AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Louisa closed her eyes, wanting to deny this as well, but her papa had just reminded her that lying was a sin.
Chapter 12
Lucy sagged in her chair when she heard, “Time is up”. She put her pencil down and flipped her test booklet over. It had been a very hard test and yet she found she was breaking into a smile. She just knew she had done well. All the hours of study, all the fear of not being able to learn the equations and formulas was now over. She squirmed a bit on the hard seat of her chair, her aching bottom reminding her of the many strokes from both paddle and strap she had taken during the last few days. Yet each of those strokes had helped her to remember to recheck her pages to assure that she hadn’t left a single question unanswered. Each throb had encouraged her to double check her answers when she had finished the test. Satisfied that she truly had done the very best she could, she was still smiling when she felt a presence beside her. As her eyes lifted, the smile slid from her face. Headmaster Thorne, in his black robes, his face stern, reached down to take the test from her.
“I certainly hope you spent your weekend well, Miss Furniss, though with that smile, I find it hard to believe you spent it all in study as you so earnestly claimed you would when under my cane. Tell me, how do you believe you did?”
The memory of that awful scene flooded through her. She swallowed hard and no longer felt confident. After all, she had largely ignored her mathematics lessons for over a year. How could she possibly have learned enough in the few hours she had spent actually studying? Shaken, she shook her head. “I-I’m not really sure, sir.”
Thorne’s lips twisted into a sneer. “Well, we will soon discover whether you will be a graduate of my academy or return to repeat the year.”
Lucy gulped. She had never once thought about the possibility of repeating her last year of study. She had assumed that, if she should fail, the only consequence would be that she would be a grown woman without a diploma proving she had passed a bunch of silly, useless classes. As her eyes roamed the room, they landed on her guardian, who was seated at the front of the room beside Professor Lloyds. As Edward met her gaze and gave her a small smile, she remembered that not having a diploma would not be the only consequence. Edward had informed her after dinner last night that if she didn’t pass the test, she would have an appointment in his study immediately upon their return home. Her bottom clenched as she fought the urge to break into tears. She’d learned exactly what such an appointment meant. It was only the sight of her professor’s supportive smile that had her remembering how very hard she had studied under his tutelage. She nibbled on her bottom lip as the headmaster turned and handed the booklet to Charles.
“I expect to hear the results as quickly as possible, Lloyds. Lord Wintercrest and I shall be in my office. Once you have Miss Furniss’ score, please escort her to me with the results.”
Charles took the booklet and answered, “Yes, sir, I’m sure you both shall be well pleased with the results.”
* * *
Thorne ignoredhim and ushered Edward out into the hallway. As they neared his office, he snapped to a young assistant to bring tea and biscuits immediately. Edward allowed the man to orchestrate the meeting, though he held no true respect for him. While Melvin had run Cressington for years and had raised the academy to be among those worthy of very high ratings, Edward felt there was something missing within the man. He had witnessed his ability with the cane and did give him a nod of appreciation for the skills he had shown wielding it. However, he didn’t seem to care about his students unless he was delivering pain to them.
When Edward had need to chastise either of the women in his household, it was because of their behavior, not simply to make either of them feel inadequate in any way. And while Edward enjoyed watching his wife’s little bottom bounce and churn under the many varied implements he employed, he was also determined to give her great pleasure as well. Thorne, however, seemed nothing more than a man content to give as much pain as possible within the confines of his employ. Granted, Edward wouldn’t claim he was the most caring man about those around him who weren’t part of what he considered Wintercrest’s family. But even with those who didn’t directly impact his life, he made sure he treated all he met with respect… until they proved it was unearned.
Once the assistant had returned with a tray and had served each man a cup of tea, Thorne placed a few biscuits on his plate and sat back. “Sir, I want you to know that while it is unusual, I would be more than happy to have your ward attend my institution next year.” Taking a bite of a biscuit, he chewed a moment before continuing. “It is, of course, no disgrace upon you or your good name. After all, you can’t be held responsible for Lucille’s lack of effort in her studies. You’ve only had her under your care for a few short weeks. Surely you agree that another year of study is just what the silly girl needs. It is quite obvious she learned no sense of responsibility during her childhood, but under my care, I can assure you that she will learn the benefit of changing her wayward ways.”
Edward, his tea forgotten, sat back in his chair and casually crossed his ankles. “I think you might be quite surprised with what my ward is capable of. While you see a worthless silly girl, I see a young lady who has grown quite a bit during this past weekend. She has worked exceptionally hard, and except for attending church yesterday, every waking hour was spent studying for her final exam.”
Thorne chuckled, wetting the tip of a finger before dabbing at a crumb that had fallen to his lap. Raising it to his lips, he transferred the morsel to his tongue before responding. “Well, I must say I’m not truly surprised, Lord Wintercrest. After all, I’m quite positive the thorough caning she received in this very office was exactly the incentive your ward needed. I’ve found that well-striped buttocks are quite remarkable in focusing a miscreant’s mind on her lessons, wouldn’t you agree?”
Edward saw Thorne’s eyes dart to the rack of canes on display behind his desk and knew the man’s fingers were surely itching to take one down and use it again on the bare bottom of his ward. Edward knew that would never again happen. Despite whatever Lucille’s score might be, she would never again step into this school. She had learned all she could here. The lessons she truly would need to learn to live a submissive, happy fulfilled life would be learned under his roof until she found her own papa. Once that happened, little Lucy would learn only the things her new husband decided, exactly as Louisa was slowly learning the lessons she needed to make Edward happy.
Edward had just returned his cup to the tray, never having taken a single sip when a knock sounded on the door. Thorne called out his permission and the door opened. Lucy stepped inside, her face showing her concern, her hands twisted together. Edward watched her eyes flick to the canes as well, and for once, he wanted to assure her that she had no reason to fear them. He stood and walked to her, taking her hand to guide her to the settee. He would have chosen another piece of furniture but, it was the only one large enough to hold both of them. When she stumbled a bit, he had no doubt that she was remembering having to bend over and present her bottom to Thorne’s cane on this very settee. As he sat and pulled her down to sit beside him, he bent toward her.
“Don’t fret, little one. I know you did very well.”
Her eyes lifted to his and he saw hope briefly flare in their depths. Giving her fingers a squeeze, he felt her relax just a bit.
The headmaster waited until Edward looked back at him before turning and impatiently demanding, “Well, don’t stand there, Lloyds. Did she fail?”
Charles’s smile told Edward the answer before he even spoke. The professor strode across the floor to hand the test booklet to his employer. “No, sir, she most certainly did not.”
“What?” Thorne’s surprise at the answer was clearly written across his face. Coughing a bit at a crumb that had obviously been inhaled rather than swallowed, he took a long sip of tea, recovering before flipping open the book. His gaze dropped to the letter scrawled at the top of the first page and then he flicked through the pages. He slammed the book shut and glared at Charles. “I don’t believe this, Lloyds. There is no way this test is valid. That stupid little chit couldn’t even accurately recite her multiplication tables last week. You are trying to tell me she has suddenly grasped not only geometry but algebra as well? That is simply impossible.”
“I assure you, sir, that it is not. Lucy… I mean Miss Furniss—”
“What, Lloyds?” Thorne said as he looked from the professor to Lucy. “What exactly didLucydo to earn a perfect score?” Swiveling his head to glare at Charles again, he sneered, “DidLucyspread her legs and allow you between them, so you would pass her? Tell me, was yourLucyquite a good fuck?” he snarled, the repetitive use of Lucy’s Christian name telling everyone in the room exactly what he thought of her.
Even as Charles actually backed up a step, his shock evident on his face, Edward was on his feet and standing face to face with Thorne. Grabbing a handful of his black robe, Edward lifted the man off his feet.
“How dare you! You bastard! You will apologize to Miss Furniss immediately!” he demanded before throwing Thorne away from him like a sack of coal.
Lucy was standing, her face ashen even as Thorne hit his desk and he fell to his knees. Charles rushed to Lucy’s side and put his arm around her as they both watched Thorne slowly get to his feet. The headmaster’s face was almost purple, his rage obvious as he darted behind his desk. Fingers curled like a bird’s claws reached to snatch a cane from a rack on the wall. Whirling around and lifting it over his head, he once again found himself flat on the floor. Edward easily removed the cane from his hand, snapped it into two pieces, and then hauled Thorne to his feet.
“I’d love nothing more than to knock you down again, Thorne. You aren’t a headmaster, Melvin, you are nothing but a worthless piece of manure. I can assure you that you will no longer stain these halls with your presence. No wonder you have students who fail… you are a pitiful example for innocent young girls. Now, apologize immediately before I beat you to within an inch of—”
“Please… please, sir. May we… may we just go home?” Lucy broke in, her voice so soft and yet able to penetrate the veil of anger surrounding Edward. Edward turned to see her supported by Charles, her face pale, tears swimming in her eyes. He wanted to force Thorne to apologize for his hateful, vulgar accusation, but seeing how terrified his ward looked, he simply threw the pieces of the cane down to land at Thorne’s feet, snatched up the exam booklet and nodded.
“Certainly, my dear, we can go wherever you desire,” he assured her though he knew Lucy wasn’t even listening to his words. Slipping an arm around her, he led her from the room and out into the sunshine, hoping she’d feel safe. When he saw tears sliding down her face, he cursed beneath his breath and swept her off her feet, carrying her to the carriage. Henri hurried to open the door for the two, concern written on his face as well. Edward climbed into the carriage, never releasing his charge. He nodded at Henri to close the door and then held his hand out to keep it open when he saw Charles standing uncertainly on the sidewalk.
