His Lordship's Lap

by Breanna Hayse

  Vanessa joined her and held her hands. “I promise. Now you are to promise that you will watch over me and make certain that my life doesn’t come to this? I need someone to make certain that I make no unnecessary mistakes.”

  “You’ve made the biggest one already. You shamed my husband before his community.”

  “I made him accountable. That is what his system is all about, isn’t it? I need you also to promise that if he tries to hurt you, you will come directly to us.”

  “You have my word. You’re going to make Harrison happy, aren’t you?”

  “I will do my best. He knows that I don’t carry the same beliefs, and yet he respects me for that. See? You taught him well.”

  “Thank you.” Lady Ansley blushed and looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry that I was so cold and rude to you. I believed the lies and rumors against you. My husband started most of them to discredit his son. He’s always been jealous of my boys because I loved them more than I could ever love him. He sought to take as many of their achievements from them as he could to maintain control over them. Harrison was too stubborn and honest to allow him success.”

  “I’m sorry I was so openly rebellious to you as well. Do you think we can try to work together and maybe help each other to be happy?”

  “I would like that. I hadn't had a friend in over twenty years and lost all chances of having a daughter when Bess’ mother left.”

  “We should see what we can do to help Bess as well. It sounds like both of you have experienced much of the same pain and rejection. You need each other more than ever.”

  “Perhaps the wine is giving me courage, but I am going to hunt her down and talk to her. Thank you, Vanessa. I say that from the heart.”

  Vanessa smiled as Lady Ansley walked away. She was finishing off her second glass of wine when Harrison joined her.

  “Dinner will be served shortly. Was that my mother you were talking to?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Please promise me that there will be no fighting tonight.”

  “I promise. We had a superb and a very enlightening conversation. Don’t look so worried. Your gift is seeing through lies, but mine is seeing through fear. I have a very strong feeling that some things are going to be changing for the better.”

  “What are you up to?”

  “Don’t look so suspicious,” she said, smacking his arm. “Now escort me inside like a proper gentleman.”

  ***

  “I didn’t see you attending to the guests during dinner. Wasn’t that part of your punishment for not doing the dishes the other night?” Harrison asked as he drove the buggy home later that evening.

  “I was no help to anyone and only got underfoot,” Vanessa said with a yawn. “Besides, I think I proved myself to a lot of people today. You should be proud.”

  “I am proud. My mother was smiling during dinner, and I didn’t see her flinch once when my father addressed her. What did you say?”

  “I told her what every woman needs to hear now and then.”

  “What is that?”

  “Just that I was on her side. I also made her promise that if she ever needed a safe place to go, she was to come straight to us.”

  Harrison was quiet for a moment before speaking. “Did she tell you about the affair and how my father still punishes her for it?”

  “Yes, and the reason it all started. She wasn’t trying to be cruel to you and your brother. She was just trying to raise you to be responsible so that you wouldn’t turn out to be a monster like your father.”

  “I see that now. I also see the disservice that my father did us by trying to prohibit her.” He flicked the reins over the horse’s back. “I can’t believe how gullible I was to the things my father told me.”

  “I’ll bet that if we look further into this, we will discover that your father’s childhood was much like mine. Filled with duty, no love and no laughter.”

  “You’re turning our world upside down, Vanessa. I’m not sure if any of us are ready for this.”

  “Me neither, but if we don’t go forward, then what’s worse? Staying in the same place or falling backward?”

  “That’s a very philosophical question. When we get home, let’s take a bath and discuss it.”

  “When we get home, we can take a bath and then go to sleep. I’ve had a very long day.”

  “I still owe you a spanking for those slingshots.”

  “You can’t prove that I had anything to do with it.”

  “Are you going to lie to my face and deny it?”

  “I will do my best.” She laughed. “I admit, I pounded you, and it was great fun. Sir Landers was very impressed and amused as well.”

  “I figured that the old man knew about it. He sent us collecting logs to give you time to dry out your dresses, didn’t he?”

  “He did.”

  “Did he also know that you added some extra spice to the caramels?”

  “I didn’t know that there was a need to give him that information. He would have held you responsible since you are the one who made them and had a history of adding potions to candy.”

  “You do need a spanking,” Harrison concluded.

  “So do you. But we can wait a few days, can’t we? I’m still terribly tender and equally exhausted.”

  “What makes you think this spanking will be for pleasure?”

  “Because you’re a fair man with a good sense of humor. I made you laugh today.”

  “That you did. I think you are going to be making me laugh for the rest of my life, aren’t you?”

  “I will certainly try.”

  Chapter 14

  Three weeks later, Vanessa was sitting alone in the academy’s library and trying to develop a menu plan when she heard angry shouting and the crashing of furniture down the hallway. She ran to the sound of the commotion and stared as two men faced each other off with Bess standing between them.

  “Touch her again and I’ll kill you,” the taller one said, his long, unkempt hair falling on his face as he held a fist in the air.

  Randolph Keyes stood before him, his lip bleeding and a dark bruise forming on the side of his face. “I’ll have you thrown in jail, you fornicating bastard. This wench is here to pay for her crimes; crimes that she committed because of you. Part of that payment means submitting to me!”

  A fist landed on the smaller man’s jaw and sent him flying over desks. “Being in love is not a crime, you son of a bitch! And the only men she is to submit to are the Headmaster, her father, and husband.”

  “Jonathon, please stop. You can’t do this,” Bess begged, grabbing the angry man’s arm to hold him back. “Please!”

  “What’s happening here? Lady Bess, are you hurt?” Vanessa asked, walking into the room.

  “There’s another foreign pig that needs to be thrashed within an inch of her life. This country is falling to ruin because of people like you and your families,” the beaten man hissed as he scrambled to his feet. He pointed to the man who held Bess to his side. “I’m going to make sure that you are jailed for a long time for attacking me. That should be enough to get both the Ansley’s and the Landers’ to step out of power and let someone worthy take their positions.”

  “Worthy? You think that you are fit to control a country when you can’t even control yourself?” Vanessa said, turning to face the red-faced man. She lifted the skirts to her thighs as though she were preparing for punishment. “Perhaps you’re right. Thrash me. If you can stand up again, that it.” With that, she crashed her knee straight into his crotch and stepped back as his face turned a sickly green while he crumbled to the floor. She spat on him and glared at his tear-covered face. “I’m warning you that if you ever speak to me or anyone in my family like that again, I will make certain that you will never use those shriveled little balls to accomplish anything. That includes diddling with yourself.” She turned to the tall man and extended her hand. “You must be Jonathon Ansley. Welcome home.”

  “And
you must be Vanessa,” Jonathon kissed the back of her hand. “You’re a feisty one. I like that.”

  “When did you arrive?” Vanessa asked, watching the floored man whimper as he pulled himself into the corner of the room.

  “I left as soon as I received your letter. The timing was perfect. I was preparing to sail to Africa three days after to its arrival.”

  “You’re the one who sent for him? Do you realize how dangerous it is for him to be here?” Lady Bess asked, clinging to the tall man’s arm. “People like the Keyes will riot against him.”

  “Then I will turn all of their little cocks into shriveled sausages,” Vanessa said triumphantly. “His presence is not illegal, Bess. Jonathon wasn’t exiled—he left on his own accord.”

  “What? I thought you had been removed.”

  “I lied to you, my love. I didn’t want to bring either of us to temptation again, or cause you further pain. Please don’t be angry,” Jonathon explained to the stricken woman.

  “You gave up everything to protect me. Oh, Jonathon, I could never be angry with you. I love you!” Bess cried, wrapping her arms around his strong neck.

  “Harrison offered you his home, and that offer still exists. You are family, and I will tell you the same thing that I told your mother—our home is a safe place that your father can’t touch you. That goes for you as well, Bess. Bring your daughters if you need a place of safety.”

  “My husband is very passive,” Bess said. “I don’t fear for my safety or my life, just my hope for happiness.”

  “I’ve been speaking with Harrison about that. As you know, the issue of divorce is a sensitive one and comes with an expensive price tag and a social stigma that most women cannot bear to live with. However, a legal separation is something that might be considered. You won’t be allowed to marry, but you won’t be forced to continue to live with your husband.”

  “We don’t live as husband and wife any longer,” Bess said sadly. “Our marriage is a farce; something forced because of Lord Ansley’s laws and the claim of sanctification. For that reason, I maintain my unwed title and name.”

  “A marriage based on lies with forced consummation is not blessed by God. My father instituted this proclamation to save himself from being shamed,” the tall man explained. “Father had vengeance in mind when he enacted this law because my mother wanted to leave him due to of his cruelty.”

  “So you’re aware of what happened to her?”

  “Every detail. Bess,” Jonathon turned the woman to look at him. “Your mother and her lover live in France, and I had the occasion to meet them a year ago. I haven’t said anything in my letters to you for fear of bringing you more pain, but I’ve learned the truth of everything that occurred when she left. Your father was kind to her, but the marriage was not compatible and neither had a way to dissolve it. She knew that you and Edward would be happier and healthier without her around. She never wanted to hurt you and felt it better to leave while you were still young and had the chance to start a life without her.”

  “I know that. Father told us and assured that her leaving was not of our doing. I hold no bitterness towards her. She was never a warm or caring mother, and her absence has allowed Father to step into that role. Having experienced heartbreak myself, I understand her decision. I just would never be able to leave my children.”

  “Your mothering skills and ability to love are due to your father’s influence, darling. He never meant to hurt you by settling you with your husband. He only wanted you to find the stability that he felt you needed. That was all I ever wanted for you as well, so I left,” Jonathon said softly, brushing his mouth against Bess’ lips.

  “Will we ever be happy?” Bess asked as hot fat tears rolled slowly down her porcelain cheeks.

  “It is truly my hope.”

  Vanessa watched the couple embrace and then shot an angry look at the whimpering man in the corner. “Let’s talk with Harrison. I should also let him know that I put my knee into this tiny toad’s soft little crotch before the word gets around.”

  She tapped on the Headmaster’s door and stuck her head inside. “Harrison? Are you busy?”

  “Never too busy for you, my dear. What can I do for you? Jonathon? Jonathon! Is that really you?” The man’s voice cracked as he rushed to embrace his younger brother and then held his face between his hands. “I have missed you, boy! Let me look at you. You are too thin. What brought you home? How long have you been here? Are you well?”

  Jonathon laughed heartily. “You haven’t changed a bit. I received a letter from a very convincing little faerie who cast a spell upon me with her words.”

  “What exactly did that little faerie say?”

  “Just that she had fallen in love with the most wonderful man on the planet and that nothing would make her happier than to know I would be present for your wedding. She also mentioned that you had been having some problems with family issues and desperately needed my assistance. You know that I’m incapable of refusing the call of a damsel in distress.”

  “When have I not had problems with family issues? Hell, look at our family. Incidentally, did my little minx tell you that she hadn’t completed her courses yet, and no wedding date has been set?”

  “No, she did not.” The younger man smiled. “She was not very verbose in her letter and made it sound rather urgent that I come immediately.”

  “She’s quite persuasive when she chooses to be. No matter, I’m so glad to have you home. You will be living with me, correct?”

  “I didn’t want to make my presence known just yet, except that I already had a confrontation in one of the classrooms with that bloody idiot who’s been harassing Bess. I’m afraid that he might have lost a tooth or two.”

  Harrison’s face darkened. “Elizabeth? Is Randolph still bothering you? Why haven’t you told me? We allowed him back only because he claimed to have completed the assignment that your father ordered after the last time he was aggressive towards you.”

  “I didn’t want to bother you, Harrison. You already do so much for me. He was angry because I wouldn’t kneel when I greeted him. I tried to tell him that none of the households require that behavior, and he slapped me and called me impertinent. That was when Jonathon entered the room and stopped him. He then insulted Vanessa.”

  “A pie would have been appreciated, but not your silence. I’m so sorry. I promise that this man will never touch another woman again as long as he lives here. He’s a predator, and I will not have that type of evil consume our society. It’s bad enough we have to tolerate my father. My poor girl,” he said, touching the red mark on her cheek with a hand trembling with anger.

  She lifted her hand to cover it. “It doesn’t hurt.”

  Jonathon interrupted. “Why did you allow him back after his prior behavior? This woman was on the floor when I walked in, and he had a crop raised to her.”

  “What?! Sir Landers!”

  “Harrison! Come back!” Jonathon shouted as the man stormed from the room. The sound of several slamming doors followed.

  “I guess he’s going to find out that I kicked my knee into the little bastard's puny cock after all,” Vanessa stated lightly.

  “I haven’t seen my brother show this kind of fire in years. Is this your doing, little lady?”

  “She’s had a strong impact on many of us, Jon,” Bess said. “Harrison has turned into a raging bull when he sees someone being abused; my girls are more vocal with their thoughts and opinions, and my father has even taken to pulling pranks on Edward every opportunity that he has. The most drastic, though, is what she has done with your mother.”

  “Please tell me that you haven’t shot her in the head and turned her into a sausage. Her bitterness has been the source of misery for many people over a very long period.”

  “No, she found a way into the woman’s heart. Because of Vanessa, she and I have healed our relationship and are growing close again. Your father is not at all pleased with that. He says that I will co
rrupt her virtue.”

  “What? I don’t know what concept is harder to grasp—is it that my mother is human or that my father believes that she has virtue?”

  “Jonathon, be kind!” Vanessa scolded. “While you’re aware of your mother’s lack of discretion, you likely don’t know the story behind it. Your mother suffered injustice under your father. She was abused and neglected, and she tried to prevent you and Harrison from becoming like him. That was the reason she was so hard on you as children and apparently your father used it as an excuse to beat her in an attempt to gain her submission. She refused because the two of you were more important and did all that she could to prevent his destructive influence from affecting you.”

  Jonathan reddened and softly said, “I didn’t know that.”

  “It’s a similar situation as what we encountered, my love,” Bess responded. “No one knew that I was living in a loveless and lifeless marriage, and my children were conceived as I begged him to hurry and finish his task with me. Vanessa challenged your father before the congregation three weeks ago, and now Lord Ansley is now afraid to open his mouth around her. We all believe that our future First Lady needs to continue her education and become a lawyer so that she can continue to defend the happiness and safety of women and support domestic freedom.”

  “I keep telling you that women aren’t permitted to the Bar nor are they allowed to speak in court,” Vanessa scoffed.

  “That’s in England. Besides, if you’re capable of debating and using the Statutes of Parliament, then Harrison should use you in this capacity. You’re brilliant, Nessa,” Bess praised affectionately. “This country is going to be stronger because of you, but Harrison needs to make certain that you are in a position to make a difference.”

  “This country certainly needs change. When will you marry? The sooner, the better, I say,” Jonathon stated.

  “Not until I show skills in basic tasks. I’ve barely begun my training. The concept of menu planning and guest seating alludes me,” Vanessa sighed.