Jane took a deep breath and resumed her narrative, obviously hating every minute of it but driven by an equally strong urge to unburden herself of the distasteful memory. ‘Sir Victor began to issue instructions on how to massage his parts. I tell you, Hetty, I began to feel like… like a woman of the night servicing a gentleman for money. His organ began to stiffen a little, but then it began to shrink again, and that is when Nanny Baines ordered me to do something that… oh, I cannot even bear to speak of it!’
‘You must, Jane. I must know the full extent of that evil pair’s demands on you.’
‘She… she told me the Hungary water was not strong enough to fully restore him. She said that by now Sir Victor should be feeling as strong as the stallion that had thrown him, but he was still too weak. It was my duty to… to restore his manly vigour.’
‘And how were you to do that?’
‘By applying my lips and tongue. That woman told me the saliva of a virgin was most efficacious in a condition like Sir Victor’s, and I should deem it an honour to serve my master in such a fashion.’
Hetty felt her blood boil as she heard how the dreadful Baines woman had tried to take advantage of Jane’s ignorance. ‘Did you obey her?’ she whispered, and held her breath.
‘No, for I knew it was wrong. They were trying to deceive me, to make me fall into sin. And when I refused, the dreadful woman said she had no option but to punish me severely.’
‘Oh dear.’
‘She made me lean across Sir Victor’s legs, and then she raised my skirt and petticoat. All the while he was caressing my bottom through my drawers and I was blushing with shame. Then Nanny Baines found a cane she said she always used on Master Leo when he was a naughty boy, and I quailed at the sight of it.’ Her lower lip trembled. ‘She brought it down upon my fundament three times, each more painful than the last. Oh Hetty, it did sting so! And by the time she finished I could feel… oh it shames me so to think of it, let alone speak of it.’
‘What did you feel, Jane? You must tell me.’
‘I could feel Sir Victor’s phallus thickening and stiffening beneath me as I wriggled in pain on his lap. He was breathing hard, too, puffing so much I thought for sure his heart would give out.’
‘It would serve him right if it had,’ Hetty muttered beneath her breath.
‘I am still sore from my ordeal.’
‘You poor, dear girl,’ Hetty cooed, and remembering how comforting the comfrey cream had been for her own similar condition, she thought to offer it to her friend, but then she shrank from the thought of applying it herself. Part of her wanted to rub the sweet smelling ointment into the girl’s tender backside, but that would be entering into dangerous, unknown territory. Her attraction to Jane meant she must exercise caution. ‘I shall give you some cream to rub into your chafed skin,’ she said briskly, rising to fetch the pot. ‘Now toast yourself another crumpet and we will think about what we can do concerning this situation.’ She thought of asking Lady Alice to intervene. After all, Jane was her personal maid and should not brook such treatment from that bully of a nurse. Yet she felt she could not trust the woman. Alice had been remiss in not protecting her from the predatory head of the household, taking the attitude that her husband’s affairs were his own.
Then there was Leo. She could ask him to speak to his old nanny. He would doubtless be as shocked as she was to hear of the ill treatment Jane had suffered, and yet she was loath to bother him. His head was so full of other business, and he seemed quite in awe of that formidable woman whenever her name came up in conversation. They had talked of getting Nanny Baines on their side to make a stand against Sir Victor, but she was sure now this was never going to happen.
That only left one other person to confront the tartar. ‘I shall go and see Nanny Baines myself,’ she declared, spreading a generous portion of butter over Jane’s warm crumpet. ‘After all, I am her superior in this house and one day, if all goes well, I shall be lady of the manor here. She must listen to me.’
Hetty’s heart was beating swiftly beneath her pin-tucked blouse as she walked down the corridor towards Sir Victor’s private quarters. She felt as though she was stepping into the lion’s den, and her first knock at the door was so tentative it was barely audible even to her. She knocked more loudly, and Nanny Baines suddenly loomed on the threshold.
‘Mrs Carstairs,’ she declared coldly. ‘How may I help you?’
‘I should like to speak to you for a few minutes, please.’
The woman made no attempt to stand back and let her in. ‘I am afraid it is not convenient at the moment. I am in the middle of giving Sir Victor a blanket bath.’
‘This will not take long,’ she insisted.
‘But I must continue with my task or the water will grow cold,’ the nurse insisted even more firmly.
Hetty felt as though she had been put in her place, even though her place was, theoretically, above that of an employee. Perhaps the woman knew of her humble origins. No doubt Leo’s runaway marriage to a servant had been talked about far and wide for months, and the other servants would have taken delight in informing Mrs Baines of the details. At any rate, she was not being afforded the respect due to her rank as the young master’s wife. ‘Then I shall return in ten minutes,’ she informed the nurse in a brittle tone. ‘Perhaps we may speak in private then.’
The woman gave a curt nod and shut the door so quickly Hetty felt as though it had been slammed in her face. She was furious, and looking forward to their confrontation even less now, but she was determined not to let the bully cow her.
She spent the next ten minutes in the library, where she did her best to calm the angry feelings in her heart. It would not do to lose her temper and her dignity in front of that ogress. When the library clock chimed the quarter hour, she knew she must return to face her, but she viewed the prospect with trepidation.
This time Nanny Baines seemed ready for her. Hand on hip, she opened the door and bade her enter in a cool tone, leading the way into her own private room. It was a sparsely furnished, stoical place with only the bare necessities in evidence. ‘So, Mrs Carstairs, what is it you wanted to talk about?’
‘Your treatment of Jane, Lady Alice’s maid.’ She decided to get straight to the point. ‘I found her in a distressed state this afternoon, and she told me something about the way she had been treated by you and Sir Victor.’
‘Indeed?’ The salt-and-pepper brows shot up interrogatively, but there was no sign the woman was in the slightest bit disconcerted. ‘And what exactly did she tell you?’
‘Mrs Baines, let us not prevaricate. I know very well what a lewd appetite Sir Victor has for young servant girls, having myself been the object of his unwanted attentions. I would have expected a woman in your position to protect an innocent maid like Jane, yet instead I discover you have acted as your master’s accomplice. Do you deny it?’
‘I am sure I do not know what you are alluding to.’ The woman drew herself up to her full height. ‘The girl was insubordinate and needed punishing, that is all.’
‘I believe that is not all, Mrs Baines,’ she persisted, her tone level. ‘You made an improper suggestion to the girl and then beat her when she would not comply. On both counts you have overstepped the mark.’
‘Really, Mrs Carstairs? I should have thought you were in no position to complain about improper behaviour. From what I hear, the time you spent here before your marriage was filled with all kinds of dubious dalliances.’
‘We are discussing your present conduct towards Jane, not mine in the past.’ Now it was her turn to draw herself up indignantly. ‘And in future, I would appreciate it if you protected the girl from Sir Victor’s advances instead of encouraging him.’
Mrs Baines abruptly seized her by the shoulders with both hands and peered closely into her face. Her eyes were small and hard as pebbles, and Hetty shrank from their prying, ins
istent regard. ‘I know what you are, Miss Hetty,’ she said in a low, conspiratorial voice. ‘You are a jumped-up little tart who has inveigled herself into the heart and bed of an innocent and noble youth. Sir Victor has told me about some of the sport he had with you when you were no better than that girl you now defend so vociferously.’
‘What?’ She pulled herself free. ‘How dare you intimate I was to blame for what happened? That debauched master of yours is the one who seduced me and introduced me to his sordid friends and had his wicked way with me. Leo was my protector then, but even he was not immune from his father’s disgusting tastes. We returned here most reluctantly, at the behest of Lady Alice, but the past haunts me still, and I cannot bear to see that young girl being abused as I once was.’
‘Abused, you say?’ Baines sneered. ‘She was punished for refusing to obey me and carry out a simple duty for the master. I will not brook disobedience, Mrs Carstairs, not from anyone under this roof.’
‘We must all obey our immediate superiors, but not when we are expected to perform tasks that are demeaning or degrading, Mrs Baines. Respect has to be earned. Jane was within her rights to refuse to service Sir Victor in ways she found disgusting, and you were wrong to command her to do so and then punish her for retaining her self-respect. That is all I have to say to you now, but if anything like this ever happens again, I shall be obliged to report it to my husband.’ She turned on her heels and made for the door.
‘And much good will that do you,’ the woman muttered.
Hetty forced herself to ignore the slight against Leo, but she returned to her room with the words haunting her like a malevolent echo. She knew now the Baines woman was far from being on her side. If anything, she was her enemy. Together, Sir Victor and his nurse made a formidable team, like two depraved devils whose chief delight it was to take out their frustration on innocent and trusting victims.
The urge to go and find Leo and tell him what was transpiring in his home was very strong. Ignoring her earlier scruples, she decided this was a job for a man. That Baines creature was half man herself, and Hetty knew she was no match for her, either in spirit or brute force. The woman’s will was obdurate and she would serve her vile master to the end, indulging his whims and joining in his perverse fantasies. The mere thought made her want to scream with anger and frustration.
She found her husband in the lower field talking to Bill, the herdsman. He looked up, surprised to see her, and Bill doffed his cap respectfully before retreating.
‘Hetty, what is it?’ Leo asked gently. ‘You look seriously perturbed.’
‘It is your father and that infernal woman! Between them they have gone beyond the pale, Leo, and they must be stopped from going any further.’
‘Why, my love, what have they done to you?’
‘To me not much, apart from being disrespectful and insolent, but they are guilty of gross indecency towards poor Jane. You remember how your father relishes young girls’ bottoms and loves to see them chastised? Well, that dragon of a nurse ordered her to perform fellatio upon your father, and when Jane refused, she put her over his knee and spanked her.’
‘No!’ Leo’s eyes widened with horror. ‘Such behaviour is not permissible unless by mutual consent, as with you and I, my love. Are you quite sure about this?’
‘Yes, and when I confronted Baines just now, she said the girl was disobedient and deserved to be punished. You must do something, Leo. Nip this dreadful behaviour in the bud before it gets worse.’
‘You know I have no real sway in this house, Hetty. Father still rules the roost. As for Nanny Baines, she knows me too well of old. It would be hard for me to have any authority over her now.’
Hetty was intensely disappointed; it sounded as though her husband was shirking his duty. ‘Leo, please do this for me. I am concerned for the girl’s safety. Remember how you tried to protect me when I was in her position?’
‘I was in love with you, Hetty. That makes all the difference. No man will shrink from protecting the woman he adores.’
His words struck a strange chord inside her. Was that why she was so keen to protect Jane? Did she adore her? The thought dumbfounded her.
‘So, my dear, the best thing you can do is to be of succour to the girl and keep her out of harm’s way as much as possible. Comfort her when she falls into my father’s clutches, and tell her all men are not like him. It may be her good fortune to find a nice husband like me one day.’
She could hardly believe her ears. His complacency and lack of concern shocked her so much that as she walked back across the fields to the house she found herself almost hating her husband too. As a result, she was all the more determined to protect Jane herself.
As she began ascending the central staircase, Lady Alice appeared at the top of them. ‘Ah Hetty, there you are. May I have a word with you, please?’
She followed Alice into her apartment. Her former mistress closed the door behind them and invited her to sit down before she, too, seated herself and announced with a grave expression, ‘I have received a bad report concerning Jane from Nanny Baines.’
Once more, Hetty was utterly astounded by the nerve of that woman. Such was her indignation that for a moment she could find no words to reply.
‘It seems she made the Hungary water far too weak for Sir Victor’s needs,’ Lady Alice continued, ‘even though she was expressly told to make it as strong as possible. Furthermore, when asked to rub it into his poor aching limbs, the girl apparently refused. Can you credit it? Surely she must realise a man in my husband’s position is entirely dependent on the goodwill and good offices of his servants to make life bearable. What on earth was she thinking of, insulting a poor invalid like that?’
‘Perhaps there was more to it than that,’ Hetty suggested tightly, still finding it hard to contain her anger.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Forgive me, but you know very well Sir Victor is given to making free with the servant girls, pinching bottoms, and so on. I dare say he took some liberty with Jane which caused her to want to keep her distance.’
‘Hmm, you may be right, but surely Nanny Baines would know the rights and wrongs of the case?’
‘I think Mrs Baines probably relishes the power she has over your husband. Who knows what really went on? I would not put it past her to be in league with him.’
‘Surely not!’ Lady Alice looked shocked. ‘She is the soul of propriety, otherwise I would not have entrusted my dear little Leonard to her when he was a baby.’
Hetty sensed she had overstepped the mark. As far as she knew, Lady Alice had never been on the receiving end of Sir Victor’s debauched appetites since they had always slept in separate bedrooms even before his accident, and she could recall only one or two occasions when he approached his conjugal duties with anything resembling enthusiasm. His wife knew of his depraved gatherings, of course – she was the first one to first dress Hetty up as George so she might attend Sir Victor’s private parties and spy on the proceedings – but presumably she believed all that degenerate activity had ceased once he found himself confined to a wheelchair.
As for Mrs Baines, Hetty supposed the woman must appear prim and proper to those who could not adequately interpret her behaviour. They would regard her domineering manner and sharp tone as the marks of an efficient nurse, not of a cruel and ruthless woman with a lewd appetite.
‘Well, if Jane was rude to Sir Victor, my lady,’ miserably, she conceded defeat for the moment, ‘she must make her apologies. I shall ensure she does so, if you wish.’
‘Yes, thank you.’ Lady Alice sighed wearily. ‘I do not wish to be bothered with such matters.’
‘Shall I get Jane to make you some tea?’ she suggested, and received a fond smile in return.
‘Ah Hetty, you know my needs inside out. I confess that, much as I like Jane, she is nowhere near as sensitive and thoughtful as
you were, my dear.’
Obliged to seek Jane out after leaving Alice’s rooms, Hetty did so with a heavy heart. She had no good news to give her. It seemed the girl’s reputation was sullied in all quarters, and Leo would not be her champion. So it was left to her to be Jane’s sole defender and protector in the perilous world of Longton Hall.
Chapter 8
The only advice Hetty felt she could give Jane was to avoid Nanny Baines as much as possible, but when she told her as much, the girl burst into tears.
‘Oh Hetty, how on earth shall I do that? If she summons me to Sir Victor’s apartments, I must obey.’
‘I know, dear, but please let me know whenever that occurs, if you are able. Then, if you are delayed too long, I shall find some pretext to call there myself.’
It was the best Hetty could do, even though she knew it was not enough. Holding Jane close to comfort her, those familiar feelings of desire nearly overcame her again, but she steeled herself and resisted the urge to kiss and fondle the pretty creature. And control proved even more difficult when Jane herself planted a soft wet kiss on her cheek and murmured, ‘Hetty dearest, I do not know what I should do without you now.’
A week later, the event both young women feared finally occurred. Nanny Baines insisted on Jane fortifying the Hungary water, and Hetty showed her how to make it good and strong. When the call came for her to bring the new distillation to Sir Victor’s apartments, Jane hurried to tell Hetty about it. Her face was flushed and her tone anxious and Hetty did her best to reassure her.
‘I shall allow just ten minutes by the library clock,’ she told Jane. ‘If you have not emerged by then, I shall knock on the door and demand entry. Do not worry, I shall not desert you in your hour of need.’
Pale and trembling, Jane went off to obey the nurse’s orders whilst Hetty made for the library, where she waited for what felt like the longest ten minutes of her life. At last she ventured forth and made for Sir Victor’s quarters. Creeping up to the door of his apartment, she put her ear to it and then her eye to the keyhole, but she could hear and see nothing. Perhaps, her business concluded, Jane had already been dismissed.
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