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“Yes, Mrs. Bremmer. Please escort Louisa as she doesn’t seem to remember the way to hernursery.” Louisa gave a small moan as he emphasized the word, her eyes dropping to the floor.
Anna Bremmer was married to Henri, and they had both served Wintercrest Manor for decades. She was as short and round as her husband was tall and lean. Graying hair was braided into neat plaits and twisted atop her head. Blue eyes shone as she smiled, expressing her approval at the request as she stepped forward.
“Certainly, Lord Wintercrest. Come along, Louisa; your nursery is exactly where a naughty little lady should be!”
Chapter 6
Louisa’s face flamed at the command and her lips began to tremble as Mrs. Bremmer reached out to grip her arm. She shot Edward a pleading look, wanting to beg him to reconsider, but found herself being pulled out the door and down the hallway toward the narrow stairs at the end of the corridor. She almost stumbled, trying to keep up with the forced march.
“Stop dragging your feet, Louisa. You brought his lordship great disgrace with your atrocious behavior today. You have been naughty—yes, very, very naughty—and I believe his lordship has plans to teach you a much-needed lesson. If you ask me, it has taken far too long for you to learn your place. His lordship has been lenient with you, and this is how you repay his kindness? What you need, miss, is a good hard thrashing! Believe me, the quicker you learn to obey, the safer your bottom will be.”
Louisa was stunned to hear the housekeeper speak so boldly and so openly. Though Edward had spoken of his firm belief in strict obedience from the day he’d first started courting her, and had even taken her across his knee to prove his seriousness on a half-dozen occasions, she’d still not truly understood the depth of his convictions. She’d been highly embarrassed the first time his hand had smacked against the back of her skirts, even though the layers protected her from most of the sting. And when he had lifted her skirts and lowered her bloomers for the first time, she’d sobbed with absolute mortification as his palm landed on her bare bottom. It hadn’t been because spankings were new to her; their father spanked his daughters when they were young and she also knew he spanked their mother. But being spanked by Edward had been different.
Sensations she’d never felt before had stirred within her even as her limbs churned in an attempt to swim off his lap. Being across Edward’s knees had taught her that, while he would be stricter even than her father, he was also the only man she desired. He always held her after he spanked her, always made sure she understood why she had been punished and reassured her that she was precious to him. It wasn’t until after they had wed that his more intimate proclivities became clear.
The very night of their wedding, Louisa learned that while she was now Lady Wintercrest, she was never to be the true mistress of the manor. To her confusion, she learned that her husband chose to consider her more as a child bride than a fully-grown woman. Her rebellion at the idea had her flatly telling him he was a fool and that she had no intention of being his little lady no matter how special he thought she was. She was a grown, titled woman and would be expected to take her place in high society. Before she could draw another breath, she learned that she had bound herself to a man who meant exactly what he said, and had the means to prove it.
Within moments, she was stripped naked, turned across his knees and spanked long and hard as he lectured her on the role he expected her to take in his household. By the time she had been let up, she was a sobbing mess, her bottom burning hotter than it ever had before. When he turned her to sit on his lap, his arms wrapping around her, she had buried her face in his chest and sobbed out her contrition. Confusion swirled in her mind. How could she feel such love and security when she should be demanding he change his ways? How could she find comfort as his hand stroked down her back when that same hand had just blistered her bottom? How could her body burn inside with the desire for him to take her as a husband took a wife?
She didn’t know the answers to those questions, but Edward obviously did. He’d set her bum on fire and, in turn, the correction set her feet onto the path he had chosen for her. Her training had begun, though she hadn’t realized it at the time.
Edward had continued to train her slowly, but made sure he was always consistent. The first time she called him Papa without being reminded, he’d beamed in approval and she’d been so very happy that she’d pleased him with nothing more than a word. She had learned that while Mrs. Bremmer might ask her opinion occasionally, any true decisions were made by either Edward or the housekeeper. Edward had chosen his mate very well as she found it growing easier every day to slip into her new role. Everything had been going exceptionally well, until the day the news came that there had been a horrid accident.
Louisa’s family carriage had overturned on a sharp curve during a storm and rolled over several times. Lucy, who had miraculously been thrown from the wreckage, had been the only survivor. She was now orphaned, her only living relative her twin. Edward hadn’t hesitated for a single moment in taking the young, bereaved girl into his home. Truth be told, Louisa doubted he’d even considered the implications Lucy’s arrival would have on his personal life. He’d simply assured his wife that she had no need to worry. That, as always, she could depend on him to take care of everything. He’d even given in when Louisa pleaded for him to allow Lucille be welcomed into their home while remaining ignorant of the true nature of their relationship. The girls were identical in so many ways, and Louisa had made her choice, but she feared that her sister would be shocked at living in a household such as theirs.
She’d been so relieved when Edward concurred that she hadn’t worried when he’d said that while he would allow her to be more grown up when her sister was in their presence, he would continue to treat her as his child-wife in their bedchamber. He’d added that the discipline, of course, would continue regardless of who might live with them. He would simply not tolerate disobedience, and he expected his wife to respect that fact.
Louisa had eagerly agreed, and for several weeks now she had been allowed to be the woman of the house. She’d exchanged youthful dresses for fashionable couture that privileged woman donned on wealthy estates everywhere. She had not been forced to take naps and had not had a bedtime that she thought ridiculously early. Most importantly, she had not had to spend a single moment alone in the dreary room at the very top of the house. Being marched there now made Louisa’s heart pound and her blood race through her veins. She found she was far more terrified of what was going to happen in her own home than of the caning she had just received. Hearing Mrs. Bremmer speak so frankly caused her intense shame, and she knew the staff would soon be told that Lady Wintercrest was once again simply Miss Louisa.
Reaching the top of the narrow stairs, she watched as Mrs. Bremmer pulled a set of keys from her pocket. Keeping one hand firmly around Louisa’s arm, she used the other to unlock the door before them. She stepped inside, and pulled Louisa in behind her. Louisa wasn’t released until Mrs. Bremmer had closed the door and dragged her charge into the center of the room. Louisa stood trembling, her hand absently rubbing at her arm.
“I’m sorry for deceiving you, Mrs. Bremmer,” Louisa said softy, “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
“Of course you did, missy. You and that naughty sister of yours have been turning this household on its ear for weeks now. It is high time this foolery comes to an end. Now, what are you waiting for? Didn’t his lordship give you instructions about what you were to do?”
Louisa blushed again but her voice seemed to have deserted her, and she simply nodded as her gaze roamed around the room. The last time she had been in the room it had looked nothing like it did now. Instead of a dim room holding only a few pieces of furniture, it now looked exactly like a small child’s nursery. The walls had been painted a sunny yellow with bright white trim. Crisply starched white lace curtains covered windows located high up the wall. Several additional pieces of furniture had been added including a large rocking chair and an oversized ottoman. One wall featured a rather tall table and she moaned as she saw a stack of what looked like, but couldn’t possibly be, nappies. A green marble-topped washstand stood beside the table, a chamber pot tucked underneath.
Turning in a half circle, Louisa could not believe her eyes. The largest crib she’d ever seen held a place of honor in the center of another wall. Fluffy yellow and white bedding filling the interior did not appease Louisa’s pounding heart as they didn’t quite hide what appeared to be leather straps tucked beneath the mattress. A million butterflies took up residence in her tummy as she thought of all the possibilities the restraints’ presence foretold.
Her gaze turned to a low bookcase that ran underneath the row of windows. “When—when did he do this? Why… how…” Her gaze ran over the shelves where she saw toys and books she’d not seen since childhood. Her small mouth opened and her hand unconsciously reached out toward an item. “That-that’s my doll!”
“Never you mind, missy. I don’t believe you have been sent to your nursery to play, Louisa. What did your papa tell you to do?”
It was as if the woman didn’t exist as Louisa ignored her completely, her eyes drawn by a door that was slightly ajar. Clothing that was suited for someone far younger than she hung inside. A large armoire stood a few feet from the door and her eyes widened at the sight of it. The skin of her bottom crawled at the thought of this cabinet’s shelves containing anything close to the objects residing in the one in her husband’s study downstairs.
“Nooo,” she moaned, and unconsciously took several steps back. Her retreat was abruptly halted as she bumped into something soft yet solid. Whirling around, she looked startled to see the housekeeper shaking her head, a look of disapproval on her face as she took Louisa’s upper arm again. Louisa wailed louder, pulling away from the woman who, in the proper scheme of things, should have been deferring to the mistress of the house, but was instead pulling that same mistress toward her, turning her slightly and reaching down to swat Lady Wintercrest’s bottom.
Louisa was so shocked she froze in place, rubbing her bottom where it had just been smacked.
“That’s better,” the housekeeper said, releasing her arm. “Now that I have your attention, what were you told to do when your papa sent you to your nursery? If you don’t answer me right this moment, I promise I’ll take you over my own lap and spank the answer out of you!”
Louisa jumped at the threat, and instinctively knew it would be carried out without hesitation. She closed her eyes tightly, stammering, “He-he said to… to wa—wait for him.”
Mrs. Bremmer sighed deeply. “And how are you to wait, young lady? Standing here gaping at your toys, or perhaps standing elsewhere?”
Again Louisa’s face flamed as she answered, “In-in the… naughty-girl corner.”
“Then I suggest you put yourself there immediately, unless you wish to be found being disobedient yet again.” Louisa shook her head and practically knocked the woman over as she pushed passed her. Launching herself toward the corner, she pressed her nose hard into the wall, raised her arms, linking her fingers before placing her hands on the top of her head mere moments before she heard the door opening behind her.
