Stormy Night Publications Publishers of BDSM and Kink Erotica
Prologue
9 February 1889
Miss Pritchard’s Training School for Little Ladies
Rochester, New York
Dear Miss Pritchard,
This correspondence is to inquire about the advertisement in the New York Post dated 20 October 1888. It would appear your establishment provides interested parties with little ladies trained to please, pleasure, and submit. Our requirements are rather unconventional and, as such, your institution’s training methods are most admirable and fitting of our desires. Our request is made with the highest honor to uphold the tenets an alternative lifestyle demands.
We would purport several requirements that are absolute and unwavering in our quest for a suitable little lady. As opposed to the more typical convention, the physical attributes of any candidate we may consider must be well-endowed and have a pleasing feminine shape. We desire a mature woman, both in age and in demeanor. Her manner shall be pliant, tractable, and congenial while also demonstrating judiciousness, perspicacity, and cleverness. A woman whose nature contains an innate desire to please others, while subsequently able to maintain self-possession. We prefer a candidate who has received an education and is able to read, write, and converse in an intelligent fashion. Of the utmost importance, she must consent to a lifestyle that demands submission to two masters in equal standing and authority.
In closing, our final stipulation calls for direct correspondence from any candidate for preliminary consideration. Rest assured, Miss Pritchard’s Training School for Little Ladies shall be well compensated should a suitable match occur.
With highest regards,
His lordship, the earl of Kendrick
and Doctor Phillip Henry Gates
Ferngrove Manor, Yarmouth, England
Chapter One: The Door
Kathryn Williams woke up as exhausted as she felt when she lay down on the large whitewashed four-poster bed the previous evening. Having arrived at the rented cottage in Yarmouth, Massachusetts late Friday, she was barely able to expend enough energy to unpack. Instead she chose to only remove those items necessary to take a quick shower and don her flannel pajamas. She had been bone-weary tired after attending to a long work week in which she dealt with a caseload of endlessly unhappy clients, continued obstacles of bureaucracy in the state system, and disgruntled, negative co-workers who should have retired around Y2K.
Her despondent emotions left her needing to seek solitude, the depression leaving a heaviness in her chest that made it difficult to breathe from one moment to the next. It was a little over the one-year anniversary of her husband’s untimely death and she still lived by habit and routine, existing in a fog of hopelessness and grief from the loss of her life partner. Kathryn struggled on a daily basis to manage being around people and engaging in social situations. She was unable to have a vision for her future beyond the perpetual devastating sadness that left her with a large, black hole of endless days. It was monumentally difficult to engage with co-workers chattering about their vacations, children’s dance recitals, and a host of other details she had no interest in. Kathryn was unable to foresee a clear picture of her life past the present moment and had to force herself to smile and look interested when conversing with others.
She missed Travis terribly and struggled to hold tightly to the cherished memories Yarmouth held for them. When he and Kathryn vacationed each year at Cape Cod, they would rent a lovely beach cottage located a few short steps to the seashore. Over the past several weeks, Kathryn had been compelled with the need to make the journey back to their beloved coastal vacation home and had taken time off from her job as a social worker to relive her memories.
The cottage was built in the 1800s and had not undergone many renovations, so it lacked many of the more modern amenities most people would expect from a vacation house on the cape. The furniture was dated, well-worn, and decades old, though Kathryn did not mind the inconvenience at all. She had a fondness for vintage items, especially clothing and antique furniture. Like wearing one’s favorite clothing, she was comforted by the cozy and pleasant beach house and how it never changed.
After drinking a cup of strong black coffee to help her wake up, Kathryn showered and dressed in a pair of shorts and her favorite Billy Joel tee shirt, grabbed a straw hat to protect her fair skin from the sun, and ventured for a long walk along the beach.
Later returning to the cottage, Kathryn showered and dressed in a simple faded yellow sundress. Looking around the bedroom, she realized that she should finish unpacking her clothing and remaining toiletries; however, the queen-sized bed looked too tempting, so she decided to treat herself to the luxury of an early afternoon catnap. As she drifted off to sleep, her mind cleared of the usual work and life chatter and settled on one of her favorite fantasies.
She was in a perfect submissive pose, naked and kneeling, her head bowed. Waiting in anticipation for him, her mind and body ready to obey his every command. With eyes downcast, Kathryn caught sight of his bare feet walking past her. The only sound in the room was the pounding in her ears as she awaited his commands.
A firm hand touched the back of her head. “Good girl. You look lovely waiting on your knees for your master.” His voice was deep and sexy.
“Thank you, sir,” she whispered, remaining in position.
“Look at me, little one,” he ordered. Kathryn immediately complied, looking up to gaze at his perfect face. “Are you ready to serve your master?”
A wave of heated arousal surged through her body as she answered with a pure and honest heart. “Yes, sir, your submissive is ready to please you…”
Kathryn awoke from the dream and oddly felt completely refreshed and relaxed, ready to face the task of unpacking. But as she tidied up the bedroom, she noticed something she did not remember ever seeing before. It was a small half door hidden in the wall at the far corner opposite the bed. It was not easily noticed, camouflaged in the same hip-height, lightly stained wood wainscoting that covered the walls around the entire room.
Knowing the wall she observed was on the exterior of the house, Kathryn was intrigued by the mystery, certain it could not lead anywhere given its location and orientation within the cottage. Still, her curiosity was overpowering, and she felt driven to unlatch the thin metal sliding piece securing the door to discover where it led.
Fully expecting to find little more than a crawl space behind it, she was surprised to find an open chamber. With its slanted ceiling, the tallest space had to have been only around five feet and an inch or two, similar to Kathryn’s height, given she could barely stand up straight in the area. The fresh cedar scent was strong in the vast, empty space.
Kathryn was puzzled when she noticed another door directly opposite from the one she’d just passed through. It made no sense and she wanted to investigate given the door was located on an exterior wall of the house. She could not imagine how there could be anything on the other side of the door. Stooping down, she tried to open it, pulling on the small round glass knob. It took several strong tugs, launching her backwards from the force she needed to expend before the door opened with the loud creak of old wood.
Crawling through the open space, Kathryn entered what appeared to be a fairly large-sized bedroom. Stepping in, she stood straight as her eyes scanned the room in a manner similar to a panoramic camera. She observed with shock and disbelief a large feminine-looking bedroom likely meant for a small child. Spying each piece of matching whitewashed furniture, Kathryn realized the room resembled an old-fashioned nursery.
What on earth is a nursery doing here? It was impossible from an architectural standpoint that a full-size room existed given it was an exterior wall to the house. She was completely confounded by the discovery.
Fascinated, Kathryn stepped further into the room and shuffled around the perimeter, examining the details. The walls were papered with an ornate pattern with various shades of pink and lavender roses. The single-sized four-poster whitewashed bed was heavily canopied with pink and white gingham fabric stretched tautly across the top opening of the bed. The excess fabric flowed down each post to drape on the dark stained hardwood floor. The heavy cloth, edged with lavender eyelet, was tied with lilac satin bows placed about halfway down each of the four opulently carved columns. The same pattern adorned the comforter and pillows on the bed, providing an inviting retreat for a young girl.
All of the furniture and adornments in the room appeared to be original antiques, not fake reproductions. Kathryn knew this from spending many lazy weekends hopping from one antique store to another, so she had become quite adept at identifying true historical treasures.
Kathryn could not understand how this room could be on the second floor of the beach cottage, nor could she determine its location within the house. The only access was through the small doors and the chamber between them. She stood in silent confusion, shaking her head in disbelief.
Her feet dangled once she sat on the edge of the unusually high bed. Its height surprised Kathryn as it appeared more likely meant for a tall person, despite the fact that the room was decorated for a small girl.
Edward, the earl of Kendrick, met his partner, Phillip, at Oxford University. Months of secret looks and increased longing grew to sexual overtones and innuendos as their friendship evolved until they had finally made a declaration of love. With Phillip, Edward could be his true self and not be weighed down with the necessary responsibilities of duty. They’d lived separate lives for several years, discreetly coming together whenever possible—but that had led to much frustration as they felt their love was a dirty secret.
Edward had grown weary of living a secretive life and it all came to a head with the passing of his father, requiring he assume the destined role as the sole heir of Ferngrove Manor and its five hundred acres at Yarmouth, the rocky seacoast property located on the most northeastern coastal area in Norfolk County. Edward’s lineage and wealth afforded Phillip and him the one and only opportunity to live freely with one another as life partners, despite the current laws that deemed their love for one another illegal. The estate was immensely private, remote from larger cities and towns in England, perfect for their unconventional settlement.
Together they built an isolated, self-sufficient property that ensured free expression of the true nature of their relationship without fear of reprisal. In fact, Edward truly had to credit Phillip with the establishment of the small, private community that welcomed like-minded people also desiring a life free from social ostracism due to their sexual interests and desires. From the beginning, Phillip had always freely given his unwavering support and encouragement that allowed Edward to break from the weight of his title and duty to create a place that was extraordinary.
A thriving institution, the tenants of Ferngrove were not only men who preferred to lie with other men, but numerous combinations of men and women with varied sexual interests and practices who sought to live freely and without judgment.
As the earl of Kendrick, Edward’s responsibilities were well established and traditional. There were servants in his employ to care for the manor and he oversaw the tenants living on the property. In contrast, Phillip, a medical doctor by training, established a thriving practice in town catering to people with typical ailments as well as overt lascivious interests.
Tenants of the community were required to meet with Edward prior to gaining permanent access to the estate, thus it was very exclusive and private, exactly as he required. Ferngrove functioned as any other country town in England. It was a prosperous and tight-knit community. It also happened to be a town where carnal, risqué practices and deviant, taboo behavior were accepted and encouraged.
After a year of blissful existence, Edward and Phillip had become increasingly interested in the possibility of adding an adult little woman to their home as an enhancement to their lives. To do so would allow each man to exercise their individual dominant tendencies that had, until then, lay dormant and unexplored since founding the Ferngrove community.
Enjoying an aperitif in their study after the evening meal, Edward voiced his interests to Phillip. He proposed they could find a submissive little woman to share, control, and discipline. Edward’s initial concern regarding Philip’s reaction to the suggestion was unfounded. Phillip thoroughly agreed that bringing an adult little woman to their home would augment their need to exercise sexual control and authority. It was the perfect situation as they enjoyed women equally as well as men and they had an innate drive to dominate.
“I share your yearnings. I, too, have carnal desires to train a submissive woman to my will. We shall find a woman to jointly own and possess. An obedient woman who shall live to please us and be punished when needed,” Phillip articulated.
Sharing a woman to submit and surrender would complete them, of this Edward was certain. He loved Phillip with all of his heart and was thoroughly happy with the life they built together. Still, both men enjoyed the sensuous delights of female flesh, having experienced several ménages a trois, especially during the time they resided in London, although those opportunities were few and far between. This venture would allow them to employ strict methods of training to teach their submissive to serve them as they desired—between them and on her knees.
“Excellent. So we agree to pursue this course of action?” Edward questioned.
Phillip immediately nodded in agreement. “Yes, we are at a point in our lives where this makes perfect sense. We have the means, privacy, and drive. You and I have darker needs that cannot be met and explored under current circumstances. I believe it is the right decision.”
“We will need to exercise the utmost discretion to find a suitable candidate. This will be a challenge, do you not agree?” Edward queried.
“Hmm.” After a few moments of quiet contemplation, Phillip’s eyebrows rose, an expression of delight crossing his handsome, boyish features. “Perhaps it will not be such a challenge to find an interested person after all. Edward, I believe there may be an option for our consideration. I had forgotten about it, but there may be a perfect solution.”
Phillip rose from the leather sofa and took several long strides to the oversized mahogany desk on the other side of the lavishly decorated masculine study. After a few minutes searching in a drawer, he was successful in finding that which he had been eagerly searching for. Ambling toward Edward, who had also risen from his seat, Phillip handed Edward the creased American newspaper preserved from his trip to New York City a few months prior where he had trained in the most advanced surgical procedures. Phillip pointed to the advertisement he wished for Edward to read.
Miss Pritchard’s Training School for Little Ladies, Rochester, NY
Educated in various ways of female companionship, Miss Pritchard’s Training School for Little Ladies prepares adult women to serve a master with submissive grace and total obedience. Ladies receive strict instruction to serve as a woman-child and are trained in every aspect of regression utilizing corporeal punishment and other forms of discipline for training and to correct naughty behavior. Our little ladies are schooled to accept all demands required by her master, her subjugation only limited by his imagination, his wants and needs placed above all others during her term of service. We guarantee full satisfaction for all carnal appetites.
For inquiries, forward a letter of interest.
Edward was pleasantly surprised and equally as astonished to hold the solution to their dilemma in his hands. The words obedience, regression, and discipline stood out strongly, calling to him like a beacon. The advertisement expressed exactly what they were seeking. His body craved the softness of a docile female to lie between them, a little woman who would belong to them both. Edward’s heart was racing with anticipation and he had to remind himself to take in a deep, calming breath. One step at a time.
“Indeed, if this business is legitimate, perhaps it is a possibility.” Flabbergasted that such an establishment would so blatantly advertise its existence, although he was fully aware of various underground societies, Edward had a few reservations about the validity of the school.
After all, the very foundation of Ferngrove was based on the freedom to exercise one’s sexuality in complete liberty from societal conventions. There were many perverse inclinations that persons such as himself favored and age play was certainly one of those areas.
“Do you wish to pursue this course of action and inquire further, Phillip? Are you certain we are ready for this step to further meet our needs and desires?” His voice was serious and laced with hesitation and a bit of uncertainty. “I do not wish to proceed without thoroughly scrutinizing the implications of proceeding. This, as you know, would be a permanent situation, unlike our previous liaisons.” Gazing intently and deeply into the warm, loving crystal-clear blue eyes of his partner, he paused, adding, “It would be a significant change to our household and to our lives should we pursue this course. We must consider the possibility with great care and, should we proceed, discreetly find a suitable candidate.”
Phillip smiled, swallowing the remainder of his drink. He placed the empty glass on the side table and approached Edward with elegant ease. “Edward,” he soothed, “my needs and desires are equal to yours, as are my concerns.” Phillip took his partner’s hands in his, gazing intently, blue eyes to hazel. “So long as we are firm in our commitment to one other, which I am certain is as solid as the walls of this manor, I have no objection to adding a little woman to our relationship. It is appealing to once again partake in our mutual, darker interests. Those scenes in London were time-limited and a mere taste of what we could experience were we to proceed. Indeed, I would happily welcome a little woman to Ferngrove.”
Phillip leaned in, his lips grazing over Edward’s, his voice laced with seduction. “What the mere thought does to me.” He flexed his hips, allowing Edward to feel the hardness and length of his erection through his trousers. “You driving into a warm, wet cunny while I plow into your tight, hot aristocratic arse.” His voice was gravelly and thick, his lips skimming over Edward’s in a loving caress. “Mmm, double penetration, double pleasure. Can you envision it, my lord?”
Edward pulled Phillip into him with a firm, unfaltering grasp, one arm curled across his defined, muscular back, his other buried at the nape of Phillip’s curly blond locks. His lover’s hardened cock pressed into his own solid erection as they strained against the fabric covering them, the deliciously dirty words painting a picture of unadulterated lascivious delights. Their lips joined in desperate need as the kiss deepened in exploration, until it was crushing and demanding, full of uncontrollable passion and love.
Edward raked through Phillip’s hair purposefully and firmly tugged his head back, his gaze seeking his lover’s turbulent orbs. “It will not change what we are or what we have with one another.” Edward’s voice was resolute. “We will seek a little woman to enhance and enable us to exercise dominance and control. She will serve as a little woman belonging to us both. We will own her, but never shall she come between us.”
Phillip chuckled, amusement dancing in his bright eyes. “Well, I shall seek to have her come between us a substantial portion of the time,” he quipped, smiling seductively. “After all, that is the point, my lord, is it not?”
Edward’s hands dropped and he took a step back, a beaming smile lighting his angular jaw. “Oh, doctor, what am I to do with you?” Edward teased, shaking his head in mock disbelief.
Phillip licked his lips with an esurient gaze filled with licentious intention. “Do you really have to ask, my lord?”
Edward threw his head back, rich laughter filling the room. When he glanced back, Phillip’s expression was lustful, one of carnal need. It made his heart burst with love, simultaneous with his cock growing harder, filling with need. His partner was devastatingly handsome; his youthful looks did not detract from the knowing intelligence reflected in his steady gaze. “Come here,” Edward demanded, his voice gravelly and rough. “I need you. Now.”
Phillip took a step closer, leaving no space between their hard bodies. Taking Edward’s aristocratic face in his hands, he echoed, “And I need you. Now.” He seductively swayed his body, pressing his erection into Edward’s tall, muscular frame. Edward was only slightly taller than Phillip, but their waists were level, as were their rigid organs, pressed together with only their clothing as a barrier that did not dull the erotic sensations in the slightest.
Wordless, the men left the library. As they ascended the stairs to their bedroom, their butler Gibson appeared in the foyer. “Milord. Doctor.” He cleared his throat. “I have been informed the evening meal has been prepared and ready to serve.”
Edward halted his movement halfway up the stairs, holding the walnut banister. Phillip was beside him, their hands interlocked. “Tell cook to prepare a tray so we may dine in our chamber this evening. We shall dine much later this evening,” he added in a low tone edged with tight control. Edward’s pointed stare clearly underscored his intent. “We shall ring the kitchen when we are ready to be served.”
“As you wish, milord.” Gibson bowed as Edward and Phillip continued on to their bedroom. Gibson was nothing if not obedient, as were all of the servants. Edward preferred a tightly run domiciliary environment; therefore, he held strictly to the creed that the servants in his employ would be nothing more. The servants were required to endure the rigorous interview process to join the Ferngrove community identifying their reasons, sexual needs and desires to gain admittance. Despite this knowledge, Edward and Phillip strictly banished fraternization under their roof and demanded complete professionalism when servants were on duty. What they did on their own time could be as wicked and carnal as preferred.
Edward was alone, lost in deep thought as he paced with his long, defined arms casually folded behind him in the large master suite. He and Phillip had waited many months for the day to arrive when they would bring their little woman home. There had been much to do preliminarily to her arrival and they had spent the past several months in preparation. Everything in the manor was ready and perfect for her arrival.
Considering the forthcoming shift in dynamics to his household, Edward hoped the alteration would enhance their lives. He considered how different and unusual the arrangement would be, unlike anything they had ever experienced before. Only time would tell if they had made the correct decision to add a little woman permanently into the household.
A thrilled shiver crawled up his back as the minutes ticked by, the time for departing for the train depot, several miles into the next town, drawing near. Their little woman was travelling from America, such a great distance between them. Given the lengthy venture, Edward saw to every detail, ensuring her arrival would be pleasant and afford her every opportunity to adjust to English country life.
Kathryn would belong to them and would be their own little woman to care for and control. She would obey every command or find herself with a sore, well-punished seat. The arrangement was perfectly suited to meet their needs to dominate and cosset a little woman. From what they could surmise about Kathryn from her correspondence, her personality and manner were exactly fitting of their requirements, or at least appeared to be. Soon, Edward would discover the truth firsthand.
Their desire to possess a woman of their own ran deep. Doing so would meet their need to control and dominate, albeit in differing ways for each man. While Edward was imposing and exacting in his need for order and discipline, Phillip longed to provide tender, nurturing authority and guidance. A submissive woman who could meet those wide-ranging needs would be rare, yet Phillip felt fairly certain Kathryn would prove to have all of the necessary attributes to meet their distinct, yet similar requirements.
A strange creaking sound coming from directly across the hall of their bedchamber pulled Edward out of his internal musing. He stopped pacing and stilled. He waited, listening for it again in the silence. Perhaps it was my imagination.
He knew not of any reason why the servants would enter the room specially designed for their little woman. In fact, wanting her to be under no scrutiny of others, especially in the early days of her adjustment and training, he and Phillip had told the servants to only enter her room when she was not present. Edward was well aware it could not be Phillip across the hall, as he was at his office tending to a patient by special request. It was amazing how many village inhabitants requested the services of the local physician to address the urges for medical fetish. It was a popular scene of late. Why, some people visited the doctor so regularly, one would believe there were abnormally high rates of illness at Ferngrove. The good doctor was kept quite busy with the community inhabitants, as was his preference.
The creaking sounded again. It was coming from the same direction, the nursery, so Edward swiftly stepped across the hall to investigate.