by Alta Hensley
Chapter III
Giana rode to the Ashby Chateau in his carriage with Mr. Hartley. The ride had been awkward, mostly because she did not know what to say to the man who was no longer just a stranger, who had been kind to offer her a meal, but who was now her new employer. He had asked her many questions, but allowed her to remain private about her past on many things. Whenever she would answer a question quickly, or attempted to avoid answering a question in its entirety, Philip would smile softly and allow it. He had given her a little more insight into the school, but not nearly enough to satisfy her growing curiosity. She did, however, know enough of his expectations to feel she was not completely entering the situation blind.
"Take my coat." Mr. Hartley had removed the material from his shoulders and draped it over Giana's.
He must have been chilly, with the carriage curtain offering little protection from the frigid temperatures.
"Thank you."
"I assure you, the moment you set foot into Ashby, you will find yourself right at home amongst the ladies. As a nanny, your room will be on the first floor of the building. All our charges are kept upstairs, to avoid any chance of one thinking it might be smart to run away. That is not to say we have not had our fair share of trouble over the years, but I assure you that if you follow the rules and are strict when necessary, the girls will obey your commands."
Giana found it difficult to speak. When had she ever forced anyone to do anything? As an only child, it was not as though she had experience caring for any siblings, or even cousins. She would learn, and though she may not have had a great deal of time to discover how to become a nanny, Giana had no intentions of ending back up on the streets. He had promised her food, clothing, and shelter—all of which seemed like a dream to have now. She did not need the luxuries her mother had sported, like pearl necklaces and diamond rings. A roof over her head would suffice.
"Do you have any last minute questions?" Mr. Hartley asked. "You will be given a brief tour before your first day begins."
"Will I start tomorrow?" Giana asked. It already had grown dark outside, and surely after having eaten dinner, it was night time. Though she did not know the hour, she expected a warm bed to come before taking care of her charge.
"No. You will begin this evening, after the tour. Nanny Beth will show you around the chateau, then you will be responsible for putting your girls to bed. I do not anticipate you will have any trouble."
Giana breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Very good."
As they approached Ashby and the carriage came to a stop, the coachman stepped out and around, opening the door and offering his hand, first to Giana, and then to the headmaster.
Giana stayed a few steps back, tentative as she watched Mr. Hartley stride quickly through the cold weather for the door. Did he always walk with such purpose, or was it the fact she was still wearing his coat?
"Come with me, Giana," he said, insisting she keep up with him. Philip unlocked the front door and led her through the pristine hall. The floors were made of marble and shone as she walked, her heels clicking over the material. "All nannies have their own room. It is smaller than the nursery your charge will be in, but I suspect you will have no complaints."
Philip unlocked the door and showed Giana into her room. A small bed nestled against the wall at the furthest end. The bedroom was covered in decorative wallpaper, with a blue and black damask pattern that had faded, with cracks of white showing through. There was also a dresser, porcelain tub, and a wardrobe. She did not yet check to see what clothes had been provided for her.
"Nanny Beth will give you a tour of the littles' school. In the meantime, here is the key to your room," he said, handing her a single key swinging from a chain. "I suggest you wear it close to your chest. The key also unlocks the front door, and provides access between the finishing and littles' schools."
Giana wordlessly took the key and slid the necklace it was attached to beneath her dress. The metal felt cold against her breast, and even though it momentarily had been in the headmaster's hands, it had not warmed up enough for her to consider the temperature anywhere close to pleasant.
"Nanny Beth will get you acquainted with little Teresa. She has been at the chateau for three weeks now. We still consider that a new pupil, but she has had enough time to learn the routine. I am confident you will be able to handle her temperament."
"Very well," Giana said. There was no reason to argue about whom she would be a nanny for; it was not as though she was familiar with any of the girls at the chateau yet.
"Come with me," Philip said, leading her out of the room.
Giana locked the door and then followed Philip through the corridor and up the stairwell. Once on the second floor, she had to unlock another set of doors for entrance inside.
"This is our littles' floor," Philip said. "Nanny Beth should be up here, putting Gracie to bed. I will ask Nanny Vivian to take over for her while she gives you a proper tour and goes over the schedule with you."
"Yes, of course." There was a schedule she had to keep? Giana could not remember the last time she had had to keep time and be somewhere specific. Her life would change along with those of the other women at the chateau.
"Nanny Beth," Philip said, calling out to a woman with thick muscles and dark curly hair pinned tightly to her head. She stepped out from one of the rooms dressed in a gray dress that flowed down to the floor. It did not look overly posh or expensive, but it seemed to appear as though it kept her warm, and was likely comfortable enough. Was that what Giana would be expected to wear?
"Yes, Headmaster Philip," Beth said. She spoke with a lisp, due to the gap between her two front teeth. Nanny Beth was a burly woman, with a deep voice and a robust figure. Her thick muscled arms were unlike anything Giana had witnessed on a lady before. She was anything but fine and dainty.
"I would like you to show our newest nanny, Miss Giana, around the floor, and please be sure to show her to little Teresa's quarters. After the tour, I would like the two of them to get further acquainted before bed."
Giana tried her best not to show a hint of fear. If she was supposed to be tough and stern like Nanny Beth, then she had a lot to learn.
"I shall be in my office. If you need anything, Nanny Giana, please come and speak with me," he said, heading down the hall and opening the door on his right. The lettering on the glass window in his door read: Headmaster Hartley.
Removing the smile from her face, Giana turned to see that Nanny Beth had already begun walking back toward the doors from which she had entered. To the right was a giant glass window that was dark, as there was no light seeping into the room.
"This is the playroom. The little ones are to socialize after breakfast and lunch." Beth did not bother with letting Giana inside to examine the room. Tomorrow she would see it when she took the girl there to play with her friends.
"Little Teresa's room is on the far left," Nanny Beth said, coming back down the hall. "There are half a dozen doors. Remember which room is your charge." Nanny Beth pointed at the handle and tapped it. "Give Teresa a bath, and then put her to bed. I will be in to check on the bedtime ritual to ensure it is followed according to her papa's strict standards. If she gives you any trouble at all, take her over your knee."
"You want me to spank her?" Giana asked, appalled by the idea of spanking a grown woman. The way Nanny Beth spoke of the young women as if they were children in need of correction… it all seemed so ordinary to her. Philip had mentioned disciplining her charge to Giana, but she had not thought she would be required to show such force. Such action was far from dignified. Was it not embarrassing for the young woman being spanked?
"There are times when a spanking will be entirely necessary and nothing else will do. Spanking is the easiest and most docile punishment that is offered. There are other, harsher punishments that Headmaster Philip will inflict when required, or until you are confident in your own abilities to fix the problem." Nanny Beth glanced Giana up and down. "I
suggest you go back down to your room, bathe, change into an outfit better suited for you and which fits, and then return to put little Teresa to bed. If you go in looking as you do, you will not come out alive. Teresa has a mouth on her that will set fire to that drab gown. I will put Mollie and Gracie to bed. After I am finished with my responsibilities, I will check and see how you are handling Teresa."
Giana nodded without saying another word.
"What are you waiting for?" Nanny Beth asked.
With haste, Giana took off down the hall, unlocked the door, and rushed down the steps back towards her room. She had not the faintest idea where to find heated water for the tub.
Grabbing the key from around her neck, she removed the chain and unlocked the door.
Footsteps slapped over the marble floor from behind her.
Giana spun around on her thin-soled shoes, coming to stare at a young woman with dark black hair and brown eyes. Dressed in a pink gown that was sheer and revealed no undergarments, Giana tried not to stare at the woman… little… before her.
"Are you supposed to be down here?" Giana asked.
"You left the door ajar," the young woman said, pointing toward the stairs. "I wanted to see what was down here."
"What is your name?" Giana could not afford to be fired for being so careless as to not properly lock and secure the door, allowing the girls to leave. If one of them ran off, she would never forgive herself.
"Mollie," the girl said, glancing down at the floor. Her bare toes scratched over the marble flooring. She had the palest skin Giana had ever seen, and an oval face, with small ears hidden beneath the long brunette tangles.
"Are you supposed to be getting ready for bed?" Giana did not think the girl should be roaming the halls without shoes on, and dressed in such a scandalous manner.
"Nanny Beth will find me when she needs to," Mollie said, not seeming conflicted or upset by what she had done.
Was this what Giana had to look forward to? Her charge running off at the first hint of an opportunity for freedom? How bad could the chateau be for these ladies? There was food, shelter, and a warm bed to sleep in. Besides, it sounded as if they were well cared for, with a nanny and a papa who paid them special attention. Two months living on the harsh streets had taught her to appreciate such comforts of life, comforts she would never take for granted again.
"Do you know where to find hot water?" As long as she had the young woman under her supervision, perhaps she could gather knowledge from her, as well.
"A maid usually comes and fills our tub." Mollie glanced Giana over. "Maybe we can find a maid for you down here. I have heard that the maids and nannies all sleep on this floor. Perhaps if you knock upon one of their doors, they might point you in the right direction?"
Giana studied Mollie's features closely, trying to determine whether the young woman was trying to pull one over on her, or intended to offer actual help. There was no sign of her lying, no reddened ears or rosy cheeks that she had caught from her friends when they had fibbed to their parents.
"What will Nanny Beth do if she discovers you followed me downstairs?" Giana asked.
Mollie's chocolate brown eyes widened. "My bottom will get paddled." She glanced behind her at the stairwell. Not a sound could be heard coming down the steps.
"Perhaps you should return before she notices you have gone missing." Giana appreciated the help and the company, but did not wish to see Mollie in trouble, either.
Mollie nodded and offered a brief smile before quietly heading up the stairwell. Her movements had been flawless, as Giana had not been able to hear her sneak up or down. As soon as she had finished with her bath and changed into more appropriate and clean attire, she would make sure to keep the door between the floors locked. She could not risk losing her job or being reprimanded. If the young women were disciplined with a harsh spanking, she did not dare discover what her own punishment for insubordination would be.
Chapter IV
Upon finishing her bath, Giana dried off and dressed quickly, slipping into the blue and gray gown she found in the wardrobe. It was not the exact same outfit that Nanny Beth had worn, but the dresses were similar, as if the same seamstress had made both. She tied her dark brown curls up on her head before slipping into her stockings and shoes. Her heels clicked over the marble floor, and her feet sank gratefully into the material of the soles, the cushion supporting her toes and offering her a bit of height as well with the brass heel. The shoes and the dress had to have cost a fortune, at least according to Giana's standards.
Quickly, so as to not make her charge wait, Giana headed up the stairwell and through the door, locking it to ensure no one else would be able to slip out because of her negligence. With each step down the marble hall, the beat of her walk echoed until she reached Teresa's door. Standing awkwardly, she paused, her hand hovering above the wooden board. Was she to knock first? It seemed improper to barge right in without warning.
Letting a nervous breath escape from her lips, she stood straighter, attempting to reveal only confidence as she knocked briskly on Teresa's door.
"Go away!" a female voice shouted from the other side.
Giana frowned. She did not believe she was supposed to go away, according to Nanny Beth's instructions. She glanced down the hall, counting the number of doors to ensure that she was not bothering a girl who was not her charge.
"Excuse me? Teresa?" Giana asked, turning the handle. As she opened the door, she was greeted by a pillow flying across the room, which smacked her right in the face. "Blast!" Her heart momentarily felt as though it might leap from her chest; the shock of the feathers smacking Giana startled her.
Was this how all the charges acted, or had Mr. Hartley been so generous as to give her the most difficult young woman on her first day at the chateau? Teresa could not have been much younger than Giana, perhaps two years at most. Was she honestly supposed to discipline a grown woman? The idea seemed preposterous! Yes, it was evident that Teresa needed a firm nanny to put the girl in her place, but spanking her hardly seemed as though it would do any good at all.
Teresa laughed and sat on her mattress, her legs crossed, revealing her white cotton bloomers. She did not sit as a lady should and, looking at the short, green and black checkered dress that rested above the knee, Giana could not imagine the clothing was what she was supposed to wear. The dress was so short it was scandalous, revealing a flash of snowy skin just above her stockings.
Clearing her throat and straightening her posture, she introduced herself. "My name is Nanny Giana. I have come to put you down for bed, and I do not believe you are to wear that to sleep." Giana had seen Mollie in her nightgown. At least one girl on the floor behaved herself—well, if she did not count her sneaking downstairs.
Giana stepped closer, showing no hint of fear toward the woman. Teresa's black hair was pulled into two ponytails with bows at the top of her head. She may have been nearly Giana's age but she looked younger in the clothes she wore. Had that been the intent? The headmaster had mentioned a school of littles, and that would be where she worked. She just hadn't prepared herself for the image of what that entailed.
"I shall call a maid to fetch your bathwater."
"It is already fetched," Teresa said, pointing behind her toward the small room where the bath was situated.
Giana walked across and examined the tub, dipping her fingers through the water. It was not particularly hot, but it would suffice. "Come here, child." The words slipped from Giana's lips before she even realized she had said them. The attire and demeanor of Teresa made it seem as though she was much younger.
Teresa did not move in the slightest. "No." She folded her arms across her chest. "I do not wish to bathe in front of you."
Giana's eyes widened, and she took a step back. Was she supposed to give the girl privacy? It seemed rude and inappropriate to bathe the young woman. She surely would not drown herself in the bathwater.
The bedroom door swung wide without warning,
and Nanny Beth stood there, with the paddle in her right hand. "Teresa, why are you not in bed already? Get into that bath right now!" Nanny Beth pointed at the tub with wide eyes. Her nostrils flared as she breathed through her nose.
"I have been trying to get her into the tub," Giana said, defending herself. "The girl threw a pillow at me, and has been resolutely refusing to listen to me." It was a risk, tattling Teresa's behavior to Nanny Beth, but Giana did not know how to properly discipline the girl, or, at the very least, gain her respect, which it seemed Nanny Beth had earned.
Teresa climbed down from the mattress and stalked across the floor. She removed her shoes first and then her stockings before glancing from Giana to Beth. "Must I undress in front of her?"
Nanny Beth stepped forward and ripped the cotton bloomers down Teresa's legs. The paddle extended from her hand and she landed the face of the wood across the young woman's bottom.
Crack.
The wood made a loud blistering sound as it landed on her bare posterior.
"Ow!" Teresa yelped as she tried to get away. Nanny Beth continued to paddle her wiggling behind two more times, appearing as if it took no effort at all.
Nanny Beth grabbed her by the wrist and held her so she was not able to run. "I suggest you grip the edge of the bathtub, child. Nanny Giana will finish the paddling, and perhaps next time you will think twice before causing such a scene."
Beth handed Giana the paddle and nodded toward the young woman's reddened bottom.
Giana did not think she had it in her to spank anyone, let alone a grown woman.
Teresa bent forward, her head down as she pushed her bottom out and gripped the edge of the bathtub, leaning forward. Her dress fell over her hips, exposing her once creamy complexion, which was now splotched pink from the paddle.
Nanny Beth waited for the discipline to ensue as Giana merely stood in shock. "She must learn that she takes orders from her nanny, which is you. She receives at least as many spanks as her regressed age. Tell Nanny Giana how old you are, and do not lie, child," Beth commanded.
