The next thing I remember it was daylight, and I was in my room. I was naked, lying on my stomach, and even without moving I could feel how sore I was. I turned my head and groaned, and a quiet voice spoke, "How do you feel?"

It was the Master. Horror passed through me for a second and then it vanished. I did not care. Let me see him. Let him take me, if that's what he desired. I no longer had a will of my own. I did not even answer him, and he seemed to take that as my answer. His hand reached out and touched my head, caressing my hair slowly, almost absently, not sensually, but simply petting it the way one might pet a hound. It alarmed me at first and I tensed, but slowly I relaxed.

"She was too hard on you," he whispered.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Why not?" he said with a soft smile. "I did not want you to awake without a friend nearby."

"You are my friend." I said it bluntly, like a statement, but it was a question.

"Yes."

"Then why did this happen?"

"What could I do? She found the ring in your apron. There are few explanations other than the obvious one."

"She put it there."

"What? How dare you!" His voice was sharp and astonished. But the surprise on his face was only there for a moment, and it looked false, as though he was trying to convince himself that he was shocked.

"She put it there when she searched the apron. There was no ring in the apron when I gave it to her. I wipe my hands on it all the time. I would have felt the lump if it had been there earlier."

He was silent for a time, thinking. "Why? Why would she do such a thing?"

"Because she's a demon," I whispered, not knowing how far I dared go, but not really caring but either. "A demon bitch that enjoys punishing others."

My cheek lay pressed against the soft pillow but I could see him out of one eye. His face was grim. He suddenly looked tired and old, depressed, as though he had been fighting in vain for years, and only now realized the pointlessness of it all. "I can no longer deny the truth, can I?" he whispered, tears in his eyes. "Though she is a lovely woman, she is possessed. For years I have watched her, wondered, and pretended not to see. But the truth cannot be denied. She is an evil woman, and must be punished."

I watched as he stood, cold resolve gleaming in his face. "I must go, now. You go to sleep. You have no duties for one week, so do not worry. You deserve a vacation; rest and relax. Your place here at the DeMarcco's is secure."

With that he left, and I lay and slept. For two days I could not get out of bed except with tremendous effort, and even on the third day I felt stiff and sore and weak, as though I had not eaten in days.

Later that day a girl came to me. Her name was Maddie. She and I knew each other and were friends. The Master had sent her to care for me, and so she bathed me and put a soothing salve across my wounds, and told me the gossip of the mansion.

The first day she seemed nervous and frightened. Everyone was talking about the Master and his wife, it seemed. Many were afraid there was grave trouble. Some said it was money, that the Master was ruined, and we would all be let go. Others said the Master was having an affair, and the Lady knew about it, and had threatened to leave him and create a scandal. Still others said that it was the Lady who'd had the affair, for it was the Master who was angry, not the Lady. They'd seen him pass like a darkened thundercloud without even a polite word as he dashed past. But all this was only rumor, and no one knew what was to happen.

On the second day, the girl returned, her eyes wide with excitement. She could not wait to tell me the news. "It's most incredible!" she breathed. "The whole castle is talking of nothing else! Never in a hundred years!"

"What, what, what?" I exclaimed, annoyed at her manner of speaking and saying nothing. "What are they talking about?"

"Of the Mistress!" she exclaimed with delight, clapping her hands and leaping onto the bed next to me. "No one is certain why, but she is a changed woman!"

"A changed woman?"

"Yes! Last night the Master ordered everyone out of the west wing, where he and Mistress live. All the servants, no exceptions. 'Do not disturb us until morning!' he ordered, and everyone obeyed. This morning the Mistress descended for breakfast and she was cold and silent and even polite, _asking_ the cook for some sherry, and not even turning when that foolish cow Mabel dropped a piece of crockery. We all froze, waiting for the her to order Mabel to fetch the strap, but she didn't. Instead, she took some bread and cheese and left, saying that she and the Master would remain alone for the day. They are up there now, and everyone is wondering what is going on!"

"Strange," I murmured, wondering how much of the tale to believe. It seemed improbable that the Lady's character could change so dramatically overnight. I figured it was a quirk, that she was in a strange mood and wasn't her normal, unforgiving self.

I slept then, and didn't awake until dark. I wasn't sure why I awoke until I felt the breeze blowing across my still sensitive bare legs and bum and realized the door was open. I turned and stared, for the Master was standing in the dark, no lantern in his hand. He slipped inside and shut the door quietly, appearing even more secretive than his first visit a few nights ago.

"You are awake, Miss Janey?" he whispered, and I nodded. We could barely see each other in the dark and I made a motion to light the candle but he touch my hand and whispered, "No, let's leave it dark."

I fell back on my bed and waited. I was becoming used to waiting for others. He would tell me what he wanted when he was ready.

He didn't speak for a few minutes. I felt myself drifting off when he said in a grim, excited voice, "I did it."

"Did what?"

"Well, yesterday after leaving you I did some thinking. I thought about my wife and our relationship, and how she treats the servants. I've known she's a strict Mistress for a long time, but I suspected it was only her way of maintaining control, that she gained a sense of power by abusing the servants, as many Ladies do. I did not move to interfere with her management.

"Then I thought about you, and why she did that with the ring. Many things puzzled me. For instance, I know many women (like that awful Countess the other night) flog their help. But most, like the Countess, do it without cause, simply because they are the Lords and Ladies of the house and feel it is their right to punish the servants. Some punish their help on a regular basis for nothing at all but the consistency of periodic punishment. I know of none that would go to the trouble of stealing a Countess' ring in order to frame a servant!"

I nodded. This made sense. I had often wondered why the Mistress was so particular. If she enjoyed punishing her servants, why did she just not do so, and forget the charade of finding an excuse for it!

He continued. "In thinking about this I came to several conclusions and a resolution. Last evening I sent away all servants and shut myself in my chambers with my lovely wife. She had never looked more beautiful, so naive and cold, and little nervous, wondering what I had planned. I did not tell her, you see, and we sat down and enjoyed a wonderful supper. I watched her the entire time. She seemed slightly distant, and a little nervous. I asked her several times if she was feeling alright, that she wasn't ill or anything, and she always responded that she felt fine.

"After the meal, I suggested we have a talk. She did not speak, but I could see that she was very curious as to what we were going to talk about. I led her to the davenport and we sat across from each other, very still and quiet. I waited for the silence to build a bit before I broke it with the comment, 'Miss Janey is going to be fine.' 'Oh?' she said, in a rather distracted, nonchalant tone, as though we were only speaking of the weather. 'Yes,' I said. 'Little Maddie is tending to her wounds and she is healing nicely.'

"My wife nodded but did not say anything. 'Don't you think you were a little hard on her?' 'Of course not!' she said grimly, her face growing dark. 'She's a thief and a liar. I should have given her double!' I put on a puzzled expression. 'We both know that isn't the real reason,' I said.

"'What do you mean?' There was curiosity and some tension in her voice.

"'I mean,' I said firmly, 'we both know that _you_ were the one who placed the ring in her apron. If we punish her because she stole we'd have to punish you in the same manner.' Her face went rather white, but she kept her wits about her. 'How, I mean, what makes you think _I_ placed the ring?' 'Well, it was so obvious!' I exclaimed. 'There was no time or opportunity for Janey to do it. She was far too busy the entire evening. She barely had time for a spare breath. You really do work your help too hard, my dear. A dinner like that should require two or three servants, at least.'

"My wife glared at me. 'You have no right to accuse me!' she said haughtily. 'I am a Lady, not a common serving girl.' 'Ah, I forgot,' I said in the most condensing voice I could manage. 'You are a Lady, and as such, are not expected to live up to the moral standards of a Lady. You, because you are "a Lady," can do whatever you please, including whipping innocent servants when _you_ are the one who ought to be whipped!'

"A crimson blush crept into the Lady's fine cheeks and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. 'Why are you treating me like this?' she pouted. 'I'm not the guilty party.'

"'Oh, but you are!' I said grimly. 'It was you who stole that ring and not Miss Janey.' 'I did not _steal_ it,' she said in an annoyed tone, looking away from me. 'I only borrowed it. There was never any intention on my part of keeping it.'

"'What does keeping it have to do with stealing?' I asked. 'By that rate of judgement the maid could say she took it to clean it, or had found it fallen on the floor and intended to return it to the Master at the conclusion of the meal, or even that she'd only borrowed it to admire it, having never seen anything so fine before. No, you _took_ it, and that makes you a thief.'

"She pouted daintily before me. 'Well, what difference does it make!" she said in a defiant tone. 'She's just a servant girl and probably deserved a caning for something else I did not see.'

"I stood to my full height and glared down at my wife. She was sitting straight-backed and stiff on the sofa, her eyes cold and hard, her lips curled into a slight snarl. I'm afraid at that moment I thought she looked exceedingly revolting, and I wondered that I had never seen this side of her character before.

"I shook my head firmly. 'I'm afraid it _does_ make a difference, my dear. You do not understand the first thing about being a Lady. We are high-born, and as such, we are the upholders of Justice. We cannot abuse the laws of fairness simply because we made them. They apply to us as well as the common people. That is what Justice is about. You, I'm afraid, have distorted Justice to your own ends. You have abused your privilege and you shall not escape punishment.'

"The Lady gasped at stared at me in horror. 'What are you saying?' she said slowly, carefully, as though unsure of her speech. 'I am saying that your despicable behavior not only reflects badly on yourself, but it damages the reputation of me, of the DeMarcco name, this castle and what it represents. In fact, I'd say you have offended Justice itself.

"'I've done no such thing!' she exclaimed with a course laugh, leaping to her feet. 'This conversation has taken an ugly turn. I'm going to leave you, now, and go to my chambers.' With a lightening move I grasped her arm in a grip of iron that caused a slight cry of alarm to escape from her lips.

"'You shall not leave until I give you permission,' I said sternly, in a tone that provoked no argument. 'And I give you no such permission. In fact, I command you to stay.' 'You have no right,' she said struggling to free herself. 'Let me go.' 'I have every right, as your husband and county magistrate,' I roared. 'Now sit down and accept your punishment like the Lady you pretend to be!'

"I threw her toward the sofa and she fell on it heavily, clutching at it as though it were a raft and she, lost in an ocean and unable to swim. Her eyes were large and terrified. She bore the expression of someone who's face had just been slapped: stunned and teary, and slightly bewildered. Her mouth was ajar but she did not speak. She watched as I, rage boiling in me, went to my closet and returned with a long white cane and heavy leather strap. Her face turned the color of chalk and she struggled to seat herself properly on the sofa, backing away from me as I approached.

"'W-what are you doing?' she cried out. 'Put those away. You cannot be serious! Why, I am a Lady!'

"'You lost any claim on that title,' I said, 'when you behaved like a gutter-whore. A whoring bitch is what you are, nothing but the lowest class of woman. Worse, even, for you practiced deception and trickery, hiding your true nature even from yourself. Even the lowest whore gives herself that title, for she knows her nature. You, however, think you are a Lady though your actions prove you the direct opposite!' I spat on the floor in fury. 'Such arrogance and gall shall not be permitted by my wife or anyone who lives in my house!'

"The woman before me was the picture of terror, her face so pale even her lips were white. As I spoke, she was sliding off the sofa to sit in heap on the floor, her fluffy gown wrapped around her, body and head leaning toward the ground, sobbing pitifully, ceaselessly. 'Oh, Master!' she begged. 'Please, please, forgive me! I've done wrong, I know it, and I'm sorry! You are right--I have never felt like a Lady. It was only an illusion, something I wanted so badly I would do anything to obtain it! Please, dear husband, put down your weapons and take me, hold me, forgive me. I shall be a changed woman, I shall act like a Lady, I promise. I swear it!'

"I looked at her lying there and my heart was filled with a mixture of disgust and pride. Her weeping and begging repulsed me, but she had admitted her guilt and that filled me with admiration. Perhaps she had the stuff of a Lady in her somewhere. 'You cannot escape your punishment so easily,' I said quietly, descending on one knee and lifting her chin to look into her eyes. 'You have much to atone for. A real Lady would not beg or grovel as you do so easily. A true Lady stands up tall and though it is difficult, asks for her deserved punishment in clear, humble tones.'

"The woman looked at me, her lips trembling, eyes filled with tears. She looked very feminine at that moment, pretty, vulnerable, and gentle, a far cry from her normal coldness. 'Please,' she whispered. 'You will help me become a Lady?'

"'I will show you how,' I said. And suddenly she smiled and hugged me. Standing, she looked with fright at the instruments in my hand. 'A-and _that_, i-it is the first step?" she said hesitantly. I nodded and she gnawed on her lower lip for a moment as though making a decision. Then she spoke: 'Alright. I will accept my punishment. Like a Lady.' And she blushed furiously, and stared at the ground.'

"I took her then and bade her to strip. She hesitated and then obeyed, quietly removing all her garments. I sat on the sofa and watched. When she was completely naked I ordered her across my lap. 'I will warm you with my hand, first,' I said. Blushing, she clambered across my legs. I arranged her hips across my lap so that she fit comfortably, her rather ample posterior at the perfect location for my right hand. I felt her bottom first, squeezing the twin mounds of flesh and pinching her. She wiggled and whimpered. 'Now you be an obedient girl and lie still,' I scolded, and proceeded to slap her rump as hard and fast as I could.

"I did not give her time to absorb the blows but simply spanked her, long and hard, until her bottom was a bright, even red. She wiggled and cried out a few times, and saw finally there were tears in her eyes. But she did not try to escape or cover her bottom. Her hands were stretched out in front of her, gripping a pillow tightly as though it would save her life. I finally stopped and spoke to her. 'There now, don't you feel more like a Lady?'

"To my astonishment she nodded. 'I do feel better,' she said. 'It's strange but I do! I really do! It hurts so, but I know I deserve it, and when you stopped I just felt so good inside, like I'd really accomplished something!'

"'Excellent!' I said. 'But you have felt nothing yet. I will use the strap, now, and then the cane. I think a dozen with the cane shall be sufficient for today.' The woman moaned and began to cry softly, but she did not argue. I lifted her up, then, and had her kneel across the back of the sofa. I thrashed her soundly with the leather strap, then, until her buttocks and thighs were nothing more than a continuous red welt.

"She wept during this but did not argue. I was impressed with her control, anticipating much more of a battle. When I took up the cane, however, she did protest, and begged me to leave off. 'I've had enough. Please, sir, no more!' I shook my head, however, and told her that she needed the bite of the cane in her memory throughout the night to reminder her the consequences of unladylike behavior. 'Please, let's do it in the morning,' she begged. 'I already planned to give you another dozen in the morning, right after breakfast,' I said. 'Do you want two dozen in the morning?' She shook her head and lowered it, resigned.

"I helped her back into position behind the sofa, and reminded her that if she left her position or straightened up we'd start the caning over, even if we were on the very last stroke. 'You are getting a full dozen,' I said firmly. 'And another dozen after breakfast.' Sobbing, she stood in position and waited.

"I stepped back and gave her a sharp cut full across the middle of her ass. She cried out and wiggled frantically, and when the cane came away I saw a long red stripe across her bum. Again and I again I struck her with the cane, mostly on her buttocks, but a few across the thighs, just for variety. With each stroke she put on a little show, dancing in place and howling like a wolf, screaming as though I were slaughtering her. At one point I urged her to be quieter, and after that she suppressed her cries slightly, but it was obvious it had been a long time since she had been caned, if ever. Still, she did not rise or try to escape, though she did beg me to stop a few times. I felt my respect for her rising. I could see the change in her character already, and I liked what I was seeing.

"After the caning she came and put her arms around me and wept quietly for a bit, and then she began to kiss me. I returned her kiss and soon we were passionately embracing. There was an animal inside her, and we went to my bed and made wild, fierce love for hours until we fell asleep, exhausted and spent.

"In the morning I sent her down to fetch breakfast, reminding her to be polite to the servants, and she obeyed, docile as a lamb. We ate breakfast quietly, without much conversation, as we were both famished. I saw her glance twice at the cane, lying on the floor near the sofa, and I could hardly repress a grin at the expression of trepidation across her features. When we had finished, she stood and cleared away the dishes without my telling her, and then slipped off her cloak, standing naked before me. 'I assume, sir,' she said slowly in almost a whisper, 'that I cannot persuade you to forget your promise of last night?'

"'What promise is that?' I asked, as though I did not know. 'You told me I'd receive another twelve with the cane after breakfast.' I nodded. 'So I did. Fetch me the cane.' Her face paled but she obeyed, returning and handing it to me as though it was diseased.

"'You used to handle this cane as though you cherished it,' I said quietly, with a smile. 'I-I had forgotten,' she said softly, her eyes glazed as though she were far away. 'I hadn't realized it hurt so much.' 'So you fear it, now, do you?' She nodded. 'Yes, sir. Very much.' 'Good,' I said. 'Fear of punishment is what improves behavior. Now let us do this and then I have a surprise for you.'

"Her face brightened and then dimmed, but she nodded and obediently went to the couch. I stepped behind her and felt her buttocks. Her flesh was still red and slightly bruised from the previous night's work, but it was still healthy. She could take another twelve strokes without permanent damage. Without further delay I gave them to her, twelve sharp cuts, six on her buttocks and six on her thighs. She did not cry out but only moaned, softly, constantly, and wiggled after each stroke. When I had finished I ordered her up and she stood, turned, and kissed me. 'Am I becoming more a Lady?' she asked. 'With every breath,' I responded. 'Though you don't kiss like a Lady, but I don't mind that at all.' And I took her back to the bed.

"We awoke late this afternoon and that's when I told her about the surprise. Do you want to hear about this? It involves you, my dear."

I stared at the Master in surprise. "Me? What does it have to do with me?"

He smiled. "Well, I need your assistance. The Lady does not know I haven't asked you yet, and thinks you have already agreed. She is most distraught, I must say." His lips crinkled at the corner as he smiled boldly, almost ruthlessly at the memory.

"How may I help you? I'll do anything you ask!"

"My Lady, your Mistress, is in obvious need of breeding. I had great strides last night, of course, but such a thing cannot be done overnight. It will require weeks of training, perhaps months. She will need constant attention. I have many obligations, however. I cannot spend all my time coddling my wife. I thought, however, that you could help. If you will agree, I will put you over my wife. _You_ shall command _her_; she shall be your servant. You will punish her daily, whether she deserves it or not, and you will punish her again when she does deserve it. She will learn to obey you in every manner, and in doing so, she shall learn the humble spirit of a true Lady!"

If my lower jaw had not been attached to my face it should have fallen off at these words. I could not believe what he said was true, and yet, there he was, my Master, asking me to take on his wife as my servant!

"I don't know what to say, sir," I murmured. "You cannot be serious!"

"I am deadly serious," he said, his eyes bright and intense. "I love my wife and I want her to behave as a Lady. You have often suffered injustice at her hand. You must admit it will be most humiliating for her to be punished by a servant, someone she used to punish. Such humiliation, when endured, will strengthen her character and help her understand the true nature of Ladyhood."

"And what does the Lady think of this?"

"She is frantic with terror. She begged me to do anything else. She promised to let me beat her every day, in fact! 'I'll take twenty strokes in the morning and twenty again at night!' she cried out, sobbing, falling to her knees at my feet, begging me to release her from this punishment. 'Anything, anything but Miss Janey!'

"'Why do you hate her so?' I asked her. 'Hate her? No, she hates me! She wants revenge on me for all those times I punished her! I cannot bear it, I cannot. Please, anything else, anything but her!'

"'I do not think she hates you,' I said. 'In fact, I think she is sorry for you.' 'Sorry for _me_?' screamed the woman. 'That's nonsense!'" Here the Master paused and looked at me. "Is it nonsense Miss Janey?"

I shook my head. "I don't know how you knew that, sir, but that describes my feelings exactly. Even when she beat me and I resented it I always felt sad for her, that she couldn't be happy, even with all she possesses."

The Master smiled and nodded. "I thought as much. I have no doubt in my mind that you will treat her fairly and with justice, quite unlike how she treated you."

I bowed my head. "I will do my best, sir."

"Remember," he said. "She gets twenty with the strap every morning after breakfast no matter what."

"Yes, sir."

"And if she gives you any trouble, you let me know. Now, would you like me to send your new servant in the morning to examine your wounds and bathe you?"

A sudden smile crept across my lips. "That would be ideal, sir."

"Then it is done."