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He smiled and bent just a bit to kiss the top of her head. “That’s good, poppet. Run along and ask Mrs. Bremmer to start your dinner. We will join you soon.” Louisa nodded, hurrying to do his bidding though he saw her hand pressed against her stomach. He understood she’d most likely find it difficult to take even the smallest bite, considering what she knew would be happening in the study, but it couldn’t be helped. Edward walked past the dining room; his naughty ward easily slung over his shoulder, and saw Mrs. Bremmer helping Louisa into her chair.
He nodded at the woman and she said, “Shall I come to assist you after serving Miss Louisa her soup, my lord?” Knowing her presence would cause Lucille much humiliation, he was tempted to take her up on her offer; however, he decided to handle it differently.
“I don’t believe I shall need your help, Mrs. Bremmer. If I find that Lucille won’t submit to her strapping, I shall ring for you. Until them, please make sure our little lady eats her dinner.” Mrs. Bremmer nodded.
“Certainly, sir,” she respectfully answered. Almost as an afterthought, she added, “Lucille, I had sincerely hoped you’d take my words to heart.”
Edward adjusted his load a bit, and then headed down the long hall to his study. He pushed open the door and unceremoniously dumped his cargo onto the settee. Lucy’s face was flushed from hanging upside down, her hair tangled and loose about her. Still, as disheveled as she was, she jumped to her feet and was apparently prepared to flee again, taking her first step toward the door they’d just come through.
“Run from me again, Lucille, and I shall call the entire household together to witness your punishment.” The threat froze her. He hadn’t raised his voice and had even stepped aside as if clearing a path. Her gaze flicked from the door to him and he remained silent. Long lashes fluttered to shut over her eyes and her posture shrank as she accepted his promise, sinking down onto the settee.
“That’s better. I allowed you to ask questions but will not tolerate your attitude, or allow you to hurt your sister with your words. You need to learn to care more about the feelings of others than about yourself. You are an extremely stubborn little girl, but I have ways of dealing with such naughtiness.” He knew her eyes were on him as he walked to the punishment cabinet and opened it. He took several minutes before selecting his implement. He shut the door, and her whimper told him that she’d seen the thick leather strap in his hand. Turning back, he saw her jump up, her hands flying around to cup her bottom. For every step he took forward, she took one back.
“Ple… please, no… please, sir… don’t.”
Edward shook his head and said very quietly, “Lucille, you know better. You aren’t an ignorant woman and can’t tell me that your father would have allowed you to act like such a hellion. You know he would have your bottom bared and welted minutes after you dared to be so disobedient and disrespectful. Well, your father is no longer with us but, little one, I am. I gave my promise to your father that if needed, I’d not only become your guardian, I would not hesitate to take you in hand when your behavior warranted discipline. And, young lady, we both know you’ve earned this thrashing. You are to lift your skirts, remove your drawers and place yourself across the arm of the chair. I want your legs well apart and your bottom lifted. You are to apologize for your ridiculous behavior and ask me to give you a good hard strapping. If you decide to try to flee from me again, I shall simply call for Henri who will hold you down while Mrs. Bremmer collects the rest of the household and you will still receive your strapping. The decision is yours, Lucille, but I shan’t wait long for you to make that choice.”
Lucy clenched her eyes shut, her body trembling, but with a loud sob, he saw her make her decision. Bending forward, she grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up until she could reach the ribbon of her drawers. Untying it, she gave another sob as the fabric swished down her legs to puddle at her feet. Stepping out of them, she turned, stumbled to the chair and threw herself across the thickly padded arm. She reached back and pulled her clothing up and off her bottom until it lay in a mass at her waist.
Edward nodded, pleased at the choice she’d made, knowing it had been a difficult one. She looked exactly like a naughty child, baring her bottom to her betters, accepting her need for discipline. About to remind her, he was further pleased when her feet slid apart. They moved slowly, but he was proud of her.
With a sob, she said, “I’m sorry, sir. I’m so, so sorry. Please… please, thra… thrash me.”
It wasn’t exactly correct, but hearing her request a thrashing instead of a strapping pleased Edward. Her subconscious was dictating her submissive need to pay for her sins. Her choice of the word told him that she expected to be strapped quite soundly, and he intended to live up to her expectations.
“That’s a good girl. I know you will learn from this, little one. Now, lift your bottom high and do not reach back or close your legs. If you do, I shall have to tie you down and thrash you anew. Do you understand?”
As he stepped forward, she said, “Ye… yes, sir.”
She gripped the opposite arm of the chair and laid her head down on the soft cushion. Her feet were flat on the floor but, with his quiet order to ‘present’, she pushed up onto her tiptoes, her bottom presented to her guardian. Behind her, Edward nodded at her quick obedience. Perhaps it wouldn’t take as long as he’d thought for this young woman to learn the lessons she needed. But no matter the time it took, he’d be prepared to deliver every stroke she earned. Lifting his arm, he began.
* * *
Louisa flinchedand spilled a spoonful of her soup when Lucy’s first scream rent the air. Her hand trembled, and her eyes closed as another floated down the hall. She knew that her sister would be in a great deal of pain by the time Edward was done with her. She had been shocked when Lucy had cursed and then fled the house, but knew the price those choices would require. She, too, had once attempted to flee, but had just as easily been caught. She hadn’t been able to sit comfortably for two days. As cry after cry filled the house, Louisa felt a tear slide down her cheek and clapped her hands over her ears in an effort to drown out the sounds. She felt another’s hand on hers, and saw Mrs. Bremmer pulling her hands down, placing them back on the table.
“Don’t you be naughty, Louisa. If someone else chooses to misbehave, you know what happens to their little bottoms. Your sister needs to learn that lesson, and you shall do well to bear witness. Your papa wants you to eat your dinner, so I suggest you do so. I’d hate for you to have a turn in the study as well.” Louisa’s hand shook as she picked up her spoon again, dipping it into her soup. Though most of it spilled back into the bowl, she managed to put the spoon into her mouth. Mrs. Bremmer nodded and then her voice softened.
“I know it is hard, little one, but your papa is a good man. You just eat your supper, and if you need your nappy changed, you let me know.” Louisa nodded, as she continued to take small sips of soup as the thrashing went on and on in the back of the house.
Chapter 6
Lucy felt as if she would soon die. Her entire backside hurt. The strap bit into her bottom again and again, and then moved down to lick at the backs of her legs. She screamed and begged and promised to be the best girl ever, but the strap continued to fall. Never before in her life had she been so punished. This was truly the thrashing of her life, and she prayed she would not only survive it, but never ever be subjected to such pain again. Edward stopped only long enough to remind her to open her legs and lift her bottom. Every time he did, she automatically obeyed, wanting to do nothing that might prolong her punishment.
She had released the chair’s arms and had pushed her hands under the cushion as if to both gather comfort from hugging it, as well as keep her hands away from where they wanted to go. He laid another dose of the strap over her bottom and again down her legs. She tried to maintain position, but would occasionally kick up a foot, only to immediately lower it again. She’d stopped trying to count the strokes after the first few, accepting the fact that he would continue to lay the leather across her flanks until he considered her very well-thrashed indeed. She was so deep in her submission to his authority that she wasn’t even aware of the fact that her strapping was over for several minutes. She lay over the chair, her tears soaking the cushion, her bottom and thighs throbbing.
At Edward’s instruction to stand up, she did so, her legs wobbling, her hands going behind her back to clench her bottom. Her guardian shook his head but allowed her a few quick rubs before he said, “Hands at your sides, little one. You need to let that bottom burn. Now, thank me properly and we shall go have our dinner.”
She couldn’t imagine eating but heard herself saying, “Th… thank you for… for strapping me, sir. I won’t… won’t run away again.”
Edward nodded, and stepped forward to cup his palm against her cheek. “It doesn’t have to be this hard, Lucy. Learn to obey and your life shall be easier.”
She shuddered at his touch, even as she was shocked to discover she wished she could cuddle into him. Her heart ached almost as much as her bottom. How could he be so kind, when only a moment ago he was stripping the skin off her bottom yet again? He dropped his hand and moved to put the strap away. When he turned back, she was calmer, and softly said, “I-I didn’t mean to curse at you, sir. I just…” Sighing, she shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“If you’ll allow yourself to listen, to open your eyes and really see, Lucille, I know you’ll find the answers you seek.” She flushed as he bent to pick up her discarded drawers and handed them to her. “I doubt these will feel good against your punished bottom, but you need to dress for dinner, my dear. It wouldn’t be proper to be naked beneath your clothing when seated at our table.” Evidently she failed at concealing her shock as she saw his lips twitch. “Unless, of course, if you were required to do so as an additional form of punishment,” he added.
The shame of knowing that anyone who wasn’t stone deaf in the manor already had heard her getting strapped was bad enough. Thinking of anyone discovering that she was sitting on a red hot bottom that was completely bare beneath her clothing was absolutely appalling. She slowly pulled the drawers on and over her bottom, hissing as the fabric raked across her skin. She tied the bow with shaking fingers, not knowing how she’d be able to sit on her chair. She dared to ask.
“May… may I skip dinner, sir? I’m… I’m not hungry.”
