Her Lord's Birch

by Maggie Ryan

  “I understand that he also allowed you to sit upon a pillow which—”

  Lucy knew immediately which of his staff had seen fit to tattle on her. Setting down the spoon she’d just lifted to take her first sip of soup, she said, “Edward, I wish to speak to you about your housekeeper. She—”

  “I’ve not finished speaking, Lucille, and you will not interrupt me, young lady!”

  Lucy’s gaze flew to her sister and though Louisa didn’t speak, there was a warning to be seen in her eyes. Lucy looked back at Edward and slowly nodded. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to interrupt. It’s just tha—”

  “And yet you are still speaking. Be quiet and simply listen, unless you want me to turn you over my knee right here!”

  Lucy felt heat flood up from beneath the bodice of her gown to spread across her face. Servants again paused for a bare instant as if fearing they’d get in the way of whatever action might be about to take place at a table meant for eating. Not wishing to provide additional fodder for the gossip that would spread throughout the estate, Lucy’s fingers tightened around the heavy silver of her utensil and gave her guardian a nod, slowly closing her mouth.

  “Much better. I do not permit comfort after a punishment, Lucille. Sitting on a pillow is not allowed and you should have refused it. Headmaster Thorne had good reason to cane you and you are to feel that reminder for as long as possible. Sitting on a pillow, rubbing your bottom, lying on your tummy all negate the lesson, and that is not the objective, now is it?”

  Lucy discovered that her mortification could indeed deepen. To be speaking of such things—especially seated at the dinner table, with servants coming and going freely from the room appalled her. She again looked at Louisa, only to jump in her seat when Edward said firmly,

  “Your sister is not speaking to you, Lucille. Keep your eyes on me when I am talking to you!” He waited until she raised her eyes to his, and though she blinked furiously to keep the welling tears at bay, she had absolutely no doubt that he not only knew she was embarrassed, but she realized he obviously believed that humiliation was as good a lesson as a nice, hard caning.

  “I’m pleased to hear that you believe you have learned at least something from Professor Lloyds. You shall spend every hour until your exam studying.” Before she could even nod, he corrected himself, “Well, certainly not every hour as you do have an appointment in my study after dinner.”

  Lucy heard her sister’s quick intake of breath and couldn’t help but slide her eyes to her sister. Though Louisa looked uneasy, she just quietly continued to eat her soup.

  Lucy looked back at her guardian. “An appointment, Edward? I’m not sure I understand the necessity of an appointment.”

  Edward chuckled, and after taking a bite of the mushroom soup she’d yet to even taste, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and leaned back in his chair.

  “It is not necessary for you to understand, Lucille; it is only required that you keep your appointment. I’m sure all will become clear at the proper time. Now, since you have found Professor Lloyd’s tutoring to be helpful, you should be pleased to know that he has agreed to continue your lessons.”

  Lucy was confused. “Continue?”

  “Yes, I have engaged him to attend you several hours this weekend in an effort to assure you learn enough to be able to pass your exam on Monday. Your actions have brought great disgrace upon my household, and no more shall fall upon it. You must study hard, and I believe his presence during your study hours will do nothing short of guaranteeing success. Your transgressions today prove that you obviously can’t be trusted to your own devices, now can you?”

  Lucy felt her face flush again, feeling she was being treated as a small child instead of an adult woman. She again glanced at Louisa, but only saw pity in her sister’s eyes.

  Lucy dropped her gaze to her soup bowl and answered, “I promise to study, Edward. It’s not necessary for you to spend money on a tutor.”

  “Lucille, it is not your duty to worry about my finances. Your only responsibilities are to behave and to learn your lessons. Your lesson in obedience will be continued in the study after supper, and your lessons in mathematics will continue first thing tomorrow morning.”

  Suddenly the agenda of her appointment became clear. Lucy felt her bottom clench at his announcement, and her fear grew. Though Edward spent a great deal of time behind the doors of his study, she had never been invited inside. Her face burned as she remembered that there had been more than one occasion where she thought she had heard the sound of crying from the room. When she had dared to speak to her sister about her fears, Louisa had immediately assured her that she must be mistaken. Suddenly Lucy was positive that she had been correct.

  Bad things happened in the study. Unpleasant things that caused shrill cries and muffled words. Her heart began to pound, and she kept her eyes on her soup bowl, feeling as if she were going to faint. She didn’t see the satisfied look on Mrs. Bremmer’s face as she walked into the dining room behind the serving girls. As her untouched soup was removed, the main course taking its place before her, she saw Mrs. Bremmer bend to speak softly with Edward. “Excellent,” he said at whatever she had whispered. “Please place them in the armoire as I shall have need of both after supper.” Mrs. Bremmer nodded, straightened to look between the twins and left the room.

  Clenching her fists in the folds of her napkin, Lucy wondered what new evil the woman had seen fit to fill her guardian’s head with. Looking across the table she saw that Louisa’s eyes had widened and were following the servant’s departure. When she darted a quick glance at her husband, her cheeks blooming with color, Lucy shivered. And when her twin suddenly pushed her plate away, Lucy had the uneasy feeling that while she might be ignorant of what the conversation had entailed, she was positive that Louisa was not. While Lucille had never crossed the threshold of Edward’s private domain, she knew that Louisa had spent several hours in the room behind heavy closed doors. Remembering her sister’s cries, her demeanor in the headmaster’s office, her very tone when pleading with her husband, Lucy knew for certain exactly who had issued the cries she’d thought she’d heard coming from her guardian’s study.

  Is that what an appointment with the lord of the manor meant? Further discipline? Her bottom clenched beneath her dress at the memory of the caning they’d shared. Surely Edward couldn’t think that she… that they… hadn’t been punished enough, could he?

  Edward looked at his wife and shook his head. “Eat your supper, Louisa, you’ll need your strength.”

  “I’m full, sir.”

  “You’ll eat every bite,” he countered, reaching over to push her plate back into place. “You need to replace the fluids you have recently expelled.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Lucy tried to decode the hidden meaning in his cryptic statement, listening as her twin answered, her face incredibly red. She didn’t understand what was happening, but was too scared to ask questions. The atmosphere, her sister’s demeanor, the conversation all did nothing but contribute to her growing sense of unease. The only person seemingly unaffected was seated at the head of the table, calmly enjoying his supper. The remainder of the meal was silent, as the entrees were replaced by dessert. Louisa was barely able to take a few bites and Edward, evidently satisfied his wife had indeed eaten every morsel of her entrée, allowed the dish to be removed.

  As the last servant brought in the pot of tea and poured Edward a cup, he said, “You both may be excused. I will join you shortly.” Louisa stood and reached her hand out to her sister. Lucille quickly rose and, stepping around Edward’s chair, took her twin’s hand, squeezing it hard. Edward looked from their joined hands to their faces and then to the housekeeper who’d entered the room. “Louisa, you are to remain silent, as it is not your place to inform your sister of what her appointment will entail. Go now with Mrs. Bremmer.”

  Mrs. Bremmer beckoned to the two, and they silently followed her out of the room and down the wide hall to
the back of the house. They passed the large library where Lucy had spent many hours curled up in an oversized chintz covered chair, immersed in the pages of a book. Moving further along the hallway toward the study she’d considered off limits, she had conflicting emotions. On one hand, she was curious to discover what resided behind the heavy double doors, but seeing her sister’s steps began to slow as they approached the room, she found herself no longer curious, just incredibly and overwhelmingly frightened.

  Mrs. Bremmer opened the door and stood aside as the two girls stood on the threshold. With a glance at each other and a comforting squeeze of each other’s hand, they entered the darkened room. They stood silently, as Mrs. Bremmer quickly lit two lamps on the wall, illuminating the large desk dominating the room that stood in front of floor to ceiling windows. Lucy could imagine the view of the manor’s gardens would be quite beautiful when sunlight chased away the shadows of darkness. A French door offered a way to step out onto one of the many paths that would weave about the gardens if one felt the desire for a bit of fresh air. As the room grew brighter, Lucy saw that it also contained a leather settee with a wide ottoman set a few feet in front of it. Two large armchairs with tall padded backs sat before the desk, thick cushions covered in a burgundy brocade fabric offering a comfortable place to rest. A small table sat between the two. A beautifully woven rug covered a large portion of the floor. She saw bookcases lining the two side walls, the bookworm in her itching to discover what volumes they held. Both girls loved to read, and often escaped into the fantasy worlds contained in novels.

  Glancing behind her as the housekeeper moved to light another lamp, Lucy saw that next to the door they’d entered, one of the largest armoires she’d ever seen took up a majority of the wall. It was a beautiful example of craftsmanship, braided mouldings running along both doors accentuated the beauty of the teak and ebony wood’s grain. A lavishly carved vista of what the African savannah must look like filled the cornice that sat atop the huge piece, elephants’ trunks lifted as if trumpeting to lead the way for the zebras, gazelles, lions and other creatures that Lucy had only seen in the pages of a book. A deep drawer sat above feet carved to look like an eagle’s talons, the claws wrapped around huge marble spheres that instantly brought to mind the vision of some poor creature who’d found itself as prey. Lucy felt a shudder run through her at both the beauty and the sense of danger the piece of furniture managed to convey. Her curious mind wondered what possible treasures were held behind those double doors. She looked over at her sister, tilted her head toward the armoire and whispered, “Louisa, what’s in there?” Louisa’s eyes widened, her cheeks pinkened but she wisely just shook her head, remaining quiet, as ordered.

  Mrs. Bremmer wasn’t quite as silent. “Lucille, you are to remain quiet. You are in enough trouble, young lady, and knowing that you’ve both gone under the cane, I’d think that you’d be very hesitant to try to entrap your sister in your naughtiness again today. You heard his lordship’s instructions.”

  Lucy felt her face flush at the words, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Apparently satisfied, Mrs. Bremmer walked to the armoire and unlocked it with a key hanging from one of the silver chains of the chatelaine hanging from her waist, yet didn’t pull open the doors. She then turned to face the girls. “Into the corners. You will stand and think about your naughtiness until Lord Wintercrest arrives to attend to you.”

  Lucy didn’t move but Louisa obediently walked to an open corner next to the bookcases on the left side of the room and pressed her nose into the wall. Lucy watched as her sister raised her arms and placed her linked hands on top of her head.

  “Lucille! Are you deaf or simply disobedient?”

  The sharp question caused Lucy to jump and then hurry to place herself in the only remaining open corner located on the right side wall. She trembled as she pressed her nose against the hard surface and then gave a small shriek as she felt her arms being pulled above her.

  “Hands together on your head, missy! I swear you are a dense little one. Haven’t you ever been in a corner before?”

  Lucy flushed again and felt exactly like the small child she’d been the last time she had been put into a corner by her father. She also felt humiliated at being physically arranged into what must be the required position. She suddenly understood that her sister seemed extremely familiar with what was expected, and her mind whirled at that implication. Obviously satisfied with the girls’ positions, Mrs. Bremmer stood back, and Lucy’s side glance showed the woman taking a seat on the sofa to await her employer.

  Chapter 12

  Edward leisurely finished his second cup of tea with another slice of the delicious almond cake his cook had prepared for their dessert. Only after the clock on the mantle chimed the passage of a half hour did he fold his napkin, place it beside his empty plate, push back his chair and stand. He knew Mrs. Bremmer would have the girls in their corners, with instructions to think about their behavior. He was a very firm believer that anticipation of a coming punishment quite often had a longer lasting effect on the miscreant than the actual discipline. As their minds began to accept the inevitable pain their bottoms would soon be feeling, the time would seem to stretch into eternity. He knew their every sense would be heightened and their attention focused on every little thing that occurred from the moment they became aware of him stepping into the room.

  He contemplated the agenda as he walked leisurely toward his study. Tonight’s punishment would not be easy. The birch was a harsh implement. It would deliver a painful bite and, he hoped, a lesson that would not be easily forgotten. He had every intention of beginning Lucille’s journey into what a properly trained woman should expect, as well as continuing the long-overdue education of his wife. While he was not married to Lucille, he was her guardian and any training she received under his roof would only serve to enhance her desirability as a proper, submissive wife once she wed.

  With one hand on the large crystal knob of the door, he pressed his free hand to the front of his trousers. His cock was already beginning to stir, the only thing keeping it from full erection was the penance his wife had made a short time ago. Adjusting his shaft as he had no desire to share evidence of his arousal with either his ward or his servant, he assured himself that he’d soon be sinking into the delicious warmth of his wife’s pussy. Until that time, he had a job to attend to. Turing the knob, he pushed the door open and as the women had earlier, paused on the threshold. His gaze instantly swept to the corners of the room where he saw the two girls standing where they belonged, hands in the proper places. The scene could not have brought him more pleasure. These two females had caused him nothing but annoyance today, and seeing them both with noses touching the walls, he felt himself grow even more determined. Louisa would no longer be allowed to hide her true position from her twin. No, in fact, having his little lady take on her true role in his household would serve as a powerful and visible lesson in exactly how a wife should behave.

  He nodded to Mrs. Bremmer, and strode to open the armoire door. The pair of prepared birches he had ordered lay on the shelf. The thick implements were composed of several individual switches that he knew his housekeeper had selected personally and formed into two excellent rods of correction. He left the birches in place, pushing the halves of the doors wide to assure the implements could be easily seen with even the quickest glance. Smiling, he wondered which twin would look first, which would gasp at the sight of the very thing that would soon be leaving its burning marks on their poor hapless derrières. He moved around and seated himself in his desk chair. He saw Lucy squirm in her corner and made his guess, sure that curiosity would find her eyes drifting to the opened cabinet. He smiled knowing she would soon do far more than squirm. He made the twins stand an additional quarter hour before he spoke.

  “Come stand before me, girls.”

  The sisters stepped away from their corners and while Louisa kept her arms on top of her head, Lucy gave her arms a shake and then rubbed at
the tip of her nose, which was most likely sore from being so tightly pressed against the wall. When Mrs. Bremmer began to rise from the sofa, Lucy shot a glance between the servant and her sister. Seeing Louisa’s position, she followed some innate sense of self-preservation, quickly muttering an apology as she scrambled to get her hands linked and in place again. The housekeeper gave a small grunt, but settled herself back onto the sofa. As the two made their way to his desk, Edward wasn’t surprised to win his bet with himself when his ward paused, her head turned slightly, her gaze darting to the contents of his punishment cabinet. What did astonish him was the look of confusion reflected on her face as she turned forward again, taking a few quick steps to catch up with her twin until the two stood side-by-side in front of Edward’s desk. He settled back in his chair and began to speak.

  “I can’t begin to express the depth of the disappointment I’ve experienced today. You plotted to deceive not only me, but every member of this household as well as the faculty of an honored institution. You both have caused shame and disgrace to fall upon Wintercrest, upon me, and most importantly, upon yourselves and for that you shall be severely punished.” He saw Lucy glance over to her sister and continued, “Lucille, when I am speaking to you, your eyes are to be on mine. You are not to look at your sister, or anywhere else. Your attention is to remain on me. Do you understand, young lady?”

  He knew she didn’t understand… not only what was about to happen but was confused at why the sister she’d always counted on for support had fallen silent. He’d seen the two share a few brief glances in silent communication, had watched as fingers entwined and offered quick squeezes of support, but he knew that sisters looked to one another. And identical twins who’d shared every moment of their lives since conception had to feel that connection running even stronger in every cell of their bodies. He gave his ward time to compose herself knowing he didn’t have to do so, but truly wanting her to be able to focus on what this appointment was truly about.