Chapter Six. Martha's ordeal
"You still don't seem very happy," Rebecca remarked to her friend. "Are you
still pining for your lordly lover?" It been two weeks since the incident in the
ring. Now an uneasy truce had been established between the troupe and the
ringmaster and his wife. They worked together as a team but remained separate
socially.
"I can't get him out of my mind, even though I try, Becky. I only knew him for a
short time and yet......" A tear trickled down her cheek. "I still don't know if
I made the right decision. I like the excitement of being part of the circus. I
really do and when I'm on in front of a crowd I feel great but there is always
the let down afterwards."
"You have friends here Besty."
"Yes, I know Becky. You're very good to me and James is too. I like him and I
suppose one day we could get together but I'll have to get Peter out of my mind
first. James is nice in bed and I've enjoyed myself the nights I've spent with
him but it wouldn't be fair on him if I let it go further. Not for the time
being anyway. He's too much like Peter and in the dark, that's whose face I see.
That's whose prick I feel inside me when really it is James."
"Why don't you go and see him again Betsy?"
"His parents were so against me and I was thrashed several times. They won't
allow Peter to marry me and he can't do so on his own for another eighteen
months. Even if we did marry they would banish him from the family although I
don't think that would matter too much to him. If I went back now, at best I
would be his whore in the eyes of his family. Probably I would remain that way
even if we did marry."
*****
Knock, knock. "Can I come in Sir?" Martha's voice held a sob in its tone.
"Go away Martha. I don't need any company and it's very late." Lord Peter
sounded angry. He guessed correctly Martha had been ordered to his bed 'to cheer
him up'.
"Oh please Sir. I'll get another thrashing if you send me away. Henry's just
waiting for me in the kitchen. Please let me in Sir, please."
Reluctantly and angrily Peter put down his book. Grumpily he unlocked the door,
let her in and locked it behind her. "I'll sleep on the floor Sir if you wish,"
Martha pleaded, "We don't have to do anything if you don't wish to Sir. I know
how you miss Miss Betsy Sir."
"I suppose mother or father sent you, Martha?"
Martha nodded, "Yes Sir, they told Henry that if I didn't seduce you, he was to
give me another hiding. They said I was to cheer you up." Martha paused, "They
said you had a face as long as an elephant's prick, Sir." She gave a little
smile. "I expect that's quite long Sir."
"Yes I expect it is." Peter too gave a little laugh.
Lord Peter looked at her, shaking in front of him and relaxed. He felt sorry for
the girl and knew she had a hard time at the house. "It too cold to sleep on the
floor Martha. Get yourself undressed and get under covers here. I guess father
or mother probably had too much wine at the party." Sitting on the bed he
watched as she undressed, wishing it was Betsy. Martha's body was more
attractive in many ways. She was about the same height as Betsy but her figure
was much fuller with much larger breasts. One of the reasons she was so popular
at the orgy parties his father and mother organised.
When Martha turned away from him and removed her dress, Peter noticed the broad
fresh stripes across her arse. "Who strapped you this time Martha?" he enquired
as the pair snuggled under the bedclothes.
"The Duke of somewhere Sir. Her ladyship called him Horace."
"The Duke of Edenridge. I'm sorry you have to put up with Father's parties
Martha. How come you get strapped?"
"Her ladyship just decided my bottom wasn't warm enough and the Duke decided he
would be the one to remedy it, Sir."
"You must hate having to attend and be forced into fucking and doing other
things with the guests."
"Parts are alright Sir, but I'd already had three men in me by then so I was
rather tender. As you probably know Sir, they all try and do it as hard as
possible thinking that's how we like it. Not like when Alfred, that's my
boyfriend in the village, does it. He's much more gentle. Do you want to do me
now Sir? I can feel you're ready."
"Martha, I think we'll get some sleep now. Perhaps in the morning. Somehow I
feel I would be cheating on Betsy although I know that's silly because she has
gone and probably will never come back. But I would like to cuddle you Martha,
just to feel the warmth of your body against mine."
*****
"Betsy..... Betsy....." Martha felt the arms around her tighten and pull her
close to his body.
"It's alright Sir. It's me, Martha." It was still dark and Martha had no idea of
the time but she knew she'd been asleep for a long while. Her thighs felt the
hardness of Peter's prick. "Sir? Pretend I'm Betsy if you like. Relieve
yourself. It doesn't matter to me. Call me Betsy if you wish. In the dark you
may not notice much difference." She rolled Peter over on to her and almost
instinctively he responded by gently entering his prick. "It's alright Sir, do
it as you wish to do it."
Peter slowly and lovingly fucked her until he climaxed and withdrew. "Sorry
Martha, I don't think you came with me. It was over too quickly. Sorry."
"That's alright Sir. You can try again later." Martha giggled.
"Martha, if you are going to sleep in my bed, there is one thing you have to
stop doing. Stop calling me Sir. Makes me feel that I am paying a whore to be
with me. Call me Peter when we're alone."
"Yes, Sir.....Peter."
"Martha? Did they say how often you were to sleep with me?"
"No Si... Peter. I thought it would just be for the one night but it could be
longer if you wished."
"Would you like that?"
"Yes, Peter, I would. As long as you don't expect me to love you and want to
marry you or anything, but if you just want to cuddle and fuck like last night,
I'm more than willing. In fact I would love to spend my nights here if only to
get Henry off my back."
"I think I will inform father that I am taking you as my personal maid. That
will give me full control over you and if you're disobedient, I get to smack
you." He gave he bum a gentle pat.
So it was. He visited his father that morning after insisting Martha join him at
the breakfast table. Henry was annoyed, Martha should have been cleaning stoves
that morning and hadn't arrived down until Lord Peter brought her to breakfast
and treated her like his mistress.
"Father, for once I have to thank you. I thank you for giving Martha the task of
humoring me in bed. A task she did so very well, I want to keep her as my
personal maid and mistress. It will perhaps help me get over Betsy and I know
that I only want her for company and for allowing me to gratify my sexual
desires."
"You mean you like fucking her," interrupted his father.
"Yes Sir, I do but I know nothing more will come of it. Will you allow me to
take her as mine and absolve her from her normal work. That should help keep my
mind from Betsy."
"I'm glad she's having some effect on you my boy. By all means take her as
yours. It will put Henry's nose out of joint but that might not be a bad thing."
As usual Peter ate lunch with the rest of the staff and afterwards he announced
Martha's promotion. Most seemed pleased but Henry scowled and said he didn't
know how they would cope short staffed. "I want to make this quite clear to
everyone, that Martha is my sole responsibility now. If you have cause for
complaint about her behaviour, come to me and I will deal with it. No one, and I
repeat no one else is to punish her except on my instructions."
All went well for two weeks. Martha liked playing mistress and not having to do
manual work. Most of her work was done in the evening or at night. Work she
enjoyed as Peter was a kind and considerate lover. Henry decided he could get
his on back when Peter announced he was to ride to Hatch End some ten miles away
and spend the night with a botanist there. Martha waved him off and returned
inside little suspecting Henry was planning his revenge. He'd seen her ladyship
and got her tacit approval to chastise the girl for slacking in her duties. An
hour after Lord Peter left, his lordship went out for a hour or two's shooting.
Without any of the masters in the house Henry went to the kitchen and found
Martha chatting to the cook and idly drying a few pans to pass the time. Without
a word he picked her up and carried her to the punishment bench. Despite her
screams and struggles he stripped off her clothing and fastened her to the
bench.
Cook tried to intervene. "She's done nothing wrong Henry, you daren't touch her.
Lord Peter will go berserk when he finds out. Leave her alone. She's done
nothing but what she's been told to do."
"Get back to your kitchen woman," Henry growled, "And the rest of you, get back
to work. Her ladyship has given me permission to thrash her and thrash her I
will!"
"No Henry," Cook persisted, "You can't........ Oooowww!! Oooowww!! Aaagh!!"
Henry lashed his cane twice across cook's breasts and as she turned away gave
her another severe cut across her back. The rest of the onlookers scurried away.
"No Henry!" Martha screamed, "No, Lord Peter does not permit it. No leave me
alone."
"His lordship is away and by the time he returns you will be nice and tender for
him. I'll make sure of that and her ladyship will support me." He brought the
cane down hard on the exposed bum cheeks raising a livid welt. Again and again
he brought the cane down anywhere he pleased. Buttocks, thighs, back. All
received more than their fair share of punishment. Seeing she was nearly
fainting with the pain, Henry threw down the cane and opened his breeches just
in time to see her ladyship and Gwen watching. He received a nod of approval.
Lord Nigel returned home after only two hours. With muddy boots, he entered the
back way into the kitchen and saw cook trying to put fat on cane marks across
her breasts. Screams and cries were coming from upstairs. "What's happened
Cook?" he demanded. She told him as one of the boys pulled his lordship's boots
off. Angrily he stomped up the stairs muttering to Cook as she followed him,
"Peter was recovering from that circus girl and now this will put him back
months. I'll...." His words were cut off at the sight of Martha's welted body.
Two maids were applying wet cloths to her back and buttocks. "My God! He's gone
too far this time. Even I wouldn't have thrashed her like this. It'll be months
before she's healed. Look after her girls." Returning downstairs he ordered
Henry to be locked in his room.
*****
For once Peter was not just angry, he was furious. His blood boiled at the sight
of Martha lying on the bed, her body covered with welts. He sat alongside her
and spoke quietly for a while and then obtained the story from Cook and she
showed him the welts she'd received.
He went first to see his father and mother and then to Henry's room. His parents
followed, wanting to see just how their son would react and deal with the
situation. Peter raised his voice to a level unknown to those who knew him.
"What is the meaning of this? How dare you disobey my orders Henry?"
"Her ladyship gave me permission, Sir"
"Mother?"
"That's not true Peter. Gwen told me there was a problem down there and when we
arrived we put and end to it."
"That's a lie!" Henry yelled.
"You will pay for this," Peter's voice was now calmer and more at its usual
level. "Cook," he said turning to see she had followed him in, "Get the
houseboys in here, please.". Henry moved away. "Stay where you are Henry.."
In moments all the houseboys arrived and Peter ordered them to take Henry
downstairs, "Strip him and fasten him to the punishment bench. Make sure he is
fastened down well and leave him for an hour while I decide what to do and speak
a little with Martha. Rest assured I will deal with him most severely. He has
hurt a woman to get revenge for her helping me. He's disobeyed my very clear
instructions. I will decide exactly what to do later. For now let him think on
what he has done and wait to find out what I will do."
For an hour he sat and held Martha's hand and talked quietly to her. Finally he
stood up and went to his father and obtained his agreement for the punishment
plan he'd decided upon.
After lunch he asked all the staff to assemble by the punishment bench. His
mother and father attended too. All were wondering just what quiet, timid Peter
would do. They were not left long in doubt. When Peter spoke his voice was low
but all could sense the anger he felt. "Henry Batsby, you disobeyed my orders.
You thrashed a poor girl who you should have had no authority over. You thrashed
her unreasonably and then raped her. We could take you to the authorities and
you would probably be hanged. Instead I am going to give you a caning like you
gave Martha and then Cook will deal with you for what you did to her. Afterwards
you will be dismissed from this household without references or, and this is my
mother's suggestion, you will be demoted to houseboy status. Cook will
henceforth be in charge of disciplining staff. You will no longer be allowed to
cane or strap anyone for any reason. You may choose. Either you leave tomorrow
after breakfast or if you stay on, it will be on the terms I have stated."
"You can't do that Sir. You do not employ me, his Lordship does." Henry spoke
out, trying to sound defiant.
"And I have given my full and utter backing to my son. He has my full support. I
have only seen criminals punished as severely as Martha. You are now a criminal
and deserve the thrashing I hope my son will give you. You are then dismissed as
butler and can only remain as a lowly servant. You will move out of your room
and into the houseboys. I am temporarily promoting Richard in your place and
will revue the position in a week or two."
Peter took the cane and laid the first stroke across Henry's arse. Seeing the
welt and hearing the cry, revolted him but he knew he had to do it. In his mind
he'd decided on twenty strokes and he laid them on methodically to the man's
buttocks and back. No where were the welts as severe as Martha's but even so the
man was yelling and begging for mercy long before Peter had finished. He handed
Cook the cane.
"If you please Sir," Cook started hesitantly, "If you please. Could we turn him
over? Much more on this side will break open the skin and it's his prick that
made her, and many others here, suffer. Peter nodded and the houseboys turned
the struggling Henry face up on the bench. Cook took her opportunity to make up
for the still very painful stripes on her tits. First she lashed his thighs and
prick with six hard strokes and then two more across his nipples. By this time
Henry was a screaming wreck.
Peter took stayed cook's hand. "Take the cane and his strap and put them in the
kitchen. You have sole use of them in future. Leave Henry here for an hour for
all to see and then have him released and taken back to his room. He will stay
there for tonight only. Open his door at breakfast tomorrow. If he stays set
him to do Richard's work, if he leaves, check his bags before he goes."
