The House of Correction
The House of Correction
By Georgina James
(From The House of Correction and other stories / Ed. by Helena Frost. – London: Wildfire Club, 1999.)
Maria von Greef stood with the rest of those in the court as the magistrates sentenced the girls in the dock. The girl being sentenced was the sixth that day, and the last. She was also the slightest of them all; no more than sixteen at the most, and slender. The most prominent features of her developing womanhood were ill-concealed beneath the simple smock she wore, the more so because it had evidently seen better days on someone smaller, and being belted in at the waist accentuated the hollow of her back and the fall of the coarse material over her bottom. The fair hair, braided in two plaits, fell almost to the waist and touched her hands now twisted in feverish anticipation one in the other behind her back. The sentence was inevitable. The only question now to be answered was how long. Her round innocent face bore the stains of tears which were again ready to brim over from the wide scared eyes and run down the sides of the pert-tipped nose to the full lips now pursed and nibbled between her teeth. The magistrates conferred, nodded approvingly together and the chairman cleared his throat.
“Heidi Klug you have been found guilty of wilful damage to city property and we hereby sentence you to be confined in the Bridewell for six months. Take her away.”
One of his companions tugged urgently at his arm and whispered.
“Oh yes—and you are to be whipped well and frequently.” Her protests were swiftly suppressed by two powerful warders [21] who were used to every girl under the orders of the court imagining herself to be innocent. As the magistrates rose to leave, Heidi was hustled to the wagon in the yard at the rear where Maria had taken her place with the others. And so the mournful cortege wound its way to the west of the small town on the outskirts of Bavaria in the year s*******n hundred and eighty nine, to where hard up against the city wall stood the grim building that would house the unhappy collection of girls for the foreseeable future. Two storeys of solid stone surrounding a courtyard entered only by a formidable arched door, paid tribute to the care which the city fathers lavished on the wanton and lost female sheep of their parish. The wagon rolled over the cobbles and halted. Only after the gates had been closed behind them did the driver climb slowly down and open the tall gate. A stern female from the gatehouse counted the girls down, checked her numbers twice and then called out,
“Which of you is von Greef?” Maria stepped hesitantly forward; somewhere in the building someone applied a disciplinary instrument to a girl and the ensuing sound of contact and her anguished response caused all heads to turn in that direction.
“The Governor wants to see you as soon as you arrive.”
“Where shall I go?” Maria asked.
The gatekeeper nodded in the direction whence came the sound. “You will find Ma’am in her quarters over there. Better hurry, she does not like to be kept waiting”.
Maria wrapped her cloak tightly around her and clutching the small hand baggage she had permitted herself, hastened across the wind-blasted cobbles to a small door set in the west wing. Her stature was of medium height, a head of auburn hair above a face of Grecian beauty which was held proudly on shoulders that had carried it for twenty and two years. Her slim figure was not outlined beneath her winter garments, but had it been it would have displayed long elegant legs that supported a trunk no less attractive and supple.
As she hurried to present herself, she thought of her late father’s [22] words. “You are a wilful girl, Maria. Headstrong and too plain spoken for this burgh. You will make friends, but you will also make many enemies. Be warned. When I am gone it will take but a little offence against someone of importance for you to find yourself in the Bridewell.”
He had died but six months back from a palsy and she had inherited the house, estates in the surrounding countryside, and a large sum of money safely held by various bankers. As the wind circled the last autumn leaves around her legs she began to regret the chain of events that had brought her to this forbidding place.
Within the door was a dismal corridor being scrubbed by a series of forlorn inmates under the supervision of an overseer. Her long grey dress fell to the ankles showing only a hint of the boots beneath. The belt around her waist served to carry a series of keys. Maria caught her breath as she observed in the woman’s hand a slender leather strap some eighteen inches in length, more suitable for oxen than the delicacy of a girl’s skin.
The woman pointed to a heavy oak door. “Knock,” she ordered. Maria obeyed and in response to the command to enter, forced herself to behave normally and proceed into the room. Small and sparsely furnished, it served only as an office or study. Behind the table dominating the centre of the room sat a lady of formidable proportions and demeanour. Her hair was parted in the centre and sleeked down to her scalp to be gathered behind in a bun. Her dress was the same colour as that of the overseer s but of a much finer material. Seated, her stature was not disclosed, but from accounts Maria knew her to be of commanding height and presence.
“You are Maria von Greef?” It was a statement more than a question. Maria nodded. Her heart was racing, her palms clammy. That this was all happening was due entirely to her own impulsive nature.
“You know why you are here?” Again no verbal answer was called for. “I have to inform you that I expect and demand complete discipline. Girls who come here do so to be punished, and [23] punished they will be, but it is also my duty to change every wanton slut into a decent upright citizen before she leaves and whatsoever that requires in the way of discipline she shall have.” This was said with a determination that struck terror into Maria. The woman’s power and dominance were awe-inspiring.
On one side of the room stood a dark block with a step for kneeling hollowed out some inches down and a leather covered top much ingrained with marks. At its sides hung straps. The cold eyes of the overseer followed Marias gaze and smiled without humour as they sensed her thoughts. Maria shivered as she imagined herself pinioned across the block with skirts raised so that the disciplinarian could fustigate that part of her which no eye had seen since her father had ceased to smack her at the age of ten. No doubt the shame would be witnessed by others. She would grind her pelvis in anguish against the leather to leave her own sweaty contribution to its patina. She shivered. The thought was too awful and yet— “ There is another block in the Great Hall for public birchings,” the guttural commanding voice stated flatly, breaking Maria’s images. An arm extended and indicated a strap lying on the desk. Like the leather of the block it had the markings of much use.
“That’s for you. Pick it up”
Maria reached out a trembling hand and closed her fist on the cool leather. It swung in her hand, supple and menacing. She inhaled deeply.
“You will use it, Fraulein, frequently. If your teaching of calligraphy and reading is to serve these sluts well then it must be beaten into them. I believe that Fraulein Schmidt is your cousin?” Maria concurred. “She will show you your duties and obligations. You will need a servant. The Klug girl will do nicely. I am sure the magistrates in their wisdom gave her a sufficiently long stay with us?”
“Six months, ma’am.”
“Good, we can always have that extended. Make sure you beat her well before you retire tonight. Do you hear?”
[24]
“Yes, ma’am.”
The prospect was too overwhelming for Maria to dwell upon. Heidi, standing so innocently in the dock, had represented in all possible ways the sort of girl that Maria had spent so many hours fantasising about. In her imagination she had sternly admonished such a sweet creature; threatened flogging; watched the imagined expression of horror; ordered her to bend over; positioned her with deliberate humiliation; laid on the stripes without remorse — and now this was to become reality. A knock on the door broke her thoughts. It was Charlotte who entered, seven years her senior and for five of them a faithful servant of the Bridewell.
“Take your cousin and teach her our ways. She will commence lessons in the morning.”
The curt nod that followed was a dismissal. The two girls turned on their heels and silently left the room. Outside, the corridor was now deserted. They impulsively turned and embraced.
“I’m so excited you finally came.” Charlotte exclaimed. “It will be so much more fun here with you to share it. I see she has issued you with your strap. I bet you are longing to use it. You must not hesitate, you know. Have you a servant appointed to you?”
“Yes. She said I was to have one of the girls I came in with, Heidi something.”
“She will need some instruction. I shall see to it. Just make sure when she goes to bed it is with a bottom that throbs like anything.”
“That’s what the Governor said, but what if she has failed to offend enough to merit it?”
“I don’t think you understand properly, my dove. Just being here merits a whipping as and when we feel like administering one, and I must confess I usually do feel like laying a strap across most of these girls’ bottoms, as they well know. Come, let me show you to your room. Your baggage arrived this morning.”
They linked arms and Charlotte guided them down the gloom of the corridors to a solid stone staircase opposite which were massive double doors.
[25]
“Just have a peep in here. This is the Great Hall where the girls eat and we exercise them when the weather is bad.” As Maria looked in, she saw that the tall narrow windows gave a fitful illumination from the rays of the setting autumn sun. Fortuitously they were concentrated on the dais at the far end. Its sole furnishing was a flogging block, bigger and heavier than the one Maria had just seen in the study. The angle of its top was different, being designed to slope the culprits head and shoulders more acutely and bring them nearer to the ground. The hump was shouldered to increase the upward thrust of the bottom, and the straps so spaced as to bring the thighs to the maximum of their distraction. Charlotte followed Maria’s gaze and giggled. “Once over that and they really know it.”
They ascended the staircase. The room allocated to Maria looked out onto the courtyard opposite the main gate. It already seemed an age since she had entered. The main gates were closed and bolted. Within the yard a small contingent of girls were sweeping the final leaves of autumn under the watchful eye of their overseer.
“There are four of us on the staff now you are here,” Charlotte said. “Madam myself, and Helene. You will meet Helene at staff supper. Then there are ten wardens like that woman down there. Madam chooses them for their brawn rather than their brains. You should just watch them giving a penal flogging. It’s a sheer delight. They can make any girl shout from the very first lash. They all dread coming up against Black Anna. That’s her down there.”
Maria took in the size of the six foot tall girl with jet black flowing tresses in her late thirties. The breadth of the girl’s shoulders made Maria shudder slightly at the thought of them swinging a rod through the air. She looked like someone who knew just how to get the best out of a penitent who could neither move nor protest. Turning from the window she took in her room. It was pleasantly furnished with a bed, table, chair and bureau and spotlessly clean. A rug covered some of the floor and where it was absent the boards were scrubbed until they shone. Bolted to the [26] floor near a bare wall were two wooden uprights. They were joined by a round bar which slotted into the uprights and was adjustable as to height. Immediately beneath in the floor were two rings. Charlotte strode over and laid a hand on the bar.
“It’s important to get this adjusted right,” she said “I was just about to use mine so I will show you how. If the bar is too low, the girls wriggle about like worms and if it’s too high they present themselves awkwardly. Come.”
Maria followed the dignified figure of her relative down the corridor, awed by the swirl of the elegant long pleated grey skirt and the clack of her boots on the stone flags. Within a room, not dissimilar to that allotted to Maria, stood a pale-faced girl clinging onto the bar with one hand as if to support herself.
“Did you think I was never coming, Trudie?” Charlotte asked briskly. “Well, never mind, I’m here now and the new Fraulein can see what happens to sluts who can’t be bothered to clean my room properly.” She accompanied her remarks by unclipping the strap from her belt. Maria noted that the floor rings and the base of the uprights were furnished with light cords. The girl, who was tall and willowy, was trembling visibly. The coarse waisted uniform dress was much worn, and in places threadbare. The hem was frayed and hung in such a way as to leave a clear view of her lower calves. Her heavy boots were polished to a high degree although the leather was old and cracked.
Maria gnawed pensively at her upper lip. She was about to witness a real thrashing at last and she hoped Charlotte would not hurry it too much. The culprit was pretty to look at, no more than eighteen, and would have looked very elegant in a ball gown, although her woebegone expression would have been much out of place. Despite the girl’s slight frame her breasts were ill-contained within the confines of her dress and their generosity suggested to Maria that nature had endowed her with equally womanly contours on that part of her that was destined to be flogged, the dress itself disguising any shape that might be beneath. Maria felt the beating of her own heart at what appeared to be twice its [27] normal rate. She had waited a long time for this; her day dream was about to become reality.
“Shall we prepare then?” asked Charlotte of the apprehensive culprit, who heaved a sigh presumably indicating her acceptance of the inevitable, and stepped up close to the bar.
“Lay over.” Charlotte commanded, and then added conversationally, “I intend to punish you very severely, Trudie.”
The culprit shuffled her feet forward until they were well under the bar, then in a liquid flowing movement hung her head down and reached her hands to the floor. It was a motion of such elegance and grace that it contrasted sharply with the ugliness of the heavy exposed boots fitting badly around her ankles and the coarse woollen stockings terminating at the knees which the rear of her dress had ridden up to expose. Just an inch or two of sweet flesh was visible above.
Charlotte knelt before the girl and, smiling, chided her as she fastened the trembling hands to the cords.
“You have really been here too long to be admonished like this for sluttishness. I shall be forced to make this an exemplary punishment, won’t I, Trudie? Legs, please.”
When the girl’s ankles had been secured to the uprights to Charlotte’s satisfaction she stood up, stepped back and gave a huge grin and wink to Maria.
The contours of the dress falling in between the parted thighs displayed the shape of her bottom to good effect. It was, to Maria’s untutored eye, a most whippable sight.
“Short and sharp,” said Charlotte. “They should not stay head down like this for more than a few moments, so it is only for minor domestic punishment like this. They get the real thing over the block.” She reached down and grasped the hem of the girl’s skirt, throwing it up and over her shoulders in one quick movement.
The prominent bottom quivered in anticipation of the strap’s impact. Maria shuddered at the humiliation of the position, and felt a cold chill up her spine as she suppressed an image of herself [28] also bending over. She chided herself for permitting the thought to arrive and mar the pleasure of the moment she had anticipated for so long and was now about to experience.
Her eye was drawn from the girl’s knees up the inner sides of the thighs where in the shadows nestled a suggestion of the girl’s most intimate part.
Charlotte broke in on her reverie. “You may have noticed she isn’t marked much. I’m saving her for Friday.”
“Friday?” queried Maria.
“Yes, she goes out on Saturday and I promised her a public birching in the Great Hall the day before she goes. Are you looking forward to it, Trudie?”That there was no answer did not seem to make any impact on Charlotte. In a sudden movement that startled Maria, the strap came down with a crisp sound the quality of which was surprisingly satisfying. The recipient gave a sharp intake of breath and strained up onto her toes, the tendons behind her knees taut and prominent. Across her bottom, just below the line of her undergarment, appeared a vivid swatch of red. Maria felt a sudden surge of warmth towards Charlotte. The next stroke took the culprit high up where the divide of her bottom started, and curled a little around the right flank. A tiny whimper followed the resounding splat of contact between leather and girl-flesh and the groove tightened and narrowed. She tried to squeeze her thighs together and pulled at her bonds in a hopeless manner.
The next two fell, one following the other, as quickly as possible. The girl strained to lift herself off the bar squealing her protests to no avail. Charlotte flogged her resolutely and sharply until tiny beads of perspiration on her upper lip indicated the effort she was putting into her duty. The strokes alternated above and below the centre of the whipped bottom leaving three or four inches untouched. Breathing fast, she stopped.
“Now you try,” said Charlotte, handing the strap to Maria.
The pause, brief though it was, gave Trudie a moment in which to stop gasping for breath and refrain from pulling uselessly at her bonds. More than anything she wanted to close her thighs together.
[29]
Maria stepped forward, throwing a grateful glance at her cousin as she did so. The thought of sparing the girl a further infliction of pain never entered her head and should it have done so it would have been dismissed forthwith as a totally unworthy consideration. A girl’s bottom was designed by nature to accept correction without doing lasting harm. That in the infliction of such chastisement she was put to humiliation and shame only made it that much more effective. Maria swayed the strap against her own leg, contemplating all the while the proffered curves. Above and below Trudie’s undergarments slight traces of vivid scarlet mottled with spots of darker hue bordered her own target area. The tops of the thighs and the mystery of the lower part of the bottom had been particularly well punished.
Trudie’s consciousness was curiously focused by the broad swathes of pain onto that part of her bottom which had still to be thrashed. Maybe because it contained the most intimate and personal part of her anatomy or for some other obscure reason, she had never been more aware of her vulnerability, and in a strange way knew that it had to be right for the pain to be extended to the area that now virtually cried out for it, both to the disciplinarians and the culprit.
The room fell silent. In their own good time they would start to flog her again. She actually enjoyed the positive feeling of normality in the unblemished area, destined though it was, and all too soon, to be brought into line with the rest of her tight burning rump. The bar was pressing hard into her taking most of the weight and she tried to ease it momentarily by raising up onto her toes and tips of her fingers. The effect was to lift and broaden the surface of her bottom, an invitation that Maria found irresistible. The strap rose and fell to give Maria an exultation of spirit enhanced by the girl’s shrill cry of pain. Maria flogged with pride, and pleasure, secure in the knowledge that this was merely the finest part of the beginning. Charlotte nodded her approval. Trudie gasped out in anguish her part of the proceedings.
When, in the fullness of time, some twenty or thirty satisfactorily [30] hard strokes later, the strap had painted the bottom an even vivid hue, alas, all too soon for Maria, and after an infinity of suffering for Trudie, the flagellatrix looked enquiringly at her companion who nodded to the unasked question. It was Maria who this time knelt gazing up into the tear-stained face as she released the bonds. That was the result of her work. She was exulted.
Charlotte dismissed the recipient of their benefaction. “Go and find today’s intake. There is a girl called Heidi, she is to be Fraulein von Greef’s maid. Instruct her. Any mistakes on her part and I’ll have you over the block. Your stay here can always be extended, you know!”
Beaten and subdued though she was, Trudie contrived to walk gracefully out of the room, and Maria observed to herself how like a ballet dancer the girl was. She could have graced the Imperial Court so liquid were her movements, and it was almost too much to contemplate that in just two days she was to be beaten in full view of the whole establishment. On the way back to her room Maria considered the loneliness of a girl being strapped to the flogging block, mimicking in her imagination the victim’s feelings, and then relishing those same sensations as a mental voyeur.
She unpacked her valise and opened the top drawer of the bureau. Within lay several instruments designed to inflict varying degrees of punitive pain. There was a strap, heavier than the one shackled to her belt and spilt into two tails, the last few inches of both being much darkened with use; a pair of canes, one thinner than the other, slit at the end and painstakingly bound together with fine thread for reinforcement, the process being repeated at intervals of an inch or more so that the instrument had a series of hard ridges covering its lower nine inches with all the knots carefully tied on one side; a short-handled whip with several fine leather lashes, and cords in abundance. Maria took them up one by one, grateful to the person whose collection they had been and glanced across to the bar. There she noticed features which though [31] not apparent at first sight now revealed themselves clearly; the high polish of the centre part of the bar; the scuffed darkened floor just beneath, that the scrubbing had not eliminated; the rubbed marks on the uprights where the cords had worn away the polish; all of which indicated the regular use to which the apparatus had been put. A lifetime of girls must have bent across it to be beaten and humiliated. “I won’t let you down,” promised Maria to whomsoever had left her the instruments. “I shall start tonight.” A knock on the door disturbed her reverie. It was the little Heidi girl, already arrayed in prison garb, made of ill-fitting rough grey material, buttoned up to the neck with long sleeves that also fastened, she was lost in a garment as large for her as her dress on entry had been too small. She looked like a small girl dressed up for fun in her mother’s raiment. Sweetness and innocence glowed in her face.
“I’ve been appointed your servant, Fraulein. What may I do?” “Unpack my valise, but first empty that top drawer.”
Maria watched with consummate interest as Heidi pulled it open and then stiffened, standing still a second before turning to her and asking “Where shall I put them, Fraulein?”
“As they will be in regular use, put them back on top of the clothes. Have you been beaten very much, Heidi?”
“No ma’am, only by my mother when I was younger.”
“You must call me ‘Fraulein’. You will be beaten here, especially by me.”
“Yes, Fraulein.”
“Perhaps now is as good a time to start as any. Build up the fire, I don’t want you catching cold.” The subdued snub-nosed morsel of a girl scurried to the grate, and on her knees coaxed the ashes into life. A smudge across her forehead where she had passed the back of her hand to throw aside a curl gave an impish aspect to her countenance.
“That’s good, now choose something from that lot for me to beat you with.”
“But I haven’t___.”
[32]
“Haven’t done anything? Then why are you here, to enjoy yourself? I shall see you do not for a start. Do as you are told.” Her big blue eyes brimming with tears, the diminutive figure lost in the voluminous dress, turned and approached the bureau. For her the contents of the top drawer had taken on a new meaning. She picked up the strap, put it down again, fingered a cane then turned back as if to speak, thought better of it, and with a sigh selected the thinner of the canes.
If Maria had been picking up the cane she would have taken it by the handle end and instinctively swung it for weight. Heidi, like all culprits about to get a good dose of the cane across her bottom, went for the middle of the shaft and presented it with a curtsy and a muffled sob.
“A good choice,” said Maria to cover her own ignorance of the respective punitive merits of the carefully assembled instruments. “Now get that hideous dress off.” She watched patiently as the girl’s shaking fingers fumbled down the buttons until it was open to the waist. The cuffs took longer. Heidi drew the garment off her shoulders and pulled out her arms. It fell to her waist where she clutched at it in a last desperate attempt to preserve her modesty, her ripe unsupported little apple breasts which showed through the thin cloth of her petticoat and firmly declared her youth.
“Off—I said.”The cane slapped against Maria’s booted leg, and the dress slid to the ground. Heidi stood amidst its crumpledness, dressed only in her petticoat, with thick wool stockings to her knees vulgar against the whiteness of her undergarment.
“Arms by your sides. That’s better. Turn around.” Maria was drunk already with the heady wine of power and the sensation was enhanced beyond bearing by the nymph’s total obedience. Her posture with her head drooping, her arms loosely by her sides, and her weight on one leg so that the other was lightly flexed brought the light into play on the hollow of her back and displayed to the best possible advantage the deep curve above her bottom which caused it to thrust out, curvaceous, mischievous, [33] dainty, almost arrogant. It most certainly was arrogant, Maria decided, and so were the firm, closely-pressed together thighs that met the sweet undersweep of her bottom. It was the stuff dreams are made of—or for Heidi, nightmares.
Heidi suddenly rubbed the right side of her bottom.
Maria pounced. “Why are you doing that? Let me see.”
The startled Heidi, who had been unaware of her self-comforting movement, turned herself round so that her back faced Maria and bending over slightly, lifted her petticoat and pulled down the band of her knickers a little. High across her rump, curving around the right flank, was a solitary strap burn. It was cleanly delineated with sharp edges and a trace of blue mottling where the tip had bitten in.
“Why did you get that?” Maria enquired.
“In the bathhouse, Fraulein, for—for not being quick enough at my toilet.”
“Did it hurt ?”
“Yes, oh yes, very much.”
“I believe the cane hurts a great deal more, but you will find that out for yourself.” Maria had a sudden desire to restrain her impulses. As a small c***d keeps the daintiest morsel till last so did she wish to postpone the pleasures to be gleaned from this most whippable of creatures until it was time to retire.
“I shall beat you later, meantime unpack my things.” She went back to find Charlotte. It was going to be a glorious year.
The birchings on Friday were far more public than Maria had anticipated. In addition to the staff and inmates of the Bridewell, the magistrates attended, accompanied by their wives and selected friends. It was quite a gathering, taking place at four in the afternoon, preceded by hospitality and formal progress reports to the Judiciary.
Birchings were the only times during Maria’s stay when all the chandeliers were lit in the Great Hall and the room glistened with light. The block was pulled well forward to the front of the dais and to either side were great barrels each containing several birches. [34] These had already been selected and left in pickle for some days as the smell of vinegar in the air indicated. Charlotte had explained to her that the culprits to be punished (there were to be three of them) would be given special duties that day under the supervision of a designated warden. There was an atmosphere in the building that Maria found difficult to explain to herself, that could best be described as a combination of expectancy and tension. The girls, who were usually fairly outgoing despite the strict discipline they underwent, were subdued and quiet, attending to their tasks with even greater diligence than normal.
Maria had taken Heidi up to her room after breakfast, and to relieve her own tensions flogged the girl with a strap over the bar until her blubbering was a continuous moan and her skin blotched red and purple, promising her another dose of the same in the evening. It did nothing to subdue the rapid heart beats of anticipation Maria felt in association with her necessity to catch her breath. She lived every moment until the bell tolled three quarters to four, whereupon the inmates made their way to the Great Hall. Maria presented herself in the Governors quarters where she was formally introduced to the visiting magistrates and associate comptrollers of the Bridewell, all bearing their responsibilities with much dignity and interest. It was quite apparent that all present were convinced of the value to an undisciplined mind of a disciplined body, and in their respective ways wished to see that such justice was meted out in their town to the delinquents — and why not indeed as they as the tax payers had to support the establishment. Some felt they had a contribution to make in the way such discipline was applied, and others just wished to see that it was done.
Helene, who was in charge of the proceedings, was absent from her duties, and within a short time Maria found herself the centre of interest of a small group comprising the younger element of the visitors, of whom two admitted to having attended on a previous occasion, and the other four evinced much diligence in seeking details of the spectacle to be enacted, being not only [35] strangers to the Bridewell, but also visitors to the town. She had to confess to a certain ignorance having only been in authority for such a short period of time. Nevertheless the questions persisted. It seemed their appetites for information on the subject of penal discipline were much aroused.
A tall young man, of some five and twenty years or thereabouts who had the bearing of a lawyer, and was there, Maria suspected, in some official capacity, quizzed her in some depth as to the frequency with which she used the strap (polished to a high gloss by Heidi) now hanging officially from her waist. One of the girls with him giggled a little as Maria made answer. She noted that the gaze of all of them fell upon the inmates selected to serve the refreshments with more than passing interest. Heidi was one of them. Maria was loath to admit to Heidi’s recent thrashing but w as forced by the very pressure of questioning to detail it. The unanimity of opinion that it was not only well deserved, but bore need of repetition, brought a flush of pleasure to Maria’s cheeks, then, led by Charlotte, they made their way down to the main hall.
The entrance of the procession, between the ranks of the inmates who rose at one accord to greet their superiors, was a splendid sight in the glitter of light from above. The girls’ scrubbed cheeks and hands and cleaned and pressed garments and demure attitude enhanced the importance of the occasion. At last all were seated. The girls on hard narrow benches huddled together as if for support, the guests each to her own chair sustained by arm rests and supported by cushions. Maria was with the younger group with whom she had debated above.
“I hope they know how to flog here,” exclaimed the youngest female visitor to the lawyer. “At the last Bridewell we visited they made a mockery of the thing. Why the girls were scarcely marked at all!”
“I do assure you,” stated Charlotte, “our wardens are chosen for their ability.”
Two formidable strapping females had taken their place on the [36] dais, and were fully occupied in selecting from the barrels two birches each, to which they gave their full attention.
From the back of the Great Hall a small side door opened and a curious procession wound its way slowly forward between the ranks, much as had the guests, but with a great deal less enthusiasm, and much halting. First came the three culprits led by Trudie. Clad in a simple white smock which terminated at her knees with her hair braided and hanging down her back, feet bare, her person unadorned, she was the picture of penitence. Close behind, similarly clad, were two other figures flanked and encouraged in their progress by wardens. They made their way to the dais. The pallor of Trudie’s features enhanced her angelic quality and an observer was quick to announce that “She was created to be flogged, that one.”
The girl visitor sitting next to Maria, who had displayed such a surprising fund of knowledge in the field of penal discipline for one so young, commented authoritatively that ‘She is tougher than she looks that one, and will need a good dose bound down properly.”
Trudie’s hesitant approach to the threatening menace of the block was completed. She was left standing before it as the other two culprits were led to either side of the dais to await their turn, each accompanied by a burly warden in case they should have a change of mind about attending.
As alone as she would ever be again in life, Trudie trembled before the altar of her retribution. Those who were about to flog her had made their selections of the birches and now eyed her with a professional indifference. From the back, her knees could be seen to quiver.
The Governor stood. “Both the staff, and I am sure, the culprit, regret that this punishment is necessary, but I trust she will have more reason for regret than we will in the next few moments. For general lassitude in her work—twenty strokes.”
She paused, and Maria was unable to suppress a mental image of herself taking such a toll. “Too little, far too little” hissed the [37] experienced lass at her side, “Why it will be all over in five minutes, how disappointing.”
The deep resonant voice of doom spoke on. “Ten strokes for impudence, a further ten for resisting a warden and a final ten as her ‘Farewell’ and to remind her what is waiting should she be so unwise as to return to us.” Trudie buckled momentarily at the knee and gave a moan so forlorn as to soften the heart of any present with a degree of compassion. But if such a one was present they did not come forward.
“Fifty,” said the voice to Maria, “Much better, that’s what I call a flogging one can really settle into.”
At a nod from the Governor one of the two wardens beckoned Trudie forward and she ascended the dais unaided. Maria recognised the woman in question to be Black Anna. A few words were whispered in the penitents ear and she inclined her head briefly in reply. Maria guessed the question and was filled with an intense excitement. At the next word Trudie sank gracefully to her knees offering herself to the block, and knelt there, hands meekly held behind her back as the wardens fastened her ankles and knees with straps. The sharp command to bend herself right over was audible on its repetition.
“Sullen little bitch,” said Maria’s companion. “She should get double for not co-operating.” Trudie’s hands were drawn firmly forward to be fastened, before the strap was pulled tight across the small of her back, forcing it down into the block and thrusting up her bottom as she expelled another low moan of anguish. Her penitent’s dress had risen to the middle of her long thighs on which attention was now focused.
“She could do with another fifty across those,” came the wistful voice again. Black Anna signalled her companion to reach for the skirt, whose voluminous folds had to this moment concealed the flail length midline spilt. Trudie’s bottom with her knickers pulled tight across it, was on view to the whole gathering of two hundred or more people. There was a slight, but audible intake of breath by the visitors. The selection of the culprit for their delectation [38] was nigh on perfect. Maria felt excited. She was much affected by the depth of Trudie’s humiliation, compounded by the helplessness of the firmly-held limbs and trunk, all lending to the upward thrust of the bottom which imparted an impudence to the area to be soon so soundly flogged.
The room was strangely silent. A discreet cough, the stirring as one elegant silk clad leg was crossed over another, the comfortable settling of an ample bottom into the cushions was all that broke the silence.
Black Anna took up a birch and stood to the left side of the expectant bottom, her companion taking station opposite. Faithful to her duty she took a step forward, her right boot making a hollow sound as it struck the boards forcefully. Her shoulders swung and the massive female arm came across and down to bite the twigs deep into the receptive girl. Small pieces of twig fell away and one or two adhered to her bottom. Trudie screamed and moved a matter of inches within the confines of her bonds. Anna leant forward and picked away the debris. Her companion swung with equal severity and the scream became a howl that filled the hall. The two women whipped with all of their strength doing their duty to the utmost, pausing only ten or fifteen seconds between strokes to pick away bits of birch or position themselves to perfect advantage to allow the twigs to caress between the cheeks.
There was a pause after ten strokes to allow the disciplinarians to recover their breath. Tiny beads of perspiration stood out on Anna’s lips. When she started again the block seemed to lift from the floor with the v******e of the culprit’s exertions, maybe having something to do with the birch now being laid across her upper thighs, which tried to part as if seeking the rod’s kiss deep within her person. The whole area trembled, beneath the confines of the cloth and in places a tiny bead of blood made its appearance. From time to time, to maximise their best endeavours, the wardens took fresh birches, dripping with pickle from the barrels. The whipping took all of ten minutes by which time the noise Trudie had made for the [39] first few strokes had changed from a deafening roar to a long uncontrollable sobbing. Maria’s feelings had soared to a height commensurate only with Trudie’s agony. She wanted more, much more, not less. She imagined Heidi taking her place on the block, and felt very powerful knowing it was quite within her power to arrange such a flogging. Heidi, sitting amongst the others, had a sudden sixth sense concerning Maria’s thoughts, and she shuddered. She had never felt so vulnerable. She knew, oh yes, she knew for certain her coming fate.
Of such things is heaven on earth composed.
By Georgina James
(From The House of Correction and other stories / Ed. by Helena Frost. – London: Wildfire Club, 1999.)
Maria von Greef stood with the rest of those in the court as the magistrates sentenced the girls in the dock. The girl being sentenced was the sixth that day, and the last. She was also the slightest of them all; no more than sixteen at the most, and slender. The most prominent features of her developing womanhood were ill-concealed beneath the simple smock she wore, the more so because it had evidently seen better days on someone smaller, and being belted in at the waist accentuated the hollow of her back and the fall of the coarse material over her bottom. The fair hair, braided in two plaits, fell almost to the waist and touched her hands now twisted in feverish anticipation one in the other behind her back. The sentence was inevitable. The only question now to be answered was how long. Her round innocent face bore the stains of tears which were again ready to brim over from the wide scared eyes and run down the sides of the pert-tipped nose to the full lips now pursed and nibbled between her teeth. The magistrates conferred, nodded approvingly together and the chairman cleared his throat.
“Heidi Klug you have been found guilty of wilful damage to city property and we hereby sentence you to be confined in the Bridewell for six months. Take her away.”
One of his companions tugged urgently at his arm and whispered.
“Oh yes—and you are to be whipped well and frequently.” Her protests were swiftly suppressed by two powerful warders [21] who were used to every girl under the orders of the court imagining herself to be innocent. As the magistrates rose to leave, Heidi was hustled to the wagon in the yard at the rear where Maria had taken her place with the others. And so the mournful cortege wound its way to the west of the small town on the outskirts of Bavaria in the year s*******n hundred and eighty nine, to where hard up against the city wall stood the grim building that would house the unhappy collection of girls for the foreseeable future. Two storeys of solid stone surrounding a courtyard entered only by a formidable arched door, paid tribute to the care which the city fathers lavished on the wanton and lost female sheep of their parish. The wagon rolled over the cobbles and halted. Only after the gates had been closed behind them did the driver climb slowly down and open the tall gate. A stern female from the gatehouse counted the girls down, checked her numbers twice and then called out,
“Which of you is von Greef?” Maria stepped hesitantly forward; somewhere in the building someone applied a disciplinary instrument to a girl and the ensuing sound of contact and her anguished response caused all heads to turn in that direction.
“The Governor wants to see you as soon as you arrive.”
“Where shall I go?” Maria asked.
The gatekeeper nodded in the direction whence came the sound. “You will find Ma’am in her quarters over there. Better hurry, she does not like to be kept waiting”.
Maria wrapped her cloak tightly around her and clutching the small hand baggage she had permitted herself, hastened across the wind-blasted cobbles to a small door set in the west wing. Her stature was of medium height, a head of auburn hair above a face of Grecian beauty which was held proudly on shoulders that had carried it for twenty and two years. Her slim figure was not outlined beneath her winter garments, but had it been it would have displayed long elegant legs that supported a trunk no less attractive and supple.
As she hurried to present herself, she thought of her late father’s [22] words. “You are a wilful girl, Maria. Headstrong and too plain spoken for this burgh. You will make friends, but you will also make many enemies. Be warned. When I am gone it will take but a little offence against someone of importance for you to find yourself in the Bridewell.”
He had died but six months back from a palsy and she had inherited the house, estates in the surrounding countryside, and a large sum of money safely held by various bankers. As the wind circled the last autumn leaves around her legs she began to regret the chain of events that had brought her to this forbidding place.
Within the door was a dismal corridor being scrubbed by a series of forlorn inmates under the supervision of an overseer. Her long grey dress fell to the ankles showing only a hint of the boots beneath. The belt around her waist served to carry a series of keys. Maria caught her breath as she observed in the woman’s hand a slender leather strap some eighteen inches in length, more suitable for oxen than the delicacy of a girl’s skin.
The woman pointed to a heavy oak door. “Knock,” she ordered. Maria obeyed and in response to the command to enter, forced herself to behave normally and proceed into the room. Small and sparsely furnished, it served only as an office or study. Behind the table dominating the centre of the room sat a lady of formidable proportions and demeanour. Her hair was parted in the centre and sleeked down to her scalp to be gathered behind in a bun. Her dress was the same colour as that of the overseer s but of a much finer material. Seated, her stature was not disclosed, but from accounts Maria knew her to be of commanding height and presence.
“You are Maria von Greef?” It was a statement more than a question. Maria nodded. Her heart was racing, her palms clammy. That this was all happening was due entirely to her own impulsive nature.
“You know why you are here?” Again no verbal answer was called for. “I have to inform you that I expect and demand complete discipline. Girls who come here do so to be punished, and [23] punished they will be, but it is also my duty to change every wanton slut into a decent upright citizen before she leaves and whatsoever that requires in the way of discipline she shall have.” This was said with a determination that struck terror into Maria. The woman’s power and dominance were awe-inspiring.
On one side of the room stood a dark block with a step for kneeling hollowed out some inches down and a leather covered top much ingrained with marks. At its sides hung straps. The cold eyes of the overseer followed Marias gaze and smiled without humour as they sensed her thoughts. Maria shivered as she imagined herself pinioned across the block with skirts raised so that the disciplinarian could fustigate that part of her which no eye had seen since her father had ceased to smack her at the age of ten. No doubt the shame would be witnessed by others. She would grind her pelvis in anguish against the leather to leave her own sweaty contribution to its patina. She shivered. The thought was too awful and yet— “ There is another block in the Great Hall for public birchings,” the guttural commanding voice stated flatly, breaking Maria’s images. An arm extended and indicated a strap lying on the desk. Like the leather of the block it had the markings of much use.
“That’s for you. Pick it up”
Maria reached out a trembling hand and closed her fist on the cool leather. It swung in her hand, supple and menacing. She inhaled deeply.
“You will use it, Fraulein, frequently. If your teaching of calligraphy and reading is to serve these sluts well then it must be beaten into them. I believe that Fraulein Schmidt is your cousin?” Maria concurred. “She will show you your duties and obligations. You will need a servant. The Klug girl will do nicely. I am sure the magistrates in their wisdom gave her a sufficiently long stay with us?”
“Six months, ma’am.”
“Good, we can always have that extended. Make sure you beat her well before you retire tonight. Do you hear?”
[24]
“Yes, ma’am.”
The prospect was too overwhelming for Maria to dwell upon. Heidi, standing so innocently in the dock, had represented in all possible ways the sort of girl that Maria had spent so many hours fantasising about. In her imagination she had sternly admonished such a sweet creature; threatened flogging; watched the imagined expression of horror; ordered her to bend over; positioned her with deliberate humiliation; laid on the stripes without remorse — and now this was to become reality. A knock on the door broke her thoughts. It was Charlotte who entered, seven years her senior and for five of them a faithful servant of the Bridewell.
“Take your cousin and teach her our ways. She will commence lessons in the morning.”
The curt nod that followed was a dismissal. The two girls turned on their heels and silently left the room. Outside, the corridor was now deserted. They impulsively turned and embraced.
“I’m so excited you finally came.” Charlotte exclaimed. “It will be so much more fun here with you to share it. I see she has issued you with your strap. I bet you are longing to use it. You must not hesitate, you know. Have you a servant appointed to you?”
“Yes. She said I was to have one of the girls I came in with, Heidi something.”
“She will need some instruction. I shall see to it. Just make sure when she goes to bed it is with a bottom that throbs like anything.”
“That’s what the Governor said, but what if she has failed to offend enough to merit it?”
“I don’t think you understand properly, my dove. Just being here merits a whipping as and when we feel like administering one, and I must confess I usually do feel like laying a strap across most of these girls’ bottoms, as they well know. Come, let me show you to your room. Your baggage arrived this morning.”
They linked arms and Charlotte guided them down the gloom of the corridors to a solid stone staircase opposite which were massive double doors.
[25]
“Just have a peep in here. This is the Great Hall where the girls eat and we exercise them when the weather is bad.” As Maria looked in, she saw that the tall narrow windows gave a fitful illumination from the rays of the setting autumn sun. Fortuitously they were concentrated on the dais at the far end. Its sole furnishing was a flogging block, bigger and heavier than the one Maria had just seen in the study. The angle of its top was different, being designed to slope the culprits head and shoulders more acutely and bring them nearer to the ground. The hump was shouldered to increase the upward thrust of the bottom, and the straps so spaced as to bring the thighs to the maximum of their distraction. Charlotte followed Maria’s gaze and giggled. “Once over that and they really know it.”
They ascended the staircase. The room allocated to Maria looked out onto the courtyard opposite the main gate. It already seemed an age since she had entered. The main gates were closed and bolted. Within the yard a small contingent of girls were sweeping the final leaves of autumn under the watchful eye of their overseer.
“There are four of us on the staff now you are here,” Charlotte said. “Madam myself, and Helene. You will meet Helene at staff supper. Then there are ten wardens like that woman down there. Madam chooses them for their brawn rather than their brains. You should just watch them giving a penal flogging. It’s a sheer delight. They can make any girl shout from the very first lash. They all dread coming up against Black Anna. That’s her down there.”
Maria took in the size of the six foot tall girl with jet black flowing tresses in her late thirties. The breadth of the girl’s shoulders made Maria shudder slightly at the thought of them swinging a rod through the air. She looked like someone who knew just how to get the best out of a penitent who could neither move nor protest. Turning from the window she took in her room. It was pleasantly furnished with a bed, table, chair and bureau and spotlessly clean. A rug covered some of the floor and where it was absent the boards were scrubbed until they shone. Bolted to the [26] floor near a bare wall were two wooden uprights. They were joined by a round bar which slotted into the uprights and was adjustable as to height. Immediately beneath in the floor were two rings. Charlotte strode over and laid a hand on the bar.
“It’s important to get this adjusted right,” she said “I was just about to use mine so I will show you how. If the bar is too low, the girls wriggle about like worms and if it’s too high they present themselves awkwardly. Come.”
Maria followed the dignified figure of her relative down the corridor, awed by the swirl of the elegant long pleated grey skirt and the clack of her boots on the stone flags. Within a room, not dissimilar to that allotted to Maria, stood a pale-faced girl clinging onto the bar with one hand as if to support herself.
“Did you think I was never coming, Trudie?” Charlotte asked briskly. “Well, never mind, I’m here now and the new Fraulein can see what happens to sluts who can’t be bothered to clean my room properly.” She accompanied her remarks by unclipping the strap from her belt. Maria noted that the floor rings and the base of the uprights were furnished with light cords. The girl, who was tall and willowy, was trembling visibly. The coarse waisted uniform dress was much worn, and in places threadbare. The hem was frayed and hung in such a way as to leave a clear view of her lower calves. Her heavy boots were polished to a high degree although the leather was old and cracked.
Maria gnawed pensively at her upper lip. She was about to witness a real thrashing at last and she hoped Charlotte would not hurry it too much. The culprit was pretty to look at, no more than eighteen, and would have looked very elegant in a ball gown, although her woebegone expression would have been much out of place. Despite the girl’s slight frame her breasts were ill-contained within the confines of her dress and their generosity suggested to Maria that nature had endowed her with equally womanly contours on that part of her that was destined to be flogged, the dress itself disguising any shape that might be beneath. Maria felt the beating of her own heart at what appeared to be twice its [27] normal rate. She had waited a long time for this; her day dream was about to become reality.
“Shall we prepare then?” asked Charlotte of the apprehensive culprit, who heaved a sigh presumably indicating her acceptance of the inevitable, and stepped up close to the bar.
“Lay over.” Charlotte commanded, and then added conversationally, “I intend to punish you very severely, Trudie.”
The culprit shuffled her feet forward until they were well under the bar, then in a liquid flowing movement hung her head down and reached her hands to the floor. It was a motion of such elegance and grace that it contrasted sharply with the ugliness of the heavy exposed boots fitting badly around her ankles and the coarse woollen stockings terminating at the knees which the rear of her dress had ridden up to expose. Just an inch or two of sweet flesh was visible above.
Charlotte knelt before the girl and, smiling, chided her as she fastened the trembling hands to the cords.
“You have really been here too long to be admonished like this for sluttishness. I shall be forced to make this an exemplary punishment, won’t I, Trudie? Legs, please.”
When the girl’s ankles had been secured to the uprights to Charlotte’s satisfaction she stood up, stepped back and gave a huge grin and wink to Maria.
The contours of the dress falling in between the parted thighs displayed the shape of her bottom to good effect. It was, to Maria’s untutored eye, a most whippable sight.
“Short and sharp,” said Charlotte. “They should not stay head down like this for more than a few moments, so it is only for minor domestic punishment like this. They get the real thing over the block.” She reached down and grasped the hem of the girl’s skirt, throwing it up and over her shoulders in one quick movement.
The prominent bottom quivered in anticipation of the strap’s impact. Maria shuddered at the humiliation of the position, and felt a cold chill up her spine as she suppressed an image of herself [28] also bending over. She chided herself for permitting the thought to arrive and mar the pleasure of the moment she had anticipated for so long and was now about to experience.
Her eye was drawn from the girl’s knees up the inner sides of the thighs where in the shadows nestled a suggestion of the girl’s most intimate part.
Charlotte broke in on her reverie. “You may have noticed she isn’t marked much. I’m saving her for Friday.”
“Friday?” queried Maria.
“Yes, she goes out on Saturday and I promised her a public birching in the Great Hall the day before she goes. Are you looking forward to it, Trudie?”That there was no answer did not seem to make any impact on Charlotte. In a sudden movement that startled Maria, the strap came down with a crisp sound the quality of which was surprisingly satisfying. The recipient gave a sharp intake of breath and strained up onto her toes, the tendons behind her knees taut and prominent. Across her bottom, just below the line of her undergarment, appeared a vivid swatch of red. Maria felt a sudden surge of warmth towards Charlotte. The next stroke took the culprit high up where the divide of her bottom started, and curled a little around the right flank. A tiny whimper followed the resounding splat of contact between leather and girl-flesh and the groove tightened and narrowed. She tried to squeeze her thighs together and pulled at her bonds in a hopeless manner.
The next two fell, one following the other, as quickly as possible. The girl strained to lift herself off the bar squealing her protests to no avail. Charlotte flogged her resolutely and sharply until tiny beads of perspiration on her upper lip indicated the effort she was putting into her duty. The strokes alternated above and below the centre of the whipped bottom leaving three or four inches untouched. Breathing fast, she stopped.
“Now you try,” said Charlotte, handing the strap to Maria.
The pause, brief though it was, gave Trudie a moment in which to stop gasping for breath and refrain from pulling uselessly at her bonds. More than anything she wanted to close her thighs together.
[29]
Maria stepped forward, throwing a grateful glance at her cousin as she did so. The thought of sparing the girl a further infliction of pain never entered her head and should it have done so it would have been dismissed forthwith as a totally unworthy consideration. A girl’s bottom was designed by nature to accept correction without doing lasting harm. That in the infliction of such chastisement she was put to humiliation and shame only made it that much more effective. Maria swayed the strap against her own leg, contemplating all the while the proffered curves. Above and below Trudie’s undergarments slight traces of vivid scarlet mottled with spots of darker hue bordered her own target area. The tops of the thighs and the mystery of the lower part of the bottom had been particularly well punished.
Trudie’s consciousness was curiously focused by the broad swathes of pain onto that part of her bottom which had still to be thrashed. Maybe because it contained the most intimate and personal part of her anatomy or for some other obscure reason, she had never been more aware of her vulnerability, and in a strange way knew that it had to be right for the pain to be extended to the area that now virtually cried out for it, both to the disciplinarians and the culprit.
The room fell silent. In their own good time they would start to flog her again. She actually enjoyed the positive feeling of normality in the unblemished area, destined though it was, and all too soon, to be brought into line with the rest of her tight burning rump. The bar was pressing hard into her taking most of the weight and she tried to ease it momentarily by raising up onto her toes and tips of her fingers. The effect was to lift and broaden the surface of her bottom, an invitation that Maria found irresistible. The strap rose and fell to give Maria an exultation of spirit enhanced by the girl’s shrill cry of pain. Maria flogged with pride, and pleasure, secure in the knowledge that this was merely the finest part of the beginning. Charlotte nodded her approval. Trudie gasped out in anguish her part of the proceedings.
When, in the fullness of time, some twenty or thirty satisfactorily [30] hard strokes later, the strap had painted the bottom an even vivid hue, alas, all too soon for Maria, and after an infinity of suffering for Trudie, the flagellatrix looked enquiringly at her companion who nodded to the unasked question. It was Maria who this time knelt gazing up into the tear-stained face as she released the bonds. That was the result of her work. She was exulted.
Charlotte dismissed the recipient of their benefaction. “Go and find today’s intake. There is a girl called Heidi, she is to be Fraulein von Greef’s maid. Instruct her. Any mistakes on her part and I’ll have you over the block. Your stay here can always be extended, you know!”
Beaten and subdued though she was, Trudie contrived to walk gracefully out of the room, and Maria observed to herself how like a ballet dancer the girl was. She could have graced the Imperial Court so liquid were her movements, and it was almost too much to contemplate that in just two days she was to be beaten in full view of the whole establishment. On the way back to her room Maria considered the loneliness of a girl being strapped to the flogging block, mimicking in her imagination the victim’s feelings, and then relishing those same sensations as a mental voyeur.
She unpacked her valise and opened the top drawer of the bureau. Within lay several instruments designed to inflict varying degrees of punitive pain. There was a strap, heavier than the one shackled to her belt and spilt into two tails, the last few inches of both being much darkened with use; a pair of canes, one thinner than the other, slit at the end and painstakingly bound together with fine thread for reinforcement, the process being repeated at intervals of an inch or more so that the instrument had a series of hard ridges covering its lower nine inches with all the knots carefully tied on one side; a short-handled whip with several fine leather lashes, and cords in abundance. Maria took them up one by one, grateful to the person whose collection they had been and glanced across to the bar. There she noticed features which though [31] not apparent at first sight now revealed themselves clearly; the high polish of the centre part of the bar; the scuffed darkened floor just beneath, that the scrubbing had not eliminated; the rubbed marks on the uprights where the cords had worn away the polish; all of which indicated the regular use to which the apparatus had been put. A lifetime of girls must have bent across it to be beaten and humiliated. “I won’t let you down,” promised Maria to whomsoever had left her the instruments. “I shall start tonight.” A knock on the door disturbed her reverie. It was the little Heidi girl, already arrayed in prison garb, made of ill-fitting rough grey material, buttoned up to the neck with long sleeves that also fastened, she was lost in a garment as large for her as her dress on entry had been too small. She looked like a small girl dressed up for fun in her mother’s raiment. Sweetness and innocence glowed in her face.
“I’ve been appointed your servant, Fraulein. What may I do?” “Unpack my valise, but first empty that top drawer.”
Maria watched with consummate interest as Heidi pulled it open and then stiffened, standing still a second before turning to her and asking “Where shall I put them, Fraulein?”
“As they will be in regular use, put them back on top of the clothes. Have you been beaten very much, Heidi?”
“No ma’am, only by my mother when I was younger.”
“You must call me ‘Fraulein’. You will be beaten here, especially by me.”
“Yes, Fraulein.”
“Perhaps now is as good a time to start as any. Build up the fire, I don’t want you catching cold.” The subdued snub-nosed morsel of a girl scurried to the grate, and on her knees coaxed the ashes into life. A smudge across her forehead where she had passed the back of her hand to throw aside a curl gave an impish aspect to her countenance.
“That’s good, now choose something from that lot for me to beat you with.”
“But I haven’t___.”
[32]
“Haven’t done anything? Then why are you here, to enjoy yourself? I shall see you do not for a start. Do as you are told.” Her big blue eyes brimming with tears, the diminutive figure lost in the voluminous dress, turned and approached the bureau. For her the contents of the top drawer had taken on a new meaning. She picked up the strap, put it down again, fingered a cane then turned back as if to speak, thought better of it, and with a sigh selected the thinner of the canes.
If Maria had been picking up the cane she would have taken it by the handle end and instinctively swung it for weight. Heidi, like all culprits about to get a good dose of the cane across her bottom, went for the middle of the shaft and presented it with a curtsy and a muffled sob.
“A good choice,” said Maria to cover her own ignorance of the respective punitive merits of the carefully assembled instruments. “Now get that hideous dress off.” She watched patiently as the girl’s shaking fingers fumbled down the buttons until it was open to the waist. The cuffs took longer. Heidi drew the garment off her shoulders and pulled out her arms. It fell to her waist where she clutched at it in a last desperate attempt to preserve her modesty, her ripe unsupported little apple breasts which showed through the thin cloth of her petticoat and firmly declared her youth.
“Off—I said.”The cane slapped against Maria’s booted leg, and the dress slid to the ground. Heidi stood amidst its crumpledness, dressed only in her petticoat, with thick wool stockings to her knees vulgar against the whiteness of her undergarment.
“Arms by your sides. That’s better. Turn around.” Maria was drunk already with the heady wine of power and the sensation was enhanced beyond bearing by the nymph’s total obedience. Her posture with her head drooping, her arms loosely by her sides, and her weight on one leg so that the other was lightly flexed brought the light into play on the hollow of her back and displayed to the best possible advantage the deep curve above her bottom which caused it to thrust out, curvaceous, mischievous, [33] dainty, almost arrogant. It most certainly was arrogant, Maria decided, and so were the firm, closely-pressed together thighs that met the sweet undersweep of her bottom. It was the stuff dreams are made of—or for Heidi, nightmares.
Heidi suddenly rubbed the right side of her bottom.
Maria pounced. “Why are you doing that? Let me see.”
The startled Heidi, who had been unaware of her self-comforting movement, turned herself round so that her back faced Maria and bending over slightly, lifted her petticoat and pulled down the band of her knickers a little. High across her rump, curving around the right flank, was a solitary strap burn. It was cleanly delineated with sharp edges and a trace of blue mottling where the tip had bitten in.
“Why did you get that?” Maria enquired.
“In the bathhouse, Fraulein, for—for not being quick enough at my toilet.”
“Did it hurt ?”
“Yes, oh yes, very much.”
“I believe the cane hurts a great deal more, but you will find that out for yourself.” Maria had a sudden desire to restrain her impulses. As a small c***d keeps the daintiest morsel till last so did she wish to postpone the pleasures to be gleaned from this most whippable of creatures until it was time to retire.
“I shall beat you later, meantime unpack my things.” She went back to find Charlotte. It was going to be a glorious year.
The birchings on Friday were far more public than Maria had anticipated. In addition to the staff and inmates of the Bridewell, the magistrates attended, accompanied by their wives and selected friends. It was quite a gathering, taking place at four in the afternoon, preceded by hospitality and formal progress reports to the Judiciary.
Birchings were the only times during Maria’s stay when all the chandeliers were lit in the Great Hall and the room glistened with light. The block was pulled well forward to the front of the dais and to either side were great barrels each containing several birches. [34] These had already been selected and left in pickle for some days as the smell of vinegar in the air indicated. Charlotte had explained to her that the culprits to be punished (there were to be three of them) would be given special duties that day under the supervision of a designated warden. There was an atmosphere in the building that Maria found difficult to explain to herself, that could best be described as a combination of expectancy and tension. The girls, who were usually fairly outgoing despite the strict discipline they underwent, were subdued and quiet, attending to their tasks with even greater diligence than normal.
Maria had taken Heidi up to her room after breakfast, and to relieve her own tensions flogged the girl with a strap over the bar until her blubbering was a continuous moan and her skin blotched red and purple, promising her another dose of the same in the evening. It did nothing to subdue the rapid heart beats of anticipation Maria felt in association with her necessity to catch her breath. She lived every moment until the bell tolled three quarters to four, whereupon the inmates made their way to the Great Hall. Maria presented herself in the Governors quarters where she was formally introduced to the visiting magistrates and associate comptrollers of the Bridewell, all bearing their responsibilities with much dignity and interest. It was quite apparent that all present were convinced of the value to an undisciplined mind of a disciplined body, and in their respective ways wished to see that such justice was meted out in their town to the delinquents — and why not indeed as they as the tax payers had to support the establishment. Some felt they had a contribution to make in the way such discipline was applied, and others just wished to see that it was done.
Helene, who was in charge of the proceedings, was absent from her duties, and within a short time Maria found herself the centre of interest of a small group comprising the younger element of the visitors, of whom two admitted to having attended on a previous occasion, and the other four evinced much diligence in seeking details of the spectacle to be enacted, being not only [35] strangers to the Bridewell, but also visitors to the town. She had to confess to a certain ignorance having only been in authority for such a short period of time. Nevertheless the questions persisted. It seemed their appetites for information on the subject of penal discipline were much aroused.
A tall young man, of some five and twenty years or thereabouts who had the bearing of a lawyer, and was there, Maria suspected, in some official capacity, quizzed her in some depth as to the frequency with which she used the strap (polished to a high gloss by Heidi) now hanging officially from her waist. One of the girls with him giggled a little as Maria made answer. She noted that the gaze of all of them fell upon the inmates selected to serve the refreshments with more than passing interest. Heidi was one of them. Maria was loath to admit to Heidi’s recent thrashing but w as forced by the very pressure of questioning to detail it. The unanimity of opinion that it was not only well deserved, but bore need of repetition, brought a flush of pleasure to Maria’s cheeks, then, led by Charlotte, they made their way down to the main hall.
The entrance of the procession, between the ranks of the inmates who rose at one accord to greet their superiors, was a splendid sight in the glitter of light from above. The girls’ scrubbed cheeks and hands and cleaned and pressed garments and demure attitude enhanced the importance of the occasion. At last all were seated. The girls on hard narrow benches huddled together as if for support, the guests each to her own chair sustained by arm rests and supported by cushions. Maria was with the younger group with whom she had debated above.
“I hope they know how to flog here,” exclaimed the youngest female visitor to the lawyer. “At the last Bridewell we visited they made a mockery of the thing. Why the girls were scarcely marked at all!”
“I do assure you,” stated Charlotte, “our wardens are chosen for their ability.”
Two formidable strapping females had taken their place on the [36] dais, and were fully occupied in selecting from the barrels two birches each, to which they gave their full attention.
From the back of the Great Hall a small side door opened and a curious procession wound its way slowly forward between the ranks, much as had the guests, but with a great deal less enthusiasm, and much halting. First came the three culprits led by Trudie. Clad in a simple white smock which terminated at her knees with her hair braided and hanging down her back, feet bare, her person unadorned, she was the picture of penitence. Close behind, similarly clad, were two other figures flanked and encouraged in their progress by wardens. They made their way to the dais. The pallor of Trudie’s features enhanced her angelic quality and an observer was quick to announce that “She was created to be flogged, that one.”
The girl visitor sitting next to Maria, who had displayed such a surprising fund of knowledge in the field of penal discipline for one so young, commented authoritatively that ‘She is tougher than she looks that one, and will need a good dose bound down properly.”
Trudie’s hesitant approach to the threatening menace of the block was completed. She was left standing before it as the other two culprits were led to either side of the dais to await their turn, each accompanied by a burly warden in case they should have a change of mind about attending.
As alone as she would ever be again in life, Trudie trembled before the altar of her retribution. Those who were about to flog her had made their selections of the birches and now eyed her with a professional indifference. From the back, her knees could be seen to quiver.
The Governor stood. “Both the staff, and I am sure, the culprit, regret that this punishment is necessary, but I trust she will have more reason for regret than we will in the next few moments. For general lassitude in her work—twenty strokes.”
She paused, and Maria was unable to suppress a mental image of herself taking such a toll. “Too little, far too little” hissed the [37] experienced lass at her side, “Why it will be all over in five minutes, how disappointing.”
The deep resonant voice of doom spoke on. “Ten strokes for impudence, a further ten for resisting a warden and a final ten as her ‘Farewell’ and to remind her what is waiting should she be so unwise as to return to us.” Trudie buckled momentarily at the knee and gave a moan so forlorn as to soften the heart of any present with a degree of compassion. But if such a one was present they did not come forward.
“Fifty,” said the voice to Maria, “Much better, that’s what I call a flogging one can really settle into.”
At a nod from the Governor one of the two wardens beckoned Trudie forward and she ascended the dais unaided. Maria recognised the woman in question to be Black Anna. A few words were whispered in the penitents ear and she inclined her head briefly in reply. Maria guessed the question and was filled with an intense excitement. At the next word Trudie sank gracefully to her knees offering herself to the block, and knelt there, hands meekly held behind her back as the wardens fastened her ankles and knees with straps. The sharp command to bend herself right over was audible on its repetition.
“Sullen little bitch,” said Maria’s companion. “She should get double for not co-operating.” Trudie’s hands were drawn firmly forward to be fastened, before the strap was pulled tight across the small of her back, forcing it down into the block and thrusting up her bottom as she expelled another low moan of anguish. Her penitent’s dress had risen to the middle of her long thighs on which attention was now focused.
“She could do with another fifty across those,” came the wistful voice again. Black Anna signalled her companion to reach for the skirt, whose voluminous folds had to this moment concealed the flail length midline spilt. Trudie’s bottom with her knickers pulled tight across it, was on view to the whole gathering of two hundred or more people. There was a slight, but audible intake of breath by the visitors. The selection of the culprit for their delectation [38] was nigh on perfect. Maria felt excited. She was much affected by the depth of Trudie’s humiliation, compounded by the helplessness of the firmly-held limbs and trunk, all lending to the upward thrust of the bottom which imparted an impudence to the area to be soon so soundly flogged.
The room was strangely silent. A discreet cough, the stirring as one elegant silk clad leg was crossed over another, the comfortable settling of an ample bottom into the cushions was all that broke the silence.
Black Anna took up a birch and stood to the left side of the expectant bottom, her companion taking station opposite. Faithful to her duty she took a step forward, her right boot making a hollow sound as it struck the boards forcefully. Her shoulders swung and the massive female arm came across and down to bite the twigs deep into the receptive girl. Small pieces of twig fell away and one or two adhered to her bottom. Trudie screamed and moved a matter of inches within the confines of her bonds. Anna leant forward and picked away the debris. Her companion swung with equal severity and the scream became a howl that filled the hall. The two women whipped with all of their strength doing their duty to the utmost, pausing only ten or fifteen seconds between strokes to pick away bits of birch or position themselves to perfect advantage to allow the twigs to caress between the cheeks.
There was a pause after ten strokes to allow the disciplinarians to recover their breath. Tiny beads of perspiration stood out on Anna’s lips. When she started again the block seemed to lift from the floor with the v******e of the culprit’s exertions, maybe having something to do with the birch now being laid across her upper thighs, which tried to part as if seeking the rod’s kiss deep within her person. The whole area trembled, beneath the confines of the cloth and in places a tiny bead of blood made its appearance. From time to time, to maximise their best endeavours, the wardens took fresh birches, dripping with pickle from the barrels. The whipping took all of ten minutes by which time the noise Trudie had made for the [39] first few strokes had changed from a deafening roar to a long uncontrollable sobbing. Maria’s feelings had soared to a height commensurate only with Trudie’s agony. She wanted more, much more, not less. She imagined Heidi taking her place on the block, and felt very powerful knowing it was quite within her power to arrange such a flogging. Heidi, sitting amongst the others, had a sudden sixth sense concerning Maria’s thoughts, and she shuddered. She had never felt so vulnerable. She knew, oh yes, she knew for certain her coming fate.
Of such things is heaven on earth composed.
5 years ago