The Governess

My first recollection of Matlock House was a dark forbidding shape looming up out of the darkness as the carriage slowly made its way up the long drive. It had been a long and difficult journey from the railway station on a road that was potholed and badly surfaced. I had been travelling since the early hours and I was tired and weary. Now that I had arrived in this grand house in the English Peak District, all I could think about was having a bath and getting early to bed.

It was February, 1911 and I had come to take up my position as Governess to two young boys. It was my first appointment since graduating from Cheltenham Ladies College. I was 24 and young and inexperienced in the ways of the world. But, being one of 4 daughters in a large family, I was forced to make my own living, and, as I had no dowry or other prospects, the option of returning to my parent's house in Bath was no longer feasible. In these circumstances, I had no choice but to succeed in my new role and I was determined to do well.

The early signs were not encouraging on that cold and dark February night. After I was allowed in by the housekeeper, I was shown to the study of the master of the house. He kept me waiting for a good twenty minutes until he finally made his appearance. He was a tall, stern figure of a man with a cruel mouth and humourless eyes.

He outlined my duties and responsibilities, while I sat and listened to him without interruption. I could see, even at our first meeting, that he was not a man to be crossed or disobeyed.

"I really wanted a man here," he grumbled, "but, nevertheless, I expect you to further the boys' education and maintain a firm discipline,"

I nodded wisely, not having a clue as to how I was going to achieve that.

Then I met the boys. They were twins and had just had their 18th birthday. Neither had much to say in front of their father and my hopes were raised that they were quiet and good natured boys who would be easy to control. How wrong I was, that first night.

I was shown to my room on the second floor and that, at any rate, was most pleasing. It was a large delightful room with a desk in an alcove and a connecting bathroom. I loved it immediately. Then, tired from my journey I prepared for bed. I remember brushing my long dark hair and standing naked in front of the full length mirror. From early childhood, I had got into the habit of never wearing a nightdress. Now, I had a very good figure and at a height of 5 foot 7 inches, my legs were long and shapely. I bounced happily on the bed, very pleased with myself, I was about to start a new job on the road to life's adventures. But, little did I know what troubles lay ahead.

At first, things went very well. I was able to give lessons in all the subjects I had been taught at the College and the boys responded well. We covered Mathematics, English, history and Science and those early weeks were very satisfying.

Unfortunately, as time went on, I found my pupils were becoming less respectful of me. Sometimes they were downright unruly.

On sunny days, they seemed quiet and attentive. Later, I realised that as I stood at the window against the sunlight, they could clearly see my legs and the outline of my body through my thin day dress. But, those occasions were few and far between. As time went on, I found controlling them to be a continuous problem.

You see, I suppose I am fairly timid person by nature. My own teachers never had a problem controlling me. Ideally, I should have been teaching small children, preferably girls, but obtaining posts such as these were not easy. I had to support myself and circumstances were such that I had to obtain employment at the earliest opportunity. When the Governess position came up at Matlock House, I didn't hesitate. I was lucky to be offered the opportunity.

Sir Charles Percy was not a man to accept excuses or shortcomings in others and I dreaded having to explain my lack of control to him. I suppose it was inevitable that he would find out about me. One day, he happened to pass by the room which was used as my schoolroom. He opened the door and witnessed an appalling scene. Albert and Earnest were leaping about and throwing things at each other and making a terrible din.

And what was I doing? I was making my usual feeble and ineffectual attempt to restore order. No wonder Sir Charles was furious. His face just got redder and redder as he fought with his anger and outrage at what he was witnessing. And, of course, one look at his face was all it took to stop his son's mischievous behaviour. Oh how I wished I had such natural authority.

"The three of you will report to my study in five minutes," he growled. The menace in his voice was enough to send shivers down my spine and make me go weak at the knees. With trembling hands, I picked up my books and put them away. It was not long before I was standing with the boys in his study. His anger seemed to have been replaced by a cold fury and I dreaded what punishment he had in mind for us.

His sons were dealt with first. They had to bend over and drop their trousers while he thrashed them six times each with a rather vicious looking cane that he produced from a locked cabinet.

I blushed scarlet, as I was forced to witness their pain and humiliation. I was not used to seeing young boys without their trousers and bare bottoms on display. I remember blurting out something about leaving the room, but, was quickly put in my place.

"You will stay here until I deal with you" he shouted. "Meanwhile, you can witness some real discipline. It is something in which you appear to be entirely lacking."

And how he lashed those bottoms, by the time he was finished they were howling in pain and jumping up and down in agony. Then they pulled up their trousers and huddled in the corner, as he addressed me.

"Now, Miss Walker, as you are primarily to blame for this disgraceful situation, I think some form of punishment

would be appropriate for you, would you not agree?"

"Yes sir," I mumbled, my stomach churning with anxiety.

"What should I do?" He pondered aloud. "Should I dismiss you now or will you accept a similar punishment I have just given these wayward youths."

I gasped, open mouthed, at what he was proposing. To administer corporal punishment to me was something that shocked me to the core. Not since I was a wayward little girl had I been dealt with in such a way. But dismissal from my post was simply unthinkable for me. I would be in disgrace and finding other employment in these circumstances would be practically impossible.

"Well?" He boomed.

I looked at my feet and fidgeted. I had no real choice in the matter. "I will accept your punishment, Sir," I whispered.

"Very well," he acknowledged. "Remove your clothing and we will begin."

"But Sir," I spluttered, "surely you can't expect me to take off my clothes?"

"Of course, I expect it madam, punishment such as this is always taken on the bare bottom. It is the way it has always been done and there are no exceptions."

In a dumb daze, I started to undo the buttons on my dress. Then I rallied and tried one last protest.

"Can't I have some privacy," I pleaded looking at the young men standing wide eyed in the corner.

"Certainly not," he growled. "You deserve no such concession. Besides it will be part of their education to see how their father deals with an unsatisfactory employee."

I hung my head in defeat. There was clearly going to be no escape from my pain and humiliation.

"Well Madam, I am waiting," he insisted.

The atmosphere was thick with the aura of male supremacy, as I completed the unbuttoning of my dress and hauled it over my head. As he stood there bristling with impatience, I removed my slip and various undergarments. Then I went red with intense embarrassment as I reluctantly took off my knickers. As my last modesty was removed, three pairs of male eyes stared at my naked body.

I covered my parts up with my arms as Sir Charles pulled a chair forward and bade me bend over it to put my palms on his desk. Then, I had to stand on tip toe and spread my legs for balance. I must have presented a provocative sight for young male eyes, as my bottom was thrust up in the air ready for the lash. I was vaguely aware of them shuffling around behind me to get a better view. Everything I had was on show to their curious eyes. I risked a quick glance behind me and saw their beady little eyes focusing exactly where I feared. I was mortified. Never had a girl been so embarrassed.

But, embarrassment was quickly forgotten as Sir Charles administered the first lash.

Swish! Crack! - A dreadful pain seared through my buttocks and I gasped in shock.

Swish! Crack! - I gave a yelp of pain as the cane met my tender flesh. I could only imagine the damage it would cause there.

Swish! Crack! - The pain was overwhelming and I gasped and wriggled my bum trying to avoid more punishment. But Sir Charles was in no mood for mercy as he lashed down the cane again.

Swish! Crack! - Another lash landed when I hadn't even begun to cope with the previous three. I jumped out of my skin and screamed in agony. The tears started to flow. I was painfully aware of sniggering from behind me as the twins witnessed my humiliation. Their Governess was shrieking and pleading for mercy as the tears ran down her cheeks.

I tried to steel myself for another lash and it followed seconds later. I was aware of my bottom squirming, non stop, trying to avoid the inevitable pain. What a sight it must have presented to those young boys as I danced around on tip toes.

Swish! Crack! - The pain was so bad it took my breath away. I forgot about everything to concentrate on the last lash that I knew was yet to come.

Swish! Crack! - The final lash was so painful I leapt up and clutched my painful rear end. My howl of anguish filled the room. But, mercifully it was all over. One way or another I had managed to endure the agony of the punishment which I had been given.

Dishevelled and undignified, I gathered up my clothing and tried to compose myself as Sir Charles cleared his throat.

"Let that be a lesson to you Miss Walker...and a warning, I will not tolerate any further repetition of the conduct I witnessed today."

I managed to dress quickly and leave the room with some small semblance of dignity, as the boys smirked in delight at what they had witnessed. Once in the safety of my bedroom, I cried, face down in my pillow for half the night, while my poor bottom throbbed with pain. In the end I managed to fall asleep out of the covers and the cool night air soothed my upturned bum as I slept.

Over the next week, I found the teenage boys to be on their best behaviour. Their father's wrath had clearly had an effect on them. But, even then, there were signs of what was to come. There were the odd insolent looks and undisguised stares at my person. Also, they seemed to be constantly brushing against me at every opportunity.

Despite this, I persevered with the lessons, trying to make them interesting and pleasant. I knew I had to develop a hard and authoritative demeanour, but, found that most difficult to do. Instead of disciplining them I found that I was whining and pleading with them to be good.

It all came to a head 3 weeks after the fateful day in their father's study. I knew they were up to something the way they huddled and whispered together.

I had set them both a piece of written work and they had barely got started with it when I became aware of two pairs of eyes staring at me. I looked up to see them grinning at me. Something was up I could tell.

"Show us your legs, Miss," said Albert with a cheeky smirk on his face.

"Yes" agreed Earnest, "we want to see them."

I gasped at their audacity. "How dare you?" I managed to say. "I will do no such thing."

"Oh yes you will" insisted Albert "or we will make such a row in here. Father is on the prowl and you know what happened last time."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was nothing short of blackmail.

Unfortunately, the young rascals knew that I was in a very vulnerable position. They had been there when Sir Charles had warned me about dismissal if I couldn't control his sons. They knew what they were doing alright.

As if to underline their demand, their father chose that very moment to make a rare visit to my schoolroom.

"Good morning, Miss Walker," he said, "I trust everything is proceeding satisfactorily?"

"Oh yes Sir," I assured him, glancing nervously at my charges.

When he had gone, Albert persistently pressed his claim. "Come on, Jane, we want to see those pretty legs of yours."

"Yes" chirped in his brother. "We want to see them now... Get on with it."

I noticed with dismay the tone of their voices and the use of my Christian name. Up to now they had always called me "Miss."

As I struggled with the situation, I heard their father's voice booming outside. He was still in the vicinity.

Albert picked up a chair and threatened to throw it at the door. "Do it Jane," he hissed, "or we'll start up the biggest racket you've ever heard." Earnest jumped up eagerly, grabbing books and papers in support of his twin.

I was so flustered and worried. I just couldn't handle the situation. Looking back, I know I should have taken a stand and refused, but being the weak willed person that I am, I have to confess that I just capitulated immediately. I just did as I was told.

They made me stand on a small table before them, and, as I bent down to take hold of the hem of my skirt, they stared back at me in deathly silence. For once I had their complete and unreserved attention.

I raised my skirt slowly up my legs as they leaned forward to see. Soon I was up past my knees and showing some thigh.

"There" I said as firmly as I could, "that's as far as I go."

"Oh no, you don't," retorted Albert. "Don't try and fob us off so easily."

"We'll tell you when you can stop," added Earnest.

As his father's voice boomed once again down the corridor outside, Albert grabbed some books and raised them over his head. "We'll start such a rumpus if you don't," he threatened.

I bit my lip and sighed as my last attempt to regain control failed miserably. I never felt so weak and helpless as I did at that moment.

"Alright," I conceded. Then I slowly started to raise my skirt again. This time I knew I would have to keep going until they told me to stop. As more of my legs came into view, they inched forward to get a better view.

I whimpered in desperation. What was I doing?

As my dress went higher, I cursed myself for being so weak and inept. Then I blushed, as they gave off low whistles of delight. Soon they got to see my knickers. I was their Governess and I was letting them see me in my underwear. As my dress got up to my waist, I was allowed to stop while they ogled me with undisguised lust.

"Please" I pleaded, as my tears welled up "We must stop this."

But deep down, I knew that this was only the beginning. Their father had undermined my fragile authority when he had made me strip and take my punishment while they watched. Now, his hot blooded sons were after me for their evil purposes. What was I going to do?

I managed to close the lesson and escape to my room. As I ran up the stairs, I was panting heavily and my heart was thumping in my chest. In my defeat and humiliation my only consolation was that I had managed to avoid a catastrophe in my classroom and they hadn't molested me.

But, being their Governess was now a different situation completely and I had great forebodings about my future.

Despite my worries, I managed to keep control during the next few days. I got through my tutoring without incident although I had the feeling the young men were plotting something special, involving me.

Sir Charles was away on a business trip during this period, so I suppose their threat to disrupt their lessons and show up my weakness of authority was a card they were unable to play. When he returned the next week they were ready to make their move.

As the weather was particularly pleasant, I proposed to take my lessons outdoors in order to do some nature study. The gardens and land surrounding the house were magnificent and I would have been remiss in not using their bounty in assisting with educational lessons. There were projects to undertake that I had been thinking about since the day I had arrived.

And so, 2 days later we set out on a walk into the wood on the edge of the estate. I had discovered that there was a large pond nearby that was full of wildlife. It was perfect for the purposes of a lesson. On the path through the wood, I began to point out birds, plants and trees and the boys wrote them down in their notebooks. They seemed interested enough, but, I then discovered they had evil intent once they got me out of sight of the house. As we got to the pond, I bent down to point out the small fish and tadpoles swimming just below the surface.

It was then that one of them moved forward and caught me off balance. I was sent headlong into the water. I felt the cold water penetrate every part of my body and I clambered out ungainly, soaked and furious. Albert and Earnest stood by proclaiming their innocence and insisting that what had happened had been a complete accident.

I knew I would have to get out of my sodden clothing, but, was loathe to be marching up to the house in the state I was in. I would never live it down.

Albert volunteered a solution. He and his brother would go on to the vantage point I had planned for them for the next project. They were to undertake a drawing of the house. Meanwhile, I could dry my clothes in the hot sun and join them later.

"And you promise to stay there and get on with your work until I join you?" I asked.

"Oh yes, we promise" they said in unison.

So, I foolishly agreed to this idea, one compelling reason being that I knew that Sir Charles had returned to Matlock that morning and I didn't want any news of a soaking wet governess reaching his ears. So, as soon as I saw that the twins were safely down the path, I started to disrobe. I put my clothes up on the branches to dry in the sun. I started to relax knowing that they would be dry soon dry enough to wear again.

It was so beautiful in the wood with the sun filtering through the trees that I felt at one with nature. Being naked seemed so natural. I sat down against a tree and took out a book of poetry to read. As the time ticked by, I forgot about my predicament and became lost in the beauty of the verse. I figured that I had about another hour before I could get dressed again and go see how the boys were getting on.

A snap of a twig alerted me from my reverie. I turned in alarm to se Albert and Earnest just yards away and closing on me fast. I jumped to my feet and tried to cover up with my hands and arms. I had been so foolish to trust them.

"What do you think you are doing?" I cried out in alarm. "Get away from here at once."

"No fear," growled Albert as he and his brother cornered me in front of a bush. "We don't want to miss a treat like this."

I then realised to my horror that they had planned the whole thing, including deliberately pushing me into the pond.

With leering grins on their faces they made a rush for me. I was soon grappled to the ground. My screams and protests were ignored. We were too far away from the house to be heard. Earnest was too strong for me as he pushed me over a sawn off tree trunk and held me firm. Meanwhile, Albert produced something that looked suspiciously like a riding crop and swished it menacingly through the air.

I gasped in alarm and kicked my heels in the air as his intentions dawned on me.

"Don't you dare, young man," I shrieked. "Your father shall hear of this."