"Min - I - stra - trix", the word tumbled around a bit in her mouth as she felt the weight of its implications settle into her heart. Bella swung her legs over the edge of the bed and flexed her toes in the sunlight streaming through a tall window casting a beam of warmth across the ornately patterned rug. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and tried to remember the evening when she decided she was drawn to a ministratrix position with the Manor. Flush with wine and giddy from the sensuous environment, she had watched the other ministratri effortlessly move about the room. During parties, the ministrati were responsible for tending to the needs and whims of those gathered in hedonistic revelry. Her friend Marie who lived in the Manor had first brought her here months ago and Bella was fascinated by the concept. When an invitation arrived to become a regular visitor with a room assignment Bella did not know exactly what to expect, however, she knew the idea was deeply appealing.
The invitation had instructed Bella to arrive late on Friday evening, enter through the servant’s entrance and proceed directly up the back staircase to the fourth floor where her room would be waiting for her. When she had arrived there was a snack waiting on her night table and a note encouraging her to relax and get some rest. The protocol manual given to Bella in advance of her visit explained the use of notes and other written communication. Prior to her arrival, she had fallen asleep several nights in a row poring over the orchestrated details of everyday life in the Manor.
The Envelopes
There were three types of envelopes delivered to the occupants of the 4th floor each morning. The envelopes were always found perched on the nightstand on their ornate tri-footed easel. The flaps were always sealed with wax bearing the insignia of the household. Red, gold, and white they would be the first thing each resident or regular visitor would see as their surroundings settled in around them shortly after dawn. However, sometimes this could be much later in the morning depending on the antecedent activities and the number of hours since they ceased.
The red envelopes carried service assignments, some mundane and seemingly obvious, some would shock and be unfathomable by many living in the surrounding communities, with either type leaving room for personal embellishments by each unique ministratri. This is the type that Bella had opened earlier with trembling fingers, soon the routine will become a source of comfort and excitement, but at first, each envelope seems just the smallest bit overwhelming and wrought with uncertainty.
Gold envelopes were rewards, granted perhaps once per week or a bit less often for visitors to celebrate exemplary service, most often accompanied by a red envelope as well since simple rewards were always provided after a regular day and evening of service. On very rare, and extremely special occasions, an occupant of the 4th floor might receive a gold envelope all by itself. This would mean a full revolution of the planet drenched in pleasurable activities.
White envelopes were another matter entirely, these stark and gleaming packets of correspondence brought unfortunate news. They were somewhat a rarity, rarer than the gold that arrived with red, but not as rare as a solitary gold sparkling in the morning sun. Of course, the white envelopes were not something to look forward to as one's eyes fluttered into focus in the morning.
Unlike with the gold envelopes, a red envelope alongside the white envelope was a welcome vision, perhaps an opportunity to commute the contents of the white. A white envelope standing alone meant a day of preparation followed by a night of - perhaps quite severe - correction for whatever flaw had been discovered in the performance of the servant.
But this morning was just a typical day, with a red envelope listing precise and time-bound instructions for the next 24 hours. Bella’s first instruction for the day was to shower and dress, notable only because it explained in detail where to find everything she might need. For example, the basket of sweetly scented toiletries and plush towels resting on the crimson red tall backed brocade chair tucked into the corner at the foot of the bed.
After locating everything else on the list, Bella took another look around the room. The bed was draped in thick fabrics attached to the rail running to and fro the thick pillars reaching into the billowing cloud of the canopy above. The room was long and narrow with incredibly high ceilings, there were still several feet above the bed before the sturdy looking exposed beams crisscrossed overhead.
Seeing the time on the clock next to the bed, she could not waste one more moment absorbing the strange new world she had stepped into. Clutching the basket against her belly, she slipped out of the room and down the hall to the large bathroom shared by all occupants of the 4th floor. When she pushed open the door she discovered the bathroom already bustling with activity as each servant bathed and prepared themselves for the day ahead. The tone of those around her and the type of preparations being engaged in revealed which color envelope had arrived on their stand that morning.
The Shower
Steam rose from the soaking tubs along the west wall, two in use and two waiting empty for the deserving servant who would be celebrating a gold envelope day. The center of the room featured two parallel sets of low flat benches with padded surfaces covered in plush absorbent fabric. After the bench was used by someone for drying, applying lotion, and taking care of any other post bathing routines the damp covers would be replaced ensuring that each seat remained perfectly inviting to the next body emerging naked from a tub or nearby shower. This particular task was completed with a quiet yet energetic flourish by one of the Manor's residents. She was a petite young girl of just 19 or so - who Bella had not yet met other than to admire the flaming red hair and a smattering of golden freckles dancing across her pale, cream colored skin.
Bella had counted a total of six doors as she came down the hall, she knew that there were three more to the other side of the bathroom, so the swarm of activity was not a surprise. As she approached the three transparent shower enclosures she could see that one was available, setting her basket on the closest bench Bella removed the bottles of shampoo and soap plus the sponge and left the lotion and towels where they were. Because the walls were clear with only a delicate frosted etching of the household insignia and a faint outline, Bella could still see most of what was happening in the rest of the bathroom.
The 4th floor was not gender segregated, therefore both male and female servants shared the same space, and none were the least bit concerned with modesty. There were one male and one female servant each in the soaking tubs being attended to by two others, and two more males had just stepped out of the adjacent showers and were sitting facing away from each other on the benches. Bella had never seen a male genital piercing before and caught herself attempting to make sense of exactly how the ring got where it was dangling, occasionally catching the light and sending signals from within the shadow cast by the muscular legs of the thusly adorned male.
While working the thick creamy lather through her soft tawny locks, Bella's mind wandered perhaps a bit too long as she realized that now there were only two others with her in the bathroom. Time had a way of swiftly evaporating on her previous visits and she worried about being bested by the distractions here on her first day of actual service. Grabbing the water and soap soaked sponge she quickly finished refreshing the rest of her skin, checked to make sure that she rinsed clean all of the foam from her hair, and returned to the bench
While Bella slathered her skin with the sweetly scented lotion, she noticed a strange apparatus being operated in the far corner of the room. It would seem that one of the servants was tipped, face down, angled forward, and was being administered some sort of foamy fluid.
Curious, but feeling the pressure of fleeting time, she watched the procedure while she finished drying off, and then noticed the white envelope laying on the floor next to the odd table as her path back out of the bathroom gave her a different vantage point. From that angle she could also see two female servants in the other corner having a moment of mutual pleasure, trying to keep her invasive glances around the room unnoticed. Pretending to drop the towel that had been wrapped around her hair to the floor accidentally, she stole a few more seconds - hearing them tick loudly in her mind - to glance once more between the two images developing in those opposite corners. This last look provided the opportunity for the impression to be burned onto her memory, she then quickly retrieved the towel and forced herself to turn around and exit the room.
After closing the bathroom door behind her, she floated effortlessly back to her room lifted by the sense of anticipation generated by knowing what was in store next. Bella dressed hastily in the simple clothing laying across the foot of the bed and only stopped to take two deep breaths at the top of the stairs leading down to the kitchen.
The First Morning
Descending the servant's staircase with the contents of the red envelope tucked into the waistband of her short black pleated skirt, Bella was reciting the second instruction over and over in her head.
2. Go to the kitchen at 8:15, on the counter, will be a tray labeled 2D, speak to no one as it may cause you to be delayed, take the tray and bring it to room D on the second floor. Ring the bell on the tray three times and then enter whether anyone calls out to you or not, leave the door and inner curtains exactly as you found them. Once inside the room, place the tray on the long table at the foot of the bed. Stand perfectly still close by - when the occupants of the room are ready, remove the covers from the plates. If asked to obtain anything go as quickly as you can back to the kitchen and return with the desired item, our guests appreciate prompt service. Remain quiet and still unless specifically asked to do something, do not react in any way to anything that happens while you are in the room other than to respond to direct requests. Remember these instructions as from now on you will only receive a room number assignment in the morning and will follow the same procedure each day.
When she reached the last landing she could smell the delicious aroma of the fluffy Belgian waffles and bacon. She had only seen the kitchen once before, the night that she was shown how to enter the manor and find her room on the 4th floor. It had been dark at the time and the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling had been quite ominous for some reason.
She was surprised to discover in the bright morning sunshine, the kitchen was warm and the cheerful yellow paint and murals of the French countryside embracing each wall above the chair rail. She looked around in stunned silence at the others in the room carefully carrying out the perfectly orchestrated dance of preparing breakfast for the manor's guests. They worked seamlessly while carrying on animated conversations with each other. Everyone who noticed her smiled and nodded, however, no one spoke to her because no one wanted her to risk breaking the rules on the first day. The scene seemed reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell type painting of a large family enjoying each other's company whilst preparing a large meal.
The only thing that made such a recorded image unlikely was the Manor uniform, which left little to the imagination as it clung to the skin of each servant. Bella adjusted the crimson silk strap of her own camisole while she scanned the counter for the tray destined for room 2D. She found it quickly and took a deep breath before transferring its weight to her arms. Nodding at a larger woman with enormous breasts stirring something on the stove who was looking at her worriedly, Bella turned and proceeded back up the stairs and to the second floor.
Once she reached the hallway she began to wonder what she might witness within the room she had been assigned. She stepped slowly with great care not to tip the contents of the tray as she made her way to the end of the hall and stood outside room D. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the door open and was glad to only have to step through the heavy velvet curtains at the entrance to the room. She shifted the weight of the tray onto one arm and leaned it against the wall so that she could retrieve the small silver bell. After ringing the bell three times, Bella stepped into the room looking first for the table. She set the tray on the table before noticing the woman in the corner seeming at first glance to hover in mid-air. She stood in a position so that she could see what was happening just out of the corner of her downcast eyes.
A man with long dark hair crossed behind her from the small door on the opposite side of the room, the room's private bathroom, and smacked Bella on her ample bottom as he said, "Don't pretend you don't want to look, isn't she beautiful like that?"
With this explicit permission, Bella examined the scene before her carefully and saw how the woman had been suspended by a series of pulleys and cables from the ceiling, her flesh was straining against the tight rope tied in diamond patterns across her torso and limbs. The image stirred something inside of Bella and her interest in what she was seeing was made obvious by the blush creeping over her cheeks and the fact that her nipples became extremely visible through the thin material of her top. As the man lowered the woman to the floor and released the many points where her body was attached to pulleys, he told Bella to get the items on the tray ready for consumption.
The guests enjoyed their breakfast, thanked Bella, and sent her on her way.
Bella collected the items back to the tray and left the room as silently as she had entered. Heading back to the kitchen she risked an upward glance to see an exquisitely beautiful and impossibly tall woman wearing a shiny black bathrobe. Having never met the actual owners of the manor she could not be sure, but she thought that it might be the Lady. Returning her eyes to the floor about two paces ahead of her feet, she was surprised to feel a hand on her shoulder and hear a voice in her ear, "You must be the new 4a, let me take a look at you," the woman motioned for Bella to make a full turn. "Very interesting, well Marie has never steered us wrong, welcome to the manor, perhaps I will see you again soon."
The woman continued down the hallway and entered the doorway at the very end, the Master suite, more evidence that this was, in fact, the Lady.
Casual Dinner Service
3. Once you have completed breakfast service you are to take the tray back to the kitchen and leave it by the sink. On the counter there will be a tray with your room number on it, 4a, the tray will have items for your breakfast and lunch, for today you should take it up to your room so that you can relax and prepare for your evening duties in quiet. There is a long night ahead so please do not be ashamed to nap, you will soon find that it is a necessary ritual to maintain the pace of the household.
As Bella returned to the sunshine filled kitchen bubbling with activity and cheerful voices, she was greeted this time with several introductions that somewhat blurred together. She briefly introduced herself and thanked everyone for making her feel very welcome, she had met only a handful of the regular residents on her short visits to Marie before her decision to become a visiting member of the household. Marie was one of the regular residents, the occupants living on the third floor, some were servants like Bella, however of a slightly higher status, and some alternated between service and being served, Marie fit into the latter category and was one of the Lady's very favorite female residents regardless of her role on any given day.
Bella found her tray and headed back up to the fourth floor to settle into her room for the next few hours.
Grateful that she had the presence of mind to set an alarm for 3 pm, Bella woke startled to discover that she had in fact fallen asleep, right on top of the protocol manual she was studying so that she would be prepared for the evening. Granted, she had been poring over the manual for weeks, ever since Marie suggested that Bella might feel very at home in the world she occupied any time she was not at the place of employment they shared. It was pretty risky for Marie to share this information with Bella, as these days women even accuse other women of harassment, but Marie was positive that Bella was open to possibilities that exceeded the basic romantic interactions of men and women. And, Marie was correct in her assessment, Bella absorbed everything she could about Marie's world and was drawn back to the manor on every opportunity to learn enough to know that she wanted to be a part of it.
4. At 3:30 you will need to report to the kitchen to assist with preparations for tonight's dinner. There are two dinner services each night, one in the main ballroom, and one in the game room. You will be serving in the game room until you have developed the skills necessary to serve at the level required for the dinners in the ballroom. Make sure that your hair is pinned up so that no hair falls in your face at any time, you may wear it down on your neck, however, most of our guests prefer that it be swept completely into a knot or other updo style.
Make sure to put on a fresh uniform, there are several in the closet and laundry is not an issue, that is why we house such a large collection of ministratri. You will find the instructions for serving casual dinner in the protocol manual which I trust you must have committed to memory by now, but if not, your job tonight is simple. You will be the water girl and keep each water goblet full all evening once you are released to the game room from your kitchen assignment which will be issued by Beatrice. As with breakfast, tomorrow your instruction will simply say "game-room." All instructions are cumulative and will only change upon written notice, keep these in the folder that is in the top left desk drawer for your future reference.
Bella had in fact memorized most of the manual but was nonetheless happy to have such a simple task on her first night. Wearing a fresh uniform and having piled her hair into a cascade originating where a standard ponytail might, she descended the staircase and arrived in the kitchen ready to meet Beatrice.
Beatrice was in charge of all things culinary within the manor and issued each servant a card with their task, each went about their way creating such indulgent meals Bella could hardly contain her excitement knowing how much each bite would be savored and enjoyed by the most discerning guests. Her assignment was salad, 1 wedge baby butter lettuce, topped with slivers of radish, grape tomatoes, shreds of cucumber and carrot, and drizzled with a creamy dressing of buttermilk, sharp cheese, and Beatrice's secret blend of spices. Beatrice stopped by her area to take a peek and joked that there were bonus points for drawing the house insignia with the dressing before nodding in approval at the rows and rows of perfectly identical plates and moving on.
Once everything was prepared and in its place, each servant was to take their places before the guests entered the two dinner service areas. Bella found the group headed to the game room and after discovering the location of the water cooler she got to work. Following the instructions in the manual she filled 6 carafes with water, ice, slices of lemon and lime and placed them on the cart, she then filled each water goblet and delivered them to the tall square table for 12 which was intimidating enough as it stood empty. She then returned to the cooler and refilled the carafes with water. The guests began to arrive and take their seats, however, the evening would prove distracting as each guest was accompanied by their own source of entertainment.
The game room was not equipped with poker or pool tables, surrounding the table were an assortment of uncomfortable looking situations waiting for those assigned to entertainment this evening to be attached to. Next to the water station was a giant spinning wheel, one of the female servants was being lifted up and attached to the wheel with leather straps on her wrists and ankles and a harness around her hips and waist. The wheel spun slowly and with much effort, the pointer would land on various names for body parts and the game would be for one of the guests to spin the wheel and have their way with whatever prize was revealed. After one or two spins the servant still seemed to be enjoying herself but Bella could not imagine how dizzying that might be.
Bella kept the water glasses perfectly full all evening despite being cautiously aware of the "games" happening around her. A male servant was attached spread eagle to the opposite wearing safety goggles. He was sprayed with something to make his skin look very wet and the guests were shooting suction-cup guns at him and keeping score of how long the "bullets" stuck to his skin, but also tallying points for the most creative targets.
The next wall over was difficult to see as it was mostly dark, except for bright flashes of light every so often, and on the other wall was a box full of about 1 inch round holes all over it. The point of that game was for the guests to push an item of their choice through the hole and determine what body part it had come into contact with on the servant inside the box. Points were scored by a variety of criteria including whether or not they were right about the body part, and how loud the noise from inside the box was before the servant revealed what body part had been impacted.
The servants took turns on each of the games throughout the evening and were sent to the table to eat during rest breaks, they were not wearing the household uniform, were completely nude during the entire meal and for several hours after as the guests enjoyed the game room.
But Bella was most interested in making sure that the water glasses remained full. She was almost in a state of euphoria by the end of the evening when suddenly she caught a glimpse of a figure standing perfectly still in the doorway. Taking another careful look in the door's direction, Bella saw that it was the woman she had seen this morning in the second floor hallway, dressed in a black evening gown that was extremely low cut with a slit rising from ankle to mid-thigh made even more prominent by the way the woman was standing with one exceptionally high heel out in front of the other, her arms crossed in what appeared to be amused contemplation, and her shoulder leaning against the door frame. Bella felt a warmth spread over her body as she realized that the woman was looking directly at her, eyes following as she made the last round of water re-fills and began to clean her area as she was to be excused from duty at 11 pm. When she looked again, the doorway was empty.
5. When you are excused from service for the evening you should return to your room and go to sleep. If you are not tired you may join any other unassigned servants in the fourth-floor parlor and enjoy whatever merriment you find there. You will need to wake up at 8:30 am and although that is later than this morning's requirement I do not recommend staying up too late. Since you leave tomorrow afternoon your instructions will be brief.
Bella had already become so comfortable in her surroundings that she had forgotten that 36 hours comes and goes so quickly, the next week would be torture waiting for the next opportunity to return. She pushed the thought out of her mind reminding herself that there was no reason to think about these things until it was time to go.
Bella put everything away and headed up to find the 4th-floor parlor, promising herself that she would only stay an hour, maybe two.
Later That Night
At the end of the hall were the two large doors leading to the fourth-floor parlor, they were closed, but unlike the bedroom doors, there was no prohibition against opening them without express permission. Bella could hear what sounded like a movie playing and hoped that the doors didn't open in a way that would disturb anyone already in the room. Opening the door slowly she peeked inside, seeing that the television was on the opposite wall she completed her entrance seemingly unnoticed by any of the occupants of the room.
Most of the servants were still assigned to activities leading late into the night so there were only two others in the parlor that night. Bella did not recognize either the male or female sitting on opposite ends of the large overstuffed couch positioned facing the television as if it had been moved there haphazardly just for the evening. Both looked up from the movie just long enough to nod in greeting to Bella and then were obviously so engrossed with the movie that they did not wish to be distracted. Sitting down on a nearby chair Bella wondered if she could catch up with the movie's story line enough to enjoy the story, but it was already too far along.
Bella was just about to get up to leave when she felt someone sit down on the arm of the chair she was sitting in. she looked up to see Marie perched on the arm, legs crossed, and looking amused. "Come on let’s go to my room, it seems pretty dead in here tonight," she said while grabbing Bella's arm and springing to her feet.
Bella accompanied her down the main staircase just outside the parlor and to the third floor where Marie's room was located. Bella had stayed over in Marie's room on the occasions she had visited the Manor prior to becoming a regular visitor and knew that it was larger and had its own bathroom. While they had slept in the same bed before, they had never been intimate and Bella did not consider that anything of that nature would ever occur between them.
Marie grabbed two glasses off of the bureau and swung the door of the small fridge in the corner of the room open with her foot and indicated for Bella to retrieve the bottle of wine from the door. "There's a corkscrew on the night stand sweetheart, be a good girl and open the bottle and pour us each a glass please."
Bella did as she was told instinctively, not even thinking about the fact that Marie had intentions beyond a late night chat.
After a couple glasses of the wine Marie was done making small talk, after asking about the day and Bella's feelings about the successful completion of her first red envelope, she was ready to get down to her real intentions, "Bella baby,” she purred, “please take off your uniform and come over here."
Bella stood up and looked at Marie for a moment in stunned silence, she began to protest slightly which prompted Marie to stand up and move closer until she was just inches away, "ok then, I'll help you out of it."
The words had barely escaped her lips when she reached out and the next thing Bella knew the thin camisole was laying on the floor and she was reaching for her own skirt, she freed its closure and let it fall to her feet. Marie's mouth was already hot on her neck and her arms had wrapped around Bella’s shoulders drawing her closer. Moving her hand to entangle her fingers in the fine hair that had come loose from Bella's pinned up hairstyle at the back of her neck, Marie pulled Bella’s mouth to her own and kissed her deeply as their bodies melted together in the embrace. Right at that moment, an urgent buzzing began to emanate from the phone on Marie's night stand.
"Damn it! You have to go," Marie hastily gathered up Bella's uniform and thrust it at her as she ushered her briskly into the hallway. "Hey, I'll see you at work on Monday." She whispered urgently. "Hurry up the main staircase before... well... just hurry!"
A somewhat disoriented Bella stood for a moment stark naked in the hallway of the third floor holding onto her clothing unsure if she should put it back on until she heard footsteps coming up from the second floor and she made a dash to the landing and flew up to the fourth floor since Marie had just told her moments ago to hurry.
When Bella reached the fourth-floor landing she realized that the footsteps had not stopped on the third floor. They had followed her up the next flight of stairs and were on the way to the fourth-floor landing. Ducking around the corner at the top of the stairs and quickly pulling on her camisole and skirt she was just buttoning the skirt when an unhappy looking male stepped into the hallway. Bella started down the hall toward her room trying to look like she was just walking from the parlor and had only stopped momentarily to fix her skirt, but the man was behind her and being taller caught up quickly.
Bella turned around and greeted him politely but then turned again to continue to her room. Before she could complete the 180-degree revolution he had grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him pinning her arm behind her back. Grabbing a handful of her hair he inhaled deeply as he examined the scent, "Yep that's Marie's!" He spat out and then mumbled something about the damn bisexuals in this place.
He released Bella's wrist and spun her around to face the wall and held her there with one arm across her shoulders, and reached under her skirt with the other hand until he had forced two fingers past the point of anything resembling appropriate and half growled into Bella's ear: "Well at least this one likes it rough."
He was reaching for his zipper when a deep female voice barked: "Let her go, Marcus, she is not for you and this is not how we do things here."
The man, Marcus, released Bella who remained motionless and unsure of what to do next. Maybe if she just held still long enough she could just teleport herself into her bed and this would have all been an unfortunate dream. She heard Marcus's feet on the stairs heading back down to the third floor, and then heard a door slam - Marie's door most likely - and then silence spread across the hallway like a thick dark cloud.
The next thing Bella knew she was laying on her bed, naked, and covered with a soft blanket while someone was talking to her in a soothing tone. Opening her eyes she saw the redhead from the bathroom sitting in a chair right next to the bed smoothing a cool washcloth across her forehead. "Shh.. don't move,” she whispered. “ I think you bumped your head when you fainted, you should take it easy for a while."
As Bella remembered that evening's events she wondered if that sort of thing was a common occurrence. Then she realized that there was another person in the room with them, it was the Lady. "Well, it looks like you have everything under control Logi, stay with her for the night and please explain to her what we spoke about so that it does not come as a surprise."
The Lady then exited the room without another word.
Bella turned to the girl and asked what the Lady was talking about.
Logi responded cautiously, "Technically you broke the rules tonight, your instructions had two options for your evening and neither was to visit a friend on the third floor, the Lady is considering whether or not to have you punished."
Bella felt the tears instantly well up in her eyes and the hot liquid begin to fall onto her cheeks, "but I didn't know, it was Marie's idea and she lives here - she came up and got me... "
Logi replied that Bella had agreed in her contract to have her actions dictated by the house and that any previous relationships were at that time superseded by the house.
"Sweetie, get some sleep, you are new, it won't be that bad, I'll stay here until I have to report in the morning but you can sleep until your wake up time."
Logi then climbed into bed with Bella, wrapped her arms around her and fell asleep.
When Bella woke up the next morning Logi was gone and on the nightstand stood a stark, cold, white envelope.
