“I understand how you feel, but I promise I’ll tan your sweet bottom if you disobey me, Lucy.”
She pouted but wisely kept quiet. She still had her shopping to do, and she doubted if Henry would miss her if she slipped out for just a couple of minutes after she took her cake from the oven.
Chapter Six
Lucinda’s cake came out of the oven in perfect shape, and once it cooled for a few minutes, she was able to take it out of the pans to cool. Henry was with his patients, caring for them, and in spite of his warning to keep herself at home and off the streets, Lucinda decided she was going to try once more to make her purchases. She couldn’t very well permit Henry to boss her around and restrict her just because they were married. She wouldn’t be happy in a marriage of that sort. True, there were strangers in town, but she couldn’t stay cooped up and live in fear. She could take care of herself.
She let herself out through the private door that led to the alley in back of the building, and quickly walked the short distance to Mr. Tune’s store. The older man was still working, in spite of the bandage on his head and the scowl on his face. He glanced up when she entered the store. “Well now, young lady, I was positive that Henry would order you to keep yourself at home until the town settled a bit.” He smiled at her apologetically. “I’m so sorry I didn’t protect you.”
“You weren’t given a chance,” Lucinda answered. “Those two were drunk and being stupid. How is your head feeling?” she asked politely.
“It hurts,” he admitted. “But, I’m alive, so I can’t complain. How did you learn to fight that way? Gladys said you were like nothing she’s ever seen.”
“I learned from the Chinese couple who did our laundry; it’s called Martial Arts. It’s a form of self-defense. I studied a long time to reach this level; it is a good thing I did,” she smiled and then said, “I didn’t get the opportunity to look at yard goods earlier, and I am still needing to purchase some fabric.”
“You go ahead and look, Lucinda, and if you find something you like, I’ll be happy to cut it for you.”
Lucinda busied herself doing that and Bill waited on other customers in the meantime, always taking the time to introduce her if he thought it was someone she should meet. It took her a while to realize that he was doing his very best to help her be accepted by the townspeople and let them know that the marriage had his approval. Lucinda was touched by his thoughtfulness. She finally chose the fabric she wanted and while Bill was cutting off the length, she found some matching thread. Soon she was all finished and she hurried home the way she came, suddenly hoping that Henry hadn’t missed her.
As luck would have it, she slipped into the kitchen without Henry being any the wiser to the fact that she’d left. She made the frosting for her cake and when it was all finished, she was proud as could be. Lucinda put something on the stove for their evening meal and when Henry came into the kitchen, looking for broth for his patients, she had some ready for both men. Henry thanked her gratefully, and she smiled. So far their marriage was off to a good start, provided he forgot all about spanking her for looking for work in the saloon. She didn’t think it a big deal, but Henry and most of the other people in town certainly did.
She decided that her husband might like a break, so she went to find him in the infirmary. He looked up at her and smiled as she walked in. “I thought you might want to take a break? I can sit here for a while if you’d like?”
“I should go over to the jail and check on my patient there,” Henry told her. “Are you sure you don’t mind keeping an eye on these two?”
“No, of course not. Do what you need to do, Henry.” It was enjoyable to actually feel helpful, and it didn’t hurt that it was something her father wouldn’t approve of, either. As it did so often, her mind went to her brother, and while she was still sad at his loss, and would always be, in her heart she knew that Henry did everything possible to save Philip. Even when Mac gave him an out and said he didn’t need to treat the man who attacked her, Henry had grabbed his bag and went to tend another human being… just as he did the Apache brave who tried to kill her. She would never know why Philip lied to her, unless it was because he wanted to keep her in Boston. She would have come if she’d known how desperately ill he was. Lucinda brushed away a tear when one of the soldiers called out to her. She got up and went to his side and quickly agreed when he asked if she would write a letter to his folks for him…
It was all Henry could do to keep from interrupting his bratty wife when he returned to the infirmary several minutes later. His right hand was fairly itching to set fire to her bare butt, but she was giving comfort to the young soldier and right now that was more important than taking Lucy to task. There would be time for that later… Once the young soldier said what he wanted and needed to say to his parents. Henry wasn’t sure the young man would survive at this point, and a letter of this sort would give him… and his parents… much needed comfort if the worst happened. He heard Lucy softly encouraging him and telling him not to give up. The soldier nodded, and slept peacefully, thanks to her calming words. Henry was seeing a new side to the pretty little redhead, but he was still going to paddle her for sneaking out and going back to Bill’s store after he told her it wasn’t safe to be on the street alone!
“Oh, Henry!” Lucinda gasped. “I didn’t hear you come back! How is your patient?” she asked.
“Hurting from the stitches, but he will survive. I’d say the hangover is bothering him most of all.”
“I don’t feel much sympathy over that,” she stormed. “He badly frightened Gladys!” Lucinda suddenly noticed that Henry’s temper was simmering. “Ut oh! I’m in trouble again,” she whispered.
“You can say that again.” He kept his voice down. “I stopped to check on Bill, too, and he told me you were in shopping. He was surprised I would let you out on the street alone after what happened earlier.”
“You can see I am all right, Henry!” She gently stomped her foot.
“Do you need a new dress so badly that you had to risk your life to go and buy yard goods after I forbade you to leave here alone? After I promised to spank you if you disobeyed me?”
“The yard goods are to make some new kitchen curtains and a tablecloth, and I also wanted to check on Mr. Tune. He has been so very kind to me, and I want him to know I care about him.”
Henry was surprised by her answer. “New kitchen curtains?”
“You don’t have any, Henry,” she reminded him. “You said I could fix things up if I wanted, and I thought some pretty curtains would make the kitchen more cheerful. If you hate the fabric I bought, I will choose something different,” she offered.
“I don’t care about curtains, Lucy!” he insisted, his voice full of exasperation even though he tried to keep from making too much noise. “I care about you! I didn’t even know you were gone; what if something had happened? Some drunken fool could have dragged you off and I would have been completely unaware you needed help. Damn it, Lucy, you defied and disobeyed me.”
“I cannot abide being restricted, Henry. I tried to tell you that. My father used to lock me in my room, and I would sneak out the window and climb down the tree when it got to the point I couldn’t breathe. I was wrong to leave without telling you; I admit that, but please don’t think you can restrict me and confine me… even if it is for my own protection. I will be very careful, I promise.”
“Lucy, I’m not your father, and you won’t be sneaking around behind my back. You’ve earned yourself a damned good spanking, and you’ll be getting it at bedtime tonight.”
“That’s what you think!” she stormed at him. “I won’t be punished for walking to the general store and buying fabric! It is not my fault the Apache are angry right now; it is not my fault that those two men got drunk and shot Mr. Tune and threatened Gladys and me; it is not my fault that you are afraid, and I won’t be made to suffer for that.” She watched his eyes fill with temper and then pointed a slender finger at him, “If
you want one single piece of that cake I baked for you, Doctor Henry Zabarski, then you will behave yourself and kindly remember that I am a grown woman, not a child!” She stomped past him and made her way back to the relative safety of the kitchen.
Henry decided he needed to calm down before he dealt with his sassy little wife. He had to remember that she was still very sore from yesterday’s switching, too. Kitchen curtains! Mari had planned to make curtains, too. It was obviously a womanly thing, but sure as heck not important enough to disobey an express order. He frowned. It was their wedding night and he’d much rather do other things with his wife than set her bottom on fire. The odds of having a proper wedding night were slim in the first place, but if he spanked Lucy like she deserved, there wouldn’t be a wedding night at all. He was damn sure of that.
Lucinda did not want to start off their marriage with a spanking! It was insulting, somehow. Of course, she’d dared him by marching off to the store. She’d done it deliberately, mostly to prove she would do as she pleased. Henry wasn’t the type of man to overlook deliberate disobedience and defiance. Why did she always have to do the wrong thing? Would it have been so terrible to ask him to walk her to the store? She didn’t want her wedding night ruined with a spanking. Even though Henry promised she wouldn’t have to share his bed until she was ready, she wanted to start their marriage off in the right way. Marriage was forever, and she wouldn’t have married the man if she wasn’t sure she wanted to be with him in that way. But, she didn’t want a spanking… It would spoil everything.
Henry looked up from the book he was reading when Lucinda walked into the infirmary. She brought him a cup of coffee and a couple of cookies. “Supper won’t be for a couple of hours and I thought you might like a snack,” she said with a smile.
“Thanks.” He put down the book and picked up a cookie, looking at her and trying to read her mind. She obviously wanted to talk to him.
“Henry, I’ve been thinking…” She looked at him expectantly.
“And…?”
“Well, I don’t want a spanking tonight. It is our wedding night, after all,” she reminded him. “It would ruin everything.”
“True.” He wondered where she was going with this.
“I shouldn’t have disobeyed you and left and gone to the store. Will you forgive me this once?” she asked hopefully.
“I’ve been thinking about the same thing,” he admitted.
“You have?”
“I have. But, you went out of your way to earn a good spanking. If I permit you to get away with it this time, you’ll think all you have to do is ask off the next time it happens. I don’t want to ruin our wedding night, either, but you’ve given me no choice.”
“I was afraid you would say that,” she pouted. “Okay, then… Can’t we just get it over with now? If you wait until we go to bed, then I’ll be too upset and I won’t want you to touch me afterwards. And…” she added, “…if you make me too sore now, I might not feel like having a true wedding night…” She wondered if her cheeks were as red as they felt.
“Lucy, are you saying you want your spanking now so that you’ll be over it when we retire tonight?” Henry was a bit shocked with her boldness, but then, this was Lucy, and she was as unpredictable as could be!
“I don’t want a spanking at all, Henry, but if you insist it must be done, then I would prefer to have it over with as soon as possible,” she was forced to admit.
“Very well. You may go into the kitchen, and bend over the table, with your bottom bared for a spanking. I’ll be in shortly to tend to you.” Henry didn’t believe she would actually do as he said, but he would give her the opportunity. If she obeyed him in this matter, then he would give her a very light spanking. If she wasn’t in place when he went to her, then she would wait until bedtime and he would set her cute little butt on fire, and their wedding night would have to be postponed.
It was embarrassing as could be, Lucy decided, to have to prepare for a spanking. If she could think of a way to avoid the consequence, she would give it a try, but in this particular instance she didn’t have a leg to stand on. She was going to have to embarrass herself and it was excruciatingly embarrassing, and she feared she would lose her temper in spades if Henry made fun of her in any way for complying with his orders. Lucinda pulled up her skirts and lowered her drawers to her knees and then bent over the table to wait, praying he wouldn’t leave her in this position very long. It was truly humbling, and if she had it to do over, she would have kept her very vulnerable bottom at home!
Henry made sure his patients were sleeping and then he left them to go and tend to Lucy. He had to admit he was surprised to find her exactly where he told her to be. She’d bared herself, too, and he knew how much that had to cost her in terms of her pride. “I’m really proud of you for obeying me, Lucy,” he said kindly, his hand giving her sore tush a comforting pat. “I know this was difficult for you.”
“If I had it to do over, Henry, I would make a better choice,” she admitted, relieved he wasn’t going to tease her.
“That is good to know,” he replied. “I’m going to spank you, Lucy, not because I want to be mean, but because you are important to me. I couldn’t bear to lose you,” he said hoarsely. “You can count each one.” He gave her the first spank and wasn’t surprised when she gasped in pain. Her butt was covered with lines from the switching he gave her less than twenty-four hours ago.
“Ouch! One,” Lucinda said, her green eyes filling with tears because she was so embarrassed. The second spank was stinging and hot, and she quickly called out, “Two!”
Henry methodically covered her cheeks, deliberately spanking her hard enough to sting and make an impression. He knew Lucy was crying, and he hated the necessity of spanking her. When she finally said ten, he paused. “That was for disobeying me this afternoon. “Now, we have one other matter to attend. Nice women do not set foot in saloons here, wife. The women who do so are the ones who sell themselves. Do you understand?” He gave her one hearty spank to each of her sit spots and Lucinda yelped loudly and danced on her two feet.
“I understand! I wasn’t looking for that kind of work, Henry! I was offering to do the books or cook… not entertain in any way! Do you believe me?” she asked tearfully, and was surprised when he raised her up to hold her in his arms.
“I already know that, Lucy, sweetheart. Will you stay clear of those places now?” he asked formally.
“Yes, of course I will,” she answered without hesitation.
Henry leaned down to kiss her and then he used the pads of his thumbs to wipe away her tears. “I think you were very brave to come and ask me to get your spanking over with now, sweet lady. I’m very proud of you. It’s all over and forgiven now… and it pleases me that we can look forward to our wedding night now.” He kissed her again, and then went back to the infirmary.
Lucinda’s bottom was stinging furiously, and she was blushing as she pulled up her drawers and righted her clothing. Henry was gentle with her, and it made her smile in relief. She would try harder to behave herself now. She put other dishes on to cook for their supper, and when Henry asked for more broth for his patients, she quickly put the liquid into cups for them to drink and offered to help Henry feed them.
Henry was pleased to have her help, and even the young soldier he’d been so concerned about was doing much better. Lucinda was a born nurse and both of his patients were smiling when she left the room with their dirty dishes. A short while later she called him to supper, and since both patients were sleeping again, he took a break. “This looks good, Lucy.”
“I enjoy cooking.” Cook had taught her how, behind her parents’ backs, of course, since her father thought it beneath her to learn to do domestic things. She was supposed to sit and look pretty and embroider all day long and visit with other ladies, and go shopping, within a tight budget, of course. Her father controlled their finances with an iron hand.
“This is wonderful, Lucy.” The compliment was
sincere as he asked for seconds, and then, to top off a great meal, there was a chocolate cake. Henry couldn’t believe his good fortune. “I don’t get meals like this very darn often, Lucy. Thank you.” He savored every bite of cake. “How on earth did I get so lucky? I have a wife who is pretty to look at and a good cook, too. Lucy, you please me, and I promise I want to be good to you, too.” He was sincere.
“You’ve been good to me, Henry, even when I was doing my worst to ruin your life. I know now that you could never mistreat someone like Philip, and I am ashamed of the way I behaved toward you at first.”
“I read his letters, Lucy. In your shoes, I would have been upset, too. Now, please stop fretting about it. It’s over and done and forgiven.”
“Thank you for being so understanding, Henry,” she smiled. He went back to the infirmary to check on his patients, and she busied herself with the cleanup. It didn’t really take long to do the dishes, wipe off the table, and sweep the floor. Lucy looked around the kitchen and was pleased with herself. It was still entirely too early to go to bed, and she knew instinctively that Henry would stay with their patients most of the evening. She took out the fabric she bought and decided she would get busy making the curtains for the window and the door window, and the tablecloth that would match. The fabric had flowers all over it, and she giggled at Henry’s assumption she’d purchased yard goods for a dress. It wasn’t the sort of thing that would look pretty as a dress, or even a shirtwaist. No, this was kitchen fabric.
She measured and cut, and was ready to start sewing when Henry came to her, a frown on his face. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Jenny Baker is ready to deliver. Her husband just came for me. I’m sorry, Lucy, but I need to go out.”
Lucinda was quick to hide her initial disappointment. She was married to a doctor, and this would happen and she’d best get used to it. “I’ll keep an eye on our patients,” she said, getting to her feet. “When should I give them more pain medication?” she asked.
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