Bag Lady

Part 3

Bag Lady 3(END)

Synopsis

Margaret, after being abused by her father, is thrown on to the streets. She is
picked up by an ex-Colonel who takes her as his housekeeper mistress for his
home, an old workhouse. One of her jobs is to type and translate a coded journal
giving details of the life of past inmates of the workhouse. Gradually the
modern lives and those of a past era become intertwined.

The first chapter lay dormant for over a year but once restarted, words wouldn't
stop coming until it became so long (nearly 600Kb in Word) that I have divided
the thirty-three chapters into three parts and will post these at monthly
intervals.

Please take note!

The text in this story contains erotic material and is expressly written for
adults only.

MF FF NC Rom and many other sexual variations

If you are an underage minor or offended by such material -or- if viewing this
file is illegal in your locality, then leave, close or delete this file-story
now.





This is a work of fiction, any resemblance to persons living, dead or otherwise
is purely coincidental, etc.

Copyright 2004

Bag Lady Chapters 23 - 33 (End)

by obohobo





Chapter 23. Sara's penance

August 15th 1831.

'It doesn't seem like over eight months since my arrival.

Sara didn't turn up for lunch last Sunday. I wasn't unduly worried as she was
often a little late if the Priest in Charge gave her a penance to do for some
perceived sin. I knew she had her arse spanked and had his cock in her
afterwards. Sara and the twins were the only ones of the Roman Catholic faith
but for some reason Father O'Mally never bothered the twins. This may have in
part been because Sara was so much more physically developed and with her
outgoing personally she confessed to many more sins and seemed to enjoy herself
in the crypt. The twins on the other hand were quiet and never said anything and
left immediately the service finished.

When lunch was over and things cleared away, Katherine asked Alice if she would
allow her to look for Sara. She found the poor girl still three quarters of a
mile from here holding her crotch and barely able to walk. Several other
villagers were around her but Sara just sat crying and saying she'd done
penance. One of the women, a Mrs. Denison, took her in to her house while
Katherine ran back here and got Jack to take the horse and cart to fetch her.

I was in my study with Alice when Katherine knocked at the door. I wasn't very
happy at being disturbed as Alice and I were just beginning to fondle each other
on the bed. Katherine burst in without waiting for an answer but before I could
reprimand her she begged Alice to come and see Sara. "Please come Miss Alice.
Them fathers have hurt her bad this time. You'd better come and see too Sir. We
have her in her bedroom."

I was shocked by what I saw. Sara's cunnie area, her bottom and inside her
thighs were one raw looking blister. So were both titties. Alice immediately
took charge. "Bring her to the kitchen and get a dozen pillows and bring them
too," she ordered the women who stood by. Frieda and Violet she ordered into the
garden to look for dock leaves. I guessed then, the cause of the blistering.
Alice recognised nettle rash. Sara, in her anguish kept trying to scratch the
blister but Alice soon bound her hands so it was impossible for to reach the
affected areas.

They arranged the pillows on the kitchen table so that only Sara's back rested
on them. Her bottom was clear of the table by six inches or so. Katherine wanted
to put cold water on the blisters but Alice forbade it because she said water
made the pain worse and others agreed. As soon as the dock leaves arrived Alice
had them chopped and pounded and poultices made which she gently laid on the
terribly sore places. They seemed to have a little effect but we could see Sara
was still in terrible agony. I'd given the girl a goodly dose of the birch on
several occasions but had never seen her in such a state. It took Jack and two
of the stronger ladies to hold her on the table. We sent out the women again to
scour the lanes for more dock leaves and I allowed her to have a little opium
water to ease the pain and to quieten her thrashing around and this did indeed
work. Without even consulting me, Alice had her carried to my bed, which is much
softer than the workhouse mattresses.

I had Jack drive Alice and Sara to Doctor Sedgton's surgery next morning and he
prescribed some lotion that seemed better than the dock leaves. Everywhere she'd
been stung by the nettles was still horribly blistered and the dock leaf
treatment had seemed ineffectual when the poison was over such a large area. I
hoped to later wring the money for the doctor's fee out of the sadistic priest.
Apparently, according to Alice, the good doctor was most concerned as to how she
came by such injury and she had to repeatedly assure him it wasn't anything to
do with the workhouse. She told him to ask Mrs. Denison, the woman who took Sara
in and we believed it was some sort of penance given out by the church. Sara
still stubbornly refused to talk or it may have been the opium water blotting
out her mind. Doctor Sedgton suggested she not be given any more even though it
might have a calming effect on the body, it was believed to have harmful effects
on the mind.

It was the next evening before Sara was well enough to begin talk about what
happened and even then the story wasn't coherent. She took more broth and we
left her tale till the morning. By then a lot of the blistering had gone down
and the skin was covered in a measles-like rash. The whole area was painful to
touch but the lotion now seemed to be working and removing some of the
irritation. As usual it was Alice that gently prised the story from her while I
sat by and listened. For this journal I will piece the story together for it was
told with many outbursts of tears and with gaps we filled in with later
questions.

"So you went to confessions?" Alice asked

"Yes, but not in the proper box but in the crypt. We often do this when Father
O'Mally wants to spank or fuck me." Sara started her tale. "This time there were
two others dressed in priest's robes already down there. It seemed like they'd
had a bit of a party because there were liqueur bottles and cakes and stuff
around. Father just said they were visiting priests and had been on a trip where
they hadn't had a woman for a while. He introduced them as Father Ignatius and
Father Dominic but I don't think they were their real names as sometimes when I
spoke they took a moment to remember to answer. At first I thought I was just
going to get three cocks instead of one so wasn't at all worried."

"We're all going to hear your confession today Sara," Father O'Mally said, "Make
sure you confess to everything and give us all the smallest details."

"Don't you think it would help to cleanse her spirit if she removed those rags
she is wearing first?" Father Dominic asked.

"I was a bit put out by him calling my nice Sunday dress, rags but at Father
O'Mally's behest I took my clothes off. They sat me on blankets on a stone tomb
thing that is down there and spread my legs wide so when they sat on chairs in
front of me they could see my cunnie about level with their faces. Father
O'Mally had fucked me on that tomb many times so I guessed I was going to have
my cunnie well filled and I was looking forward to it. Father Dominic made me
put my hands behind my back and push my titties out cuz he said my sins could
escape more freely from my body. I knew it was really for them to see my hard
nips. As I said, at that time, I didn't mind. I even suggested they too might
wish to remove their robes so they might better take my sins into them and
purify them. This they did. All three were fully hard and I wondered if they
would wait for my confession before stuffing their cocks in me. They couldn't."

"Brothers," Father Ignatius spoke, "Do you not think it would help if we put
some of our cleansing fluids inside her body before she starts confessing?"

"I knew what that meant. They laid me down on the tomb with my legs dangling
over one end."

"Guests first," Father O'Mally said and Father Dominic lifted my legs on his
shoulders and started to ram me hard. His was quite a thick cock and I felt nice
and full with it in me but he shot his seed too quick for me to cum. Father
Ignatius was next. His was normal and he was able to keep going longer. I had my
spasms about halfway through and again spasmed when Father O'Mally took me so I
was quite well satisfied. They sat and filled their glasses and I was ordered to
clean their cocks so I had a good look at the poles that had serviced me. Father
Ignatius laughed and said, "Her mouth is much softer that yours Father Dom."

"And I wager her arse is tighter too, brother," Father Dominic replied.

"Time for you to confess now Sara," Father O'Mally said, "Get up on the tomb
like you were."

"I did and made up a story of how I had met a group of six men in the woods and
showed by body to them. First just my breasts and then everything until they
were so worked up they forced themselves on to me, sucking my titties and
putting their cocks in all my holes. Even though it was a made-up story, I kept
adding the naughtiest details of what they did to me and how much I liked it. I
hoped they would get worked up again too and repeat their earlier rogering of
me.

"I think such behaviour deserves punishing by a severe penance," Father O'Mally
stated and the others agreed with him and the three went to the far corner and
talked amongst themselves for a while. Father O'Mally left and Father Ignatius
gave me a glass of whiskey. It burned my throat but it felt nice and warm in my
belly so I had another one, which made me a little light headed.

When Father O'Mally came back he brought with him a covered wicker basket. At
the time I thought it was more food. How wrong I was.

I was again sat on the tomb and Father Ignatius, he seemed to be the senior one
and the one who was most cruel, said "Sara you have sinned very badly. Even if
the confession you have given us is a pack of lies, it shows the disgusting
state of your mind. It is our opinion you need a severe penance to drive these
sins out. We three holy fathers are here to do that for you. When you leave here
you will have little thought for the crude sexual deviations you have described
to us."

"I little knew then how true that was but I guessed I was in for a whipping. The
two visiting priests took me and forcibly tied my upside down in a doorway with
my legs wide apart. My hands just reached the floor so I could relieve some of
the pressure from my ankles but my cunnie and titties were well on display. From
upside down position I could see their cocks were again hard and still expected
on a token beating before they had me again.

Father Ignatius removed the cloth from the basket and showed me the nettles. I
nearly fainted as I have a fear of them any way."

"Sara, God has provided us with a plant that has a force within itself to drive
out your sins in a very satisfactory way."

"I screamed and begged them not to do it but they only laughed. Father O'Mally
had refilled their glasses and I knew the liqueur had already dulled their
sensibilities and it showed by the grins on their faces."

"If you sin," Father Ignatius went on, "You must expect to be punished. As the
servant of our Lord, I shall take great pleasure in carrying out his work." Each
priest put on gloves and made thick birches from the long stemmed nettles. I was
shown them and told, the priests wouldn't even have to hit hard for these
birches to be effective. I still begged and pleaded but they were past hearing.
Father Dominic went the other side of the door and stood behind my bum, Father
Ignatius in front and to one side so he could beat the front of my cunnie,
thighs and stomach and Father O'Mally the other side to whip my titties. Each
took it in turn to swing their bunch of nettles. Father Ignatius started and
despite what he said about not have to hit hard, brought his bunch smartly right
along my open cunnie crack. I know I screamed. It felt like a million bees had
stung. Hardly had that registered and I felt another slash almost in the same
place but catching more of my bottom. Father Dominic had struck from the other
side. Then the underside of my titties, which was the top in my position, felt
the terrible sting. So it went on, seemingly for ages until as you saw my whole
bottom and stomach area and particularly my cunnie and titties were one big
blister and I near lost all my senses. My eyes blurred. My sight lost its vision
of swaying hard cocks and flaying arms. Next thing I remembered was being on the
tomb again and more pain as a cock was forced between the swollen lips of my
cunnie. I think all three had me again but I knew not much about it. I do
remember a glass being held to my lips and the fiery liquid bringing me back to
my painful life.

Some time later, I don't know how long, I found myself trying to walk home. My
dress and shoes had been put on and I must have walked a little way before the
stupor I was in hit me and I felt in so much pain, I couldn't go any further. I
sort of remember being in someone's house and trying to sit but couldn't and
then Jack lifting me into the cart and that was all until I was here and being
looked after by you and the others."

Immediately I took Jack and myself to the priest's home and challenged him as to
his behaviour. At first he denied the allegations and suggested it was all lies
made up by Sara but I pointed out she was seen coming from his church in a state
such as she could not have made up anything, indeed she couldn't speak. Mrs.
Denison and other women would vouch for this. He blustered a bit and I
threatened to inform his cardinal. "And then I shall have to put paid to your
Saturday evening sessions, Josiah," he said. After much argument, I got
compensation for the doctor's fees and an assurance he wouldn't bother Sara or
any others in my care again.

I know some punishments I have given out have been harsh, but they have been for
real offenses like those given to Clara and Bell, but never have I inflicted so
much pain for sexual pleasure and given in the name of God. I am resolved never
to allow Sara to attend the Roman church again.'

"I can feel for that poor girl," Margaret muttered when she and Jeremy read
through the latest part of the journal she had decoded. "Luckily we didn't have
many nettles in our garden. To save work we had all grass but once, when there
had been a lot of rain and I hadn't been able to mow it for a couple of weeks,
one grew through from our neighbours. Father spotted it and put it inside my
school knickers. It was only about a foot high but quite a bushy plant with
several stems. He put gloves on and folded the plant a few times and when he'd
tied my hands, lowered my knickers a little way and stuffed the plant inside,
making sure it would cover my cunt and most of my bum. The pain was pretty awful
when he pulled my knickers up tight but worse was to come because he put me over
his knee and gave me a hard spanking which drove more of the stings into me. At
one point some leaves must have protruded from the material and he hit them. The
pain in his hand made him very angry so he pounded my arse more but this time
with a glove on. I had to leave the nettles in my knickers and sit for an hour
after which they were ineffective. They had done their work and my bottom and
genitals were a mass of big, painful blisters."

"Did they make you horny?"

"No. As you know a little pain does stimulate me but the irritation from the
nettles was nothing like that. I wanted to scratch and rub but the pain was too
intense. Like Sara, even after the blisters had gone down, I had an itchy rash
for some weeks. After that I made sure no nettles ever invaded our garden. And
no! It is not something I want you to try on me."

"It can be stimulating Margaret, but only when used in very small doses. I'll
try it tonight and I promise you it will not be anything like what you had
before and certainly not like Sara."



Chapter 24. Urtification

Margaret sat bound to the oak chair in the bedroom. Her breasts swelling nicely
from being clamped with the tit clamps, her thighs tied obscenely wide apart,
revealed her open cunt. Jeremy had still not told her exactly what he intended
to do but she knew he'd been outside in the wilderness they still called a
garden and had come back with a box of nettles although as part of his secrecy,
she hadn't seen how many were in it. While she had learned to trust him and so
far he had not hurt her badly she always fearful and had doubts as to whether he
might go further than he intended. He inflicted pain, but it was pain that
aroused her and their fucking afterwards was always very intense. He also played
mind games like when she was on the bar and he had her imagining she was to be
flogged in front of an audience who raped her afterwards. His word pictures made
the scene so vivid and yet there were only the two of them in the house.

"I think your nips are hard enough now for us to start your urtication,
Margaret. Did you know that is what it is called?" Jeremy asked. "The rash it
causes is urticaria after the Latin name of the nettle. I'm sure you wanted to
know that at this time," he joked. "There are men and women who use nettles to
stimulate or hurt themselves or their partners. I wonder if they are called
'urticants'? Perhaps we'll talk about them more after you have become one. Some
go much further than I am going with you tonight unless I feel you are enjoying
it."

"I know I won't enjoy it Jeremy and I don't really want you to try it but you
have me tied helpless here and can do what you wish. While I trust you, I am
also afraid. Nettles are not like the cane, it takes a bit for the full blisters
to come although the pain is immediate but you won't be able to see that."

"Yes Margaret. You are helpless and totally in my power. If I wish I could cover
those swollen tits of yours with an urticaria rash that will take weeks to
disappear. I can press the leaves into your cleavage and rub them into you
lovely mammeries. I can massage them into your pubic mound, into your bum crack
and into you bum hole. You could do nothing to prevent it. You could scream
loudly but in this place no one would hear."

Jeremy donned his driving gloves and opened the box and Margaret could see he
had picked the rosette of leaves from only the topmost shoots. There were no
long stems. "Was he going to fill her bra with them? Her knickers? Was he going
to poke them inside her?" Margaret started to worry and was about to start
shouting when Jeremy put the gag into her mouth, which caused her even more
concern. "I ought to trust him," she said to herself, "But I'm never very sure
he won't go too far."

"Close your eyes Margaret," Jeremy intoned, "Close them because you do not wish
to see your surroundings and the things that are here to torture you. Imagine
it, Margaret. You are in this stone crypt, tied to a chair. In front of you is
the inquisitor. At the moment he is in priest's garb. Around, somewhere in the
blackness, others are watching. Looking at you, their victim. They want to see
how you react to a sexual punishment. To see how you react to the vicious bite
of the nettle leaf when it is touched on your sensitive spots. But you will not
just be touched with it, the painful leaves will be forced tight to your body.
The inquisitor blindfolds you." Jeremy tied a dark cloth over Margaret's eyes
and started to massage her already hard nipples standing out from her bloated
purple breasts. His gloved hands squeezed and mauled them. "Yes, these tits are
ready to take the pain now. Can you stand it Margaret?" The gag prevented any
answer.

Taking one of the nettle rosettes, Jeremy pushed it gently against her left
nipple. Margaret moved involuntarily as the first nettle bites registered the
pain in her brain. Again the nettles were pushed against the nipple, this time
harder and when the leaves surrounded the protruding nub, Jeremy gripped them
tightly and held them fast to the sensitive flesh.

Had she been able Margaret would have screamed. The pain was sharp. Severe.
Biting. The glass-like, poison filled needles on the surface of the plant leaves
embedded themselves in her nipple. Even when Jeremy removed the leaves her
nipple the pain remained and for a short while, seemed to worsen. A few moments
later he repeated the procedure on the other nipple with a fresh nettle rosette.
Although she tried to shake her breasts to get some relief, it was totally
ineffective. Her body was tied tight to the chair and the tit clamps allowed
very little movement. "Has that not made your tits nice and sensitive Margaret?"
Jeremy enquired. She shook her head, no. "Perhaps when I remove the clamps it
will." Jeremy slipped the rings from the clamps and blood flooded back making
the whole breast area tingle exacerbating the pain in her nips. Placing his
mouth over each nipple in turn, her tormentor suckled them, which eased the pain
slightly, but it soon returned when Jeremy turned his attentions to her
clitoris.

It didn't take Margaret long to guess he would do the same with that organ. It
was already engorged and protruding. She felt the surrounding hood pushed back
further and then the painful sting as the nettles were dragged over the tender
bud. Margaret bucked as just one leaf was pressed firmly around her clit and
held there for some seconds before being taken away and replaced by a mouth. A
mouth that deliciously sucked and nibbled. The pain in her breasts appeared to
proportionally diminish as the arousal in her cunt increased. Jeremy's mouth
continued it ministrations until Margaret climaxed. He released her and them
made love on the bed and relaxed side by side in the afterglow of a satisfying
fuck.

"How's your tits now dear?"

"Sort of itchy. Feels like they need rubbing. They're very tender but they've
been worse after a whipping. My cunnie, oh, I'm beginning to talk like Josiah
now, is the same. Needs some more attention. Taking the hint Jeremy suckled her
clit for some time while she serviced his cock until it was hard enough to
perform a second time.

"Jeremy? You must have done that before to other women. Have you?"

"Not often. Most women, like you, are appalled at the thought. Having a nettle
touch them is akin to letting a spider crawl over their skin. Even the thought
horrifies them and makes their flesh cringe. But I did meet a family that were
into it. They lived up north and had a small holding which they all worked on
part time, almost as a hobby because they were into organic foods and stuff. All
had other jobs too which paid the bills and left them comfortably off. Paula,
who I met first and her sister Jackie, were married to two brothers, David and
Jake. Both families lived in a big farmhouse and shared each other's partners.
Not just wife swapping either. The two sisters and two brothers were lesbian and
homosexual. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say they were all bisexual.
They seemed to have a complicated timetable for who slept with who so they all
had a chance to indulge in everyone else.

I had just returned from India and met Paula at a party near Catterick where I
was posted temporarily. We sat together and I regaled her with tales of my
experiences and at her prompting told her of the sexual habits I'd found there.
At the time I didn't know she was even married. We met again the following week
and had a much longer chat with her. I then learned of her relationship with the
others and jumped at the chance of spending a long weekend at the farmhouse.
That first weekend I had fairly normal sex with both her and Jackie and found
out all four were into punishing each other and torturing themselves to a
limited extent. Clothes pegs on tits and cocks and minor canings and such. Much
like us. I gave both girls a spanking and watched the girls give the boys arses
the belt. David and Jake showed me how hard they fucked each other in the arse
afterwards when their arses were sore."

"Did they do it to you?" asked Margaret.

"Yes, but only once. As you know, I'm more into girls and don't really get off
too much on having cocks up my arse but I didn't want to appear a spoilsport. It
was on the Sunday, the five of us were playing at putting clothes pegs on each
other. Us men, had a peg on each nipple and four along the shaft of our cocks,
the girls also had a peg on each nipple and then three more around the aureoles.
As they were about to put pegs on each other's labia the subject of stinging
nettles was mentioned and when I expressed an interest they said we would try in
on my next visit.

When I arrived, they'd already collected the stinging nettles and had them in a
jug of water. We took them to Paula's bedroom and everyone undressed. "We think
it braver if we apply the nettles to our own bodies," Paula said, "At least to
those places we can get at." She gave a little laugh.

"Ladies first," David announced but when Jackie objected it still ended that way
on the cut of cards. It was Jackie's turn first. She wore light rubber gloves
and plucked a rosette of the top leaves and, squeezing a breast with one hand to
make the nipple stand right out, pushed the leaves hard on to the nipple. She
grimaced but held the leaves tight, even moving them a little so they rubbed the
aureole a bit. She counted aloud to twenty and then threw the leaves in the bin
and showed me the blisters that were forming. I could see tears were forming in
her eyes from the pain but she took another bunch of the leaves and repeated the
performance with the other tit. When she threw the nettles away she vigorously
rubbed both nipples.

"Have to wait a few minutes for the initial pain to die a little and the itch to
start getting the tit throbbing nicely," Paula explained. Turning to Jackie she
went on, "I'll do my tits and then we'll do each other's clits." She did hers
and asked me to rub them for her. I sucked them for a while too until Jackie
laid on the bed ready for her clit torture. She lay on her back and held her
legs by her ears so her cunt was fully displayed. I was asked to stimulate her
clit and then Paula pushed and held the leaves on again for a count of twenty.
Immediately she was released Jackie tried to rub it and cried out for a few
minutes and then I sucked it for her until the pain had receded enough for her
to get her own back on Paula.

Now it was the men's turn. First we did our nipples like the girls. Then still
wearing gloves we carefully took all the leaves from about a foot long length of
stem. I was firmly told only to hold the end of the stem so as not to break off
the poison glands lining all four of its squarish sides. The girls made sure our
pricks were hard and outstanding and, for those of us who had foreskins, the
covering was well back. We formed the stem into a loop that would slip over the
prick head with plenty of room to spare. David demonstrated what to do. When the
loop was in position we had to pull it so it fitted tightly and bound itself
around the shaft just under the corona. This is the most sensitive part, and we
had to hold it there for a count of twenty, just like the girls. The pain was
pretty severe but I just managed to hold it for the count. As I'd had to wait
for the demonstrations, the others had started before me and by now had their
pricks buried in the girl's cunts. I was still counting and afterwards had to
content myself by rubbing my prick until Paula's cunt became available. She was
more than ready for me to tease her clit with my weapon and for quite a while
afterwards we had to massage each other and have intercourse with the girls
whenever we were hard enough. David did remark, they had tried going further and
having a longer length of stem and binding the shaft with it but that just
seemed too painful and didn't promote any erection until a long while
afterwards."

"You must let me try and loop your cock like that again, Jeremy," Margaret
mused, "It would be nice to get my own back sometime."



Chapter 25. Dilly

Margaret's stay at the Workhouse extended indefinitely. Her typing of the
Journal was finished long ago. They'd printed in out and had two copies spiral
bound for easy reading. Much of the later entries were rather repetitive in
their accounts of who were punished on Saturdays but there were still some
entries they liked to read over. Like this one.

'September 29th 1831

A fortnight ago I had a visit from Wm. Forsdyke, the shipping and forwarding
agent who is now married to Martha. He brought along a woman he'd found sleeping
in one of his warehouses. She'd readily offered her body to him if he'd let her
stay but she smelled too badly for him to even think of it. However, he saw that
under the ragged clothes and grime she wasn't too bad looking and looked strong.
He ordered a couple of his stevedores to 'scrub her down' and gave them a few
coppers to get some clothes from Eastons the second-hand clothes store on the
quayside for her.' Her name he found out was Dorothy Preston but everyone calls
her Dilly.

"Sounds like me all over again," muttered Margaret as she read through the first
paragraph. "I bet they didn't call them 'bag ladies' then. I wonder what the
term was?"

'William said he watched the men from his office window and related what went
on. It seemed to amuse him. "The woman naturally objected to being undressed by
the men especially as many of the other workers kept passing by but after she
had a couple of buckets of sea water thrown over her and was soaked from head to
toe she took the clothes off by herself. Standing in front of the men she swore
at them in true docker's language. "Is that what you fucking wanted to see you
scum faced bastard buggers?" she asked and continued to swear and hurl abuse at
them. The stevedores were big tough men and just laughed at her then knocked her
to the ground with more water and set to with brooms and a little soap and
scrubbed her as she rolled on the floor. Luckily for Dilly, they'd been sweeping
flour earlier so the brooms were the softer ones. Nevertheless they weren't too
gentle with her and the handles found their way into her crotch at times and her
titties bounced well when the scrubbed them. Eventually I stepped in and gave
her a cloth to dry herself and put her in a room by herself. This was more to
keep my men working and not making sport of her, rather than to protect her
modesty. I could see clearly now, she was a strong woman used to manual work.
When the men came back and she was dressed I set her cleaning the outer office
until it was time to leave and then brought her here."

"Did she come willingly?" I asked.

"Sort of," William smiled, "It was here or being put in the lock-up for
vagrancy. She's a bit rough and uncouth in her ways but no doubt a few touches
from your birch will polish her up a bit. Underneath the rough exterior she
seems quite a kindly woman. I only got part of her story so I'll leave you to
find out more. If she doesn't fit in Josiah, let me know and I'll take her back
to the dock and see if the Sailors Tavern would want her." I decided to take a
look at her and found she was not too unattractive although she would need
feeding up. At about thirty-five years old and quite tall and muscular for a
woman, she was not a beauty queen by any means but would add to my stock of
women and I figure she might sell as a bed partner to some lonely man if her
manners improved.

I told Alice to give her a good meal as we had finished ours and then to have
the women bath her and bring her to me. She seemed pleased enough when she heard
about the meal but in her uncouth way spat out, "Don't need another bath Sir.
Them buggers this morn scrubbed me bloody skin to ribbons." I of course
reprimanded her for swearing and pointed out, that in this workhouse swearing
was punishable by the strap and if continued, by the birch.

A little later I heard and altercation in the kitchen and could hear Dilly's
angry voice. I also heard Alice call quietly for Jack so I waited to see what
happened. The swearing continued but soon a crack of leather and the swearing
was replaced by a scream. I entered the kitchen just as Katherine was stuffing
Dilly's mouth with a cloth. Jack had her held fast but was having some
difficulty in holding the powerful, struggling woman. "Put her on the punishment
bar, Alice and deal with her later. She may have calmed a bit by then." It
wasn't but a short time before Dilly was naked and strapped down to the pole on
the punishment stool. I took the opportunity to examine her bottom and cunnie
but without pushing my fingers inside and guessed they had both been well used.

Still the woman tried to struggle and we could tell she would be swearing at us
had not the gag prevented it. Alice suggested we leave her for a while 'to calm
down and think about her manners' and I agreed so we locked the door and left
Dilly in there in complete darkness for over an hour.

When we returned with all the women to witness the punishment, Dilly was
painfully aware of the narrow bar that ran between her breasts and pressed into
her crack. I gave Dilly a long lecture on the behaviour I expected from the
women here and the punishments they could expect. It ended with, "Dilly, if you
wish to runaway in the morning, that's fine by me but if you wish to stay and
get three good meals a day you will conform to our rules. Your behaviour would
normally warrant a severe birching in front of our Saturday guests but because
it is your first time and I am still able to ask Mr. Forsdyke to take you back
to the dock area next week if I am not satisfied with you, I will allow Alice as
head of the household, to give you a thorough strapping." Turning to Alice I
urged her to thrash the woman soundly. She did. The strap repeatedly lashed her
buttocks and upper thighs until the whole area was red raw. Afterwards Jack
wanted to ram his prick into her bottom hole but I refused to allow it until the
doctor had seen her and checked she was free of the diseases many dockside
whores carry. We left her again in darkness until Alice had her removed to a bed
and asked Kate [Katherine?] to treat her bottom.

Dilly glared sourly at me when I arrived in the kitchen for breakfast. Kate and
Mildred had helped her down and she didn't reply when I gave my usual "Good
Morning Ladies" greeting. Alice set her to work first with Mildred and then Kate
and after two days I asked all three to report on how she had performed. All
said she appeared somewhat clumsy and Kate said, "Although she seems to try,
Dilly never seems to have worked with fine materials and consequently is
constantly breaking the threads or tearing the cloth. I don't think it's really
her fault Sir, she's just never been trained. She's got big awkward hands and
the muscles of a man."

I sent for Dilly. At first my questions were answered with one or two words
until Kate spoke to her. "What sort of sewing did you do before you came here?"
she asked.

"Sewed sails, heavy canvas stuff. Used a palm and sail needle and waxed twine.
Not thin cotton. I can splice ropes, reeve a tackle and skull a boat. All my
life I've been at sea." I have translated her words into more readable english
as her Northumberland dialect was strong and her choice of words indelicate.

"Do you wish to go back to sea?" I asked.

"No Sir. Not no more. I've had enough of the sea now."

"Well I don't know what to put you on doing here Dilly," I said, "Your not into
housework, you can't handle fabrics and I fear much would get torn in the
laundry if I put you there. I shall have to think about how to fit you into our
community or give you back to Mr. Forsdyke."

"If you please Sir." It was Mildred that spoke, "Why not try her in the garden
Sir. Percy's always complaining the garden is too big for one man to look
after."

Percy was a man of forty years who I took into my employ a month ago. He lives
on his own in a cottage in the village and works hard and has begun to get the
garden in some sort of order after having been neglected for so long. After
finding him in the tool shed eating his sandwiches alone one lunchtime, I
suggested he sat with us and shared our lunch, which he has been doing for the
past few weeks. At lunch that day I put the suggestion to him but he seemed
shocked at the thought of a woman gardener. "They're alright doing some field
work when needed but no respectable house that I knows of, has a woman
gardener." I pointed out the woman was strong and could easily lift sacks and
push a barrow. She was also used to an outdoor life and being outside in all
weathers. "A woman's place is in the home and in the bed!" he stoutly argued.

Alice whispered to me. "Remember Bobby? We made a woman of him. Put trousers on
her." This seemed a good idea and as I had to go into town the next day, I took
her in the cart with me and visited Eastons and bought with several pairs of
seaman's trousers, guernseys and shirts. She was a more talkative on the way
back and I found out a little more of her life.

"I met Douglas Preston when I was fifteen. His father owned a collier and after
seeing me a few times I went to sea with him. We were never married but we lived
as man and wife although he was much older than I was. For about a year we got
along fine but then some of the younger seaman started to woo me and after a
while I let them have me. It was fairly easy to find places on the boat that
were away from prying eyes but then Dougie caught me at it.."

"What did he do about it, seeing neither you nor the seaman could leave?"

"He give us both lashing with the rope. It was freezing cold and the sea had
quite a lop on, breaking o'er the starb'd bow and sending icy spray along the
length of the brig. He has us both stripped starkers and I was tied to the
foremast and him to the main so we could both see each other but I was in the
worst of the spray. Soon I was wet all over. He'd already picked out two lengths
of hemp as thick as your thumb and gives one to the mate. "Match my strokes on
that fucking bastard," he orders and despite the motion lays it across my back
while the rest of the crew watch. I screamed but it was lost in the noise of the
wind and waves. I felt the rope rip a line of fire across my shoulders. He was
very slow between each lash, as he had to wait until he'd got good balance and
catch a moment when the ship was relatively still. Gradually he turned my whole
back and arse into a mass of welts. God did I hurt. I cried, screamed and
pleaded but he was too angry to stop. Through my wet eyes and the spray I could
vaguely see the man getting the lash as well. Eventually it stopped and although
it was very cold, my back and bum were on fire. I was left there for a while for
the salt water to clean the wounds that were bleeding and then was taken to our
cabin and bent over the table. Dougie rammed his cock in and kept yelling that
his was the only cock that was to enter my cunnie in future and for a long while
afterwards it was.

Over the years Dougie took more and more to rum and became less and less in
charge of the vessel and Jock, the mate became captain without having the title.
Dougie also lost much of his ability to get his prick up so I started to fuck
with the mate. Inevitably we were caught. We thought he was in a drunken sleep
when he burst into the mate's cabin. He was staggering pretty much so we were
able to avoid him and get on to the open deck. There was a fair breeze that
night too and we were heeled over so the lee scuppers were only just above the
water. Jock leaned against the lee rail and held on to the ratlines. Doug rushed
and slid over the slanted deck and swung a terrific fist at Jock's face. Jock
was quick though and Doug, already unsteady on his feet, went over the side and
that was the last I or anyone else saw of him. The few of the crew who saw it,
all swore Dougie was drunk and slid on the wet deck and went straight over the
side. I didn't mourn him much and Jock took over the captain's job, his cabin
and me as his woman! I probably would have still been with him had he not been
knifed in a pub brawl here a few weeks ago. Some of the crew decided I was
unlucky as both my men had been killed and didn't want me on the ship so they
left me here with my few possessions still on the brig."

Next day, attired in men's gear and her hair in a seaman's ponytail, she started
work with Percy but there always seemed a good deal of resentment on his part to
having a woman as his labourer. I cautioned him not to roger her. Although the
good doctor had said she appeared free of infection, he said to wait a month and
he would return and check her again, as the infection might be recent and not
yet show any signs. This precluded my using her at the Saturday do's.

It was about a month later that an incident occurred that changed the
relationship between the two. The river had been running high and floodwater was
washing away part of our garden. To stem the erosion, I ordered a tumbrel of
sand and two gross of sacks. The nearest we could get the tumbrel with its sand
to the site was a hundred yards distant so the pair filled the sand bags at the
heap and when enough had been done to start closing the breach, Percy tucked one
under each arm and walked to the river. Dilly did the same and overtook him. It
became a silent competition between them. Both could have used the barrow and
carted more at a time but for some reason they had decided on this test of
strengths.

Percy then put two under each arm and staggered down the garden. Dilly did
likewise and kept pace with him. On the second trip with two under each arm,
Percy cried out and dropped his load and lay moaning in the wet grass. "My
bloody back's gone," he muttered. Without further ado, Dilly put the man over
her shoulders and carried him through the back door into the kitchen. Sitting
him on the table, she removed his boots and hers and then carried him to her
room. Percy still screamed abuse at her for causing more pain to his back but
she disregarded it and called out, "Miss Alice please bring some goose grease."

"It's swan at the moment," Alice replied, "But I expect it will be just as
good." A swan had come on to our back garden a few evenings back and with no one
about, Percy had broken its neck with a lump of wood and brought it to the
kitchen. We'd hastily plucked and burned the feathers and Alice cooked the large
bird, which made a welcome, if illegal addition to our diet. Ironic perhaps that
its juice was to help ease the pain of the one who killed it.

When we arrived at the bedroom, Dilly was expertly divesting Percy of his
clothing and soon had him laid out at full stretch and face down on the bed.
Alice handed her the dripping and Dilly spread a liberal amount over his back.
Percy still groaned in agony but his partner just told him to keep still. Dilly
climbed on the bed and kneeling, straddled him with her legs. Charlotte quipped,
"You need him the other way up to get your..." She was silenced by Dilly's,
"Shut your mouth slut." Before I could reprimand her for her language, she
turned angrily to all of us, "If you are going to watch, do so in silence! I
need to feel his bones and hear what I am doing, not your stupid comments!" I
think her words took us all aback and we kept quiet while she started at the
base of his spine and massaged each of his vertebrae. At about the third one we
all heard a click and then a scream from Percy.

"Got it!," Dilly exclaimed, "You'll be alright now Percy boy but you're going to
have to rest for a few days." She went on to check the rest of the spine but
they seemed fine and then gave it arse a playful smack which left a deep red
mark. "Just yew lay there Percy. I'll finish the sandbagging for yer then I'll
cum and see ta yer. Don't yer runa away now!". Later she explained that it was
not an uncommon problem on sailing ships where the men had to twist themselves
and pull ropes or move cargo at awkward angles.

Percy slept in her bed for two nights before she allowed him up and we heard her
rogering him on his last morning in bed. Milly peeped in and told everyone that
Dilly was on top and doing the work but Percy wasn't minding. From then on, the
pair worked more as a team. I have to admit, and so does Percy, she works very
well in the garden and does an equal amount of work to him. I'm sure his prick
is inside her quite frequently now especially when the inclement weather
confines them to the potting shed.'

[Marginal note that wasn't in code]

May 27th 1832. Percy and Dilly married in Pennydelset church.



Chapter 27. Sheila abducted and abused

"What have you been up to Jeremy?" Margaret called, "The police have arrived."
They'd been together for two years and the west end of the old workhouse was
converted into three spacious flats, two occupied by middle aged couples and one
by a single lady of about Margaret's age. Margaret and Jeremy decided to keep
the entire east end of the house in as near original condition as possible in
keeping with modern living requirements. These included the kitchen, workroom,
punishment room, scullery and eight bedrooms for themselves and to offer
'workhouse B&B accommodation' and link it with women's craft courses. For over a
year, conflicts between architects, planning authorities and English Heritage
who wanted the whole building kept more or less as it was, caused them major
headaches. Then it was the builder's turn to reek havoc with their peaceful life
style. Finally it was all over and the Workhouse had taken on a new lease of
life as a residential, upmarket home for seven people. Jeremy and Margaret kept
the part they originally lived in, including the over large kitchen with its
solid fuel cooker, the punishment room and the bedrooms and workrooms. All
except the punishment room, were tastefully redecorated. At times when things
were fraught with the house renovation problems, the tensions strained the
relationship between the pair but Jeremy insisted they never go to bed angry
with each other. When things were at their worst, sometimes they sat late trying
to resolve their differences verbally and by cuddling and sexuality. Now, with
the worst over, they could indulge themselves and go away for days at a time.

Margaret greeted the constable but it was the WPC with him that spoke. "Margaret
Smith?" When Margaret acknowledged she went on, "I'm WPC Rachael Hanson and my
colleague is PC John Miller. Sorry miss, but we have some bad news for you. Your
father committed suicide this morning."

The news did indeed shock her but she couldn't bring herself to mourn her brutal
father's death. "Why? How?" was all she could utter.

"He hung himself. We were about to charge him with abduction and grievous bodily
harm and other offences against a young girl."

"How bad is the girl?" asked Jeremy, his arm around his partner.

"Badly beaten Sir. She's had a traumatic time but won't talk about it much."

Margaret shivered, "I can guess, I can guess. She was held prisoner, tied and
whipped all over and raped."

"You sound as if you have first hand experience of him." Rachael phrased it as a
statement but anticipated an answer.

"Only for twenty-five years. But he's dead now so don't expect details."

Margaret had to formally identify the body and attend an inquest. The girl, a
Sheila Johnson, was absent, still too shocked to talk and the counselors made
little headway. She'd left hospital and was again living with her mother.
"Sheila," Margaret wrote, "You won't know me but you may know of me. You may
know too how I was made to suffer as you were but it was many years before I
escaped. I know how you are suffering for I have suffered too. From childhood I
was abused and mistreated and know only too well your feelings at this moment.
Feelings you can't share with anyone because of the shame and horror. Anyone
that is, that has not been through it all. I went through the hell and have come
out and have a life back again. Maybe I can help you. I needed someone to talk
to. Someone who understood. By luck I found that person. Now I am offering to do
the same for you. If you feel I can help by talking over our experiences, then
ring me at the number above and perhaps we can meet somewhere, your place or
mine, or someplace in town."

It was actually Sheila's mother that rang inviting her over and who greeted her
on arrival. "Sheila only half agreed to see you Margaret. She's very worried but
she knows more about you than she's telling me. That I am sure of. I don't know
how she came to be mixed up with him. She seventeen and he's over fifty, or
was."

The first meeting with Sheila was more a session of crying for both of them
although Margaret by listing some of the things her father had done to her as a
child, did learn a little of what had been done to Sheila too. For a long time
the girl just lay cradled in Margaret's arms, sobbing quietly. Unfortunately
each time she managed to get Sheila to talk a few words, so her mother popped in
to see if everything was alright or to offer them tea. However, they did
establish a rapport and Sheila agreed to come to the Workhouse for Sunday lunch.
Mrs. Johnson wanted to come too but Margaret was adamant that she was not too.
"I will get her to call you immediately after lunch and before I hope to start
talking with her and again about four o'clock. Please don't phone between those
times. In any case I will get Jeremy to answer. If and when she starts talking,
we will not want to be interrupted." Claire Johnson was a little put out by
Margaret's tone but agreed with reservations. Claire was after all, the girl's
mother and should be the one her daughter should talk to, whereas Margaret was
the daughter of the person who caused the problem. However, none of Claire's
cajoling or demanding had any effect on Sheila. She remained withdrawn and
silent over what happened.

Lunch was a little strained. Sheila kept eying Jeremy with suspicion and only
pecked at her food and the conversation was short and brief sentences.
Afterwards Margaret packed Jeremy off into his study while she and Sheila sat on
the couch. She put a match to the wood fire, not because it was cold but added a
cheery glow and watching the flames has a hypnotic soothing effect on the mind.

When they were nicely settled with a second glass of wine, Margaret gave the
girl a hug and started to relate a little of her own story particularly of her
treatment as a child and early teenager. In doing so she hoped to gain Sheila's
confidence and get her to speak of her own experience. It took more than an hour
and another glass of wine before the girl started to open up. When she did there
was no holding her back.

"I went to a disco with a another girl and on the way suggested to her that I
might go away with my boyfriend. Mother always seems so overbearing and even now
I am seventeen, she wants to home by eleven. When I left that evening I shouted
back at her, saying I would be home when I got home, and that would be sometime
in the early hours of the morning. I saw my mother at the door shouting back as
I got into my friend's car.

At first the disco was great but then Dan, my boyfriend started dancing with one
of his ex-girlfriends and left me out. I saw them leave together and followed
and we had a big row. He left with her and I started walking home at about 2
a.m. The girl who brought me had already left as she thought I was with Dan.

About a mile from the village a car pulled up and your father, although I didn't
know it was him, jumped out and punched me in the stomach. Next thing I knew I
was tied and gagged in the boot of his car. At his house he carried me into the
bedroom, took off my jeans and knickers and threw me face down on the bed. I
struggled, I really did, but he grabbed an ankle and fastened it to the bottom
of one bedpost and then did the same with the other. He undid my wrists and
although I tried to hit him, with my ankles held, he was far too strong and took
off my little jacket, blouse and bra until I was completely naked. My wrists
were then tied to a rope that goes under the bed so I was helplessly bent over
the end of the bed."

"I know exactly the position," muttered Margaret, "I've spent many, many hours
like that while he thrashed and raped me."

"Now little girl," your father said, "I think you can guess a little of what is
going to happen to you. But only a little." Then he grinned and I felt his hands
feeling my crotch. "First though you are going to tell me who you are and why
you're out so late at night." I kept silent which I soon found was a mistake.
There was a swish THWACK!! A few seconds later another swish THWACK!! I screamed
at the pain. I screamed and screamed but he said no one would hear me. The old
house had thick walls and was away from the others. I guessed which house it was
although I didn't know your father.

When I calmed a little he showed me the white plastic cane he used and told me
how and where he would use it if I didn't cooperate. I told him what he wanted
to know and unfortunately related I had planned to go away with my boyfriend. He
undressed while I was telling him. I saw his stomach and cock were all sort of
scarred and he'd no hair around it but it was hard. It was grotesque."

"I thought the scalding would have put paid to that but no doubt the surgeons
did a better job than they should have," Margaret commented.

"Take a good look Girlie. A woman did that but you won't get the chance. I'm
going to get my own back and you are going to suffer like I suffered. He then
asked if I was a virgin. I wasn't but hadn't had much experience. "I'll soon
change that," he said, "I'll train you like I did my Margaret. You can call me
Daddy and by the time I'm ready to dump you in the river, you'll be more
experienced than the whores that parade along the quayside in town."

I pleaded with him but he hit me across the shoulders with the cane. "Listen
Girlie," he growled, "I shall fuck you in every hole and do anything else I want
with you. Object as much as you like but in the end this little cane, or the
whip or the strap will make you do it. I'll enjoy thrashing you too. Now let's
see what your cunt feels like around my cock." He raped me and..."

"And he mauled and hurt your breasts at the same time." Margaret added for her,
"And he utterly humiliated you by calling you a whore and a cunt and others
things like that. All to make you feel dirty."

Crying Sheila nodded and then went on. "When he finished inside me, I was
ordered to suck his cock clean. The scars looked worse when it was shrivelled
up. I shook my head and refused so he gave my bum another four with the cane and
told me to do it again. I did it but felt disgusted with myself that first time
but after a few days of having to do that and worse I lost all sense of guilt.

My wrists and legs were released from the bed but I was spread-eagled under the
bed and re-tied to each leg. He also gagged me so my moans didn't disturb his
sleep. I didn't sleep at all but about nine o'clock he got out of bed and
dragged me to the loo. He brought a strap with him. "Piss and shit," he said,
"It may be your last chance for a while." All the while he stood in front of me
with his hard cock almost touching my nose. I thought he'd want me to suck it
again but it was worse than that. "Now Girlie, it time for drinkies. My piss
goes into the loo via your body." I hardly comprehended what he said until he
ordered me to open my mouth. It hardly went in before it gushed causing me to
cough and splutter. A lot of it went over him, which made him very angry.

Hitting my face he shouted, "I told you to drink it bitch, not spew it all over
me!" Grabbing my hair he dragged me to that pipe that goes above the doorway to
the utility room. There was already a rope looped over it so I guessed it had
been used before." Margaret nodded, remembering the times she'd been beaten in
that doorway. "With the rope he pulled my arms above my head and then my feet
were tied to rings each side of the door sill. I was completely helpless so I
started screaming but that annoyed him too so he put one of his old socks in my
mouth and bound it in with the other. "Time to tickle those titties of your
Girlie," he laughed as he swung the strap.

I thought the first blow would have burst my breasts like a balloon but all it
did was flatten them. The pain was terrible. I thought I would pass out. I
wanted to but didn't. Again and again he hit them until I did fall unconscious.
When I came too I was fastened over the end of the bed. He'd removed my gag and
I cried and yelled into the blanket. The strap fell across my bottom and he
ordered me to be quiet or he would strip the skin from my arse. I tried but the
pain in my breasts was so awful it was difficult not to yell.

"Time to take your arsehole virginity Girlie," he crowed. I felt his thumbs push
my bottom cheeks apart and then his cock was at my hole. "It's going in one way
or the other Girlie so either relax your arse and let it go in easy or I'll ram
it in hard and split you open. Pretend you are having a shit." I did and it did
go in but oh God, how it did hurt."

"I know my love," Margaret soothed the crying girl, "I know only too well and I
expected you were forced to clean him afterwards." Sheila nodded. "Go, on finish
your tale. Get it off your chest."

"For three days, he used me in every way and every day some part of me was
strapped or caned. On the Tuesday, I heard the police call making house to house
enquiries but at the time I was fastened and gagged under the bed and they
didn't come in. Just asked routine questions as to his whereabouts on Saturday
night and if he'd seen or heard anything untoward at that time. Your father of
course lied and they left. Wednesday night was the first night I slept in his
bed. I was tied of course but it made a change from the hard floor under the
bed. I did sleep better and your father too seemed in a little better mood. I
had to submit to him as usual and had to drink his pee but he even gave me some
breakfast. I ate it all as he'd given me little enough on the previous days.

Soon after he had a call on his mobile that pleased him. "I'll be right over," I
heard him say, "About half an hour." I was taken upstairs and told to get under
the bed. He pushed me and I went face down whereas before I was always pulled
under face up. It didn't matter to him particularly as he was anxious to get
away but it did mean my tender tits were against the hard floor. Once he'd left
I noticed my right wrist wasn't tied as tight as it usually was and by a bit of
fiddling I found I could easily slide the loop up and down the bed leg. The
bulbous knob thing at the bottom prevented it going right to the bottom though.
Eventually with much tugging and pulling and tightening the bit around my wrist
I got the loop to the floor and was able, after many attempts, to ignore the
pain from the welts across my back and to use it to lift the bed just enough to
slip the loop under the leg and free that hand. With the one hand free, even in
the confined space I undid the left hand and then my legs. All of this must have
taken several hours and I was very afraid he might return and catch me.

I'd not seen my clothes since I arrived so I wrapped my body in a blanket from
the bed and fled from the house. I was almost too late. As I ran to the road a
woman who I knew drove by and I flagged her down. I collapsed in her car.
"Police Station Moira," I sobbed out. Hardly had I shut the door when his car
turned the corner. He must have seen me as he followed us for a bit. Moira gave
me her phone and said to dial 999, which I did. When your father saw me phoning,
he turned back. Later he was found hanging in the woods. I think you know the
rest of the story from the inquest and things."

Sheila snuggled sobbing quietly into Margaret's chest. Distantly they heard the
doorbell and moments later, Claire, Sheila's mother burst into the room. "Is she
alright? What have you done with her? What has she told you? Come here Sheila."

Sheila hugged Margaret tighter. "Sit down please, Mrs. Robinson. Jeremy's voice
in officer mode, cut through. "I'm sure Sheila will tell you if and when she
feels the need. I'll bring in some tea and then we can all have a quiet chat."

"Has she told YOU what happened?" Claire directed her attention to Margaret.

"Speaking levelly and quietly, Margaret responded, "Yes, she has. And before you
ask, it is very confidential. Only if Sheila wishes you to know, will you be
told. Now that she has told someone, she should start to get over it, but it is
a slow process and it will need a lot of understanding on your part or whoever
looks after her."

"Come here Sheila." Sheila shook her head and clung more tightly to Margaret.
"It's your fault Mrs. Saunders-Smythe. If you'd reported your father earlier
this wouldn't have happened."

"I'm Miss Margaret Smith. Yes, perhaps that is true, but also consider why your
daughter wanted a weekend away from home with a boyfriend. It wasn't just for
sex."

"It was for freedom," Sheila spoke bitterly. "Freedom from orders. Freedom to do
what I wanted with my life. If you really want me back, it will be with fewer
restrictions. For the moment I want to stay and talk with my new friends and
maybe learn how to get over the horror. I need someone to talk to, someone who
won't condemn me. Please mother let me stay and spend the evening here. I'm sure
they will see me home later."

Disgruntled, Claire left with a parting shot. "Don't be too late bringing her
back."

In the next few weeks Sheila spent a lot of time at the Workhouse but gradually
the visits became less frequent as the effects of her trauma lessened. In the
following September she obtained a place in college and moved away and visited
only in term time breaks.

"How would you like to become Mrs. Saunders-Smythe?" Jeremy asked when everyone
had gone.

"Is that a proposal, Colonel Jeremy Saunders-Smythe?"

"It is. Although I hadn't planned on asking you in an off hand way like this.
I've been wanting to ask you for some time now but we seemed happy enough as we
are."

"Well Colonel Jeremy Saunders-Smythe. I accept your proposal."

Henry Smith died intestate, and as Margaret was his only next of kin, the house,
its contents and the car came to her. They were all sold. After the taxes were
settled, Jeremy insisted she keep the money in her own account and they set up a
joint account for household things. "For your peace of mind," he said, "If
circumstances change, you'll never need to be a bag lady again."



Chapter 28. The Countess

"Read us one of the stories from your Journal Margaret please," Theresa begged.
Theresa Harris and her husband Jim had bought the ground floor flat and were the
neighbours they were most friendly with. Theresa and Margaret had hit it off
immediately they met to discuss the renting of the flat and since moving in,
they often went to town together or popped in to each other's place for morning
coffee. Jim and Jeremy also enjoyed each other's company although they were from
somewhat different backgrounds. For most of his adult life Jim had worked as a
steward on cruise ships and it was on a cruise he'd met Theresa. "You wouldn't
believe how many women go on cruises just to get some extra cock," Jim told
Jeremy when they were chatting one morning.

The relationship between the two couples might have stayed platonic had not
three unrelated events occurred within the space of a month. When the rural post
van arrived in the mornings Margaret or Jeremy would go out and greet him and
often Jim or Theresa would collect theirs at the same time. Mail for the other
two flats was delivered to the rear entrance. This particular morning there were
two identical packages one for each. Nothing was said as both men took their
package but each knew they belonged to the same adult book club. Later Jim
asked, "Which book did you get Jeremy?"

"Lisa's Life on the Plantation. And you?"

"Sent to Morocco." After a short discussion on the books during which each
learned the books were read in bed with their wives, they agreed to swap books
they had read. It was the first indication each couple had of the other's sexual
activity.

Later the same week, Theresa was in Margaret's kitchen for morning coffee. "I
hope Jeremy gets back soon, I wanted him to help turn the mattress and then I
can finish making the bed." Margaret remarked.

"I can help with that, Margaret. It doesn't take muscle. It's just an awkward
job to do on your own." The phone rang just as the pair entered the bedroom and
Margaret returned downstairs to answer it. On the nightstand Theresa spotted the
copy of Josiah's Journal. Intrigued she picked it up and started to read and was
engrossed when Margaret returned. Embarrassed at having been caught, she
stuttered, "Sorry Margaret I shouldn't have... It's ruder than those books the
men buy." Margaret laughed and agreed and the pair got on with the mattress and
the incident passed over.

Late one evening a fortnight later, Jeremy was warming Margaret's bottom with a
strap as she lay naked along the bar in the punishment room when there was a
knock at the door. It was Stephanie from the top floor flat. Fortunately he had
his pyjamas on and his dressing gown was handy. "I'm sorry to disturb you Jeremy
but I don't have any power. When I came in and went to put the lights on, there
was nothing. There's lights on downstairs."

I'll get a torch and come and have a look. Probably the trip switch." He turned
and called back to Margaret, "I'll only be a few minutes." It was but everytime
he pushed the switch so it cut out again. "There's a short somewhere," he told
the woman. It turned out to be a loose connection in a table lamp she had bought
but it took nearly half an hour to find and correct the problem.

Meanwhile Theresa and Jim returned home from an evening out, saw the door to
Jeremy's kitchen ajar, knocked and walked in. Margaret groaned in her gag, the
pain from the bar was getting to be more than she wanted. Theresa and Jim walked
through and were amazed and shocked at the sight. Removing the gag Margaret
begged them to release her, which they did. Margaret, now in her robe,
blushingly tried to explain. "It's not what you might think. You might as well
know. We sometimes do this before we go to bed and you know... Jeremy got called
away."

"It's alright Margaret," Theresa soothed, "Jim sometimes spanks me before we do
it. I suppose the two boys are kindred spirits seeing they belong to the same
book club."

Jeremy arrived back and seeing everyone in the kitchen stated, "Well I guess you
know our little secret now. You can either shun us or continue as our friends."

"We're still your friends Jeremy," Theresa said, "We do it too only we don't
have the facilities you have. Perhaps we should talk about our interests another
evening because I'm sure Margaret needs some urgent attention." So it was they
got together and not only discussed sexual matters but experienced them in a
practical way. Both couple used the punishment room and the girl's witnessed
each other being strapped or caned and 'raped' afterwards by their partner. So
far they hadn't swapped but they all knew it wouldn't be long before they did.
Theresa had brought up the journal in the first discussion session and Margaret
read the first 'chapter' to them. Subsequently she was asked to read more of it
to put them in the mood at their little get togethers.

"Do read us one of the stories from your Journal Margaret please," Theresa
repeated.

January 15th 1832

It was William Forsdyke who brought me two more women a little over a month ago
now. They had come ashore from a ship that sailed from Latvia and, although well
dressed, were penniless. The elder, a woman of thirty-two claimed to be a
countess and to be travelling with her maid to set up residence in London. Their
money had been stolen while on board ship and she accused the captain of the
crime. However, the captain and the crew all claimed she had come aboard with
barely enough money for the fare and at this stage no one could prove otherwise.
At the docks the pair were set on the quayside with just their belongings and
the captain rather maliciously suggested they ask for work at the Sailor's
Tavern, he knowing very well, it is really more a brothel than a drinking house.
One of William's stevedores unloading the ship, reported the altercation to his
employer and he persuaded them to come to the Workhouse.

"I am Countess Natasha Romeinikov and this is my maid..." She spoke a name which
was almost unpronounceable to me but which sounded like Myrna so we call her
that. The Countess spoke quite reasonable english but her phrasing and accent
were unmistakably foreign. Her voice was imperious and demanding and she began
treating me as her servant. I took an instant dislike to her attitude and
decided her flesh bared over the bar in the punishment room and warmed with the
birch would soon inform her of her new status. Myrna spoke only a few words in
our language although she seemed to understand a little. Both women were
attractive especially nineteen year old Myrna. Her figure was fresh and plump
and my cock started to rise at the sight of her.

Despite my thoughts, I took them into the parlour and asked the Countess to
explain her position. For once, it seemed she preferred to talk directly to me
rather than Alice. Perhaps having witnessed Alice laying the strap across
Charlotte's bum before the four of us sat down to talk, may have had something
to do with that. Still she treated me as a menial and very condescendingly told
me a little of her background.

The gist of it was, she was the daughter of a merchant in Russia and he arranged
a marriage for her to Count Romeinikov when she was fifteen and moved to his
estate in Latvia. After five years she still hadn't produced any children for
him so he banished her to a country home on the estate and took a mistress. He
gave her sufficient allowance to run the house and its servants. She took a
lover but when the Count heard of this he arranged for the lover to be killed
and gave Natasha a week to leave his estate. She took all the money she had and
Myrna and bought a passage to England. On the boat, her purse containing many
gold pieces was stolen so when she arrived she had no money. "You will allow me
to write to my father and he will repay you for your services to me here, my
good man. Now perhaps you will get this woman of yours to provide me with some
refreshment. My servant will know my likes although she is uneducated in your
language." she ended. Both Alice and I bristled with anger.

"Countess," I said as levelly as I could, "You seem very mistaken as to your
position here. I will of course allow you to write to your father but until we
receive a reply and reimbursement, you will be treated in the same way as all
the other ladies here. This is a workhouse and you will be expected to work. You
will also conform to our workhouse rules. Punishment for infringements or
laziness is dealt with either by Alice or myself."

"You don't expect a woman of my breeding to work surely, my man. That is too
preposterous."

"Firstly woman, you will call me Sir or Master. Secondly, yes you will be made
to work and thirdly you will be punished and most probably from your manner, it
will be very soon and naked and in front of the other ladies."

"You can't mean..." she interrupted.

"Natasha, if you interrupt me again Alice will stripe your arse. From the little
you have told us, you will have little useful skills, far less so than Myrna and
so your working position will be underneath her."

"You can't mean I will have to take orders from her! She's only a...."

"Alice, ask Jack to come in please."

"Sir, you will please to show me to my room. It must be on the ground floor for
I do not wish to climb stairs. I have listened to enough of your nonsense." I
made no move and she rebuked me in front of Jack and Alice who had just
returned.

"Jack, take this woman to the punishment room," I ordered, "Alice assemble
everyone there." I was furious at the arrogance of the so-called countess. At
first she just looked horrified but soon she started screaming at me half in her
own tongue. That didn't bother Jack at all. He scooped the woman up and threw
her over his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll soon have something more to scream about
lady," he laughed at her. I took Myrna's hand and led her behind her ex
mistress. Natasha, I refused to call her countess because of her behaviour, was
still looped over Jack's shoulder and still struggling when all the ladies were
assembled and watching. I could tell from their faces that they were expecting
to see a harsher punishment than normal for a mid-week evening.

"Put her down Jack." He promptly dumped her on the floor. "Undress," I ordered
Natasha.

"No! I will not undress in front of you and all these people."

I had to admire her spirit but went to the wall and took down a horsewhip and
cracked it close to her body. "Either you undress yourself or Jack rips them
from you. Either way you are going to be naked and everyone is going to witness
you being thrashed." Again she hesitated and Jack caught hold of the front
opening of her dress but before he tore it she said she would do it. However,
her fingers couldn't manage the buttons at the back.

"I help." It was Myrna who spoke almost for the first time. "She no ever dress
her own." I smiled at the choice of words but allowed her to help until Natasha
was down to her under garments. These I made her take off herself. Seeing she
was likely to refuse, Alice laid her strap hard across the woman's shoulders
knocking her forward. "Everything off, Natasha. The ladies and I wish to see
everything." Eventually she was naked and I had Jack fasten her wrists to the
ceiling beam so she was all exposed and had him gag her to stop the abuse the
flowed like a torrent from her mouth. Most of it we couldn't understand anyway.

Turning to Myrna I instructed her to undress too. She shook fearfully but
started to take her clothes off. "You're not to be punished Mryna," I said
slowly, "But everyone gets a look and feel of you." There were gasps from
everyone when Myrna's dress came off to reveal a back criss-crossed with welts
obviously made by a whip some weeks ago. Touching the marks I asked, "Who did
this?"

"I no please mistress," was her only reply.

I gave Myrna a hug and held her hand. "While you are here she is not your
mistress. I am your master and Alice is mistress." I then gave my usual little
speech of welcome. "Ladies, we have a tradition here that every newcomer shows
her whole body to everyone present so she has nothing to hide and doesn't feel
superior to the others. May I present Myrna who is a servant girl from Latvia."
I took her around the group starting with Jack and Alice and introduced her to
each and all the ladies curtsied and shook her hand, then felt her breasts and
between her legs, before giving her a kiss. Myrna seemed bewildered by it all
but accepted it as part of her new life.

"Ladies, this is Natasha. She calls herself a countess but here she has no rank.
No status. In fact she has been very abusive to us and, as you can see, she is
about to get what is probably the first thrashing of her life. I have no doubt
though, and I am sure you haven't any doubts either after seeing Myrna's back,
she has given or ordered many others to be severely punished. Unfortunately
Myrna's command of our language is not sufficient yet to tell us. Please come
forward and introduce yourselves ladies but there is no need to curtsy before
her or to be gentle when you feel the smoothness of her skin. It will not be
that way for long." Each lady in turn came forward, spoke her name and welcomed
Natasha and felt her breasts and cunnie much harder than they had Myrna. Natasha
blushed as her body was felt in the most intimate of her places. She even tried
kicking but then her weight fell on to her wrists causing pain in her shoulders,
shoulders not strengthened by having done any manual work.

Myrna stood to one side but I pushed her in front of her mistress. "Say Hello to
Natasha." She said something in her own language and I put her hands on
Natasha's bosoms and squeezed.

"I know titties on her very good," Myrna said slowly, "I know coozie good too."
From this I guessed she'd been forced to have a sexual relationship with her.

"Spread her on the bar, belly up," I instructed when Myrna and the ladies had
all introduced themselves. "Now Natasha, you've been introduced to Alice but not
her strap. It has a fiery kiss. Alice is head of the household and is allowed to
use it as she thinks fit on any of the maids. She will use it on you anytime she
thinks you are not working or are abusive or for any other reason. For tonight's
little show she's going to give you a full frontal warming so you'll be ready
for when I warm your arse." Natasha's eyes were now wide with fear and tears
were rolling around her ears. "Remove her gag, Alice, then we can hear what a
countess squeals like when she is warmed."

As she had done on occasions before, Alice unstrapped the woman's ankles and
gave them to Jack to hold together at waist level. She started lashing the strap
across Natasha's thighs a little above the knees and worked her way up. Her
victim was now screaming but Alice was in no mood to stop although I noticed she
was holding back with the force she applied. She undoubtedly realised the
countess wouldn't stand as much punishment as a working woman. When she reached
the crotch, she ordered Jack to spread the woman and then planted two stinging
lashes on her cunnie. Seeing Jack's cock bulging in his breeches, she asked
Charlotte to release it for him and then she carried on along the woman's
stomach and finished by bouncing her ample titties with the strap. Natasha's
cries had now become little more than hoarse groans.

"Give her some water," I ordered and seeing Jack look at me I gave him the go
ahead to use her.

"She won't have any sponge in, Sir." Alice remarked.

"Her husband couldn't make her pregnant in five years so I think we'll forget
about protecting her. That way we'll find out if the fault lies with her or her
husband." Jack held himself back and ravished her for a long while until his
seed was forced out of him and filled her womb. Alice suggested a break for some
ale and I prescribed a tankard for everyone. Natasha was sat in a chair and
Myrna held the tankard to her lips but she screwed her face up and drank little.
No doubt she wanted wine or vodka.

Half an hour later and we were all in a jolly mood to continue. All that is
except Natasha. She kicked and protested as she was strapped down to the bar
again, this time with very sore flesh making contact with the bar. I thought it
wouldn't be long before she passed out so I resolved to lay the birch on smartly
to cover the widest area. I started at the low buttocks and lashed hard and
quickly until her arse was raw and then worked from her shoulders down. She
didn't pass out but it was close. We revived her with a little more ale. "Take
her to one of the top floor rooms, Jack. Alice will come up to attend to her in
a few minutes and then you can have her as often as you like."

I took Myrna still naked to my room and when I undressed and she saw my hard
prick she knew what was going to happen to her. However, I waited and just
played and fondled her until Alice returned and fitted a sponge inside her. I
didn't want this little beauty pregnant.

"Jack was rogering her again when I left," Alice remarked as I ploughed into
Myrna. The girl didn't seem to mind and was soon thrusting back to me. "I think
Jack will sleep with her tonight so she'll be well fucked by morning. Perhaps we
should keep her next real punishment for our Saturday session her which is only
ten days away." I agreed.

Alice showed Myrna how I liked to be cleaned and then cleaned the girl herself.
Myrna then surprised us by saying to Alice, "Now you like I coosie you." When
Alice smiled not really knowing what the girl meant, Myrna set too and very
skillfully suckled her breasts and continued down to her cunnie. Alice writhed
in pleasure. Myrna had obviously done this many times before.

When were all resting again, ready for sleep Alice asked, "You have to do coosie
to Natasha?"

"Yah. I no good, get whip." I would have liked to have pursued that further but
her English wasn't good enough and we were all tired.

"How was she Jack?" I asked next morning.

"Quite tight Sir. I don't think she's had a man for some time and never up the
arse. I think I'll open her up there today - unless you want to do that Sir?" I
told him he could do it but to let me know so I could watch. "She wasn't very
responsive, but maybe she was too sore for that."

Natasha was much subdued when Jack brought to still naked to breakfast. Her body
was well coloured and she walked painfully. She would remember her first night
here for the rest of her life. I asked Katherine to find her a simple dress and
one for Myrna. Countess finery would not be suitable for working here especially
as Alice set her to cleaning stoves and Myrna's dress could be kept for Sunday
best. I assigned Charlotte as Natasha's mentor as I knew she wouldn't stand for
any nonsense and asked her to walk both girls around the house and grounds to
familiarise them with the place. Alice took Myrna as part of the kitchen staff.

Later that afternoon, Charlotte came to me and in her forthright way said, "If
you please Sir, Jack sent me to say he's ready to fuck Nat's arse." I said I
would be right there and asked how Natasha had worked that morning. "Well Sir,
of course she's sore but even so she's not keen on getting her hands dirty and
mutters a lot in that lingo of hers."

"Well if there's no improvement tomorrow, I'll give you the authority to spank
her for minor disobedience. Anything worse and Alice or I will deal with. You
may have to be careful though, she likes playing with women." I knew Charlotte
wasn't adverse to woman sex either.

When we arrived, Natasha was bent over the end of the bed and Jack was applying
dripping to her virgin bum hole. She cried out every time he inserted his finger
and tried to move off the bed. "Shall I sit on her Sir?" Charlotte asked. I
nodded. "Thank you Sir. Now I'll get the best view," Charlotte laughed. As well
as getting a good view Charlotte pulled the woman's bottom cheeks apart and
guided Jack's cock. We all heard her muffled cries as Jack forced his way in and
eventually gained full depth. Thereafter he used long steady strokes, forcing
his cock in until his balls slapped against her cunnie and withdrawing until the
head almost popped out. He took his time and her cries seemed to die down, but
in the end Jack shot his load into her bowels. Charlotte moved off Natasha so
she could clean Jack's cock and when it seemed she might refuse, Charlotte
squeezed her still tender breasts, causing her to scream and open her mouth.
Jack slipped his prick in.

"She wasn't very willing to clean me in the night," Jack remarked but I guess
with enough encouragement she'll do it well enough before she leaves.

Watching Jack had given me a hard-on too so I bade Charlotte hold her still
again. This time the hussy didn't sit on Natasha's back but lifted her skirt and
slid along the bed until Natasha's face was in her crotch. "Get your tongue
right in there Nat." she ordered and when she didn't comply again squeezed her
titties. "Having big titties might make you attractive to men but they also are
good handles," Charlotte laughed as she flipped her skirt back down, covering
the woman's head.

I pushed my prick in quite easily after Jack had not only opened her with his
large pole but had lubricated her with his seed. Still she was nice and tight
around my shaft and I enjoyed a good long fuck. Part way through my performance
Charlotte pulled her skirt up again and once more tightened her grip on
Natasha's titties. "Get that tongue working Nat. I need to come before Sir
finishes." I did finish a little before Charlotte but held myself within her
bottom until Natasha's mouth was free.

I saw Myrna was looking shocked at our performance and I took her hand and asked
if she had had it in her bottom. When she shook her head, I said we would try it
tonight. She looked afraid but Alice assured her it wouldn't hurt much.'

"That's the end of that little section," Margaret stated, "Sex in this
institution seems to have been a very public affair and perhaps still is."

"Have you had it in your bottom Margaret?" Jim enquired," I've never seen Jeremy
do it to you.

"Many times. What about you Theresa?"

"No. I have always resisted it. Seems dirty somehow."

"Well, it isn't really and it did hurt a bit at first especially as my father
forced it in. Jeremy is more considerate. Actually if it is done right it is
pleasurable. Perhaps we should make you play the countess and let both boys rape
your bottom."

"I'll think about it but the story has made me horny and the boys are hard so
perhaps we can use your bedroom? And would you mind if I tried out Jeremy?"



Chapter 29. Craft course



Pennydelset Workhouse

"Experience 18th Century life in authentic workhouse conditions and learn a
genteel craft.

Modern life is vastly different to life two centuries ago. Now those who wish to
savour the 'good old days' can do so in a workhouse built in 1782. As far as
possible and still conform to council regulations, we have recreated the rooms
as they were in the mid 19th century.

Our en suite facilities consist of a washbasin and jug on a stand and a chamber
pot under the bed. We still use the original iron framed beds but have modern
mattresses with blankets and sheets.

Discipline is strict. Unfortunately we cannot use the birch or strap that was so
readily used in the past but a rigid work regime will be imposed. Inmates will
be expected to wear simple work clothes and no make-up. All will be expected to
help with housework and do such chores as are necessary in a workhouse. Full
board is provided and as far as possible the meals will be similar to those of
yesteryear. Only fresh products will be used and everything home cooked

Send for details to:"



"You may be wondering why such a large workhouse was built in a tiny village."
Margaret went through her spiel to the six ladies on their tour of the building.
"It was built and paid for by Gyppeswick burghers as somewhere to put the
destitute women that plagued the streets of the town. They funded it for forty
years and at one time there were sixty women here. When the funding ceased and
the number of inmates declined, they only used this east wing. The western end
which is now private flats was just kept in sufficient repair to prevent major
decay." Margaret showed them the workroom, the kitchen and finally the restored
punishment room. After explaining the various devices and the sexual nature of
some of the punishments she remarked, "If any of you get chalk marks against
your name during the week you are here, then expect to pay a visit to this room
on Saturday evening and have your bottoms birched." It wasn't a real threat
because the course finished with lunch on the Saturday morning. The party
returned to the lounge.

"You were all sent details of the arrangements for your stay and your corn dolly
making course. I will introduce you to Sarah Hardwick the tutor later. When I
finish this introduction, you will start your workhouse experience and this will
continue until after coffee on Saturday when we will have a final one-hour
informal session in here to discuss the event. During your stay you will address
me as Ma'am and my husband who unfortunately is sorting out a boiler problem at
the moment, as Sir. I will address you by your first name. Two of you, Janet and
Kathy I see have already flouted the rules by wearing make-up. When you are
dismissed you will go to your rooms and wash. You will then report to me in the
kitchen in your working clothes before 5:30 ready to prepare vegetables for
tonight's dinner. The rest of you should put on your working clothes but are
free to wander around the house and gardens until dinner, which tonight is at
seven o'clock. Sally, you will report to me twenty minutes earlier to clear and
set the table. Is that understood?" There were several murmurs and one or two
questions.

"I asked if my instructions were understood? I expect a 'Yes, Ma'am' as a reply.
Not a debate. Now do you understand what you have to do?" snapped Margaret.

"Yes, Ma'am," chorused most of the six.

All the group of friends belonged to a craft society in Northwich, forty miles
away and had decided it would be a lark to spend a week at the workhouse and
find out a little of the life of women in olden times and learn a new craft.
Most of them entered into the spirit of the experience. Only Shelly, a
forty-four year old seemed to try and buck the rules. She had a bubbly joking
personality and giggled when Margaret and Jeremy entered for dinner. Margaret
was dressed in a long black dress with a leather tawse hanging from her waist
and Jeremy in black suit and waistcoat with a red cravat. "Wow!" Shelly
exclaimed, "Looks like we're in for a hard time on this course girls."

"And I think it will be your bum that feels the strap first," laughed Janet
which produced giggles all round.

When dinner finished, Margaret gave out their work rosters for the week.
"Breakfast in the morning is 8 o'clock. The two on morning kitchen duty will
report here at seven. By the time you come down you will have washed, emptied
your piss pot, made your bed and left your room tidy. All bedroom doors to be
left wide open for inspection. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Once tonight's washing-up is done, you are free to read or talk until lights
out at 10:30. Sorry fire regulations don't allow us to use oil lamps and candles
but we have electrified equivalents. There is no television or radio here and
those of you who have brought portables or mobile phones, please make sure they
are turned off and not used at all during your stay. This was made clear to you
in the brochure. Some evenings after eight, we allow a 'modern hour' when you
can relax and talk freely to each other and to us. During that hour we will no
longer be master and mistress.

Shelly arrived late for breakfast. "I believe Miss, I told you quite clearly the
time you had to arrive for breakfast. Did I not?"

"Yes Margaret... er Ma'am."

"You have to forgo breakfast now and.."

"I don't eat breakfast anyway," responded Shelly truculently.

For a few moments there was silence except for a few nervous giggles from Kathy
and Mary. "Well we seem to have a troublesome one here. I think perhaps we will
have to use the punishment chair." Only the night before, Jeremy had brought out
the heavy oak chair from the punishment room and placed it in the kitchen. "Bend
over the back and clasp the front legs."

"Ooow! The strict mistress is going to spank me," laughed Shelly as acted up her
part. "Supposing I don't want to bend over?"

"I'm sure your friends will assist as they don't want their week spoiled by not
having things really authentic. You will help won't you ladies?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Laughter a giggles from the women.

Still laughing Shelly bent over the back and leaned forward. "Is my botty about
the right height for you Ma'am?" However she was a little taken aback when
Margaret quickly caught her wrists and fastened them to the front legs and soon
after strapped her ankles to the rear.

"Don't go away Shelly I think we need to inspect your room before we decide on
your punishment. Keep an eye on her Jeremy please." Margaret led the way,
"Follow me ladies, I will check your rooms at the same time." Sally and Janet's
rooms were tidy. Kathy had to be reprimanded because her door was closed. Mary
blushed beet red when Margaret pulled her half filled pee pot from under the
bed. "These are self emptying Mary. You empty them yourself."

As everyone anticipated Shelly had not had time to make her bed, tidy the room
or empty her pot. Margaret decided to play the severe mistress when they
returned to Shelly. She was groaning about the undignified and uncomfortable
position she'd been placed in. "Shelly you are a disgrace, not only do you turn
up late for breakfast, your room is like a pig's sty and you have hardly washed
your face or combed your hair properly. For arriving late you will receive four
strokes of the strap and for not leaving you room tidy you will get two chalks
marks against your name. That means four strokes of the birch on Saturday
evening. However, because of regulations, I will commute the strapping and
instead have the chair with you bent over it, taken into the punishment room and
left there with the door locked. You will be left in complete darkness for one
hour."

"No! No! Please no. Give me the strap. Don't be a bitch and leave me like this
any longer," begged and pleaded Shelly.

"That language has just increased the time to one and a half hours, Shelly. You
were told how to address me. Years ago it would have doubled your strapping."

"Sorry Ma'am. Please don't put me in the dark. Please don't leave me bent over
like this. Give me the strap. I won't say anything." Shelly continued to plead.
"It won't happen again."

"Ma'am?" It was Stella who spoke. Margaret knew she and Shelly had the same
address and they came in Stella's car. "It's alright to give her the whacks. She
sort of expected it. We talked about it before we came. I think she was
deliberately late. Normally she's up before me." There were murmurs of "Yes,
give her the strap," from the other ladies again accompanied by more giggles and
laughter. To them it was a joke but Margaret could also see excitement in their
eyes.

Somewhat against her better judgement Margaret asked, "You're sure you are
willing to take eight with the strap Shelly?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Just get it over with."

Turning to the others Margaret went on, "You realise that if I give Shelly a
dose of the tawse, you are almost duty bound to receive it to for any
misdemeanours of yours?"

For a moment there was silence then Kathy who had booked the week for the group
spoke. "I think we should all enter into the true spirit of this week and take
our punishments as did the women a hundred years ago. Perhaps I should add a
proviso, that because we will leave here at the end of the week and return to
husbands and work, no punishment should leave permanent marks or be so severe we
have to take time off from our jobs."

"If you're all sure about this?" Margaret questioned the others, "I can agree
with that." The others, some reluctantly it seemed, nodded their agreement.
"Jeremy?"

"If they are all agreed, then I don't see why not, although I am not certain
they really know what they are agreeing to. They may wish to change their minds
after you've dealt with Shelly."

"Ladies gather round where you can see. Most punishments were given in front of
everyone as an example to of what could happen to them. The same now applies to
you." Margaret raised the hem of Shelly's skirt and pulled it high over the
woman's back to reveal a plump bottom barely covered by thin cotton knickers.
"This is going to hurt Shelly. I know that from personal experience. In fact
this is the first time I've been on the handle end of the tawse." Standing to
one side she cracked it across both of Shelly's bum cheeks.

"Aaaaghh!!" Even though Margaret hand not put her full force behind the blow it
stung Shelly far more than she anticipated.

Margaret raised her arm give take another stroke when Stella stepped forward.
"One moment Ma'am. We need to see the result of each strap mark and to be
authentic she should take it on the bare bum." Stella yanked Shelly's knickers
down to below her knees. Positioned as she was everyone had a clear view not
only of the red stripe but of Shelly's dark bush, her cunt and arsehole.

"Stella, you bitch..."

"What did I say about your language Shelly?" Margaret snapped.

"Sorry, please no more."

"That will be for Stella to decide when I've finished but as you don't seem very
recalcitrant I will put a little more power into the ones I'm giving you."

"CRACK!!" The tawse laid another red stripe over the white buttocks and elicited
another scream from the recipient. "CRACK!!" "CRACK!!" "CRACK!!" Shelly was
sobbing now and pleading for Margaret to stop. This wasn't how she imagined the
tawse would feel. During the pause, which Margaret allowed Shelly to recover a
little, she looked at the other ladies. All seemed to be breathing heavily and
the faces of many were flushed red. By the time she had completed the eight
Shelly was sobbing loudly and some of her friends were about to step in and stop
any further punishment. Somehow Margaret's look managed to prevent them and she
handed the tawse to Stella.

"Two from you to finish," she ordered. Stella hesitated, uncertain as to whether
she should or shouldn't use the tawse on her friend. Then her mind said, "You'll
never get the chance again," and she laid on two quite light strokes in quick
succession. "Undo her ankles Stella please." Margaret undid her wrists and
helped her Shelly stand. "It's over Shelly. Now you know what it really feels
like to be punished. Mind you that is far less than some of the strappings I've
had so think yourself lucky you've got off lightly. Your slate is wiped clean
and we will do what we can to minimise the pain. Stella will help you to your
room."

"While every one is here," Jeremy called for attention, "I think you will all
understand this has put a totally new dimension to your week here. Watching you
ladies as Shelly received her punishment, I could see you were flushed with,
shall we call it 'excitement?' Always before we have played pit-a-pat with life
in the Workhouse. Today for the first time we approached realism. Ladies you
must decide whether you wish to continue with this more realistic week or
whether we should revert to verbal reprimands or giving extra chores to you. If
you wish it to be real, you are all at risk of being bent over the chair and
baring your bottoms for the strap or worse. You have to decide. I suggest that
we get this kitchen cleaned up quickly before your tutor arrives and then in the
period after lunch and before the afternoon session starts, you all get together
in the lounge and agree which way you wish to go. Kathy, you seem to be the
leader or organiser of this group, perhaps you would like to act as spokesman
for them." Kathy nodded.

Stella led Shelly to her room, laid her face down on the bed and again bared her
bottom. Margaret followed a few paces behind carrying a white towel. "Wet this
with cold water Stella, and place it over her bottom. Rinse it after five
minutes and then I'll come back with some cream and a couple of Anadin's.
Turning to Shelly she spoke quietly. "The next half an hour will be the worst.
After that it will hurt when you move or sit down hard. When the painkillers
kick in, try and move about. I'll come and talk to you again in a bit. Don't be
too hard on me. Remember you asked for it and it could have been far, far
worse."

She was heartened when Shelly smiled weakly and said, "I'll believe you,
Thousands wouldn't!"

Half an hour later, Margaret returned to Shelly's bedside. "Go to your lesson
now Stella. It will start in a few minutes. I'll stay with Shelly for a bit
until she's ready to move. Guess we're not being very authentic again. After a
little tickle like that, she would probably have been raped and sent be back to
work."

"You're not going to hurt her more, are you Ma'am?" Stella looked concerned.

"No Stella. I'll bring her down in a bit."

When they were alone Margaret questioned Shelly as to her motives. "You more or
less asked for the strapping Shelly, and you became quite wet especially at
first. Were you stimulated by it? Tell me the truth now. Remember I have been
through it too." She raised her dress and lowered her knickers to show Shelly
the now fading cane stripes that Jeremy applied the previous weekend. "I asked
or at least acquiesced to having them because I get stimulated sexually by it.
It stimulates Jeremy too so we can satisfy each other. What about you?"

"Yes," Shelly said slowly, "Stella and I do it but she's a bit timid. We only
spank or use a slipper but she never seems to want to hurt me like I want it. I
didn't expect you to go as far as you did though. It hurt much more than I
expected. Or perhaps I didn't know what to expect."

"Stella services you afterwards?"

"Yes, or we do each other."

"I'll service you if you like and then maybe we'll go down and have a cuppa.
That's not authentic either but still..." Margaret gently opened the woman's
thighs and massaged her mound and clit and when Shelly started to moan with
arousal, Margaret placed her mouth over the displayed cunt and licked and sucked
her to a climax. Later Shelly walked painfully down to the kitchen and then to
the workroom where she preferred to stand to work. Her companions greeted her
with some concern at first but then reverted to good natured banter. "What
colour is your bum now Shelly?" "Did the little dragon kiss it better?" "Will
you want a warm breakfast tomorrow?" Shelly responded with her usual good
humour. The poor tutor didn't really know what to make of it all.

*****

"What have you decided Kathy?" Jeremy asked.

"Can I talk freely, not as an inmate?"

"Yes, this is 2004 now not 1853."

"If we are given reassurances that when we leave here on Saturday, we won't be
permanently harmed or need to stay away from work on Monday we voted 5 to 1 in
favour of keeping to the realistic workhouse regime. We felt that the fear of
getting punished might add a little excitement to the week and would certainly
make it different from all the other craft weeks we've spent together."

"Did Shelly vote against it?" Margaret asked.

"No. In fact she argued strongly in its favour. Perhaps she hopes to see others
punished like she was."

"I hope she also knows she could receive another dose too," interrupted Jeremy.

"That was pointed out to her. But it was Janet who voted against it. She didn't
want to go with it. I think it was because she has never been beaten and
couldn't bear to show her bottom in public. We pointed out that most of us
hadn't been beaten either and she would have to go along with the majority
decision. If she refused any punishment she deserved, the rest of us would be
duty bound to assist you in carrying it out. I think she actually wants it but
needs to be forced."

"I guess everyone will have to be on their best behaviour now or my strap will
get some more use," grinned Margaret.

"That was another point that was raised," Kathy went on, "We don't know all the
rules so we might inadvertently break them. Perhaps you could go through them
this evening and until then only heed the ones we've been told of so far, Like
not swearing and being on time for meals and doing our roster jobs. Also Shelly
mentioned there was a journal giving some of the punishments that were carried
out here. Perhaps you could allow us to read it and find out what life was
really like." Margaret had mentioned the journal to Shelly when she was
comforting her earlier but hadn't mentioned the true nature of the content.

"I don't think I dare let you all read it," Margaret answered, "Many of you
would find it disgustingly pornographic. It was written in code because the
practices that went on were not only illegal then, they are today. The Saturday
punishments were inflicted in front of guests who raped and used the services of
the other woman here and paid for the pleasure so this place was almost a
brothel. The master collected the money to help pay the running costs. Perhaps I
should just read you some of the less public punishments that Alice used on the
women here, perhaps soon after that special chair was made."

"Some of us might like the more salacious bits," laughed Kathy.

"You'd have to lie naked between us in bed for that and have a sore arse and
tender titties," Jeremy laughed also but Margaret knew there was a serious
invitation included it. Kathy picked up on it.

"Promises, promises!" Kathy giggled.



Chapter 30. The punishment chair

"Ladies," Jeremy started when they were all sitting comfortably in the lounge.
Dinner was over and all the chores were done. It was after eight. Modern hour.
"From now until bedtime, we will revert to 'modern mode.' You can talk freely
and we are not Master and Mistress of the Workhouse. Sarah, your tutor is here
with us and although staying in the house, she is not bound by our workhouse
regulations at any time. If she was you might find a cane or a strap on her desk
which she would use to encourage her less apt pupils."

"A strap-on might be enjoyable," commented Sally laughing. The others joined in
the joke.

Jeremy smiled and tried to continue. "I think she was a little startled by the
events of this morning but she hasn't run off and is continuing with the
course." Laughter. "You asked about life here in the nineteenth century and
about the journal that was written at the time. As I told Kathy, I cannot let
you read it without knowing a lot more about your sensibilities. Large
proportions of the journal are devoted to the sexual use, probably you would say
abuse, of the women here and what I am sure you would believe are the excessive
punishments inflicted on them. However Margaret has agreed to read an entry to
you concerning the christening of the chair Shelly was bent over and chastised
in this morning. Josiah Winsberly who was master of the house for about ten
years from January 1831 wrote the journal. Alice was his mistress and head of
the house staff. Even though this is one of the milder entries, there are
explicit descriptions of sexual activities some of you may find repugnant,
others I'm sure, will find it titillating and arousing. As it is difficult to
expurgate each chapter without re-writing the whole thing, Margaret will read it
just as we translated it from this original journal." Jeremy showed them the old
journal but didn't let them handle the rather fragile book. "If any of you do
not wish to hear the tale or are likely to be upset by the way the women were
thrashed and raped by several men afterwards, please leave now. It will make
Shelly's ordeal seem like a gentle pat on the bum."

No one moved. Margaret began.

'October 5th 1831

Carsons delivered the new punishment chair yesterday and I was resolved that
Rachel Clements would be the one to christen it.'

"Carsons was the village carpenter and he made the bar horse in the punishment
room at the local Squire's expense and then made the oak punishment bench and
the whipping frame as payment for taking one of the women as his wife," Margaret
explained and then continued with the tale.

'Rachel is the widow of Clem Clements a farm worker gored by a bull. They lived
in a tied cottage on the farm and Dick Pawsey the farmer, needed the cottage for
another worker and his family so he threw her out a few weeks later. Homeless
she came here with her few possessions but so far she hasn't really fitted in,
She resents not having her own home and being subjected to our rules.'

"Like some of us," smiled Shelly.

'She's a portly woman with large bosoms and not used to showing her body to
others. It took Jack, two ladies and a few strokes of Alice's strap before she
would strip for her introduction to the others when she arrived. Jack I know has
ploughed her cunnie twice but said it was a struggle to hold her and then he'd
had to give her a good hand spanking each time before she settled down. Apart
from that she has done what she has been told to do. No more, no less, but she
always does it sourly and speaks to the other ladies sharply and in a superior
way so they are beginning to shun her.

Fridays being bath day here, in the afternoon the copper in the scullery is
filled with water and the fire lit. We set the big tin bath in the kitchen and I
use it first, then Alice. Jack follows and then the ladies follow in the order
that Alice or I determine. As I have written before, I place great store by
personal cleanliness and personally inspect every woman while her body is bathed
and especially check her genital areas. This no longer bothers the longer term
residents, indeed many open their legs wider than needed and encourage me to
play with their cunnies.'

"That sounds like an interesting way to bath," interrupted Kathy.

'Rachel being the latest arrival to the Workhouse, was last to bathe. I could
tell she was seething with anger at what I was doing to the others. We added
more hot water to the bath as we always do before a new person gets in but she
complained the water was filthy from washing all the others. It was indeed
somewhat murky but several more at least could have bathed in it so I told her
to hold her tongue and get in. Alice's hand was on her strap, which quickened
her response. Katherine was doing the washing on this occasion and had done
Rachel's hair, face and was working on her titties. Rachel's breasts are in
proportion to the rest of her so there is plenty of meat on them but they sag a
little. Knowing I like to see a woman's breasts being moved around, Katherine
washed them quite vigorously and held them up for my inspection. I gave the
teats a squeeze and Rachel growled between closed teeth but didn't say anything.
I knew she was holding back her anger but didn't expect her to lash out like she
did a few moments later. Katherine continued washing the woman and when she's
finished to the feet, as normal she asked Rachel to stand so she could clean her
bottom and cunnie. Reluctantly she did so but when I put my fingers inside the
bush covering her mound, suddenly her hand flew out and boxed my ears, sending
me to the floor. As I stood a little dazed from the blow, I heard Alice call for
Jack.'

"Who was Jack?" Kathy enquired.

"He was the assistant master. A big man. Big built and big in the man department
according to earlier accounts," Margaret answered. "A bit slow but loyal to
Josiah."

"Will we be bathed in the kitchen on Friday?" giggled Sally.

"And be inspected for cleanliness by Jeremy?" added Mary. There was some general
laughter at this thought.

Jeremy smiled too, "You wanted realism and we wouldn't want you to go home
smelling would we? There's a galvanised bath still hanging in the scullery
although I think it is a replacement several times removed from the one used in
1831. The copper still works too. We used it last winter during a power cut."

"As Master of this Workhouse Jeremy, you know you would have to be the first to
be washed," Kathy pointed out.

"And Margaret would have to go next," Sally chipped in.

"I suppose tutors go after?" Sarah seemed to be getting into the good humour of
the discussion.

"I bags doing the washing," Shelly put her hand up.

"Sounds like you are all keen to show your bodies to each other, or perhaps you
do that at other meetings? You sure you are only a craft group?" Jeremy
commented, "Perhaps we'll see on Friday how badly you all smell and decide then
on the bathing arrangements. Now let Margaret continue with her tale."

'When I had recovered a little and Jack held the woman securely I ordered, "Put
her in the whipping frame, and shut the door. We'll leave her to cool down till
after dinner." By then I had cooled down a little too and decided not to keep
her for birching at the Squire's the next day but to try out the new chair later
that evening. I sent word to Reverend Jenkins and the Barker's at the orphanage
as they were close by and I knew would enjoy the entertainment. I guessed
Jenkins would be especially pleased to see one of the more devout of his
congregation naked and whipped.

So we assembled in the punishment room at 8:30. Jack unfastened her from the
whipping frame and despite her apologies and pleas we strapped her down over the
chair. As Martha had told me, it was an admirable device. It holds a woman with
her buttocks at a goodly height and both holes revealed and ready to use. Bent
over....'

"Oh my God!" Shelly burst out, suddenly thinking how she must have been
displayed to the others.

"Yes, you were well on display Shelly," Stella confirmed, "Both holes revealed
and ready to use." Shelly blushed with embarrassment while the others laughed at
her.

"Sounds as if I should have arrived earlier," Sarah the tutor laughed, "I missed
all the sights."

"You certainly did that," laughed Kathy, "But it might have put you off teaching
for the day."

Margaret tried to carry on. 'Bent over with her hands strapped to the front legs
a woman's breasts hang down and move nicely when her body reacts to the strap or
birch. Rachel's hung like cow's udders and I could see they would do a merry
dance later.'

"I think I ought to point out here," Margaret paused in her narrative, "That
even for minor punishments where just lifting the skirt would have been
sufficient like we did this morning, the ladies were stripped naked. This was
partly for humiliation and partly for the sexual delight of the master and his
guests. It seems too that the other ladies living here enjoyed it provided it
wasn't them that were being punished."

'I pulled on her nipples and in return received a torrent of verbal abuse.
"Rachel," I said to her, "You know the rules here do not allow swearing. I think
you will now find my toying with your titties is preferable to what I am
ordering Alice to do to them now." I nodded to Alice who swung her strap upwards
flattening her left breast and eliciting a powerful scream. I could see now why
Carsons made the semi-circular cut-outs in the sides of the chair seat. They
were just deep enough to allow the tip of Alice's belt to clear the seat and
still cover a breast.'

"They hit her boobs!" Shelly exclaimed. "I saw those cut-out and couldn't make
out why they were there. It seemed an odd shape for a seat. I wasn't naked
though."

"They regularly seem to have whipped the ladies tits," Jeremy commented.

"That must be so painful." Shelly hugged her chest.

"It is but if it is not done overly hard, it does make you horny," Margaret
answered.

"You've tried it Margaret?" Shelly asked.

Margaret just nodded and turned back to the journal to stop further questions.

'I could see now why Carsons made the semi-circular cut-outs in the sides of the
chair seat. They were just deep enough to allow the tip of Alice's belt to clear
the seat and still cover a breast. I wondered if he tested the chair on Janey
first. Working alternately from each side, Alice applied three stinging strokes
to each pendulous tittie. This really made the woman holler and beg for us to
stop. I allowed the other ladies to get a close look and a feel of the reddened
titties, which humiliated the woman even more.

I kindly let Rachel rest there for some minutes to recover before starting the
real punishment on her arse. "Warm her bum with your strap Alice. Two dozen good
ones should do nicely and then I'll use the birch rods. Her bum's large enough
to take a good thrashing and she has to learn to behave while she is here."
Margaret paused. How would you have liked two dozen good ones Shelly?" Shelly
shook her no. 'Alice cracked her strap soundly over the white flesh in front of
her instantly changing it to deep red. Rachel bucked and yelled and her titties
did indeed dance nicely. The other ladies encouraged Alice to lay it on even
harder for they had no love of the woman either. Again we allowed Rachel to have
a short rest which gave the onlookers a chance to examine and feel the warmed
bottom. Some pushed their fingers into the woman's holes. I didn't discourage
them. I wanted her to know she was no better than the others here. I could see
the Reverend and Jason Barker had bulges in their breeches so I decided to
continue lest they shoot their loads early. Alice had done such a good job with
her strap I could see I would not be able to apply too many with the birch
without breaking the skin or causing the woman to pass out. Still I was
determined she would wear the welts from the birch for a week or two. I thought
she might possibly take a dozen with the six-rod birch and this proved true. I
welted her flesh from about the knees to the top of her bottom and made sure the
tips caught her cunnie several times. At first she screamed so loud she almost
deafened us but that soon became hoarse groans and after the twelfth stroke she
passed out. Smelling salts brought her round again.

As is courteous, I offered my two male guests first chance to roger her and the
Reverent Jenkins took her first, thrusting deeply into her each time. His prick
isn't all that large but he rammed it in real hard so his loins slapped
forcefully against her arse causing her to cries to ring out once more. Sara
sucked him clean.'

"I can see this tale is getting you all horny," smiled Margaret, "So perhaps I
should point out the Josiah Winsberly when he came to the workhouse, instituted
a rule that women had to suck and clean a man's cock after sex. However, when a
woman had been beaten and then raped like Rachel, he deemed in that condition
with tears streaming down her face, she didn't do a very good job so one of the
onlookers performed that service."

"Urgh! Gross!" Stella groaned and looked disgusted.

"It very pleasing to the man," Jeremy said, "And the women didn't seem to have a
problem with it. Certainly it was less painful than refusing."

Margaret again continued. 'Jason decided her bottom hole would suit him better
and asked Alice for some dripping which she provided. He lubricated himself and
Rachel's hole and thrust in. She was very tight and it took several attempts
before he gained entry but once in, he too performed hard and fast causing
Rachel to cry out. Gwendolyn his wife, egged him on but he didn't last long
before Katherine had to clean him. I decided to go before Jack, as his large
prick would make her rather loose. I took her and found her tighter than I
expected a widow would be. Perhaps Clem hadn't been poking his rod in as often
as he should. Jack immediately followed me and then we released the woman. Alice
ordered Jack to carry her to her room but Gwendolyn stopped her saying, "That
woman has milked my husband so he won't be able to perform with me tonight or at
least till morning so she should service me before she rests." I of course
agreed and Gwendolyn sat on the front of a chair, lifted her skirt and exposed
her cunnie. I pushed Rachel's face into it and bade her do a good job or she
would have be arse warmed again. After a short while Gwendolyn seemed satisfied
and pushed her away. Jack then carried the woman to her room and Alice followed
to treat her soreness.'

"You got off very lightly Shelly," Kathy remarked.

"It didn't seem like it," retorted Shelly.

"If any of us are punished this week, will we have to strip naked?" Janet asked.

"And be raped afterwards?" giggled Sally.

"I wouldn't dare rape any of you," Jeremy answered, "But if you requested the
service beforehand, I would oblige. As to your being naked, I think it would add
a bit of spice to it. You'll be showing most of the bits you usually keep hidden
anyway, but you would have to decide as a group like you did earlier. It should
be decided before anyone gets to be punished. Do you wish to debate it between
yourselves or give a show of hands" They decided to debate it.

"Jeremy and I will go and make drinks for everyone and you can discuss it then.
One more thing, I can see from your faces that my reading the story has made you
horny too. Lesbianism is tolerated here. We will not mind who sleeps with who
provided you are down to breakfast on time with your room tidied. Sorry, I'm not
loaning Jeremy out. I'll need him."

"Shame on you," Kathy called as Margaret left the room.



Chapter 31. Kathy in the punishment chair

"Oh shit! Bugger it! Now I've fucking ruined it! Sod, sod, sod!" Kathy's
outburst silenced the chatter in the workroom. "All the trouble I've had putting
that bloody doll right this morning and then I go and sit on the sodding thing!
It's totally knackered now." Moments later as Kathy realised what she had said,
she apologised to Sarah.

"We'll get to see your bum warmed tonight," laughed Sally. The others joined in
with their comments and suggestions. "Are you going to let Sir rape you?" "There
must have been a dozen swear words in that outburst, you'll get that many this
time." "You voted for being naked for the strapping so we'll get to see your
tits jiggle."

"Quiet ladies!" Sarah shouted above the noise and laughter although she too had
difficulty in containing her mirth. "Quieten down otherwise there will be more
than one bum being warmed tonight."

"You're not going to tell Sir are you, Miss Sarah?" Kathy pleaded, "You know all
the trouble I've had with that piece and then I get it more or less right only
to ruin it completely. I've broken all the main straw framework now."

"I have to. If you get away with it, the others will expect to as well. You'll
just have to see how nice you can be to Jeremy and Margaret." Sarah replied and
then added seeing Kathy was likely to have another outburst, "Calm down Kathy.
It will only make things worse it you start making a fuss. You all agreed to
this and in fact you were one of those most for it. Go and wash your face and
we'll see what we can do about the corn dolly."

*****

"Come into the office please Kathy. We have a few minutes before lunch. Sarah
has told me what happened and I hope you are willing to go along with the
punishment same as Shelly did, except you all agreed to be punished nude. Sarah
tells me you showed regret for you temper burst and apologised to her. I
understand the problems you had and also you have agreed to do the work again
starting immediately after you finish lunch and Sarah is willing to help you. Is
that so?"

"Yes, Sir." Kathy replied keeping to the spirit of the headmaster pupil
relationship.

"You know how we view swearing in this workhouse and the punishment for it.
Before I decide on the number of strokes, are you willing to be 'raped'
afterwards? That could have a bearing on the punishment you get."

"You mean if I allow you to have sex with me, the number gets reduced?"

"Me and any guests I invite and yes, I would take that into consideration. Yes,
indeed."

"Do I have to make up my mind now?"

"No, but before the punishment starts. At the moment I am thinking of twelve
strokes as I'm informed you swore at least a dozen times, reducing to eight the
same as Shelley had, provided I get a satisfactory report from Sarah later
today. And you don't mention any of this to the others. Let them guess what your
punishment will be until it is announced after dinner is finished tonight."

*****

"Ladies may I introduce Theresa Harris and her husband Jim who are invited as
guests to witness this evening's entertainment. They are friends of ours and I
am sure they will appreciate tonight's entertainment. Kathy has agreed to be
punished in the traditional way for her appalling behaviour this morning. To
show you all this behaviour will not be tolerated, I am ordering Margaret to
administer eight strokes of her strap. All strokes to be delivered to the bare
buttocks and applied with such force as to be remembered for a long while."
Jeremy stood with the others in the punishment room. Kathy was shaking. Now the
time had come for the punishment to begin, she was fearful that she had made a
mistake by agreeing to it. In truth there was no reason why she couldn't refuse
point blank but she would lose so much face in front of the others, she would
never live it down and Shelly especially would carp on about it for ever.

"I have tried to reproduce the scene, as far as I can, for a punishment
entertainment evening described by Josiah Winsberly about one hundred and
seventy years ago. Imagine if you will, the atmosphere then. Our electric
candles would have been real, flickering and smoky. Even with the few real
candles I have alight and the two oil lanterns, and the old iron vent in the
wall open you can smell and feel the smoke. Imagine the room with twice as many
people crowded in, most gossiping and discussing the impending birchings. Feel
the smoke from many more candles and the men's pipes stinging your eyes. See the
group of naked women standing by the wall over there waiting for their turn to
be thrashed and raped. Each of them with their hands tied to one of the rings
you can see set in the wall. For them the atmosphere must have seemed bizarre
and very frightening. They would know they would go to bed very sore that night.
They would know too, the onlookers, both male and female would do all they could
to encourage the master or mistress to lay on the strokes ever harder. They
would know their pain and screams would delight and stimulate the men and even
the women to do excessive sexual things to them later. Ladies and Jim please do
your best to recreate that atmosphere by cheering on Mistress Margaret when she
applies the strap to our miscreant's bottom."

There was a little applause before Jeremy went on, "The time has come Kathy,
please remove your clothes and place them on the chair here." Kathy hesitated,
very uncertain now. "Kathy, you agreed to this in front of your friends. I am
sure they will assist me to undress you if necessary."

"Yes, we will," called out Shelly, "I had to take that many." Slowly Kathy did
as requested and stood naked in front of them, her white skin showing clearly in
the light of the oil lamps. Her skin reddened as she saw the eyes of everyone
looking at her. She knew they were looking at her tits but she was quite proud
of them. At forty-four years old, they had barely begun to sag. They were
looking at her pubic hair and her bottom too but for the moment they couldn't
see her cunt. That would change as soon as she was bent over the chair.

"Over the chair now Kathy," Jeremy ordered

"Nooo," Kathy started

"Refuse and the punishment is doubled," Jeremy whispered in her ear. She bent
over and allowed her ankles and then her wrists to be fastened. "There's no
going back now Kathy." Jeremy played with her tits. "I think Mistress Margaret
ought to tickle these too for your saying 'no' to me just now. Just a couple of
light flicks to each Margaret if you will." Margaret brought the strap upwards
and caught Kathy's right breast with two stinging but not severe blows. Even so
they were hard enough to make Kathy cry out, Margaret repeated the strapping to
the left breast.

Facing his audience again, Jeremy continued with his spiel. "From the tale we
read you the other night, you will know gentlemen of that era delighted in
punishing the tits of their women, not just reddening them a little like Kathy's
here." He cupped Kathy's right breast and showed it to everyone, "But thoroughly
whipping them with birch rods or with leather whips. A little whipping there
makes many girls horny, something I hope has happened to Kathy, but a hard
whipping is painful for a long while. You will have an opportunity to feel this
pair when the rest of her strapping is over. Now let us move the lamps so
Margaret can see the bum cheeks she is to stripe and if you all move round you
can see clearly the stripes as they appear. Ladies, feel free to put your hands
inside your knickers and masturbate yourself or a friend. Don't forget to cheer
Margaret on."

Margaret took up a position to one side of Kathy's posterior. "Take note on how
well the bottom area is displayed," Jeremy went on, "And notice how white the
flesh is now and compare it with the colour it will be later on." Kathy's body
again infused with red as her whole body blushed with embarrassment. She knew
everyone was looking into her vagina and could probably detect the wetness.
"Look now ladies and gentleman, the colour is changing before even one stroke is
applied however the colouring will be much deeper in a few minutes. Ready
yourself Mistress Margaret. Move back just a little ladies so she can get a good
swing with the strap. We don't want Shelly complaining her strapping was much
harder than Kathy's."

Margaret raised the strap and was about to bring it down when Theresa shouted,
"Wait Margaret. If you are mimicking Alice in the stories and putting on a good
display for the onlookers, should you not remove your blouse and do the
thrashing bare titted?"

Margaret hesitated, not because she was shy but because Jeremy had used the
tittie clamps last night and had tickled them with a small cane. They were still
a little swollen and the stripes were clear. "Good idea Theresa," Jeremy agreed,
"Show everyone you get treated the same as they do Margaret." A gasp went up
when her breasts criss-crossed with fine lines, came into view.

Deciding put a brave face on it, Margaret stood up straight and thrust her
breasts forward so all could see. "I can confirm that warming a woman's tits
does make her horny. I can also confirm, although I hasten to add, not from
Jeremy's attentions, that thrashing them has the reverse affect and all you can
think about for days is finding ways to ease the pain. Now I think we've kept
Kathy waiting long enough."

Heedless of her own swinging breasts and remembering the story of Alice's
theatrical performance, Margaret raised the strap high and swung it in a wide
arc to crash loudly on Kathy's unprotected arse. Immediately a loud yell came
from the recipient and a broad red mark appeared across both bum cheeks, broken
in the centre by the crease in her buttocks.

"My God, Ma'am. Not so hard," shouted Kathy.

"One!" Margaret intoned, ignoring Kathy's plea.

"Crack!!!" "Two." "Crack!!" "Three." "Crack!!" Four.

Kathy writhed and struggled in her bonds but there was no way she was going to
free herself. The movements, to the onlookers' delight, just caused her tits to
sway and her arse to move sexily.

"Halfway Kathy," Jeremy remarked and then to the others, "As I said earlier,
feel free to play with your cunnies and boobs, or anyone else's for that matter.
Remember these sessions were not just for punishment, they were for the
titillation of the onlookers and the more titillation the better to provide
funds for the workhouse. Tonight though, the show is free."

"Crack!!!" "Crack!!!" "Crack!!!" "Crack!!" Margaret applied the last four in
quick succession, not bothering to count. At the finish she bowed and was
applauded.

"Jim, as you are our guest, as is the tradition you are invited to take your
pleasure with her first," Jeremy announced to the throng. The ladies hadn't been
told of the 'rape.' Janet started to protest but Margaret whispered that it was
okay but she still looked as if she might intervene. Jim opened his flies and
let his hardness jut out. Theresa produced a condom from her purse and put it on
him.

"Give it to the bitch good and hard dear. She needs it," Theresa exhorted her
husband. He needed no second telling. To the accompaniment of comments on his
equipment and what he should do with it from the ladies, Jim slipped his cock in
Kathy's cunt and finding her already wet proceeded to fuck her with long hard
strokes. Each time his loins hit her bottom so Kathy moaned and cried out.

Shelly started a chant that was taken up by the others, "Ram it ---IN!" "Ram it
---IN!" "Ram it ---IN!" All in time with Jim's thrusts. However with all the
stimulation, Jim didn't last long and shot his load into the condom teat.

"Which of you ladies is going to offer your services to clean Jim's prick?"
asked Jeremy. There was a perceptible shuffle to the back of the room until
Margaret came forward and took the condom off and sucked him clean.

Jeremy meanwhile opened his trousers and unashamedly showed the ladies his
weapon. There were murmurs of "Nice one." "Wish my man had one like that." And
many other similar comments. "You ought to make sure Kathy sees it," Stella
suggested, "She'll want to know what went inside her." Jeremy did as requested
and then tore the foil packet open and covered his prick.

Kathy's cunt was still well lubricated so his prick went in easily and Jeremy
used his expertise to vary his strokes and give Kathy some pleasure. It wasn't
long before she climaxed several times in a row and finally Jeremy allowed
himself to climax too.

"Who is going to clean me?" he asked fully expecting Margaret would have to
perform again. "Perhaps Theresa will volunteer?" and it seemed as if she was
about to when Sarah said quietly, "I'll do it." It was a surprise to everyone.

Sarah didn't waste any time. Quickly the condom came off and was knotted then
her hand fished out his balls. "Please sit down, Sir," she said. When he
complied, Sarah took his prick into her mouth and worked it over with
considerable skill and obvious enjoyment. Not only did she use her mouth to suck
on his shaft, she used her tongue to lick his ball sack.

"Until Sarah has finished, I suggest you feel Kathy's bum and play with her so
that you know what to expect if you misbehave in the next few days." Jeremy's
suggestion was taken up and Kathy soon had four of the ladies fingering her and
playing with her tits. This continued for five minutes or so until Jeremy
ordered her release.

"Take her to her room Stella please," Margaret ordered, "And I'll bring towels
and stuff to treat her bottom.

"Wait a moment." Theresa voice cut in once more, "The girl has milked my husband
dry so he won't be able to service me tonight so she'll have to do it." The
ladies remembered that part of the story and when Theresa lifted her skirt to
reveal no underwear and a bald cunt, they thrust Kathy's mouth onto it. Kathy
being no stranger to lesbian sex quickly brought the already very aroused woman
to her climax.

*****

"Knock, knock. Knock, knock."

"Come in," Margaret called out sleepily as she switched on the bedroom light.
Kathy stepped in the bedroom, a light robe around her otherwise naked body.

"You said to come and see you if I needed some comfort......"

"Sally not available?" Margaret asked.

"Selfish bitch went to sleep after she got off but I'm still warm and horny and
sore as hell down there. I hope you meant what you said."

"Get that robe off and get in here then," Jeremy spoke for the first time since
she entered. As she climbed over them and lifted the covers, Kathy noticed they
were naked too and Jeremy's prick was soft alongside his leg.

Margaret stopped her as she slid down under the sheet. "Oooh that's a nice warm
bottom and a nice warm cunnie. I think you ought to lay down the other way round
so we can have its warmth against our faces." Kathy knew her meaning and slid
head first down under the sheets stopping when her lips touched Jeremy's prick.
She felt her legs being parted and a tongue thrust into her cunt. "That must be
Sir," she thought as she took his prick right into her mouth and avidly started
sucking. Then another pair of lips caressed her tender bottom, kissing and
sucking over the tender areas and ending at her arsehole. The tongue entered. At
first Kathy was disgusted at the thought of anyone putting their tongue in there
but soon the delightful sensations overcame the repugnance and she climaxed
again and again. Under the ministrations of her mouth, Jeremy became hard but
because he'd cum in Margaret a little earlier and had taken Kathy before that,
he didn't cum again. Kathy was a little disappointed but eventually all of them
drifted off to sleep.

Kathy woke first and from her somewhat uncomfortable position head down under
the bedclothes, had no idea of the time. She felt Jeremy's prick hard against
her face. "He's got a piss hard on," she thought, "I wonder if he'll wake if I
suck it again?" For a while she gently sucked, enjoying the feel of a man's cock
in her mouth. Until last night it had been a long time. Sally was nice and they
had good times together but sometimes she wanted the real thing. Jeremy moved.
The clock showed 4:32. He felt the mouth around his prick and knew what Kathy
was doing. As gentle as he was in parting Kathy's thighs again, the movement
woke Margaret. "What's up Jeremy?"

"She's horny again and sucking my prick. I think she wants fucking."

"Do it then. I can have you almost any time."

Kathy's head emerged and they laid her on top of the bed. "I want to watch what
you two get up to," stated Margaret as she pulled Kathy's knees alongside her
head. Jeremy pushed his prick straight in. There was no need for foreplay. All
the sucking she had done had aroused her so she was dripping wet. As usual he
was able to control himself and gave Kathy and long and varied fuck. Kathy had
wrapped her legs around his neck and was thrusting back to meet him. Margaret
helped by massaging her breasts and squeezing her nipples. Never had she had sex
like this. It was out of this world. All too soon Jeremy shot his load deep
inside her and they all collapsed is a sweaty tangle of limbs.

"Oh my God, Jeremy. We didn't use protection." Kathy now back and down to earth
was alarmed.

"I'll douche you after you've cleaned him up and I've had a little taste of you.
You really are a little sex pot." Margaret laughed.

The three dozed for a while until the alarm went and Margaret sent Kathy back to
her own room. "Make sure your room is ready for inspection. You wouldn't want
another dose of the strap now would you?"

"I might. I just might if the after service is this good!" Kathy grinned as she
left the room.



Chapter 32. Farthing's ordeal

"Read us another story Margaret, please," Shelly begged. It had been two days
since Kathy's punishment but it was still the main topic of conversation
especially during their evening 'free period' when they were allowed to be
themselves and not inmates of a nineteenth century workhouse. Thanks to Stella,
everyone knew Kathy had spent the night with their hosts but no one knew exactly
what went on so speculation was rife. During the day everyone behaved themselves
impeccably but made up for it during the two hours before 'lights out'. Bawdy,
salacious comments were bandied around but Kathy never revealed what actually
happened. Each evening she was made to show her bottom and breasts to her
friends so the could see how the colours changed and how tender the flesh was.
Stella particularly seemed to like showing her friend's bottom to the others.
Shelly too, was by no means shy when it came to revealing her bum. This was no
where near as tender as earlier and she could sit with comparative ease.
Margaret too was asked to show them how the colours of the stripes on her tits
changed.

A frequent topic and perhaps the one found most embarrassing, was having to use
the chamber pot. There were bathrooms on each floor but they had been declared
out of bounds between dinner and breakfast except for when they emptied the pots
or for serious sickness. Any violation would immediately result in a punishment
session, which so far no one had risked.

"We want a story!" "We want a story!" "We want a story!" "We want a story!" The
ladies began a singing chant and clapping like young children wanting their
mother to read to them before bed.

"All right children!" Margaret laughed, "Run and put your nightdresses on so
you're ready for bed afterwards and I'll get the journal. Nightdresses only.
I'll do the same."

"You don't wear one!" Kathy stated loudly, "And Jeremy doesn't wear pyjamas
either."

"Well if you want us naked, you will have to be too." Janet and Mary dissented.
Kathy turned on them. "You all saw me well and truly butt arse naked. You saw
everything and still want to see me at every opportunity. Now it's your turn."
Still the pair were reluctant.

Sarah came up with a compromise. "Let's all wear a robe with nothing under and
when Margaret starts we open them?"

"And when Jeremy gets a hard on, he takes his off and we follow suit," added
Kathy and amid much laughter and more ribald comments they finally got the
dissenting pair to agree.

*****

"This is quite a late entry in the Journal," Margaret explained. "Josiah seemed
to start with good intentions of writing regularly, then it deteriorated into
just giving fairly repetitive details of who was punished for the Saturday
evening entertainments but there were some interesting later entries when out of
the ordinary events occurred. This is one."

'September 25th 1837

One of the sheriffs brought in a young waif a few days ago. At least then, that
is what she seemed to be. She'd been picked up on the green lane not far from
here. From her bruised and battered appearance it seemed she had been through a
considerable ordeal. Both eyes had been blackened and she stood with some
difficulty but she wouldn't give her name. All Alice could get out of her and
then very incoherently, was that three men had waylaid her and her man and
killed him and robbed and raped her. They'd stolen their horses. Even from the
brief description of the whereabouts of the house and the men, the sheriff's man
guessed the location and a posse raided the house and caught them burying the
body. They are now in custody awaiting trial.

[Margin note. December 18th. The three men were hanged in front of Gyppeswick
jail]

What remained of her clothing gave the appearance of being a servant so we
assumed she was running away with the master's son. It was later we discovered
that the reverse was true. My wife Alice, sent two ladies to heat water in the
copper and bring the bath in while we tried to get a name from her and she
stubbornly refused.'

"I would add here," Margaret interrupted her narrative, "That although Josiah
records in great detail events that occurred in this workhouse, he never
mentions his marriage. This is the first of very few references to Alice being
married to him. We know she was here when he arrived and became his mistress but
for the most part she is just referred to as Alice. Parish church records show
he married her on August 30th 1837."

'From the state she was in, I knew beating her would get her to say no more.
Through the tears in her clothing we could see bruises and whip marks a plenty.
Alice sat her at the table and gave her food and cordial while the water heated
and produced a cushion when the woman winced as she sat. Sara and the others
tried to talk with her but she remained silent except for short "Please and
Thank you's" when offered refreshment. Even so, I thought her voice more refined
than a servant girl would use but knowing their propensity for mimicking their
mistresses, I wasn't overly concerned.

She made little fuss when I asked her to remove her clothes and step into the
bath. It was then we saw the full extent of the thrashing she'd had. Most looked
as if they had been inflicted with a single tail whip and many were deep enough
to have produced blood. Her treatment had been far crueler than any I would have
meted out. It was a great shame to see a beautiful young body marred by what
would probably be permanent scars. Jake, the sheriff's man who I summoned to
return, was furious and threatened those responsible with dire punishment when
they were caught. It wasn't long before that happened.

The woman puzzled me too. Her skin was fine and her hands soft as if unused to
hard work but my questions on that point went unanswered. Alice noticed the
dried sperm down her legs and over her pubic hair and took a douche and cleaned
her as best she could but it was probably too late to prevent any pregnancy if
she was in her fertile period. Alice was worried that some of her wounds might
be infected and this proved to be the case.

Katherine found her a light dress and we sat her in my soft chair by the stove
although the weather was not really cold. She just stared blankly at the flames.
As the ladies moved around her to get to the cooking, they spoke but the girl
hardly moved. Occasionally a tear would flow down her cheek but there were no
sobs or other cries. At our evening meal she ate a little but still nothing more
than simple replies to non-personal questions. Soon all the others ceased
speaking to her. Only Alice persisted but she just chattered inconsequentially
about life here and then took her on a short tour inside the building but the
girl had some difficulty now in walking. Sitting still had probably stiffened
her sore muscles. Later she showed her our room and announced she would be
sleeping with us that night. For a few moments that seem to startle her but she
soon recovered.

There was still a red glow in the fire when we took in the light to ready for
bed. "Lady," Alice started and then stopped. "Look here, if you won't tell us
your name I shall have to give you one. One of my own choosing." Still no word
from the woman. "Right then, we will call you Farthing, because that was all we
found in your dress. A copper farthing. In the morning I'll introduce you to the
others under that name so you have until then to change your mind about telling
us." Silence. "Lay your dress over the chair and put your slippers under it. The
piss pot is under the bed and I guess you must be desperate, as you haven't been
since you arrived this morning. Use it. Josiah will get real mad if you wet our
bed." Naked again, Farthing had no choice but to comply and it soon became clear
she had been bottling it for a long while. "You'll sleep this side, I'll be in
the middle and Joss will take the other. Ignore what we get up to. You won't be
touched, not tonight anyway. If you need me to treat you during the night, just
give me a shake."

When we'd all performed in the pot, and climbed under the blankets I took Alice
lustily and she cried out her pleasures more loudly than normal. I knew she
wanted to provoke a reaction from Farthing, whether good or bad. Still nothing.
Nothing until I had turned the light down and the three of us lay side by side.
Farthing started sobbing quietly and Alice gently clasped her to her bosom. I
heard Alice whispering nothings into Farthing's ear until I drifted off to
sleep. Alice told me my snoring kept them awake a while longer but soon they too
slept.

Next day was almost a repeat. Farthing answered to her new name and did such
light work as we set her without complaint or murmur but we were still worried
over the worsening state of the deep whip cuts. Still she tried to do the things
we set even though they were painful. Only a few times did she have to ask how
to do a task which puzzled me still more as all servants and children of working
class parents would have learned these from a young age.

Alice started her curse that day and I decided to roger her bottom hole before
settling down for the night. To facilitate entry I had Alice bend over the end
of the bed and entered her without a problem. We've done it many times that way.
Farthing seemed shocked and was forced to watch because Alice had spread her
arms across the bed. She was even more distressed when Alice cleaned me
afterwards. I guessed, rightly as it turned out, she been forced to do such
things in a most unpleasant way.

Like the previous night, Alice cuddled her and spoke quietly in her ear until
the both drifted into sleep. Sometime in the night quiet whispering awakened me
and it wasn't Alice's voice I could hear. I pretended sleep but although my ears
pricked up I could only catch an occasional word. Knowing that Alice would
report to me fully in the morning I allowed myself to fall asleep once more.

Next morning it was with some impatience that I waited for breakfast to finish
and Alice to set the ladies to work so I could have her alone. She picked up the
accounts book which everyone would take as a signal that we didn't wish to be
disturbed.

"I'm very worried about her Joss. Those deep cuts across her back are full of
the fire. She didn't say much about her ordeal but I know who she is and a
little of how she came to be here. For the time being I think we should keep it
to ourselves." I nodded. Alice continued. "She is Jeanette Everinton, daughter
of Lord and Lady Everinton of Balderwick in Lincolnshire. Jeanette fell in love
with one of the grooms, a lad named Michael Jacobs. Father was furious when he
found them together and dismissed the groom and forbade his daughter to have
anything more to do with him. Seems this only made the girl more determined and
she would dress as a servant and clandestinely meet with Michael. After nearly
being caught together a second time they made plans to elope and get married on
the continent. She being only nineteen is still too young to wed here without
her parents consent. So they headed for Gyppeswick and planned to take a boat
from there. She brought all her jewellery and as much money as she could lay her
hands on and borrowed a pair of horses. As they neared us, three armed men
sprang from the trees and robbed them and made free with her. Michael jumped at
the men to protect her but they shot him dead in front of her eyes. Knowing they
needed to make a quick departure from that spot Michael was laid across his
horse and Jeanette was dragged and whipped along farm tracks until they came to
a house. Here the men abused her, we can guess what she meant by that, for two
days. On the third day one of the men took some of her money and rode off and
came back with flagons of liquor and they got very drunk. They passed out and
Jeanette was able to free herself and make her escape to Pennydelset. One of the
sheriff's men spotted her and brought her here. You know what the sheriff's men
found. That's about it Joss. What do we do now?"

I thought for a short while before replying. "For the time being, we'll keep the
other ladies in the dark over her identity. I will write a note to Lord and Lady
Everinton and depending on their reply, will do what seems best." I wrote the
note and went into town and forwarded it by courier. For the rest of the day,
Farthing spoke a little more to the others but as Alice cautioned her, still
never mentioned what happened or her real name. Some of the open whip marks
didn't seem to be responding to our treatments and we had to call in the doctor
to excise and clean them. She took this painful process with some fortitude but
afterwards had to be confined to our bed and her opened wounds bathed hourly.'

"I need to get a drink," Margaret put the journal down, took her reading glasses
off and looked around. She was the only one still with a robe on!

"We'll make them," Kathy said as she and Stella stood up.

"Yeah but I'll need to wash my sticky fingers first after they've been in your
twat," grinned Stella.

'That night,' Margaret continued with the reading, 'we feared she might be
sinking fast. Alice continued to bathe her and put cold compresses on the fiery
areas. We kept the light on all night and had little sleep. Farthing became
delirious sometime in the early hours. Alice slid herself under Farthing so
their two bodies were in close contact, hoping some of her life essence would
help the ailing girl. It seemed at least to soothe and comfort her. Her
ramblings ceased for a while and then she started to speak with complete clarity
and thank us for what we were doing for her. I feared this might be her last
chance to speak before meeting her maker. Alice must have thought so too.

"You loved Michael Jacobs deeply didn't you Farthing?" Alice asked.

"Yes. Now he is gone. I will see him soon."

"Have you known him for a long while?" Alice prompted

Farthing lay still for a while and then started talking as if reliving the whole
of the traumatic events. I will write these from memory and without all the
hesitations and weeping that punctuated her story.

"We grew up together, played together as children. His father was head ostler
and when he was old enough Michael worked with the horses too. He would get my
horse ready for me and take care of him when I came back. As we grew older and I
had a bigger horse he would help me mount and when no one was around he would
feel my bottom and he pushed me up. From childhood I had liked him but our more
loving relationship started last Christmas. I went into the stables on Christmas
eve noon. Michael was there and as soon as I entered and was out of view of the
door he produced a sprig of mistletoe and demanded a kiss. The first peck became
an ever-longer one and I kissed him back. Eventually we had to part and because
of others in the courtyard I reprimanded him for not having my tack ready.
However the mistletoe was not necessary when I returned but we didn't have long.
After that things developed and I visited him in the hayloft when I could and at
Easter we loved for the first time. It was nice, like you and Josiah. We saw
each other whenever we could but in August father caught us loving in the woods.
He was very angry and struck Michael with a crop several times and dismissed him
from our service. This did not end our relationship. He went to live with an
aunt in the village and through the mother of one of our maids, I arranged
meetings. Again we were caught and father threatened Michael with jail if he
ever so much as saw me. I pleaded, cried and demanded my father let me see him,
all to no avail. Mother was no help either although I don't think she agreed
with what father was doing. As punishment I was locked in my room for a week and
only allowed out for the Harvest Ball. Father wished to show me off to other
more eligible men. So I made plans and slipped away from the ball a little
early, dressed in servant's clothes and a cloak and went down the back stairs
and out to the stables. When other guests started to leave and there was a lot
of confusion with carriages and horses being brought to the front door I took my
horse and another and went through the woods way to the village. There I woke
Michael and told his aunt we would head for Poleton which was the nearest port,
and get a boat to Germany. In fact we went the other way as my French is much
better than my German and from Gyppeswick we could get a boat to Holland and
travel down from there to France.

On the way we stayed at small inns with Michael playing the part of a wealthy
lad taking a servant girl along for his pleasure.

As you know those brutes waylaid us. Two had pistols and one a sword and a
horsewhip. They searched our bags and persons and found my money and jewellery.
Michael tried to struggle when they searched his body but they cruelly hit him
and knocked him to the senseless ground. Then they searched me. One held my arms
behind my back while the other two undid my dress and played with my bosoms and
started to touch my womanhood. Michael must has woken up and seen this because
her charged the men like a bull but before he reached us the man behind me fired
his pistol and Michael fell at my feet, a bullet through his head. I fell upon
him and screamed out many times, "Murderers," but they just hit me in the face
until I quieted. One of them, his name was Frank said they should get away from
where we were and bury the body on the farm instead of leaving it. They dragged
me away from him and threw his body over my horse. I was sobbing hysterically
and said I was staying in that spot and they should kill me too. The whip man,
Jake said, "We'll probably do that too but we want some fun with you first. When
I refused to move he brought that terrible whip crashing down on my back several
times. I knew it has cut through my clothes and I was bleeding. He pulled me to
my feet and told to walk and when I didn't move fast enough he flicked the whip
at me, as though I was a horse. Before we reached the house I must have passed
out because when I came to, I was across Michael's horse and we were entering
the farmyard. Michael was thrown into a barn with the horses. "We'll bury him
when it's dark," Frank said.

We'd hardly entered the house and my torn clothes were taken from me and all
three removed their breeches. I knew what they were going to do and it wouldn't
be nice like it was with Michael but with the horrendous pain in my back I
hardly cared. First they played with my breasts although played is hardly the
right word. Tormented is perhaps better. Again I must have passed out because
when I awoke, I was on my back on the hard table and Jake was thrusting in me.
For what seemed hours, I drifted in an out of consciousness. Each time I came to
they were abusing me in one way or another. Like you Alice, I was made to take
their messy man thing in my mouth but I knew they would cut me again with the
whip if I didn't. Later when I came round I was lying on a bed and the men were
drinking and laughing and looking at my jewellery. I guessed one had been to the
inn to get beer.

Seeing me awake John, the third man with a fat body, came to me and told me to
open my mouth and when I didn't he slapped my breasts as hard as he could. He
continued slapping them back and forth until I cried out I would do it but I
wasn't prepared for what he did then. He forced his pego right to the back of my
throat and held my head so my nose was in his hair and then started to pee. I
coughed and spluttered but had to swallow most of the foul stuff. The others all
laughed and made sport with me and said I would save them going to the outhouse.
Thereafter their sport became ever more obscene. By the time they left me tied
to the bed for the night, they had each taken me twice more and in my bottom
too.

As you might guess I didn't sleep at all that night, what with the pain in my
back and my womanhood and the loss of my dearest Michael. Morning and they came
and used my mouth again instead of the outhouse. Sometime about midday I
appealed to go to the outhouse, suggesting there would be a foul smell in the
room if they didn't. John took me. I could barely walk but he supported me and
then watched while I performed. Throughout the day I was raped as and when and
where they felt like it. I was never untied so I soiled the bed but that didn't
seem to worry them. John fed me some toasted bread and some ale. I wondered if
they'd buried Michael but they didn't seem to have been gone long enough for
that. I thought maybe they would kill me too when they'd lost interest in my
body and bury us together. At that time I thought we would at least be together
and in peace." She broke down here and Alice had to comfort her for some time
before she could continue.

"Jake left in the evening and came back with bottles of liquor paid for with my
money. There were bottles of gin and whiskey and some with labels I did not
recognise. They were not used to such strong mixes of alcohol and quickly became
drunk. Jake and Frank fell on the floor and lay there in a stupor. John swaying
came to me and said I was to sleep in his bed with him like a wife. He released
my bindings and half carried half pushed me upstairs. I noticed he took the one
of the gin bottles with him. A plan came to me. When we were on the bed he took
a swig of the gin and I tilted the bottle a little so more of the fiery liquid
went down his throat. He offered it to me and I pretended to drink and cough and
gave it back to him and he swallowed again. Now his eyes were glazing and I knew
it would not be long before her slept. I took the bottle and held it to his lips
and without thinking he took several more gulps before finally falling on to the
pillow. Once more I opened his mouth and poured more of the gin down and held
his nose so he choked and swallowed. Slowly I made my way downstairs and filled
the mouths of the other two sleepers with as much whiskey and gin as I could.
Apart from choking they didn't react much. I found my tattered dress and shoes
and left. Not wanting to see what horrors they had done with my lover, I left
and tried to retrace my steps to the lane and towards the village. I remember it
was moonlight and I could see fairly clearly but walking was extremely painful
but I tried to shut it and the events from my mind and blindly carry on.
Sometime after dawn a man found me and brought me here." More crying and sobbing
followed before she added. "You have written to my father but after hearing what
I have done, you are unlikely to get a favourable reply from him."

For the rest of the night she drifted in and out of wakefulness and several
times I thought we had lost her but she pulled through. I ordered Henrietta to
take over as cook for the day and allowed Alice to sleep alongside Farthing. I
lay on a spare bed upstairs after instructing Sara to watch at Farthing's
bedside and apply wet towels to her back and to wake me when the doctor arrived
or if there was any change in her condition. She slept most of the day and it
was evening before her eyes started opening again. Most of the fever had gone
and the welts were losing their heated colour so we hoped the poison was leaving
her body. Alice sat her up and spooned some mutton broth into her mouth, which
she took readily.

Three days later I received a note from Lord Parham requesting I call and see
him and bring the girl with me. Farthing was still far too weak to travel so I
went alone and was surprised to be introduced to Lord and Lady Everinton. His
Lordship was annoyed I hadn't brought his daughter even though I explained her
weakened condition. Fortunately her ladyship stepped in, "Now Henry," she said,
"Let us hear what the man has to say before you start to condemn him." I told
the story as I knew it and her ladyship immediately said, "I wish to see my
daughter, Henry. If you do not wish to take me in the carriage I will ride back
with Winsberly and see her there."

"She tricked us after all we did for her. All because of an infatuation with a
stable boy. She deserves to be left where she is."

"I'm going whatever you say Henry. My daughter's been through a terrible ordeal
and I wish to see her. Are you going to order the carriage or shall I ride with
the Workhouse Master?" In the end Lord Everinton came and with his faster
carriage arrived some fifteen minutes before I. Alice was dressing Farthings
wounds as the pair entered unannounced and unrecognised. Alice was about to give
him a piece of her tongue when Farthing saw them and simply said, "Father,
Mother, you came," and burst into tears. However she turned to Alice for
comfort. The sight of their naked daughter's grossly discoloured back and
blackened bruised face with its distorted nose and ugly breast marks rendered
the parents speechless for a while. M'lady crying went to her and held her hand
but didn't otherwise make any contact. When I arrived Lord Everinton was
berating his daughter for being a disgrace to the family but Lady Everinton took
this for only a short while before telling her husband he was partly to blame
and telling him to forgive his daughter for what she had done. "She's been
punished in the most terrible way and she will carry the wounds on her body and
in her mind for the rest of her life. If you have the least bit of compassion in
you, show it now."

"Yes God punished her. Punished her for being a whore!"

"It wasn't God that punished her. It was those brutes now in the town jail,
Henry."

"Well she is not coming back to my house." His Lordship absolutely refused to
budge on that point. "I no longer have a daughter."

"She IS our daughter, Henry and I will not abandon her when she is in need of
care and condolence." Farthing was crying into Alice's breast by saying nothing.

"She left as a servant, she can remain as one, if anyone will employ her. I'm
not having her in my house and that's final Mary."

"She can stay in my cottage in Nettleborough then, dear"

So they argued in front of us till his Lordship partly capitulated. "Very well
Mary, she will remain here in this workhouse until the New Year and then you can
take her to Nettleborough.. They seem to be looking after her well enough and
when she's better she can work like the rest of them do here."

"Give the man twenty sovereigns for the trouble he has taken so far and to pay
her doctor's fees Henry. That is the least you can do."

"She's got the jewellery and some of the money they recovered when they searched
that farm," Lord Everinton countered. It was the first I had heard of it.

"As you well know Henry, that is still in the Sheriff's keeping. Now give the
man the money and leave us for a short while. I wish to talk with Jeanette
alone." Reluctantly counted out twenty coins and gave them to me. "Treat her
like the rest of them here, Sir. Make sure she works the same as any other
servant."

Alice was asked to leave but Farthing wouldn't allow it and just clung to her
even tighter. "Mother, without Mistress Alice and Master Josiah, I wouldn't be
alive. I am better off here than at home. I know they punish the ladies and use
them for entertainment as I expect I will be when I recover but there is a
kindness as well and all are looked after." I was well pleased by that remark.

"Jeanette dear, we'll do what your father wishes and leave you here until
January. I will come back again and discus with you your moving to
Nettleborough." Turning to Alice she said, "Mistress, despite what my husband
said you will treat my daughter as a paying guest. The money Josiah has been
given will more than cover the costs of treating her with the best care and she
should soon have the money and jewellery returned to her. If there are other
unforeseen expenses I will see they are taken care of." With that she spoke with
Farthing for a little about her ordeal and promised Michael's body would be
returned to his aunt for a proper burial.

October 14th 1837

Farthing is much recovered and we have started her working with the other ladies
but only on light work. Katherine is looking after her and is pleased with her
sewing. She is making an embroidered dress for Alice. Her money, nearly one
hundred pounds, and jewellery is in my safe. We think she is pregnant but no one
can but guess as to the father. It may be Michael or one of the brutes that
await trial.

[Margin note] May 15th 1838. We received the sad news today that Farthing died
at Nettleborough after having a miscarriage. May she rest in peace. I cancelled
all work and punishments for the day as a mark of respect.]

Margaret's eyes were teared when she finished reading and tears were running
down the cheeks of others.

"The story was supposed to make us horny Margaret," Kathy stated, "Not make us
cry."



Chapter 33. Bath time delights

"Bend over the table Janet please." Margaret put all the authority she could
into her voice.

"Oh my God, no, I thought you were outside. You're not going to..."

"I most certainly am Janet. I would also warn you that if I have to ask others
to assist me, they get to give you the same punishment that I do. That means you
could get four times as many strokes."

"I was only joking Marg.... Ma'am. I didn't mean any harm by it."

"And I don't mean any real harm by using this strap on your bum. Now bend over
or do I need to call for help?"

Margaret had gone outside to cut some flowers but found the stems too tough for
her scissors and returned for secateurs. In doing so she'd surprised Janet
strutting in the kitchen mimicking her voice and actions. We'll see how well you
mimic a person having her bottom tickled with the strap." Reluctantly Janet lay
across the table and gripped the far edge. "Hold her still by the shoulders
please Mary and you Stella. I don't want her jumping up after the first tickle."
Lulled by the term 'tickle', Janet lay quietly and allowed her friends to press
her tits to the table. Margaret took the back hem of Janet's skirt and pinned it
high up to her blouse so her bottom was well exposed. It was even more exposed
when Margaret pulled the woman's knickers down and slid them right off. By now
the others in the group had gathered around.

"Crack!! Crack!! Crack!! Crack!!" Margaret laid four hard strokes on in quick
succession. As the pain hit her nerve centres Janet yelled out and when released
rubbed her sore bottom.

"Yeeooww! That hurt. Did you have to hit so hard?"

"You are supposed to thank me for taking the trouble to correct your bad
behaviour, Janet."

"Thank you for correcting me Ma'am."

Margaret could see tears were not far beneath the surface of Janet's eyes. "And
I did not strap you very hard that is reserved for those who need restraining in
the punishment chair. You will leave your skirt pinned up as it is now so all
can see you have been naughty. Sarah please let me know if she tries to cover
her bottom or fails to work properly this afternoon." It was now Wednesday and
since Kathy's punishment the ladies had been very keen not to be on the
receiving end of Margaret's strap. Janet had been very unlucky to get caught but
at least she wasn't stripped naked and 'raped' afterwards. Still it provided
amusement for the others and a topic of comment and good-natured jokes for the
afternoon.

"Ma'am, can I speak with you privately for a few moments," Shelly asked. It was
Thursday afternoon just before dinner. Margaret led her into the office. "Could
I stay here until Monday please? And I think Stella would wish to as well. She
does an evening shift on Monday but I only do temp work and am not due in again
till Tuesday."

"I have a lace class in on Saturday for the week but there are rooms free. You
would have to behave yourselves in a respectable way. I doubt if any other
course would wish to go as far as this one has. If word got out, this place
would be closed down."

"I understand that, Ma'am. I was also wondering if the chalk marks I earned
earlier could be brought forward to Friday evening?"

"You want to feel the birch on your bum?" Margaret sounded incredulous. "You do
realise the pain is much sharper and more intense than the strap?"

"Yes, Ma'am. What if I was naughty again in the morning? Like not emptying my
pee pot and getting down late for breakfast. Would that earn me a few strokes of
the strap as well?"

"Shelly, am I reading you right? You want us to give you a strapping and then
the birch. Talk to me freely. Tell me exactly what you think you want us to do
without mincing your words. I don't want there to be any misunderstanding."

"Ma'am I want to experience a thrashing like those women did. You to give me a
good strapping and then Jeremy with the birch. I want to be raped like Kathy but
there is no need for condoms. I had my tubes cut some years ago."

"I don't think you have any idea of the pain involved Shelly. I doubt you would
want to sit before Tuesday. You will be in real agony for some days. Could you
take it?"

"That's what I want to find out. This is perhaps the only time in my life I can
find out. I've dreamed of being a slave but now I get the chance to find out for
real. Will you do it? I know I will probably scream and beg you not to do it but
once you start, I want you to go through with it like a real punishment."

"I'll have to see what Jeremy says but I guess he might want this in writing to
save our backsides."

When Shelly again visited the office, Jeremy had prepared a disclaimer for her
to sign. He went through it all with her again but Shelly was still adamant she
wanted to go through with it. "The punishment you gave me earlier in the week,
just whetted my appetite. I know at first there was considerable pain and
suffering but when that went Stella and I had a great time. I want to feel
helpless and unable to do anything about it." She signed the disclaimer.

"You have until the morning to decide, Shelly. If you're late for breakfast I
will know you wish to carry on with this arrangement. Don't tell the others. Let
them believe it has not been arranged."

"I shall have to tell Stella otherwise she might stop it but she'll keep it from
the others, Sir."

Shelly did arrive late for breakfast and left her half-filled piss pot under her
bed. Jeremy ceremoniously put another chalk mark against her name and awarded
her six strokes of the strap for later that evening. Apart from Stella, everyone
believed the chalk mark was phony because they would be away before Saturday.
That was until Jeremy made an announcement at lunch.

"Ladies, there is a slight change to today's programme. Sarah has agreed that
your class will finish an hour early. Most of you will have finished by then
anyway. Dinner will be brought forward by one hour also so those of you who have
pre-dinner duties, make sure you do them an hour sooner. After the dinner things
are away, it will be bath time. Bath time in the old fashioned way. The blinds
will be drawn and well bring the bath in here and fill it with water. We will
bathe in order of seniority, me, Margaret, Sarah, yes she has agreed to this,
and then Kathy followed by...." He listed the others alphabetically. To keep
things fair, before each one, including me, enters the bath she will draw a card
with a name on it. That person will do the washing. Ten minutes per person."
There were giggles and laughter at the thought and speculation as to who would
most like to wash Jeremy.

"Quiet ladies please. There is still time for more of you to receive a
strapping. We have two miscreants to be punished today. Mary failed to leave her
room tidy and swore when it was pointed out to her and Shelly who as you know,
for the second time this week, failed to get up on time or to empty her pot.
Mary will get four strokes of the strap. Shelly's case is much more serious. She
will receive six with the strap. I have also decided to bring forward the
entertainment evening. Shelly and Stella are staying on for a few days,
therefore they will be here on Saturday but unfortunately so will eight
lacemakers so it will be impractical to punish her then. Hence she will get her
birching tonight. Jim and Theresa will also be here after the bathing." At this
there were murmurs of surprise and some indignation and suggestions that a
birching was far too harsh." Jeremy silenced them. "Ladies, I asked for quiet.
This is not open for discussion or debate. Shelly has been forewarned of her
fate and is accepting it. You wanted realism. Tonight you will get it in full. I
suggest that after the teatime chores are done, you all go to your rooms,
undress and return to the kitchen for your bath. I will give you a more definite
time later." Again there were voices raised for and against what was to happen.
"Ladies, this is not open to discussion. It will happen. Enjoy the spectacle.
You will never see it again."

"Sally!" Jeremy turned the card over and entered the galvanised tub. "Take your
robe off Sal," Kathy called, "You don't want to get it wet." Sally soaped his
hair and then worked down his body until he had to stand for her to wash his
arse and cock. He was fully erect and Sally made a great show of making sure it
was clean. He stepped out and while Sally dried him, Margaret picked a card.

"Janet!" It seemed as if Janet wanted to get her own back for the strapping
she'd taken a few days before. She handled Margaret's tits very roughly during
the soaping process but this only caused the nipples to harden and for her
mistress to become aroused. This became even more noticeable when Janet washed
her cunt and thrust her fingers inside. "Oh, you ARE wet. You're a horny thing,
Ma'am."

Sarah drew Kathy who seemed to want to give Sarah as much pleasure as she could
for helping her re-do the corn dolly she destroyed on the second day. Her
massaging of Sarah's breasts and cunt were blatantly sexual and Sarah couldn't
hide her orgasm. So it went on until all were bathed.

"Guests and ladies. Tonight you are to witness the punishment of two of our
ladies." Both ladies were naked and standing with their backs to the side wall,
their hands tied to a ring above their heads. Neither had been tied tightly but
neither could they free themselves. Mary on the left for untidiness and
disrespectful behaviour when it was pointed out. Mistress Margaret will fasten
her to the punishment chair and treat that pert little bottom of hers to four
spanks with the strap. Shelly's misbehaviour is much more serious. It is her
second offense of the week and it seems we were far too lenient with her on the
first occasion. She will be fastened to the bar before we deal with Mary. This
will give her time to feel the effects of its shape. My wife will need no
reminder of that. I had her fastened down one evening soon after I had the
straps repaired when I was called away and came back an hour later. She was not
best pleased. We know the ladies of years ago were left on the bar for extended
periods before being punished. When we decide she is ready, Mistress Margaret
will strap her bottom soundly six times to warm it in preparation for six of the
birch. I will say a few words about the birch when the time comes. First I will
fasten Shelly down and you can see for yourselves how well this apparatus was
designed."

Shelly was becoming more and more concerned. She'd expected to be bent over the
chair. That was bad enough but to be tortured on that cruel looking bar was
going further than she wanted. "No! Jeremy no! I don't want to go through with
it."

"First you will address me properly or the severity of your punishment will be
increased. Secondly madam, whether or not you wish to go through with it is not
a decision you have to make. I decide that. Come with me." Still protesting
Shelly was dragged to the bar and with Jim and Theresa's assistance, fastened
down. "Ladies, I am sure you notice how nicely the shape of the bar parts the
breasts and allows them to hang down on either side. Straps or whips used on
them would have maximum effect as the breast could not move and would be forced
to take the full impact. If you look further along, you can see how neatly the
shape parts the cunnie (that's the term most frequently used in the journal),
parts the cunnie lips and the weight of her body presses her clitoris against
the wood. For a short while the sensation is not unduly unpleasant but time
increases the discomfort to a level that becomes almost intolerable. We'll leave
Shelly for a moment. If her cries distract us, I will bind her mouth. Have a
good look Jim and Theresa and then the other ladies can look and feel too if you
wish."

Jeremy let them examine Shelly for a few minutes and fielded a few questions as
to her safety and whether or not she would be able to take the treatment without
going to hospital. "They did years ago, Why not now?" When Janet in particular
persisted, he ordered her hands tied to a ring and a gag put on.

"Come now Mary."

Mary's punishment was an anticlimax, to everyone except Mary. Margaret didn't go
easy with the strap but she wasn't vicious either. Mary though, thought her
bottom was on fire and yelled loudly as Margaret paced the strokes out slowly so
the woman felt the full impact of each one. "Sorry Jim, this one's not for
raping but you can feel all you like," Jeremy informed his guest.

By the time all had played with Mary and she had been returned to the wall,
Shelly had lain on the bar for twenty minutes but so far had stifled her cries.
From her horizontal position she could still see how the strap landed on Mary
and knew she had to take more and probably harder strokes. Now she couldn't
believe she had asked for this. She very afraid and believed she could never
take the punishment she had asked for without injury but knew he wouldn't
believe her if she pleaded for the beating to be aborted. However, she had to
try. First she pleaded it was all a mistake, then she tried yelling and
screaming at him. Jeremy silenced her silenced with a gag. "Shelly," he said so
all could hear, "You wanted to find out what a real thrashing was like. You even
signed a disclaimer to that effect. You told me to ignore all your appeals for
clemency. Stella heard you say this. Now you are going to find out what the
reality is. You are to receive six with the strap and Margaret's going to lay
them on good and hard so your arse is nice and warm to receive six with the
birch rods. We'll take our time so the bar, which I am sure by now is becoming
more than uncomfortable, makes it presence known even more when you start to
writhe under the lashes." Turning to the others he went on, "Make yourselves
comfortable ladies. You are about to witness a thrashing the like that has not
been seen publicly in this country for many years." Having said that he winked
to reassure them he was talking more for Shelly's benefit. "Ready Margaret?"

Margaret removed her robe. "Yes Sir. More than ready. This one has been a pain
in our arse and now we are going to put pain in hers. Move back a little Sally,
I want to get a good swing at this one."

"CRACK!!" The strap landed with a gun-shot loud noise. It was harder than
Margaret intended and produced a muffled scream from the recipient and gasps
from the audience. A broad red mark appeared across Shelly's bum. "One."

"Crack!!" "Two." This wasn't as hard but nevertheless was extremely painful.
Shelly's bladder gave way and urine flowed down her legs an on the floor.

"Crack!!" "Three." Shelly's water hadn't ceased when the strap landed causing
the piss to spray and cover her bottom and the strap.

"It seems not to have been an uncommon occurrence for a woman to wet herself
during a thrashing. Josiah never stopped for it to finish so neither did
Margaret," Jeremy explained to his audience. He noticed Shelly's gag was soaked
with her saliva and decided to remove it. "You can cry out all you like Shelly.
No one outside this room will hear you and it will not make one iota of
difference to your punishment."

Margaret delivered the final three to the accompaniment of loud yells and
screams from her victim.

"Give her some juice Stella. It would have been water at best in olden days but
they didn't have straws and drinks then." While Shelly sucked on the juice and
tried to get Stella to stop the beating, Jeremy explained the birch to the
others. "These are actually thin willow osiers which I cut earlier today from
the bottom of the garden. In this part of the country they were favoured and
readily available. Six seems to be the most common number of rods here and often
they were just loosely bound. In this workhouse the job seems to have been given
to Dilly who spent most of her life on colliers before becoming a gardener here.
Apparently she was adept at binding the rods so they splayed nicely and covered
more of a woman's arse. They were kept in a leather tube of vinegar but that has
long since deteriorated. I have kept these in the water butt all day. As you
will hear, they make a different singing sort of sound and leave a mass of fine
lines across the victim's bum. If used too hard the tips cut into the flesh and
break the skin. Some birchers used to make sure they picked up some of the blood
and which made them sticky and tended to pull the flesh and cause even more
severe pain. What does it feel like to be birched Margaret?"

"It hurts like hell. It's like lines of fire stoked by bee stings. You want to
scream and scratch and sit in cold water. And you can't do anything about it. It
drives you mad. It's worse if you don't know how many strokes you are getting
and of course you can't see what the actual damage is until afterwards and you
look in a mirror. Always you feel as if your arse is being sliced up with
kitchen knives. Of course, if any of you wish to find out for real, the birch
will last far longer than needed for Shelly. Jeremy I'm sure will oblige. Over
to you Jeremy."

Jeremy hung his robe over a chair, shook the birch and swung it through the air
so they could hear the song it made. "Sounds innocent doesn't it? We'll see what
Shelly thinks." The scream Shelly emitted when the birch crashed on the already
tortured arse left the others in no doubt as to how much it hurt. "No! No! No
more. I can't take it. You are cutting me!" The others could see how true
Margaret's words were. They could see the fine raised red lines. They could see
they were painful but there was no blood. Not even from where the tips cut in
more deeply.

Ignoring her pleas, Jeremy swung the birch again. The onlookers watched
fascinated as the birch descended again and left its painful path across her
bum. However, the eyes watched not only the swing of the birch, they took in the
swing of Jeremy's prick. It was not fully hard but was semi erect and moved
sensuously as his body moved to deliver each birch stroke. He brought the birch
down for the third stroke, hardly hearing Shelly's cries and pleading. His eyes
saw Jim and with his wife on his lap, both naked and with his hands fondling her
genitals. Jeremy's cock twitched in anticipation as he laid on the fourth swipe.
Red lines now criss-crossed the whole of her available bottom.

"Two more to go, Shelly. Are you enjoying it? Is it what you wanted?" Shelly
didn't reply in coherent words. The final two were laid on in quick succession.

"In olden days, a woman was always well 'rogered' as they put it, afterwards,
but as you can see, the way this bar is designed, it would be difficult for a
man to gain entrance." Jeremy had to shout to make himself heard above Shelly
moans. They thought of that. "Stella would you mind releasing Shelly's ankles
please." Having done so, Jeremy showed them the saddle and explained how it
lifted the woman's bottom enough for a man to enter her. Again he demonstrated
by thrusting in his prick and ravishing her hard. "Whether the woman liked it or
not was of no concern to the men. They were after their pleasure and I can
assure you, fucking a woman whose arse is so tender and warm that she moves and
wriggles at every thrust is indeed a very pleasurable experience. I am sure Jim
will confirm that when it is his turn." He continued to pace himself until he
felt Shelly start to respond and then filled her with his seed.

"As you know from last time, it was the duty of one of the ladies watching to
clean the man's prick. Failure would have meant her having a turn on the bar and
a session with the birch, so I hope none of you will refuse when asked to
perform this service." He looked around. "I nominate Sally for this honour." She
hesitated, then shrugged her shoulders and knelt and took his prick in her mouth
and quickly sucked it hoping to pull away quickly but Jeremy held her head and
kept it there while Jim took his turn with Shelly.

Sally felt his the cock in her mouth start to stiffen again and wondered if she
was going to have to suck him off. It was a long while since she had done that
to a man. By the time Jim had finished and nominated Janet to service him,
Jeremy was hard again. This time he took Shelly slowly, concentrating and giving
her a good time. He knew she was still in extreme pain but from his experience
with Margaret, he guessed the fucking would take away just a little of it or at
least take her mind off it. She'd already two lots of sperm inside her and was
well lubricated and aroused. He thrust slowly and deeply with a corkscrew action
and gradually Shelly started to thrust back.

Stella stood close by and watched over her friend. "You can kneel down between
my legs and get a better view," Jeremy suggested to her. He noticed Margaret had
her head between Theresa's legs and guessed they would service each other in the
absence of their husbands. Shelly climaxed twice before Jeremy finally withdrew.
His cock was immediately captured by Stella who cleaned him without being asked
and then gave her friend's cunt a good lapping until Shelly cried out, "Stop
Stella just let me up from this sodding bar." The pain was returning with
vengeance.

*****

Breakfast next morning was a quiet affair. Shelly didn't make it down until
nearly the end. Stella quipped, "You must like that birch Shelly. This is the
third time this week you've been late."

Margaret stepped in. "For understandable reasons, I gave Shelly permission to
miss breakfast and I'm sure, as her friend, you will do her chores this
morning." To Shelly she asked, "Have you put anything on it this morning?"
Shelly shook her head.

"Can we see....?" Sally asked. "We did last night."

"We saw everything of everyone last night," Kathy pointed out.

After the session in the punishment room they all moved to the parlour. Shelly
still sobbing, was laid on the couch with her bum over the end so everything was
plainly visible to everyone. Sperm dribbled from her cunt and trickled down her
thighs. You can clean her some more Stella if you wish while I get towels and
some cream. Most of the group had donned their robes again but left them open in
the front. Theresa went and fetched a carton of wine from her flat and Jeremy
found two bottles in his kitchen. Soon they were all happily imbibing. Jim
suggested a round or two of 'pass the parcel' but instead of the parcel as in
the children's game the group was divided into two and one group was passed
around the others. When the girl parcel arrived the recipient could furiously
feel and play with any part until the music stopped, which under Jim's rules
wasn't very often. Only Shelly and Margaret, who was tending her, didn't
participate. Long before the second round, all had shed their inhibitions and
were doing the most obscene things to each other. As was to be expected, Jeremy
and Jim's cocks were much in demand.

"Shelly, would you like to show everyone your bottom?" Jeremy asked, "You don't
have to." Shelly slowly lifted her skirt and everyone gasped at the vivid colour
of the birch stripes and the underlying purple from the strap.

"Sarah I hope you won't mind if I don't sit too much this morning," Shelly
looked across at her tutor who smiled and nodded.

"Ladies, your programme for this morning," Jeremy announced. "First, would you
please put fresh sheets on your beds and then go to the workroom for your final
session with Sarah. After coffee we will meet in the parlour to have a
discussion session on the course. Normally we give out assessment sheets and we
will do this today also but most of questions will not relate too well to what
has gone on here this week so we'll have an informal discussion until lunch.
Then for most of you it is pack up and go. At the end of Sarah's lesson
Workhouse rules are suspended but are in force again now so get to your jobs. I
expect Stella and others to cover for Shelly while Margaret gives her a little
more treatment."

At the end of morning session, there was a surprising amount of agreement on the
value of the course. The pro's and con's were talked over and over until near
lunch time Kathy stood and asked, "Who would like a repeat of this course if
Jeremy and Margaret will let us come again?" Everyone put their hands up. "Who
would like it to be the 'real' workhouse experience with punishments like we've
seen?" Again everyone voted for it although Janet hesitated.

Sarah asked if they would like another corn dolly or straw weaving course and if
so, could she be a 'real' workhouse teacher with a strap like Margaret's.

"Not another cruel bitch!" laughed Shelly, "None of you will go home without
extra cushions." There was general laughter but they agreed.

Jeremy pointed out that what went on at the workhouse during the past week must
remain between themselves. "We, and I think you, enjoyed ourselves immensely but
if one word gets out, we're closed down. Next time, we'll make it a private
booking Kathy, and you can hire Sarah. That way I won't have to advertise it as
a public course." Kathy agreed and said she would be in contact with him. So
ended what was the most unusual course any had attended.

After lunch, in the peaceful breathing space between two courses, Margaret sat
beside Shelly and applied more cream to her bottom. "Do you know," she
reminisced to Shelly, "If that miserable old shopkeeper hadn't moved me out of
his doorway where I'd hoped to spend the night and sent me out into the rain,
I'd have never met Jeremy and would not be here today. From bag lady to mistress
of a workhouse in a few short years."



Finis