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Lucy felt her eyes fill as she watched Molly move the dress aside to expose the childish white stockings and black slip-on shoes beneath the dress. Molly picked up the pair of white drawers that were lying on top of two petticoats and shook them out.
“Please, Miss Lucy,” Molly said quietly as her eyes moved to the closed door of Lucy’s bedroom. “Please don’t make a fuss. Don’t you remember what happened last time?”
The memory of being given her first tawsing when she had complained about the earlier change to her wardrobe played through Lucy’s mind. Though she had hated wearing the simple dresses Edward had arranged to have made for her, she had gradually grown accustomed to them to the point she no longer thought about the fact that she had been dressing far beneath her station or proper age for several weeks. Though her bottom clenched with the reminder of that awful spanking, she still could not accept this new change. She was backing away from the bed, her hands gripping the towel around her and shaking her head when her door opened. Her eyes flew to see Mrs. Bremmer step into the room leaving the door wide open behind her.
“I expected you downstairs by now, Lucille,” Anna said, taking in the scene with a quick glance to see Molly still standing by the side of the bed, the lacy drawers in her hands before her gaze swung back to Lucy as she shook her head. “I told you last night that your life would change. Tell me, Lucille,” Anna said as she reached into her bottomless pocket and removed the very tawse that Lucy had felt across her bottom in a scene much like the one this morning, “do I need to send Molly downstairs to inform Lord Wintercrest, and your fiancé that you are going to cause them to be late for services because you are once again over my knees getting your bottom properly tawsed for throwing a tantrum about the clothing that has been provided for you?”
Lucy couldn’t seem to tear her eyes from the thongs of leather in the housekeeper’s hand. She knew without a single doubt that she was moments away from feeling it bite into her bare bottom, and experience had taught her that she would be wearing the clothing regardless of whether her bum remained pale or was a hot, throbbing mottled red. At a shake of her head, Anna slapped the tawse against her thigh, causing both Lucy and Molly to jump.
“I asked you a question, missy,” Anna said. “I assure you that your newly engaged status might have changed the order of who you answer to with Lord Huntington exchanging places with your guardian, but it has not changed the fact that you will remember you still answer to me, young lady. I suggest you answer me properly and quickly or have you decided that a trip across my knees and a few burning weals on your buttocks are what you need to start your day?”
Lucy trembled as she shook her head harder. “No… no, ma’am,” she stammered as the tawse once more smacked against the housekeeper’s thigh.
Anna nodded her head, the split leather tongues flapping as she used the implement to indicate what she expected. “I'm pleased to hear that, little one. Now, remove the towel and do it quickly. Don’t make Molly wait to dress you,” Anna instructed, and did not return the tawse to her pocket until Lucy very reluctantly released her death grip on the towel and managed to shuffle forward toward the bed. Anna nodded and kept her eyes on the two girls as Lucy was dressed.
Lucy sniffled and blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay as she stepped into the drawers Molly held for her and felt them drawn up over her bottom. She was aware that the housekeeper’s eyes tracked their every move.
“I must say I was very pleased when Lord Huntington summoned me this morning and gave me his instructions on how he expects you to be dressed. I find it very admirable that he wishes to waste no time in requiring his bride-to-be to begin preparing for her new role. You can’t possibly be surprised as you’ve had the advantage of your sister being a role model. Lady Wintercrest doesn’t fuss over something as silly as clothing, now does she?”
The fact that the housekeeper was looking at the garments laid out on the bed allowed Lucy the opportunity to indicate her disagreement, though she was smart enough not to voice a single word. Instead, she did a thorough rolling of her eyes. Granted she’d yet to hear her sister openly complain about her clothing, but she’d seen the look on Louisa’s face the day her secret life had been revealed. She’d confessed that though she’d come into her marriage and was immediately dressed far beneath her age, with the accident that took both their parents from them, bringing Lucy to live at Wintercrest, Louisa had been allowed to dress in the fashions suitable for a young woman. But the day the twins had been caught switching places in order for Louisa to take a test in Lucy’s stead at the school, that privilege had been stripped from her. Once Edward had brought the naughty girls back to the manor and given them each a tremendous birching, Louisa’s proper lifestyle had been revealed to her twin and Louisa had been returned to her childish attire. Lucy saw Mrs. Bremmer turn to look expectantly at her and realized the woman was expecting an answer.
“Oh, um, I suppose not, ma’am.”
“Exactly my point,” Anna said, her face finally morphing from one of disapproval to one slightly less stern. “Lucille, you’d be well advised to mimic your sister’s acceptance of not only the clothing choices her papa has made, but accept the fact that you will have far more changes in your life. Child, you fussed before to no avail and earned yourself a tender bum. You soon grew accustomed to that change, and, young lady, you shall do the same with your new wardrobe.”
Lucy was not thinking of future changes; she was only thinking of how ignorant she had been. She had seen Louisa dressed daily in clothing identical to what Molly was preparing. Lucas had never mentioned fashion, and Lucy understood she had simply assumed he had no care as to what she wore. She felt her embarrassment grow as Molly continued dressing her, item by item. Lucy had reluctantly stepped into a pair of drawers that had layers of lace at the hem. She’d balanced on one leg and then the other as white stockings were drawn up her slender legs and tied with yellow ribbons just above her knees. She slipped her feet into the plain shoes and stood still as two petticoats were tied around her slender waist. She’d shuddered, but obediently lifted her arms when told so that the thin chemise and then the yellow dress could be slipped over her head. Molly turned her around in order to begin buttoning the dozens of small buttons up the back of the dress. Anna shook her head when Lucy continued to sniffle.
“Hush, little one,” Anna said as she stepped forward and forced her young charge to lift her face with a firm finger under Lucy’s chin. Lucy's eyes were still swimming with tears as Anna held a handkerchief to her nose. “Blow and stop that ridiculous whining. I can’t imagine what you thought would happen when you accepted Lord Huntington as your husband. You must have realized you would be required to become his little one and know from seeing your sister what that entails. Now, stop acting like a baby, unless you wish to find yourself in nappies instead of ruffled drawers.”
Lucy’s mouth dropped open at the woman’s words. She’d forgotten the day she’d discovered that her sister had been placed in thick white swaddling and told she’d remain thusly dressed until she obeyed her papa and wet the nappy. The shock of being threatened to experience the same caused her heart to pound.
Anna smiled and continued, “Dry your tears. You can still go over my knee. Both drawers and nappies can be pulled down to bare your bottom, even after you are properly dressed as we both know.”
Lucy understood the promise and blew her nose, feeling years slip from her as she was treated far younger than her chronological age of eighteen. The final item to don was a pretty white pinafore before she was turned back around and Anna quickly had the ribbon around her waist tied into a huge bow in the center of her back.
Anna led her to her desk and pulled out the chair. Lucy stiffened remembering what had happened the last time she had been led to this chair. She fought the urge to bolt away knowing she’d only be caught. Anna didn’t bother reassuring her young charge. She simply took a seat on the chair and then turned Lucy away from her, keeping her in place between her knees.
Lucy saw Molly picking up the wooden hairbrush that resided on top of her dresser and didn’t dare breathe as her maid passed it to the housekeeper. Lucy shuddered with relief as she felt the bristles of the brush being run through her hair after Mrs. Bremmer released it from its plait she’d worn to bed. Once freed of tangles, the curtain of her blonde hair was left hanging down her back, and a wide yellow headband was placed on her head to keep her hair off her face. Mrs. Bremmer finally stood and held out her hand.
“Come, Lucille,” she said as she led her from her room. “We must hurry as I’m certain the others are finished with their breakfast by now.”
Lucy neither cared what the others were doing or about breakfast. All her thoughts were consumed with how she must look and what everyone would think, seeing her wearing this childish dress, the lacy cuffs of her drawers in evidence beneath the hem of her petticoats and dress. She hated the feeling of relief she felt when she found herself being grateful to see the lace. She knew its absence would mean she was either in a nappy, or, God forbid, totally naked beneath her clothing, her bottom easily accessible for discipline. Questions of what else would be expected of her flooded her mind as she walked quietly beside the housekeeper.
Chapter 4
Anna drew her reluctant charge into the dining room. All eyes turned to see their entrance. Lucy’s sister gave her a smile as if she were used to seeing her sister dressed this way every day. Edward smiled as well, but it was Lucas who captured and held Lucy’s gaze. He stood and approached her and then bent to kiss her cheek. Lucy felt her stomach flip, but her heart continued to pound at her shame. Surely he would send her back upstairs to change, as he had grown accustomed to seeing her dressed, if not in the latest fashions, at least in clothing far more mature than this frilly yellow dress.
“Good morning, kitten,” Lucas said and took her hand from Anna’s hold. “Come and eat your breakfast quickly.”
Lucy remained frozen in place when she realized that he had shown no surprise at her appearance, and she understood he had not only requested this change, he found absolutely nothing wrong in her attire. She pulled her hand from his as he attempted to lead her to the table.
“Lucy, come, you don’t have much time to have breakfast and—”
“No!” Lucy cried out, her body stiffening, her hands clenched into fists. “I bloody well will not eat breakfast, and I will not wear this bloody dress! I am your betrothed, Lucas Huntington, not a bloody baby!”
Though her words caused Louisa to gasp and Edward’s attention to focus on his ward, Lucy only had eyes for the huge man who was standing a few feet from her. Though a part of her brain was screaming for her to be silent, another part was pushing her to continue as if she needed to test Lucas in some way. She raked her hands down the pinafore, lifting it as she stamped her foot.
“Charles would never expect me to dress like this. He always said how nice I looked when he escorted me out. He was far more interested in my mind than my wardrobe. I’m sure he’d—”
