There was enough visibility to get to the barn without carrying a lantern. The moon was approaching first quarter, and its light guided me down the path without a stumble. I'd been to the barn a few times when I needed a ride into town for writing supplies, and the lads, Gus and Max, were kind and helpful. The animals were quiet in the darkness, not stirring at my approach.
I saw a gleam from inside the barn, and from a distance I heard a woman's voice muttering: "My sins, my sins, oh my many sins." Then I heard the slap of leather and a cry; my first impulse was to take a couple of rapid steps forward as someone was clearly in danger, but on reflection I thought it better to approach unseen. I made certain my steps were unheard, and arrived to the scene.
Lady Alice stood between two great wooden pillars to the barn, her hands tied to them at full extension. She was completely naked: her hair was undone, and her body was slightly chubby, typical of a women in her late 40s. On the low wall of a stall nearby her tea-dress hung neatly, with her underthings next it. Her shoes sat on the floor with her stockings carefully rolled up in them. Her skin had several red stripes on it, ranging up and down her torso, and two whips landed on her bare back right after I got there. "My sins, my sins, please God forgive me my great sinfulness," she wailed. Her abusers were not well illuminated, but I could tell they were Gus and Max from their size and outlines. A lash came around to caress the underside of her breasts, and another landed on her backside. She was bathed in sweat, but her face was not completely lost in pain: there was an eagerness to receive more punishment there I found disconcerting. She danced a little in place, recovering from the last two strokes, and the young men waited until she nodded in agreement before they struck again.
I noticed she did not cry at the top of her voice: her volume was only enough to be heard in the barn. Sweat glistened from her body, plastering some of her hair to her forehead and matting the dark patch between her legs. Several lashes struck in succession, making her breasts wobble and her legs dance, her mouth moving in silent screams. A nod and the lads put down their whips.
"All right, my boys," she said in a strangely calm voice, "time to reward your efforts. Use me as you did before." The larger one came forward and stood before her, undoing his trousers and after a few strokes of his hand, inserted his prick. The other one produced his member and stroked it to readiness, licking his lips as he watched the scene. She moaned in a wild lust I could not have imagined her capable of producing, bucking against his body as he used her. Soon, he withdrew and went around behind her, parting her buttocks. She gasped and groaned as he invaded her backside, which was the signal for the other lad to come around and take his place before her, penetrating her vagina with a quick thrust.
Her head lolled against her forward partner's shoulder, her eyes closed and mouth open, sweat streaming down her face. The young men grunted in their exertions, and laughed as she wailed in delight at their attentions. She had one huge orgasm after another before they spent their energies within her. Supporting her limp body, they untied her and lowered her into the hay covering the floor as she recovered from her ordeal. At that time, I decided to retreat.
On my way back, I noticed the lights on in Sir Charles' study. Since I'd seen him on the verge of violation the night before, I guessed that he would be seeking the rear entrance of his butler that evening, unless he planned something with Penny the next day.
Time flowed quickly the next two days. I sequestered myself in the study as I copied the new string quartet and produced a set of parts, escaping the penance of tea with the Broughams. Maurice checked on me periodically, calm and formal as ever, seeing that I was fed and supplied with pots of coffee. On the second night, a Thursday, Mrs. Edwards visited me before I finished my evening's labors. "Mr. MacLeod, I need you to know something," she began.
"Yes," I said, worried at what it might be.
"I know you've been keeping company with Opal and Pearl while I was gone. I don't blame you: I never asked for a commitment from you or a vow of fidelity. I also know you haven't taken the most precious prize a young woman has from them either, of which I am grateful. Also I know you've treated the younger ones with charity and respect as their musical tutor. You are a better man that most I've known in my life."
"Thank you, Mrs. Edwards." I was worried about where she was going.
"My Colorado sojourn has left me more tired than usual, so I will not be able to attend to some of your needs as I have before. I don't know what your plans are after you leave Olympia, but you're a promising young man in your mid 20's, and I imagine they don't include hiring a housekeeper away from your current employer. So I ask that you continue your respect of this household's occupants as before, and thank you for your kindness."
I took a deep breath and let it out. "Thank you, Mrs. Edwards. I'm sure we'll see a great deal of each other before my work here is finished."
"You know I can't deny you anything you want, even if it's. . ." She slipped out of the door, and I felt a strange emptiness inside me.
Maurice appeared with a small drink on a tray thirty minutes later. "It is nine thirty, and you have a long day in the city tomorrow. I suggest you drink this and retire for the evening."
I stood up, rubbed my eyes and took the drink. "Thank you, Maurice, thank you. I appreciate your kindness in every way."
Her eyebrow rose and a slight smile graced her lips. "Indeed sir, you are most welcome."
"I saw something last night that amazed me, and wondered about its significance."
"Yes? Tell me."
"I went to the barn last night, and. . ."
"Ah, yes, say no more, please. How do I begin this? Let me say that as a young woman in her teens, Lady Alice was sent to a boarding school in France, a place run by very strict nuns; it was there she developed most of her attitudes toward the French, obviously. She found out about the mortification of the flesh there, and has practiced it at times when she felt guilty about something."
"I've never heard of this before. It's that a Catholic thing?"
"Not exclusively, although I knew of it in my homeland, even outside the monasteries. And of course, Lady Alice could never become Catholic and be accepted in society. Over the years, she has felt responsible for Sir Charles' failings, including what she perceives is his excessive sinful urges for perverted sex."