Chapter Eleven: A Plan Finally Achieved
Mistress Cynthia opened her copy of The Maida Vale Courier which Daisy had placed on her side table along with her morning tea, and was astonished to see an article on page two entitled "The Scandal of the Bordello hidden behind the facade of a townhouse in a fashionable area of West London" written by someone titled 'An Exposer of Decadence'.
As she began to read the article her face reddened and her heart beat more rapidly:
"The Scandal of the Bordello hidden behind the facade of a non descript townhouse in a fashionable area of West London
Situated in the heart of Maida Vale in a row of well kept town houses is one particular house that belies its unassuming outward appearance and is a centre of depravity that attracts wealthy and respected members of society wanting to engage in paid for services of a perverse manner. Owned by a single Lady, who I will call 'C', who forces her poor maid to endure the most depraved acts of perverse 'erotica', and is paid handsomely by the visiting clients, whilst keeping her maid in penury, this is a scandal of epic proportion.
This is a warning to all those members of society, the clergy, accountants, barristers, and business men and women who frequent this house to revel in their perverse pleasures. I know who you are. Stop now, or this paper will expose your hypocrisy in its pages. As for the Lady of the house, release your maid and allow her to earn a decent living following Christian principles or you will be named and shamed in this paper."
Sitting in her newly rented premises Crystal smiled as she put down the paper that she too had been reading. It had required a promise of a free session to the journalist who she had convinced to write the story but that was well worth the price. It would send a shock wave through society and Mistress Cynthia would find her clientele dropping her immediately and she would be forced to release Daisy in order to protect herself from exposure. Of course those clients would be easily recruited in a few weeks time to Crystal's new discreet venture, especially if they knew Daisy would be available once more.
As she looked around her, she was pleased with the overall look of her new shop. The shelves were laden with haberdashery items from ribbons and fabric to reels of cotton and buttons and sewing kits all displayed to good effect. She sat on an upholstered settee which would provide her customers with a place to sit while orders were made up and packaged on the wooden counter with its cash register. She had bought the stock with the money gifted her from The Lady Dowager's will after having the interior painted and freshened up. In the back room was a collection of specialist items that had been left by the elderly Mr Shawcross when he vacated the premises with a short note saying that he hoped Crystal might find a use for them and wishing her good luck in her new venture. There was an assortment of whips, paddles, floggers, canes, nipple clamps, dildos, strapons, a variety of restraints and cock cages. It was most generous of him and all that was left for her to do was to purchase some 'furniture' and have it installed, 'soundproof' the room, something that should not be beyond the ability of John. The room had a separate entrance at the back of the premises to ensure discretion. John had arrived a week ago and was proving useful in his handyman role and was desperate to please and to have somewhere to stay.
The rooms above the shop were part furnished, consisting of a bed, dressing table, a chest of drawers in the bedroom she would be sharing with Daisy if everything went as planned, a small, bare box room with a mattress which John slept on and a lounge area and small kitchen.
As she enjoyed her coffee, she speculated on how long it would be before Mistress Cynthia released Daisy from service and Daisy could join her here in her newly acquired premises. Possibly it would take four to six weeks for her to realise that society was turning its back on her, Crystal would just have to wait and see.
In fact, it was exactly one month after publication of the article in The Maida Vale Courier that Mistress Cynthia finished a difficult appointment with her solicitor. Her finances were in dire straits since the clients she had come to rely on had deserted her and her debtors were demanding payment. Her only option was to move to the country house her elderly aunt owned in Shropshire and rent out her townhouse. The income would pay off her debts and provide a small, regular amount to live on. There would be no servants, no fashionable London parties. Her aunt employed a local woman for few hours a week to do some cleaning and cooking. Cynthia's life would be very different but there was no alternative. She now had to tell Daisy and cook that their services were no longer required. First, she saw cook, who cried at the news, though was somewhat reassured when Cynthia promised to find her a position in another household. Daisy, however seemed very calm, as though she knew this was coming. She told Cynthia that she had already discussed with a friend the possibility of staying with her for a few weeks whilst she sought an alternative position and would be grateful if she could leave at the end of the week.
So it was that at the weekend Crystal opened the door to her new premises and welcomed Daisy to her new home with a hug and a long lingering kiss.
The next four weeks were very busy at Crystal's new emporium. John was occupied constructing the soundproofed room that would used for the 'entertainment' of a number of select clients while Crystal assisted by Daisy opened the shop and began to build up a local clientele for her haberdashery wares. Business had been slow at first but as word spread about the good quality and reasonable prices and the variety of the goods on sale a steady stream of new customers was welcomed and it was soon clear that there was a definite demand for the products Crystal had on sale. At the end of the first month Crystal was pleased to see they were already covering their costs and making a small profit. Both her and Daisy were tired at the end of each day but were thoroughly enjoying both their new venture and working and living together free from the duty of service.
At the end of a busy day Daisy and Crystal sat across from each other at their dining table eating a meal that John had prepared. Daisy looked across the table and putting down her knife said:
"Crystal, it's been a wonderful few weeks since I joined you and I have enjoyed helping out in the shop. I can't help thinking though that although the shop is covering our costs, we could do with increasing our income and I am aware that some of the skills I learnt serving Mistress Cynthia are not being used presently. I would like to make a greater contribution and I feel that the time is right to begin entertaining one or two clients a week. John has finished soundproofing the back room, everything is ready and I don't want my 'connections' to find alternative outlets for their needs. What do you think?"
"Well, Daisy. If you feel you are ready and eager to get back to entertaining then I am happy for you to do so. The additional income would be useful in ensuring the continuation of our venture and indeed possible future expansion."
"Good, that's settled then. I will get John to deliver a message to two of my former regular clients informing them I am available once more."
