Part 3

Chapter 10: Vicky's suicide attempt

Monday morning came and I hobbled down to the PT lesson. At least I could walk reasonably well although every muscle in my buttocks hurt to do so and running and doing exercises hurt them even more. I thought I should hate Ruth but seeing she was in at least as much pain as me, I could only sympathise with her. Mr. Reece, as usual, caught me many times with the tip of his whip but avoided my rear. Near the end of the lesson Ruth and I collapsed on the floor shedding copious amounts of tears. I thought back through my life and pondered on the fact that in the last week, I had cried more than in all my previous years. Stephan of course came to my aid and after having a wash, and the application of the salve I felt a little better. Will seemed to be taking more of an interest in Ruth now and did what he could for her. He'd spent the night in her bed but I don't think they did anything except cuddle. Unlike Rodney who virtually dragged me to his bed and wanted to fuck me like he normally would and was annoyed that I would only do him with my hand.

Sitting on a hard seat for breakfast and again in the schoolroom was an ordeal. It did help that it was a craft lesson for the first period and I was doing a little clay sculpture so didn't have to sit all the time. Vicky though was still in a bad way and in a great deal of pain. Her buttocks were badly swollen and she was very depressed. In the few days she'd been at this school, in appearance, she'd aged into an old woman. Midway through the first lesson, Mr. Hayes came in and told her, in front of us, "Victoria, Miss Dobson has advised me to postpone the second part of your punishment until Wednesday. Whether she agrees or not, you will then receive what is due to you." He sounded very annoyed that he wasn't going to do it there and then. I seriously began to question his motives in running this school. Was it really to educate us for marriage? Or was it because he enjoyed hurting people and got sensual pleasure from it? I now suspected it was the latter.

With about fifteen minutes of the lesson still to go, Vicky pleaded that she needed to put more salve on her buttocks and as she'd been crying out and disturbing the lesson for a little while, Mr. Reece allowed her to go. Perhaps it was some ten minutes later that I requested leave to wash my hands, which were filthy from handling the clay. Mr. Reece had no problem with that so I climbed the stairs and thought that I too might put some ointment on my bottom while I was there. The sight that greeted me though took all such thoughts from my mind. All the blankets from my bed were on the floor and the sheets were missing. I looked around.

"NO! Vicky No!" I yelled. She was lowering herself out of the window. Worse, she'd tied one end of a sheet to the water pipe from the pump and the other was knotted in a noose around her neck.

"Keep away Emma. He's not going to thrash me again. I'll die first. Life in not worth living any more." I could see what she intended to do and knew I had to prevent it. I climbed on the wide shelf ran along the wall under the windows. Normally they held the enamel washbasins we used for washing but Vicky had pushed them aside. With little regard for the pain in my bottom, I first grabbed Vicky's wrists and then managed to get my arms under hers around her back. She hung there and I hadn't the strength to lift her from the kneeling position I was in, back through the narrow opening.

"Let me go Emma. Please let me go. He'll thrash me worse now. Let me die. Let me get it over with." She pleaded with me and tried to thump my back to emphasise her words.

In reply I just yelled, "Help! Help!' at the top of my voice. Soon I heard Mr. Reece's voice but I dared not look round to see him. Then he was at my side but he couldn't do much to assist me because of the narrowness of the opening.

"Keep hold of her Emma," he said grimly, "We'll get a ladder to her." He left and Miss Dobson replaced him at my side. She ordered one of the boys to untie the sheet from the pipe so if I couldn't hold Vicky, at least she wouldn't hang and might get away with just a few broken bones. I had no intention of letting go though.

It seemed to take ages before I heard the gardener and his staff below me and then more shouting. The long ladder was in use outside the perimeter wall. There was more shouting and scuffling although I couldn't see too well what was happening. My arms were beginning to ache and my kneeling position tightened my buttock muscles causing more pain.

"Let me go Emma, please. Let go. I can't face this any more." Vicky's pleas were growing more desperate.

"Don't take any notice of her Emma," Miss Dobson's quiet voice spoke in my ear, "Hold her tight. We don't want to be responsible for losing a young life." She could see the tears running down my face. "I know you're hurting dear girl, but hold on for a long as you can. They'll get a ladder here soon and then we can get the poor girl back inside." Stephan climbed up on the other side of me and I sensed his arm around my back. He didn't speak; he didn't have to but I knew he was doing what he could to support me. I vaguely heard others in the bedroom and more and more people were gathering on the ground below but no sign of the ladder yet.

"Please hurry with that ladder," I groaned to no one in particular, "The pain is getting to be too much." Vicky seemed resigned to the fact that she wouldn't die and just cried pitifully. At last the ladder was here and the men were doing their 'walking it up the wall' thing with it, until it was directly alongside Vicky. I watched the watery eyes as the head gardener climbed up and then hoisted her back through the window and to safety. I slid off the shelf, still holding her, and we hugged and supported each other for a while until Mr. Hayes' angry voice told us to separate. We did and before Vicky pulled her blouse down, I saw the grazes and a trickle of blood on her breasts from where she had caught them on the windowsill. The pain in my bottom seemed to return with vengeance and I stood shaking and crying in front of the headmaster but still firmly holding Vicky's hand.

"Well done Emma. You were very brave and thanks to you there has been no loss of life." That was praise indeed from Mr. Hayes and for a moment I thought he would speak more kindly to Vicky but the reverse proved to be the case. He turned on Vicky, "As for you Victoria, you deserve all the punishment you are going to get. There'll be no waiting until Wednesday, I'll deal with you now. You won't try a stunt like that again after I've finished with you."

Where I got the courage from I don't know, but I spoke strongly in support of Vicky. "Sir, it is because of her fear of further thrashings that she did what she did. She opted for death rather than face your wrath and she almost succeeded. Punishing her further will only add to her determination to commit the sin of suicide and next time there might be no one around to save her. What then Sir? How would you explain her death to her parents? I've no doubt they are influential people and could make life difficult for you and even close your school. What Vicky really needs is a little love and attention and care until her wounds are healed, not treatment that will undoubtedly make them much worse. I'm sorry Sir, but you have told us several times in the past week to learn to debate a point, I just pray that you will not mind when I make my point to counter your arguments. Sir, please leave Vicky to heal and then treat her with kindness." I could see by the look on his face that he didn't agree and that I was most likely to receive further punishment for my impertinence. Luckily Miss Dobson came to my aid.

"The girl's right Mr. Hayes, further punishment will be most detrimental to her recovery and I forbid you to lay a finger on her until I say she is healed. Emma too has strained muscles during the overly long time she knelt in an awkward position to prevent the girl from falling to her death. Both girls need time to recover. As Matron of this school and responsible for the welfare of the children in our care, I will not allow further punishment to either of them for the time being."

"Then you will look for another post woman. Pack your bags and leave and don't expect a reference from me." The head was furious with this turn of events.

"I think not headmaster," Miss Dobson replied calmly, "If you recall, it was his lordship that employed me so if you wish to terminate my employment it will have to be through him. Now if you will excuse me, I have two young ladies I need to care for."

"Miss Dobson is right headmaster. The girls need treatment at the moment not further cruelty." It was Mr. Thompson that spoke and through tear filled eyes I saw Mr. Reece and Miss Collins nod in agreement. That surprised me.

"We'll see about this later. I'm not going to have my authority questioned by staff and pupils. By tomorrow you'll all be out of work and this lot will find out who is in charge here." With that he head stomped out of the room.

Miss Dobson ushered the others out of the room and started to clean the blood from Vicky's bosoms and then put salve on our welts. Afterwards she gave us some pain killing medicine that made us sleepy so she put us in the same bed so we could comfort each other. Before that, and being inquisitive, I remembered to ask about the lord who employed her. I'd only heard rumours that a wealthy local man owned the school.

"I guess you'll find out soon enough anyway dear because he comes and visits several times each year. It's Lord Heskett."

"Will he dismiss you?" I asked, the concern showing in my voice.

"I very much doubt it dear. I was his nanny for many years." That threw me but by then the medicine was having it's effect and I began feeling drowsy. Vicky's crying had eased to a whimper and her eyes were closing too.

Chapter 11: Reorganisation

When I awoke Stephan was by my side but I still clutched the sleeping Vicky. "What time is it?" I asked with a yawn. The medicine must have still have been effective because I only felt a dull ache in my bottom.

"It was three-thirty by the hall clock when I came up a little while ago. There's no school at the moment, the teachers are having a meeting in the schoolroom. I've heard Mr. Hayes raised voice a few times but can't tell what is going on. My guess is that he still wants to thrash the living daylights out of Vicky and perhaps you too and is threatening the others with expulsion unless they agree."

"Oh God. I hope he doesn't get his way. It was bad enough before but after this he'll be a real tyrant." It really worried me and I could see it did Stephan.

Vicky woke after about another hour and moaned as she tried to move. "What's happening?" she asked and we told her what little we knew but I don't think she took it all in. I guessed she was given more of the potion and its effect was lasting longer. She snuggled up close to me again and dozed off.

I dozed too but was awakened by screams and shouting from downstairs. Stephan went to see what was happening. He looked grim when he returned. "Seems as if the teachers and the other staff agreed to go with the headmaster's ideas rather than be dismissed and when Miss Dobson and Mr. Thompson refused they captured them and tied them up and they're now locked in a room somewhere. Looks like what we feared is going to happen." Before he could say more, we heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.

"Stephan! Get into the dining room with the other children." The dreaded headmaster's voice rang out loudly. I noticed he was swinging a tawse and when Stephan didn't move quickly enough he received a swipe across his back to hurry him on his way. Mrs. Hayes came into the room with her husband. She had that grin on her face that said, "You're really going to get it now."

I started shaking violently and Vicky started to stir a little. Mrs. Hayes whipped the blanket off us and immediately the head whipped the tawse hard across Vicky's stomach. The end caught me too so we both screamed. "So you thought you would get away with this little escapade did you Victoria? And Emma you sort to demean my authority in this school. Well unfortunately for the pair of you, I am again in full charge and will deal with you in my way. I'm not putting up with any of this, 'we need care' nonsense; I'll deal with you both with the birch. That's the real way to treat rebel girls like you. You'll be squealing your little lungs out before the day is over."

"Please Sir, no. We didn't mean..."

"Shut up girl," he abruptly told me, "I don't want to hear any more of your begging and pleading. Get to the lavatory and do what you have to. We don't want you messing the floor."

"But Sir..."

WHAP!! The strap landed across my thighs. "I told you to shut up girl. Now do as you are told."

Vicky could hardly stand so I had to support her and neither of us wanted to sit on the seat. We sat, propped up on our hands as best we could and peed and sobbed at the same time. "You should have let me hang," Vicky lamented and then neither of us would be in this situation." I almost agreed with her.

With further chivvying we made our way a slowly as possible down the stairs into the schoolroom. It was empty but there was one change that horrified me. The two oil lamps we used at night had been taken down and from the hooks hung two lengths of rope. Both of us simultaneously knew what they were for. I turned and looked at the door but knew I couldn't run and even if I did it would only mean yet more punishment. Vicky collapsed on to the floor. I almost joined her but Mrs. Hayes held me while her husband tied my wrists and fastened the rope's end to the hook. I could stand but with my arms stretched my feet couldn't move many inches along the floor. A few feet away I heard Vicky hoarsely screaming as she too was fastened to the ceiling joist. "Don't go away!" the headmaster taunted us as he left the room. Mrs. Hayes stayed and made fun of us and gleefully let us know what horrors awaited us. According to her we would be scarred for life. All too soon Mr. Hayes returned dragging the pot of birches. We knew our ordeal was about to begin.