[Contributor's comment: A contribution from the now defunct Fattenup ( deeply missed ) webstite, written by the forever unknown "Phantom Writer".
I think you deserve this beautiful piece. You asked for it... now the story begins! ]
Part 1
It was a dark and stormy night when Norma got off the train in Heidlburg. She missed sunny Ft. Lauderdale already, but it was a sacrifice she was resigned to. Shed had to abandon her college career due to lack of funds, and this opportunity as a domestic servant had come to her attention by way of mouth.
She figured she could earn enough over the spring and summer months to re-enroll in the fall. With luck, she would even be able to lie on the beach and sun her lithe 110 lb body in her favorite bikini again before winter.
A tall, thin gentleman in a long official-looking greatcoat met her on the platform. She was escorted to the waiting Mercedes-Benz SUV as her baggage was loaded aboard. They rode in near silence through the dark, over rugged, mountainous terrain that Norma wouldve been afraid to traverse in broad daylight, let alone during the torrential storm that was in progress.
Flashes of lightning revealed deep chasms and rugged cliffs that were guaranteed to give any but the most reckless mountaineer the chills.
"How much further?" Norma asked after some time.
The driver, never taking his deadpan eyes from the treacherous road, replied in a thickly accented monotone "Much farther. The Estate is quite remote".
The winding narrow road went on and on, and Norma drifted in and out of sleep as they drove, a combination of jet lag and sheer travel fatigue setting in. Hours later, she caught a glimpse of a structure ahead through the rain, which seemed to be changing to sleet. An ancient bridge spanned a seemingly depthless chasm, leading to what appeared to be a gothic mansion, perhaps at one time the castle of a local fiefdom gradually modernized over the centuries. It seemed isolated, perched atop a column of sheer rock face about a quarter of a mile in diameter. The bridge seemed to be the only way in or out.
"The Estate." intoned the driver, turning onto the bridge. Ancient timbers creaked and groaned as the Mercedes tiptoed across the aged frame. Norma shuddered, as much from the ominous visage before her and the abyss below as from the chill of the wet air.
In response to their arrival, a heavy latticed iron gate was slowly raised, the rust of centuries causing unseen joints to howl like the bitter wind that pelted the windshield with sleet. It closed behind them with a resounding metallic clang.
The interior of the Estate was beautiful, if dated, and Norma was relieved to see a fire lit in the central hall. She huddled over it, rubbing warmth and life back into her frozen hands.
"I see you have arrived." the unseen womans voice echoed off the cold stone walls. Norma jumped, startled, and turned to see a tall gaunt woman emerge from the shadows and into the glow of the firelight. She was classically beautiful, but with a hard, cold demeanor about her. She carried herself with a regal bearing that suggested to Norma that this must be her new employer, the Lady of the House.
"I am the Baroness, Lady Heidlburg." She paused as if expecting something. Norma, sensing the tension, ventured an ill-practiced curtsy. An air of disdain crossed Lady Heidlburgs face as she nodded in reply.
"You will be escorted to your quarters, considering the lateness of the hour. In the morning I will send someone to summon you for the exam." The Baroness paused, looking Norma up and down as she walked slowly around her.
"Exam?" Norma said, turning her head timidly to keep the Baroness in her peripheral vision.
"Yes Well want to make sure youre fit enough to perform your duties."
Norma mouthed a silent "oh."
The Baroness smiled icily.
"But I believe I can safely say you will do nicely. Now to your quarters Fritz will see to your bags," she said, gesturing towards the driver. "Sleep well, I shall expect to see you at breakfast."
Turning on her heel as Norma nodded, Lady Heidlburg vanished as abruptly as she had appeared.
Her quarters were sparsely furnished, and the bare walls seemed as austere and spartan as the Baroness herself. Norma was beginning to have some doubts about having accepted a months-long employment offer in such a forbidding place, but fatigue won over worry as she gratefully slipped between the heavy bedclothes. Sleep claimed her almost instantly, and she dreamed of nothing as the clouds cleared and the stars silently crept past her windowpane.
Part 2
Norma woke with a start, lost in the disorientation of waking in strange surroundings. As she began to come fully awake, the noise that had so forcefully ejected her from slumber repeated this time recognized as someone banging on her chamber door. She stumbled across the darkened room, clutching a sheet to cover her nude form as she opened the door a crack. A spear of light pierced the blackness as she did.
Peering back at her through the slit was a middle-aged woman in a black-and-white maids uniform holding a lit candle.
"The Baroness wants you downstairs for your exam," she croaked. Norma glanced at her watch.
"Now? But its only 4:30 in the morning!" she exclaimed.
A blank look was her only reply.
With a sigh, Norma scrambled into her clothes and followed the maid through the labyrinthine passageways. She caught only glimpses of the grim portraits and dusty artifacts that slid in and out of the small sphere of candlelight as they passed.
The small windowless chamber she arrived at had been converted to a makeshift examining room.
"I trust you rested well," Lady Heidlburg inquired, dismissing the maid.
Before Norma could answer, she continued "Herr Doktor, you may proceed with the examination."
The doctor turned to Norma, peering over his spectacles at her. He set down his black bag and gestured her to the table, which had been covered with sterile paper. Norma moved towards the table, but the Baroness voice stopped her halfway.
"I believe it is customary for one to disrobe for a medical examination." she said coolly.
Norma looked from the Baroness to the doctor, waiting for him to confirm the necessity of removing her clothes. His eyes darted to the floor, then he suddenly busied himself unpacking his bag. The Baroness steady gaze never wavered, and Norma began hesitantly unbuttoning her sweater.
As she undressed, the chill in the room caused a flurry of goosebumps that chased themselves across her well-tanned skin, and her nipples puckered to embarrassing firmness. Lady Heidlburg made no move to leave the room, watching with a cool air of interested detachment, like prospective buyer inspecting a prize piece of livestock.
"Weight, 110.5 pounds" muttered the doctor to himself, scribbling numbers on his chart as Norma stepped off the scale. Similar mutterings followed measurements of her height, blood pressure, and temperature. Her reflexes were checked, and then he tested her cardio conditioning with a several minutes of calisthenics, until a fine mist of perspiration covered her svelte naked body.
The icy tip of his stethoscope seemed almost like a branding iron as he pressed it to the thin skin covering her clearly visible ribs to check her heartbeat. Norma gasped audibly.
"Wunderbar" muttered the doctor. Her flexibility was tested through a series of bending and stretching exercises: She was told to squat on her heels, rise from a crouch, and touch her toes, to which she effortlessly complied. There was more scribbling of notes on the chart.
Finally, the doctor turned to Lady Heidlburg.
"My Lady, although this young woman is a bit underweight, she is in excellent condition, and fit for your service. You may do as you like with her."
"Thank you, Herr Doktor. I shall," replied the Baroness through the lips of an icy smile. She continued to look expectantly at him, and his face brightened as if suddenly remembering something. Turning to Norma, the doctor reached into his bag.
"This mountain air is refreshing, but those unused to it can become easily fatigued. Fortunately, it also works wonders for the appetite. Nevertheless, let me give you these, " he said, offering her a large bottle of pills.
"Take one of these supplements before each meal, young lady. You will find them helpful in adjusting to life here."
Norma took the bottle, peering through the brown glass at the little round pills.
"Uh, what are they?" she asked.
"As the doctor said, supplements to help you adjust to life here at the Estate. One is to be taken before each meal. As were to be having breakfast promptly, youre to take one now." replied the baroness with an adamant tone.
The doctor produced a cup of water. As they both watched, Norma unscrewed the cap and popped one into her mouth.
The maid was summoned and Normas measurements were taken (for the uniform) as Lady Heidlburg addressed her. This is a challenging position, not for the faint of heart. I pay for only the best, I expect only the best. While you are here, you will give each effort your utmost devotion. I will not tolerate shirkers or half-hearted obedience. You may leave at any time you desire. However, if you elect to leave before the end of the agreed upon term you will be shown to the gate and left to your own devices. It is a long and dangerous walk back to Heidlburg wolves have been seen in these hills often as of late. I do not recommend it. Are you willing to stay? If not, I will have Fritz drive you into the village this morning."
Norma pondered this a moment. This was not quite what she had been expecting, and more than once shed had the feeling that she was making a grave mistake. But she had spent the last of her money booking passage to this remote place, and she was counting on her summer earnings to pay her way home. And the pay was well, she figured shed have to work a long, long time at a minimum wage job to earn what shed make in just a few months at the Estate. She nodded her agreement. Satisfied, the Baroness continued.
"Very well. Consider yourself now in my employ. After breakfast youll be issued a set of uniforms, which you will wear throughout your time here. I abhor the sight of irregularly dressed servants. Now get dressed and join the others in the dining hall for breakfast. Hilda will escort you."
"Yes my Lady, " replied the maid with a proper curtsy. Norma was about to reply that she never ate breakfast and would prefer to get right to work, when a sudden realization dawned on her. She was hungry ravenously hungry. That doctor sure was right about the mountain air doing wonders for the appetite, she mused as she pulled on her clothes and followed Hilda out of the chamber.
Lady Heidlburg watched with a gleam in her eye as Norma was led toward the dining hall, her slender form a stark contrast beside Hildas stocky build.
"Yes, " she whispered to the air. "I believe youll do quite nicely."
Part 3
The dining hall was a long narrow room with a high cathedral ceiling, containing an immense table that Norma guessed would have seated forty people. There were already several others there, household servants like herself if their manner of dress was any indication, all variations of the black and white that Hilda wore. Hilda showed her to a seat near one end of the table and sat down beside her.
Presently the cook appeared and began loading plates with fried potatoes, biscuits, sausage and eggs, which were passed down each side of the table. Norma kept watching for some grapefruit or cantaloupe (her breakfast of choice on those few occasions when shed indulged in breakfast in the past). There was nothing remotely resembling them in evidence. The dull ceramic thud of the fully laden plate as it was put before her drew her eyes could they really expect her to eat this much?
Norma was about to protest when the Baroness arrived at the head of the table. Her chair was an intricately carved antique, obviously worth a small fortune and a definite indicator of her high status in society. The plate before her was empty, her only participation in the meal being the sipping black coffee from an elegant cup of fine bone china.
She held a clipboard from which she began to interrogate each of them in turn, regarding their duties and the progress of various projects. She was a stern governess indeed - she accepted no excuses, and Norma observed that the staff all seemed a trifle afraid of her.
Finally Lady Heidlburgs attention turned to Norma. Instructions and rules were fired at her, staccato fashion, and Normas head swum with trying to remember them all. Just when she hoped the ordeal was over, the Baroness glance fell to the half-empty plate in front of Norma, who despite the heavy food, had managed to nibble away at it.
"Look at you," she derided, "You eat like someone who plans to lie about all day. You will work here, and work hard, not laze about like some American tourist living off my good graces."
Norma felt the heat on her face as she blushed in anger and embarrassment. A cautionary glance from Hilda stifled the outraged impulse Norma had been about to vent. She lowered her eyes as a mumbled "Yes, my Lady" passed her lips instead.
Lady Heidlburgs eyes brightened, obviously pleased that Norma seemed to know her place and by whom she was being addressed.
"Good. When youve finished your breakfast, Hilda will fit you with a uniform and show you where to begin your duties."
Lady Heidlburg glanced up at one of the high, narrow windows along the eastern wall, where the first traces of dawn were beginning to show themselves. She turned back to her servants with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The rest of you, to your work. I will expect a full account from you this evening." A murmured wave of "Yes, mLady" s all around heralded her departure from the dining hall.
Norma resentfully grabbed her fork and began shoveling in the remainder of the heap of steaming food before her. It was a good thing she was so hungry, otherwise she doubted she could have finished half of it. As it was, she felt full to the point of discomfort by the time the last forkful passed her lips.
Lazy American tourist, hmmm? she thought. She determined to show Lady Heidlburg what a good worker she could be. Hilda nodded approvingly as Norma pushed back the empty plate, groaning.
"Now, we get you a uniform" Hilda chimed as they rose from the table.
The uniform closet was an impressive sight. There were rows and rows of identical sets of maid uniforms, in a wide array of sizes. Some of the larger ones seemed to be very large indeed, puzzling since shed seen no one of such massive girth at the Estate.
"Here," Hilda said, handing Norma a stack in the smallest size. Norma tried one on it was obviously a couple of sizes too big for her slender frame. "The seamstress is away, nursing her elderly mother," Hilda remarked. "When she comes back, we will have it tailored for you. Until then, just tie the apron in the back and it will be fine."
Norma was grateful for the bit of extra room the loose-fitting uniform afforded. Her poor stomach was so taxed with the load of heavy, greasy breakfast food that it was a relief to be shed of her tight jeans and have more room to digest.
After a grueling morning of dusting, sweeping and washing ancient windows, Norma was grateful when the lunch break arrived. She had to practically drag herself to the dining hall.
"You are not used to the altitude here," Hilda observed. Norma remembered the bottle of supplements, and promptly popped one in her mouth.
"Yeah, I guess youre right" she replied as they entered the dining hall and were seated. After a few minutes they were served (again huge steaming platefuls) and once more Norma was stupefied by the size of the fragrant mound of heavy food on her platter. Looking around, Norma asked Hilda where the Baroness was.
"Oh, Lady Heidlburg never joins us for lunch," she explained. Lunch, in stark contrast to breakfast, turned out to be a festive occasion at the Estate, with good food and home-brewed beer from the cellars of Heidlburg Estate.
Normas stomach growled with hunger in response to the rich aromas that filled the dining hall.
"I guess Ive worked up an appetite this morning!" she exclaimed, digging into her plate with gusto. Three quarters of the way through, she slowed down.
"Im full", she said to Hilda, setting down her fork.
"Oh, " replied Hilda, a worried look crossing her face.
"What?" Norma asked.
"Just that the Baroness doesnt like us wasting food, and after this mornings comment, I have a feeling that shell be asking for reports on you. Many of the staff have loose lips, and I would hate to see you in trouble your first day on the job."
Norma frowned for a moment. She didnt like being micro-managed, but it was too late to back out of this arrangement now. Grudgingly, she picked up her fork. Hilda smiled approvingly. By the time she was through shoveling, she was more thoroughly stuffed than shed been after breakfast. Her tiny stomach was used to nothing more than perhaps a watercress sandwich or a piece of fruit for lunch, and shed consumed as much in two sittings as shed previously eaten in some entire weeks.
"Well at least Ill be working it off," Norma sighed, leaning back in the chair to hold her poor stuffed tummy as it gurgled its muffled protest.
"Lazy American tourist !!!" she fumed under her breath.
By evening, Norma could swear theyd scrubbed and mopped and area larger than most football fields, and yet she knew that theyd covered only a small part of the immense floor space of the Estate. The thinness of the alpine air was telling on her sea-level constitution, and she tossed back another supplement as she leaned against the broom closet doorway, exhausted, watching Hilda show her how to store the mops and buckets.
They arrived early at the dining hall and began lighting the candled chandelier as the suns light faded in the west and the twilight crept into the hall. They were little more than halfway through illuminating the hall when Normas stomach began growling audibly.
Hilda smiled at her, saying, "You worked up an appetite, ja?"
"Ja," Norma replied, puzzled. The feast that shed packed away at lunch shouldve easily held her over until the next day or the one after for that matter. But the enticing aromas of the evening meal being prepared assaulted her in waves, and her hunger became a persistent dull ache below her ribs that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
On schedule, the staff began taking their places around the long table, solemnly exchanging nods and glances rather than the lively exchanges Norma had witnessed at lunch. The cook began filling and passing the dinner plates. As the clock struck six, the Baroness swept into the hall, wearing a formal evening gown of wine-colored crushed velvet. She seemed to almost crackle with static electricity, her aura of power radiating almost visibly.
For a moment, Norma found herself lost in watching the way she moved, carrying herself with such effortless dignity and grace yet maintaining an almost fierce magnetism. Her reverie was interrupted by the loud ceramic thud of the overloaded dinner plate being set in front of her.
My Ggodness, she wondered to herself, awed by the abundant servings, Do they think theyre feeding a lumberjack here?.
Her stomach answered with a hunger pang so sharp she had to blink, and in true Pavlovian fashion, her mouth began to water uncontrollably. She endured the seemingly unbearable wait until all had been served, then dug into her dinner with gusto.
The Baroness sat serenely at the head of the table, idly gazing up and down the table while occasionally sipping from her glass of red wine. More than once, Norma noticed the Baroness gazing steadily in her direction as she wolfed down the delectable dinner set before her. Aware that she was being watched, Norma made a point of cleaning her plate entirely, although she felt full to bursting by the time shed finished.
Let her see how hard I worked today by the size of the appetite Ive worked up she thought, defiantly.
As Norma set down her fork on the empty plate, she noticed the Baroness smiling icily in her direction.
I see your appetite has improved somewhat, she said, rising from the elegantly carved chair. The entire hall sat in stoic silence as she strolled casually down the side of the table to stand behind Norma.
"Did she work hard with you today, Hilda?"
Hilda swallowed shallowly. "Yes, my Lady," Hilda quavered, then nodded in the affirmative,.
"Good" said Lady Heidlburg, placing her immaculately manicured hand on Normas shoulder. Norma sat stock still in her seat, feeling the cool touch of the Baroness hand as it moved up her shoulder to her neck, the long ruby-red nails delicately brushing her skin, hidden from view under Normas cascade of long, medium brown hair. A wave of goosebumps sprang up in their wake and a slight shiver ran down Normas spine.
"Perhaps you think her worthy of a reward, Hilda?" the Baroness fairly cooed.
"Yes, my Lady," Hilda replied.
"Very well. You have pleased me today, Norma. Youll find that I am equally quick to reward virtue as to punish vice. The cook has prepared a lovely dessert for you all this evening. Cook, see that Norma receives an extra serving for her good service today."
The Baroness removed her hand and Norma suddenly realized shed been holding her breath. With the inrush of breath also came an onslaught of conflicting feelings. While gratified that her hard work had been recognized, Norma found being touched in such a familiar manner by her employer disconcerting to say the least.
She sat in stunned confusion, staring at Lady Heidlburgs back as the Baroness sauntered back to the head of the table, snapping back to reality only when the cook plopped down two large desert servings in front of her. She knew it would be risking the Baroness displeasure to spurn her reward.
After having worked so hard to earn this acknowledgement, she didnt want to lose what ground shed gained in Lady Heidlburgs favor. With grim determination, Norma dug in. Her small stomach, already full after a hearty meal, groaned in bewildered protest as bite after bite of the rich, indulgent dessert was packed into it.
Norma felt stuffed to the gills after finishing the first, then glanced to the head of the table where Lady Heidlburg sat, absently swirling her wine in its glass while glancing casually in Normas direction. After a moments hesitation, Norma sighed and dug into the second desert helping. It was the most wonderful-tasting delight, almost good enough to overwhelm the painful bloated sensation radiating from her poor stuffed abdomen.
As she finished, she leaned back in her chair, a small but audible groan escaping her. The Baroness smiled, showing some of the whitest teeth Norma had ever imagined.
"There is hard work to be done here, but we have our sensual delights as well." Lady Heidlburg remarked wistfully.
Someone coughed, and the Baroness looked witheringly in the general direction.
"Youre dismissed" she announced abruptly, rising from her throne-like ensconcement. The staff dispersed like a flock of startled sparrows.
"Now what?" Norma asked Hilda, as she rose slowly from the table, one hand protectively holding her aching stomach.
"Now to our quarters, and to sleep. Mornings start early here."
As they left, each of the staff took a candle and lit it from the taper in the hallway, the small single flame their sole guide through the maze of passages that made up the Estate.
"I will come for you early," said Hilda. "Rest well."
"Rest well," replied Norma, doubting shed get to sleep anytime soon. But the days labors and the heavy dinner caught up with her quickly, and hardly had she closed her chamber door when she was overtaken by a yawn. Shedding her maids uniform, she glanced down at her naked torso, noticing a slight bulge in her tummy from the huge amount of food shed eaten that day. She brought her hands to her abdomen, feeling the hard, packed globe of her stomach under the taut firmness of her lean abs.
"Good thing Im getting such a workout here, " she mused under her breath, "Otherwise, a girl could get fat in a hurry!"
Covering her mouth as another yawn took her, she pulled on a nightshirt, clambered under the bedclothes and blew out the candle, entirely unaware of the watchful eye that peered at her from the unnoticed crevice in the wall.
I think you deserve this beautiful piece. You asked for it... now the story begins! ]
Maid to Order
by Phantom Writer
by Phantom Writer
Part 1
It was a dark and stormy night when Norma got off the train in Heidlburg. She missed sunny Ft. Lauderdale already, but it was a sacrifice she was resigned to. Shed had to abandon her college career due to lack of funds, and this opportunity as a domestic servant had come to her attention by way of mouth.
She figured she could earn enough over the spring and summer months to re-enroll in the fall. With luck, she would even be able to lie on the beach and sun her lithe 110 lb body in her favorite bikini again before winter.
A tall, thin gentleman in a long official-looking greatcoat met her on the platform. She was escorted to the waiting Mercedes-Benz SUV as her baggage was loaded aboard. They rode in near silence through the dark, over rugged, mountainous terrain that Norma wouldve been afraid to traverse in broad daylight, let alone during the torrential storm that was in progress.
Flashes of lightning revealed deep chasms and rugged cliffs that were guaranteed to give any but the most reckless mountaineer the chills.
"How much further?" Norma asked after some time.
The driver, never taking his deadpan eyes from the treacherous road, replied in a thickly accented monotone "Much farther. The Estate is quite remote".
The winding narrow road went on and on, and Norma drifted in and out of sleep as they drove, a combination of jet lag and sheer travel fatigue setting in. Hours later, she caught a glimpse of a structure ahead through the rain, which seemed to be changing to sleet. An ancient bridge spanned a seemingly depthless chasm, leading to what appeared to be a gothic mansion, perhaps at one time the castle of a local fiefdom gradually modernized over the centuries. It seemed isolated, perched atop a column of sheer rock face about a quarter of a mile in diameter. The bridge seemed to be the only way in or out.
"The Estate." intoned the driver, turning onto the bridge. Ancient timbers creaked and groaned as the Mercedes tiptoed across the aged frame. Norma shuddered, as much from the ominous visage before her and the abyss below as from the chill of the wet air.
In response to their arrival, a heavy latticed iron gate was slowly raised, the rust of centuries causing unseen joints to howl like the bitter wind that pelted the windshield with sleet. It closed behind them with a resounding metallic clang.
The interior of the Estate was beautiful, if dated, and Norma was relieved to see a fire lit in the central hall. She huddled over it, rubbing warmth and life back into her frozen hands.
"I see you have arrived." the unseen womans voice echoed off the cold stone walls. Norma jumped, startled, and turned to see a tall gaunt woman emerge from the shadows and into the glow of the firelight. She was classically beautiful, but with a hard, cold demeanor about her. She carried herself with a regal bearing that suggested to Norma that this must be her new employer, the Lady of the House.
"I am the Baroness, Lady Heidlburg." She paused as if expecting something. Norma, sensing the tension, ventured an ill-practiced curtsy. An air of disdain crossed Lady Heidlburgs face as she nodded in reply.
"You will be escorted to your quarters, considering the lateness of the hour. In the morning I will send someone to summon you for the exam." The Baroness paused, looking Norma up and down as she walked slowly around her.
"Exam?" Norma said, turning her head timidly to keep the Baroness in her peripheral vision.
"Yes Well want to make sure youre fit enough to perform your duties."
Norma mouthed a silent "oh."
The Baroness smiled icily.
"But I believe I can safely say you will do nicely. Now to your quarters Fritz will see to your bags," she said, gesturing towards the driver. "Sleep well, I shall expect to see you at breakfast."
Turning on her heel as Norma nodded, Lady Heidlburg vanished as abruptly as she had appeared.
Her quarters were sparsely furnished, and the bare walls seemed as austere and spartan as the Baroness herself. Norma was beginning to have some doubts about having accepted a months-long employment offer in such a forbidding place, but fatigue won over worry as she gratefully slipped between the heavy bedclothes. Sleep claimed her almost instantly, and she dreamed of nothing as the clouds cleared and the stars silently crept past her windowpane.
Part 2
Norma woke with a start, lost in the disorientation of waking in strange surroundings. As she began to come fully awake, the noise that had so forcefully ejected her from slumber repeated this time recognized as someone banging on her chamber door. She stumbled across the darkened room, clutching a sheet to cover her nude form as she opened the door a crack. A spear of light pierced the blackness as she did.
Peering back at her through the slit was a middle-aged woman in a black-and-white maids uniform holding a lit candle.
"The Baroness wants you downstairs for your exam," she croaked. Norma glanced at her watch.
"Now? But its only 4:30 in the morning!" she exclaimed.
A blank look was her only reply.
With a sigh, Norma scrambled into her clothes and followed the maid through the labyrinthine passageways. She caught only glimpses of the grim portraits and dusty artifacts that slid in and out of the small sphere of candlelight as they passed.
The small windowless chamber she arrived at had been converted to a makeshift examining room.
"I trust you rested well," Lady Heidlburg inquired, dismissing the maid.
Before Norma could answer, she continued "Herr Doktor, you may proceed with the examination."
The doctor turned to Norma, peering over his spectacles at her. He set down his black bag and gestured her to the table, which had been covered with sterile paper. Norma moved towards the table, but the Baroness voice stopped her halfway.
"I believe it is customary for one to disrobe for a medical examination." she said coolly.
Norma looked from the Baroness to the doctor, waiting for him to confirm the necessity of removing her clothes. His eyes darted to the floor, then he suddenly busied himself unpacking his bag. The Baroness steady gaze never wavered, and Norma began hesitantly unbuttoning her sweater.
As she undressed, the chill in the room caused a flurry of goosebumps that chased themselves across her well-tanned skin, and her nipples puckered to embarrassing firmness. Lady Heidlburg made no move to leave the room, watching with a cool air of interested detachment, like prospective buyer inspecting a prize piece of livestock.
"Weight, 110.5 pounds" muttered the doctor to himself, scribbling numbers on his chart as Norma stepped off the scale. Similar mutterings followed measurements of her height, blood pressure, and temperature. Her reflexes were checked, and then he tested her cardio conditioning with a several minutes of calisthenics, until a fine mist of perspiration covered her svelte naked body.
The icy tip of his stethoscope seemed almost like a branding iron as he pressed it to the thin skin covering her clearly visible ribs to check her heartbeat. Norma gasped audibly.
"Wunderbar" muttered the doctor. Her flexibility was tested through a series of bending and stretching exercises: She was told to squat on her heels, rise from a crouch, and touch her toes, to which she effortlessly complied. There was more scribbling of notes on the chart.
Finally, the doctor turned to Lady Heidlburg.
"My Lady, although this young woman is a bit underweight, she is in excellent condition, and fit for your service. You may do as you like with her."
"Thank you, Herr Doktor. I shall," replied the Baroness through the lips of an icy smile. She continued to look expectantly at him, and his face brightened as if suddenly remembering something. Turning to Norma, the doctor reached into his bag.
"This mountain air is refreshing, but those unused to it can become easily fatigued. Fortunately, it also works wonders for the appetite. Nevertheless, let me give you these, " he said, offering her a large bottle of pills.
"Take one of these supplements before each meal, young lady. You will find them helpful in adjusting to life here."
Norma took the bottle, peering through the brown glass at the little round pills.
"Uh, what are they?" she asked.
"As the doctor said, supplements to help you adjust to life here at the Estate. One is to be taken before each meal. As were to be having breakfast promptly, youre to take one now." replied the baroness with an adamant tone.
The doctor produced a cup of water. As they both watched, Norma unscrewed the cap and popped one into her mouth.
The maid was summoned and Normas measurements were taken (for the uniform) as Lady Heidlburg addressed her. This is a challenging position, not for the faint of heart. I pay for only the best, I expect only the best. While you are here, you will give each effort your utmost devotion. I will not tolerate shirkers or half-hearted obedience. You may leave at any time you desire. However, if you elect to leave before the end of the agreed upon term you will be shown to the gate and left to your own devices. It is a long and dangerous walk back to Heidlburg wolves have been seen in these hills often as of late. I do not recommend it. Are you willing to stay? If not, I will have Fritz drive you into the village this morning."
Norma pondered this a moment. This was not quite what she had been expecting, and more than once shed had the feeling that she was making a grave mistake. But she had spent the last of her money booking passage to this remote place, and she was counting on her summer earnings to pay her way home. And the pay was well, she figured shed have to work a long, long time at a minimum wage job to earn what shed make in just a few months at the Estate. She nodded her agreement. Satisfied, the Baroness continued.
"Very well. Consider yourself now in my employ. After breakfast youll be issued a set of uniforms, which you will wear throughout your time here. I abhor the sight of irregularly dressed servants. Now get dressed and join the others in the dining hall for breakfast. Hilda will escort you."
"Yes my Lady, " replied the maid with a proper curtsy. Norma was about to reply that she never ate breakfast and would prefer to get right to work, when a sudden realization dawned on her. She was hungry ravenously hungry. That doctor sure was right about the mountain air doing wonders for the appetite, she mused as she pulled on her clothes and followed Hilda out of the chamber.
Lady Heidlburg watched with a gleam in her eye as Norma was led toward the dining hall, her slender form a stark contrast beside Hildas stocky build.
"Yes, " she whispered to the air. "I believe youll do quite nicely."
Part 3
The dining hall was a long narrow room with a high cathedral ceiling, containing an immense table that Norma guessed would have seated forty people. There were already several others there, household servants like herself if their manner of dress was any indication, all variations of the black and white that Hilda wore. Hilda showed her to a seat near one end of the table and sat down beside her.
Presently the cook appeared and began loading plates with fried potatoes, biscuits, sausage and eggs, which were passed down each side of the table. Norma kept watching for some grapefruit or cantaloupe (her breakfast of choice on those few occasions when shed indulged in breakfast in the past). There was nothing remotely resembling them in evidence. The dull ceramic thud of the fully laden plate as it was put before her drew her eyes could they really expect her to eat this much?
Norma was about to protest when the Baroness arrived at the head of the table. Her chair was an intricately carved antique, obviously worth a small fortune and a definite indicator of her high status in society. The plate before her was empty, her only participation in the meal being the sipping black coffee from an elegant cup of fine bone china.
She held a clipboard from which she began to interrogate each of them in turn, regarding their duties and the progress of various projects. She was a stern governess indeed - she accepted no excuses, and Norma observed that the staff all seemed a trifle afraid of her.
Finally Lady Heidlburgs attention turned to Norma. Instructions and rules were fired at her, staccato fashion, and Normas head swum with trying to remember them all. Just when she hoped the ordeal was over, the Baroness glance fell to the half-empty plate in front of Norma, who despite the heavy food, had managed to nibble away at it.
"Look at you," she derided, "You eat like someone who plans to lie about all day. You will work here, and work hard, not laze about like some American tourist living off my good graces."
Norma felt the heat on her face as she blushed in anger and embarrassment. A cautionary glance from Hilda stifled the outraged impulse Norma had been about to vent. She lowered her eyes as a mumbled "Yes, my Lady" passed her lips instead.
Lady Heidlburgs eyes brightened, obviously pleased that Norma seemed to know her place and by whom she was being addressed.
"Good. When youve finished your breakfast, Hilda will fit you with a uniform and show you where to begin your duties."
Lady Heidlburg glanced up at one of the high, narrow windows along the eastern wall, where the first traces of dawn were beginning to show themselves. She turned back to her servants with a dismissive wave of her hand. "The rest of you, to your work. I will expect a full account from you this evening." A murmured wave of "Yes, mLady" s all around heralded her departure from the dining hall.
Norma resentfully grabbed her fork and began shoveling in the remainder of the heap of steaming food before her. It was a good thing she was so hungry, otherwise she doubted she could have finished half of it. As it was, she felt full to the point of discomfort by the time the last forkful passed her lips.
Lazy American tourist, hmmm? she thought. She determined to show Lady Heidlburg what a good worker she could be. Hilda nodded approvingly as Norma pushed back the empty plate, groaning.
"Now, we get you a uniform" Hilda chimed as they rose from the table.
The uniform closet was an impressive sight. There were rows and rows of identical sets of maid uniforms, in a wide array of sizes. Some of the larger ones seemed to be very large indeed, puzzling since shed seen no one of such massive girth at the Estate.
"Here," Hilda said, handing Norma a stack in the smallest size. Norma tried one on it was obviously a couple of sizes too big for her slender frame. "The seamstress is away, nursing her elderly mother," Hilda remarked. "When she comes back, we will have it tailored for you. Until then, just tie the apron in the back and it will be fine."
Norma was grateful for the bit of extra room the loose-fitting uniform afforded. Her poor stomach was so taxed with the load of heavy, greasy breakfast food that it was a relief to be shed of her tight jeans and have more room to digest.
After a grueling morning of dusting, sweeping and washing ancient windows, Norma was grateful when the lunch break arrived. She had to practically drag herself to the dining hall.
"You are not used to the altitude here," Hilda observed. Norma remembered the bottle of supplements, and promptly popped one in her mouth.
"Yeah, I guess youre right" she replied as they entered the dining hall and were seated. After a few minutes they were served (again huge steaming platefuls) and once more Norma was stupefied by the size of the fragrant mound of heavy food on her platter. Looking around, Norma asked Hilda where the Baroness was.
"Oh, Lady Heidlburg never joins us for lunch," she explained. Lunch, in stark contrast to breakfast, turned out to be a festive occasion at the Estate, with good food and home-brewed beer from the cellars of Heidlburg Estate.
Normas stomach growled with hunger in response to the rich aromas that filled the dining hall.
"I guess Ive worked up an appetite this morning!" she exclaimed, digging into her plate with gusto. Three quarters of the way through, she slowed down.
"Im full", she said to Hilda, setting down her fork.
"Oh, " replied Hilda, a worried look crossing her face.
"What?" Norma asked.
"Just that the Baroness doesnt like us wasting food, and after this mornings comment, I have a feeling that shell be asking for reports on you. Many of the staff have loose lips, and I would hate to see you in trouble your first day on the job."
Norma frowned for a moment. She didnt like being micro-managed, but it was too late to back out of this arrangement now. Grudgingly, she picked up her fork. Hilda smiled approvingly. By the time she was through shoveling, she was more thoroughly stuffed than shed been after breakfast. Her tiny stomach was used to nothing more than perhaps a watercress sandwich or a piece of fruit for lunch, and shed consumed as much in two sittings as shed previously eaten in some entire weeks.
"Well at least Ill be working it off," Norma sighed, leaning back in the chair to hold her poor stuffed tummy as it gurgled its muffled protest.
"Lazy American tourist !!!" she fumed under her breath.
By evening, Norma could swear theyd scrubbed and mopped and area larger than most football fields, and yet she knew that theyd covered only a small part of the immense floor space of the Estate. The thinness of the alpine air was telling on her sea-level constitution, and she tossed back another supplement as she leaned against the broom closet doorway, exhausted, watching Hilda show her how to store the mops and buckets.
They arrived early at the dining hall and began lighting the candled chandelier as the suns light faded in the west and the twilight crept into the hall. They were little more than halfway through illuminating the hall when Normas stomach began growling audibly.
Hilda smiled at her, saying, "You worked up an appetite, ja?"
"Ja," Norma replied, puzzled. The feast that shed packed away at lunch shouldve easily held her over until the next day or the one after for that matter. But the enticing aromas of the evening meal being prepared assaulted her in waves, and her hunger became a persistent dull ache below her ribs that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
On schedule, the staff began taking their places around the long table, solemnly exchanging nods and glances rather than the lively exchanges Norma had witnessed at lunch. The cook began filling and passing the dinner plates. As the clock struck six, the Baroness swept into the hall, wearing a formal evening gown of wine-colored crushed velvet. She seemed to almost crackle with static electricity, her aura of power radiating almost visibly.
For a moment, Norma found herself lost in watching the way she moved, carrying herself with such effortless dignity and grace yet maintaining an almost fierce magnetism. Her reverie was interrupted by the loud ceramic thud of the overloaded dinner plate being set in front of her.
My Ggodness, she wondered to herself, awed by the abundant servings, Do they think theyre feeding a lumberjack here?.
Her stomach answered with a hunger pang so sharp she had to blink, and in true Pavlovian fashion, her mouth began to water uncontrollably. She endured the seemingly unbearable wait until all had been served, then dug into her dinner with gusto.
The Baroness sat serenely at the head of the table, idly gazing up and down the table while occasionally sipping from her glass of red wine. More than once, Norma noticed the Baroness gazing steadily in her direction as she wolfed down the delectable dinner set before her. Aware that she was being watched, Norma made a point of cleaning her plate entirely, although she felt full to bursting by the time shed finished.
Let her see how hard I worked today by the size of the appetite Ive worked up she thought, defiantly.
As Norma set down her fork on the empty plate, she noticed the Baroness smiling icily in her direction.
I see your appetite has improved somewhat, she said, rising from the elegantly carved chair. The entire hall sat in stoic silence as she strolled casually down the side of the table to stand behind Norma.
"Did she work hard with you today, Hilda?"
Hilda swallowed shallowly. "Yes, my Lady," Hilda quavered, then nodded in the affirmative,.
"Good" said Lady Heidlburg, placing her immaculately manicured hand on Normas shoulder. Norma sat stock still in her seat, feeling the cool touch of the Baroness hand as it moved up her shoulder to her neck, the long ruby-red nails delicately brushing her skin, hidden from view under Normas cascade of long, medium brown hair. A wave of goosebumps sprang up in their wake and a slight shiver ran down Normas spine.
"Perhaps you think her worthy of a reward, Hilda?" the Baroness fairly cooed.
"Yes, my Lady," Hilda replied.
"Very well. You have pleased me today, Norma. Youll find that I am equally quick to reward virtue as to punish vice. The cook has prepared a lovely dessert for you all this evening. Cook, see that Norma receives an extra serving for her good service today."
The Baroness removed her hand and Norma suddenly realized shed been holding her breath. With the inrush of breath also came an onslaught of conflicting feelings. While gratified that her hard work had been recognized, Norma found being touched in such a familiar manner by her employer disconcerting to say the least.
She sat in stunned confusion, staring at Lady Heidlburgs back as the Baroness sauntered back to the head of the table, snapping back to reality only when the cook plopped down two large desert servings in front of her. She knew it would be risking the Baroness displeasure to spurn her reward.
After having worked so hard to earn this acknowledgement, she didnt want to lose what ground shed gained in Lady Heidlburgs favor. With grim determination, Norma dug in. Her small stomach, already full after a hearty meal, groaned in bewildered protest as bite after bite of the rich, indulgent dessert was packed into it.
Norma felt stuffed to the gills after finishing the first, then glanced to the head of the table where Lady Heidlburg sat, absently swirling her wine in its glass while glancing casually in Normas direction. After a moments hesitation, Norma sighed and dug into the second desert helping. It was the most wonderful-tasting delight, almost good enough to overwhelm the painful bloated sensation radiating from her poor stuffed abdomen.
As she finished, she leaned back in her chair, a small but audible groan escaping her. The Baroness smiled, showing some of the whitest teeth Norma had ever imagined.
"There is hard work to be done here, but we have our sensual delights as well." Lady Heidlburg remarked wistfully.
Someone coughed, and the Baroness looked witheringly in the general direction.
"Youre dismissed" she announced abruptly, rising from her throne-like ensconcement. The staff dispersed like a flock of startled sparrows.
"Now what?" Norma asked Hilda, as she rose slowly from the table, one hand protectively holding her aching stomach.
"Now to our quarters, and to sleep. Mornings start early here."
As they left, each of the staff took a candle and lit it from the taper in the hallway, the small single flame their sole guide through the maze of passages that made up the Estate.
"I will come for you early," said Hilda. "Rest well."
"Rest well," replied Norma, doubting shed get to sleep anytime soon. But the days labors and the heavy dinner caught up with her quickly, and hardly had she closed her chamber door when she was overtaken by a yawn. Shedding her maids uniform, she glanced down at her naked torso, noticing a slight bulge in her tummy from the huge amount of food shed eaten that day. She brought her hands to her abdomen, feeling the hard, packed globe of her stomach under the taut firmness of her lean abs.
"Good thing Im getting such a workout here, " she mused under her breath, "Otherwise, a girl could get fat in a hurry!"
Covering her mouth as another yawn took her, she pulled on a nightshirt, clambered under the bedclothes and blew out the candle, entirely unaware of the watchful eye that peered at her from the unnoticed crevice in the wall.
