my tawsing?” Lucy said as the first drips of her tears slid down her cheek to plop onto the carpet under her head. Anna finally lifted the tawse from the girl’s bottom.
“Yes, you may.”
Lucy stiffened and gasped. The words had not come from the housekeeper. Turning her head and swiping back the curtain of her hair, Lucy saw Edward leaning against the doorframe of her bedroom. She immediately turned bright red with shame. How long had he been standing there? How much had he heard?
“Please, sir… please, I’m so sorry,” Lucy tried, thinking perhaps she could show her contrition before the tawsing began. “I just didn’t understand what Mrs. Bremmer was doing with my clothing. I… I didn’t mean to be naughty. I promise to mind—”
“Of course you promise, Lucille,” Edward said, not moving a muscle. “It is so easy for a little one to promise anything when she is turned over a lap, her bloomers at her knees and her bare bottom positioned for punishment.” His words immediately caused the shame at her position to burn hotter, realizing this was all her own fault. Edward continued, “As you are aware, promises mean very little. Actions prove your desire and, young lady, since I’ve seen Molly coming up and down these stairs several times in the past half-hour, I’m quite positive that a simple misunderstanding is not all that is going on here. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that some little girl thought she’d outsmart her elders. However, as I’m sure you are now aware, that little plan failed quite miserably, didn’t it, Lucille?”
Feeling like the fool he most likely considered her to be, Lucy could only nod. “I-I suppose…” His lifted brow had her swallowing hard and rephrasing her answer. “I mean, yes, sir.”
“That’s correct and the only action you shall be doing in the next minute is to offer your naughty bare bottom to Mrs. Bremmer’s tawse, understood?”
When Lucy could only nod, he shook his head. “No, Lucille. I need to hear your answer so there will be no misunderstanding of what you are going to do. Tell me exactly what that will be.”
She’d not only lost the battle and the war, she had lost the entire campaign. Knowing her bottom would be burning for quite some time, she said, “I’m going to ask Mrs. Bremmer to forgive me and then I-I’m going to lift my bottom up and ask her to give me my tawsing… sir.”
“That is correct,” Edward said before turning to look at his employee. “After you release Lucille, have her spend her day tailoring her new drawers into the open style that you recommended. I’ve come to agree our little one will find the style quite the lesson. I believe having to tailor the drawers will teach her that she should be grateful for all that is provided to her.”
“Certainly, my lord,” Anna said and without another word, lifted the tawse and brought it down with a crack against Lucille’s bottom.
The room was soon ringing with Lucy’s cries and pleas for mercy. The tawse lifted again and again and again, bouncing sharply onto her bottom, each stroke sounding like a crack of a whip. Lucy learned that Mrs. Bremmer had been correct. Having her bottom tawsed was far more painful than either a hand spanking or even a paddling. Each stroke caused her bottom to burn and itch as the separate strands of the stiff leather bit into different spots on her buttocks. She was soon struggling, her hands clawing at the carpet, the tips of her toes scrabbling behind her where they were locked beneath Mrs. Bremmer’s leg.
“Owww, please… please, no more!” she begged, shrieking as the tawse bit into her sit-spot. She no longer cared if the entire household heard her cries. All she wanted was for the horrid tawsing to stop.
“I’m sorry! Please, oh please, stop,” she cried to no avail.
“I’ll stop when I’m assured that you, missy, will never again question my authority or have any doubt about the painful lesson my tawse can deliver.”
Lucy made the mistake of reaching back with her hand in an attempt to grab hold of Mrs. Bremmer’s wrist. Anna simply slapped the tawse against the back of Lucy’s thigh, causing her to arch and screech again.
“Keep that hand down, little girl,” Anna ordered slapping the other thigh. “Naughty girls are punished and must show they accept their punishment. Put your hands down and don’t reach for your bottom again.”
Lucy sobbed, but as