‘Strip?’
She made an impatient gesture. ‘That’s what I said. Get undressed.’
I took off my hat, scarf and gloves. She snatched them up, lifted the velvet top of the banquette and threw them inside.
My coat disappeared into the depths of the wardrobe, and my shoes followed them. Only my dress and stockings remained.
I turned my back to the hard-faced maid and lifted my dress slowly over my head. She made a strange scornful noise, presumably finding my attempt at modesty amusing.
‘You can’t hide your body in here,’ she remarked. I bent over a little to peel down the stockings and she laughed again.
‘That’s a good bit of colour on your arse. Did he have to spank you?’
None of your business bubbled up inside me, but I remembered what His Lordship had said about all staff being superior to me and just shrugged.
This wasn’t going to satisfy my watcher, though.
‘That’s not an answer. Yes or no. Did you get spanked before you even got here?’
‘Yes,’ I muttered.
‘His Lordship won’t like that. He’ll punish you.’
‘Again?’
‘If you get punished by staff, he likes you to feel his wrath.’
‘Double jeopardy.’
‘I suppose.’
I wondered what condition my bottom would be in by the end of the week. On the one hand, it didn’t bear thinking about but on the other, it absolutely did. It bore thinking about long and hard, with one hand cupping my pussy and busy fingers on my clit.
I turned to face the woman, deciding that my breasts and cunt weren’t offensive to look at, so she might as well see them. I handed her the dress and stockings, which she put away wordlessly again.
I felt a flutter of misgiving. I had thought this would all be crazy, horny, kinky fun. It seemed terribly sombre somehow. Was everyone going to be this joyless?
‘Sit down and wait,’ she said, pointing at the bench.
My bare bottom met the deep velvet pile and the woman left.
It wasn’t warm in there, and I shivered, gripping the edge of the bench, for about five minutes. In those minutes, I examined every aspect of the windowless room from its high ceiling with low-wattage light fitting to its polished wooden floor. I stood up and posed in front of the full-length mirror, trying to strike a note of bravado, but I looked small and cold and scared no matter what I did.
Purposeful footsteps approached and I sat back down abruptly, wondering if standing up had broken The Rules.
His Lordship opened the door, filling the little cupboard with his presence. Unfriendly Maid peered at me from behind his shoulder.
He was dressed in his Victorian gentleman mode again, fob watch and mutton-chop whiskers in full effect.
‘Keris,’ he said. He sounded so pleased to see me that I forgot how cold and naked I was and smiled. ‘I’ve been waiting a long time to bring you here. Did my chauffeur keep you safe and well looked after?’
‘Yeah,’ I said.
He frowned.
‘Yes, sir,’ I amended.
He turned to Unfriendly Maid.