 |
|||
|
|
Chapter 10: The Importance of Service
Once my charges have become acclimatised to their circumstances and have come to see confinement, chastisement and sexual stimulation as their general way of life, I further their behavioural adjustment by introducing them to the value of domestic service. A wife in even the wealthiest of families, supported by a troop of servants, needs the experience of having carried out those simple tasks that create a household conducive to a husband’s well-being. To aid them in this, I include, as part of their adjustment, the assignment of domestic tasks.
For Amanda and Estelle, I also took the opportunity to address their continued obsession with self. This is a particularly difficult aspect of my method, since the ideal behaviour is self-effacing, but inevitably the students see themselves as the centre of attention for much of their period with me. The twins, used to the indulgence of their now-deceased parents, were possibly more self-obsessed than others of their age but in all probability were not. Nevertheless the matter had to be addressed.
The idea occurred to me that, as non-identical twins, it might be beneficial for them to spend some time as undifferentiated individuals. So, when I announced that they would begin a period of domestic duties in the household, I took some additional measures beyond that of requiring them to dress in the uniforms that marked their roles.
Naturally the two objected when I introduced them to the idea. Domestic duties were beneath them, they said. Their father and their guardian had both had servants to deal with these matters. They had no experience. They would not, could not do as I ordered.
I ignored their objections. These are commonplace reactions based in a misunderstanding of the value of these duties. Instead I told them that they were to be given new accommodation and took them from the cellar to one of the attic rooms.
“You will act as housemaids.” I announced. “Your duties will roughly correspond to those of scullery and parlour maids. It is of little matter which of you takes which role and when, except that I will require you both to gain experience of all areas. You will wear an appropriate uniform,” I said, gesturing to outfits laid out for them on the room’s two beds.
A maid’s uniform is designed to be both utilitarian and to provide the invisibility that one expects of domestic staff. While in the great houses the servants have their own corridors and stairs to separate them from those they are there to serve, in houses great and small, the uniform of the domestic sets them apart as simply one part of a functioning machine. The long black or grey dress of the household servant declares simply, I am not of the house, merely I am here to see to its proper functioning.
This aspect of my charges’ training I intended to complement with a measure of appearance adjustment as well.
“You will both be corseted,” I said. I showed them two heavily boned, long corselets that would stretch from over the bust to down below the buttocks. “I require my staff to present a consistent appearance. Please, get dressed.”
The girls set to, trying to puzzle out the unfamiliar garments and not noticing the subtle differences between the two items of underwear. I watched, intrigued, to see when and if they would realise what I was doing.
Amanda’s corselet was boned more stringently than her sister’s, achieving a greater reduction in her waist. Estelle’s, on the other hand, had a more padded bust line and padding inserted over the hips and buttocks. Once they had succeeded in putting the corselets on, the two sisters presented a very similar silhouette: Amanda’s heaviness seemingly reduced and Estelle’s more sinuous figure rendered more rounded.
“Now, your hose and your uniforms.” I had provided the girls with two identical outfits comprising a long-skirted, long-sleeved, high-necked, black dress and a long white apron. These they put on without protest, although it was clear that it was done with some measure of distaste. White gloves followed next and then plain, black laced-up shoes. Estelle’s shoes were low heeled while Amanda’s lifted her a good three inches. With their shoes hidden beneath their skirts, the two girls now appeared of equal height.
The girls were concerned more by the tasks they would be expected to perform than by the outfits I had provided for them to wear. “Surely you won’t want us to clean or cook,” Amanda said. “We never have needed to do such things.”
“It is demeaning and humiliating,” Amanda added.
I ignored their protests, knowing that after they had completed their transformation their sense of humiliation would be far worse. “Next, you will be handcuffed. Please take these.”
I have been lucky enough to have the acquaintance of one of the members of the Metropolitan Constabulary and he had furnished me with a number of examples of the restraints used for the control of the more unruly guests of Her Majesty in the Newgate Prison.
“This makes any work impossible,” said Amanda as she twisted her wrists this way and that in the snugly fitting shackles.
“I’m sure you will find a way,” I said as I embarked on the completion of their transformation. Over each girl’s head I pulled a tightly fitting rubber hood, lacing them tightly behind each girl’s head. Inside each hood, a protruding plug of rubber filled the mouth, silencing the wearer. Outside, a doll-like face was painted. To finish, I had only to add to each girl a dark wig and a white maid’s cap atop.
I stepped back to admire the result. From two very different students I had fabricated two almost identical maids. I wheeled a full length mirror across the floor so that the two girls had sight of their transformed selves. Of course, with their mouths filled with the rubber plug gags in their hoods, it was hard to be certain of their response but it certainly seemed as though they found their appearance distressing.
“Please,” I said. “This is part of your training and you will endure it as I instruct. For the purpose of your work about the house, your individual selves are unimportant. What is of value is what you succeed in doing. One piece of advice, though. In the event of any deficiency in your work, since it may well be difficult to determine which of you is responsible for what, you will both be punished equally. Please take great care not to be the cause of unnecessary distress to your sister.”
With that I set the confused and humiliated girls to work. Amanda (or possibly Estelle) was set to dusting and cleaning in the downstairs part of the house while Estelle (or possibly Amanda) found herself dealing with the remains of the previous night’s dinner in the scullery. The process of them learning to be useful and unobtrusive was well under way.
© Freddie Clegg 2012
|
|
|