“Your hand, we must take care of that first.”
But she was already pushing the large, heavy wooden door, and had opened it enough to poke her head around.
“Edward, this could be beautiful, look,” she declared, moving back to give him room.
Using his shoulder, Edward shoved the gate further open, allowing enough room for him to sidle through, and when he reached the other side, he stood and stared in surprised silence.
The area was completely overgrown, but it was obvious it had once been a very special place. He could clearly see the remains of an Oriental pagoda, and a curved, ornamental wooden bridge almost intact.
With her full dress, Charlotte was having a more difficult time getting past the gate, and realizing she was having a problem, Edward gave it a determined pull, opening it wide enough for her to enter.
“You’re right, Charlotte,” he said as she joined him. “I think this was a Japanese garden at one time.”
“You never explored back here?”
“There was no reason to. I wonder why it was blocked off like this.”
“Look, a pagoda, and a bridge, and are those statues of Japanese fishing men? This is wonderful!” she exclaimed. “Please, Edward, may we restore it? We must, surely.”
He gazed down at her, and seeing her enthusiastic expression, he nodded his head.
“Absolutely, and I want you to oversee the restoration. You will clear the expenditures with me, but you can work with a designer, or—”
“I want to design it myself,” she declared, interrupting him. “Once all the mess has been cleared away, I know I will be inspired.”
“Then you shall,” he agreed with a wide smile. “I do spend more time here in the fall, so the timing is perfect. We’ll be going to the country when we leave Brighton and staying there a short time, but then we can return here and you can get things started.”
“Oh, Edward, I’m so pleased about this.”
“We must do some research and see what we can learn about it,” he suggested as they moved back through the gate and headed to the house, “but we must take care of that hand immediately. It looks like a nasty gash.”
“It does hurt a bit,” she admitted.
Returning to the house through the French doors that led into the smaller reception room, Edward rang for Harding, who, seeing the injury, immediately fetched Doris, the head housekeeper. With an expertise born of years in service, the mature woman applied iodine to the cut, laid a clean cloth over it, and then bandaged Charlotte’s hand with strips of white cotton material.
“Thank you,” Charlotte murmured as the woman tied it off.
“That should heal up nicely. No permanent damage,” she said kindly. “You can take that off in a couple of days. Your gloves will cover it in the meantime. I’ve made sure it’s not too bulky.”
“Thank you, Doris,” Edward said gratefully.
As the housekeeper and butler left the room, taking her injured hand, he stared down at the bandaging.
“Next time you want to go exploring, please come and find me,” he said softly. “I don’t want my beautiful bride to suffer any further injuries.”
“Yes, Edward,” she nodded. “I will, though I can’t imagine you have many more secret gardens.”
“Cheeky girl,” he grinned. “We’ll have to start dressing for dinner in a little while, and I wish to inspect Maude’s very special work before then, so please, come with me up to my bedchamber.”
“Edward?”
“Yes, dearest?”
“Can we start calling it our bedchamber?”
“Of course, Charlotte. Your room is more of a dressing room and private sanctuary than a bedroom. I know many of our friends continue the tradition of separate bedrooms, but it is a convention I don’t share.”
“I’m glad,” she sighed. “I loved sleeping with you last night. It was wonderful, and I wish to sleep in the same bed with you every single night for the rest of my life.”
“And you shall,” he promised. “Come along, I am eager to look at you.”
Feeling her butterflies unexpectedly pop to life, she followed him from the room up the stairs, and as they made their way down the hall she could feel her pulse ticking up. He opened the double doors, gestured her forward, then locking the door, he moved behind her and kissed her neck.
“I shall undress you,” he murmured. “I will see all of you, and then I shall finish spanking you.”
“Spank me again?” she bleated.
“I told you earlier I was going to,” he whispered, keeping his lips against her ear.
“Forgive me for asking, but why?”
“I have my reasons, dearest one, but then we will go to dinner at the Criterion, and you will sit on your hot stinging bottom. By the time we return, you will be aching for my member to thrust inside you.”
“The way you are speaking to me is making me ready now,” she moaned.
“Hmm, yes, I do know that,” he mumbled. “Now let’s get you out of these garments.”
Chapter Eleven
Standing before him, bare and self-conscious, Charlotte’s heart was pounding against her chest, and she could feel the delicious warm wetness between her legs. He had yet to spank her, but his artful disrobing had sent the surge of erotic heat through her pussy, and she ached for him to take her into his arms.
“You are more beautiful than any statue,” he purred as he circled her. “Your skin is like alabaster, your face like that of an angel, your bottom still pink from my hand reminds me of the petulant young woman who needs my discipline so badly, and your naked cunnie is irresistible. Go to my chair.”
For a moment she didn’t understand, then she flashed back to his edict and moved the few steps to kneel before the large, forest green easy chair. Placing her hands behind her back, she gazed at the floor and waited. She could hear him moving around the room, and knew he was at the heavy chest by the windows. Her curiosity was raging. He was fetching something, and she was fearful it was an instrument of discipline, but also tantalized by the thought it was something that would transport her womanhood into the magical place he had taken her the night before. His footfalls announced his return, but to her surprise, when he sat down his hands were empty.
“Spread,” he crooned, leaning forward.
Feeling her face turn a fresh shade of crimson, she parted her knees, then watched, mesmerized, as his hand crept slowly forward. When his fingers whispered across her fleshy, hair-free nether lips and slipped between them, she gasped, then softly moaned.
“How lovely to feel this so naked,” he quietly remarked. “Does it feel lovely to you?”
“Yes, sir,” she breathed.
“Smooth, silky, womanly. I expect you to keep it like this always. Did Maude teach you how to maintain this state?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Does this hurt?” he asked, thrusting his finger into her depths.
“Perhaps the slightest bit, nothing really.”
“Tonight, after you have been dressed and Helen has left,” he said, continuing to tease between her legs, “you will remove your drawers and petticoats. You will dine across from me at the Criterion naked under your dress.”
“Ooh, sir,” she gasped, shocked at his suggestion. “My dress may not drape correctly.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a gown that will have the required fullness without the many undergarments. Many times I will have you the same. Even when dining at home, there will be times I shall have you remove your underwear, even during evenings when we are entertaining.”
“I shall be blushing all night,” she murmured.
“Indeed, and feeling lewd and very tantalized too,” he whispered as his finger circled her clit.
“I fear you are right, sir,” she quivered, the fever burning through her body. “How shall I maintain my composure?”
“Do not fear it, Charlotte, embrace it. We will share our naughty secret with delight, not dread.”
&
nbsp; “I shall, sir,” she said, lifting her eyes, sparkling them back at him.
“Now it is time for discipline,” he declared, dropping his hand.
His tone had changed, and she knew he would brook no debate. Not only would any protest prove fruitless, it would add to her pending punishment. He was rising to his feet, walking behind her, and moments later he was tapping something on her bottom.
“Place your chin on the chair, hands on the arms, and arch your back.”
It wasn’t a comfortable position, but once she was settled she understood. Her bottom was forced out, protruding in an embarrassingly lascivious manner.
“I must punish you, Charlotte, and I want you to tell me why.”
“Because I spoke harshly to you in the tearoom,” she said tremulously, “for which I most sincerely apologize.”
“Exactly. That was completely unacceptable. I made it perfectly clear you were not to be insolent, impertinent, or argumentative. I also warned you that if you were, you would feel something more than my hand. Do you remember?”
“Yes, sir,” she bleated.
“I keep my word, Charlotte. You must be corrected. You will receive three licks of my strap. It will keen smartly, and tonight, as you sit on your sore, naked bottom and look at me across the table, you will be reminded that you must always speak to me with respect. You may disagree with me, or voice an opinion strongly, but you will not be insolent, impertinent, or argumentative.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Your apology is accepted, and I thank you for it, and now you shall feel the punishment of my strap. As I said, three licks, and you must ask for each. Begin.”
“Ooh, sir, please, will you, uh, deliver the first?”
“This is for being insolent,” he declared, and flicked the strap across the center of her cheeks.
“Owwww!”
“Ask for the second.”
“Ooh, sir, please, will you strap me a second time?”
“This is for being impertinent,” he said sternly, landing the strap with a stinging swat just below the first.
Charlotte wriggled, squirming her hips from side to side, hissing in the air through clenched teeth.
“Ask for the third,” Edward continued when she finally fell still.
“Sir,” she groaned, “please, will you land the third?”
“This is for being argumentative. I promised you I would explain everything about Maude in good time, but you argued with me. If you were still worried you could have said so,” he scolded. “You could have explained that you were feeling worried, or sad, and asked me sweetly, not demanded answers like a shrew.”
“Oh, sir, I am truly ashamed that I was so rude,” she swore, the reprimand hurting almost as much as the strap.
“That was the most grievous of your actions today, so this leather strap shall kiss you right here,” he warned, sliding it back and forth across her sit spot, then tapping it lightly, building her apprehension, he pulled it back and swatted it down.
“Owwwwww.”
“Stay as you are and think about your stinging bottom, think about what you did to deserve it. I shall be back in a few minutes.”
She heard him leave the room, and the heavy silence cloaked her, making her focus on his parting words. The hot, burning, prickling sting permeated her backside, and as she closed her eyes and considered his edict, she had a sudden realization.
She had spoken to him exactly as she had spoken to her uncle and her aunt. It was also how she often spoke to Helen, and the servants at Kimberwick Hall. It was the way she had talked to the foolish, simpering, pathetic young men who would call on her with flowers and presents. The epiphany shook her.
I have been so unkind. So full of anger. My tongue has hurt others, as the strap just hurt me.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when she heard the door open and Edward’s footsteps moving towards her, she felt a wave of relief.
“Return to your kneeling position.”
Her shoulders were slightly cramped, and as she slowly rose up and returned her hands behind her back, he moved in front of her and sat down.
“Look at me,” he said tenderly.
Reassured by the tone of his voice, she returned his gaze, biting her tongue to stop from blurting out all she wanted to share.
“Now then, Charlotte, tell me what you thought about.”
“Sir, I’m so thankful,” she began. “I had an unexpected moment of clarity. I realized that I have been insolent, impertinent, and argumentative for a long time. I was always feeling cross, or irritated and annoyed, but I don’t know why. I am feeling so much better now. It’s being with you. Being married to you, being your wife, I do not feel so vexed.”
“I believe, Charlotte, throughout these last years, you have been very frustrated and angry. Being sharp and unkind was how you showed your feelings. You have no reason to be that way anymore. You are now loved and cherished. Do you understand?”
His words rattled through her, and as a hot lump grew in her throat, her eyes widened.
“Sir, I do, I do,” she breathed. “Thank you, sir. I feel so… strange… like I’m free.”
“Old habits die hard. It is an oft-used expression, but it is true, so you must learn to catch yourself. If you are feeling out of sorts, you must think before you speak.”
“I will. I understand now, and I think I’ll understand more as the days go by.”
“Bring your lovely naked body into my lap,” he said, opening his arms.
Crawling onto his wide thighs, she laid her legs over the arm of the chair and leaned her body against his chest.
“My bottom is so sore,” she sighed.
“As it should be,” he said gently, “and I will make it so again if needs must.”
“I know you will, and I shall strive to be a good girl, I promise.”
“As long as you try,” he whispered. “Your bosom is so beautiful,” he remarked, moving his hands across her breasts. “Such perfect nipples.”
His thumb and forefinger began playing with the pink rosebuds, twirling and tweaking.
“I love it when you do that,” she murmured, closing her eyes and softly moaning.
“That’s why I do it,” he replied, then cupping one of her full melons, he held it up and lowered his mouth, sucking its nipple, tonguing lustily as he held it between his lips.
“Sir,” she gasped, “please, won’t you lay me on your bed and visit me with your member?”
“I will, but later, when we return from the Criterion,” he breathed, lifting his head, “but now it’s time for you to put your clothes back on. You must return to your room and call Helen to dress you for dinner, and I must call Reese.”
“Ooh, I want to stay here in your lap for hours,” she muttered. “For hours and hours.”
“I would be happy to have you here for hours,” he said, kissing her gently, “but we have a wonderful evening ahead. There will be plenty of cuddles when we return.”
“I know you want me to stay here, I feel it in your trousers.”
“Cheeky girl,” he grinned, giving her a playful swat as she slipped off his lap.
“Ouch, I’m already very sore!”
“I’m well aware of that,” he said with a wry grin as he rose to his feet. “Let’s get your clothes back on. Time is moving.”
It was just over an hour later that Edward, sipping a brandy in the drawing room, looked up to see Charlotte walk through the door. Dressed in a royal blue, sparkling gown, with cream opera gloves and cream shoes peeping from under the hem, she radiated poise and elegance. Helen had swept Charlotte’s long hair into a roll of curls at the back of her head, and delicately woven in a sparkling blue comb. Sapphire and diamond earrings twinkled from her ears, and a cobweb sapphire necklace shone against the hollow of her throat.
“You look extraordinary,” Edward declared, standing up as she entered. “Absolutely exquisite. I shall be so proud to enter the Criterion with y
ou on my arm.”
“Lord Pemberly, may I say how splendid you look in your dress suit and white bow tie?”
“Thank you, yes, you may,” he said, smiling broadly. “The carriage awaits. I believe we shall be the most handsome couple in the dining room.”
He extended his elbow, she placed her hand around it, and they made their way to the front door to find Harding already holding it open for them.
“I hope you have a very pleasant evening,” he said as they passed.
“Thank you, Harding,” Edward replied, “I’m sure we will.”
They settled into the carriage, and as it rolled down the street, Charlotte reached across the small space and touched Edward’s leg.
“Lord Pemberly,” she began with a cheeky grin, “I am honored to be sharing this carriage with you, and I am honored to be dining with you this evening.”
“Lady Charlotte,” he replied, playing along, “I believe I will be the most fortunate gentleman out on the town tonight, being in the company of such a delightful and charming young woman.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“May I ask, how is the lady’s bottom? Quite tender, I trust?”
“Indeed it is, sir,” she replied, feeling the familiar blush cross her face.
“Excellent. Then I am sure we will have a most delightful dinner, and your behavior will be exemplary.”
“It will,” she nodded, her eyes wide.
Her eager expression made him laugh out loud.
“I do love you so very much,” he declared.
Her eyes sparkled back at him, and they chatted happily as the elegant carriage made its way through the dark London streets until pulling to a stop outside the Criterion. An attendant hurried forward and opened the door.
The Criterion was more than just a restaurant. It was a popular entertainment center with an underground theatre, a smoking room, and a lager beer saloon. Patronized by affluent Londoners, both young and old, it was a bustling place, and it was common to cross paths with friends and acquaintances. As they entered the foyer Edward spied some colleagues from his club and nodded a hello, then taking Charlotte by the elbow, they made their way to the dining room.
His Willful Bride (Victorian Brides Book 1) Page 10