Chapter 10: The Importance of Service

Once my charges have become acclimatised to their circumstances and have come to see confinement, chastisement and sexual stimulation as their general way of life, I further their behavioural adjustment by introducing them to the value of domestic service. A wife in even the wealthiest of families, supported by a troop of servants, needs the experience of having carried out those simple tasks that create a household conducive to a husband's well-being. To aid them in this, I include, as part of their adjustment, the assignment of domestic tasks.

For Amanda and Estelle, I also took the opportunity to address their continued obsession with self. This is a particularly difficult aspect of my method, since the ideal behaviour is self-effacing, but inevitably the students see themselves as the centre of attention for much of their period with me. The twins, used to the indulgence of their now-deceased parents, were possibly more self-obsessed than others of their age but in all probability were not. Nevertheless the matter had to be addressed.

The idea occurred to me that, as non-identical twins, it might be beneficial for them to spend some time as undifferentiated individuals. So, when I announced that they would begin a period of domestic duties in the household, I took some additional measures beyond that of requiring them to dress in the uniforms that marked their roles.

Naturally the two objected when I introduced them to the idea. Domestic duties were beneath them, they said. Their father and their guardian had both had servants to deal with these matters. They had no experience. They would not, could not do as I ordered.

I ignored their objections. These are commonplace reactions based in a misunderstanding of the value of these duties. Instead I told them that they were to be given new accommodation and took them from the cellar to one of the attic rooms.

"You will act as housemaids." I announced. "Your duties will roughly correspond to those of scullery and parlour maids. It is of little matter which of you takes which role and when, except that I will require you both to gain experience of all areas. You will wear an appropriate uniform," I said, gesturing to outfits laid out for them on the room's two beds.

A maid's uniform is designed to be both utilitarian and to provide the invisibility that one expects of domestic staff. While in the great houses the servants have their own corridors and stairs to separate them from those they are there to serve, in houses great and small, the uniform of the domestic sets them apart as simply one part of a functioning machine. The long black or grey dress of the household servant declares simply, I am not of the house, merely I am here to see to its proper functioning.

This aspect of my charges' training I intended to complement with a measure of appearance adjustment as well.

"You will both be corseted," I said. I showed them two heavily boned, long corselets that would stretch from over the bust to down below the buttocks. "I require my staff to present a consistent appearance. Please, get dressed."

The girls set to, trying to puzzle out the unfamiliar garments and not noticing the subtle differences between the two items of underwear. I watched, intrigued, to see when and if they would realise what I was doing.

Amanda's corselet was boned more stringently than her sister's, achieving a greater reduction in her waist. Estelle's, on the other hand, had a more padded bust line and padding inserted over the hips and buttocks. Once they had succeeded in putting the corselets on, the two sisters presented a very similar silhouette: Amanda's heaviness seemingly reduced and Estelle's more sinuous figure rendered more rounded.