Chapter Three
Young Edward is Taken Firmly in Hand
Thus was our hero introduced to the bizarre world of Cheatem Manor. For a rather pampered, conceited lad who thought of himself as something of ladies’ man, those first few days were a rude awakening indeed! Overnight, he found himself reduced in status from honored family member to lowly servant, forced to serve as a virtual slave at the whim of the two impetuous sisters, and that under the domination of the imperious matriarch. On the heels of his initial humiliation, Amanda announced she meant to “take him in hand,” as she put it, seeing to it that he was properly trained. “Young gentlemen needed a strong hand to guide them,” she stoutly maintained. His training would begin by teaching him the value of discipline and hard work.
To hi
