Margaret blushed a little, surprising herself as her rouged cheeks became all the more reddened, feeling just briefly like the little girl looking at forbidden fruit. 'Oh I don't know if 'like' is the right word m'lady,' she retorted with perhaps not as much sarcasm as she had hoped. Jayne offered a slightly derisory giggle and peered more intently at the fight in front of her: 'I really could not say who was the better woman. They are both spirited fighters. This I feel could go to the last gasp.'
Margaret paced a little towards Jayne as if to reassert her dominance and began to slowly flit her fan again, a move echoed by the redhead- 'Yes I must say I have never seen Mary so challenged'
By now both girls were on their knees, skirts draped around them, like snowy flower petals as their hands regripped, pulled and mauled ample handfuls of flesh. It was clear from the glistening liquid that they had not held back from spitting their contempt literally at each other's 'girls'. It was also quite clear from the tears that dribbled down cheeks that this clawing battle was taking its toll on both with soft skin reddened, bruising in parts with small cuts matching that on Mary's cheek which itself had now smeared down the side of her face.
'I hate you!' panted Audrey
'Oh..DESPISE you!' snarled Mary breathlessly as they tugged and pulled and mauled and kneaded, each moving on her knees to try to get closer , booted feet sticking out of the blooming skirts.Again like punch drunk prize fighters they leant into each other, resting their heads on their opponent's shoulder, lank blonde and black hair spreading across their naked backs in a cascade. Their words were becoming more faint now as they breathed and gasped into each other's ears fatigue and pain were clearly taking their toll. Like statues they seemed to lay against one another; Jayne began to feel disappointment, would this fight end in a stalemate? A possible answer to that question was suddenly provided when that banshee like scream that she had heard a short time before suddenly filled the room, but it was not one of anger now it was pure unadulterated pain. Through the veil of tangled light and dark hair the noblewomen who were now standing inappropriately close to one another, saw that Audrey had fastened her teeth onto Mary's shoulder and was biting deep. Mary's hands let go of the swollen breasts that they had been latched onto for so long and instantly dug into her foe's back, scratching at the soft white skin as her own face revealed clearly in the lamp light took on a hateful grimace and with a sudden gesture was plunged down her teeth sinking into Audrey's shoulder. The pain which came from the blonde maid's mouth was muffled as she bit deeper to try to resist, her own hands staying firm at her rival's breasts for as long as she could so do and then, unable to take any more, her left hand suddenly scrabbled at the black mane that obscured her own face, trying to prise the Irish girl's head free, an effort which soon required the right hand to join. Gasping, the blonde girl opened her own biting mouth pulling it free from her enemy's shoulder to give better balance. A pained scream saw Mary's head tugged upwards her own hands flailing now for blonde hair but Audrey was quick and her right hand drew back with a vicious speed and force before swinging around to make contact with the Irish girl's bloodied cheek. the crack filled the room as her head rocked, black hair flying wildly in all directions.The blonde was keen to follow up the advantage as the surprised Irish maid sprawled across the red carpet and scrabbled over to try to pin her down, some curse word or other lost in their pained and frantic breathing. Mary was not going to be so easily taken however and kicked out with her high black boots skirt riding up about her legs, the heels impacting againt Audrey's thighs and her pale skinned stomach. Audrey was still on her though, grabbing at her as Mary tried to turn her body to move away to get a more advantageous position. At first Audrey lunged for dark hair but then reached out and grabbed the sore breasts of the Irish girl which were turned away from her, pulling her close so her own chest pressed into her back. Mary was clearly panicking with the rocking attack of the slap and she could feel the other slightly heavier girl pressing against her, her hands scrabbling up and yanking at blonde tresses that hung over her back, trying to pull Audrey's head forwards, the two locked in a silent struggle once again, pain freely demonstrated on their faces.
'Give, you bitch,' sobbed Audrey
'Never..you surrender you slut' Mary wept back as they strained at one another, legs at crazed angles.
Margaret was looking tense now, it seemed suddenly that Audrey might have the advantage here and the enthusiasm on Jayne's face showed she thought similarly. Nonetheless it would not be appropriate for her to interrupt this fight, Mary had resource and skill, if anyone could fight her way free of this situation she would.
'Give or I'll tear your girls off,' snarled Audrey through wet eyes, jerking on the Irish girl's already extremely tender breasts
'I'll rip your hair out!' the Irish girl snarled back
'Hair can grow back strumpet, titties can't!'
The two strained, sweat soaked and tearful a stirring sight in the lamplight each holding their ground.
'I was the better girl then and am now...i'll never forgive you for taking Nathaniel you cxnt!' Mary bucked upwards bringing her head back to strike Audrey's nose held but a few inches above. The blow was as much of a surprise for Audrey as her own slap had been for the Irish girl earlier and she found herself sliding backwards onto the floor the dark haired maid turning like a feral hellcat, leaping onto her with a gasp of air and the slap of nude bodies. Margaret could not supress her applause and was quite aware of Jayne's derisory look but now the fight had entered a new rhythm, it was too intense to turn away from. The girls rolled and struggled on the floor, legs kicking out, skirts rising up above boots, hair flailing everywhere as they twisted and turned and strained, their panic and anger growing with increased tiredness. Audrey was bloodied herself now with a small but steady flow from her split nose and to a newly arriving onlooker it would seem that this had been the truly savage catfight that indeed it had been.
The girls had rolled from one end of the room to the other, lashing out and clawing with increasingly weakening blows, now on their sides they lay facing each other. A desperately frenzied thought suddenly took hold of Audrey as she scraped her hands from Mary's back, she had to end this. Mind spinning with the hate, the exertion and the pain, primal instinct guided her and weakly she thrust forwards affixing her hands to Mary's throat,' I hate you witch' her voice didn't even sound like her own as she muttered weakly, her thoughts awash. She was only half conscious of the hands and nails pressing into her throat as Mary herself in a pain soaked delerium gasped her own curse back, 'Will..kill..you bitch' The pain was distant at her neck, swamped by the agony elsewhere,she was using every ounce of strength she had to push back, to kill her rival, to stab at her neck, to choke her as blackness loomed and her swimming head swamped her...
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It was a rather pathetic sight to watch really. After such a heated and vicious catfight the image of the two girls weakly grasping at each other's throats was a sure indicator that the maids were spent, neither had the strength to even leave an impression on the other girl's neck let alone squeeze the life out of her.
'I think we have seen enough Lady Jayne,' Margaret stared at her rival as the maids continued to gasp in the background. Jayne paused and then smilingly turned back to Margaret, 'I agree. I feel that this has reached a satisfactory stalemate. And I think neither of us would care to lose so valuable a maid don't you agree?' Turning on her heel she moved forwards and knelt stiffly, her own black skirt billowing as she lighted pulled Audrey's unresisting fingers from her hated foe's neck. In turn Margaret moved round the other side of the now prostrate maids. She did not have to work hard to prise Mary's grasp free. Panting the two girls lay in semi consciosuness between the ladies, the two stared across at one another eye meeting, still on thir haunches.
'Well, my commendation to your girl she truly put up a spirited fight.' Margaret spoke softly with purpose as she and Jayne exchanged stares.
'And to yours as well, although I am certain that this will not be the end of the matter between them.'
'Oh of that you can be most certain but that does not help us much at the moment my dear Miss Thompson.'
'How true you are,' the two faced each other barely inches apart, 'We have no resolution to our wager have we my dear Miss Farningham.' Still as statues they eyed each other, the air alive between them, almost oblvious now to the two maids who had battled partly for their pleasure. The smell of their sweat and battle seemed to mingle powerfully with their expensive perfumes, an intoxicating aroma which seemed almost to stir the feline spirit within each of the elegant ladies as lamps cast primal shadows upon their made up faces.
'It is clear that it will be some time before a rematch,' continued the Lady Thompson.
'And so do we simply annul the wager?' Margaret's tone was toying, probing as she tested the red haired woman.
'Of course not!' Jayne snapped back with a fieriness that reflected her red mane.'I merely state that the flavour of the wager changes.' Both thiry year olds paused, breasts were struggling against whale bone corsets so dramatically were they rising and falling and part of the reason for pausing was to catch breath as a result of this inhibition of thier chests but just as much to let the silent challenge develop between the two of them, the sense of mutual antagonism growing behind beautifully mascarad eyes. They knew where this conversation was going but each delighted in protracting it, drawing it out, savouring the butterflies in the stomach, the shallow breath and the increased beating of the heart.
'Oh and what 'flavour' are you proposing?' Maragaret's voice was low now, intimate, speaking more like a lover than a rival.
'Simply that we take the challenge upon ourselves, you and I meet to duel, not for money, not for status but simply to see who is the better woman, who is the better CATFIGHTER.' There, Jayne had said it, the very words Margaret had hoped to hear since her eyes first alighted upon that newspaper column all those days ago. There was again a protracted pause as the words sunk in between the two of them.
'That sounds more a challenge than a wager,' smirked Margaret, 'and in my own home. I am a little surprised as I was expecting that I would challenge you..'
'Well,' Jayne interjected a little haughtily, 'Do you accept or don't you?'
There was little love lost in the answer, the time they had spent together this afternoon made it quite clear that each of these woman thought herself the better and was itching to determine just that, 'Of course I accept MISS Thompson' Margaret stood shaking her hands out, as if ready to battle here and now.
'Good, I of course expected no less, that is why we are here. But one fight is enough for today my dear.' Jayne's voice was laden with a biting sarcasm as she rose herself taking four booted steps back away from the fallen maids, now both near to unconsciosuness. 'You may have no further desire for your Mary but Audrey has acquitted herself well enough here and her hurt needs to be seen to.'
'Oh I have nothing but pride for Mary,' Margaret knelt down once more stroking her sweaty black tresses gently. 'But...let us be sure that any duel between us will not end in such stalemate. When we fight my dear it will be to a decisive conclusion, there will be but one winner.'
'Oh I am in complete agreement.' Jayne knelt down on her own haunches sliding her slender fingers into her black clutch purse. 'And there will be no seconds, just you and I. I know a place that will assure complete discretion where we may battle to our hearts content. That is if you don't mind getting a little...dirty.' Jayne smirked as she looked her now opponenet up and down. This surprised Margaret, she had imagined waging this prvivate catfight here in this very room where they knelt at the moment. Nonetheless this was not time for doubt, 'I can assure you I have no fear of getting my finery dirty. I accept your proposition. When?'
'Let us say we both attend church at St. Martins in the Fields a week Sunday. We can travel from there. The rest of the arrangements can be made by letter in the forthcoming days.' Jayne unstoppered the small bottle of smelling salts that she had drawn from her purse and held it under her maid's nose. Audrey coughed back to life but the Lady Thompson only had eyes for her new opponent.
That was over a week, Margaret was again expecting a more immediate settlement to the dispute but she was a patient woman and though she did not like the way that her own game was being taken over by this hussy it would give her time to gather herself and prepare and as she very well knew anticipation was as much as a stimulant for the battle as the fight itself.
'Agreed.' Margaret held Jayne's stare, silence hanging in the air besides the sputtering from the blonde maid. The stare seemed to go on for agonising ages until it might have exploded there and then into conflict and then Margaret stood to her feet. resting Mary's head on the carpet; 'Now with your girl stirring it would be best for you to leave, certainly if you intend to return to your house by nightfall,' the smile showed little sense of caring or sympathy.
'Agreed. Come Audrey.' Jayne tucked her arm beneath the young girl and lifted her as the maid swam back into consciosuness, no love in her own response. 'I would be grateful for a cloak for my maid and maybe a little water.'
'Of course,' smirked Margaret and with a final glance that now expressed true antagonism the noble women parted moving up the stairs to the hall above, leaving the bruised and bloody Irish maid exhausted on the floor
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Ten minutes later with Audrey now clothed in a heavy gentleman's riding cape both maid and mistress stood at the door. Satisfied Mary was now being attended to Margaret moved to meet them.'Well, your carriage is ready.' Sure enough Master Hoxham's vehicle was in the narrow darkening street behind them, the handsome older man moving to help Audrey into the coach.
'Indeed it is,' Jayne turned back, the two of them now alone in the doorway.
'I look forward to your next epistle.' Maragret's voice was serious but with a greedy anticpatory lilt.
'And I look forward to our next meeting.'
'Until then Lady Jayne Thompson, God keep you well........bitch' a venomous hiss at the end of the sentence, which filled it's speaker with a sense of liberation.
'And may God keep you well too Lady Margaret Farningham you slut!'
Smiles of recognition between the two arose, the battle lines had been drawn, it was quite clear what they thought of each other. A final bitter exchange of glances and then a nod, 'A week Sunday my dear' Jayne turned and moved to the carriage door
'A week Sunday my dear,' Margaret looked back as the door closed, Hoxham mounted his seat and the carriage moved off. Lady Farningham merely stood watching it go, she had wanted a duel with this woman and by God she would get one, though she was not aware of quite the catfight that lay in store for both of them....
To be continued.
