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“You may release and come here, girls,” Edward said, closing his journal. The twins were soon once more before him, faces red and tear-streaked, hair falling from pins and sticking to their cheeks. Edward couldn’t believe he’d ever seen a more beautiful sight. After all, the only thing more pleasing than a properly chastised girl was seeing her mirror image standing before him as well.
“Things are going to change in this household,” Edward informed them. “I have been sorely lacking in your necessary education, but that has come to a stop. Tomorrow you both shall begin anew your new lessons, as it is too late this evening to truly start.” He noticed that Louisa kept her eyes lowered as required, but that Lucille was once again looking directly at him, her eyes showing her confusion. He saw her mouth begin to open and he quickly continued, “I’m not expecting nor desiring you to speak, Lucille. I simply want you to listen and, if you can’t manage even that, you will do well to remember I will gag you.” Lucy’s face flushed but she evidently remembered the awful feeling of the gag in her mouth, and she nodded, dropping her eyes. Edward smiled, surprised but pleased she had given in so quickly.
He waited a few moments before speaking again. “Though it is my intention to go over all my expectations at a later date, I want you both to understand one thing. You will both learn I expect strict obedience. I promise you this. If you decide to test me, I shall immediately provide the necessary discipline such attempts will earn you. I will not have my authority questioned by you nor hesitate to turn you across my knee and lift your skirts, lower your bloomers and apply a proper reminder to your bare bottoms.” He saw both girls tremble at his promise, and knew it would most likely be Lucy over his knee, testing his resolve. She’d learn that he was a man of his word every time he turned her bottoms up for a much needed lesson. “Lucille, you will go with Mrs. Bremmer, as she will put you to bed. Tomorrow you will spend the entire day at your studies.”
Lucy’s expression changed from confusion to acceptance, to questioning so fast it was rather fascinating to watch. But, she again proved that despite her stubbornness, she was definitely trainable as she did not chance opening her mouth. The gagging, though a very short period of time, had obviously been extremely effective.
He nodded toward his housekeeper. Mrs. Bremmer stepped forward and took Lucy’s arm. His ward’s eyes widened as her gaze fell to the white bloomers draped over the woman’s arm. The sight evidently reminded her that her skirts were still pinned at her shoulders, and even now, her bare and blistered bottom was in plain view. He watched her face flame as the shame of it consumed her.
“Oh… please, Mrs. Bremmer… I’ll take those.”
Mrs. Bremmer simply shook her head and moved her arm away from Lucy’s reaching hands. As the young girl strained to reach her bloomers, Edward shook his head. Perhaps he’d been too quick in thinking the young woman was capitulating already.
“Do you need a reminder of obedience so quickly, Lucille? You are to obey Mrs. Bremmer as you do me.” Lucy sobbed, but shook her head at his offer of a reminder. She allowed Mrs. Bremmer to pull her toward the door but, when it opened, her feet remained glued to the study’s carpet.
“Please, don’t make me go out there like this. The serv… servants will see my… my bottom!”
Mrs. Bremmer huffed, her gray head shaking. “Don’t be ridiculous, missy. The entire house has been subjected to your unladylike caterwauling, and it is no secret that you have been well birched. If you don’t want the staff to see your naughty little bottom with its earned coating of stripes, then I suggest you learn to behave. Now, stop dragging your feet or I shall take my tawse to your backside.”
Edward watched as Lucy tried to grip her skirts to cover her bare bottom even as she was pulled from the room. She was unaware that he was leading her sister out of the study behind her and that Louisa was making no attempt to keep her bottom hidden until Edward’s sharp order for her to remove her hands from her skirts caused her to jump and drop her hand. With her bottom bare, she quickened her step, and he had absolutely no doubt that despite her exhaustion from her birching, she would have found the strength to sprint down the hall and leap up the stairs like a gazelle had it not been for Mrs. Bremmer holding her firmly and forcing her to walk in a sedate manner.
Edward easily ignored the looks of servants the quartet passed along the halls. His attention was captured in watching both his wife and his young charge deal with the knowledge that from this moment forward, there would be no secrets within the walls of the manor.
When the four finally reached Lucy’s room, Louisa spoke softly, “May I tell Lucy goodnight, sir?” Edward nodded, and released his wife. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her twin, the two clinging to one another. It was several moments of silence before a clearing of his throat had her saying, “Good night, Lucy, I hope… hope you sleep well.”
Lucy stammered her own good night and reluctantly allowed her sister to step away.
“Good night, Lucille,” Edward said, nodding to the housekeeper who opened Lucy’s door. Calling his wife to him, Louisa obediently followed him further down the hallway.
* * *
Mrs. Bremmer pulledLucy into her room, efficiently stripping her naked only to draw a nightgown over her head, the hem falling to brush across the tops of her feet. Lucy sat on the low stool before her vanity, trying not to squirm in discomfort as her hair was brushed and then braided into a thick plait that hung almost to her bottom. The silence was heavy, the ache for comfort intense as the minutes passed slowly. When Mrs. Bremmer led her to her bed after turning back the covers, Lucy crawled between the sheets, anxious to escape into sleep. She was shocked when the older woman who’d been gruff with her since accompanying her home from school bent over her and gently swept her fingers down her cheek.
“I know it has been a difficult day, little one. Rest now, and try to be a good girl for his lordship tomorrow. I’m not sure your poor bottom can take another spanking if you don’t learn to be obedient.” She bent a bit more and placed a gentle kiss on Lucy’s forehead. As she stepped away to blow out the lamp, Lucy lost the courage she’d relied to carry her through one of the worst days of her life and began to weep softly. When the door to her room closed, she rolled onto her stomach to get her weight off her aching bottom. In the privacy of her bed, she gingerly clutched at her heated flesh and rubbed gently, trying to ease the pain. The pillow beneath her was soaked with her tears and her mind full of confusing images of canes, birches, stern words meshing with words of praise, offers of support, pillows and forgiving smiles. She turned to her side with a soft moan, her hands moving from her bottom to rest between her legs as if her body knew something her mind did not. With a final long sigh, her breathing finally eased and she drifted into peaceful slumber.
Chapter 15
Edward stripped his wife just as quickly, but instead of a gown being offered, he led her to their marriage bed as naked as the day she was born. He watched her face as he pulled back the covers. A quick glance of wide eyes and a soft whimper were the only indication of her discomfort as she glanced back down at the mattress. Instead of crisp and cool sheets he knew she had expected to see, a brown rectangle of rough hemp had been placed on her side of their bed. He raised his brow at her hesitation, the silent reminder of his promise of instant punishment for disobedience. It proved effective as she crawled onto the bed, turned over and lay down upon the coarse hemp mat. Edward watched as she continued to shift and squirm as inconspicuously as possible while he removed his own clothing. He did nothing to hide his arousal from her, didn’t even attempt to shield her from the sight of his erection jutting from his body.
He left the lamp lit wishing to watch her face as he taught her another lesson in obedience. He climbed onto the bed and, without a word, used his hands to spread her legs wide apart. He watched her grimace as his weight pushed her down onto the mat. He knew it was extremely uncomfortable as the bristles worked their way into her bottom. It would have been difficult enough to nap this afternoon when it had only been caned. Now, freshly birched, he knew the discomfort had increased exponentially. He moved to place himself between her thighs and positioned himself.
“Tell me why your punishment is not yet done yet your sister’s is complete.”
Vivid violet eyes met his. “Because I knew better. I knew what would happen if I… we… were caught.”
“And yet you willingly played a part,” he said. “Put your hands above you, Louisa, wrap your fingers around the rails and keep them there.” He waited until she stretched her arms above her head, her soft gasp pleasing him as the move to obey forced her bottom to endure more of the mat’s irritating surface before he continued. “Why is that, little one?”
Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth, her face flushing, her eyes shifting away before returning to his. With a soft shake of her head, she whispered, “I-I don’t know.”
Bending his head down, his lips traced the curve of her neck to her ear, his breath causing her skin to break out in millions of goosebumps. Taking the lobe between his teeth, he gave it a little nip before he spoke into the delicate pink shell. “Yes you do.” She squirmed beneath him, her breath a bit ragged as he took another bite, this one a bit sharper. “Tell me.”
“I-I’ve… I’ve missed… missed this,” she confessed, her voice so very soft and yet he knew it was the truth.
His little lady may fight against every command, might cry out with every stroke of his hand, a cane, or birch—would blush with every instruction to open herself to him—but the truth was, she craved everything he offered, every lesson he was teaching her
Pushing up, he moved to speak against her lips. “That’s my good girl.” Capturing her eyes, loving the look of pain combined with expectation swirling within their depths, he drove into her with a huge thrust. She arched her body and moaned as he completely filled her. He allowed her that one unconscious move but then shook his head.
“Remain still, little one. This isn’t for your pleasure, it is solely for mine.” Edward took his time as he took his wife. He enjoyed every squirm, every shift and moan as her mind fought to obey while her body fought to lift her hips to both match his movements as well as to remove her bottom from the pressure of the mat. Edward easily kept her pinned beneath him, not allowing her an inch of freedom. He had no intention of allowing her to take charge. He began to pump into her fast and hard until she was thrashing her head and pulling against the rails of the bed.
