Back in Service (24 page)

‘What has she done?’

‘Tell her, Jane,’ Hetty urged gently.

In halting tones, Jane described how she refused to give Sir Victor a blanket bath because of what had happened previously when she was required to apply Hungary water to his private parts. Then she described how Baines marched her down to the stillroom, made her take off her clothes, and whipped her severely across the breasts, gagging her to prevent her screams from being heard.

‘Leo, turn your back,’ Hetty said, ‘so Jane can show her mistress what injuries have been done to her poor bosom.’

When Jane revealed the red marks on her breasts, Lady Alice gasped in horror. ‘This is preposterous,’ she said. ‘Who does that woman think she is? I am the only one in this house who should be allowed to discipline my personal maid.’

Hetty was completely taken aback. Alice seemed more concerned her authority had been flouted than distressed by Jane’s injuries. Yet if that was the spur needed for her to take action, so be it, and she decided to fan the flames. ‘This is not the first time Mrs Baines has taken it upon herself to discipline Jane, my lady. She has even been insolent to me, on occasion. She is overbearing and must be reminded of her position in this household.’

‘You are quite right, Hetty dear, and I am glad you and Leonard have brought this to my attention. What do you think I should do about it?’

Hetty had already given the matter some thought, but she tried not to sound too pat. ‘Well, if physical punishment is the only language she understands, perhaps she should… well…’

‘You mean she should get as good as she gives?’ Lady Alice smiled thinly. ‘Leonard, what say you?’

‘I agree with Hetty, mother. Mrs Baines is of a brutish disposition and you cannot reason with such creatures as her. A taste of the whip is the only language they understand.’

‘In that case, it shall be done. Leonard, I shall rely on you to administer the punishment. How should we set about it?’

‘Ask her to come here to your apartment. If my father gets wind of it, he may turn nasty.’

Lady Alice nodded.

‘Perhaps we should consider allowing Jane to take part in the correction,’ Hetty suggested. ‘After all, she is the one who has suffered most at the hands of this harridan.’ She glanced at the girl, who did not look happy with the idea, and knew it would do her good. Jane was altogether too timid. If she were allowed to stand up for herself and wreak revenge in this way, her confidence might grow and strengthen with time.

‘I am not sure,’ Lady Alice said.

‘I have found, from my limited experience in these matters, that the most effective punishment is not simply physical but also includes a degree of mental and emotional humiliation,’ Hetty insisted, employing all her powers of persuasion. ‘What better reminder to Mrs Baines of where her place is than to have her whipped by a young woman she regards as inferior to her in every way?’

To her relief, a smile spread over Lady Alice’s face. ‘A splendid idea, Hetty, and we shall all be present to witness her painful humiliation. It shall be something of an after dinner treat for us all.’

They dispersed to prepare for dinner, and Hetty felt a wild excitement as she anticipated the spectacle of the hateful Baines being given a severe trouncing. They agreed Lady Alice should summon the woman to her chambers as if to discuss some aspect of her husband’s health, and when she arrived, she would find the four of them there prepared to inflict her chastisement. Hetty was given the task of selecting a whip from the summerhouse, and it proved a pleasant one. For the first time the place held no terror for her as she unlocked the door, entered the shadowy space and walked straight towards the sinister cupboard. She already knew, to her cost, the store of implements within it, and she had already made up her mind which one should be used on Nanny Baines – the infamous Longton Quirt, no less.

She bore it back to the house by a circuitous route, anxious lest she should be seen, for the whip was too large to conceal beneath her cloak. She took it up to Lady Alice’s apartments, where she knew she would find Jane alone as her mistress took her pre-dinner sherry downstairs. She decided to give her some instruction in the use of the implement, for it was cumbersome to wield and seemed to have a mind of its own; practice was required.

At first Jane was reluctant to even handle the thing. ‘But Miss Hetty, it brings back such terrible memories.’

‘Never mind, you are about to conquer them all. Hold the handle firmly, like this, and then let me see you crack it a little, just so.’

After the demonstration Jane made a feeble attempt to imitate it, but with very poor results. So Hetty took her by the wrist and performed the action for her. She could feel the girl’s pulse racing as she lifted her hand again and again, forcing her to make the lash snap and bite through the air. Then, when she finally let go of her wrist, Jane produced better results by herself.

‘Good, good,’ she said encouragingly. ‘Now let me see you aim at something.’ She looked around and saw a large Indian brass cachepot containing a pot of jasmine. Taking out the plant, she turned the brass vessel upside-down and instructed Jane to aim at it. ‘Imagine this is Nanny Baines’s backside.’

A promising look of determination passed over Jane’s face as she bit her lip in concentration, and Hetty felt both proud and enamoured of her as she struck out at the brass pot.

‘Well done, Jane. You certainly have the hang of it now, my dear.’

It was time to go down to dinner, and she left Jane looking far more confident than before. It was perhaps too much to hope she would be relishing the prospect of inflicting punishment, but at least she was now better prepared for the task.

Dinner was a more muted affair than usual, with Sir Victor in rather a huff, presumably because he had been forced to endure another of Baines’s blanket baths instead of being attended to by the delectable Jane as he had hoped to be. Hetty tried to discuss the progress of the village summer fair with Lady Alice, but received monosyllabic replies. Leo and his father also carried on a rather curt conversation about matters to do with the estate, but the general atmosphere was stilted and Hetty was glad when the gooseberry tartlets were brought in, signifying the end of the meal was near.

Before they left the dining room, she saw Lady Alice ring for Nanny Baines. The nurse entered and made to wheel her charge back to his quarters but was intercepted by the lady of the house, who passed her a murmured message. Hetty smiled to herself in anticipation.

Later that evening, Lady Alice offered Leo and Hetty, and even Jane, brandy from the bottle she kept in her bedside cabinet. ‘This is good for steadying the nerves,’ she told them.

Jane sipped hers apprehensively, Hetty and Lady Alice drank moderately, but Leo gulped his down in one go and asked for more.

For once, his mother did not give him her usual disapproving look. ‘How are we to set about this business, Leonard?’ she asked him whilst pouring his second glass.

‘As the man of the house, I shall confront her,’ he offered. ‘Leave it to me. I shall act as spokesman for us all.’

The waiting was tedious, and as the faint chimes of the hall clock could be heard striking ten, the tension in the room grew almost unbearable. Hetty glanced at the quirt lying behind the sofa, visible only from where she was sitting. It would be put to good use soon.

Finally, there came a knock at the door and everyone stiffened. Then Leo called, ‘Come in.’

The look on Baines’s face was one of gratifying astonishment when she saw the group assembled in her ladyship’s bedroom.

‘Come in,’ Leo commanded, his voice menacingly quiet, ‘and close the door behind you.’

‘I – I thought I was to speak to Lady Alice alone,’ Baines said in confusion.

‘Well, as you see, there is quite a welcoming party arranged for you,’ he replied tartly. ‘Mrs Baines, we have been hearing one or two things about you that concern us all.’

‘Really, sir? I cannot imagine what they might be.’ Despite her bold words, she looked decidedly uncomfortable. She was twisting the hem of her apron in her hands and looking from face to face as if trying to discern what this might be about.

‘Jane, show her the evidence,’ Leo ordered gently.

Although she had been forewarned of this necessity, Jane paled and her trembling fingers fumbled with her buttons. Hetty walked over to her and gently opened the front of her blouse to display the red marks crisscrossing her breasts. They had faded somewhat since the morning but were still plainly visible.

‘This was a particularly cruel and unnecessary punishment to visit upon her,’ Leo cast judgement for them all. ‘But that is not all. My mother and I have been hearing further stories about you that have made our flesh crawl with horror. It seems you are the accomplice of my father’s base desires and lewd cravings, willing to subject Jane here, and even my dear wife, to the grossest of indignities in order to satisfy his evil lusts.’ His former nanny opened her mouth as if to speak, but he silenced her with a penetrating stare and an upraised hand. ‘One moment, Mrs Baines, you shall have your say soon, but first let us hear from my wife.’

‘Yes…’ Hetty cleared her throat. ‘I have been obliged to watch Sir Victor whip poor Jane mercilessly, egged on by this woman. She is ever more than ready to strip the clothes off Jane’s back and apply the whip herself, if need be. I believe she takes a perverse pleasure in seeing pretty young women hurt and humiliated.’

‘Is this so, Mrs Baines?’ Leo’s expression was hard. ‘The truth, now.’

‘Sir, I wish only to serve my master, your father. I dare not disobey him, sir.’

‘Only obeying orders, eh? Is that the despicable shield you attempt to hide behind? Well it will not do, Baines. Such behaviour will not be tolerated in this house.’

‘That is not fair, sir. I was hired as nurse to his lordship to do his bidding in all things. If he asks for a servant to be disciplined, that is his business. My duty is to obey him, and him alone.’

Hetty had anticipated she would take this line of reasoning, and was prepared for it. Pulling herself up to her full height, she faced the gorgon. ‘Mrs Baines, you are aware Sir Victor is an invalid, are you not?’

‘Of course, miss, that is why I was taken on.’

‘And part of your duty is to monitor the state of his health, am I right?’

‘Yes, miss.’

‘Mental as well as physical?’

‘I suppose so…’

‘Did you not feel his sadistic urges towards young Jane here were excessive and quite inappropriate for a man in his position, Mrs Baines?’

She clearly feared a trap now, but apparently saw no way of avoiding it. ‘I do not know what you mean,’ she hedged sullenly.

‘Then let
me
make it plain,’ Lady Alice suddenly stepped in. ‘I was the one who hired you, and I thought we had an understanding you would keep me informed as to his lordship’s health, both physical and mental. So why did you not tell me he was indulging in all kinds of wayward and cruel behaviour towards my own personal maid? Was it not your duty to inform me, Mrs Baines?’

The woman had the decency to hang her head as she mumbled, ‘I suppose so, my lady.’

We have got you now!
Hetty thought with a surge of pure joy.
We have got you good and proper now, you witch, and you are going to get what you deserve!

‘Well, as far as I am concerned, this all amounts to gross dereliction of duty,’ Leo declared, giving Nanny Baines a look of utter contempt. ‘The question is, how are we going to deal with this reprobate, mother?’

Lady Alice appeared to deliberate. ‘I am a great advocate of “do unto others as you would have them do onto you”, therefore, I believe Mrs Baines should receive the same treatment she has meted out to others.’

‘That is unfair!’ the woman cried. ‘I do not deserve punishment of any sort since I was merely carrying out my master’s wishes.’

‘Your
sick
master’s wishes,’ Leo pointed out coldly. ‘Do you suppose the staff in mental asylums do anything the inmates ask of them?’

‘Are you telling me Sir Victor is insane?’ Baines retorted.

‘He is morally feebleminded,’ Lady Alice explained. ‘He has been for years, and I made that quite clear to you when I employed you. I expected you to rule him with a rod of iron, but instead you have used the rod on this poor defenceless girl. Shame on you, Mrs Baines.’

Hetty was growing tired of all the talk and suggested they proceed to the punishment. Lady Alice agreed, and Leo stepped behind the sofa to pick up the whip. As soon as she saw it, Baines began snivelling.

‘Not that, my lady, please, anything but that,’ she begged.

‘So you are a coward, too, are you?’ Leo snarled, brandishing the whip at her. ‘Hetty, Jane, seize the hypocrite and make her ready. You can lay her over the sofa.’

The woman began squealing like a cornered pig when she realised there was no escape. Hetty seized her left arm, Jane her right, and together they pushed the formidable figure facedown across the sofa. Then Hetty lifted up the nanny’s voluminous skirt and flannel petticoat to reveal her enormous drawers. Without hesitation, she yanked them down to her knees, exposing her slack buttocks.