Story: Miss Cassandra Fellows. Chapters 7-8.

by Jackie J

Chapter 7

Mr Roberts office being just down the hallway was not hard to find and having knocked on his door Cassie nervously entered, did this man know who she was, a co- conspirator to Miss Lockwood’s program? Offered a seat she sat by his desk and soon realised he was not.

“Another Tutteridge maid I see from your uniform Cassie. Very smart I must say. Have you worked for Miss Tutteridge long?”

Cassie adjusted her glasses perhaps they were a little stronger than she had first thought.

“Yes, a number of years.”

It was not a lie she had, albeit only part time but ever since she moved to the area and she had started working for Hobson and Lloyd. Cassie chuckled to herself considering Miss Lockwood’s demarcation, since Miss Fellows joined Hobson and Lloyd.

Mr Roberts offered a temporary contract to sign.

“Just routine Cassie get you registered, here is a pen sign across the bottom.”

Cassie took the pen and almost signed for Miss Fellows making her chuckle to herself again.

“Thanks Cassie now look at me and smile.”

Cassie instinctively looked up and blinked with the flash of the camera.

“For your ID badge Cassie, you will need that to swipe the doors, yours will be a master for all the accommodation and public areas, you will need to buzz through from reception for the secure academic area, you were in that section when I came to collect you from Miss Lockwood’s office.”

Mr Roberts handed Cassie a temporary swipe card and a pager.

“You can use this card for the rest of the day, yours will be ready tomorrow. The pager is mainly for room service, it is pretty straight forward, a number will illuminate with the delegates name, call at the room and take their order, I will show you the kitchens and bar later for order collections”

Mr Roberts then spent some time detailing the layout of the facilities, health and safety issues and the like before running though the work rota Cassie would be required to follow.

Cassie’s core hours would be seven in the morning until midday then three in the afternoon until seven in the evening through the week, seven in the morning until midday on Saturday and Sunday was her rest day. Overtime was always available at the weekends to boost her pay.

She would be uniformed and service the delegate accommodation until nine thirty then change for her heavier cleaning duties in the reception and restaurant while the delegates where in classes. At three having changed back into her uniform she would be required to service the administration offices and then be on call for the delegates needs in their rooms.

It was mid- afternoon and Mr Roberts took his new maid on a tour pointing out cleaning equipment stores and key areas of her duties as the tour progressed.

It was a lot to take in, but Cassie listened enthusiastically to her boss and by the time they returned to Mr Roberts office Cassie’s mind was cleansed of all thoughts but for those of being Temples maid. Cassie had only worked previously in domestic settings for Miss Tutteridge and this would be a new challenge, one that maid Cassie was about to embrace.

Mr Roberts glanced at his watch it was five thirty.

“Cassie, we had a delegate leave today, rather sudden she was booked in until Sunday and the room she vacated requires a deep clean, like I explained that we do when all guests leave, do you think you can do that for me.”

Cassie was eager to please.

“Yes, Mr Roberts which room is it?”

John flipped open his pad.

“Room seven, the lower landing, just through the fire doors on the left, a Miss Fellows was staying in the room. It will be a good start for you, I will come down later to see how you are getting on.”

A wave of giddy arousal flushed though her hearing the details of her instruction. Room seven, Miss Fellows room.

“Room seven yes I will find it, Cleaning equipment at the end of the corridor next to the linen cupboard.”

John smiled hearing his new maid confirm that she knew where everything was kept on the landing.

“Yes, that’s right Cassie, very good, I will see you later.”

Cassie was passing through the reception area on her way to clean the room when Doctor Jenkins approached for a contrived confrontation. The greeting much different to their previous encounters. Cold and dismissive.

“You must be the new maid, the waste bin by the door needs emptying see that it is done immediately”

Cassie smiled.

“Sorry Doctor Jenkins, I am going to clean a room I will do it later.”

Sandra gave Cassie a look that would strip paint and pointed to the bin.

“Doctor Jenkins? How dare you speak to me like that girl, Miss when you address me and with all the staff here, is that understood, know your place, now get that bin emptied, do you hear me, now girl.”

Like with Miss Lockwood, there was a casual and assertive, demeaning confirmation by Doctor Jenkins that she was no longer Miss Cassandra Fellows a VIP delegate at Temples, but its maid and treating her as such.

Cassie blushed at her admonishment her gaze lowering and shoulders dipping submissively.

“Sorry Miss, yes Miss.”

Doctor Jenkins smirked, turned on her heels leaving Cassie to work out where to empty the bin.

Sandra, having barely recognised Cassandra, especially with the thick rimmed glasses, how she looked, how she was dressed, and projecting unconditional servility, hid her amusement well, but it was more a fascination. Of course, this was not Cassandra Fellows was it, this was Cassie, Cassie the maid and the transformation from confident executive to humble maid conspired by Evelyn was as extraordinary as it was extreme.

The meeting with Doctor Jenkins had filled Cassie with all-consuming weakening emotions heading to room seven. This felt so different, so perfect, it was like a release. For years, working for Miss Tutteridge, she had needed to meticulously guard and hide her identity. Here at Temples Miss Lockwood and Doctor Jenkins knew exactly who she was, and this changed dynamic, knowing they both knew that, but chose dispassionately to ignore the fact, with such indifference, was opening a whole new dimension a whole new reality for Cassie.

Cassie pulled out the cleaning cart from the storeroom and was soon at work in room seven. All Miss Fellows belonging had gone, everything. Clothes, shoes, jewellery, toiletries, makeup not a trace of the occupant, not a trace of Miss Fellows, like she had never been there? The bed stripped and towels from the bathroom added to the pile, Cassie scrubbed hard at a nail varnish stain on the bathroom tiles. Cassie giggled continuing the disassociation with Miss Fellows, subtly orchestrated by Miss Lockwood. It was as if she was wiping the final traces of Miss Fellows away from Temples only Cassie remaining. Not the designer dressed executive delegate, but a uniformed working maid.  Mr Roberts did inspect Cassies work and quite rightly pleased he was and told her so. Praise was never far from Mr Roberts lips when it came to Cassies work, an excellent maid she was.

Three days passed and Cassie was proficiently adapting to her busy mundane routines.

During the past three days she had not been given any recognition for who she actually was by either Miss Lockwood or Doctor Jenkins and nor had she sought it when their paths had crossed. She was just Cassie, the maid. Cassie had realised at their first meeting that her boss, Mr Roberts, like all the other staff at Temples knew nothing of who she was only what she was his maid and cleaner, Cassie. 

As long as she could remember Cassie the maid was always the one thought of in the third person, she was always Casandra, remained Cassandra in her thought process. When on assignments for Miss Tutteridge she never let her guard down, not allowing herself to be totally consumed by her maid persona. At times, when such a mental temptation arose or threatened, often when on an extended assignment, it was resisted and dispelled. She could never let her true identity be revealed and that kept Cassie suppressed and mentally subordinate to who she actually was, Cassandra Fellows. She was always Cassandra being a maid.

Here at Temples something strange was starting to happen to her. Something she was resisting less and less something she was finding harder to resist Something she was becoming less inclined to resist or wanting to resist. Cassie was slipping free from Cassandra’s mental shackles. Cassies identity was known here, but had been chosen to be ignored, dismissed, and seen irrelevant bordering on denial by those who did know. The unrestrained Cassie was beginning to share those very thoughts. Stupid, silly things were happening, she was having to concentrate on basic menial tasks? she had suffered lapses in all thoughts of Cassandra, the sharpness of Cassandra’s mind was not always there when needed.

Cassie took the offer of the overtime at the weekend, day courses were in progress, but she was put to sweeping and collecting rubbish from the car park and pathways approaching the centre, cleaning the outside of the large ground floor windows along with other tasks Mr Roberts found for her. The return of laundered linen arrived early on Sunday morning and Cassie organised and placed it into the storerooms. Later a large number of fresh flowers were delivered for the week ahead and Cassie spent most of Sunday removing the old ones from their vases and arranging and setting the new ones in the accommodation and around the centre.

A new week beginning, delegates were arriving at Temples to start their courses and Cassie had made sure all their rooms were in pristine condition and ready for them.  The welcome from a curtsying attentive maid appreciated and Cassie could not do enough for them. Happy, of course she was. The awkward visitors, the more demanding arrivals helped to reinforce Cassies position with their trivial requests and dismissive attitude. With the delegates settled and attending their courses, Cassie went to change for her general cleaning duties.

Her Tutteridge uniform hung in her closet Cassie pulled on her overall and stepped into a pair of ill-fitting canvas pumps, like the overall a good size too large. Mr Roberts had promised Cassie her own sized overalls and pumps, but they were yet to arrive. Having cleaned the toilets in reception and restaurant areas, leaving them sparkling, she pulled the heavy scrubber come polisher out onto the expansive tiled floors of reception. Working in a commercial environment and cleaning on an industrial scale was something new to Cassie, being more used to a genteel domestic setting, but she had quickly adapted her acquired skills to become proficient with the equipment.

Wednesday, and Cassie established in her routines, with her duties in the accommodation section completed, she was back cleaning the reception area

Evelyn and Sandra looked out over reception through the one-way glass partition.

“When will it be ready for an evaluation Evelyn, look at it, a senior executive at Hobson and Lloyd, what would they make of Cassie if they could see her, see their European Contracts Director happily scrubbing floors dressed like she is in that cheap overall?”

Evelyn turned away from the screen.

“I did not intend to, but I have sent a report to Sir Philip, abridged of course. I could not delay any longer he would be expecting one. If I am to have my maid, and it looks most likely that I will, I will need more time, the report should give me that time.  Let Cassie complete this week, a full week before we begin. You can carry out an evaluation to benchmark where she is at mentally at the weekend.

During the afternoon stood in front of Mr Roberts desk Cassie smiled buttoning up one of her new smocks before putting on her correct sized canvas pumps. The shapeless nylon cleaners overall hemmed on her calf’s; it was practically baggy but not overly so.

“That colour suits you Cassie although different shades came in the three pack. At least you won’t have to wear Betty’s old overalls anymore.”

Cassie ran her hands down over the smooth nylon feeling into the cotton piped trimmed pockets, the roughening of the skin on her hands apparent, but why wouldn’t it be, they were maid hands. The gloss of an executive’s manicure had soon faded and, with her nails trimmed back, her lean fingers looked a little stubbier.

Cassie preferred her maids’ uniform of course she did, but the overalls, although cheap looking, were practical for the general cleaning duties around the centre.

“Thank you for getting these for me Mr Roberts, Bettys overalls were fine but this one and the pumps fit perfectly.”

 

Chapter 8

Kept busy days were passing quickly. All the rooms cleaned, and the linen changed Cassie sighed putting the vacuum back in the store having hoovered the hallways. She was looking forward to a drink of tea before changing and starting the more arduous cleaning in the restaurant and reception. Sat in the break room with a mug of tea she thought of the incident earlier, the young lady in room twelve. It was an accident if not the girls own fault and Cassie was sure the lady knew that. Being chastised for her clumsiness, the way it made her feel. The arrogant self- assured tone of her voice and the superior attitude of the young woman made Cassie squirm with pleasure then, and still did recollecting the event. The girl could have only been a junior where she worked but in social ranking, she was head and shoulders above a common maid. The woman may have taken pleasure watching the maid on her hands and knees being berated whilst wiping the coffee stain from the carpet. But the young lady could not have known of the perverse pleasure it was giving the simpering apologetic maid at her feet.

Friday afternoon Cassie sat at Mr Roberts desk and smiled at the small amount of cash and pay-check she had been given. With deductions for accommodation and food there was not much to show for her labours. The top line a pittance of what Miss Fellows was paid. There was no thought of Cassandra when Mr Roberts requested bank details from Cassie, the monies that Miss Tutteridge paid her maid went into a separate account that Cassandra had set up in the name of Cassie Jones. Without thought details were provided and Cassies next wage would be paid into that account.

Evelyn had watched Cassie at work and spoken with John about his new maid. She was astounded at how Miss Fellows, an outwardly successful businesswoman, would so willingly and publicly demean herself and even more surprised at what a proficient maid Cassie was. 

Evelyn had read up extensively on the condition she believed Cassandra Fellows was afflicted by. The early writings of Professor Monroe were quite illuminating. The mental paradox, that Evelyn believed more strongly than at the outset to be the catalyst for bringing maid Cassie into Miss Fellow’s consciousness, was covered extensively in three specific chapters. Triggers being referred to as episodes. It was not Professor Monroe’s studies however, but a reference from the bibliography tucked away in the appendix of one of Professor Munroe’s publications, that intrigued Evelyn.

The work of Colonel Matterson. “Best kept secrets of the cold war.”

During the cold war Individuals who had been identified and diagnosed with specific Dissociative Identity Disorder had been recruited by the CIA in collaboration with MI6 and Colonel Matterson, in the closing chapters of his book, alluded to the fact, that they probably still were? By exploiting their dual persona’s, first isolating the conditions for, then contriving a mental paradox, they made perfect agents. The numbers involved were small in that the subordinate persona in many potential recruits was too deeply supressed to let alone find but then encourage or force a mental paradox. But, for those who succumbed, allowed their genie out of its secure bottle, nurture reinforced their latent nature to become the quintessential sleeper agents. The only drawback, referenced as collateral consequence, once “flipped” some failed to respond fully to a reverse paradox never returning to the life’s they had once lived. Condemned into a twilight world of their own make believe and imaginations. Haunted by fading delusional memories of who they once were.

Early Saturday morning and Evelyn received the telephone call she had been expecting.

“Sir Philip, how are you, I thought you would be giving me a call, I take it you have read my interim report?”

Sir Philip was not happy he had isolated the perfect candidate for his upcoming vacancy. The evaluations at Temples had been seen to be a formality, a rubber stamp, a procedural necessity, and nothing more.

“Evelyn, Hobson and Lloyd, have used Temples for many years and since you took over with your team, you have proved even more invaluable but this, your report. Inconclusive, unresolved ambiguities? I have never actually met the woman, but her asset appreciation rating is just over eighty percent, accepted some anomalies, but eighty percent she is a rain maker. And this nonsense, recommending a two- week sabbatical, further analysis of the findings required. No one has heard from her since her time with you, she is off the grid, no email, her mobile not answered. Evelyn, I have read your report but what are you not telling me?”

Evelyn looked out of her window watching Cassie happily sweeping the pathway leading to the social area in the grounds of Temples.

“Philip, have I ever let you down? I just need more time with my client, and I can honestly say, at this time I have no idea where Miss Cassandra Fellows is and my report is what it is, inconclusive. You will have read my footnote?”

Evelyn pushed up the screen of Cassandra’s laptop on her desk and scrolling down the many unanswered mails in the in box opened the email from Sir Philip and smiled seeing he had indeed responded to her comments at the end of the report.

“Yes, I will have someone run the checks you suggest, and I have sent Miss Fellows an email to confirm what you are asking so hopefully she drags herself off whatever beach she is sunning herself on and responds.

Evelyn smiled reading the mail.

“Well let me know when she gets back to you, which I am sure she will. You did ask me to be thorough, this will let me get to the root of the issue and then you can make your decision.” 

The call ended Evelyn prepared a response to Sir Philips email.

 Cassie’s hours at the weekend were extended with overtime again. Sweeping and collecting litter from the car park, seating areas and pathways to the approaches of the centre was tiring but important. She would get to change the flowers again on Sunday, which she enjoyed, and this week put away the returned linen in the storerooms just how she wanted it. 

Saturday was all cleaning duties, so Cassie was smocked with a loosely knotted old scarf she had found about her head. It was mid-afternoon when Doctor Jenkins found Cassie sat in the breakroom.

Sandra smiled at the plain-looking cleaner sat in her soiled overall and canvas pumps, its hair roughly bundled within and beneath no better than a rag. Just over a week since the same woman, with perfect makeup, not a hair out of place wearing a silk blouse and designer suit stood tall and proud in her glossed heels before her.

“Cassie here you are, Miss Lockwood asked me to run some evaluations with you, it shouldn’t take long, I have told Mr Roberts so not to worry, come with me.”

Cassie followed Doctor Jenkins back to her office and took a seat. Cassie had purposely not been given the opportunity to speak with Doctor Jenkins or Miss Lockwood since the day she had volunteered to swap her executive attire and privileges for those of a maid and cleaner at Temples. Doctor Jenkins and Miss Lockwood were Cassies only conduit to Cassandra who had been away from her office and work without contact for two weeks, a working maid for most of that time. She would surely be anxious to know not only what had been decided about her report, but had anyone been trying to get in touch with her, voice mails, text messages, emails wouldn’t she? 

 “Well Cassie, Mr Roberts is very pleased with your work, you have settled in well here at Temples and Mr Roberts tells me you are one of the better maids he has had work for him. That must make you feel very proud of yourself. We are going to conduct a short interview, you being a new starter, but before we begin do you have any questions?”

Cassie, sitting opposite Doctor Jenkins straightened her cheap primrose nylon smock across her bare knees and pushed her glasses high on the bridge of her nose. Cassandra had never thought to consider wearing spectacles, but Cassie was finding her focus less clear without them.  

Questions? Cassie thought for a moment, she had everything she needed for her work, the rota she worked to was well organised and she managed to get everything done on time, there had been no problems or complaints about her work. Her boss only had compliments for her, and Mr Roberts had gone to the trouble of getting new overalls and pumps for when she was cleaning. The heavy cleaning equipment had been a problem at the start, but Mr Roberts had helped with that. She had no questions?

“No Miss, everything is fine.” 

Everything was fine, better than fine, Cassandra had successfully supressed the maid within her, she had always been in control for fear of discovery but for as long as Cassandra could remember she had considered that one day she could be exposed. What then? Would she willingly, be subtly coerced or perhaps even be forced to offer up her total capitulation to her inner demons and secret supressed desires. For her part time pretence to become her reality, helpless to resist and prevent herself being truly aproned and subjugated to become a working maid?

These thoughts now unwittingly shared from her diary with Miss Lockwood.

At Temples, the secret maid within Cassandra had indeed been revealed and exposed. Miss Lockwood, under her auspices had Miss Cassandra Fellows willingly strip herself of all she was, to collude in a potent and intoxicating subterfuge of self-denial and put to work a maid and cleaner at her facility. A VIP client reduced to the status of a maid and cleaner fuelling the self-fulfilling latent fantasy and feelings of entrapment, of surrendering all control to Miss Lockwood, these feelings were more than intoxicating, they were becoming all consuming.

Was this not what Cassandra had always consciously feared but subconsciously desired, what Cassie wanted?

Doctor Jenkins conducted her evaluation’s, and two hours later Cassie was being taken back though into the reception to continue her work. 

Back in her office Sandra sat shaking her head staring at the charts on her screen before confirming her thoughts from her scribbled notes.

With Cassie back to her duties Sandra and Evelyn watched the recording of Cassies interview pausing periodically to scrutinise her responses and comments. The editing if needed, would be done later.

“Well Sandra, remarkable, ten days a maid and no mention of our executive, even when prompted, what a good spy Miss Fellows would have made.”

Sandra looked at Evelyn questioningly.

“What? A spy? I do not understand.”

Evelyn chuckled.

“Oh, nothing just something I have been reading.”

Sandra did not see the relevance and moved on. 

“Remarkable Evelyn, its more than remarkable, I have never known anything like this, never. The cross referencing, it shows nothing, even when scaling back. Put Cassie in a negotiating situation and she would concede on every point, the evidence shows that?

Evelyn, deep in thought, scrolled the screen showing the evaluation results for Cassie. Like fingerprints the profile a perfect match to the sheep that had been previously exposed in Cassandra.

It was beyond any doubt now, Miss Fellows “Episode’s” whilst under evaluation, having truly brought Cassie the maid unknowingly into her consciousness leaving her weak and vulnerable. For Cassandra to be free of this insidious possession, would take months if not years of counselling and therapy before Hobson and Lloyd or indeed any employer could be certain Miss Fellows, the Cassie within her, would not wilfully, although unknowingly, trade out their margin and profits.

Evelyn considered that when Sir Philip was made fully aware, of what they have discovered with Temples techniques, it was doubtful that he would be willing to make such an investment? Sir Philip, quite rightly, would not want the findings of Temples publicised for fear of the negative impact on his business. That being in conflict with Evelyn’s ambitions to promote Temples and the proprietary techniques she had pioneered at the centre. Perhaps a compromise could be reached.

 “You are correct Sandra. Sir Philip is checking company records for evidence of poor performance, low margin business completed by Miss Fellows. When he finds these, which I am sure he will, we can cross check in Cassandra’s, Cassie diaries, to match dates. I am convinced there will be a connection.”

Sandra turned to Evelyn.

“What then, what then for Cassandra’s future?”

Evelyn pondered the question.

“Cassandra’s future? I think it will be Cassie’s future we are considering, don’t you Sandra?” 

Subscribe to Lady2Maid Blog Newsletter