“I would have said nothing-to confound them,” Adelaide remarked.
“It came to that later, dear, but in my first astonishment…”
“Yes, Miriam, you are right. Adelaide, you are speaking in hindsight,” Caroline opined.
“I suppose I am,” Adelaide said and looked contrite. She sat with Miriam and kissed her as she spoke. The two held hands and looked content, as well they might, for Miriam had spent the night with her, and very tousled was their bed at morn!
“Let us have lunch,” I said, “and then we'll hear the rest.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I was made to rise,” said Miriam after lunch. The wine had brought more colour to her cheeks and made her tongue more bold. “I stood naked and helpless, viewed with lewd eyes by the pair who remarked between them on the boldness of my tits, the rearing of my bottom and the thickness of my pubic bush. I was turned about and my bottom lightly smacked again.
“'We had best have her downstairs,' Charlie said.
“How I struggled down those familiar stairs! Had I but had neighbours, I would have screamed my head off, but the nearest carriages pass a full half a mile away, and these two knew that well. I resorted again to tears; I could not help myself. Carrie remained in my bedroom for a moment while Charlie led me down. My bottom appeared to fascinate him, for he caressed it all the time in our descent and patted it to make me walk before him into the drawing room.
“'Let me go; I will say nothing;' I pleaded.
“'Sit, woman!' he commanded me and made me take a seat upon the sofa. Then Carrie hurried down. She held my purple cloak in one hand.
“'Let her put this on and keep her shoulders warm,' she said. She coiled it round me where I sat and fastened the clip across my neck that it would not slip off. Only then did I see what else she held: a broad collar and a lead such as dogs wear. I screeched, tried to fall sideways, but Charlie held me up and the shameful collar was slipped around my neck and strap. The leather lead hung down my back.
“'What will you do to me?' I sobbed.
“'No harm will come to you if you obey. Charlie will fuck you regularly. I'll wager that is something you'll have missed. You'll pleasure both of us, that's what,' said Carrie, but my tear-streaked eyes must then have moved her a little for as I sat there swaying and all in a maze at what had suddenly come upon me, so she told Charlie to fetch me a brandy. At that I foolishly blurted out that I did not want one, for I never drank at that hour, but I was ignored. For a moment or two it seemed that Charlie had reverted to being a modest manservant again, for he did her bidding and returned with a tray bearing three glasses. My nose was then held, my head drawn back, and I was forced to imbibe while spluttering much which caused them great amusement.
“I need not repeat to you, my dears, how often I pleaded with them to let me go. Sometimes they ignored me, having the temerity to sit on either side of me on the couch while they discoursed as if I were not there. At other times I was shushed as though I were a child. Carrie held my lead and kept my head upright. Finally she turned upon her hip to me and uttered quite a speech, the essence only of which I will repeat.
“'You are from the better class, or so it is called, Miriam. When your bottom is tickled by one of so-called lower status than yourself, you shriek out like a school girl and are horrified. I know your forms of sport, though, well enough.'
“These words, being uttered in quite a different voice to the one I was accustomed to hearing, I turned my face to her in some surprise. This pleased her greatly and she smiled.
“'So-I have your full attention at last, have I? I am not as you think, but for the moment that is neither here nor there. Girls of your class are trained, put up, brought on to it, put to your trials. Were you not, Miriam, or did some chance of fate keep you a virgin?”
“'What?' I demanded, though being aware that even to reply to her was an insult to myself.
“'Get up when I speak to you!' she snapped and tugged so hard upon my collar that I choked. Charlie but laughed and smacked my thighs.
“'Do as she says,' he uttered, 'or it will be the worse for you.'
“I feared that it would. 'Will not you then release me?' I asked with quivering lips.
“'I promise nothing. Just behave yourself,' said Carrie, retaining still what seemed to me the entirely new modulation of her voice which spoke of a class above her own.
“I rose, was made to turn, and so looked down on them. In utter shame I stood. The cloak flowed open at the parting of my legs and showed my bush.
“'Charlie, fetch her stockings and shoes; she must be properly attired.'
“It occurred to me then that he seemed in part to be under her spell, for he obeyed without demur and made his way upstairs. 'The blue, ribbed ones-I like them best,' she called. 'Yes,' he replied, and in a moment came back down. She then said bleakly to me, 'Let him put them on. He will have a feel up you; they always do; do you remember?'
“I flushed at her words. There was something in her words that presaged a knowledge as to my past. With one arm rudely between my legs, Charlie drew my stockings on and fastened them with garters. Then my black shoes followed. Carrie looked at me most critically. Having girded me tightly in my stockings, Charlie passed his forefinger slowly in between the lips of my quim and said, 'She's sticky still.'
“'Of course, she would be; so am I. You will fuck her again shortly, Charlie.'
“'Oh no!' I gasped, but was ignored.
“'Charlie dear, fetch tea and biscuits. Breakfast was too long ago. Have a good drink of beer-I know you want to.'
“'Yes, all right,' he grinned, and was gone again.
“'Carrie-please!' I begged the moment that the door was closed.
“She stood in turn and smiled, then suddenly scooped up my cloak and soothed her hand around my naked bottom cheeks.
“'I like your bottom, Miriam. It is silky, warm and full, the way a woman's bottom should be. Some are pear-shaped-really quite awful. Yours is round and plump. Fruitful, I would say. Have you heard the term before?'
“I shook my head-screwed up my eyes. The tip of her forefinger had worked up into my aperture between my cheeks and entered to the first knuckle. I uttered a small squeal.
“'Has it been a long time?' she asked laughing.
“'What is it that you want of me?' I moaned.
“'Were you fruitful? At what age did you first suck in the juice? Was he kind to you-unkind? Were you birched beforehand? Did you struggle much-call out for your Mama?'
“'I do not know of what you speak,' I cried.
“'Oh, you know well enough,' she urged and wiggled her finger in and out, making my hips to churn. Then, scooping her free palm underneath my mount, she cupped my quim and rubbed me there and made me squint and murmur incoherently. 'You have nothing to say,' she said. Her newfound accent was upheld still and confounded me.
“'Who are you, that you speak thus?' I asked.
“'In due course you may know, or you may not. Ah, Charlie, yes, you dear. I'll have mine first and then she may have hers. Take hold of her lead and hold her steady while I sit.'
“I was thus held. Carrie picked up her cup and began to drink. She sat immediately below me and made me keep my eyes on her-or rather, Charlie did by tugging on my collar. Slowly she sipped and said, 'She has a beautiful cunt, Charlie. Do you want to have her standing up?'
“'I do, yes.' My moans of despair were again ignored.
“'You shall in a minute, then. Let me tickle her up first and have her ready for you.' So speaking, she placed her cup and saucer down, untied her boot and then with studied insolence worked her stockinged foot up in between my legs and leaning back, tickled my cunny with her toes. 'She likes this,' she laughed. I could not move, of course. He stood behind me. 'Just keep your hands on her shoulders, Charlie; hold her still. I like to see her thus.'