Bondmaiden (9 page)

Though finally allowed to rip off the cruel item at dawn, Lia’s troubles were not over, for that same day, tired and clumsy from lack of sleep, she made mistake after mistake. She was strapped five times in all, and by nightfall her bottom was so raw she couldn’t sit down. She did wonder whether Holmann would have put a stop to such sadistic victimisation had he been there, or whether Dagna would have bent him to her will in her usual fashion.

On the final day of Dagna being in charge a minor crisis arose. Just before noon a stocky, dark-haired youth appeared in the kitchen, with a message for the acting overseer. Lia learned later that his name was Edwyn, though everyone called him Maggot, for some reason. He was a page in the royal household, and came with a request from Queen Gudrun for rhubarb served with cream for her dessert, to which Dagna was obliged to act promptly.

Durwin and Tilda had already been dispatched on other errands, which is why Lia found herself a few minutes later hurrying through the town seeking first a fruit seller and then a dairyman for fresh cream. Having returned with the items, and hastily washed and chopped the rhubarb and poured on the cream, she was dispatched to the royal apartments to deliver it, a thing Dagna had once assured her would never happen.

More than a little nervous at the prospect of meeting a lady of such stature face to face, Lia made her way up the stairs, passing first the guardroom, then the great hall where the king held court, to arrive, breathless and a little light-headed, at the topmost floor, where the royal family dwelt. To her consternation there were several doors, all shut, and she had no idea which one was the queen’s.

At the far end of the landing was a guard wearing a helmet and mail armour, and bearing a spear. He grinned and winked, and she saw it was Terrell, the nice-looking one Tilda liked. She approached, thinking to ask him which was the queen’s room, and as she did so the door beside her opened and a woman hurried out, almost bumping into her in the process.

‘Oh, forgive me,’ the woman said in a soft, cultured voice. Lia was too flustered to speak, for this was a great lady, clearly, dressed in a long blue gown embroidered with silver thread, and wearing a silver cross on a chain about her neck. That Lia should meet her was remarkable enough, for she was more beautiful even than the statue of the Madonna in the cathedral, but for this person to speak to her, a mere servant, and to beg her forgiveness… that went beyond comprehension. And so Lia simply gawped, mute, while the lady waited, a gentle smile on her ruby-red lips.

‘Did you want something?’ the lady asked, when it was apparent Lia had been struck dumb. ‘Speak up, my dear; don’t be afraid.’

Her kind smile and soft words finally broke the spell. ‘The… the queen wanted this, my lady,’ Lia stammered, holding out the bowl of fruit and cream. ‘I fetched it from the town and prepared it… and here it is for her.’

The lady beamed and inclined her head. ‘Thank you, I’ll take it to her, shall I?’

Such politeness, such consideration from a highborn person was more than Lia could cope with. She babbled some response or other, handed over the bowl, bobbed a quick curtsey then turned and bolted. With the sound of musical laughter in her ears she fled down the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her.

The one good thing about the time with Holmann away, was that Durwin came to her bed each night. They cuddled and kissed, and touched each other intimately, with Durwin giving her pleasure and Lia stroking his cock until he ejaculated into the cloth she kept under the mattress for that purpose. Afterwards they lay together, and he explained that he hadn’t been able to come before because of Jarold.

‘I know about the hencoop,’ he whispered, keeping his voice down so as not to wake the others. ‘Jarold was forever boasting about it. He said you enjoyed it and begged for more.’

‘I hated it,’ Lia whispered. ‘I hate him.’

‘I know that. Jarold’s a rat and a liar. He said you offered to suck him too, but no one believes him. Even Tilda can’t stand him, and she’ll fuck anybody any time. That’s what they say down at the army barracks, at least.’

‘Not
any
time,’ a voice protested mischievously from the next bed. ‘I’m pure on Saint Ivar’s day.’

Lia smiled, and Durwin chuckled softly. ‘I can’t come once Jarold’s back,’ he went on. ‘He’ll know, and get you punished for it.’

Lia sighed. He was right, but she was going to miss him badly all the same. And she would definitely miss his gentle caresses, taking her mind off her troubles.

The next day, with Holmann back from his excursion and everything as it was before, Maggot put in another appearance. This time it wasn’t rhubarb he was seeking, but Lia, who was summoned to the royal apartments. The others regarded her strangely as she washed her hands and tidied her smock, and Tilda and Durwin looked apprehensive, which made Lia uncertain too, so that her knees were trembling and her heart thumping as she followed Maggot up the stairs.

When they reached the top floor he stopped outside a door, knocked, and told Lia to go straight in. Lia swallowed anxiously and opened the door.

It was a lady’s bedchamber, and the lady was in residence, perched on the end of the bed. And it was none other than Lia’s lady in blue, the one who’d spoken kindly to her and taken the bowl of rhubarb and cream to the queen.

‘Come in, Lia,’ she said, her voice just as kindly as Lia remembered. ‘Come sit here, beside me.’

She patted the bedcover, and Lia, astonished that a lady of such breeding would know her name, walked over on weak legs and sat beside her.

‘Are you thirsty?’ the lady asked. ‘Shall I send for pear cider, or just some water, perhaps?’

‘N-no, thank you, m-my lady,’ Lia stammered.

‘You called me that before,’ she said. ‘It’s a title to which I have no claim, however. My name is Velda, and that’s what you should call me. Or you can call me mistress, if it would make you feel more comfortable.’

‘Thank you… mistress,’ Lia mumbled self-consciously.

Velda nodded with satisfaction. ‘I’ve asked you here for a special reason, my dear. I want to examine you in an intimate fashion, though I can’t explain my motives at this time, but would you allow me to do that?’

The notion that such a person would ask Lia’s permission for anything was so strange that words seemed to fail her. So she nodded lamely, and Velda asked her to get undressed. As though in a dream, kindness being something alien and disorientating to her, Lia stood up and removed her things, then Velda drew her close and touched between her thighs, the way Holmann did, though she did it more gently and more considerately than the brutish overseer.

‘You’re still a virgin,’ Velda mused. ‘That’s good, Lia. Innocence is a precious thing, and shouldn’t be wasted on the first handsome face that comes along.’ She stood up and walked around Lia slowly, looking her up and down. ‘Your buttocks are heavily marked, I see.’

‘Yes, mistress.’

‘Are you beaten often?’

‘Yes, mistress, they do it all the time.’ As soon as the words were out Lia regretted them. It might be construed as criticism of her overseer, and if Holmann found out she would be in serious trouble. She shivered at the thought of what he might do. ‘But I expect I deserve it, mistress,’ she added hastily in an attempt to rectify the mistake.

‘Possibly,’ Velda said, though she sounded unconvinced. ‘And all these scratches on your breasts. I can’t imagine how you might have acquired those.’

Lia explained about the rose thorn bandage, and Velda’s delicate eyebrows arched in surprise… or horror, Lia wasn’t sure which. ‘And did you deserve that too?’ the woman asked.

‘Yes, mistress, I dropped a plateful of eels,’ Lia explained, ‘so Dagna had no choice but to punish me as she saw fit, I suppose.’

Velda frowned and patted her arm comfortingly. ‘Would you like to learn how to be a lady, Lia?’ she suddenly asked, taking the girl by complete surprise. ‘Would you like to learn how to behave like one, how to carry yourself correctly? If you can learn you could improve your lot in life. You might become a lady’s companion, even.’

Lia had never considered such a thing; had never even dreamed it might be possible. And yet the moment Velda made the offer she knew it was what she wanted more than anything in the world. If she was a lady’s companion she would no longer be a serf, and if she wasn’t a serf she might be able to help Helma and her father.

‘Oh yes, mistress!’ she beamed breathlessly, excitedly, her head spinning with sudden, unexpected hope. ‘Yes please!’

And that was how it all started. They sat together on the edge of the bed, and Velda told her they’d begin with anatomical terms, delicately touching Lia’s breasts. ‘So what are these called?’

‘Breasts… mistress,’ Lia said gingerly.

‘That’s right, breasts. And these?’

‘Nipples, mistress.’

‘Correct. You’re doing very well, Lia. And what’s this?’

‘My belly button, mistress.’

Velda chuckled. ‘Well, that’s what children call it, certainly. The proper name is navel. Lay back now and part your knees, and I’ll teach you some more.’

Lia did as instructed, blushing furiously, and Velda proceeded to touch parts of her anatomy and then say the proper name, the one a lady would use. Lia had to concentrate hard, for the words were difficult. Her slit was really her vulva, she learned, the opening inside was her vagina, and her lips were called her labia.

‘And this is your clitoris,’ Velda said, tickling Lia’s nubbin. ‘It’s very sensitive, but you probably know that already.’

She continued to stroke it, watching Lia’s face, and when she stopped it was much to the breathless girl’s disappointment. She rolled Lia over and the lesson continued. The two cheeks she sat on were her buttocks, Velda said, though bottom was acceptable. Backside was most definitely not, however, and neither was arse. Her bottom-hole was her anus, and the passage inside was her rectum.

‘Good,’ Velda said. ‘Now let’s run through them again, to help you remember.’

And so they did; and Velda turned it into a game by touching each part in a different way. She squeezed Lia’s breasts, pinched her nipples and stroked her navel. She rubbed her vulva, nipped her labia, patted her buttocks and prodded her anus, while Lia bit her lip and made no sound, for she was trying to act in a ladylike fashion and felt sure a lady would behave with dignity, although she struggled with this when Velda pressed a finger into her rectum, sinking it as far as it would go.

‘I see you’re a good girl who doesn’t make a lot of unnecessary fuss,’ Velda encouraged. ‘I’m glad about that, my dear. Things that can’t be helped must be accepted with fortitude, mustn’t they?’

The straightened finger still impaled Lia, flexing and working in and out. After a while a second finger joined it, which hurt a little, making Lia wince, but she bore it in silence, thinking that was how one endured things with fortitude.

Then Velda rolled her over and examined her vagina. ‘This is how I know you’re a virgin,’ she said. ‘The membrane I’m feeling now is called your hymen. That’s the last new word to remember, for today at least. So that’s it; I think we’re done. I haven’t forgotten anything, have I?’

She began to stroke Lia’s clitoris like before, only this time she didn’t stop and soon Lia was panting and her hips were moving in unison with the exquisite caress.

‘I see you like this,’ Velda purred. ‘Does someone else do something similar for you?’

‘The overseer… did it once, mistress,’ she gasped. ‘And there’s a guard, too. He wakes me up this way… so I can do my chores.’ Though Lia didn’t want to lie to Velda she didn’t mention Durwin’s name, for it might mean trouble for him.

‘The guard wakes you up by tickling your clitoris?’ Velda said, wryly amused.

‘Yes, mistress, and… and by feeling my breasts.’

‘Maybe I should arrange for him to wake me up, too,’ Velda murmured, seemingly to herself.

Lia felt something strange deep inside, as if she was dissolving slowly, but in the most wonderful way. Her gasps soon turned to a sobs of pleasure, and the movement of her hips became a languid dance of delight.

‘Do you know what it is you’re feeling now, Lia?’ Velda asked, but the girl shook her head, unable to speak. ‘It’s called an orgasm. I know I said no more new words, but I think this is one you’ll be happy to learn. It’s also called a climax, and it’s building in you now. You’re very close, in fact. I wasn’t going to do this, but you’ve been really good and I think you deserve it.’

She fell silent, and Lia abandoned herself to the waves of bliss washing through her body. Something seemed to explode inside and she squealed, pushing up with her hips. Velda crooned to her, telling her she was a sweet, clever girl, as slowly the feelings subsided, leaving Lia spent, and limp, and utterly contented.

Something strange and disturbing took place on her return to the kitchen. Everyone, Holmann included, behaved oddly around her. It was almost as if they were frightened of her, though that made no sense at all. Even Tilda and Durwin looked awkward, unsure whether to talk to her or not, and when Holmann and Dagna disappeared for a while Lia asked Durwin what was going on.

‘We’ve all been warned off,’ he said awkwardly, not looking her in the eye. ‘Maggot brought a message from the queen. No one is to hurt you or even touch you. Holmann’s not allowed to punish you, and you’re to be given light duties only. Oh, and Tilda’s got to do the morning chores in your place.’