Chapter 8 - getting by with a little help from her 'friends'

Catherine and Delia sat at their usual place in the screened-off sunroom, overlooking the hills. Between them was a platter of pastries, about half empty.

"Another, lady Catherine?" Delia asked hopefully.

Catherine sighed uncomfortably, a bit of gas escaping her belly with a light burf. She had been slacking. She went into every meal with good intention, but always found herself stopping as soon as her little middle begun to ache. It was much easier to simply give it to Delia. "No, I don't think so," she finally said. "You have the rest."

Delia complied, silently beginning to munch. Ever since the incident in Catherine's bed she had been particularly compliant, reminding herself that a servant should never overstep their master's wishes.

The final puff having been eaten, Delia sat back in her chair.. By now she was used to the stuffed feeling - it was the extra weight it brought that was strange. So quickly had she gone from sharp and bony to plump and soft - she still was not used to it. She noticed that she now jiggled when she walked, a ripple flowing through her body with every footfall. When she placed a hand on her belly, she felt as though it touched flesh far too soon. Sometimes she stayed up at night, lying quietly in her bed, pinching and pulling and smooshing her soft new form, digging down to try and find her old body underneath the soft folds. She got the strange feeling that her fat wasn't a part of her - that her body was simply trapped inside, buried by this strange soft growth that clung to her so tightly, and that she could pull off her flab like a dress if only she pinched hard enough.

Delia looked over at Catherine - the beautiful heiress, irridescent in the New Hampshire sun, and imagined her similarly buried. She'd been paying close attention to Catherine's body, looking for any signs of progress each morning while she was helping her dress. There had been some small hints - her smooth, pale thighs were notably softer, and pads of fat had gathered around her wide hips and under her belly button. But it had been over two weeks - at the rate she was going her plan could very well backfire, her father arriving to find his daughter transformed into a plump and fertile Aphrodite!

Delia realized that Catherine would never reach her goal - not without a little help. She silently resolved to take a trip down to the kitchens just as soon as her stomach had settled.

o o o

"Jou are right - she will not make it." Colette huffed, handing Delia a danish. "Zat is, not wizzout your 'elp."

Delia obediently crammed the treat in her mouth, despite her full belly. "But - I can't, you know, I really can't." Her chubby cheeks turned red.

"Ah, but Delia! Jou remember 'ow she ate with your assistance. Catherine is a lady of refinement! She does not wish merely to feed, but to be fed!"

"I know, but..." Delia blushed further, biting down on another pastry. Yes, but... that was not my place. I cannot do it again."

"Fine," Colette smirked. "If jou will not, I zink zat I know ozzers who will. Go fetch Suzette and 'er ilk. Tell zem zat I 'ave a very special assignment for zem."

o o o

Catherine was lounging in the afternoon sun digesting her snack when her three old victims suddenly appeared before her. The chubby maids tittered gently as Catherine glanced up, eyes widening as she noticed the full trays in their hands.

"Lady Catherine," Suzette stepped forward hesitantly, her posh accent wavering. "Ah- we were told by Colette that you were hungry. Would you like something to eat?"

Catherine blinked, uncertain. She was still full, but if Colette said so... "Y-yes?"

"Splendid! Let us fix this," Suzette smiled, her pillowy upper arm quivering as she brought an eclair to Catherine's lips.

"Ya, we can't be 'avin our lady be hungry," added Lorianne, her plump, freckled cheeks stretching into a grin.

"Si! The Lady is... very hungry!" babbled Maria, her heavy belly bouncing as she bobbed excitedly.

Catherine lay back, bewildered by the sudden onslaught. She chewed obediently as the three plump women placed pastries in front of her. How Colette had talked them into this, she did not know, but she just knew that the smirking little French girl was behind this. The thought made her feel warm as her stomach began to fill.

Even as her middle began to press against her tight dress, Catherine did nothing to stop the flow of food. Her deft fingers began caressing her belly gently as she allowed her three fattened maids the pleasure of turning the tables, feeding her just as she had once fed them.

"Get some rest, my lady. Dinner is in a few hours," Suzette twittered, her eyes flicking to Catherine's bloated stomach. Catherine woozily waved them away, belching lightly as the food began settling in her stomach.

From the window, Colette smiled down on Catherine's drowsy form. "Jou see, Delia? Lady Catherine appreciates a little bit of... encouragement."
Delia raised her chubby cheeks to gaze up at Colette's face, blushing as she saw the eagerness with which the French women stared down at Catherine's prostrate form. It was the look of one whose patience had finally paid off.