The Big House

The big house had loomed over the village for two hundred years or more. The landscape was flat, and it sat atop the only piece of rising ground like a faintly sinister guardian angel. It was viewed more with reverence than with fear by the villagers. It dominated their lives as a benign but uncertain presence.

Sophie had known it all her short life. She had watched it through the seasons. Looking fresh and new as the leaves slowly appeared on the trees around it in the spring. Reflecting the reds and golds of the twilight autumn. In winter, as the village huddled below, struggling to survive the cold, it looked isolated and alone. In the summer Sophie loved to watch it change colour as the sun rose.

She had finished at the local school aged sixteen over two years ago and, being the daughter of the farm, she was always up early. She was no stranger to dawn. As she went about her duties, she would often glance up at the big house watching it change colour as the sun slowly appeared and rose in the sky. The house faced the rising sun. At first it was dark grey, the same grey as the local stone from which the village was hewn. As the sun appeared over the distant horizon it slowly lightened, becoming dark cream, a colour that intensified slowly until, for a brief moment it turned gold. Sophie always stopped her work for those few minutes of each day. Her father working alongside her would smile and join her, gazing up at the big golden house. He, too, found it magical.

Out of the blue, with no warning she now saw the big house differently. She was to go and work there her father informed her. He was sitting at one end of the kitchen table while her mother busied herself preparing dinner. A letter lay on the table in front of him. She had been offered a position of housemaid at the house. She tried to argue but he hushed her with a wave of his hand. At the farm she was barely worth her food and lodging and the wage she was being offered was vastly better. There would be no arguing, she was to start the next day. Sophie stood before him, her mouth opened in dumb surprise.

She knew her parents were struggling to make ends meet and her younger brother was already doing as much if not more than she could but there had been no warning. Her father explained that word had been sent that a new housemaid was needed, and her name had been put forward. He also explained that her wages would be paid to him as all her needs would be met by her new employer and she would have no need of money apart from a few pence to put in the collection plate on Sundays. She was to be at the house at nine o'clock in the morning and report to Miss Gifford, the housekeeper.

With those final words she was sent to her room to pack. She sat on her bed trying to absorb all that she had been told. She loved working on the farm, but she could see the sense in this new move. She had little to pack, her hairbrush, her only spare set of underwear, a bottle of cheap cologne. Her nightgown she would add in the morning. She felt she ought to be properly scrubbed and clean, but bath night was still two nights away. She would get up early and have a good standing wash before leaving, she told herself. Slowly her feelings changed, and her anger turned to excited anticipation. Going down to dinner she could feel her father's relief at her change of attitude.

She rose before dawn the next morning and went downstairs. The kitchen fire was still just about alight, and she coaxed it slowly to life before putting a kettle on. Her father and her brother Ben came through on their way to milk the cows. They both smiled and nodded a 'good morning' as they closed the door behind them. She was a little surprised not to see her mother but, as the kettle boiled, she lifted it off the stove and carried it to her room. She stripped completely and gave herself a thorough scrub, paying particular attention to her more intimate areas. She had no idea how valuable that extra attention to detail would prove to be.

She heard voices from downstairs and went to join them carrying the small cardboard suitcase that her mother had found hidden somewhere in the house. The kitchen table was set for breakfast and her father and Ben were already seated. She took her usual place and her mother served breakfast. There was little conversation apart from what needed to be done around the farm that morning. The cows needed moving and the wheat must be checked for ripeness of the grain. Harvest was rapidly approaching. It was only at the end that her father glanced at the battered brown suitcase.

"You off then?" he asked.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"'Tis a step-up girl, you're the lucky one."

With that he stood up, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. Then he turned and walked out of the door closely followed by Ben who left a cheery "Bye Sis" in his wake. Only her mother was left to give her the hug she needed, and she clung on for as long as she could before pulling away.

"You'll be awright, girl, don't you fear. Lady'll look after 'ee."

"I know mother, but I'll miss you."

"Don't be daft. You're but a mile away and you gets days off I'm sure."

Her mother turned aside and pretended to concentrate on a pot bubbling on the stove. Without a further word Sophie picked up her sorry little case and walked out of the only home she had ever known.

Her mother had been wrong, it was a good two miles to the house, and she worried that she might arrive late. Even so when she arrived at the impressive gates she hesitated. During the walk here her stomach had filled with fluttering beasts and she looked up at the house in the distance along the gravel drive. The name 'Stokely Hall' was carved on both sides of the pillared entrance. The weeds growing around the two large gates told her that it had been many a week, if not month, since they had last been closed. It felt strangely welcoming. She took a step and crossed the threshold and trudged up the long drive.

As she approached the house a figure of a middle-aged woman stepped out from behind a gothic pillar. She had a friendly smile on her face.

"You must be Sophie," she asked, "I'm Miss Gifford, milady's housekeeper. I thought I would meet you here to stop you making your first mistake. Follow me!"

She walked away and after a slight delay Sophie followed her. She was led around the corner of the house to a small door.

"In future you will use this door for any comings and goings. The main door is for guests of M'lady, is that clear? Good, follow me."

As Sophie followed through the door she was met with a wall of heat, so intense she almost fainted. The side door led straight into the kitchen where three women were labouring over a huge cooking range.

"Miss Barnes..." Miss Gifford called out over the noise of rattling pots and general mayhem.

The older of the three women looked up and smiled when she saw who was calling. Then she glanced at Sophie and smiled again.

"Is this the new girl?" she asked, looking Sophie up and down, "m'lady has good taste."

Sophie felt uncomfortable as all eyes in the room turned to inspect the 'new girl'. She blushed and lowered her gaze to the floor until they turned back to their work.

"How's your new girl turning out?" Miss Gifford asked.

The older woman by the stove took a step sideways and put an arm around one of the young girls. "This one? She seems quite quick at learning our ways," she replied with a twinkle in her eye as she groped at the buttocks of the young girl. The girl smiled and looked quite proud and that left Sophie confused.

Miss Gifford nodded and started to walk away making an impatient gesture to Sophie as she did so. Sophie tried to gather her thoughts as she quickly followed. She was led up some narrow stone stairs, through a small door and into opulence she had never even seen before. Sunlight streamed through diamond paned windows onto a parquet floor that dazzled with polish. On the walls hung paintings of dignified people, dressed in their best for the occasion. But she was not allowed to linger and absorb it all as Miss Gifford led her through a series of rooms until they came to a closed door. She turned and looked at Sophie. Stepping forward she made a few adjustments to her clothes and pushed some stray hairs out of the way.

"You'll have to do for now. We are going to meet Lady Clara. You will address her as M'lady at all times. You will speak only when spoken to. Any instructions given to you will be done immediately. Is that understood?"

When Sophie nodded her reply, Miss Gifford frowned.

"Is ... that ... understood?" she repeated emphasising each word.

Sophie swallowed hard and managed to get out a "yes ma'am". Miss Gifford turned and tapped gently on the door bending her ear close to hear any response. She softly opened the door and motioned for the nervous Sophie to follow her in. In contrast to the rooms they had so far come through which had been mostly empty of furniture, this one was beautifully furnished and had the air of a room often used and comfortable. It was carpeted and one wall was completely lined with books. Near the far wall was a desk partly littered with papers. There were two large bay windows through which sunlight poured. It was so bright that it was a while before Sophie realised that someone was sat in a chair in front of one of them. She was a vague silhouette and it hurt Sophie's eyes to look in that direction.

"So, this is the new girl?" the half-seen figure asked, closing the book she was reading and placing it on the table beside her, "step forward, girl." She pointed a spot three paces in front of her. Sophie felt Miss Gifford's hand on the small of her back and she was nudged forward. As her eyes adjusted to the glare, she began to make out a few of the features of the woman gazing at her intensely. She seemed young which surprised her, but she couldn't be certain. Younger than her mother, or at least much less life weary. She had expected an old lady to be in charge of the big house.

"Name?" she asked with an unexpected softness.

"Sophie, M'lady."

A twirling gesture was made in her direction and Sophie slowly turned full circle. She could feel the appraising eyes on her.

"She is pretty enough, and shapely," came the judgement but directed at Miss Gifford, "this is the one chosen from the village girls?"

"She is the best from those we interviewed, M'lady."

"You have chosen well but I'd like to see her in uniform before I finally decide."

She reached out and picked up a small silver hand bell and rang it. A long silence followed while her gaze travelled the full length of the girl in front of her. Sophie thought the silence would never end and was feeling uncomfortable to the point of tears when a second door clicked open behind her and a section of the bookcase swung to one side. Another young girl came in pulling behind her a wheeled rack of clothing.

"You rang, M'lady?"

"Yes, Katarina. This is to be your new protégé. We need to find a uniform for her. Please measure her."

Without further ado the new girl walked over to Sophie, pulling a cloth tape from around her neck. As she did so Sophie had her first glimpse of the uniform that she would be expected to wear. Her eyes widened in disbelief. It was basically a chocolate brown dress cut so short that the skirt barely existed, and the neckline scooped so low that the girl's breasts were almost overflowing. There was a white apron that can only have been for decoration and a matching pair of white high-heeled shoes. Sophie could not believe her eyes and a new wave of nervousness washed over her.

"Arms up," she was told, but with a smile that felt suddenly welcoming. As Sophie lifted her arms she leaned in and said quietly, "I'm Katarina. Don't worry I'll look after you." She then proceeded to wrap the tape around various parts of Sophie's body. Her hips, her waist, below and around her bosom. She gave each of Sophie's breasts a light squeeze as if testing a joint of meat for ripeness. She then walked back to the rack and carefully selected on of the uniforms and placed it on a chair which she had put next to Sophie.

"This should fit, M'lady, although she's a bit lacking in the breast."

"I'm sure the rest of her more than makes up for it. Let's find out." She turned a steely gaze onto Sophie who was by now verging on the terrified. "Strip!" she barked out, making Sophie jump. The commanding voice was so compelling that Sophie found herself automatically tugging at the hem of her blouse, pulling it free from the elastic waistband of her skirt. She felt all eyes in the room upon her as she slowly pulled it over her head. She could feel herself turning bright pink with embarrassment. It was tugged from her grasp by Katarina who dropped it onto the floor next to the chair. As she pulled down her skirt she remembered the worn out nature of her underwear and stopped.

"Come on, girl, we don't have all day."

The skirt pooled around her ankles and as she stepped out, it was taken and added to the blouse. Sophie stood silently waiting for whatever was coming next, her arms crossed over her breasts trying to hide herself. When she finally looked up she saw the frowning and disappointed eyes looking back at her. She knew the message they were sending. Knowing she had no choice she tugged at her underwear and let it fall. In an elaborate pantomime gesture Katarina picked up the sad and shabby garment between thumb and finger and, holding it at arm's length like a soiled rag, dropped it onto the pile.

Sophie stood there naked, shivering despite the warmth of the room, trying to protect and hide herself as best she could while the stern but gentle gaze of the woman in the chair examined her. When she finally spoke, it was with a voice that allowed no contradiction.

"Stand up straight, girl. Hands behind your head. I need to see what I have to work with."

Her voice was a dagger that went right to Sophie's heart. She jumped and slowly stood up straight. Her hands, as if with a mind of their own, obeyed the command and slowly her fingers entwined behind her head. She still found it hard to make out much of the detail of the woman as she sat in the bright glare from the sun, but she sensed movement as she slowly stood up and walked the few paces towards her. As she left the shaft of sunlight fragments of her face slowly clarified. Here at last was the Lady Clara Stokely, her new employer.

As she had already sensed, Milady was much younger than Sophie had expected. She was dressed in a simple shift that shimmered with expense and rippled around her as she moved. Her hair was cut in a short bob and cascades of twinkling tiny stars dangled from her ears sending sharp arrows of brightness in all directions. She wore a kindly smile, but her face was dominated by a pair of eyes so blue and piercing that Sophie was forced to look down. She watched as the slippered feet stopped directly in front of her. Suddenly she felt both her nipples grabbed and lightly pinched and her breasts were pulled and distorted.

"I see what you mean, Katarina. She is sadly lacking in the tit but I'm sure we can work round that. She has good nips though."

Sophie felt herself redden as the constant toying with her nipples had made them stand out hard. When they were released, she flicked them a look and saw them prominently, almost obscenely, pointing back at Lady Clara. But Milady had already turned her attention elsewhere, moving her hands first to grip a handful of Sophies pubic hair and at the same time to take a pinch of the hair under an armpit. She pulled and tugged in both places and Sophie struggled to stand still and fight the temptation to unlock her hands and defend herself.

"All this will have to go but I leave that to you Katarina. Spread your feet wide," turning her attention back to Sophie and changing the tone of her voice once more. As if to emphasise her point her pubic hair was tugged and Sophie let out an involuntary yelp but immediately shuffled her feet sideways. "Good girl," said Lady Clara as she let go of the hair and slipped a hand between Sophie's thighs. Sophie bit her lip and tried to stand like a statue as Lady Clara explored her intimate area. She felt her lips parted and a finger slide too easily the full length of her pussy before probing her interior.

"This is promising, she is wet already," she said with a hint of humour in her voice, "are you a virgin, girl?"

Not trusting herself to speak Sophie nodded still not daring to look up.

"Excellent news, we shall have some sport at a later date. I expect beneath all this hair she has a pretty cunt. Certainly, she is quite tight."

"A wet cunt always pleases milady's friends," responded Katarina with a giggle.

The probing finger slipped out of her and Lady Clara slowly moved around her. She felt her buttocks being lifted and jiggled before they were eased apart. Never before had she been inspected so thoroughly even on her rare visits to the doctor.

"These are nice," said the voice from behind her, "and she has a pretty anus, although a little hairy. See to that Katarina. Now, let's see what she looks like in uniform."

"Yes, Milady."

Sophie lifted her eyes in time to see Lady Clara resume her seat. The sun had shifted with the day, moving south, and lifting in the sky and she was no longer obscured by the light. As Katarina stepped forward holding out the uniform for Sophie to step into, Lady Clara turned to the forgotten figure standing silently in the background.

"What think you so far, Miss G?"

"She is certainly pretty enough, m'lady. It depends on how well she takes training."

"That is in the hands of Katarina and she hasn't let me down yet. But I agree, she is more than pretty enough and will make a nice addition to the entertainment for my friends."

Sophie tried to work out what this conversation meant as she was slipped into her uniform. She was allowed to move her arms to slip them into the puffed sleeves but by instinct she returned them to the back of her head. She felt the buttons being fastened behind her. Then the shoes were brought to her. Katarina knelt in front of her and helped her into them. She was forced to use a hand on her shoulder for balance as she put them on. She had never felt so unsafe before in her life. She thought she might topple over and fall at any moment. It was only with great caution that she resumed her previous position.

Miss Gifford had moved to stand next to Lady Clara and both women were smiling broadly.

"Is this your first time in heels, girl?"

Sophie nodded taking care not to move too quickly.

"Speak up, girl," said Lady Clara gently.

Swallowing hard Sophie managed to get out, "yes m'lady."

"That's better. Now, go with Katarina, she will start your training after tidying you up a bit. You know what is wanted, Katarina. You have a week to get her trained. I am sure you will not fail me. I will plan a soiree for some friends in a week's time and I want young Sophie to be the main attraction, understand? Do with her what you need but her hymen is mine."

"Of course, m'lady, I'll make sure to tell the girls."

Sophie's arm was taken, and she was supported as she teetered out of the room. Once beyond the threshold and the door closed, she was allowed to slip out of the shoes, and she followed barefoot up two flights of stairs to the less salubrious high parts of the house.

To be continued ...