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“That just proves that you’re the kind of man who would beat his wife given the chance!” Irene looked pleadingly up at Alex, her stalwart defender, the man who’d never failed to save her. He’d been her white knight all her life, it was why she’d fallen in love with him, why she’d followed her mother's dictate and agreed to any means of being with him after he’d married even though it meant marrying another man.
The fury that was growing in Hugh's eyes had almost set them ablaze, she was sure that she needed Alex's protection more than ever. Yet he looked like he was hesitating!
He glanced at Hugh, obviously hesitant to intervene.
"Tell him Alex! You'd never spank a woman!"
The man of her dreams let all of his breath out on a huff as he looked down at her. "Honestly Irene, it's becoming more of a temptation every day."
Her jaw dropped. It was the last thing in the world she'd expected him to say. Alex, wonderful and chivalrous Alex, Alex that she'd loved all her life... he would beat a woman?
The crestfallen look on her face made it clear to both men that Alex had shattered some kind of belief or illusion that she had about him. The kind of look a child had when they first realized that life wasn't fair and that not everything they wished for would come true.
Something about this entire situation had sparked an emotion akin to jealousy in Hugh's breast. He'd come to realize that Irene put her childhood friend on a pedestal, one that had just taken a severe blow. Perhaps the same kind of pedestal she'd put him on before he'd spanked her. It irked him to think that Lord Brooke might retain his pedestal, but considering some of the conversations he'd had with Edwin and Wesley pertaining to Lord Brooke's interest in domestic discipline as well as the few hints Lord Brooke himself had dropped, he thought he had a solution to that.
"Lord Brooke, perhaps under the circumstances you might wish to stay as my wife and I have our discussion," Hugh said dryly, his eyes locked onto Irene's face to catch every nuance of her reaction. "That way you can assure yourself that she is not being beaten and I can give you some instruction on the proper way to spank a deserving wife. You did seem to have some interest the last time we discussed the issue."
There was only a moment of silence. "That would be much appreciated, Viscount Petersham. Thank you."
"Hugh, please."
"And you may call me Alex."
Irene felt as though her world had tilted on its axis; she was actually dizzy from the events that were taking place right before her eyes. The view that she’d always had of Alex had come crashing down around her with just a few simple words. Not only was he not going to save her from Hugh, he approved of Hugh spanking her! He was going to learn how to do so himself!
Licking her dry lips, her hands clenched so tightly on her lap that her knuckles were white, she pled with him. “Alex… don’t… please…”
“Irene,” he said gently, starting to kneel down to look her more easily in the face before he glanced at Hugh. When her husband nodded his permission, Alex went down on one knee and took of her cold little hands in his. “Your behavior tonight… it went past improper. I don’ know what you were thinking. You shouldn’t have spoken to your husband the way you did when he asked. Or accused him of something that he hasn’t done. There are men in the ton who do beat their wives, leave them black and blue. I’ve become friends with Edwin, Wesley and Hugh and I know that none of them are like that, they are all honorable men who are honor-bound to care for their wives. That means disciplining you when you’ve done something wrong, and tonight...”
The gentle tone he was using was one that she’d heard all her life, but the words were all wrong. Her champion had quit the field, leaving her alone. Averting her gaze, she snatched her hand back from him. She heard his sigh as he stood.
“Irene, do you know why you’re being punished?” Hugh asked, his voice low and implacable. She hated that it sent a shiver through her that had nothing to do with fear or anger. How could her lower body be tingling at a time like this?!
“Yes,” she said sullenly.
Because somehow she’d lost complete control of herself and behaved like a loose woman, throwing herself at Alex. That hadn’t been what she’d meant to do. It hadn’t! Not tonight anyway. She was so angry with herself, angry at Hugh, angry at Alex, angry at everyone who had helped to put her in this awful situation!
“Ensuring that she understands that she’s being spanked for a reason is important,” Hugh said in an almost lec
turing tone to Alex. Her cheeks flared with heat and began to burn with embarrassment; she kept her gaze at their pant legs, not wanting to look at either of them. “You must confirm that she understands why she’s being punished otherwise there’s no lesson being learned. Irene, why am I going to be spanking you tonight?”
She knew that she should have been seething, but hearing Alex murmuring his understanding of Hugh’s instruction took the spark right out of her. There was going to be no saving her from what she had done. Alex had obviously been made uncomfortable by her actions, her plans were in ruins around her and she wasn’t even sure that she cared because the perfect man hadn’t turned out to be what she thought he was.
“Because I behaved improperly at Lady Cowper’s,” she responded dully, her shoulders slumping.
Cupping her chin under his hand, Hugh forced her to look at him. He didn’t like the lack of spirit that he saw in her eyes but he knew that she still needed to discipline her. There was no point in telling her that there would be consequences for her actions if he didn’t bother to follow through.
“Yes. Although there won’t be a scandal thanks to Lord Brooke’s quick thinking, but do you understand how badly your little scene could have come off to everyone? Especially since we’ve just returned from our honeymoon. You could have shamed yourself, me, Lord Brooke, our families… the ton would have talked about nothing else for weeks.”
A lone tear rolled down Irene’s face. As soon as Hugh had interrupted them and she’d realized how brazen she’d been, how clear the pathway they were standing on was, and how close she came to bringing two men to blows over her she’d felt horrible.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I truly didn’t intend… I mean… I didn’t… I’m sorry.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Hugh kissed her forehead and let her face drop again. “Stand up and lean over the arm of the chair.” His voice was still gentle but stern, the kindness had leached out of it.
Keeping her eyes averted, not wanting to see the expression on Alex’s face – even if she now realized he wasn’t the man of her dreams, he was still her childhood friend and it was humiliating to have him witnessing this – she complied. The arm of the chair was surprisingly soft against her hips and stomach, cradling them, although it pushed her bottom high in the air. Turning her face towards the back of the chair, she curled her arms around her head, doing her best to pretend that she wasn’t bent over, awaiting a spanking.
“If you’d like a chair like this, I can send you the direction of the maker,” Hugh said, and she knew he was talking to Alex again. “This one was purchased by my father. It’s comfortable to sit in but the arms are wider than usual, which helps when you’re about to be punished.” He chuckled. “I should know, although I was in this position a lot less often than my sister. I’ll try to go over the same things my father did with me; Eleanor gave me plenty of practice growing up.”
