Martha applies for a position as housekeeper at Lavender Hill, which turns out to be a beautiful sprawling Elizabethan house in a private location. She is interviewed by a charming man called Mr Flemscrape who explains the duties required, and offers Martha the job with a very generous salary. Delighted, she accepts, and agrees to the three house rules relating to areas of the house which are strictly out of bounds. But curiosity eventually gets the better of Martha ... caught snooping in the wine cellar, she is stripped, spanked and imprisoned ... and she is not alone down there. What are the secrets to be found in the cellar? How many 'lovelies' does Mr Flemscrape keep locked away? How does Martha react to her situation and what will become of her? And what is the source of Mr Flemscrape's great wealth? A deliciously intriguing tale with an unexpected ending.

This book also contains the following short stories: A Daughter Thrashed; Adventures in the Attic; An Artist's Model; Bare Bottomed in a Chinese Restaurant; The Dozy Secretary; The Dream Keeper; The Face at the Window; The Highwayman; and Punished with a Prison Strap.