Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 2
Welcome to the next part in my Wednesday Briefs flash fiction serial, Innocence & Carnality! Each chapter has to be between 500 and 1,000 words and this week I chose the prompt, “Have a character have trouble with a lock.”
It’s time to learn a little more about Nathan and his history.
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 2
“I need to use the lavatory.”
“Yes, Sir Nathan.”
Face flushed, Harston, my valet, strode out into the hallway in search of my father. Something I absolutely refused to do. Minutes passed as I waited in discomfort. On his return, he brandished a key in his hand. We headed for the privy, and inside the sitting area, he began to help disrobe me enough to continue. Which at times, given the layers of costumery Victorian lords engaged in, could be arduous.
Nestled underneath the splayed layers of my breeches was a belt of brass with an unyielding codpiece attached to a metal strap running up and underneath, blocking my backside. Intricate carvings decorated the garment—if that’s what you would call it—with a visible series of slender gears and mechanisms forming the lock holding it together. The device was crafted so well, it sat undetectable under my clothing. In another context, I might have found its construction compelling. Now, however, I’d give anything to slag it in the forge.
“Forgive me, Sir Nathan.”
“Think nothing of it. I stopped being humiliated by the experience a long time ago.”
Harston was young, not much older than me, with a similar build. Being in service, he kept well groomed, his chestnut hair and brown eyes a contrast to my golden blond and blue. An intimacy forms between a man and his valet when he’s involved in your most private daily accounts. Even so, we’d been through this process every day for years, and he still turned his head each time. The clockwork key turned, and the gears disengaged with a soft grind and snick, making me sigh with short term freedom.
Within the metal confines, the pouch clutched my genitals. With no room to spare, arousal was painful, designed to bring a quick end to any indecent moment. A strategically placed opening allowed me to urinate, but the strap between my buttocks prevented anything else. Harston wasn’t allowed to leave as I squatted, even as he turned away. I hadn’t known an opportunity for privacy without the ghastly thing in years. Even my bathing was performed under the watchful eye of the governess; her withering gaze could staunch any man’s ardor.
I remember the day I turned fifteen. In the apothecarian’s office, he took a blood sample, reading the humors determining my orientation. My parents, worried I might ruin myself before a suitable husband could be found, had the infernal contraption installed on me. The key always sat outside my reach, in the hands of others.
The first day I wore it, I stood before my mirror in nothing but the infernal undergarment. With my desk paperweight in my right hand, I reduced my reflection to a myriad of jagged shards in a screaming rage. Looking back, I felt sorry for the staff who had to undo the disaster. I was so furious, I attempted to dismantle the lock. I had a fondness for the blacksmiths and clockwork specialists, and liked to tinker. A variety of tools were at my disposal. Who would stop me?
As soon as the first tumbler in the lock fell, a shrill whistle erupted from the belt. Garish purple ink sprayed out from the belt’s edges, staining my hands, torso, and face—an undeniable mark of shame. If breaking the mirror hadn’t alerted the staff, the alarm succeeded; the door burst open, flooding my room with staff and family. Servants snickered and my brothers couldn’t laugh hard enough.
Father beat me bloody that night. I never touched it again.
I’ve barely had to urge to speak to him since. I told myself it was standard practice amongst the nobles. But after hearing my father’s griping about never having grandchildren from me on more than one occasion, I’m led to believe he meant to punish me for my preferences. A large family made up of multiple generations was a mark of success for a lord of Victoria. I’d stripped him of part of it.
“Harston, be honest with me.”
“Of course, Sir Nathan.”
“Have you ever known anyone to wear… a chastity device?” I cringed saying the words aloud.
“No, sir. But I’m just a poor bloke in service. Perhaps it’s more likely amongst your higher classes.”
“My brothers… Do either one of them wear one of these?”
The flush in Harston’s face returned. “I… I wouldn’t know personally, sir.” His stammer screamed evasion.
“Not personally, but something.”
“I’ve heard rumors from a few of the maids.”
“What do they say?”
Harston shook his head. “It’s not right to repeat such things.”
I could see the fear behind his eyes. I’d overheard Father threaten Harston’s employment over safekeeping of the key and my virtue. Born from peasant stock, Harston needed this job. As my valet, he was my good right hand; the loss of his help and wages was unthinkable.
“I’d never repeat your confidences to anyone.”
He paused a full minute, staring at the floor. “If their vulgar stories are true, neither of your brothers could possibly wear such a device.”
My heart sank, even as I suspected it was true. My brothers were twenty-two and twenty-four year old rowdy bachelors. I’d heard the rumors among the servants; I’d hoped they were false. Father doted on all his children, but it changed after my apothecarian visit. I was singularly held to a different standard, oddly condemned for my desires. Our relationship was never the same afterwards.
Now I was promised to Lord Rother Marsh Delaga III from Francine. The man would take me away from this family I loved and despised next week. Was I exchanging sets of chains?
Once finished, I stood, returning the imprisoning garment to its rightful position, no matter how tempted to find a method to destroy it. With a tentative hand, Harston put the key in the lock, ensuring my value to my future husband.
Check back next Wednesday for the next installation… Be sure to take a read at the other briefers free reads this week here: Wednesday Briefs
