Eliza marvelled at the old stately Manor as her taxi made the transition from barely paved road to gravel pathway. Sure the Pennington estate was long derelict and working for the National Trust seemed a bit menial for a Cambridge graduate, but without anyone who wanted to vouch for her, curator of an obscure part of history was better than the myriad of jobs she had previously taken just to make ends meet.
Eliza always had trouble fitting in at Cambridge University. Being half Vietnamese, half American and studying for a degree in History with additional modules in Victorian literature meant she was treated more like a Jane Austin fangirl than a dedicated historian by her stuck-up English classmates. Worse still, when she left University, she found herself knocking around whatever job satisfied her visa and kept her from being deported. She was thrilled to have a job that paid above the visa threshold, even if a large part of the paycheque would immediately go back to the National Trust to cover rent to stay in the stately manor.
The history of Pennington Manor was fairly boring, a string of not-quite-aristocrats trying and failing to break into the inner circles of power. All coming to an end when, at a last bash at remaining relevant, Baronet Charles Pennington married his daughter Rosetta off to a wealthy businessman. Their hatred for each other was well recorded and after their 30 year marriage they had sired no children so the family ended with them. They had however completely rebuilt Pennington Manor and now Eliza had the duty to show bored families on holiday in one of the nearby campsites around a very unremarkable part of British history.
Eliza stepped out of the taxi and through the front door into the visitors center where the regional National Trust manager, an upright middle aged woman who introduced herself as Gemma McMillan, was waiting to show her the ropes. She was given a tour, a pile of old history books and keys to the manor. She was expected to start tours tomorrow and work the gift shop at the end. Outside of opening hours she was to clean and maintain the grounds. She would however, be given free reign to try events and innovations to bring in new sources of revenue.
Eliza was then left alone to get acquainted with her new home. It was past closing time with night falling, she was left to wander the halls, studying every detail the guide book pointed her to. She went into the second master bedroom and was struck by the imposing four poster bed dominating the room. She wished she could sleep in here rather than the broom closet she had been given, then realised with no on site management, no other staff and no CCTV, there was nothing stopping her as long as she woke up early enough to put the room right before any tourists arrived.
Eliza put on her pyjamas and shimmied under the anachronistic duvet (old cover, modern duvet.) Eliza was shorter than the average girl, so she was surprised to find her feet pressing against the footboard, this bed was made to be the exact size of a woman in the times when women were smaller, clearly so Lady Pennington could sleep in a bed apart from her husband. She pushed her head against the headboard and a panel gave way, dropping a large and dusty book onto her face. Eliza stared at the book, itâs black cover giving away nothing of its contents, as she opened it up, she found pages and pages of handwritten notes.
~~~
Dearest diary
Forced into a life where there is no departure from celibacy on my terms, I am driven to vent my mental frustrations as manually as I have taken to venting my physical woes. My husband is, quite plainly, one of the most boring boudoir presences in these sainted isles. I have long held a predilection for the unusual when it comes to my body and the indulgence of its vices. I had hoped upon my marriage that, despite my reservations on the character of my husband, the new Lord Pennington would at least enjoy my preference for animalistic ravishment.
On my wedding night I left him with some friends while I went ahead and prepared the marriage bed. I began by ripping up my wedding dress, making me look bedraggled and exposed. My heaving breasts freed from torn corsetry and my quivering unmentionables moister than even the most coastal moorland. I used the rags of my wedding dress to gag and blindfold myself before proceeding to tie my arms and legs to the posts of our bed.
I sat in my self imposed isolation, getting more and more excited at the thought of the destruction of my purity. When I heard the door open, I confess a gasp of delight crept its way out of my mouth and around my gag.
But rather than ravishment I got a browbeating to rival the sternest of matrons. He was furious that I would damage an expensive wedding dress, he feared for my position of a chaste and loving mother if this was the degradations I sought, and worst of all he was fearful that had another discovered me, another man could have been able to take that which was rightfully his, my maidenhead.
Once suitably chastised and prepared we did consummate the marriage, it had all the intimacy of a handshake at the conclusion of a meeting with investors.
So, on this piece of paper I make this promise, I will not be reliant on this businessman to bring me release, if my journey of romantic awakening ends up being one I take alone so be it, I will discover myself deeper than any housewife forced to quench the raging furnace of her loins for fear of impropriety. I seal this promise with a kiss from my most sincere lips.
Lady Rosetta Pennington
~~~
Elizaâs eyes widened at where Lady Pennington had clearly poured ink on her pussy and pressed it against the paper under her name. Immediately she scanned the page with all the knowledge gained from a single university module in artifact inspection. The ink was pooled and smudged in all the right places to suggest it was written by someone right handed with a quill and the slight browning indicated it was Iron Gall ink that had oxidised over the years. Everything pointed to this being a genuine diary of Lady Pennington.
Eliza snuggled into the duvet and prepared herself for an exciting read.
~~~
Dear Diary,
Providence smiles on my endeavour of self discovery. No sooner had I finished my account of how I came to this mission, did my husband announce that his latest business endeavour more than paid enough for us to live in a manner in which a Lord and Lady should expect. The old Pennington Manor is to be restored beyond its former glory, and as head of the household it was, of course, my duty to oversee the workmen and construction. To this end I was given a thoroughly immodest budget and bid to remain present during the building works while Lord Pennington conducted his business in the city.
Imagine, at my fingertips I have an army of workmen who will build what I bid without question, followed by evenings without servants with which to use what I have commissioned. I wasted no time requesting the workman build me a chamber with a purpose to âpunish immoral servants.â I have just emerged from the chamber and it certainly is effective.
In the hallway next to the library, I have placed a hidden room between the corridor and the outside wall, opened by pulling on the decorative songbird perched on the picture rail. Inside is all exposed brickwork with the exception of four metal clasps placed in a pattern to hold oneâs arms and legs in place spread from ones body, forcing someone to be pinned to the cold outer facing brick.
Once the four clasps are locked in place the only way to unlock them is for the grandfather clock in the nearby library to chime at the time set by myself. It is my new favourite hobby to lock myself in at night, my naked form inches from the cold night air, setting my release time to be moments before the arrival of the workmen. I have taken to morning walks first thing to go bring myself to a fall I had been desperately craving but unable to fulfil tied to a wall for a night.
It is such a pity I cannot be restrained and self pleasuring at the same time, but I have plenty more ideas ahead for my journey of debasement.
~~~
Eliza immediately shot out of bed. There was an undiscovered secret room in the manor, she couldnât believe the significance of her discovery if it were still there. Even though it was now late she rushed to the library corridor and pulled the indicated songbird. It yielded and the secret door in the wall popped open with a click, revealing the darkened room within.
She examined the clasps on the wall and found them rusty, but if she pushed down on them from the inside, they would click close and not reopen no matter how hard she pulled on them (luckily she pushed the inner clasp with her fingers and not her wrist). She then decided to investigate the clock in the library, there was no way that could still be connected, right? Eliza tried to move it and found it screwed to the floor, looking closer at the mechanism, it was clear there was a tense wire running down into the floor from a small switch hooked up to the clockâs bell system. She moved the alarm hand around until it made contact with the hour hand and the slow mournful bell rang at her behest. Back in the secret room the clasps clicked open.
Eliza had an invasive thought, she tried to smother it with logic and reason but she couldnât shake it out of her head.
âTry it, be a real historian, learn history from a first person perspective. Live history!â
Not believing the actions of her betraying body, she set the alarm in the clock for exactly half an hour and walked towards the room. Ready to try a half hour of being chained to the wall only wearing her light pyjamas.
The invasive thought persisted.
âLady Pennington didnât wear pyjamas. Lady Pennington didnât go for just half an hour.â