BY WILLIAM STREET
Lady Victoria waited impatiently in the elegant drawing room of her father's mansion, at a loss to understand what was taking so long in loading the several large trunks containing her wardrobe. At long last the Butler arrived to inform her that her carriage was now ready at her pleasure. She answered rudely, berating him for the incompetence of his staff and followed him to the cavernous Hall of the House. Her mother was there to administer a 'loving' kiss whilst her father was away in the Capital on some sort of 'legal business' of which she had declined to take any interest. The large staff of the House gathered outside to wave her on her way in a mock display of sorrow at her leaving. Victoria descended the large stone steps carefully; ensuring the many layers of her petticoats flowed in the same direction underneath her elegant silk dress.
The liveried footman steadied her and ushered her into the coach as she bent low to avoid catching her huge hat against the top of the doorway. She knew she was giving the servant an unhindered view of her ample cleavage bursting from of the top of her dress and glowered at him as if he had just crawled from under a stone. With her now securely seated the order was given and the coachman lunged the horses forward and off down the mile or so drive to the main road. The staff of the huge household breathed a sigh of relief.
Lady Victoria was a very pampered woman, a girl really; after all she had celebrated her eighteenth birthday only two months before. Her parents had presented her with a beautifully crafted solid silver hairbrush inscribed with her name and her birth date. They also announced their decision to send her to finishing school to learn about the finer points of being a Lady as opposed to just being born with the title. Her father, Lord John was one of the wealthiest men in the country and had just been created a Baronet, a finishing touch after such a dizzying rise in his fortunes. The young Lady Victoria treated everyone beneath her with disdain and this had to be tempered if she was to be introduced to high society.
Beddingfield Ladies College was the finest of its kind offering the very best in the finer arts for the wealthy Victorian debutante. It stood majestically within huge grounds, a turreted redbrick mansion of elegant proportions. Lady Victoria's coach arrived with full ceremony and was escorted inside by the Principal and tutors fussing in attendance to her every requirement. Her apartment was equipped in the finest of furniture with every possible luxury, complete with a Ladies maid to help unpack her huge trunks.
After settling in there was a reception to meet the other young Ladies together with the tutoring staff headed by the Principal Sir John Beddingfield. Lady Victoria was well known to the other Ladies of her society and was generally disliked for her brusque demeanour. She was singularly charming with Sir John and haughty towards the teaching staff. The butler of the household, Mr Tannard represented the below-stairs staff and was the last to be introduced to Lady Victoria who barely acknowledged his existence and he left the group almost immediately to carry on his duties.
Mr Tannard may be nobody above stairs but in his domain he was feared by every member of the household staff. A tall man in his forties with an eye for detail he ruled his roost with a rod of iron and woe betide any member of his staff whose standards fell below his expectations.
"She's a snotty young Lady," he said to the cook in summation of the new arrival. 'She will be a lot of work.'
Miriam the cook at thirty years of age was the eldest of the staff after himself and had similar values, he would also regularly share her bed. They respected each other's position and she approved of his strict approach. "The tutors will sort her out," she offered.
He nodded hopefully and went about his business. The below-stairs staff also numbered an assistant to the cook, a scullery maid, a parlour maid, four Ladies maids all female and lastly the only other male, an odd job boy come footman. He was a cheeky lad called Dick about eighteen years old and very popular among the 'down-stairs' girls who, with the exception of Miriam were all around nineteen.
The next day confirmed the Butler's prediction; 'she'll be a lot of work'. A problem with one of the cupboard doors in her room required Dick to be dispatched without delay. He found the room a scene of chaos as her maid attempted to unpack the trunks with Her Ladyship fussing over every detail. In the confusion Lady Victoria herself banged into the writing desk and upset the small inkbottle the contents of which soaked indelibly into a nearby silk scarf.
"You stupid, silly girl," she screamed at Sally, her maid. "Look what you have done."
Sally, looked startled then spotted the damage for which she knew she had no part but was unable to argue, "I'm sorry, my Lady, I'll get it.."
She was cut off by an incandescent Lady Victoria, "Sorry, you'll be sorry you stupid girl."
Dick, who had witnessed the incident, attempted to intercede, "Begging your pardon, my Lady but…"
He too was cut short as she rounded on him, her eyes flashing with rage.
"How dare you speak to me," she raged. "Leave this instant, both of you. Your Master will hear of this. Out!" she demanded. They both left quickly knowing they hadn't heard the last of it.
Lady Victoria sat stiffly in the huge drawing room as the butler entered.
"You rang for me, my Lady?" he asked in a clipped voice.
"Yes Tannard, I most certainly did," she addressed the master of the servants as if he were a schoolboy with no deference to the fact he was of similar age to her own father. "Your staff leave a lot to be desired and reflect you in a very poor light, Sir," she continued to describe the incident with Sally and Dick, "You will take steps in future to ensure the servants are properly trained for their tasks. Do you understand?"
The hackles were up on the back of his neck. He had never been lectured like this before, and certainly not from an eighteen year old girl, whatever her social standing. "Of course, my Lady," he said apologetically, seething inside, "I will deal with the pair of them most severely and send you my most experienced maid."
"You will do well to buck up your ideas, Tannard," she sniffed arrogantly. "I will not tolerate such inadequate service."
"Yes, my Lady," he agreed solemnly.
"You may leave now, Tannard," she intoned with a dismissive wave.
"Thank you, my Lady," he said giving her a low bow.
The enormous oak refractory table was set for dinner in the servant's hall, the upstairs staff and Ladies were relaxing after their meal and Mr Tannard sat at the head of his table with the cook at the other end. The others sat in order of privilege with the Ladies maids each side of him the parlour maid and scullery maid opposite each other, the cooks assistant and Dick. All the places were laid except for Mr Tannard's which meant only one thing; a punishment was going to take place before the meal would be served.
He looked at Sally, "Come here, girl," he ordered. Sally rose from the bench and stood at his side. "Lady Victoria says you were rude to her, young lady, and that you damaged a valuable scarf," he scowled.
The girl shuffled nervously trying to summon a reply knowing it would do no good. "I…er…"
"There can be no excuse for your behaviour," he interjected.
Once again Dick tried to intercede but was quickly put down.
"Be quiet, boy," he raised his voice, "I will deal with you shortly." He looked back at Sally and said simply, "bend over my knee."
Knowing that any protest would lead to a harsher punishment Sally curtseyed and quickly obeyed, placing herself across his lap. All the servants at Beddingfields were free to leave at anytime they chose and they knew that their continued employment was subject to them accepting whatever punishment Mr. Tannard chose to give them. Ladies maids wear a much more expensive dress than the other staff to make themselves more presentable to their Mistresses above stairs.
Hers was pale blue with a frilled neckline and hem just above her ankles and finished with a small white apron with a waistband tied into a ribbon round the back. Mr Tannard lifted the hem of her dress to reveal two petticoats, black woollen stockings and black buckled shoes. Up went the petticoats above her stocking tops exposing her pale bare bottom; girls of her station didn't wear knickers.
He held her firmly to his knee and spanked her bottom rapidly, 'TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH!' Familiar sounds of the Butler's harsh open hand across a tender girl's bare sit-upon echoed around the dining hall. 'TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH!'
Sally's small figure lay completely draped over Mr Tannards knee, his free hand firmly around her waist, the other swatting each reddening cheek in turn. Her high-pitched squeals followed each spank accompanied by Sally's legs dancing in mid air. 'TISSSH… TISSSH…TISSSH… TISSSH! He gave her at least a dozen swats before returning her sobbing to her seat.
"Come here, boy." Long faced, Dick rose from his seat and made his way to the head of the table as Mr Tannard rose from his chair, "unfasten your breeches my lad and bend over the table."
The girls watched closely as Dick unbuttoned his breeches and quickly bent over as ordered, Mr Tannard tugged the boy's pants down to his knees and walked over to the large dresser, returning with his short, thick leather razor 'strop', shiny from years of use. The 'strop' was the most feared of all his spanking implements with each stroke searing the unfortunate bottom with the intensity of a hot iron.
'SWACKK… SWACKK… SWACKK… SWACKK!' The butler leathered Dick's bare bottom with the fearsome strap using long powerful strokes, bringing the lad up onto his toes, each whack accompanied with a low grunt.
'SWACKK… SWACKK… SWACKK… SWACKK!' his grunts turned into yelps. 'SWACKK… SWACKK… SWACKK… SWACKK!'
At the twelfth stroke Dick jumped to his feet clutching his burning hide before realising his full frontal exposure to the girls and quickly bent back over the table. Mr Tannard blistered him with a dozen more before finishing with him. His face scarlet with embarrassment as he desperately tried to conceal his now semi-erect cock from the girls' prying eyes as he pulled up his pants easing them gently over his scorched backside.
He needn't have been so reticent, Dick certainly lived up to his name being very 'well endowed', half the girls there had been 'serviced' by him already and it wouldn't be very long before the others would hope to sample his wares for themselves. The girls resisted any attempt at a snigger or giggle for fear of being the next over Mr Tannard's knee. Miriam laid the Butlers place and dinner was served.
Lucy replaced Sally as Lady Victoria's maid. She was regarded as the best maid in the household and a bit of a 'goody two shoes' never putting a foot wrong but within days Mr Tannard had cause to verbally discipline her over her 'attitude' towards Lady Victoria.
Lucy pleaded her innocence, "Sir, I never said that honest."
"Are you saying Lady Victoria is telling lies," he countered.
Lucy knew she had no argument. "No, sir," she moaned.
"One more bad report my girl, and I will put you across my knee for a good spanking. Do you understand?"
"Y..yes, Sir," she answered contritely. Her stomach turned over, she had never been spanked before, by anyone. But she knew it was only a matter of time before her Ladyship complained again.
It was in fact three weeks later when she was called to Mr Tannard's side just before dinner. "I'm very disappointed in you Lucy," he said in a grave voice. "Lady Victoria sent for me again today to inform me of your insolence. What have you to say?"
Lucy now flushed stammered to defend herself, "I..I don't know, Sir." She stared down into his lap knowing she would soon be lying over it. "P..please Sir, I don't remember giving her Ladyship any offence," a sob filled her throat. "You know what happens next, young lady," he said plainly.
The thought of him baring her bottom in front of the others made her pant as if she had just run up two flights of stairs. "P..please, Sir. I beg you, I didn't do anything. P..please, please don't spank me, sir," she pleaded breathlessly.
Without any sign of sympathy for the girl, Mr Tannard motioned towards his lap, "over my knee," he ordered.
Resigned to her fate Lucy shuffled up to his broad thigh and bent herself forwards across his knee with her arms outstretched in front of her. She felt her long hair slump towards the floor partially restrained by the frilly linen cap pinned to the middle of her head. Mr Tannard raised her skirts high over her back exposing her black stockinged legs and her pert pale pink bottom and secured her firmly to his knee for the first spanking of her life. 'TISSSH…
TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH! His powerful hand whipped each cheek in turn as she bucked and jerked on his lap, his cock growing beneath her as he concentrated on tanning her virginal bottom. 'TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH…TISSSH! Lucy's squeals were music to his ears as she sang a tune she had never had to sing before, her legs dancing in time to his hand. 'TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH… TISSSH! He felt that a dozen swats were enough for her first time on his knee and let her up to return to her seat, smoothing her skirts and rubbing her bottom at the same time. Cook laid his place and dinner was served.
Lady Victoria's name was becoming synonymous with a spanking and the household staff walked in fear of her. Only Miriam, the cook seemed to escape her complaints. It was an open secret below stairs that Mr Tannard and the cook were more than just friends and he had been seen on more than one occasion leaving Miriam's room in the middle of the night. Especially after he had spanked one of the girls.
Penny, the upstairs parlour maid, was cowering in the corner of the magnificent drawing room like a frightened rabbit when Mr Tannard entered, summoned by the pull cord against the fireplace.
"You sent for me, My Ladies," he said on arrival giving a deferential bow to the four Ladies seated.
"Most certainly I did," began Lady Victoria pointing towards Penny, "this urchin is supposed to clean this room, is she not?"
Tannard agreed, "of course, My Lady."
Lady Victoria continued, "Then how, Sir, do you explain this?" sweeping her hand across the piano she showed him a white glove smeared with dust.
"Come here, girl," he commanded, Penny immediately obeyed, crossed the room to his side and bobbed a polite curtsey. "Can you explain this to me?"
She struggled to find her words, "Begging your pardon, Sir.. I … er, I was late starting this morning, Sir. I … I was going to finish it tomorrow, Sir. Honestly." She winced at the lameness of her excuse, knowing it would not be acceptable.
"Downstairs, young lady," he pointed towards the door, "I will deal with you in my sitting room."
"No, that will not do," Lady Victoria interjected. "You will punish her here. Now!"
Both he and Penny looked shocked. "I don't think that would be appropriate, My Lady," Tannard answered.
"We insist on it, Sir. Do we not, Ladies?"
Tannard looked at the others. Obviously Lady Victoria was the ringleader, Lady Simone and Lady Charlotte were always quiet but nodded their agreement whilst Lady Sarah spoke for herself, "Yes Tannard, let us see how you discipline these silly girls."
The Butler struggled to control the situation, "My Ladies," he said softly, "you would find my punishment of this girl to be very distasteful. This is best left to below stairs as I would not wish to distress you further."
The contrite Penny stood by the piano with her hands clasped in front of her knowing she would be punished severely by Mr Tannard and hoping for once that it would be in the Servants Hall in front of her own kind.
