Ruled by the Rod (21 page)

But not for
long.

We had only
been released so that we might serve, otherwise we might well have
been left even longer for the better reconstruction of our
fundaments. So now we must turn and kneel over the same bench we
had just quitted, a hot stem of metal, sticky with our own juices,
resurgent between each pair of us.

I could have
well done without this further reaming of my poor bumhole but,
compared with the dreadful invasion I had just suffered, even the
bishop's mighty manhood seemed comparatively mild and, at least,
soon withdrawn, leaving only a slight additional soreness, and a
sticky ooze, behind.

The gentlemen
then bade us goodnight, and retired to their rooms, leaving us to
clear away the dishes and make good the house, before making our
usual preparations for the night. I reflected, as I secured my
'saddle strap' between my legs, reawakening the soreness in my
ravaged behind, that at least we had been spared the disciplinary
accounting, and searing cuts of rod or cane that followed, that
were normally the culmination of these bi-weekly dinners.

Besides the
kang, and the enhancer of perfumed fundaments, the bishop had other
souvenirs of his oriental ministry. We endured in turn 'The
Butterfly's Kiss', a small jewelled clip, whose extravagant name
describes its shape but does not convey its effect, for it is
applied to the bud of the sexual nerve, and is anything but a kiss.
The serpent's bite would be more appropriate, and we each mewled
and writhed as we stood, hands behind head, trying to absorb its
terrible hurt, to demonstrate that fortitude it was designed to
test.

There were
'The Milk Needles', so named from the milky pearls with which they
were decorated, and the teats into which they were plunged. And the
'Celestial Sandals', celestial in that only a goddess without
weight could bear them, a flesh and blood woman hobbling and
moaning from the devilish little points set in the toes and heel.
We whined and writhed too, when anointed with the 'Passion Honey',
a sticky substance exactly matching the sweetness for which it was
named, but compounded from radish, peppers and exotic Chinese
herbs, it's viscous nature causing it to cling to the tenderest of
feminine tissues, and its burning bite inducing counterfeit
passion.

But the most
ingenious was 'The Bed of Unrelinquishable Torment'.

The bishop had
been most impressed by the pose in which we had to take our
corrective exercises, kneeling with widespread legs on the arms of
the sturdy armchair that had once adorned papa's study, and now did
the same for that of the judge. He had commented that an awkward
pose contributed to the effort a girl had to make to maintain her
position, much to the good of her soul, but that occasionally, it
could be beneficial if she were made helpless before the
flagellation proceeded.

'Strap them
down, d'ye mean?' the judge asked. 'Could be a useful variant, I
suppose.'

'Indeed,' the
right reverend gentleman agreed. 'And there are more subtle
methods, too. A young woman may be most elegantly placed, and
endure the most stringent punishment, and yet not seem anxious to
escape or shield her person. If you like I can demonstrate the
effect on my next visit.'

As has already
been recorded, the bishop was now a regular diner and there was but
little time passed before we were welcoming him again. When we
women had cleared the table, and reported to the study in our usual
state of undress, we found a new piece of furniture had been
added.

It was a
bench, long and low, beautifully constructed and decorated, with
mother of pearl inlays, a lacquered finish, and various elegant and
interesting cut-outs and curlicues to break up the stark outlines
of a simple bench. But, under it all, the careful eye could still
see it was a sturdy construction.

'Though I know
it has been the custom of the house that the eldest sister should
demonstrate each new piece of apparatus first, I have a fancy for
my own special charge, Annabelle, to make first assay of the
device,' the bishop observed.

'I see no
objection,' the judge ruled. 'Indeed, there is at least one
precedent, I recall. When the branks was first introduced by our
good friend the doctor, it was the clack-tongued Charlotte that
tasted it first.'

Charlotte hung
her head in shame at the recollection. It was noticeable how much
less forward in her speech she had become since the doctor paid his
visit to Scotland, and returned bearing the hideous contraption of
steel and iron known as the scold's bridle, or branks.

Thus it was
that I was first summoned to mount the bench. I was made to lie,
face down, along its length and to pull myself along until my
breasts, half hanging out of my stays in this posture, fell into
two of the curious cut-outs, painted and inlaid to represent the
mouths of fat exotic fishes. Then I must part my legs to let them
lie along the sides of the bench, my sex directly over another of
the openings, this time fashioned as the long gaping mouth of a
great dragon coiled along the bench between my knees.

I lay still,
as ordered, my arms stretched in front of me along the lacquered
surface. Suddenly I started, and was immediately told to stay
still. Something had moved in the space beneath my left breast and
touched the nipple which, to my shame, stiffened at the contact. It
was for all the world as if the fish had begun to suckle on the
teat, though I subsequently learnt it was but a tube, on the other
end of which a bellows pulled, drawing in the fleshy stub. With my
breast now drawn fully out of my stays and into the recess, I
gasped again, for tiny teeth, the serrated jaws of a metal clamp,
had seized the nipple at its base, and held it tight. Now the
mechanism drew on my right teat until it too had been secured by
the teeth below the bench.

I cannot
describe the strange feelings of terror and excitement mixed that
this outlandish restraint induced in me, but I had more to
come.

Something rose
from the dragon's mouth, forcing itself into the tight slit between
my pouting sex lips, as if the dragon was using its tongue to
salute me there. Then its jaws closed on either side, trapping the
lips against the tongue. Those jaws were equipped with short,
needle-sharp teeth, which gripped my tender flesh, piercing the
skin to the depth of a fingernail's thickness only, but set to drag
themselves ever deeper the more I resisted their pull.

Clenched
together around my captive vulva, the dragon's jaws withdrew, and
my sex with it, pinning me to the bench.

Picture me
then, my breasts gripped in the mouths of Pisces, my sex in the
locked dragon-jaws. I lay on the bench, my arms free, my legs free,
but totally captive, unless, that is, I cared to drag my most
intimate parts from their traps, scouring the skin from them in the
process, and much of the tissue besides. No wonder it was described
as unrelinquishable!

In this
position I received twenty cuts from the judge's most potent rod,
cuts that had me writhing and whining on the bench, trying to
endure as best I could. I clasped the bench under me with my arms,
holding my breasts tightly into the ravenous mouths of the fishes,
lest I inadvertently pull on them in my agony and tear the tender
dugs. I would have liked to have dropped my knees either side of
the bench and gripped tight there also, but to do so would have
canted up my pelvis, and the dragon would not permit it, sinking
his vicious teeth deeper into those fleshy lips at even a thought
of withdrawal. And I must lie with my legs along the bench,
straight out behind me, bunching up my nether cheeks so that the
cane might penetrate into their base with ease.

It was a
masterpiece of ingenuity, appreciating a woman's response exactly,
leaving her bound, yet free of the comforting security of bondage,
which females will use to reduce the exercise of fortitude that is
such an essential part of the rehabilitative process inherent in
their correction.

The summer
that year proved to be both long and hot. Though in some degree
welcome, my sisters and I did find it troublesome in many ways. Our
tight corseting and the many fetters and other restraints we wore
from time to time to curb our youthful exuberance, and the
discomfort that caused our male guardians.

Indeed, the
effects were amplified by the influence of the heat, and our female
effusions so much exaggerated by the warmth of the season, which
resulted in their having to call upon our services more and more
frequently. Our poor fundaments became quite sore from the so
frequent reaming they suffered, day and night, the soreness bought
to our consciousness even when most diverted by cleansing labour as
our perspiration trickled down our backs and sought out the deep
creases of our buttocks and the tender anuses that lay within.

It was with
some pleasure therefore, that we learnt from the gentlemen that
they planned to make an excursion across country, possibly to the
metropolis itself, if time permitted, enjoying the benefits of the
passenger carrying barges that had recently come into use and that,
moreover, we would have the privilege of accompanying them. We
busied ourselves with packing and preparation in a mood of some
excitement. Our own preparations, naturally, did not occupy us
long, having only the barest of possessions and, thankfully, spared
those anxieties and decisions that so beset females burdened with
extensive wardrobes and multiple choices of outfits from which to
select what they might pack for the voyage. But we were occupied
for some time in ironing, starching folding polishing sewing and
darning, to ensure that each gentleman was equipped as suited his
station, and would not go without those necessary changes of
garment and daily fresh linen that their rank called for.

Eventually all
was ready, and we were all conveyed by carriage to the basin on the
canal where our vessel lay, and our voyage would commence.

We were
delighted with the craft, so carefully designed, so well
constructed, with fittings of teak and copper, ingenious closets
for clothing and for hygiene. Even a kitchen, or galley as we
learnt to call it, with a very convenient iron stove in which to
prepare the gentlemen's meals, when they did not repair to some
waterside hostelry, with which the waterways were, we discovered,
liberally provided.

We carried the
gentlemen's portmanteaus on board and hung up their clothes, set
out their toilet articles and generally made things as comfortable
for them as the restricted, but luxurious accommodation permitted.
The one thing that seemed to be lacking was a horse to propel the
barge, and barge-man to supervise its labours.

The latter
omission was rectified when a stocky red-faced brute of a man
appeared and asked our guardians if they were ready to depart. They
agreed that they were set, but still there was no sign of a horse.
It was at this point that our true function, apart from our normal
duties from seeing to the gentlemen's wants of all kinds, was
explained to us. It appeared that the doctor had suggested that it
would be excellent for our health if we were to act as draught
animals on the trip, the exercise being beneficial to our bodies
and souls, a sentiment that we could not in reason object to. We
were, however, a little dismayed at the manner in which we were to
be employed. Since our efforts would inevitably result in our
perspiring, not to say sweat profusely, and the towropes would tend
to abrade our shoulders, we would undertake the task without our
gowns, clad only in our stays and petticoats. We understood the
reasoning well enough, but were somewhat embarrassed by the thought
of appearing bare-breasted in a public place, for the design of our
stays was such that they did nothing to cover out bosoms which
would be totally exposed, even calling attention to themselves by
the flashing of the large gold rings we wore in our teats.

When we
respectfully drew attention to this fact we were admonished for
lack of obedience, and promised some extra discipline at the
appropriate time for questioning their decision. We should not
think of ourselves, we were told, as women, while carrying out this
duty, but as draught animals. Indeed, we would be expected to
refrain from speech while engaged on towing duty. Moreover, in
keeping with our role of substitute horses, we would find our forms
decorated in much the same way as the animals we replaced. And in
particular, would be given small bells to attach to our nipple
rings, which would give out a merry jingle as we progressed through
the countryside. With this information and admonishment we were
sent to strip and prepare for duty.

We duly
appeared on the quayside, clad in petticoats and stays. Our
barge-master looked us over and drew attention to our boots and
stocking.

'There's
always clartey patches along the towpath,' he remarked. 'And the
mud will spoil those fine boots. Moreover there's places, this dry
weather, where it's a mite dusty, too. Best go barefoot, I'm
thinking. Leave them on the gunnel. One of you can attend to them
later.'

The gunwale,
we understood, was the rim of the boat and, since it had been made
plain that this uncompromising creature was to be in complete
charge of us and, moreover, carried a most unpleasant-looking whip
coiled under his arm, we made haste to obey lest we feel its bite
on our bare shoulders or, worse, our shamefully exposed
breasts.

We were to
pull the boat by means of a substantial towrope attached to a post
in the front of the barge and extending to the shore, where it
terminated in the centre of a triangular iron-plate wooden bar from
whose corners three shorter ropes hung. We were each to pull on a
rope, passed over one shoulder and fastened around our waists.