Her Lord's Claim (The Forbidden Saga #4) - Maggie Ryan Page 0,10
given you the wrong clothing.”
“No, miss—”
“They have,” Lucy insisted. “Those look like Louisa’s clothes. The mistake is easy enough to correct. Simply run down and fetch the proper items. Hurry now, you’re the one who said we don’t want to be late,” Lucy instructed, her voice shaking as her eyes returned to the dress laid out on the bed.
Molly shook her head, though from her expression, Lucy knew the girl knew exactly how her mistress felt. “There is no mistake, Miss Lucy. Mrs. Bremmer gave me your clothing for today,” Molly said in the way of explanation. “She has instructed us to have the remainder of your new wardrobe in place by the time you return from church.”
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