The Conquered Brides Collection

by Renee Rose, Ashe Barker, Sue Lyndon, Korey Mae Johnson

  “Hmph,” I grumbled, ignoring the remark as I began to eat. Yet, for all my protest, there was no denying that something had changed between us and I had no idea what to do about it. Perhaps it had happened when I’d accepted his proposal of marriage and had come to realize that I would spend the rest of my life tethered to his. Whatever the reason, I was seeing him in an entirely different light, no matter how many times I tried to remind myself that I should hate him.

  Antony said nothing more as I ate, and to my surprise, when I finished he put half his portion on my plate.

  “What is this?” I asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

  “I find I’m not very hungry. I wouldn’t want to be wasteful.”

  I knew it for a lie the moment the words were out of his mouth, yet I couldn’t deny my hunger, which gnawed at me as though I were being eaten away from the inside. So I bent my head over the plate and murmured my thanks before I began to eat once more.

  “You know, I do believe that’s the first time you’ve ever thanked me for anything.” His voice was light and teasing and I found myself smiling at the sound of it.

  “I shall thank you not to snore tonight, then,” I commented between bites.

  “I do not snore,” he protested, bumping me playfully with his elbow.

  “You do,” I accused. “And if I am to become your lady wife, I demand you stop it at once.”

  “You demand, do you?”

  I heard the mock-challenge in his voice and having eaten my fill, decided that I would rise to it. “Yes, and there is one other thing.”

  “I see. And what would that be?”

  “This business of spanking me is much too foolish. Why, it’s practically barbaric, and I won’t stand for it!” The moment the words were out of my mouth, the air between us seemed to still. I felt my cheeks heat with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. I didn’t know what had caused me to bring it up at all. I should have been grateful that he had not chastised me since the first time, but for some reason, the thought of it now seemed to put an energy into me that I’d never before known existed.

  “That’s right, I’d nearly forgotten. How could I have been so careless?” Before I could say a word, Antony had taken the plate out of my hands and set it aside before putting me over his lap.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I cried out, kicking my legs and trying to push myself up.

  “If my memory is correct, I still owe you a thrashing.”

  My breath hitched and I could feel my nipples become taut against the bodice of my gown. “No, you musn’t.” Yet, the words came out sounding breathy and weak, and soon Antony was peeling my skirts back one by one, taking his time and chuckling as I squirmed over his lap.

  “I musn’t?” he echoed, his own voice husky and rich with desire that only fed my own. “Please, Cecily dear, tell me what else I musn’t do?”

  Before I’d had a chance to reply—with every layer of clothing that he touched, I was finding it harder and harder to concentrate—his hand came crashing down on my pantalets. It certainly wasn’t soft, but it wasn’t very hard either. He paused before delivering the next blow, which came down with just as much force as the first, causing me to whimper in a way that had nothing to do with pain. I wasn’t sure what was happening to me. My cheeks were flushed, my breath was coming in small, shallow gasps, and with each and every firm spank that he landed on my clothing, the knots in my belly contracted and then loosened once more. It was a feeling unlike any I’d ever felt before. Was this what he spoke of when he talked of love? If so, I wasn’t entirely sure that I liked it.

  “Stop, Antony! Let me up!” I protested, writhing on his lap as I tried to sit up. He had a good hold on me, however, and I was kept right where he wanted me.

  “Be a sweet, biddable maid and take your punishment,” he returned, the teasing still present in his voice.

  But I couldn’t simply lie there and let him continue to make me feel things that were surely sinful. Each time his hand came down, smacking me soundly but leaving only a light, tingling pain, a rush of warmth filled my cheeks and ran down the length of my body until I was sure all of me must be aglow. If that wasn’t of the devil, I didn’t know what was.

  “This isn’t what it was like before,” I murmured, so low that I was certain he wouldn’t have heard me.

  “What was it like?”

  My cheeks warmed at once and I clamped my lips tightly together as he continued to give my bottom firm, slow spanks that stoked the fire growing inside of me.

  “I said, what was it like, Cecily?”

  “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

  He answered me with a smattering of swift, hard spanks that surprised me with their sting.

  “Ow!”

  “Do not hold out on me, my dove. If I ask you a question, I expect an answer. I expect—”

  “Obedience,” I finished petulantly. “I know, I know.”

  I was quickly rewarded with a dozen of harder spanks that left me crying out and struggling to catch my breath. “That hurt!” I reproached, looking back at him over my shoulder.

  “Thank you for telling me. It shall always hurt when you disobey me, my sweet.”

  “You can’t do that,” I scowled. “You can’t call me your sweet one moment and thrash me the next!”

  “Why ever not?” he queried, grinning unrepentantly.

  “B-because!” I spluttered. “It’s simply not done!”

  “So far as you know,” he countered. “Where I’m from, men rule their households, and their wives are dutiful and respectful, or their bottoms pay the price.”

  “Nonsense.” To my utter surprise, the spanking stopped and I found myself being helped up until I was sitting on Antony’s knee.

  “It is nothing of the kind,” he told me, his voice stern yet tender at the same time. “Men and women have been living this way for generations, even if it isn’t something you saw in the castle of Hohenzollern.”

  “That doesn’t mean I should have to,” I said, but my voice did not sound nearly as strong as I would have liked.

  “We have already had this conversation, Cecily. You will not play me false, my dear. If you vow to be my obedient wife, then I will hold you to your word.” He softened the words by running his hand over my dark head. “However, it isn’t as bad as you may think.”

  “I know exactly how bad it can be,” I said. “I’ve felt your hand against my backside before.”

  “So you have. What I meant to say is that at least you will never wonder where you stand with me. I will do everything within my power to keep you happy and safe. As long as you do as you’re bid, you needn’t worry about anything.”

  He made it sound so easy, but I knew from experience that men often said one thing and did another. I supposed there wasn’t a woman alive who didn’t know that.

  “And as for me not tending to your spanking yesterday, don’t think I’ve forgotten. I simply thought, considering everything you learned, that you would appreciate a reprieve.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re quite welcome. Unless… unless you’d like me to punish you?”

  I should have said no. I should have thrown my head back and laughed at the absurdity of him saying such a thing, but even more absurd was the fact that I was thinking about it. If I’d only said, “Thank you, no,” perhaps everything would have been different. But instead, I tilted my head back, looked into his light gray eyes and handsome face, and put my mouth very near his as I whispered, “Will it hurt?”

  I knew I was getting to him when it took him a moment to answer. Something about that fact delighted me. I’d never thought of myself as being a beautiful woman before, but something about the way Antony studied my face, the way his eyes were drinking me in even now, told me he thought otherwise. And God help me, but enemy or no, I delighted in it.

  He cleared his throat, but didn’t break eye contact with me. “Yes, Cecily, it will hurt. You disobeyed me. Y
ou endangered yourself. If I am going to punish you for it, then you will receive exactly the kind of punishment you deserve. And yes, it will be a long thrashing, and yes, it will most certainly hurt.”

  Something told me that even then I could have demurred and gone to sleep. I should have, but I did not. “I think… I think that it would not be a good thing to begin our marriage with things left unsettled between us.”

  “I see.”

  The scrutiny in his warm eyes made me squirm. I was so uncertain as to whether or not I was doing the right thing. I had better be sure, because once I said I was, it was my bottom that would pay for it. As I looked at him—every strong curve of his handsome face—I realized that more than anything I wanted to trust him. I didn’t, not entirely, but I was beginning to believe that it was possible for that to change. Perhaps in order to discover him trustworthy I had to extend a little trust.

  “Please punish me, sir,” I said at last, holding my breath as soon as the words were out of my mouth.

  Antony leaned over and pressed a quick, reassuring kiss to the top of my head before answering, “As you wish. Please go to my saddle bag and retrieve the switches.”

  “You… you kept them?” I swallowed hard.

  “I thought it would be wise.”

  Without another word I stood up, reluctant to leave the comforting warmth of his lap and equally reluctant to return to it, knowing I would then be over it. I took my time walking to his saddlebag and opened it slowly. A long switch was poking out the moment I pushed back the opening. When I slid my hand inside, I found two more next to the first. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as I took them in hand, stiffening my spine against the inevitable. How silly I had been to ask for such a thing! Surely, there could even now be a reprieve if I asked for one? Yet, I knew that I wouldn’t. I’d meant what I said: if I was going to marry again, I wanted to at least do what I could to ensure that it might be an amicable one. I was beginning to think that was the best a woman could hope for.

  “Pick one,” he ordered, not unkindly, when I held them out to him.

  “I… I’m not certain…” I looked down at the switches helplessly, not seeing much difference from one to the next. I was sure that they could each light a fire in my backside, so I didn’t see much point to choosing between them. Yet, Antony had asked me to do it and I knew it was part of the punishment. After a few moments, I settled on the thinnest one of the three, hoping that since it was smaller it would hurt less.

  Antony’s face gave nothing away as I showed it to him. “Very good. Now, pray you don’t ever give me cause to use it.”

  “I’m sorry? I don’t think I understand.”

  “I’m not going to switch you this time, Cecily. I’d intended to, that’s true, but given what you’ve been through, I would like to show you kindness. Now mind, that won’t sway me if there is a need to punish you a second time.”

  “Yes, sir,” I agreed, eager to be agreeable.

  “Go put your choice back in my saddlebag, please. Then I want you to come stand in front of me and pull your pantalets down.”

  Just the thought made me blush so hotly that I feared my skin might stain permanently from the shame of it. “Sir?” I queried weakly.

  “Put it in the saddlebag, Cecily,” he ordered once more, clearly not intending to explain his instructions.

  I hurried to do his bidding, but I felt my footsteps slowing upon the return. Slow or no, it was inevitable that I would end up standing in front of him, facing his inscrutable expression as he waited patiently for me to carry out the rest of his commands. I dropped my eyes to the straw on the ground, unable to look at him as I slid my hand beneath my gown and petticoats. I pulled my pantalets down as far as I was able and stood, my cheeks flaming as I waited for him to speak.

  “Look at me, Cecily.” His voice was firm and I felt my eyes being drawn to him despite myself.

  “I can’t bear it,” I murmured. “Are you trying to humiliate me?”

  “If it will keep you from disobeying me in the future, then yes.”

  I gasped at his pronouncement, but he held up a hand to silence me before I could reply.

  “I only ask you to do things for your own good, Cecily. It is not my plan to degrade you or treat you as anything but the lady I believe you to be. However, when you chose to disobey me and thus endanger yourself, you will be subject to any punishment I deem fit. Now, tell me, why are you being chastised?”

  “I… ah…” I could feel my cheeks blaze with such heat that it began to spread to my neck.

  “Because you disobeyed me,” he prompted. “You were told to stay put and avoid strangers, yet when men came riding by, you sought them out. You could have been hurt, Cecily. They could have had their way with you had I not been there.”

  “But you were,” I protested weakly.

  “And if I hadn’t been?” he demanded, his voice suddenly sharp. “Do I need to further explain myself? They could have taken you with them, to God-knows-where. They could have raped you, each taking his turn before they left you lying on the ground. There are endless possibilities, each more horrifying than the last. I thank God I was there, but that in no way excuses you from the lashing you so richly deserve.”

  Before he stopped speaking my eyes were wide with realization. What he said was true. I could have been beaten or violated. I was so accustomed to having my word obeyed that I took careless risks that would have only served to get me hurt.

  “Now, come here and take your spanking.”

  Tears had risen to my eyes while he’d been scolding me, but the pronouncement that my punishment was at hand made a lone tear streak down my cheek. Still, I moved toward him and placed myself as gracefully as I could manage over his lap.

  Antony immediately peeled back my petticoats, exposing my naked skin to the cool night air. “You’ll remember that I told you last time that if I needed to punish you again, it would be on the bare.”

  “Yes, sir,” I replied, trying unsuccessfully to hide the tremor in my voice. It was matched by the one shaking my body.

  “Are you afraid of me, Cecily?” he asked suddenly, sounding so concerned that it took me aback.

  “No, sir.”

  “Truly?”

  “Truly—I fear only your hand.”

  “As it should be, my dove. When you deserve it I will always endeavor to teach you a memorable lesson. I can promise you that.”

  “Why is every promise you make me in regards to a sore bottom?” I should have minded the mulishness in my tone, because Antony responded by three swift, sharp cracks of his hand to my bottom that had me wincing and mewling in pain.

  “Because they are the kind of promises that suit you, my lady. Now, remind me why I am punishing you, Cecily.”

  “Because… because I disobeyed you,” I whispered.

  His hand came down hard on my quivering flesh, bouncing from one cheek to the next as he exacted justice for my sins. Each smack of his hand was firmer than the one before it and the desire to kick my legs and try to escape was nearly irrepressible. It was only his strong arm looped around my waist that kept me from trying.

  “What else, Cecily?”

  It was hard for me to concentrate on the sound of his voice. Right then, it was hard for me to think of anything other than my aching arse and the tears that I was trying to blink back. “Ah…”

  Two hard, resounding swats on each of my cheeks had me gasping and arching my back. “Think hard, if you must.”

  “I… I brought attention to myself.”

  “It was a dangerous thing to do, was it not, sweeting?”

  At that very moment, I began to wonder if I wouldn’t have been safer with the looters than with Antony. I very much doubted my bottom would be in such agony! However, I knew better than to say so aloud. “Y-yes,” I answered, tears beginning to roll down my cheeks.

  “All I endeavor to do is to keep you safe, my lady.” With that, the spanking resumed, his hard hand coming dow
n again and again until I thought I could bear it no longer.

  “I’ll be good!” I cried out, a sob lodging in my throat. “Please, I beg you! It shan’t happen again!”

  “I intend to see to it that you keep that promise, Your Grace.”

  I should have told him that no one would ever dare spank a duchess. That I had learned my lesson well, that it hurt too much. I should have told him something, anything to make it stop, but as I cried, words were lost to me, turned instead to piteous moans which only grew in frequency and volume as his hand continued to punish my hot, defenseless cheeks.

  And part of me kept my silence because I knew, in truth, that I deserved the punishment I was receiving at his hands. He was right: I could have been raped, or worse. I could be dead, and my baby would have suffered the same fate. That in itself was worthy of receiving a sore bottom. The other part of me said nothing because I realized that Antony was the only man in my life who’d ever cared enough about me to correct me. I knew he would not play me false. He meant what he said—he spanked me because he didn’t want to see anything bad befall me. How humbling it was to be loved like that, especially when I’d done nothing to merit such kindness.

  As his hand continued to work its way up and down my hot, aching flesh, something within me broke. Suddenly, the dam of sobs I’d been storing up inside me burst free and I was crying my heart out as though I would never, ever stop. Everything—my marriage to Wallace and the way he’d begun to shun me, being taken from my home—all the things that I’d refused to cry about came pouring out in long, shuddering sobs and piercing wails. It wasn’t until I was spent from crying and was lying limply over Antony’s lap that I even realized he’d stopped spanking me.

  “Do you feel better, my lady?” he asked as he helped me sit up.

  A mewl of pain escaped my parted lip as my inflamed flesh landed on his hard leg. “I… I believe so. I’m… I’m sorry.”

  “Shh, sweeting. Everything is alright now. You were very brave to take such a hard spanking.” He emphasized his words with a kiss pressed to my forehead. “Now, tell me, Cecily—do you still wish to be my wife?”