My mistress's jewelry are fine things to behold: filigreed gold and sliver encrusted with diamonds and gems of every color. I gave a nervous glance around the room. My mistress's private room wasn't the most frequented place. As long I moved quickly there shouldn't be any problem.
My hands floated over the jewelry, rifling through them, almost caressing. I hadn't seen this much gold for a long time. My eyes lingered on the more expensive piece. With an effort of will I tore them away. Greedy thieves got caught. Instead, I snatched a ring from the corner and crumpled the red velvet to hide where it had been.
A sound came from the door, the creak of a hinge. I acted without thinking. There wasn't time to put the ring back in place, so I snapped the lid of the jewelry closed as quietly as I could and popped the ring into my mouth.
The door opened and my mistress stepped into the room. My mistress is beautiful; voluminous red hair pinned up above a slender neck and pale shoulders, her face aristocratic cheekbones and sharp features. Her dress complemented the fullness of her breasts and curve of her hips. Her sharp features were directed at me right then, an imperious gaze that snapped between the jewelry case and me and back again. I grabbed the rag from the mantelpiece and turned back to the china hurriedly.
My mistress stalked into the room, steps measured. I kept polishing in a circular motion and didn't turn around. Her footsteps reached the jewelry case and the lid creaked open. A moment went by before she spoke. "Where is it?"
My hand stopped and I turned towards her, bobbing my head, and spoke around the ring in my cheek. "I don't know what you mean mistress."
Her eyes narrowed at my words. She took a step towards me. "What is that in your mouth?"
I cast my eyes down and tried to minimize the slurring of my voice. "Nothing mistress. Nothing."
Her hand cupped my chin, slender fingers surprisingly strong, and forced my eyes to meet hers. "Don't lie."
I started to answer, but her hand slid into my mouth and cut off my voice. I jerked my head back and tried to swat her hand away. She pressed forward. I stumbled, and my back hit the wall. We struggled briefly, but she was taller, and it ended with my hands caught above my head, her knee pinning my waist, and two fingers shoved into my mouth. I gagged and tried to jerk away, but to no avail.
In her efforts to keep me still her knee rubbed in the fork between my legs, and I gasped. It gave her the opening she needed. Her fingers pulled out, moist with my spit, the ring dangling between them. Her eyes turned towards me. I glanced away.
"And so the little thief is caught." She said, voice elegant superiority and disgust. "I had wondered which of the servants it was."
"Mistress, I..." My voice trailed away as my mind failed to supply it with a suitable excuse. "I..."
"Was stealing." She finished for me.
"Never," I said, desperate, "I would never, mistress-"
"The little cunt was stealing." She sing-songed, the thumb of her hand stroking my cheek. "And now she's caught. I wonder what her punishment will be."
I blanched at her harsh language, but tried to go on. The hand cupping my chin tightened in an iron grasp. She leaned forward, the weight of the knee pressing against the fork in my legs intensifying. A gasp at the foreign sensation escaped me.
"No little cunt, you have forfeited the right to speak." She leaned so close that her lips almost brushed mine, her voice a faint purr. "Those pretty lips shall be put to better use."
She let go of my chin and whirled away, her voice taking on an almost formal tone, emphasizing the distance between us. "For stealing from me I could have you put on the street and made sure that you never worked again."
I let my eyes fall to the floor and didn't bother to rearrange my dress. It wouldn't serve any purpose. She was well within her rights to punish me, and without employment I would become destitute, forced to live in poverty...