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.
