When I pulled into the drive and stopped the car Yvonne immediately got out and stood waiting for me next to the car. I was in no rush so took my time in following her. I walked slowly round to her side and looked her up and down. She looked back at me uncertainly. The sun was starting to get low on the horizon and it painted the world in warm hues of red and orange.
"Strip," I ordered her. She stared at me open-mouthed. She was beginning to annoy me with her hesitations and I stepped forward and slapped her on the cheek. It wasn't hard at all and hardly left a mark, but she seemed shocked and took a step back, her eyes wide.
"Strip," I repeated and this time she started to obey. I held out my hand and took each item from her as it came off. First her blouse and then her bra and then she hesitated once again. I tapped my foot on the gravel impatiently and made half a step forward. She understood that immediately and unfastened her skirt and dropped it to the ground. Awkwardly she bent down and picked it up and handed it to me. I then led the way into the house.
She came to a halt on the threshold. We were both surprised by the sounds coming from within. The low, busy drone of a vacuum cleaner could be heard in a room to the right. I told Yvonne to close the front door before calling out.
"Is that you Mrs M?"
The cleaner fell silent and a voice came back, "no, Ma'am, its Rose. You're back early."
"We finished early," I replied, "is your mother not here?"
"No, Ma'am she's had to take our Digger to the vet. He cut his paw. She'll be here any min ..." and there was a sudden squeak as she came around the corner and saw Yvonne behind me. "Sorry, ma'am, I didn't know you had company."
"This is Yvonne, my new assistant," I explained to the confused girl. Rose was pretty in a rustic way. If I had to find a polite way of putting it, I'd say she was well-built in a farmer's wife-to-be sort of way. She was a pretty girl who didn't really know the best way to display herself although today she did look quite sweet. She had on one of those white peasant blouses paired with a full skirt in a wildflower print. The blouse could do with tugging down two or three inches at the top to show off her homely figure. Her hair was a little unkempt but then it always seemed to be, and her face was round and rosy-cheeked, so she was well named. All in all, she looked like she belonged in a farmhouse kitchen, up to her elbows in flour, busily making apple pies and lemon-drizzle cakes. I imagined her happy in her role.
My reveries were disturbed by the front door suddenly opening, almost throwing Yvonne off her feet. A short, dumpy woman, an older version of Rose, came charging in.
"Rose have you ..." she started to say and then stopped as she took in the scene. "I'm sorry Ms P. I wasn't expecting you back this early."
"Its ok Mrs.M, I'm sure Rose has done a good job without you. This is Yvonne, by the way, my new assistant," I told her.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss," she replied, not at all put out by her nakedness.
Mrs.M had been cleaning for me for years and I had no doubt over that time that she had got to know a few of my foibles. Coming in and finding a naked girl in the hallway would come as no surprise to her. Yvonne, on the other hand, was mortified and did not know where to look. I felt slightly mean but I was enjoying her embarrassment. It was Mrs.M who eased the situation.
"I'll leave you to it then and go check that Rose has done a good job," she announced, and strode off grabbing Rose's wrist as she went, "come on, girl."
"Well, that was a surprise. They're usually gone by the time I get home. Let's go upstairs and get you semi-decent while we have company," I said and headed for the stairs. Yvonne eagerly followed me, anxious to be hidden from view. The bedroom had been tidied with the clothes flung onto the floor last night now taken away, presumably into the wash. The new outfits that I had left on display on the bed had vanished. I looked in the wardrobe and found the tops and the other skirt hanging up. I opened a couple of drawers until I found the one containing the lingerie sets. I thought for a moment and then decided to choose a pretty girly pink set. It was more frilly than the others but just as see-through. It was, after all, a shop deliberately set up to sell such tantalising clothes. I held them out to Yvonne.
"Put these on," I told her, and sat on the bed and watched while she did so. She was in need of a shave down there I noticed as she finally pulled up the thong with a sigh of relief. It's important to keep up standards I thought to myself. It was something to deal with later.
I think she was hoping we were headed for the kitchen but instead I led her to the sitting room. Through the half-open door, I heard voices. I heard Mrs.M speaking sternly to Rose.
"She can do what she likes in her own house," she was saying, "ain't no business of ours. Just be polite to her."
The voices stopped as I walked in followed by a very reluctant Yvonne. I went to the chaise-longue and sat down while Yvonne loitered just inside the door. I turned to Mrs.M.
"Sorry if I gave you a shock when you came in," I said, "we went shopping for underwear yesterday and I was anxious to try out a new set. What do you think?"
I gestured to Yvonne to come and stand in the middle of the room and my expression offered her no choice but to do so.
"She looks quite lovely, Ms.P," she replied.
"And what do you think, Rose?"
"She looks very pretty, Ma'am," Rose said in a voice that trembled with uncertainty.
"It's a new shop in the mall," I explained to Mrs.M, "we should take Rose there one day. She'd look amazing in a set like that."
"Oh, Ms.P there's no need ..."
