*****
"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 six 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 and a day.
"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 ****d. 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 more than you are getting." 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."
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!!!" Margaret applied the last three is 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 ‘****.’ 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. Still well lubricated it 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 as well as sore 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.
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 c***dren wanting their mother to read to them before bed.
"All right c***dren!" 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 ****d 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 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 c***dren 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 c***dren. 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 c***dhood 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 did. 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 ****d 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 ‘****d’ 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 ****d 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 she 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 he 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." 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.
"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 offence 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 readiness 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 r****g 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 very 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, between cries and moans, 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 Sh