The men watched their wives for an hour or so as they ate their breakfast. The ladies continued to practice the gestures and postures under the guidance of Claire and Stephanie. Ian thought they were getting a pretty good workout. Then the men spent the rest of the morning in the stables.

They were each assigned a horse and fitted out in a set of leather riding clothes. It would be their responsibility for the rest of the week that this animal be groomed, fed and exercised. They could ask for advice from the stable hands, but had to do all the work themselves. Under the watchful eye of the stable master, Sean Turlock, they groomed the horses and took them for some practice rides. Ian had never ridden before but found the speed of the ride to be exhilarating. Ian wouldn’t know a good horse from a bad one, but Andrew, who worked with horses for a living, said these were very fine indeed. Andrew and Master Sean had chatted at great length about the horses and how one trains them. Ian listened with only half an ear. He was so totally engrossed in the beauty of the animal he was grooming that he found he was reluctant to leave when Stephen announced that it was time for lunch.

After a quick clean up they congregated back in the dining room. With just the five of them they gathered at one end of the impressive dining table. Ian watched the girls carefully as they served their meal in elegant silence. They were all quite different physically. Andrew’s girl, Emily, was a tall, slender, athletic girl obviously of northern European descent. She was almost a caricature dressed in the dirndl uniform with her blonde hair braided into two thick ropes falling well past her shoulders. Ian could admire her beauty and her obvious strength, but found that her movements lacked the pleasing grace Alexis had.

On the other hand Holly, who served Paul, was a tiny little mouse of a girl; petit with wavy brown hair and soft brown but unfortunately fearful eyes. Justin was served by an oriental girl named Kim. Her deference was the most ceremonial of all the girls. Ian thought she should be dressed in a kimono rather than a dirndl. He wondered if the girls had been specifically chosen for each of the men. They seemed to fit their charges so well.

Stephan took a sip of his wine. “Ok, gentlemen. We were discussing last night accepting your natural dominance and accepting service. You all seem to have no problem accepting the table service from your girl here, but you will have to get used to the idea accepting service from your wife and demanding the best from her.”

Paul laughed. “I still can’t believe Linda will behave like Holly here. Why would she want to do this?”

“Why don’t you ask Holly?” Stephen’s eyes were twinkling mischievously.

Ian immediately felt sorry for the girl; she looked like a rabbit trapped in the sights of a wolf. But to his credit, Paul was very gentle. He spoke to her quietly, “Holly, will you answer a question?”

Holly looked at Stephen and he nodded. She moved to Paul’s side and sank to her knees. “Yes Sir, Holly will answer.”

“Ok, then. You could leave at any time, why do you do this? Why do you submit to me, to us, to him.” Paul gestured to Stephen.

Holly seemed to be carefully crafting her words.

“Yes Sir, Holly submits because it feels right. When Master Stephen directs Holly, she feels such a rush of pleasure. She loves to know Master Stephen notices her and is pleased with her. Of course, before Holly came here to be trained, she didn’t think it was right to care if a man was pleased or not. But the rush Holly gets from serving and being pleasing is so wonderful, she will do anything to feel that way all the time. Holly hopes this answers Sir’s question.”

Holly bowed her head and waited. Paul looked a bit puzzled. Stephen leaned towards him.

“Now she is waiting to hear if you are pleased, and if that answered your question or if you would like to ask another. She will wait like this for as long as you keep her there.”

Paul thought for a moment longer. “Holly, why do you speak of yourself in the third person?”

Holly looked up. “Yes Sir, Holly speaks of herself in this manner because she no longer belongs to herself. She belongs to Master Stephen and he has given her to Sir for the time of his stay at the Manor.” She dropped her head again.

“The girls are trained in third person speech as they further develop their submission. It’s an awkward discipline. It also allows them to be something completely different from their past ‘everyday’ life. It removes their independence and reinforces the fact they must focus on being pleasing to me and to you,” Stephen explained. “You answered well, Holly. Good girl.”

Ian watched Holly, as Stephen’s words seem to ripple through her. She took a deep breath and seemed to relax slightly. She held herself higher and smiled.

“Thank you Master, Holly is grateful to have been found pleasing.” But she stayed on her knees.

Ian poked Paul in the arm. “I think you have to release her now. Otherwise, you’ll never get your dessert!”

Stephen burst out laughing and Paul blushed slightly.

Paul turned back to the girl. “Thanks Holly, that’s all.”

Holly did the acknowledgement gesture the women had been taught that morning and got up, resuming her duties.

“So gentlemen, your wives will serve because they need to and it will be your task to accept their service gracefully. But now as I have taken away your wives temporarily, it would only be fair that I replaced them. These girls are here to give you practice in accepting service. Whatever you want from them they will provide.”

Andrew had evidently enjoyed the wine a bit more than prudent. “Even a blow job, Stephen?”

Stephan looked at him levelly, “Of course, Andrew. You have simply to order it. Emily?” Stephen gestured towards Emily who came forward and dropped to her knees beside Andrew.

Andrew looked at the girl nervously. He was obviously not comfortable with simply ordering a blowjob. Stephan said, “It’s your right. If that’s what you want, do not deny Emily the opportunity to serve you. Does she not please you? She is a bit intimidating isn’t she? Hmm perhaps one of the other girls wouldn’t be quite so scary. Would you like to choose another?” Stephen clapped his hands and all the girls lined up.

“No, no… that’s ok, Emily’s fine.”

With a wave, Stephen dismissed the others back to their duties.

“Well then, what are you waiting for? Order what you want. Or don’t you think you deserve to be served by such a superb girl?” Stephan gestured to Emily. “You know your wife will be like this, if she finishes her training. Will you be strong enough for her?”

Ian watched with interest as Andrew rose to the challenge. He slowly turned to look Stephen in the eye. “I’m not worried about my ‘strength’, Stephen. Emily’s a magnificent woman, no question, but I’m perfectly happy with Susan.”

Stephen was not going to be put off quite so easily. He held Andrew’s eyes. “Ah, but as I said, I have taken her away. It’s only fair I replace her so you are not… inconvenienced. Please, I insist.”

Andrew and Stephen locked eyes for quite some time. Ian was not particularly surprised Andrew was the one to back down first. After all, he was trying to turn down a blowjob from Emily!

“Well, since you insist. I’d hate to insult your hospitality.”

Before Andrew could object again, Emily slipped under the table. Ian was sitting directly across the table from Andrew and felt Emily get into position. He didn’t need to look to know this spectacular woman was kneeling on the carpet right in front of his feet.

Suddenly all the months of frustration and tension seemed to burst in him. He never had a problem with this as a kid. In his group of friends it was always Ian who chose the games. When they played cowboys and Indians, Ian was always the general. If a new kid showed up at school it was Ian who decided if he could join the group or not. When they got older, he ran for class president and everyone else dropped out. It wasn’t until university that things started to change. His aunts had taken it on as their pet project to educate him on the proper way to behave with a fully emancipated woman. He had never quite agreed with them, but they were persuasive and so he tried his best to be a sensitive new age guy.

He made a decision right then and there. If this was what was being offered he certainly was going to take it. His aunts had not known everything. He was going to re-claim himself. He quickly slipped off his shoe and his sock.

Andrew shifted in his seat as the unmistakable sound of a zipper being undone filled the dining room. In a few moments his breathing had deepened.

Ian reached an exploratory toe forward. He quickly found Emily’s shoes and the edge of her skirt. He tucked his toe under the fabric and felt around for her legs.

Ian watched Andrew’s face carefully for any signs that his intrusion had been noticed. Andrew was obviously enjoying a spectacular blowjob. Ian’s toe slowly travelled up the insides of Emily’s thigh. He was delighted when his toe touched soft curls rather than the expected panties. Emily shifted slightly to give him better access to her pussy. Ian’s toe had a mind of its own, and burrowed into her wet cleft and started to rub. Emily’s control was impressive. Andrew didn’t look as if she missed a beat. Ian felt Emily press down against his foot so he pushed harder and took a look around the table.

Stephen was eating his desert with a small smile on his face. The other men were of course watching Andrew. Justin, sitting next to Andrew, was trying, unsuccessfully, to ignore Andrew’s lap! Ian flexed his toes back and forth and adjusted his trousers. Andrew’s head fell back and he gripped the arms of his chair. Ian could feel Emily clamp her thighs around his foot.

Andrew came, noisily. He arched his back and there was a bang under the table. Justin suppressed a giggle and spilled some of his coffee on the table. Emily let go of Ian’s foot and after a moment emerged rubbing the back of her head and smoothing her skirt. Ian slipped his foot back into his shoe and felt around for his sock.

As he reached down, he noticed Alexis kneeling right beside him. She was discretely holding his sock and smiling at him. He accepted the sock from her hands and slipped it into his pocket. Alexis was so available, so open. He sipped his coffee without tasting it as he contemplated this turn of fate.

Maddie was exhausted and hungry. They had been working for hours in endless drills. Her backside stung and her legs ached. This was not fun. This was a lot like hard work. She had thought that dominance and submission was about fabulous sex, but Claire hadn’t mentioned anything about that yet.

Lunch was a light salad with a bit of grilled chicken breast and water. After they had eaten, they congregated in the kitchen.

“All right ladies, as I mentioned briefly last night, submission is about service. So now you will learn about service. You’ll serve lunch for the staff. Now here are the disciplines for this exercise. Keep your eyes lowered and your lips parted. Each of you will carry a dish of food. You’ll go from person to person, kneel as you were taught this morning and offer the dish. You will accept any physical contact the staff chooses to grace you with and then you will thank them for it. Anything they put to your lips, you will lick. Other than ‘Thank you, Sir’ or ‘Thank you, Ma’am’ you’ll be silent. This is your scorecard. It will be passed around the table as you serve.” Claire held up four coloured cards; one for each of the women, matching the colour of their corsets.

“At any time you are found displeasing, or you break discipline they will make a mark on your card. You will be punished for your infractions at the end of the exercise. Good luck, ladies. This is the staff’s favourite lunch on a retreat week. They’ll be fair, they won’t count points you don’t deserve, but they won’t be easy on you either. Now before we start, any questions?”

The cook started to pass out the pots of food. The dishes were hot, heavy tureens. Maddie tried to get a good grip. If she held the dish close to her body, she would scald her belly through her suit. If she held it further away it was hard on her arms. Linda started to complain.

“This is way too heavy! How are we supposed to carry this?”

“You do your best, Linda. Then you graciously accept your punishment when you fail. That’s how you’re supposed to carry it. Any further questions?”

Maddie thought the exercise fairly straightforward and shook her head.

“No? Good. Get going now, before the food gets cold and the staff count points against you for delivering cold food.” Claire preceded them into the staff dining hall and took her place at the end of the table.

Maddie braced her elbows on her hips and followed Susan into the room. There were sixteen people sitting around the table. The butler Charles was at one end of the table with all four cards and Claire was at the other. In between were the valets, the housemaids, the kitchen staff and the stable hands. There was a festival atmosphere at the table. The staff was laughing and joking with each other, all of them brandishing their pencils.

Susan led the way into the hall. She carried her pot of rice to the head of the table and gracefully sank to her knees in front of the butler. Charles oversaw the running of the staff of the manor. An older gentleman, he had a pinched look about him. Maddie thought he looked like he had been sucking on a lemon all morning. Susan held up her dish, keeping her eyes properly lowered. Charles took a spoonful of rice for his plate then he took a small handful of the white sticky grain and wickedly stuffed it into Susan’s mouth. She was so surprised, her eyes flew open and she sat back on her heels. Charles burst out laughing and took up his pencil, making a grand flourishing mark on the red card.

“And you say, my girl??” Charles held the pencil above the card.

Susan swallowed the rice, lowered her eyes and regained her posture.

“Thank you,” She managed.

“Thank you, Sir,” Charles corrected, making another mark on the card. “One down. Next!” He passed the red card to his right and picked up the blue one.

Susan looked mortified at the two marks she had already received but she recovered herself and moved to the next person. Now it was Maddie's turn with Charles. Maddie was carrying a large porcelain tureen filled with chicken paprikash. It smelled wonderfully fragrant and made Maddie's tummy growl. Their salad had been pretty thin rations compared to this.

Maddie tried to remain calm. She felt horribly self-conscious in her skimpy suit. She lowered her eyes and parted her lips and approached Charles. Sinking gracefully to her knees she held up the tureen. The thought crossed her mind that at least the dish would get lighter as the food was served!

Charles took his chicken and Maddie waited for whatever he chose to do with her. He took a spoonful of the paprika sauce and trickled it across her breasts and into her cleavage. The sauce was hot and spicy. Maddie had always found her breasts to be very sensitive and the slight scalding brought a heat from deep in her being. She managed to hold her form and remember her instructions.

“Thank you, Sir.”

Charles lifted an eyebrow as he passed the blue card to his neighbour. “This one will be more of a challenge folks. Next!”

Maddie lifted herself to her feet and moved on. She stopped at the next chair, knelt and presented her dish. This time to one of the cleaning staff, a vivacious young girl with short spiky purple hair and a nose ring. She took her food and then leaned over and licked some of the sauce from Maddie's cleavage. Maddie shuddered and the room erupted in laughter. A bright hot flush infused Maddie’s face.

“Well?” prompted the girl.

Maddie quickly collected herself. “Thank you, Ma’am.”

“One for you, I shouldn’t have to remind you. Off you go.” She made a mark on the blue card before passing it along. Maddie pulled herself to her feet and moved on.

The next one was a stable hand. He grabbed Maddie by the hair and turning her head to the side, he bit her earlobe hard enough to make her cry out. Maddie heard the soft rumble of his laughter as he held her in his teeth. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the pain. When he finally released her she managed to thank him and move on without further marks. Perhaps she could get through this after all.

The humiliations and violations continued. She had sauce painted on her face and fed to her from the palm of a hand. She was poked, kissed, licked and pinched. She earned a few more marks when they really caught her off guard. And then she got to Claire.

Claire served herself and then took the tureen from Maddie’s hands. Maddie’s arms almost floated with the removal of the weight. She was just about to give her thanks when Claire turned back to her.

“All fours, Maddie.” Madelyn hesitated for a second then remembered the posture from this morning’s lesson. She bent over and put the palms of her hands on the floor, tossing her hair over her shoulder to expose her back. Claire placed a platform on the small of Maddie’s back and then carefully set the tureen on top. Maddie could feel the heat from the chicken slowly seeping into her back. The dish felt fairly stable. Claire got up and walked around her.

“Such a lovely ass, don’t you think Jane?” Claire was addressing the kitchen maid sitting next to her.

“Yes, very lovely Lady Claire, such nice marks from earlier this morning too, but it would be better pink, don’t you think?” Jane was obviously enjoying this.

“Yes I agree. Hold still Maddie. Don’t drop the dish.”

Slap. A spank landed on Maddie's ass. It wasn’t particularly hard, but even so Maddie jerked and felt the tureen shift slightly. She straightened her back. Again, another slap. A short sharp gasp escaped from her lips. A cheer went up in the hall. Maddie didn’t know if it were for her or one of the other women and she certainly was not going to lift her head to find out! She had enough to deal with. She held her concentration and endured the spanking. The heat that infused her backside spread through her being. Every time Claire’s hand landed, Maddie felt a shift in her perception and opened her spirit a bit more.

Suddenly the pot was lifted from her back.

“Up.” Claire’s command broke her concentration. Maddie gingerly pulled herself back to kneeling.

“Thank you, Lady Claire,” she managed. Claire gave Maddie back her tureen of chicken.

“Well done Maddie. Next!” Claire looked down to table to see how the others were doing.

It was not easy for Maddie to get to her feet. Her ass was burning and her head was swimming. She felt like she was a little drunk. She stumbled slightly and a small amount of sauce sloshed over the rim of the tureen onto the floor next to Claire. Panic ripped through Maddie. She froze; she had no idea how to behave in this situation. She fell back on her knees, trusting her instincts. She bowed her head and was still. Claire took the tureen from Maddie’s hands again.

“Well, clean it up; without your hands. You will of course get a mark for the spill and don’t forget to thank me for allowing you to clean up.”

A rush passed through Maddie. Her first thought was relief that there was something she could do, some way to atone for the spill.
“Thank you, Lady Claire.” Luckily there was not much. Maddie bent over and licked it off the floor.

“Good enough; continue.” Claire handed Maddie back her pot. This time Maddie managed to move on without incident.

By now Susan was about three or four places in front of Maddie who was just past the halfway point. Linda following was only about halfway up the first side with Elaine only two places behind her.

Just then there was a crash. Linda had dropped her dish.

“That’s enough. Fuck this! I can’t do it and I won’t. I want out. Now!” Linda’s hands were on her hips and her eyes flashed with anger, frustration and hurt. Claire got to her feet.

“Very well. That’s your right. You’ll be returned to your husband this afternoon. Stephanie!” Stephanie appeared from the kitchen.

“Linda has decided to withdraw. Help her to clean up please and then take her to her husband,” Claire explained. Stephanie acknowledged the command.

“That’s it folks.” Claire continued. “Looks like the vegetable is off the menu and the purple card is done too. Madelyn and Elaine, you both get marks for watching something that does not concern you. Back to your task.”

Madelyn was horrified at Linda’s failure, but sympathetic too. The constant little humiliations were not easy to put up with. Luckily Maddie had endured sarcastic and nasty dance teachers in her time and had come out stronger and better. A bit of sauce on her face was not going to frighten her off. She didn’t hold onto her pride so closely.

Maddie took a quick glance at Susan to see why she had not broken discipline to watch Linda’s drama. Susan was on her knees beside one of the valets. He had taken her dish from her and put it on the table. His hand was buried in her hair holding her head in his crotch. Maddie could see how she might not be easily distracted at this point. Maddie moved on.

The man to the right of Claire took his food then grabbed Maddie by the side of her head and slowly, oh so slowly, brought his mouth close to hers. She kept her eyes lowered but she could feel him getting closer and closer. He stopped with his mouth a fraction of an inch away from her parted lips. She could taste the beer on his breath. She wanted to taste more. She tried to reach forward with her mouth, but the hand in her hair held her fast. He smiled and reached out with his tongue and just touched her upper lip. A quick flash of energy coursed through her. Maddie shuddered and a small sigh escaped. She swayed slightly when he let go of her hair but quickly caught her balance. Taking a deep breath, she managed a quiet “Thank you, Sir,” and this time she truly meant it.

The next space was also a valet and Maddie found she was looking forward to what he would do with her. She presented herself and her dish. He took the food and pushed himself back from the table slightly. He reached around behind her and ran a caressing hand down her back to her exposed and still warm ass. His hand followed a gentle arch over her thigh and slipped between her legs. Maddie instantly realized the purpose of this kneeling posture. With her knees spread and her hands full she was physically quite defenceless. His touch was electric but she was not ready for this intrusion and instinctively pulled back. Maddie’s heart dropped as he made a mark on the card.

“Care to try again, blue?” He offered.

Madelyn knew she didn’t have to. She had already earned a mark from him and she could just carry on, but she felt like she needed to redeem herself with him. Her reaction had been involuntary and she wanted the chance to do it right.

“Yes Sir, thank you Sir.”

She regained her posture and lifted her dish to allow him access to her crotch. He traced his hands over her hips again and across her thighs. She could feel the heat and the passion rising at his touch. He found the button built into the crotch of the suit and pushed it hard right into her clit.

She let the sensations wash over her and through her. He rubbed the button back and forth. She felt her passion rise, a beautiful blossom of red and orange. He wiped his fingers across her cunt and then presented them to her lips. She opened her mouth and accepted the fingers coated in her own juices. He lifted his hand forcing her head to tip back. Maddie felt like a fountain. Power rushing from her cunt up through her burning belly and out her mouth. He held her there for a moment then slowly lifted his fingers straight up and out of her mouth.

Maddie held still for a moment and let the sensations flow through her. The disciplines were coming easier now.

“Thank you, Sir,” she breathed.

“Very nice blue. Off you go.”

Maddie found the strength to lift to her feet. She took a deep shuddering breath and took a quick look around. Susan was almost done. She still had a glazed, almost ecstatic expression. Elaine was just approaching Lady Claire. Maddie hurried on.

The next place was the valet that had held Susan when Linda had dropped her dish. He was a brash young man, with close-cropped blonde hair and an earring. Maddie knelt and offered her dish. Her lowered eyes naturally fell on his lap, where his napkin was tented up. The dish was taken from her hands.

“Well blue, you going to run away?” He pulled the napkin off his erect cock and pulled Maddie’s head down into his crotch. He smelled clean, musky and very male. Maddie had no intension of running away. If Susan could do this, so could she. She opened her mouth and took him in. His hands were in her hair, but he was not forcing her. She took several long sucks using her tongue to massage his cock inside her mouth. He let her continue for a while then pulled her off. His face had a flushed look to it. Maddie felt a rush of pleasure. She had obviously had an effect on him.

She smiled and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Thank you, Sir.”

He smiled at her and handed her back the tureen. She continued on and managed to get through the next few places without incident.

Then she came to the stable-master. Maddie knelt and offered her food. He served himself muttering.

“’Tis always cold by the time it gets around to this side. Not your fault blue.” His voice was textured with a luscious Scottish brogue; deep and powerful. His tone shifted as he turned towards her. “Eyes up, lass.”

Maddie’s obedience was instantaneous, instinctive. His eyes were deep, dark pools beneath heavy brows. She felt a warm calm descend upon her. She knew she was open to this man. Open but in a strange way, safe.

His eyes burrowed into her. “You want this, don’t you lass?”

Maddie felt a brief flash of confusion. She wasn’t sure if or how she should answer.

“You want to feel open, vulnerable, overwhelmed. You want a strong hand to take you and control you. Yes, I can feel it in you.” He voice dropped even lower as he held her in his gaze.

“Feel it lass, let it flow and you’ll learn something.”

Maddie felt like she was sitting before an open fire; the power radiating from this man was so great.

“Yes, that’s the way. Now I’m going to tell you something. Are you ready to hear me? Answer me lass.”

Maddie was transfixed. She managed a small nod. “Yes Sir,” she whispered.

“Good, now listen carefully lass. You have great power in you. You are strong. Strong enough to see this through and be better for it. Feel it. Feel the power.”

Maddie did feel it. His voice had carried her to new heights. Her body was a torch, vibrating to his command, singing his tune. Her eyes were still trapped in his, she couldn’t breathe. She felt she was on fire.

“Yes, like that.” He leaned forward slightly, his hand slowly coming up towards her throat. He didn’t touch her, but his fingers were so close, she could feel the heat from them. She lifted her chin slightly exposing her throat to him. She desperately wanted to feel his touch.

“Good. Let it go. Now.”

Maddie exploded; great waves of power ripped through her. She gripped her tureen tightly so not to spill. A strangled cry escaped her lips and her eyes closed as the sensations crested and then subsided. Once her eyes closed, her strength failed and she sat back on her heels bending forward until the tureen touched the floor. She stayed with her head down while the aftershocks washed through her. She tried to catch her breath. ‘Oh my God,’ she thought. ‘He just gave me an orgasm without even touching me!!’

She heard his voice in her belly. “Get up lass. It is well you put the dish down rather than letting it drop and break. But you broke posture none the less. You get one mark for breaking posture, but your lovely release pleased me, so I will grant you some information you may find useful. Your punishment will go much easier on you later if you relax and allow yourself to open. Now, thank me lass and carry on.”

Maddie was still buzzing. Some small part of her brain wryly noted that she probably had the same glazed expression that Susan did.

“Thank you Sir.” She pulled herself to her feet and moved on.

Maddie made it to the end of the gauntlet. After her experience with the stable-master, the small indignities and violations the next diners inflicted upon her were unimportant. She did not accumulate any more points.

Stephanie met her at the end of the table and led her back to the kitchen. The cook took her tureen and handed Stephanie a large towel. Maddie felt Stephanie’s strong hand guide her to a cozy sitting room just off the kitchen. A small fire was crackling away in the grate. Susan was sitting on a cushion in front of the fire wrapped in a towel cradling a steaming cup of tea. Stephanie guided Maddie to sit next to Susan. She draped the towel around her shoulders and pushed a mug of tea into her hands.

“Here you go. Just rest for a few minutes until Elaine is done. You did just fine. Keep silent until I return.”