Fall From Grace

The sun beat down on the gardens of the D’Amissi Convent’s gardens and baked the soil as Catherine Nerina knelt to the ground with her basket of ripened tomatoes to pick the next handful of small, luscious fruits. The vines were generous this season and she had plenty to gather for sale at the market in the village of Ambra. The Convent was nestled on a hillside looking over Ambra, a small sun drenched village outside of Florence. Catherine looked around her bare feet at the rich soil and glanced up to where she believed Heaven might be in the sky, and gave thanks for the season’s good fortune. Lifting up the now heavy basket against her hip, she made her way to the stone staircase at the back of the convent and started down the long narrow hallway to the kitchen. Sister Maria Alconisoni and Sister Francesca Montenera were already in the kitchen, tending to the large pot that boiled over the hearth, filled with a thin soup and a strong oder that tantalized her senses and made her stomach grumble a little with the thought of having dinner after the long day’s work. Catherine was not a nun, not yet, and it would likely be several more years before she was truly ready for the responsibility and amount of devotion needed to call herself a Sister of the cloth. Catherine understood this and respected the infinite wisdom of the Mother Abbess and the mysterious Father Hellarti, who was a spiritual advisor to the convent’s beloved Mother Abbess Lucia Magdelena. The mysterious priest only came to D’Amissi on several occasions, and none of them were very public or available to allow the sisters to meet the great man, but all knew him to be a very respected and powerful man. It was always a thing of great gossip when the priest visited D’Amissi.

Catherine knew that the respected priest would be at D’Amissi this day, and she vowed to help her Mother Abbess to properly welcome the convent’s guest. She would prepare the table with the good linens, pick only the ripest, most succulent tomatoes for the soup and she would make sure the brass mantle, the silver candlesticks and the wood planks of the floor shined with polish. She had worked all day, and accepted the smile and nod of Mother Abbess as a nod of approval which was good enough reward for her. Catherine was grateful to the Abbess for taking her in as a small child when she had no options in life, poor, an orphan with no hope in the world. She had been raised in these walls, on this glorious hillside and she had rarely left it’s grounds. She sold tomatoes and spices at the market in Ambra but her instructions had always been clear; to simply sell the fruits and herbs to the regular buyers which took no longer than the half part of an hour and then to return to D’Amissi, never to dally about or cause mischeif. She was to remain quiet and courteous, never to bother anyone, and in her conventional modesty, she had kept her head down on her long walk to Ambra. In those walks she had memorized the trail she had watched so many times as her feet made small imprints on the soil.

As she rounded the corner of the hallway, she glimpsed the library and the dark man’s cloak that lay neatly folded over a high backed chair. So he was here! The Mother Abbess would be surely informing him of the convent’s latest workings. Very important things that she had no business disturbing them from. Quickly she stepped closer to the kitchen again to see to the soup. Yes, it was finished. She went about preparing dinner and setting the table for the guest.

At dinner, Catherine served the Mother Abbess and her guest, Father Hellarti. This evening, the sisters took their meals in their chambers or in the small anteroom near the chapel. Catherine felt honored to be the only other who was able to see the priest. Mother Abbess spoke to Father Hellarti of the progress the sisters had made with the town and how more and more villagers were attending council in the chapel to worship. The priest, a stately and elegantly graying man of perhaps near 50 years of age, listened quietly and nodded his approval. He tasted the soup and bread Catherine had prepared and lifted an eyebrow in praise of her cooking talents.

‘And who is this young beauty?’ the Father asked with a tilt of his head.

‘This is Catherine, our ward. She is an orphan, sadly, but we could not let her simply starve. We have practically raised her here in these walls.’

Catherine stepped forward with a tiny step and properly curtsied modestly, her white shift brushing the polished floor. Father Hellarti looked her over. Surely the priest was studying her for any sign of impertinence or impropriety. Catherine hoped she would not disappoint the Mother Abbess. The priest seemed satisfied though, and he even complimented her,

‘You are a skilled cook, child. Perhaps you are also the one who has worked so hard to polish these walls to a shine, perhaps in honor of my arrival?’

Catherine found herself blushing, but she only nodded.

‘Speak, child.’

‘Yes, Father.’

‘Ah, lovely voice, as a silvery bell. Quite a beautiful girl you are. Do you plan to take your vows?’

‘Yes, Father. It is my path in life.’

‘Yes, well that may be a shame, dear.’

Catherine was not sure what Father Hellarti meant. She decided it was not good to question such a man. She remained quiet. She heard the Mother Abbess whisper to the Father,

‘This is the one I wrote you about.’

For a moment, Catherine was nervous. Had Mother Lucia written to the priest to complain about her perhaps? Maybe she was a burden to them after all. But the priest smiled then, dismissing her fears.

‘Oh, I see.’ He said, his voice hissing like a snake. ‘Very lovely indeed. Lucia has told me much about you, child. You are fascinating, you know.’

Catherine felt strange hearing the Mother Abbess called by her first name, and she felt stranger being called ‘fascinating.’ She simply tilted her head to the side, not sure how to respond. ‘Come here, girl.’

She moved closer to the priest, and he took her arms and held them out, as if he were measuring how she had grown since childhood, though he had never known her. His eyes moved over her. She felt his stare burn into her.

‘I would like to speak with you, child, when dinner is done and I have properly rested from my journey. This night, come to the Abbess’s chamber at midnight. T’is late, I know dear, but I have not other time to devote to our chat. The Abbess has informed me of your history and I would like to offer my council to you.’

Catherine was not sure what to think. She was nervous about speaking with Father Hellarti but wanted to please them both. She nodded and curtsied before being dismissed. Before she reached the door, Mother Lucia stood and spoke,

‘Catherine, I would like you to go to the chapel, and in honor of our guest, I would like you to pray. Spend one hour there, and then you are free to do as you will.’

‘Yes, Mother Abbess.’

*** *** *** ***

Lucia turned away from the window where she watched Catherine walk quickly to the chapel, the girl’s supple form shadowed beneath the thin white shift in the sunlight. The nun could see the curve of the girl’s plump breast and the arch at the small of her back. Breathtaking really, though the little dolt had no idea of what charms she possessed. The girl was easily malleable. That is why she had chosen her for them, for their pleasure. It had been so long. The last girl had taken a vow of silence in Florence and was now too wise in her age of twenty-six to play with. This girl, this one was special. She had known Giovanni would love her. Sighed and smiled at Giovanni,

‘It is time then. The game begins.’

Giovanni smiled and moved close to her, dangerously close,

‘She is my taste you know.’

‘Yes, I know. Young, sweet, faithful.’

‘And you are my taste.’ He said, his voice dropping to a low growl.

As Lucia smiled, he pulled the nun’s habit from her hair and let her long hair fall around her shoulders. He kissed her full on the mouth, tasting her tongue, her salty lips, her fervor. He had not kissed her in 12 years. It felt good to be with her again, at the old game they shared and loved so much. She was his partner in this, an advocate to his devil. This simple girl, Catherine would be their Pygmalion, molded as they wished. The corruption would be sweet, the intricate steps of developing her would be so sensuous, the game would be perfect.

With a second kiss finished, and his erection raging, he followed Lucia to the girl Catherine’s tiny cell of a chamber.

*** *** *** *** ***

The hour had been spent well in glorious praise of God, but she admitted to herself that she had been distracted, by the flowers blooming, by the prettiness of the sky, and by the thought of what the priest might want to speak with her about. She asked God in all his great wisdom and kindness to forgive her for her distractions. The sun was going down when she made her way back to the convent, and toward her room, but in that hallway, she was intersected by Mother Lucia, and by the priest, Father Hellarti. The mother abbess glared at her with a stare that could only be anger. Catherine’s heart raced and her stomach tightened in fear. What had gone wrong? Then she saw what the Abbess held in her hands; several ripe red tomatoes and a bit of lace that Catherine had fashioned into a ribbon for her hair. The tomatoes she had sneaked into her chamber to eat later that evening, and the bit of lace she had purchased with the little coins she sometimes received from merchants who called her ‘pretty’ and pressed a coin in her hand to buy candies with.

‘Child, my sweet Catherine. I have suspected your activities were worsening, and this proves me right. I am saddened, really I am. You have stolen from us, from the very people who shelter you! And this lace? Blue lace? A ribbon for that hair of yours you brush obsessively? Vanity, child, vanity! Don’t you know? This is where it begins, the sin, the fall into sin. I have suspected we must stop this. I have worried about you.’

Catherine’s heart sank into an abyss and she felt herself become dizzy.

Father Hellarti interjected,

‘That is why I am here, Catherine. Mother Lucia wrote me a letter about you. She is very concerned. She tells me you have had lustful thoughts as well. You confessed this to her, Catherine.’

Catherine’s cheeks flared red. This was a nightmare!

‘Child, lovely girl, understand that we want to help you. It begins here, the sin, as Mother Lucia said, but it doesn’t have to continue. We will help to save you. We will not allow you to fall into the hands of the devil so easily. No. We will teach you penance, teach you about what evils lust and gluttony bring. You will be purged of this sin. You will no longer want it. Trust me, dear.’

Catherine was crying now, hot tears streaking her cheeks and falling salty onto her lips.

‘I am so sorry, so very sorry, I know I was wrong?’

‘Shh,’ The Abbess held a finger to her lips. ‘Just do as we ask, dear.’

‘Go to the Abbess’s chamber, girl, and wait for us there. You shall receive a spanking for your deeds. We shall council you further. Undress and wait there, bent over the Abbess’s writing desk chair. You must wait for your punishment. Think over what you have done. Do not move from that place.’

Frightened and horribly embarrassed, Catherine nodded and once dismissed, rushed to obey their orders. The Abbess’s chamber was cool and pleasant, but it seemed as welcoming as a guillotine now. The Abbess’s four poster bed sat high up on a dias, and was intimidating really, as if the woman slept closer to God. The writing desk, a rather simple piece in Mahogany and brass, stood in the corner and a hard wooden chair in front of it. Tasting tears on her cheek, she began to unlace her shift, realizing with a terrible revelation that she would be completely naked! She would be bent over this chair, exposed! But she must. They had ordered her punishment and she was guilty of the crimes. Stepping out of the shift, she neatly folded the white cloth and placed on the clean floor in the corner of the room, not feeling it was fit to place on any of the Abbess’s furnishings. She bowed her head, letting her long black hair fall over her face, and she knelt down. She was bent over the chair, her arms held to her breasts and her face buried in her hands. She hoped her punishment would be swift, but then again, she had been a wicked girl, and deserved what punishment would come to her.

It was the greater part of an hour before the door opened. Catherine stiffened instantly, but she didn’t dare move. Footsteps came near her, behind her. She heard the familiar sound of the abbess’s shift swaying with her movements. She heard Father Hellarti clear his throat. It horrified her that her backside was exposed to them. The door closed. She dared to look up. She could see the abbess retrieving a paddle from her bedside, a dark black thing with a wooden handle.

‘Catherine,’ The abbess said. ‘I will punish you for your theft against the convent of D’Amissi, and Father Hellarti will punish you for your sin of vanity. Your sins of lust are a greater matter and will have to be handled with a more non-traditional manner.’

The first blow came without warning, almost a split second after the abbess stopped speaking. The paddle struck Catherine’s backside and she bit back a yelp. Her backside stung with the blow of the paddle and her face burned red with the heat of her tears and embarrassment. The second, third and fourth blows stung fiercely, making her want to cover her bottom with her hands, and press her legs together. The fifth blow began to numb her and she felt only a dull ache with the sixth, seventh and eighth. By the ninth, her legs were tight together and this must have upset the Abbess, for she pointed her cloth booted foot between Catherine’s thighs and kicked open her legs. Catherine now knelt over the chair with her legs wide spread, and her most private parts completely exposed to the Priest and the Abbess.

Finally she was given a moment and spared the paddle. Catherine could hear the Abbess breathing very hard and she suddenly felt very bad that she had made the Abbess work herself so much in the proper punishment of Catherine’s sins. Mother Abbess was trying so hard to help her, she thought. How terrible to see the beloved mother distressed. It was Father Hellarti who broke the silence.

‘Now, come to me, girl.’

Standing slowly on trembling legs, she went to the priest, who sat at the edge of the Mother Abbess’s grand bed. It seemed to her an inappropriate place for any man to sit, but then, she reminded herself, he had no other place in the room to sit. The priest looked at her with eyes the color of smoldering coals. He gestured to his lap,

‘Lay across my lap.’ He said calmly.

She obeyed, feeling more than strange when her breasts touched the soft cloth of his robes and her nipples rubbed against the tiny buttons that made a long vertical line down the front of his cassock. She lay across his lap, hoping he would be swift. She lay flat, but he shocked her when he gripped her thigh and pushed her rear end up in the air, so that she was tilted up at the backside. At this ankle and her precarious position on the bed, she had no choice but to part her legs to balance, and this exposed that secret place to the Abbess. Hellarti’s hand remained firmly on her rump and this brought a new shade of scarlet to her face. His hand caressed her there, soothing the pain from the bite of the paddle, but she felt that in his effort to soothe her wounds, he had not realized he was touching the thatch of nether hair there, shadowing the thin lips that lead to the little entry she had several times touched at night alone in her bed. She hated to admit that despite the priest’s innocent intentions of soothing her, she was arousing something strange inside her, and she felt a moisture between her thighs. She was sure he could feel the wetness there. She tucked her face into the crook of her arm and waited for the punishment.

*** *** *** *** ***

He could see Lucia looking at the girl’s sweet backside and he wondered what the pink little slit must look like, tight and just a little wet, yes, the girl was wet and hot and he could feel those lips quiver. It made his cock hard. He felt his cock strain under her, pushing up at her, against her soft belly. He wanted to make the little tart take his cock in her mouth and suck him down, swallow his cock to the root and feel her tongue work him...but no, old man, he thought. There is time for that soon. Take time. She must be properly worked in first. He took the paddle from Lucia then and started the spanking slowly, softer than Lucia had, but then she had always been the passionate impatient one. He struck her once, felt her twitch under the paddle, and then again, and again. Her hips were moving in little circles, quite nice over his knee, and he set down the paddle and used his hand on her plump backside, then he had a fantastic idea.

‘Be very still and this will not hurt you, dear one.’ He said. ‘I want to make sure of your purity. It is in question.’

Catherine’s face blanched as the priest’s fingers moved over her moistened nether-lips and began to push open the little lips inside, to reveal the passage there. It was a dull ache, a painful but bearable thing to be stretched open like this. Father Hellarti called to the Abbess,

‘A woman’s hands are more gentle than a man’s. Catherine my child, bear this with dignity.’

Catherine felt cool, long fingers push into that passage that Father Hellarti stretched open with his thumbs. The Abbess’s fingers. Catherine was humiliated, but she would bear this as they asked, and she would make no more trouble for these people who loved her. Rump pushed into the air, and her head low to the bed over Father hellarti’s lap, she could see nothing but the bed linens, but she felt the invasive fingers of the Abbess, probing inside her, first one finger, working in small circles inside her, pushing into the tightness. It was painful, and Catherine repressed tears. She felt an even riper shame that somewhere within her, an aching pleasure was pulsing through her loins at the sensation of the Abbess’s finger inside her.

Lucia worked her finger there inside the tightest, warmest pussy she had encountered. The girls they had as playthings before were not as sweet as this. The nun entered a second finger, pushing the contracting muscles of the girl’s vagina even more. Catherine was wet, juices pumping, and Lucia knew they could take her to the next step.

‘She is chaste.’ The Abbess announced as she slowly removed her fingers from the girl. Father Hellarti removed his hands as well. Catherine impulsively began to move from Hellarti’s lap, but he stopped her by gently taking her hair in hand and saying,

‘Catherine, the Abbess has not given you permission to get up yet. While we have solved the matter of your virginity, we have not even began your council.’

Catherine stilled herself on the priest’s lap.

‘We fear for your mortal soul, Catherine. The sins of lust have been possessing you, and we must act before it is too late. I know you have had impure thoughts. You have confessed a great deal of things to me. I believe, Catherine, that the best way to teach you of the sinful ways of lust is to show you the results of that lust. The evils that men can do. The burdens a woman must bear in the court of lust. I will teach you to reject these things. To do so, I must lower myself to act in a common fashion. Our gracious father Hellarti is kind enough to lend his council. You must trust in us, Catherine. For we will lead you to God.’

Catherine began to cry. Hot tears streaking her cheeks.

‘There there my dear,’ the Priest wiped away her tears and set her upright. ‘No need to cry.’