Listening at the Keyhole

As you might imagine the servants’ quarters have been full of excited talk regarding Miss Charlotte. None of us were aware that she had been conducting a secret romance, so the fact of the relationship between her and the Reverend Lewis was a great surprise and of great interest. On its own that would have been enough to have had tongues wagging but combined with the revelation that Sir George had turned her Mr Lewis down flat it was no surprise that the affair was on everyone’s lips. Opinion was evenly divided. The more romantic considered it to be a crying shame, those of a more practical disposition thought that Sir George’s decision had been the right one and that Miss Charlotte could do far better for herself than a penniless young parson. Obviously this talk that I did my best to discourage but maids will be maids and it is almost impossible to stop them gossiping.

Maria was subject to a great deal of questions. As lady’s maid to Miss Charlotte it is inevitable that she is privy to many of the girl’s secrets. It is to her great credit that she kept her counsel and would say nothing on the matter save only to confirm the facts that were already well known.

This afternoon I asked her to join myself and Mrs Fuller in the housekeeper’s parlour for some tea and cake, wanting to thank her for the maturity she had shown in maintaining her mistress’ confidence.

I think she thought she might be in trouble again for she seemed a little anxious at first. That is understandable given the fact that the last time I had had a private word with her it was for oversleeping and I had punished her with a dozen strokes of the strap across her bare bottom. However, today was an opportunity to praise rather than admonish.

Mrs Fuller poured the tea and I bade Maria to sit. She perched on the edge of the chair, a teacup in one hand a tea-plate with a piece of Mrs Rokeby’s best fruitcake in the other.

“I’ve invited you to take tea with us this afternoon Maria, because I wanted to thank you for the sensible way that you have dealt with the sad business regarding Miss Charlotte. I know that the other maids have pressed you for information . It is greatly to your credit that you have maintained your silence on the matter. Other maids would have gossiped freely.”

“Thank you Mr Jenks, it would have been disloyal of me to reveal anything that I had seen or heard, I think better of Miss Charlotte than to let her down like that,” Maria replied, obviously pleased to be praised for once.

I was just about to speak again when I heard a noise outside in the hallway. Pressing my finger to my lips to tell the two women to remain quiet I silently got up from my armchair and crossed to the door. I pulled it open in one quick movement. The silly girl who had been listening at the keyhole was taken completely by surprise! She tumbled into the room, sprawling in a heap at my feet. It was Rose, Rose Allenby the kitchen maid.

“Stand up, you silly girl!” I said sharply. Taking a firm hold on her ear.

Rose got to her feet, blushing red to the roots of her auburn hair.

“What on earth were you doing Rose Allenby?” Mrs Fuller demanded.

“I… I… was doing no harm Mrs Fuller,” Rose stammered.

“Nonsense,” I retorted, “You were eavesdropping, listening at the door, hoping to discover some secret or another. Well you’re not going to find out anything this afternoon other than a reminder of how sore the strap feels across your bottom! Come with me girl!”

I hadn’t relinquished my hold on her earlobe and she winced as I turned to Maria and Mrs Fuller.

“My apologies, but I must leave you to your tea and cake whilst I deal with this silly girl.”

I led Rose down the hallway to my office. I only let go of her ear when I had closed the door behind us. She stood there looking very shamefaced.

“I am fed up with this Rose,” I told her, “Fed up with silly maids gossiping about Miss Charlotte and Mr Lewis, fed up with silly maids trying to find out things about their betters that they have no business of knowing, or wanting to know.”

“I’m sorry Mr Jenks,” she said miserably.

“You will be!” I replied, unhooking the leather strap from behind my desk. “Lift your skirts and bend over the desk young lady. I’m going to give you a dozen strokes.”

Rose is no stranger to having her bottom warmed. Mrs Rokeby runs a disciplined kitchen and Rose has been the subject of her wrath on more than one occasion. Mrs Rokeby wields a very effective wooden spoon but I would contend that most of the maids would prefer to go over her broad lap than bend over my desk for a taste of my strap. I saw Rose’s lip tremble as she reached down to lift her skirts.

“Please Mr Jenks, can’t I have it across the seat of my skirt?” she begged.

“No you cannot,” I replied firmly, “Come along, you’re no stranger to this Rose, lift your skirts and assume the position.

She hesitated for a moment then gave a sigh and bent down to take the hem of her skirts. She bunched them up across her back and then bent low over the desk. It was then I got a surprise, and then when I saw the reason she had begged to remain fully covered - she was completely naked under her skirts, she had no knickers on at all!

“Why on earth are you not wearing any drawers?” I asked her.

“They… they… I… mean… I …I…hadn’t a clean pair… my others are in the laundry,” she mumbled.

I didn’t believe it for a moment. What sort of girl puts all her underwear in the laundry with no thought for the morrow? No, I suspected there was another reason she was naked under her dress and that the pleasure of some farm lad or footman had more to do with it than simple forgetfulness.

I glared at her and she blushed an even deeper shade.

“If I discover that you’ve been carrying on with some boy, Rose Allenby then I will have your guts for garters!”

“I haven’t been with a boy Mr Jenks, I promise I haven’t,” she said desperately.

I didn’t believe her. Rose is a very pretty girl and she’s caught the eye of many of the lads. She’s also not a shy one and I could imagine the sort of things that she would get up to given half a chance. She wouldn’t need much encouragement that was for sure. The last thing Winterbrook needed was a pregnant kitchen maid. It was a scandal the household could well do without. This young lady needed a sharp warning!

“I’m not sure I believe you Rose, your guilt is written all over your face. I am warning you right now that you need to be very careful where boys are concerned. You’re a pretty lass and they’ll soon be taking liberties if you let them. And then where will you be? In the family way and out on your ear. Your poor mother would die of the shame.”

She looked down at her feet and said nothing. That she had been up to some naughtiness was certain, but I could prove nothing.

“Well Rose, whether or not you’ve been fooling around with boys, one thing is certain - it is indecent to be wandering around the house with no drawers on! I think we’d better double your punishment young lady. It was a dozen, now it’s two!”

She gave a little shudder but she didn’t try to protest. She knew that she would be dismissed with no reference if I reported her to Sir George. I took a step back and looked at her. She really is a pretty little thing with slender legs and a very pert round bottom. Well it was going to be a very red sore bottom by the time I had finished with her!

I have learned a lot from Sir George. Rush a punishment and it’s all over to soon. No, if the girl is going to learn her lesson then her whipping needs to be drawn out as long as possible. And besides, the longer you take over it the more pleasure you can derive from it, and believe me strapping a pretty girl like Rose is always going to be a pleasure! It was half past three when I laid the first stroke across Rose’s bare cheeks, it was past four o’clock when she was finally allowed to rise and press her hands to her red bottom. In the intervening period she had yelped and wriggled and writhed across the desk. I had found it most entertaining.

She stood in front of me, rubbing her little bottom with one hand and wiping the tears from her eyes with the other.

“If I catch you eavesdropping again, Rose Allenby, I’ll be taking you to Sir George to deal with,” I told her sternly. “And the same is true if I catch you with a boy. Now off you go and be a good girl.”

“Yes Mr Jenks,” she sniffed, “I will be a good girl I promise.”

Like most of Rose’s promises this was probably worth pie crust but she would probably stay out of trouble for a week or so, if only for the sake of her sore bottom!