A week or so back, a new twist to a much-loved old fantasy came to mind: the one concerning a young nobleman and his favourite maid – where the boundaries of the master-servant relationship strain in the context of an always-chaste, yet ever-so-close rapport.

This particular lass had been guilty of the utmost carelessness, having set fire to an expensive tapestry in his lordship’s room. Fortunately, the flames had been put out before the building itself caught light – but the tapestry itself was still ruined. Yet he – seeing how mortified she was by her mistake, how tearful, how repentant, and simply wanting to hug her and tell her that everything was fine – was prepared to let the matter go without further discussion.

However, word reached the nobleman’s father, a Duke no less, of the disaster that had nearly taken place. The older gentleman’s carriage soon arrived at his son’s door; a debate ensued; agreement was reached, the maid was summoned.

The matter could not go unpunished, the duke would inform her, no matter how impeccable her previous service. The butler had been ordered to send one of his men to the woods, to cut the switches that would be bound into the birch. Once that was done, his son would punish her. Because of her past good conduct, her birching would take place in private, and would only comprise twenty strokes across her bare bottom rather than the fifty the duke had initially requested. But he would personally inspect her after she’d been whipped and, should he feel that she had been chastised too lightly by his son, he would personally administer the additional thirty with the utmost severity…

Clearly, the younger gentleman would have no choice but to inflict the twenty strokes as hard as he could, despite his feelings for the girl, to save her from further punishment. And then, later, once his father had inspected her, he’d be able to give her a much-needed hugs.

Only – and rarely for me – the same scenario popped into my mind for a second time as I slept a couple of nights later. Only on this occasion, the Duke demonstrated a particularly cruel streak – determining that, despite the evident effectiveness of the maid’s initial flogging, she did indeed deserve more.

The butler was despatched for a fresh birch, and asked to tie the girl over a table. Her additional, agonising thirty duly followed – as, then, did comfort for her behind his young lordship’s bedroom door, which remained firmly locked so he could take care of her until the following morning…

Here’s hoping your spanking dreams come true in 2010…