Highwayman (Lady Jane 9)

by Aristocatch

It was on the way back from the engagement party that something happened which was to make Lady Jane's reputation in a way which put paid to any innuendos due to her choice of hobby.

Lady Jane and Constance were travelling in a horse-drawn carriage, which was being driven by a coachman. It was a pleasant day and the coach was making good time. The road alternated through open fields and patches of woodland. It was while they were traversing a small forest that Jane heard voices and the carriage came to a sudden halt.

A horseman brandishing a pistol came into view. Pointing the pistol towards the inside of the carriage he dismounted and approached them, the better to be heard. In clear tones he ordered them out of the carriage.

Jane and Constance had, by now, developed quite an understanding and one glance between them was enough to set it in place. They made no move to leave the carriage, and the man approached closer. His face was covered by a cloth and he had a hat on his head, but it was clear that he was quite a tall, well-built individual. The pistol pointed inside the carriage and in louder tones he ordered them to vacate the vehicle.

Jane carefully picked her moment and then flung open the door with all her force behind it. The door hit the man on the wrist holding the gun, with a very loud crack. As the door opened Constance exited the carriage and applied her best breast-squeezing grip to the man's private credentials. If that were not enough Jane flew out after Constance. As the man's mouth opened to allow his cry of agony, it was abruptly closed by Jane's right fist.

His body writhed in spasms of agony but whether he could feel them was a moot point as he was quite unconscious.

The coachman finally moved and between them they bound the man's hand and feet and placed him on the floor of the carriage. Lady Jane climbed aboard and sat with her feet on him. Constance mounted his horse and the coachman set off to the nearest town where the most wanted highwayman for several decades (and in several counties) was handed over to the authorities.

In the short time that they were in town word went round that the highwayman had been intercepted not by a squad of soldiers but by a Lady and her maid, and people poured into the streets to have a glimpse of them. By the time they left Lady Jane was famous, even if her maid's role had become somewhat diluted!

The highwaymen never got over his ignominious end. He was not allowed sufficient time for his wounds to heal before he was 'hung by the neck until he was dead' and the surrounding area became a safer place.

It seemed that, within thirty seconds of their arrival at Lady Jane's home, everyone had heard of their eventful journey. To his credit the coachman did not invent any heroic role for himself, and his version increased the importance of Constance's role in the events. This was not due to any 'serving classes must stick together' ethos, but more an indication of how much the coachman could almost feel what Constance had done to the poor man's family jewels.

By the time Lord Hawkmore had heard how his daughter and her maid had vanquished a killer with several murders to his reputation he was a worried man and even the relief of their being home safe and sound could not prevent his summoning the pair to his presence. Having come off worst in several altercations with his daughter it was not something he often did, and her blasé attitude to dicing with death worried him even more; but what was he to do?

Strangely this event actually had the effect of bringing daughter and father closer together as even Jane could not fail to realise how the potential loss of his daughter had affected the paterfamilias. Lord Hawkmore was also doubly pleased at having selected Constance to 'protect' his daughter and from that day on he accorded both a great deal more confidence than he had hitherto.

Constance was awakened from her slumbers at around two in the morning by the duty servant who informed her that her presence was requested in the bedchamber of her mistress. She hurried sleepily to the room and found Jane in bed. Pulling aside the bedding Lady Jane invited her under the covers. It was quite clear even in Constance's state at that time of night that her mistress was distressed.

“Hit me back” was all Jane said, kicking Constance on her ankle. There was a brief exchange of a flurry of flows from feet, knees and fists, with no real force due to the proximity of the pair, before Jane began sobbing. Constance took her mistress in her arms.

“We could have been killed.”

“Not us, your Ladyship, we are too good a team.” The words poured forth even if Constance did not entirely believe them herself.

“But he had a gun, he could have shot us.”

“We did not let him. We knew what we were doing. We did not give him a chance”. At least that was true. The man would go to the scaffold barely aware of how such a thing could have happened.

The two talked at great length, as Constance gradually calmed Lady Jane until she fell into a deep sleep. Constance only succeeded in waking herself up in the process and so she lay there awake for several hours, thinking about how events could have taken an alternative course and what that could have meant. Lady Jane's movements suggested that her sleep was troubled by nightmares and Constance stroked her brow several times calming the frightened movements.

By morning Lady Jane was much more herself. The presence of her maid in bed next to her did not seem to cause her any trouble and she was effuse with her thanks to Constance.

For whatever reason Jane proposed that they make the most of where they were and have one of their combative games and try to pinch each other through their night clothes. Constance started, obeying her mistress' wishes as ever, but Jane quickly realised that Constance's heart was not in it, and she put an end to their endeavours – telling Constance that it was postponed until a more suitable date. It was Lady Jane herself who then saw to her maids needs for the remainder of the morning in a role reversal that demonstrated just how close the two had become despite the difference in their status.

Even if it had not been a success the little pinching game appealed to Jane and once she and Constance had gotten over their traumatic experience Constance was once more summoned to the bedchamber, this time at a slightly earlier hour. Protected by their nightdresses they indulged in a game of trying to pinch and squeeze each others more delicate parts. Confined by the bedding and protected by the nightdresses this produced a game where both could be quite rough without excessively hurting each other. Their restricted positions in the bed meant that the breasts were the main target – it being harder to manage an attack between the legs (where the amount of clothing between hand and body was enough to stop any real chance of causing hurt).

The essential of the battle was fought between their hands, as they set themselves the rule of not moving off their sides within the bed. It was a battle which both enjoyed, not least because the discomfort was short lived. It was a game which was repeated several times later, mostly in the same manner, but on odd times with (usually) more painful variations.