Page 15 of Her Lord's Birch

“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.

After another few ticks of the clock, she took a deep breath, lifted her eyes to his and said quietly, “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, Edward.”

Edward shook his head slightly, but knew she’d learn soon enough proper forms of address. He allowed her another moment before he continued from where he had been interrupted. “As I was saying, you are both very, very naughty little girls. Naughty girls need to learn how to be good girls. It is my responsibility to teach you both that this sort of misbehavior, deceit and outright disobedience will not be tolerated under my roof.” He paused for a moment, seeing their faces flush at his harsh words, and saw Lucille open her mouth as if to interrupt yet again. However, his tolerance was reaching its end. He lifted his hand, abruptly cutting her off, “Such severe disobedience calls for severe chastisement. You are to both be put under the birch for your punishment.” Tolerant or not, he couldn’t claim to be truly shocked when he was interrupted.

“The birch!” Eyes the mirror image of his wife’s slid once again to the cabinet as any confusion as to what she’d seen were instantly cleared. “What? You-you can’t be serious! That’s ridiculous, Edward. I mean, we’ve already been punished. You saw Headmaster Thorne cane us. Surely that was punishment enough. You-you don’t have the authority… you can’t… I won’t—”

“Silence!” Edward’s voice thundered in the room and stopped Lucy mid-sentence. “You are not allowed to speak when facing discipline, Lucille, and never are you to dare interrupt me at any time. You are far too quick to loosen your tongue, young lady, and if I hear another word from you without you being first asked a question, I shall gag you.”

Lucy’s mouth dropped open in shock, and she once again looked to her sister.

Louisa kept her eyes downcast, her posture rigid, her voice silent. Edward saw the conflict pass across his ward’s face and saw her begin to tremble as the reality of the situation gradually began to set in her mind. If he were to guess, he’d say that she had most likely never been birched or witnessed anyone who had. Despite the practice of staff in services on many different estates going under the implement, often choosing a birching over being tossed out on their ear, he was also willing to bet that such punishments had been delivered in private within the Furniss household. Unfortunately for her, she was about to learn that privacy on the Wintercrest estate was granted at his sole discretion. Her face paled, her hands slipping from her head to twist in her skirts as her eyes were drawn yet again to the armoire as if attempting to connect the presence of the waiting birches with his declaration of impending punishment.

So soft he barely heard the words, her voice again broke the silence, “Please, Edward, please don’t do this.”

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