Alice sat on the edge of her bed and waited for the knock. She wasn't exactly afraid, it wasn't fear that was making her tremble, it was more that she was anxious and wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. She would do what he wanted, keep quiet, and try to smile; that's what the other girls had said when she'd told them. They had all been very excited and somehow they had excited her, made her feel like it was something glamorous, something to be proud of, and above all, something that would probably put a sovereign in her next pay. But now, sat on her small bed in her small attic room, in her Sunday dress it didn't seem like such a great idea. What if she couldn't go through with it? What if she couldn't bring herself to smile through the shame? Well it was too late now, she'd said yes, and disappointing Sir Robert at this point would surely only result in one thing; dismissal.
It wasn't that he was a mean employer, Alice had heard stories from maids in other houses of terrible Masters, and she'd thanked her lucky stars each night that she didn't work for one of those men. No, Sir Robert was kind and relatively considerate compared to most. He never had wandering hands, or forced himself on you, unlike some of the under butlers and male kitchen staff, but with them at least you could give them a firm slap around the face and Mr Monns the head butler was always on hand to defend a kitchen maid's honour. It wasn't even as though she was inexperienced. There had been many moments with lads in the village, plenty of evenings spent with her slip pulled up over her back, enjoying an intimate evening under the stars. She enjoyed that lovely feeling of being filled and taken, albeit by someone you hope will have moved to a new household within a month. A sharp but brief knock at her door interrupted her thoughts; she stood up, straightened her dress and took the two steps to the door.
"Yes?" she said, in what she hoped was a voice that did not sound expectant, but instead of a reply a note was pushed under the door. She unfolded the note and read it, carefully folded it up again and threw it onto the smouldering remains of the tiny fire in the grate. Then, shaking a little more now reached under her white dress and removed her petticoat. She waited for the distant footsteps to completely disappear before quietly leaving her room and slipping off down the maze of servant's corridors.
Alice managed to reach the main guest bedroom without passing any other staff. Although always ready to receive the odd passing member of nobility, this room was located in the east wing, all but separated from the main house, and so very few people ever had the need to visit it. Alice lifted her hand to knock on the grand, oak panelled doors but remembered the note just in time. She lowered her hand to the brass handle and pushed the heavy door open just enough for her to slip through into the bedroom.
Inside the room was dim but warm. The only light was radiating from the large fire in the enormous grate, and the room was full of shadows dancing across the panelled walls laden with tapestries and oil colours. Then she saw the bed. It had four heavily carved posts, its own lavishly painted roof, and the mattress was a good three feet off the floor; it was larger than Alice's whole room. She lightly stepped across the floor and touched one of the thick uprights.
"Aren't we forgetting something?" said a deep voice behind her. It was gravelly but not coarse, it had that distinctive confidence of the upper class and was the sort of voice that made people like Alice instantly feel like they've done something wrong. She had never conversed directly with Sir Robert, but Alice knew instantly that this was him.
"Sorry sir", she said quietly, and as if reading from a script she said, with what she hoped was the required confidence, "I'm here for my lesson , Sir. Please could someone..." the words momentarily stuck in her throat, "...fuck me?".
The voice in the darkness behind her gave a low chuckle. "Very good, my dear. Had to make sure it was the right lass. Didn't want any misunderstandings, yes?" Alice didn't answer, and except for the slight shuddering she didn't even move. "Come, come, we both know why you're here. Please do try to at least look like you're enjoying yourself. There's nothing worse than fucking someone with a dreary expression. Don't worry, you'll get a bonus if that's what's worrying you", said Sir Robert dismissively.
Alice hoped that she'd stifled the whimper sufficiently at the mention of money. If she was going to do this, then she was determined to do it confidently and with her head held high. She stood up a little straighter, subtly blinked away the water in her eyes and turned to face him with a warm smile. "No Sir Robert. Sorry, it's just all so different from downstairs. It's beautiful. I am ready for my lesson."
"Good, good." he said slowly as he gently, but firmly grasped her hand in his. As he led her to the fireplace she good a good look at him for the first time. She was relieved to see he wasn't unattractive, but the portrait in the grand hall had either been rather kind to him, or had been painted many years ago. Alice guessed he was in his mid fifties, and he had the dark furrowed skin of one who spends much of his days walking outdoors. His eyes were also dark, blood shot round the edges and currently burning into her chest, flitting from breast to breast.
When they reached the fireplace he left Alice with her front facing the warm fire, and moved to stand behind her. " Don't turn around.", he said, "I want to get you warm". She felt his hands on her waist and hoped he couldn't feel her tremble. His right hand then slid round to her front and up to her breast followed by his left, where they started to firmly massage her through the thin material, occasionally grasping her nipples between thumb and forefinger and gently pulling. "There, my dear", said Sir Robert, "It's not so bad is it?"
"No Sir." whispered Alice, motionless.
