was that Winifred had agreed to be Sharista’s for one night to do has she wished with, just one night how bad could that be? She was about to find out. 

Both Sharista and Winifred had been pupils together of Madame Sarcosi. Taken from the streets in their early teens who knows what would have become of them had they not been taken under her wing? Before taking the position with Lady Downton, who now shivered, befuddled naked her hair hacked and belted under a meagre woollen blanket in the darkness of a locked room, Winifred had lived and worked here at 27 Grafton Street.

Whilst never a client of Sharista’s Lady Downton had visited the lair of Madame Sarcosi many times to indulge her fantasies having paid well for Winifred to accommodate her needs. When Madame Sarcosi suddenly passed away, the unfortunate result of a stray blade, it was Sharista, the most dominant of the pair who assumed control of 27 Grafton Street taking the name of Black Cat. There could only be one Queen at 27 Grafton Street and when Lady Downton made her offer to Winifred Hutchings to be highly paid to supervise her needs on an ongoing basis, Winifred turned her back on Grafton Street and headed first to Downton Hall then on to Stoneleigh manor a perceived betrayal that Sharista had never truly forgiven her for.

Visitors as Servants and Servants as Guests: Real-life Edwardian Role Swap

A very interesting historic item, a companion to How Would You Like to Be the Maid postcard from the same era I posted in January. Judging by the fashions, it was just around the time that The Admirable Crichton, this ultimate class-swap comedy later made into a film, was a stage hit. 

"For one whole evening the visitors learned what it was to be domestics, while their places were taken by the servants... Naturally the change of positions created many an amusing dilemma." I couldn't help but notice that they identified the disguised men by their full names, but a kitchenmaid remained anonymous. Wondering if that was seen as a bit risqué for a noble lady...

Subscribe to Lady2Maid Blog Newsletter

Story: New Employee. Chapters 38-39.

by BigBird74

38 & 39

The New York Katherine Webb grew up in was a world offered up on a platter. Daddy’s princess was to receive whatever she wanted: first toys, then clothes, cars, apartments and finally cushy jobs. The New York that awaited Marta Fernandez, a recent and – most likely – illegal immigrant, was not nearly so welcoming. Not that Marta complained as she scrubbed clean the floor of the building underneath Katherine’s apartment. In this day and age, it can be somewhat odd to see this kind of ‘old-fashioned’ manual labour out in the open, but Katherine’s assistant had said she wanted to see the Latino girl’s level of commitment and had got her to work almost immediately after hiring her.

Katherine’s assistant – formerly the manageress, before her elevation up the ranks – had taken up residence a week ago, having moved to New York after receiving the plum position from Katherine, who was away in Latin America of all places. At least that was what everyone thought, except for two persons: the assistant and Marta. Of course, they knew better. For Katherine was not in Brasilia, she was in the lobby scrubbing the floor clean, her mind totally fixated on the job. She did not want to think much about the preceding week for events during it had complicated her chances of restoring her life as Katherine, at least so it seemed to her. Whenever she thought about it – how to get back – two things invariably happened: she felt sick and dizzy at the enormity of her folly, and then a deep anxiety would descend upon her.

World's First Lady-to-Maid poll. We need your vote!

One of the readers had a wonderful idea to poll this blog's readers so that we know once and for all what is that most of us like and don't like in this peculiar genre. Please take a minute to fill out the form below. Really interested to see what results we get!

Subscribe to Lady2Maid Blog Newsletter

Story: Dancing With My Soul. Chapter 11.

by Andy Engines

Noises crept into my dream and slowly my eyes opened to the dark unfamiliar room. My body was cold and my soul numb. The room was warm but fear rippled through me as if a stone had been thrown into my own personal lake. Creating havoc where before there was serenity. I was alone, or so it felt, for the first time in a long time. Slowly I reached, touching unfamiliar objects and finally finding the small lamp; light flooded into my room. It was stark, bare, devoid of emotion or character. It was more a cell than a room and an all too hard reminder that this was now my home. The only decoration was my uniform for the day; hanging neatly to attention on the back of the grey door.

As I entered the great kitchen it was the same but then it wasn’t. There had been no walk in the dark before dawn. The faces were all the same but even they were different. And then I realised they were all the same. Everything was the same. It was me that was different.

“Marije. Don’t stand looking stupid. Come Girl, take this.” I turned to the cook and she smiled as she offered a steaming cup of coffee. “Sit, get warm and drink your coffee. Breakfast will be a while yet and you need some energy.”

Story: New Employee. Chapters 36-37.

by BigBird74

36.

Our drive back to the hotel started out in complete silence. The manageress drove carelessly, obviously angry that I had been silly enough to leave the hotel, something she clearly had not considered likely. Her sharp, disjointed handling of the gear stick conveyed a sense of profound irritation. Not once did she look at me or even attempt to start a conversation. For my part, I was resolved to complete silence, unwilling to test these shark-infested waters for fear of having my head bitten off.

Yet this day also showed me something else. She cared. When I say cared, I do not mean in a loving or nurturing sense, at least I did not suspect that. No, she cared in a way that an owner of a proverbial golden goose might do to preserve their investment. That sense of protection helped to soothe my strained nerves as I lay back in the passenger seat of the car.

As we passed through the downtown and out towards the edges of town where the hotel was located, the passing images began to correspond with my own mental map. It was then I realised we were not going to the hotel and was instead going to the other side of town. The easy calm that had descended on me suddenly evaporated and my anxiety levels rose at a steady clip.

Story: Florence, Lady Cranwell. Chapter 18.

by Jackie J

After Winifred had removed the locks from Lady Downton’s harness Jess busied herself unfastening the buckles and straps until the harness was removed leaving a naked dishevelled and disorientated Lady Downton sprawled on the floor of the pen.

“Should I wash her put her in the tub she stinks?”

Winifred removing the hoof mitts and bootees from Lady Isabelle smirked.

“Just wash her down, oh and put this on her you know what it is.”

Winifred slid a device across the floor, a device that Jess was all too familiar with she had worn one herself for what seemed an age when she arrived at Stoneleigh.

“My goodness Winfred what are you going to do with her, where is she going?”

Winifred spoke in a stronger tone.

“Jessica just do like you are told. That is no business of yours.”

Elle Vietnam April 2018: Diary of a Chambermaid

Well, this model-and-maid-at-a-posh-hotel fashion shoot has been done to death, but they still can't seem to get enough of it. This time it's the latest Elle Vietnam, following in the footsteps of Louis Vuitton, Vogue Korea and many others over the last years.  All the usual elements are there: an arrogant mistress or hotel guest who pays the help no attention, an out-of-focus maid hovering in the background, ridiculous haute couture outfits, unnatural poses and stares. There is clearly something in this lady-and-maid scenario that keeps attracting fashion photographers! 

What I found particularly interesting is that the "mistress" gets a billing (Russian model Anastasia Chekry), while the "maid" does not - at least I could't find her name mentioned. That's probably quite humbling if you are an aspiring model yourself...

Story: Dancing With My Soul. Chapter 10.

by Andy Engines

I stared in the mirror not quite comprehending what I was seeing or rather the full extent of what it meant. The dress was black. Fitted but not too tight to allow a full range of movement. It ended just below my knees and halfway to my elbows with a white collar around the neck. Combined with the white apron it could only be one thing.

I stood looking at myself in the mirror and for the first time since this whole diabolical period had started I felt beaten. I had seen maids. My family had employed maids and not once had I thought I would be staring at myself as a maid. But now I was. I felt the uniform, touching the fabric as if it was one totally alien to me. I was in shock. This was a badge. This was a huge reminder of who I was and who I had once been. This was a measure of my defeat.

“Come child.” I glanced over at the housekeeper as she stood watching me. “You have chores to do and little time do them.”

And that was it.

Every Maid's Dream: Vida de Empreguete

A reader sent me a link to a video that I'd like to share with you. It's a short clip about a Brazilian maid who has a dream that she switches lives with her mistress and starts imagining how she's going to treat her. A common theme, of course, but I liked it. Naturally, as one would expect, the Mistress is whiter, taller and skinnier - a theme explored in endless fashion editorials, including one from Vogue Brazil, incidentally, where a maid and a mistress almost look like different species or that Playboy Brazil spread with a blonde madame and a dark-skinned maid. 

The catchy song in that video is actually quite interesting too. I found the lyrics and, needless to say, it's a lady-to-maid manifesto/maid empowerment anthem of sorts with lines like "I want to see the Madame here in my place/I would laugh a lot" or "One day I would buy an apartment and become a socialite/All hot, I am going to travel with my casual date" and so on. You can read it here with a (very basic) English translation. 

Story: New Employee. Chapters 34-35.

by BigBird74 

34.

I woke with a pleasant feeling in my tummy. I’d been resting in that netherworld of sleep and partial awareness, my mind recalling the previous evening’s events and how the whole affair had made me feel. I was a sensitive person. Far too sensitive for the role life had thrust upon me. The gentle slights and stares I had received yesterday were nothing to what an immigrant maid must experience on a regular basis. What was it that excited me so much? The gentle conditioning I had received from the troves of pornography and erotica to be found online was one reason without doubt. Another may have been a thick slice of guilt I felt at my good fortune in life. To be born into such privilege was akin to rolling a double six when needed in a game. Did I deserve it? My recent reactions and feelings indicated that, deep down, I felt not. Unlike my sister or father, I did not feel comfortable with my good fortune. 

I opened my eyes and stared into the darkness. I was not overly spiritual, but dwelling like this on whether or not I deserved something was not right. It was almost time to get up and work again. Soon I would be pulling my cheap, short and figure hugging cleaning costume. I would be grovelling on all fours cleaning the public toilets, the stairs and the lifts. All the jobs considered beneath the others, my feet firmly on the lowest rung of the social ladder. I lay there silently, my fingers sliding down my toned torso to my damp pussy, where again I found my place in heaven. One last time I thought before I would talk to the Manageress and see where all this was leading. The three days I had promised myself had passed and I needed to see her again. Hopefully after such a gap, she would be in a good mood. Maybe, she would even touch me again. I gasped outwardly, suddenly clasping my hand to my face, hoping no-one had heard. To my relief, everything remained silent.

From that point the day proceeded as normal. I had not seen the Manageress again that morning and decided to walk along her corridor, to see if she might be around, perhaps even to talk. To my dismay the office was locked and no-one answered. I returned several times at various points in the day, but it was always the same: no answer. This proved a subtle shock to my system, feeding the low-level anxiety I had been struggling with before. Each time I approached her door, I hoped she would be there, building my hopes only to find that she was still gone.

Jill (1884) by Amy Dillwyn

The Nerdly, a walking encyclopaedia of all things lady-to-maid, alerted me to this 1884 novel from a Welsh author Amy Dillwyn. Simply called Jill, it is rather unconventional, to put it mildly, being part lesbian romance, part feminist manifesto, and part social critique.

The young heroine, a Victorian gentlewoman from a well-to-do Welsh family, like Dillwyn herself, runs off to London where she disguises herself as a maid. She falls in love with her Mistress, who doesn't know here true identity and sees her as a social inferior. 

Archive.org has a (poorly formatted and partially unreadable) version that you can skim if you are interested, or you can get the proper book at the link above if you are interested. 

Like many such stories, it falls shorts in the wider lady-to-maid context as this is not the author's main focus unfortunately (as a side note, words "uniform" or "apron" are not even mentioned once so that should tell you something), but it does offer a number of interesting observations that I found quite interesting. 

For example, Jill lies about her age to appear more experienced (saying she's 24 instead of 19), fakes reference letters and takes hairdressing classes so that she can find herself a good place. Of course, none of these should surprise anyone who know anything about Victorian maids or read In Cap and Apron, not to mention Her Most Remarkable Performance!

Subscribe to Lady2Maid Blog Newsletter

Story: Florence, Lady Cranwell. Chapter 17.

By Jackie J

Lucy Fairbright, head maid and house keeper at Downton Hall, giggled taking the letter addressed to her from the coachman who had delivered her Mistress to Stoneleigh. She rarely received letters and opened it with eagerness and expectation. She struggled with her reading being only self-taught but smiled at the text.  It was from the housekeeper at Stoneleigh, a Miss Hutchings, writing on behalf of Lady Downton informing her that, should anyone inquire, Lady Downton had joined Lady Florence Cranwell on her travels and that she should ensure that Downton Hall is secure in her absence which could be for some time.  Lucy had only ever heard her mistress speak in derogatory terms concerning Lady Florence but assumed matters between them must have healed, why else would she have joined her?

Lucy twirled and smiled clutching the letter to her chest. Her Mistress was often away for a couple of weeks when she visited Stoneleigh to spend time with her great aunt but this sounded like she would be away for an extended period leaving Lucy with free reign at Downton hall.

Jess could not reconcile why Lady Downton and Lady Isabelle would actually want to be treated like this but followed Miss Hutchings instructions to the letter. Having hosed down the sewer grid and backsides of her charges she watched the pair nuzzling in the feed trough. Entering the pen Jess pulled back the cowl of Lady Downton and smiled into her weepy, weak begging eyes before winding the mechanism that swung from her belly.