Chapter 10

Wednesday April 20th

Watched a documentary on TV this evening. Jill insisted. Said it was something that DOSA had recommended all sponsors get their men to watch. It was about the Merryfield Detention Centre and how they were working “to rehabilitate those that have a distorted view of recent changes in society”. By the end of it I wasn’t convinced that it was quite as benign a place as the BBC would have us believe. There were a few interviews with inmates but I had the impression right through that a warder was standing behind the camera staring at them to remind them that when the cameras went home they would still be there.

I can remember party activists complaining about BBC bias in last year’s election. They seem to have got over it now.

I also felt that I wasn’t keen on ending up there – which maybe was the objective. One thing is for sure, when / if I do decide to get out I want to be VERY confident that I make it clear out of the country.

Monday April 25th

I was clearing up at home this morning. Sally didn’t want me to come over to her place until the afternoon. The place was a tip, Jill had some of her friends from uni over last night. Quite a lot of drinking went on. Three couples stayed over. I got shifted out of my room to make room for one of them; a tall, Indian-looking girl and her dark tomboyish lover. I bedded down on one of the armchairs in the living room so it was hardly a restful night’s sleep.

I was up and busy clearing up the glasses and bottles long before Jill showed herself. I suppose I should be sympathetic about the fact that she obviously had a full-on hangover but I wasn’t. I managed to stay out of her way and by lunchtime they’d all decided they were going up the pub for the hair of the dog, so I got the place back to myself.

About half past one there was a ring on the door bell and I opened it to find Angie there.

“Hi,” she said. “Can I come in?”

“Sure, but Jill is out, I’m afraid.” I told her about the previous night.

“That’s OK. I wanted to talk to you. How are things working out with Sally?”

“Yeah. All right I guess. She’s fair enough. I mean I never saw myself as a career house cleaner but it solved the immediate problem and it’s kept Jill happy. I’d rather be back in an office somewhere but I’m not sure that’s going to happen any time soon. How’s the world of high politics?”

Angie smiled. “Yeah. All right. I’m not sure I’m keen on all the in-fighting and back-biting but it is good to be able to put ideas forward and get a hearing and sometimes get something done about them. Nina got me a promotion and I’ve got a team of researchers working for me now.”

“Good for you.” I wasn’t sure I fully shared her enthusiasm but I was glad things were working out for her.

“The thing is, I wondered how you would feel about moving to London? I mean Jill would have to agree and everything – and Sally too, I guess, but, well, I’d quite like to have you around again.”

“And you need someone to keep house. Don’t you have time with your new job?”

“Maybe but there’s plenty I could choose from if I just wanted a new house boy. I thought things worked OK with us before. You’d find London more fun than Fordswell.”

“I reckon they are both much the same after curfew, though.”

“Fair point. Think about it though. I won’t say anything to Jill unless you are interested.”

That was what swung it, in the end. I mean she could have just arranged for a transfer of sponsorship with Jill without even talking to me. And, well, I know Angie could be a bit of a cow sometimes but at least she knew when I was around. With Jill, I don’t think she really cares one way or the other.

I said why didn’t she just float the idea with Jill and see what reaction she got. I’m not going to say anything to Harry or Cara about this – I think that would just make things more complicated. I didn’t mention Jess either.

Thursday April 28th

An awkward conversation with Jill this evening. “I hear you want to move to London,” she said.

I said it wasn’t quite like that but I guess from her perspective it didn’t really matter.

“I’m going to talk to mummy and see if she knows another house-boy I could move in to keep the place tidy and fund the rent. Until that happens I’ve said to Angie I don’t want to commit.”

I was thinking well, at least, I’ve got the housekeeping cash that I’ve been building up so I’ve still got some options whichever way things go with Angie but then Jill said, “Oh yes, and another thing. I hadn’t realised what a good job you’d been doing with the housekeeping – there was quite a bit of a balance in the account. Well done! I’ve used it to book a few days away at the end of next month, so don’t worry if there’s less in there than you thought there ought to be. Keep up the good work!”

So, that’s put the lid on any plans to abscond for the minute at least. Still, she didn’t sound as though she thought I was doing it deliberately, thank goodness.

May 2022 Monday May 2rd

A busy week. I was doing the usual house cleaning this morning over at Sally’s when she came in to the living room. She was obviously just about to go out – she was pulling on a pair of leather gloves. “My husband is in the main bedroom. He shouldn’t need anything but if you could just check in on him a couple of times, that would be good. And, week of the thirteenth, I’m going to need you for a couple of days. I’m running a thing at the Golf Club. The Prime Minister wants to do a brain storming session on new policy directions. I’m not going to let any of the club staff near it but you can help out with making sure that everyone is comfortable and looked after. Jill tells me you’re planning to leave us in the lurch. I’m sure you’ll still be here to help with this though. All right? Good!”

And with that she was off. I wasn’t sure if that mean she and Jill were going to agree to what Angie wanted but I guessed I would find out soon enough.

I spent the morning clearing up in the living room and the conservatory. I found a pair of trousers and underpants draped over the back of one of the chairs. I assumed they belonged to Sally’s husband, James, and remembered that she had asked me to check if he needed anything. I went up to the master bedroom (I suppose they ought to rename that really!). James was there all right but I didn’t think I could do much for him.

Sally had left him tied across a wooden frame in one corner of the room. He was bent forward, his naked backside (I was indeed holding his trousers and pants) up in the air and criss-crossed by bright red weals, presumably from a beating administered just before my arrival. Hearing me come in he tried to turn his head towards me. I could see he’d been gagged and left with a pair of his wife’s panties secured over his head. I showed him the trousers I was carrying, hung them up in the wardrobe and put the underpants in the laundry basket. James just gave an exasperated groan. He obviously wasn’t expecting me to let him loose.

I don’t know what he had done to earn his punishment and I was pretty sure that Sally had only asked me to look in on him as a warning that I’d end up with similar treatment if I didn’t keep up the standard of work she wanted.

Sally had left a whip, some rope and a ball gag laying on the floor of the bedroom. I thought she would want me to tidy it up so I put the whip and the gag neatly on her dressing table and coiled the rope up tidily too. I though that was what she would want me to do.

When I’d finished cleaning up, Sally still wasn’t back so I went home. Thinking about what Sally had talked about, I thought Cara would be interested in the meeting that Sally has organised. If I can keep Cara happy then maybe that will provide me with a way out – especially now my housekeeping fund has been abolished.

I scribbled a note to Cara explaining what was going on and indicating I’d be in the library next week. I left it in the drop-off point. Luckily Jess wasn’t in the library. It was the grey haired, dumpy woman I had seen there first of all. At least that meant that I got in and out without having to say anything to Jess about speaking to my sponsor.

Monday May 9th

Wow this is real cloak and dagger stuff. Cara was in the library when I went in to check if there were any messages. She was very excited by business about Sally’s meeting and she’s asked me to do something that sounds like it’s out of a James Bond movie.