Lady Helena slowly stirred from her deep slumber. The curtains in her bedroom had been partially opened,
"shall I prepare a bath Madam?" inquired her personal maid Lucy, "cook will have breakfast prepared for you and your guests in an hour so there is plenty of time. The other servants are waking them now, I understand from his lordships valet they need to depart early in their carriage to return to London?"
The bright sunlight and chirpy voice of Lucy broke the last remnants of Helena's wine fogged slumber. "Damn and blast it!" Helena cried, "of course he is expected at court with his wife this afternoon. Thank you, my darling Lucy, for being so alert to things. I fear I over indulged a little last night in more ways than one! "
Lucy giggled, "it was a lively evening Madam, I think it just was well we only had a few of the staff working last night, you know what gossips some of them can be!"
Helena laughed, " at least I know you can be trusted to keep silent about events. I am sure you wouldn't want your father the vicar to hear what you were up to with his lordships valets last night below stairs! Never mind what went on with his lordship and his friends up here!" She pulled herself upright in bed, "so yes I think I could do with a bath to wash away last night's excesses!"
Lady Helena Mountfort was the widow of Lord Mountfort. She was a slim, well-proportioned and attractive lady, in her fortieth year. Her deceased husband had been a gambling man, among other things, and a year ago whilst losing heavily at cards had accused another player of cheating. Unfortunately, the player he had accused was an officer recently discharged from the army. The officer had deemed it an insult to his honour and called Lord Mountfort out. Thinking himself an expert with pistol and sword Mounfort had accepted. However, he was not the expert he believed and in the ensuing duel had taken a pistol ball between the eyes. As both their sons had both been killed fighting Bonaparte in France, the estate had fallen to her. For several months she had been pestered by many of the single gentry, seeking to win her affections and thus access to the large Mountfort fortune and the small Oxfordshire estate. Lady Helena however had other ideas, she had a niece some thirty years her junior who she intended to leave everything to when the time came, the will was already written and formally registered. So eventually the attention dwindled, and Helena was left to live her own life.
She had known her marriage had been a sham, one of convenience for her parents to marry her off. But since his death several aspects of his life had come to light which took her aback. Helena had always had quite strong sexual urges, but once his heirs had been born his Lordship had lost all interest in the bedroom. To protect the reputation of the family she had not, as several of her friends had done sought release elsewhere, something she now regretted. What she now discovered was that his sexual urges had been met elsewhere in London and below stairs with the staff in this very house. So now after over twenty-five years of a dull and boring marriage, to a man who spent more time in other women's beds than hers, she was going to have some fun.
Last night had been the second discreet and private party she had hosted for a select few of her London friends. All those invited, both male and female, were married, mostly in unhappy marriages arranged by family for status or business reasons. So, they had no interest whatsoever in her affections or her money. What they did enjoy however was the privacy of her estate, the proximity to London and the discretion of the few staff who remained at the house to tend to their needs over the visit. Once a month her Ladyship paid for the non-essential staff, under the watchful eye of her elderly butler James, to be taken into Oxford to enjoy a night off, staying in various hostelries in the city. This left the cook, three maids, Lucy her personal maid and four footmen that she trusted totally to look after the house on the night. Those going to Oxford thought their colleagues left behind were unlucky, or so straitlaced they wouldn't know what to do with themselves in the city, how little they knew about their colleagues.
The bacchanalian events above stairs had been mirrored below stairs by the various visiting household staff of the guests. Once the sumptuous dinner had been enjoyed by the dozen or so guests, the staff dismissed for the night, it had descended into a veritable roman orgy in the drawing room. Helena's body ached all over from the sexual excesses of the night. Her nipples throbbed, her holes were tender, and her jaw ached from the cocks she had enjoyed. The other three Ladies invited were probably feeling much the same, if only their husbands knew just how depraved they really were.
Helena finally slipped into the steaming waters of the copper bath prepared by Lucy. Who then tenderly administered the soap and wash cloths to cleanse her mistress. As often happened though, fingers slipped from the flannel and caressed smooth bare skin, once more heightening Lady Helena's arousal.
"Behave you naughty girl!" groaned Helena as she slapped Lucy's hand away, "I have to greet my guests for breakfast and I don't have time to play!"
Lucy pouted then turned to fetch the cotton sheet to wrap and dry her mistress with. Once dry she began to dress her in her undergarments and corset, cinching it tightly.
"I think we will dispense with the pantaloons today, my parts could with some air I think," she giggled. " My blue morning dress for now please but look out my green riding habit for later Lucy. I intend to enjoy some fresh air and exercise after breakfast."
Breakfast was a quiet affair, with all the guests nursing painful hangovers. Lord William Faversham, Helena's guest of honour looked quite pale.
"My dear I fear you quite exhausted me last night, along with my fellows. But this breakfast should set me right for the journey and the meeting with his Majesty. Although I do wish I didn't have to face my crow of a wife. She's become quite the social climber since we were first invited to court and its costing me a bally fortune!"
Lady Charlotte Hope giggled, "Billy my dear you did marry the wrong woman there. She will bankrupt you with her dressmakers bills!"
He hung his head, "I had no choice in the marriage as you well know Charlie, Papa arranged it as a favour to her family. But it's not the dresses I fear the cost of. She has now decided our carriage harnesses are not smart enough for London and Court, so I must arrange a new set. They are only a year old for heaven's sake! "
Helena looked across, "perhaps I can help? Jones our local blacksmith is also a genius with leather, he does all my saddlery and harness now Harry has gone. He's just finishing some new gates for the estate, I am sure I can get him to give you a good price. Perhaps your wife could visit and detail what she wants with him? His workmanship is excellent and unlike those London hustlers will give your dear wife exactly what she wants. He has certainly met all of my needs!" She grinned to herself, Jones looked after a lot more than her estates metal and leather work needs.
Finally, after a lengthy breakfast the various carriages departed leaving Helena alone in her house once more. The cart with the rest of the household staff had returned and they were busy with usual routines of cleaning and polishing. Once the main doors closed Helena called for Lucy.
"Prepare my riding attire Lucy, I need some fresh air after all that cigar smoke last night!" Then she turned to her butler James, "please ensure the house is well aired and plenty of fresh flowers in the rooms. When I return I will require your assistance in the cellar please."
James eyes lit up with anticipation, he knew exactly what sort of assistance her Ladyship required. Although nearly in his seventies, he was a master at the assistance her Ladyship enjoyed after her parties and he took the utmost pleasure in administering it.
Across the estate and on the edge of the village Jones the blacksmith had finally finished the gates. He had been working since dawn gave him the light he needed. He stood in the cottage doorway and called to his wife Annie. A rather rotund lady appeared from the back of the cottage, the years had not been kind to the slim young thing he had married some twenty years past.
"Make sure those lazy sons of ours load those gates careful like when old Harry arrives with his carts. I'm off for a walk through the woods and down to the lake to try and scrub off all this soot an charcoal before I go up to meet her Ladyship. Look out my best shirt n breeches for when I gets back."
He looked in on his sons, the three apprentices and old Jeb who was supervising them at the other end of the smithy before he left. "You two make sure the gates are loaded, padded and secure when I get back. Ma will be checking and casing you lazy sods. Any damage will be taken out on your backs! The rest of you no skiving whilst I'm away!" With that he set off out of the village down the path to the woods and the lake beyond.
Once behind the doors of her bedchamber Helena was helped of her dress by Lucy., leaving her wearing just her chemise, corset and stockings. Lucy began to take the green riding habit off the frame.
"Not yet," smiled Helena, "I think today is a day for my riding harness."
Lucy smiled knowingly and went to the small locked cupboard in the corner of the room. Only she and Lady Helena had the keys to this cupboard. Opening it she withdrew a soft leather harness with two shining metal phallic attachments.
"On your knees on the bed please Madam," instructed Lucy, "I need to prepare you."
Helena did as she was told and could soon feel Lucy's fingers and the cold steel against her nether regions. For some reason it was more exciting to have a servant do this than try to fit it herself.
