Chapter 14: Allocation of Duties

Just as Sophia warned, we are roused at fivethirty the next morning by one of the male servants ringing a hand bell.

“Wake up, you whores,” shouts the man in English after calling out what I assume is the same phrase in German, French and Spanish.

There’s a mad rush for the bathroom. None of the naked women seem bothered at being seen by the man. I join the smaller group of women who give up on trying for first use of the bathroom in favour of getting first choice of a uniform and underwear.

The uniform consists of a white shortsleeved blouse with lacy trim, and a blue kneelength pinafore dress. A lacy bra, matching suspender belt, pair of stockings, and a pair of blue canvas shoes complete the outfit.

“There are no panties,” I say when I rummage through the underwear.

“Non, nous ne portons pas de culottes,” replies the nearest VM in French, confirming my suspicion that we all go around with a naked cunt and arse under our dress.

I’ve never previously worn clothing without panties underneath and the idea sounds strangely wicked. However none of the other women seem the least bit concerned, so I swallow my objections and take my clothing back to my bed.

Bea and Sophia emerge from the bathroom with the others who were quick enough for first shift in a communal shower. They drip water all over the stone floor as they towel themselves dry.

“Allez, Anglaise,” says the French speaking woman I talked to before, as she signals for me to join her and two others in a shower.

“Je suis Rebecca,” I say to the woman as we step under the shower.

“Marianne,” she replies, indicating herself and our two showermates. “Ce sont Clara et Charity.”

Clara starts the water flowing and we share the soap between us. Washing each other is clearly the accepted procedure. Even soaping each other’s cunts is done without any objection. However there’s no overt sexual play that such an intimate grouping might otherwise encourage. We finish our shower in under two minutes and make room for the next group.

Getting access to a toilet is more of a challenge. There are eighteen of us and only three toilets. I’m one of the last to get a turn, by which time the toilets smell something awful.

“It pays to get to the toilet early,” laughs Bea when she sees me wrinkling my nose. “The punishment detail will empty the toilets and mop up the mess on the floor in a short while. It’ll all be spic and span by breakfast time.”

“Punishment detail?!?” I ask in surprise.

“Yes. The two Vertragsmädchens who get the most demerit points in a week are on punishment detail the following week. They’re the ones who do our laundry overnight and clean up the Sklavenschlafsaal in the morning. Let that be a warning to be punctual and obedient.”

By sixfifteen we have all completed our ablutions and are dressed in our uniforms. I copy the others and make my bed and ensure everything is tidy. An elderly man in a grey suit enters the dormitory and stands by the door. He is carrying a clipboard which he periodically consults as he calls out the next name on his list. When her name is called, the VM trots to where he is standing and allows herself to be inspected. Once the man is satisfied with her appearance, he assigns the day’s duties to the woman in her own language. She departs immediately to carry out the first task she has been given. The room soon starts to empty and before long there are only three of us left.

“Rebecca,” calls the man.

I copy those before me and trot to where he is standing. He inspects me but he doesn’t give any indication of his assessment.

“Stand over there,” he says when he is done with his inspection.

He calls the other two women one at a time. I realise that these two are the ones on punishment detail and he tells them to clean up the bathroom and Sklavenschlafsaal, and then get some sleep. They are to report to him for further duties at three o’clock this afternoon. They obediently set about their work.

“Come with me, Rebecca,” he says once he’s satisfied that the two women on punishment detail are showing the appropriate enthusiasm for the task ahead. “Bring the mobile phone you were given.”

I fetch the phone I was given in Lyon from my locker which the man takes from me. He then leads me back to the main house and into a small room that appears to be his office. He signals for me to stand facing his desk while he sits in the well worn chair on the opposite side. He unlocks a desk drawer and removes a tablet computer.

“Did you sleep well?” he asks.

“I’ve spelt in more comfortable beds,” I reply.

“No, Rebecca. That’s the wrong answer. The correct answer is ‘yes, thank you for asking, Hausmeister’. You address me by my title, and remember the three golden rules you must follow: obedience, respect and punctuality. Is that clear?”