‘How dare you!’ Mrs. Matlock snapped. ‘Did I not just tell you that you are only allowed to touch yourself for reasons of hygiene?’
Lucy looked shocked. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
‘You will be dealt with at six pm this evening,’ Mrs. Matlock said curtly. ‘Now come with me.’
She took Lucy upstairs, still naked. Mrs. Matlock opened a door. Inside the room sat two women, dressed in white uniforms such as nurses might wear; it was fitted out like a medical examination room, with cabinets round the walls, a washbasin, and a table covered in a white sheet.
‘This is the new arrival,’ said Mrs. Matlock. ‘Give her the usual treatment, then deliver her downstairs in time for supper.’
She left, closing the door behind her. The two women were older than Lucy, in their forties perhaps. They were both
