New assignment for the naughty maid

Mindy didn't remember when, but eventually her body gave in to exhaustion. She didn't know how long she was out, but the next thing she was aware of was stirring in the bed of blankets and pillows to the sound of the heavy bar sealing the room.

The door opened and the maid blinked to see who had come for her. In stepped Mrs. Winthrop to the clack of heels on the stone floor. Her hair as bundled up in a tight bun. Her body was enveloped in a dark trench coat. She looked down at Mindy behind her thin glasses. "Get up."

Mindy stumbled to her feet, picking up a blanket to cover herself before thinking better of it and letting it fall to the floor. She stood in front of her superior, still naked and dirty from the excursion to the art studio. Winthrop eyed her for a moment as Mindy stared at the ground. Finally Winthrop spoke, "Come with me."

Mindy followed quickly behind as the head maid walked off briskly, not glancing behind. Mindy was led out into the tunnels again, through a few more corridors until they entered another underground room.

This one was much larger than her sleeping chambers. Dimly lit, Mindy could make out a table with chairs, simple wooden furnishings, it was like something you would find in an old castle. By the wall was a sink and cupboards. On the other side was a small pit where a wooden tub rested along with some more buckets and an assortment of soaps and oils. Other than that, there was very little furnishing. The walls had no windows and were lit by wall sconces that resembled candles.

Mrs. Winthrop was standing and watching as Mindy took in the room. After giving the younger woman time to see everything, the elder spoke. "This will be your new living quarters. You will return here whenever you are finished with your duties."

Mindy nodded, "Yes, miss."

"Your new duties will no longer involve the Livingstone Estate proper. You can not be trusted to uphold the high standards of the estate. Instead, you have been demoted to maintaining the various requirements of the staff who live and work here."

Mindy nodded again, "Yes miss..."

Winthrop walked up to the maid and tugged at the collar on her neck, "This... this symbolizes your standing on the estate. You are no more than a slave than can be freely used by any staff on the premises. You will not question the orders, you will do as your told or I will hear about it and punish you accordingly. understood?"

Mindy flushed red as her heart quickened its pace as she thought about what someone like Hector the landscaper might ask of her if he saw her. She nodded, "Yes miss..."

"Good." Winthrop released the collar. She smiled at the newly christened slave, "Now, your first duty as a slave is to clean yourself and make yourself presentable, then follow the tunnel upstairs to the maid chambers where one of the girls will find something for you to do."

Mindy nodded once again, "Yes miss..."

"Off to it then," Mrs. Winthrop said, already on her way out.

Mindy took a deep breath and exhaled as she walked the perimeter of the room. The place looked free of any rodents or bugs, much to her relief. It appeared cold by the look of it, but as her feet walked across the floor, she realized that the stones were heated from underneath. The entire dungeon appearance was a facade. She looked over to the tub, it seemed authentic. It was thick wood and looked to have seen heavy use. To the side she saw a drain on the ground, explaining why the tub was located in the pitted area. The tub was already filled with what felt like warm water so Mindy slinked in and bathed herself.

She sat silently in the wooden tub, looking around at a scene that could have been taken out of a medieval book and thought that things weren't as bad as it seemed. Her fingers slipped under the collar around her neck and she took that thought back, not sure what she was really in for.

The petite blonde took her time washing, but eventually finished and toweled herself off. There were no clothes laid out for her to wear so she took it as a sign that she would be going without for some time longer. She took a deep breath and exhaled again as she pushed herself to exit the room and follow the tunnel to the stairs leading up. She climbed the stairs and opened the hatch that met her at the top. She bit her lower lip and pushed herself further, opening the hatch and stepping out.