Of course there was also Mrs. Beale. She had seemed so nice, and so concerned about what was happening. Did Vanessa come to her with the scheme, or did Mrs. Beale go to Vanessa and suggest a way for them to make money?
Maisie didn’t have any answers. She didn’t think they would until they found Mrs. Beale, or Vanessa. Maisie thought that Lord Geoffrey was here because his brother had buggered things up, and he was supposed to fix them.
“Mr. Cummings, it is your duty to present your other to me for punishment,” Mr. Leslie said.
A shiver ran up Maisie’s spine as Mr. Cummings took her hand and tugged her gently. She moved with him until they were standing in front of Mr. Leslie. Everyone in the house seemed to be in the crowded room. Maisie had no idea what was about to happen to her, but she was willing to do her part, as she’d told Mr. Cummings when they were in Bath.
She’d had her doubts during their time here, but she was set for things now.
“Mr. Leslie, my other was naughty last night and went off on her own,” Mr. Cummings said. “I give her over to you to punish as you see fit.”
“I accept that as my responsibility,” Mr. Leslie said. “You can go, Mr. Cummings. I will send Sylvia to your room when we are finished.”
Mr. Cummings turned to Maisie. “Do as you’re told.”
“Yes, Mr. Cummings,” she said, praying she got the answer right.
He left without saying another word. Maisie, who wore a sheer caftan, stared at Mr. Leslie. She was terrified, and wanted to bolt out of the room as fast as she could.
“Maisie, you’ve broken the rules of the house,” Mr. Leslie said. “Mr. Cummings has given permission for your punishment. Do you give over? It is important that I have your permission for this punishment.”
“I do, Mr. Cummings, I mean, Mr. Leslie,” she said. Her hands shook as she stood there, waiting for him to tell her what to do.
“It’s an old-fashioned spanking, a very slow one,” Mr. Leslie said. “You will receive thirty-eight swats, one for every person in this household. You will have your hands on a kneeler, but will be bent at the waist. One by one the people will come up and you will apologize to them for breaking the rule, and then I will swat you. We will continue until we have gone through everyone.”
Maisie had to hand it to him. This punishment would take a good, long time. That would give Mr. Cummings the time he needed to make a thorough search.
Two men carried in a kneeler. At Mr. Leslie’s command, Maisie put her hands on the top and backed up until her bottom was in the air. When Mr. Leslie lifted the skirt over her hips to bare her ass she shivered, but she was happy that her bottom faced away from the group.
The first person up was Lord Geoffrey.
“I want to say once again that this is ridiculous,” he said. “I feel as if you are mocking me. But, it is your house, Mr. Leslie, so if she grovels a bit, I might—might—accept her apology.”
“I am sorry you perceived my innocent walk as something nefarious,” Maisie said.
“Ha!” Lord Geoffrey took a step back from her. “Even when she is being punished she is not sincere.”
No, I’m trying to give Mr. Cummings time to get his part of this done, Maisie thought.
“I did nothing wrong,” she said.
She needed to be careful. If she pushed him too far he might leave, and that would be bad.
“You disobeyed the house rules,” Mr. Leslie said.
“But no one told me I couldn’t take a walk at night.” She glanced up at Lord Geoffrey. “I am sorry if you feel I slighted you, and I can promise you that it was not intentional. I needed time by myself, and that is why I walked. Please, accept my apology.”
Maisie continued to stare at him, and when he nodded, ever so slightly, she knew she’d said just the right thing.
“Very well,” he said after a few moments. To Maisie, he looked very relieved, as if he’d gotten away with something. “I accept your apology.”
The first swat from the paddle seemed to come from out of nowhere, even though she’d known it would happen. There was a tittering from the gathered crowd. Lord Geoffrey took his seat. Maisie lowered her gaze to the ground.
I can do this, I can do this, she repeated to herself as a man she didn’t know appeared before her. She apologized to him for breaking the house rules. He told her he accepted her apology. Mr. Leslie slapped her bottom with the paddle.
By the time they got to ten, Maisie’s bottom started to ache. At fifteen she fought back tears. To try and take her mind off the spanking she wondered how Mr. Cummings was faring in his search. Then, as they reached twenty, she wondered if he was thinking about her, and how her punishment was coming along. She told herself he was too busy for that, and she couldn’t be upset if he didn’t ask after it was all over.
The swat for number twenty-two was particularly harsh, and she hissed loudly and stood up.
“Get back down!” Mr. Leslie ordered.
“It hurts,” she said.
That comment made the room laugh and a man said, “That’s the point you little twit.”
“Get back down!” Mr. Leslie ordered again when she didn’t follow his directive the first time.
Maisie shook as she did as he asked. Her knees felt as if they would buckle, and as they continued the punishment she was afraid her legs would come out from under her. But they didn’t.
It was at thirty-two that the door to the room opened and Mr. Cummings poked his head inside. She watched as he nodded and exited again. Seeing him gave her comfort, and the strength she needed to finish the spanking.
When it was done she stood, or at least she tried to. Sylvia was right next to her putting her arm around Maisie’s waist to help steady her.
“Because of this, Maisie will not participate in the dildo demonstration this afternoon,” Mr. Leslie said. “She lost that privilege by breaking the rules. We will pick someone to take her place at lunch, and I will be taking over Mr. Cummings’s position as instructor. We will see everyone at lunch. Sylvia, please help Maisie to her room.”
The ladies were silent as they left the room, but once in the hallway, Sylvia stopped and hugged Maisie tightly.
“How are you?”
“Sore,” Maisie said. She’d felt worse pain before, but she had to admit, now that it was over, that it had been horribly embarrassing to be spanked in front of so many people. While it was happening she had been thinking about the actual event, and about the absent man. But now that it was over she wondered what it would be like to meet these people at meals, and other events.
What would they think of her? Would they want to talk about it? Did they do things like this in their normal lives, or was it just something that happened at one of these weekends?
The public spanking wasn’t something she wanted to repeat.
They climbed the stairs slowly, and when they were at her door, it opened quickly, as if Mr. Cummings had heard them coming. He gathered Maisie in his arms and hugged her tightly.
“I’ve been worried,” he whispered in her ear.
“Sylvia has taken care of me,” Maisie said. She turned to thank her new friend, but she was already heading down the hallway.
“Come inside,” Mr. Cummings said. Once the door was closed he led her to the bed. “Let’s get this off you.” He gently tugged the caftan over her head. When she was naked she lay down on her stomach.
“Oh, that looks horribly red,” he said. “I don’t like the idea that someone besides me spanked you, but I knew it had to be done.”
“What did you find?” she asked.
“Later,” he said. “Right now I want to concentrate on you.”
Maisie loved that idea, but she also wanted to know if the spanking had been worth it. She was about to ask again, no, to insist, when cool lotion came into contact with her hot skin.
Mr. Cummings massaged her bottom, and Maisie relaxed into the bed.
“I didn’t like that,” she whispered.
; “I’m sorry you had to go through it,” he said.
She sighed softly. “It will be worth it to hear you found Mrs. Beale.”
“No, I didn’t,” he said. He continued to massage her. “But I did find something else that might give us the answers that we need.”
Maisie turned to face him. “What did you find?”
“How is your bottom?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said in exasperation. “Show me what you found.”
“Very well,” he said. He helped her from the bed and they headed toward Peyton’s door.
“Where is Mr. Braxton?” she asked. “He hasn’t been around lately.”
“He’s been watching something for me,” Mr. Cummings said. He opened the door and Maisie gasped.
Lounging on the bed was Mr. Braxton. His eyes were closed, but when they opened he smiled at them. “Spot on, there, Maisie. I hope you’re doing all right and I’m sorry that I didn’t get to take part in the spanking. I do love a good spanking, well not for me, but giving one can be so much fun.” He pointed toward the fireplace. “Of course, she missed it, too, although I don’t think she really cares. By the way, Aldis, she’s been questioning your parentage, just so you know.”
There, trussed to a chair, was Vanessa. She had a gag over her mouth, or Maisie was pretty sure, given the look on the young woman’s face, that she would have been spouting obscenities at them.
Chapter 15
If she didn’t know it would make Mr. Cummings mad, Maisie would have laughed until she was out of breath.
Vanessa continued to scream against the gag around her mouth.
“You know what to do,” Mr. Cummings said to Mr. Braxton.
“I do,” Mr. Braxton said. “May I just say, this has been more fun than I expected to have this weekend. Thanks for letting me take part in your little plan.”
He left and Maisie was sure he was going downstairs to scout out Lord Geoffrey’s actions.
“This isn’t even about you stealing from Lord James anymore,” Mr. Cummings said. “This is about you taking money for your stolen object from two different men, one of them a solicitor who is threatening to turn the two of us over to authorities as taking part in your scheme. He wants his money back.”
Vanessa’s anger melted into shock, and then she laughed, it was muffled, but she was laughing.
Maisie wanted to scream at her that it wasn’t funny, but she decided that Vanessa was the type who would respond to a strong male more than she would another female. It was best to stay silent.
“I’m going to ask you a few questions, and you’re going to be truthful with me,” Mr. Cummings said. He sat down across from her. “I’m not going to remove your gag. You will answer with a nod. I want you to know that if you refuse to cooperate I will contact the authorities in Morton-on-Mare and they will take you into custody.”
For the first time since she’d come into the room, Maisie saw true fear on Vanessa’s face. Her eyes widened and she coughed behind the gag.
“Maybe we should get her a drink of water,” Maisie said. “She can’t help us if she chokes to death.”
Vanessa nodded.
“For her to drink we would have to remove the gag,” Mr. Cummings said. “She is playing for time. Tell me, Vanessa, is Mrs. Beale in this house?”
Vanessa’s eyes narrowed, but it was the only emotion she showed. There was no nod.
“Fine, I’m not going to waste my time,” Mr. Cummings said. “Maisie, go down and tell Mr. Leslie to send for the local constable.”
“Yes, sir,” Maisie said. She started for the door, but Vanessa started to make noise, and the gagged noise sounded like, wait, wait, wait. Maisie turned back toward where Mr. Cummings sat with Vanessa. When she spoke again it was very clear.
“Talk.”
“I’m not removing the gag,” Mr. Cummings said. “Is Mrs. Beale in this house?”
Vanessa shook her head.
“Was she here last night?” he asked.
There was a pause, and then Vanessa nodded.
“Did you steal something from Lord James, and then sell it to two different people?”
Vanessa started crying, and she started to hiccup. It was obvious she was having trouble breathing. Mr. Cummings took off the gag, and then stroked her shoulder until she calmed down. While that was happening, Maisie poured her a glass of water. She handed it to Vanessa, who took a drink when she was breathing normally.
The room was silent for quite some time, and then finally Vanessa said, “You weren’t supposed to be here this weekend.”
“You should have timed things better,” Mr. Cummings said.
“It was just supposed to be a simple theft,” Vanessa said.
“Simple theft?” Mr. Cummings snorted. Maisie wanted to do the same. “How can you call taking someone else’s property simple?” he continued. “And why would you sell it to two different people? Are the both of you that greedy? Or is Lord James in on it, too? Or maybe it’s his brother. Did the three of you plan it? Who are the main conspirators?”
Vanessa remained silent.
“I guess the threat of the constable only went so far,” Maisie said. “Perhaps we should call him in and see if he can get answers.”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Vanessa said.
“Why not?” Maisie asked.
“Because you have the item in question,” Vanessa said. And then she broke into hysterical laughter.
Mr. Cummings wheeled on her, his anger evident.
“I have nothing,” she said.
Vanessa continued to laugh. She rocked against her bonds.
“I swear to you, Aldis, I have nothing,” Maisie said. For a moment, she thought he didn’t believe her. But then he nodded.
“This is some sort of scam on her part,” he said. “I trust you, Maisie. I know you’re honest. But we need to get to the bottom of things. We’ll just leave her trussed up here for a while, and then maybe later she will be willing to tell us the truth.”
“You can’t do this to me!” Vanessa screamed, right before Mr. Cummings put the gag back over her mouth. Her muffled screams and objections made Maisie smile. How dare she say that Maisie had something to do with her illegal activity?
“Into the other room,” Mr. Cummings said. He left the connecting door open. The minute they were inside, Maisie started to pace.
“I promise you, Mr. Cummings, I am not part of this,” she said.
He sat down in a chair and stared into the fire. “It’s a good set up,” he said. “They put you in the house at the right time, to make me suspicious of you. But what did she mean when she said you had the item? Can you explain that?”
“No,” she said. “I wish I could.”
She sat down opposite from him. “Where is Mr. Braxton?”
“Keeping an eye on Lord Geoffrey,” he said. “If he does as I suggested he is going to try and get the bored lord’s brother to participate in a ménage so he can’t sneak off and try and find Vanessa.”
“Do you think she’s going to tell us anything?” Maisie asked.
“I think she already has,” he said.
Unease spread through Maisie as his words took hold. “She’s trying to muddy the waters. I swear to you I don’t have whatever it is she’s talking about.”
He stared at her, and the room grew as hot as a fireplace. Maisie opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Mr. Cummings said.
Mr. Leslie and Sylvia came into the room.
“I saw Mr. Braxton downstairs, and he told me about our uninvited guest,” Mr. Leslie said. “I’ve heard about her tastes. I have an idea about how to, shall we say, make her uncomfortable. I think we should make her sit for a while. We’ll feed her a little at dinner, and then we’ll set up our little show.”
Maisie wasn’t sure what he had in mind, but she could tell by the look on Mr. Cummings’s face that he was following the conversation.
“I think you might be right, Mr. Leslie, but won’t it take you away from your evening activities?” Mr. Cummings asked. “I do appreciate your help, but we don’t want to disrupt your weekend any more than we already have.”
We, he used the word we. Even though he was suspicious of her because of Vanessa’s comment, he still felt as if they were a team. Or at least she hoped that’s what he meant. She hadn’t felt a connection with anyone in so long that it was a little shocking to her, and she wasn’t sure how to react.
Right now, with the Leslies in the room, it was best if she stayed silent. If he did still consider them a team he was in charge. The men moved toward the bed, their heads together. Maisie knew they were making plans. Sylvia gently touched her arm.
“It looks like we’ll get the chance to play together after all,” she said. “I have to admit Mr. Leslie’s idea is perfect. I know Vanessa, and if there is anything that gets her attention it’s sex.”
Well, that answered one of Maisie’s questions.
“We’re going to arrange the room,” Mr. Leslie said. “Sylvia, my love, please stay here with Maisie and, every once in a while, check to make sure that Vanessa has not wiggled out of her bonds.”
“As you wish, sir,” Sylvia said. When they were gone she turned to Maisie. “I’ll check on our captive, and when I return you can tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Bothering me?” Maisie asked.
“You’re frowning as if you are the queen and someone said your crown was tilted in the wrong direction.”
Maisie smiled. Sylvia had not waited for an answer. She had gone into the other room. Maisie heard her laugh, and Vanessa’s muffled outrage followed. Maisie couldn’t help but smile.
When Sylvia came back in she left the door open. She sat down on the bed and crossed her legs. “Now, tell me what’s wrong.”
“Nothing,” Maisie lied. “I just… oh very well, I’m so confused. I never expected the—” She stopped speaking.
“Don’t be ashamed to talk to me about anything,” Sylvia said. “I once felt the same way you did, nervous and confused. Mr. Leslie taught me about life, and how to enjoy it. Has Mr. Cummings done the same for you?”
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