Even the Modest Must Serve Chapter 1 By Steam Train
copyright 2006 by Steam Train, all rights reserved steam_t2000@yahoo.com
This is an adaption of my story 'A Modest Servant' reset in the same universe as my stories, A Middle Class Slave Revisited, Juvenile Deterrence, The Masters Son & Scales of Justice.
Chapter 1: Prosperity
To all outward appearances we were a happy loving family. However the true fact was that we were a family split into two halves, my parents and then us kids.
I was the middle son of three brothers. My eldest brother Edward R Carter IV had just turned 16, I, Thomas J Carter was 14 and my younger brother James E Carter was 13. We were close in ages and growing up we were close as brothers. My parents on the other hand were very distant figures.
When you are the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of C.I.C., one of the largest Insurance companies in the nation, you are a busy man with much on your mind. C.I.C. was headquartered in New York and dad spent a lot of his time when we were growing up away in New York. Mum often accompanied him leaving the three of us in the care of nannies back home in Piney Hills.
Dad had residences in New York, Aspen and Piney Hills, but it was the Piney Hills residence near Eastbrook that was considered home. New York was an apartment used by our parents and Aspen was the ski lodge.
Even though there was little time to spend with us kids dad always ensured he appeared, no matter ever how briefly, at most of the important events in our lives. It was socially important to be seen and it ensured you looked the part in correct social circles at those times.
My mother Joanna was even more aloof from us kids, her position as the wife of one of the most influential businessmen of the time meant certain responsibilities and commitments. She was the chairperson of the National Benevolent Fund for Destitute Freemen, sat on numerous committees and was greatly involved in the arts at a national level. There was little time for her children and after all she had indentured servants to assist the nannies in caring for us. We hardly saw her when we were growing up even when she was in residence at Piney Hills, except at the breakfast and dinner table.
All this meant that we were cared for in our younger years by trusted nannies assisted by family servants and as we grew up and became teenagers and the nannies moved on; it was still the family servants appointed by my father that cared for our daily needs under the watchful eye of Mr Harris the Overseer..
My father was very wealthy, having succeeded to the Chairman ship of C.I.C. at the age of 35 when my Grandfather Edward R Carter II died suddenly. Our residence in Piney Hills was locally referred to as the "mansion" though its real name was 'Prosperity'. We lived in a very exclusive gated community in the most affluent section of Piney Hills, but even by the local standards our house was larger and more opulent than any others in that community. This gave us kid's status and we knew and used that status well.
It gave our slave servants status of sorts too and I had noticed in the past how they were proud to be seen around Piney Hills and Eastbrook on errands wearing my father's servant livery.
My brothers and I shared a wing of the house that consisted of 3 suites, one for each of us kids. Within the suite we had our own sitting room, study, small kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. When I had friends from school over, I was the envy of even the wealthiest of them; none had the freedom of their own suite and a personal servant, like my brothers and I had. Admittedly, we three brothers had to share the servant, but that would change when we turned 18, then we would get our own personal slave body servant as dad had promised.
I for one was glad that it was 18 before a servant would be appointed, because at 14, I was very modest and insisted that Raymond the most recent servant appointed by my father to care for our personal needs within the three suites was never in my suite when I dressed or washed.
I know my brothers didn't have the same feelings of modesty and would walk around their suites in various stages of undress with no sign of embarrassment. They would do it when I was there visiting them and they didn't care if Raymond was working in their room either. Like a well trained servant he always kept his head bowed and eyes lowered and I know both my brothers thought, what did it matter if he saw them, he was after all only a slave.
Still I preferred to lock the door to my suite when I was changing or using my bathroom. The other domestic servants who made our beds and cleaned the suites knew to do their work when I was at school or out about the house. I rarely saw them, or maybe it was that I just didn't notice them; they were of little consequence to me anyways as long as they did their jobs satisfactory.
My brother Ed had taken lately to taunting me in front of Jim about my excessive modesty, he could see it made me blush a shade of red and I wondered if both he and Jim knew the truth behind my modesty.
Surely not, but still over the last six months my younger brother Jim had shot up in height till he was about two inches taller than me. This was embarrassing as no guy likes to be left behind by his younger brother.
This was highlighted yesterday when there were another two official looking gentlemen inspecting the house. This had become a regular and extremely worrying occurrence in the last two weeks after the Federal Jury in dad's trial had returned its guilty verdict and dad's trial drew to its concluding stage. I came across them as I was walking through the east wing hall of the house.
They mistook me for Jim!
As I approached they flipped through a pile of paper attached to a clipboard, introduced themselves by name and before I could respond said "You must be Master James". I tried to hide my embarrassment and taking a firm but high pitched voice quickly corrected their error. I blushed again when one said to the other, "Doesn't look 14". They shrugged and continued on their inspection and I still flushed and hoping no servants had overheard the conversation hurried on my way.
The weather in early autumn was still good, not too hot and not too cold. There was still a lot of warmth in the sun but some how there was a chill in my soul that just wouldn't go away.
Dad's trial was taking its toll on the whole household. A few days ago the prosecution and dads defence team had given their final submissions as to the sentencing penalty to go with the guilty verdict.
Due to the influence of my father and his legal team a jury trial had been agreed to and they had even succeeded in having the trial held locally in Eastbrook not in New York. Dad's legal team arguing that the local community were less likely to convict!
Being tried by jury was very unusual these days. Since the judicial reforms of President Shelley, trials had become very quick and most of the legal process had been greatly simplified and streamlined but in dads case his legal team had been successful in having a full trial before a Federal Jury enacted in Eastbrook.
The effect of the drawn out trial was having it's effect at 'Prosperity', the servants were getting noticeably sloppy and Dad, preoccupied with his defence was not the firm and forceful master he had been throughout all my childhood memories. Our overseer, Mr Harris and his assistant Lyons along with the apprentice overseer Charker were trying their best to keep the household running tightly, but even I could sense that even they were wondering about their on going employment prospects.
Raymond knocked that morning on my suite door and then entered as he had always done. I could hear his soft steps as he pulled the curtains in my sitting room then knocked again on my bedroom door, which was open.
"Oooooohhhhhhhhhkkkkk Raymond" I moaned in my usual grumpy morning attitude
"Morning Master Thomas sir" Raymond brightly replied.
Why he had to be so bright and cheerful in the morning I could never understand. I was not a morning person. I guess it was part of his servant training, servants were expected to always be happy in the company of their masters and other freemen.
Raymond had been our servant for nearly twelve months now. He had been born a servant, on our property, his mother being in dad's service. I had never heard mention of who his father was. He grew up as part of our household and had been trained as he grew up, on dad's specific instructions to serve me and my brothers needs.
He was, my brother Ed had once told me, a year older than Ed. There was something about Raymond that reminded me of someone, but I could never quite put my finger on whom. Raymond like us three brothers was blond, a hair colour that my father must have liked, for I had noticed that nearly all of the younger servants who worked in dads service were blond.
"That will be all, you may leave" I bluntly replied.
When I heard the suit door close I got out of bed and went and locked the door, Raymond of course had a key but he would not dare to use it if I had locked the door and he knew I was in my suite.
I showered and began dressing in my school uniform that Raymond had laid out the night before. By the time I was fully dressed in the middle school summer uniform of the Piney Hills School which consisted of an open neck short sleeve khaki shirt with PHS emblazoned on the pocket and matching shorts accompanied by black lace up shoes and grey long socks with the schools colours ringed around the top, which all middle school boys wore scrunched down so that the socks looked like they were baggy short socks.
Jim wore the same uniform but Ed was now in the senior school and wore a short sleeve white shirt with the senior school tie, grey long trousers and black shoes.
The Piney Hills School was very elitist and exclusive, even more so than it's close neighbour 'The Hills Grammar'. It was run like an English Public School with all the associated traditions, transported into the deep south of the U.S.A.
As usual Ed knocked on my door as he emerged to go down for breakfast then went over and knocked on Jim's door. The three of us would go down to partake breakfast with our parents together.
Raymond was standing in position at the end of the hall that lead to our suites, outside the small anti room he used when on duty in our wing. He rudely stepped out in front of us, halted us as we walked by and checked our uniforms, made some minor adjustments to Jim and my uniforms, then eventually bowed his head, but I thought in a very sloppy almost impertinent manner and then waited for us to move around him.
Annoyed I said to Ed that I felt Raymond was in need of some encouragement, he was forgetting his place as a servant. Ed at first seemed to hesitate but then after some thought agreed with my comment saying to me "The fact that there was some uncertainty hanging over the household was of no concern to a servant. That was one of their privileges as servants; they didn't have to worry about anything except serving their masters."
Ed turned to Raymond and he told him his attitude was poor and that this afternoon at 4pm when we returned from school he should present himself for 5 paddles to help him refocus on his correct servant attitude.
"Thank you for correcting my ways master" Raymond replied dutifully but there was still a hint of attitude in his voice.
Ed having just past his sixteenth birthday, had been presented with his masters cane and paddle and was authorised to use them on our servants if he deemed it necessary. Dad had limited that authority in practise to just the paddle, as dad felt there could be no chance of Ed causing any long term harm to ant servant if he just used the paddle.
What a great party Ed's sixteenth had been only those few months back, took everyone's mind off the trial for a short while. As is traditional, Ed was given his first paddle and cane by dad and Raymond was given the honour as our personal servant of receiving Ed's first paddling.
It had been beautiful to watch. Ed had practised and built up his technique over the previous month and Raymond acknowledged the skill Ed had shown at his coming of age paddling by shedding a few tears. I had already told Raymond I was looking forward to my coming of age paddling and hoped he would get to receive the honours from me as well. He had of course replied "Yes master, thank you" but he didn't seem to appreciate the significance of being the coming of age recipient like we free boys did.
Breakfast with our parents had never been a pleasant experience but lately it was sheer torture. You could cut the air with a knife. Dad and mum were obviously upset and nervous about the trial and it was showing especially after the guilty verdict.
In fact for the last three days mum had not even been able to bring herself to look us boys in the eyes, it was as if she was embarrassed by something else about us or her, not just about dad's current predicament.
I confess I didn't understand very much of the consequences that could arise from Dads trial, I just wasn't interested in all that grown up stuff. Jim was the same but Ed had taken both of us aside as the tensions at the breakfast table had risen week after week and explained the little he knew to us, Ed explained that from what he knew, yes, it was possible now dad was found guilty that the courts could make him pay up big time for the financial losses that the collapse of the families insurance business had caused. We could be financially ruined.
Some of the kids at school had started bullying both Ed, Jim and even more so me, about dads trial and taunted us all that soon we would be "working class boys or that we were "sons of a criminal".
Both Ed and Jim were much more physical and dominant than me and it helped them at this time, the guys at school soon realised I was an easier target and was not as capable of fighting back.
Guys who I though were my friends began to shun me, they were not the ones actually bullying me but I could feel their embarrassment when I was near them. They really didn't want to be associated with what they now perceived as a looser, a working class boy. In the past our families superior status had protected me, I now began to realise things were changing, I just didn't realise then just how much and how radically.
Ed broke the silence at the breakfast table by asking dad if the last day of the trial was today.
Dad replied, "Yes, the Judge was handing down his verdict at 10am". You could tell in dad's voice that he was more scared of today's events than he was trying to convey to us.
Mum then joined in the conversation; she asked "Would you boys like to help your dad out today?"
"No Joanna, I don't want them involved in this, I've told you" dad interjected, but mum went on the offensive. "Eddy you know you need all the help we can get in that court room today, if the kids are there supporting you it will look good in front of the Judge".
This was new, we had never been involved in the trial at all, in fact we had been sheltered from most of the fallout as far as possible.
"Look at them Eddy if they appear in court in their PHS uniforms it will send the right message to the Judge, you know, like you, he is a PHS old boy.
Dad had to agree, it made sense but he was very protective of us and was not sure it would be a good experience for us. We all said we were desperate to do anything to help and besides, I though, a day off school was a bonus, I didn't add that thought of course.
This change in plans gave us boys some spare time on our hands, as we were not leaving for the court till 9.00am, so Ed suggested we bring forward Raymond's paddling. Ed mentioned this to dad whose mind was on other more important things. He just shrugged and said "What ever you think Edward" then added, "Your growing up so fast, a real man now aren't you!"
Raymond was not impressed when we informed him that we had spare time and that Ed would conduct his paddling now. Ed ordered him into his study and told him to strip. Raymond didn't hesitate as he knew it was not appropriate to hesitate, he took off the Carter tunic, Carter shorts, Carter briefs and sandals and laid across a chair in Ed's study.
The site of his near naked body, he of course was still wearing his slave collar, excited me I have to admit, I had only seen him naked once before at Ed's coming of age party. On that occasion like now you could see the red blush marks on Raymond's body. Slaves are not supposed to be embarrassed about being naked but my father ran a very progressive household for his servants and never forced servants to work naked. He even supplied proper underwear, which was not the norm for a lot of servants. I could sympathise with Raymond's blushing. I sure would have blushed if I were made to stand naked in front of others, especially if they were all younger than me, as was the case here.
Raymond had a good smooth taught body and as was tradition with slaves he was shaved from neck to ankle. I wondered how much pubic hair was shaved off but it was hard to tell as he was beautifully clean shaven. This really highlighted his penis and balls. He wasn't well hung but who was I to complain, he was far better hung than me at that time and I found looking at him naked made my pants begin to tent, so I quickly went and sat on the other chair. Jim I noticed had signs of a similar problem but both chairs were now occupied, so he just crouched forward to give his dick more room, pretending to be observing Raymond more closely.
Ed gave his usual energetic performance with the paddle and by the 5th stroke Raymond was crying slightly. We had all been taught of course that this is just what you want the servant to do, and once he does then you continue even harder so you force him through the pain to a new level of compliance. Ed did just this and did not stop till the maximum 10 stokes he was allowed by dad to administer. Raymond was now really crying, his penis was fully erect much to my excitement, his body was covered in perspiration and he had snot running down his face from his nose.
Ed told him to go back to his quarters and clean up, but be back in 15 minutes to resume his duties with the right attitude. He went to pick up his clothes but I asserting my power over him, said "Leave then, you can put them on when you're clean, we don't want soiled clothing on our servant".
He almost said something but checked him self and bowed then left the room. I'm sure he heard Jim and I congratulating Ed on a job well done and deserved.
Ed informed Raymond once he returned and dressed that it was likely that we would be back early today, so he needed to have the suites finished by 1pm at the latest.
End Chapter 1.