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As Charles readand reread his letter, Edward Wintercrest was also seated in a chair in his far more spacious study. Upon his return home from his afternoon ride to check on the estate, Henri, his servant of many years, had informed him that the day’s post had been placed upon his desk. Thanking him, Edward had spent the earlier part of the evening enjoying dinner with his two girls. After the meal, he had spent an hour in the library playing a game of Jack Straws with his wife while his ward struggled with some sewing. Edward knew Lucille had spent the greater portion of her day at her task. He also knew she was worrying about the appointment she had been given to attend him in his study before she retired for the evening. When Mrs. Bremmer arrived to inform Louisa that it was time for bed, Edward helped his wife put away the game.
“Good night, Papa,” Louisa said lifting herself onto her toes to press her lips to his cheek.
“Good night, Louisa, I’ll join you soon,” Edward said as he stroked his fingers down a long golden curl of her hair before giving a gentle pat of his hand against her bottom. He saw Lucille watching them. Her flinch when his hand connected to her twin’s bottom told him just how nervous his ward was. Once Mrs. Bremmer had left the room, Louisa’s hand held tightly in her own, he turned to speak to Lucy.
“Are you almost finished with your task, Lucille?” he asked.
“Yes, sir… this is the last pair,” she informed him as her needle worked through the fabric.
“Good. When you have completed your duty, bring the completed garments to my study. I shall inspect your work at that time,” Edward said, watching her lip tremble and her hand shake. “Lucille, don’t make me wait long. You were naughty today and know what that means, don’t you, little one?”
Lucy’s head bobbed. “Y… yes, sir,” she stammered, her voice barely audible.
Edward could not fault the poor girl for her obvious trepidation because they both knew that, unlike her twin, her evening was not yet over, and when she did find her bed, she’d most like be sleeping on her tummy.
“Good girl, I shall expect you within a half-hour,” Edward informed her before turning to leave the room.
* * *
The moment he was gone,Lucy dropped her face into her hands. She did indeed know what happened to naughty girls in this household. Naughtiness was never allowed, or ignored.
Lucy was gradually growing accustomed to life at Wintercrest Manor. She no longer found it strange seeing her twin dressed far beneath her chronological age. Louisa always wore a frilly dress adorned with large bows and ribbons, her dress covered by a crisp white pinafore. Though the sight of her sister dressed as a much smaller child had originally shocked Lucy, she had been extremely pleased to discover she was not expected to dress in the same style. Lucy continued to wear the fashions of the time and thought nothing more of it.
However, this morning, three weeks after she had graduated from school, her life had taken an unexpected turn. She squirmed on the settee, intensely aware of the state of her bottom under her new dress. As her heart pounded, she remembered how her day had begun and what had led to the dreaded appointment.
* * *
She awakenedwith the sound of her door opening. Opening her eyes, she saw her lady’s maid, Molly, coming into her room, followed by Mrs. Bremmer who was the head housekeeper as well as Edward’s most trusted employee. Lucy sat up in her bed, her quilt to her throat as she watched Mrs. Bremmer begin to pile clothing from Lucy’s wardrobe into the maid’s arms.
“What are you doing?” Lucy asked as her wardrobe was systematically emptied. Mrs. Bremmer simply added the last dress onto the huge pile before speaking.
“That’s a very silly question. What does it look like I’m doing, Lucille?” Anna asked before instructing Molly to oversee the placement of the dresses into trunks to be stored. Lucy didn’t know what to say, or even if the question required an answer. She watched as her drawers were opened and items pawed through. Her face flushed as the housekeeper gathered chemises, corset covers and silk drawers and handed them to Molly who had already passed her armload of dresses to another servant for packing.
“I… I won’t have anything left to wear,” Lucy protested as several pair of her stockings were also taken from her drawers. Mrs. Bremmer ignored the young woman as she opened the next drawer and began removing corsets from their place. Lucy’s mouth gaped open as she watched. Though she had admitted to both Molly as well as her twin that she hated being forced to wear a tight corset, seeing them being piled high into Molly’s arms, she threw back the covers of her bed and was soon attempting to pull her belongings from Mrs. Bremmer’s hands.
“Stop! What do you think you are doing? These are my things.”
“Lucille, I suggest you abstain from arguing with me. I—”
“You have no right to take them!” Lucy demanded, cutting the woman off. “They don’t belong to you and I’ll inform Edward that you’ve stolen my things!” Even as she pulled with all her weight. Mrs. Bremmer’s hand remained clasped on the garment, her face drawing into a tight mask of disapproval.
“You are free to tell his lordship whatever you wish after I tend to your naughty bottom. But for now, missy, you will release your hold,” Anna said, her words causing Molly to gasp.
Shocked as well, Lucy lost her tug-of-war and almost fell when the last corset was ripped from her hands. It had been several days since Lucille had felt the shame and pain of being spanked like an errant child. Hearing the housekeeper speak as if tending to a naughty bottom was an everyday occurrence caused Lucy’s face to flush with red heat.
As if completely oblivious to the reaction her words had caused, Anna simply passed the garment to Molly. With her hands now free, Anna grabbed Lucy by her arm and marched her a few feet toward her desk. With her free hand, Anna pulled out the straight-back chair and dragged it to the center of the room. Lucy gave a short squeal as she was pulled roughly down across the woman’s left knee after Anna had seated herself. The moment Lucy felt her nightgown being lifted, she began struggling with all her might in an attempt to squirm off the woman’s lap. Anna soon had Lucy’s kicking legs trapped, placing her free leg over her young charge’s.
“No! Please, don’t!” Lucy begged as her nightgown was rapidly being drawn up her legs and then halfway up her back. “Wait! I’m sorry!” she cried. “I… I just don’t understand,” she wailed as she felt her drawers being pulled down to expose her bottom. Lucy was humiliated being pulled onto the woman’s lap and her bottom bared just like a naughty small child who had earned a correction. She was remembering her punishments at Edward’s hand and the pain from those spankings.
“Stop, please… you… you can’t spank me!” Lucy said her voice growing shriller with every word. “I’m a grown woman; I graduated from school… you… you can’t do this. I’m a big girl!”
Anna actually chuckled. “Big girls do not throw tantrums and act like ridiculous little children, Lucille. Big girls do not screech and wail so that every person in the household knows they are misbehaving,” Anna said. “You will settle yourself and ask me to give you a nice hard tawsing to teach you to behave like the ‘big girl’ you are claiming to be,” Anna directed.
Lucy flushed realizing the statement had indeed been a stupid one to make. However, there was no way she would ever ask this woman to spank her.
When Lucy remained silent, Anna sighed. “Lucille, surely you must know by now that you aren’t going to win any arguments in this household. Not with the lord and, young lady, not with me. I’d think you’d have recognized that your guardian has granted me full authority over both you and your sister. Lord Wintercrest spends a great many hours outside the manor and it is my responsibility to guide both of his young ladies in behavior appropriate to their station.”
Lucy’s head had turned back to look at the woman while she gave a speech she truly didn’t wish to hear. Responsibility indeed. Proper behavior appropriate for their station? Her twin held the title of Lady Wintercrest… and even if Lucy had learned that the title was basically nothing but words under this roof, Louisa was still a respected woman of society. Surely this servant was overstepping her boundaries. Opening her mouth to remind the housekeeper of those very facts, she watched Mrs. Bremmer reach into her apron pocket and remove an implement.
