A Victorian Lord Ch. 06

Charlie Rokeby lay contentedly holding his beloved wife in his arms, her hair soft and golden now flowed sweet and womanly to her shoulders the boyish style now set aside as her belly and breasts swelled from his heir growing within.

They knew their assassination was planned by Hermione, Dowager Lady Rokeby, whom had supposed she not Charlie would inherit on the late Lord's demise and had planned accordingly, but a trap was set, the floor-boards in the doorway removed and replaced with a thin wooden veneer to lightly support the carpet. and guns, muskets and pistols primed and ready beneath the bed.

Mary heard creaking in the corridor, she shook Charlie then the bed-chamber door opened and Hermione whispered "There they are."

The assassins entered and suddenly all at once the chamber floor did subside leaving two unfortunates trapped, their legs and feet smashing through the weak veneer and through the thin carpets and on through the ceiling of the room below, leaving a very angry Hermione looking on.

In a brief flurry of movement Mary grabbed her pistols one in the right hand and the other in the left, she aimed and pulled upon the triggers, Bang; Bang; Two shots. Rokeby had not even time to lift his musket before both assassins slumped unconscious in death.

"Mary, you were supposed to wing them" Rokeby chastised her, yet her marksmanship hitting one between the eyes with a ball and the other in the very eye socket and that left handed was astonishing, he had barely time to cock the weapon before the explosions from echoed from her weapons.

"Good Morrow Aunt, are you quite well," Mary greeted Hermione, the stench rising bore testimony to the emptiness of Hermione's bowels and like wise she spewed forth her stomach's contents.

"You are truly evil" spoke Hermione, as she wiped the bile from her chin.

"Dearest Aunt from you that is a compliment," Mary replied.

Servants were gathering.

"Pray manufacture some lies Aunt, I shall have to send for the constable from Catesby to deal with these." Rokeby informed her.

"What will become of me?" asked Hermione.

"Depending on your lies, the gutter or the scaffold, lie well sweet Aunt." Rokeby advised her.

The lifeless forms bled little from the suddenness of their demise, a big bull of a man Thomas Subbins, a layabout from Catesby, and his young assistant John Fragginshaw.

"Have you paid them yet, sweet Aunt," asked Mary sweetly.

She nodded.

"Then steal from the dead thy fortune lest it give thee away."

Hermione rifled the dead mens pockets and retrieved her haul, ten pounds from Stubbins, and ten shillings from Fragginshaw. She retired to the corner of the room ad emptying a flower bowl she filled it with the bile and vomit she spewed forth.

Servants were by now crowding the corridors, a girl went an ashen shade of white.

"My Lord 'tis John Fragginshaw, he," she sobbed. "He, we, my friend she is having his baby madam."

"Then, Betsy, she has been particularly stupid," replied Mary with little sympathy but with an idea forming.

Hermione hid her surprise, Timmings and Mc Nab had she had engaged so she though.

Rokeby bellowed, "You under-footman, take my best horse, I shall scribble a note, fetch the constable from Catesby forthwith!"

The young man beamed, to ride a thoroughbred hell for leather to Catesby to fetch the Constable what a tale for to tell his cronies in the ale house.

The servants drifted away in their dribs and drabs, and soon they were alone, the dead and the condemned, Hermione spoke shakily. "What will become of me?"

Rokeby answered "The Gallows Dear Aunt, unless you lie well. now repair to the yard thy stench doth turn my very stomach."

Hermione left the room and walked awkwardly to the courtyard her soiled under-things and soiled gown a pitiable sight, Mary quickly threw on a robe and some stout shoes and followed.

"Have we any maids," Mary bellowed.

"Yes Madam at your service Madam," they cried appearing as fast as they may.

"Then fetch buckets and we shall clean that stinking hag."

Hermione stood shocked, rooted to the spot. her time as mistress had been marked by cruelty and now the maids could seek revenge.

"Throw a bucket of water over her then tear the rags from her."

And it was done, the soiled gown torn into three or four pieces and the under-things until Hermione stood in only her shoes and remnants of her silk leggings which had perforce withstood the efforts of all to tear them from her, as the maids cleansed her with rough rags and brushes and saddle soap.

Presently Mary ordered the bedraggled Hermione taken to a room where her shoes were removed and she sat quite naked while the maids dried her with coarse rags.

"Verily what a thing, girls, her teats grow long, she enjoys your ministrations, excessively." Mary observed.

"Yes Mistress, she is leaking to excess from below I own." a maid observed.

"Fetch then a rolling pin we must relieve her lest she explode," Mary ordered.

A girl fetched the rolling pin.

"Thrust it within, sate the wench at once"

And the maid effortlessly slid eight inches of wooden shaft within Hermione's innards

"Footman, that is man's work, pray take over the rolling pin," and the blushing footman started to poke her furiously with the wooden shaft.

Rokeby and Mary slipped away to the softness of the linen cupboard where their own passion was swiftly expressed to satisfaction, and on return found Hermione still in the throes of passion, her eyes dilated and rolling like a lunatic as mindless of her audience she rode the rolling pin as if it were the devils own prong.

"Find some rags to throw upon her and keep her here until the Constable arrives pray," Ordered Mary.

Some time later when her love for the rolling pin had been satisfied the Maids found an old robe and some clogs for Hermione who proceeded fearful and shaking to wait in the servants parlour.

The Constable arrived at last, and observing first the felons legs poking through the ceiling and then the felons stiff dead bodies from above he decided that in all probability and in the absence of a Doctors sworn statement that they were probably dead. He sought statements.

"My Aunt shot them, she was so brave" announced Mary.

Hermione went white and fainted.

"It was the bravest thing I own, alerting us then shooting the felons."

"Remarkable marksmanship" observed the Constable.

"Oh no she merely meant to disable them, she is not proficient with firearms," added Rokeby as Hermione came round.

"She was so shocked she vomited and fouled herself," Mary added.

Hermione came round. The Constable spoke with admiration, "My Congratulations My Lady, you have done a deed most brave and noble risking all to save his Lordship, all Catesby shall know of this, aye and the London Newspapers the very instant I return to the town."

Hermione sat dazed, she knew her life was forfeit, so many scum had she approached for to do the deed and now was she seen as having killed them, she could no more return safe to Catesby than set up a cheese mine on the moon.

An unforseen problem arose, the felons legs splayed in death would not pass through the holes in the ceiling so Rokeby fetched the blacksmith and with a few gentle blows, which shook the very house, the legs were rendered flexible again.

"Verily Blacksmith, I do own I should not like to receive a hard blow if they be gentle ones, " said Rokeby.

"No good tippy tapping Master, thee wants to get on with it," the blacksmith grinned.

Soon floor boards were back in place, the wattle and daub man had come and repaired the ceiling and just the whitewashing remained.

The household resettled down to such normality as was possible after such a foul deed one which would be talked of for decades hence, and in the night time Lord and Lady Ashfordly spoke and plotted in what time they could spare from their love making.

Next morning Rokeby gave orders, Hermione was to make herself useful, if cook could find a use for someone so useless, whilst he and Lady Rokeby went to seek the felons families.

The found the Stubbins Woman easily enough, in the tavern, the back parlour and busy pleasuring a Gentleman, although his ramming of his prong within her was far from gentle.

"I see your period of mourning was suitably brief," observed Rokeby.

"Fucking useless Bastard, he's best off dead," she replied insensible of the man's attempts to raise her to the heights of passion.

"Where pray might we find Mrs Fragginshaw."

"Missus, she ent no Missus, she is right here learning, so she knows how to earn a few pennies." Mrs Stubbins chortled.

"Are you Fragginshaw's woman?" Mary asked.

"Yes" replied a terrified little mouse, barely of marriageable age yet her belly swollen with child.

Mary had an idea and whispered to Rokeby.

"You must come with us," Rokeby announced.

"Why, what do you want with me?" asked the wretch.

"Milk," replied Mary, "you are with child as I am, and I shall require a wet nurse for my child, while you I suppose need accommodation."

"My husband tried to kill you yet you seek to help me." she asked in amazement.

Mary answered. "well perhaps he was not the assassin, and my Aunt was perhaps precipitate in despatching him with her musket, and your friend Betsy spoke up for you, so the offer is there, say yes and we shall send the carter for your traps and you shall share a little room at Ashfordly hall until such time as the nursery shall be prepared, then there shall you reside to suckle my child and thine own so that I may return to pleasuring my Lord, as soon as is practicable."

"Then I accept, thank you My Lady, but traps I have naught but this bundle since I was cast from my lodgings this very morning when the tale of the foul deed were told, my bed and cooking things seized for the rent I owe."

"Come then" Mary offered and the Girl followed,

"You would have more fun here with me" the Stubbins woman bellowed as they departed, and Rokeby playfully slashed Stubbins temporary lover across his backside with the riding crop, causing him to thrust mightily and for Stubbins to at last feel his appendage within her leather walled tunnel.

The door slammed and the hag realised she was now alone, her present time mate excepted, the prospect dismayed her, yet she was sure she should find a young attractive friend from whose earnings to live soon enough.

The trio trudged from the house, then Rokeby strapped the wenche's sad bundle to the saddle of Mary's horse then hoisted the wench onto his own steed and then they set forth for Ashfordly.

"Mrs Fragginshaw, what is your Christian name," asked Mary.

"Tis still Ellersbeck, we never did see the Parson, Mary Ellersbeck" she confided.

Lady Rokeby sought to avoid confusion in future "You shall answer to Nanny now, and if you serve faithfully it could be your task for life, unless you should find some kindly lad who would accept a ruined wench with a bastard for his beloved, and may be with proper feeding and decent clothes such you may find among the lusty farm-lads we have at Ashfordly."

The thought stayed with Lord and Lady Ashfordly until passing a hay barn they could control themselves no longer and to Nanny's discomfiture they repaired to the hay leaving her minding the horses, the noise of their lovemaking echoed around and Nanny could not resist sneaking to the door to observe.

She had heard ribald rumours of Rokeby's prong yet in the flesh she could scarce believe how such a small person such as Lady Rokeby could accept such a member with pleasure, and yet here they writhed in the forenoon, while sober, her own dalliance had been in drunkenness and neither she nor her common husband should have entered the union had they chosen, indeed he had continually chided her, yet it was he who failed to satisfy her needs, so often had she laid abed her own fingers her only comfort.

Nanny watched the lovers as if in a trance, her fingers stole to her under-things and having them set aside unto her slot, her breathing deepened and suddenly her pleasure was interrupted by Rokeby and Mary leaving their love nest,

"Look, beloved, is it not sad she has no one for to pleasure her but herself" asked Mary.

Rokeby smiled "Perchance it is but it is a very pretty sight, have you a minute my love, something has come up," Rokeby spoke the truth for his breeches strained to restrain his prong.

Mary grinned mischievously, her favourite pass time was coming around sooner than she had thought and she grabbed his breeches and in a flurry he was unleashed and as she was devoid of undergarments he was instantly sheathed within her as she lay against the wall next to Nanny. Poor Nanny, or was she to be pitied as the waves of pleasure swept over her as the excitement of the lovers transferred to herself and she reached the heights of pleasure or so she believed.

It was a tired but content trio who arrived at Ashfordly House that noon tide, a repast was prepared and Hermione, the Dowager Lady Ashfordly, now reduced in rank to the lowest order of servitude proved to be by far the most useless object ever to clutter a kitchen or scullery.

Hermione served the repast, much of which landed on the platters and salvers, and perhaps as much as half of the wine found its way from pitcher to tumbler, Mary noted the ravenous way Nanny consumed her rations, suspecting she had not partaken of such a feast since Christ-Mass if indeed then yet this were a mere trifle compared to formal Dinners they would presently be expected to host.

The meal consumed Rokeby retired to see his friend and business partner or Agent the Hon. James Flemming about estate business whilst Mary set about transforming Nanny into a reasonable Nanny.

First they set the big tub in the yard and with every kettle as was found to hold water boiling they filled the tub to half way with the hot water then cooled it down with the cold so it became bearable then ignoring Nanny's shrieks Mary and Hermione stripped the wenches rags from her and tossed her within the tub, ducking even her head to clean her hair, the water became fouled with dirt even as a sweet pink person appeared from the accumulated dirt and filth, Hermione commented, "Dear Lord, I thought it was sun-tan, but no it was dirt.

Nanny cringed, she had seen but eighteen summers, and to her horror realised not just maid servants were observing but man servants and farm lads, come to ogle the new arrival, enticed by her screams, so when the time came for her to be dried an audience stood by. Mary addressed them, "This is Nanny, she is to be your sister in servitude so treat her kindly, and don't dilly dally, there is time enough to charm her when work is done.

The men slid away and Hermione and Mary took large horse blanket each and proceeded to dry Nanny.

They took her to a chamber where her traps were laid out but when they looked nothing was of any consequence, all filthy and worn out, just a trinket or two as keepsakes were worthy, so all but the trinkets were put for the rag man and fresh raiments brought from the store room, boddice, crisp and white buttoned to the neck with a black jacket and black skirt, and so was she transformed from base guttersnipe to respectability, and underthings and three sets of each for her so she may keep them clean. She seemed happy beyond anything, neither seemingly missing her beloved nor troubled by the bold repair where with his last breaths had rent the ceiling asunder with his feet, which she must now pass and repass.

Hermione took to grooming Nanny, combing her hair and snipping and cutting so it became the very model of propriety, Mary looked on, perhaps the Dowager had redeeming qualities, she could make the basest guttersnipe the very facsimile of a Whitechapel trained maidservant, then her talents should be harnessed to the good of all, and where better than her role as Brothel Madam at Catesby Bordello.

Rokeby fell in with the plan and borrowing the sheep cart they transported the fallen Lady back to her domain, barely three days after she set forth to murder them. The whores were genuinely pleased that their Madam was returned safe, and they had their mistress back for in truth they were at their wits end over how to continue had she gone for ever, and quickly Hermione seized control realising she had found her station, raised but slightly above the very dregs, yet visited and indeed loved on occasion by the very highest ranks of society. Hermione knew her situation to be much more to be desired than that of companion to some demented harridan or governess to a spoiled brat, the forms of occupation normally the province of those of rank whose finances fail.

The Lord and Lady departed after their now customary use of a spare bedchamber and Hermione set to ordering maids and harlots alike to clean and polish so all is fit for such gentry as may wish to partake in pleasure or merely find such necessary relief as swift and discrete as may be delivered.

Trade was slow travellers had lost the habit of taking a pasty and taking a wench by alighting at Catesby and then rejoining a later train, but as she strove to rise from the basest form of whorehouse to the like of those in Paris or St Petersburg.

She dreamed that all would visit, Heads of State, General Officers of Militia, Archbishops perchance and her fortune restored she may retire yet the mood of love thrilled her as it had when she, young, frightened and recently ruined by her own uncle had been cast adrift at the Bordello, the men, they had sorely used her and abused her, her innocence shattered like a precious vase, never to be repaired, the depravity, the shame, yet soon she had risen from cheapest outcast for railway worker or street cleaner to bejewelled darling of the aristocracy.

So many would have willingly taken her as wife had not her rank prevented it then the offer from old Ashfordly, his fortune she sought, setting aside his rank unpleasantness, his incessant farts, his withered near impotent prong which would on occasion not arise despite an hours sucking, she regretted it most sincerely, yet it had led thus, to her happy band of girls frolicking in pleasure in her very own temple of lust

As eventide approached Hermione again inspected her harlots as a Captain may his troops, their hair and teeth, to be cleaned fresh always, their attire, such as they wore, and that mainly under-things spotless clean and fresh and their equipment, not the sword or musket of the soldier but the lower orifices, Hermione had each in turn attend her in her private chamber and stand upon a stool so that she may inspect, and enhance, this first night all were sent forth to try again, cleanliness or unruly hairs to attend, until they did pass the test whereby Hermione should taste each slot and rectal orifice with the tip of her very tongue and pronounce herself pleased. And for her caring she became loved as a mother by the harlots, most of whom had known no motherly love, only violence and the love of the Bordello, passion and desertion thrice each hour.

Hermione watched her brood, she took to greeting the men, eliciting their preference and calling the most suitable girl as she thought to serve, checking the girl was ready to perform as requested and then allocating a bed chamber, sometimes she would accommodate the gentleman herself, but more often she would listed to sounds of love and pleasure herself with the smooth ebony toys left by the Bordello's previous incumbents, for all its humiliations Hermione had to admit it was a thousand times more endurable than lying abed with the Late Lord Ashfordly, with his vile stench and the vile grey stinking seed he sought to impregnate her with.

When the last man had departed his needs and desires fulfilled and harlots and maids had eaten and found a bed, Hermione too went to her soft bed and entered the land of dreams to dream of the knight in shining armour who would sweep her up and take her.