by Golden Angel
Eleanor sighed, pulling her hand away from Grace and laying both of her palms over the very slight swell of her stomach. It was only visible because she was sitting down and she wasn't wearing a gown that required a corset. "I should probably stay here as well," she said, regretfully, her hand briefly caressing her stomach. "It would still look suspicious if Irene was just sitting here alone. Besides, someone should keep her company." The two women smiled at each other, Irene looking rather relieved that she wouldn't completely be on her own.
"Well I'm going with Grace," Cynthia announced, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Even in the face of her enthusiasm, Grace could still feel herself hesitating. There would still be the other servants to contend with. And what if Alex came home early? But Cynthia was also right about this being a golden opportunity. "Please," the younger woman begged. "It sounds like so much fun - think of it as a wedding present to me!"
The happy eagerness with which she made her suggestion had Grace laughing again. Truly, she had laughed more in the company of her friends here in Bath than she had in years, and mostly due to Cynthia. The young woman was, quite simply, outrageous. When Wesley did take her to London, she would either be a hit or even more of a scandal than Grace had been. Although, since he was already considered a bit of an eccentric, due to his flaunting of fashion and his bronzed skin, as well as his outspoken interest in trade, Cynthia would probably be dubbed an Original, rather than a scandal.
"Very well," said Grace, her heart beginning to hammer inside of her chest. "We'll do it."
******
Comfortably ensconced in a plush chair, Hugh swirled his brandy and raised his glass.
"To Wesley and his bride - may she ever keep him on his toes!"
"Which will keep her bottom very red," Wesley parried, raising his own glass amid the laughter. Hugh could only shake his head.
Although he did admit that it aroused him to discipline his wife, he certainly didn't consider it a necessity to life, like Wesley did. Edwin too, although Hugh did his best not to think about that. He was more than content with Irene's sweetness, her passion, her eagerness in his bed. The occasional spanking surely added a bit of spice, but he was happiest when she didn't require it. As he'd thought, he preferred a wife who wasn't constantly getting into trouble, like his sister had. A wife like Cynthia would probably put him in his grave decades early; Wesley seemed to thrive on it.
"Do you think she does it on purpose?" Alex asked, tapping one long finger against his glass.
To Hugh's surprise, the usually stone-faced lord seemed almost relaxed tonight. It was the first time that Hugh had really seen him enjoying himself. Since arriving in Bath, Alex had sought out advice from all three of the other men about disciplining his wife, but he hadn't talked about the results at all. He kept everything very close to his chest, unlike Wesley, who had a tendency to share a bit too much.
"Does what on purpose?" Edwin asked.
"Gets into trouble," Alex said. His hazel eyes were slightly out of focus, as if he was looking at something far away, or deep within. "I think Gracie has started deliberately trying to provoke me."
"I wouldn't put it past either of them," Wesley said. A small, sadistic smile played on his lips. "However, I would hope that Cynthia's punishments are enough to keep her from misbehaving in a way that I would truly be upset over."
"Or it'll just teach her not to get caught," Hugh said. "I'm sure that Eleanor didn't receive half the punishments she likely deserved." He'd even covered for her a few times, as a good big brother should. Usually when the offense was minor, or he himself was somehow involved in her antics. That had only been when they were children though, as he'd gotten older and taken on more responsibility - including disciplining her - he'd stopped participating in her wild schemes and she'd started hiding them from him.
All of the men mulled over this likely scenario. Wesley looked like he anticipated the challenge and Hugh silently wished him luck. He was sure that his friend would need all he could get.
Before another topic of discussion could be raised, a knock sounded at the door, making all of them look up, and then at Edwin, in surprise. He shook his head, looking just as caught off guard as the rest of them. Although they knew quite a few people in Bath, as the ton had come trickling in for the wedding on the morrow, they hadn't been expecting anyone to join them. Edwin's butler opened the door, an expression of concern on his face and he gave an apologetic bow to all of them as he handed his employer a note.
Edwin's countenance darkened as he read over it quickly, his jaw clenching. "Speaking of getting caught..." He thrust the note at Hugh as he nodded to the butler. "Thank you, Banks. Get our coats, please, it appears we're going out."
The other two crowded ‘round Hugh as Edwin spoke, wanting to know what had perturbed him.
The short note was written in a heavy, severe hand.
My Lord Hyde,
I regret that I must request you inform the Earl of Spencer that he is needed at the house at once. His ward and one of our guests have gone missing. Your wife and Viscountess Petersham are currently still in the drawing room here.
With regrets for the intrusion,
William Manfred
The curses came fast and furious as all of the gentlemen swiftly downed the last of their drinks and set them aside. So much for thinking that his own wife had become a paragon of virtues. He didn't doubt for one moment that Irene knew where Grace and Cynthia had got to, if they'd disappeared.
And he was prepared to do whatever was necessary to convince her to part with the information.
******
The moment the men came storming through the door, Irene knew that they were caught. Not that it stopped either her or Eleanor from putting on their most innocent expressions. The gimlet look in her husband's eye as he strode towards her said he wasn't buying her act for a second. Nervous butterflies flocked to her stomach.
Defying Hugh wasn't something she was cut out for, but she would do her best. She completely avoided looking at Alex, not wanting to give anything away. Besides which, she was feeling more than displeased with her old friend at the moment. Although she hadn't liked Grace at the beginning of their marriage, that still didn't mean that he should have said the things he did to Grace's father. Now, having become friendlier with the other woman, she no longer blamed Grace for her behavior at all.
Irene knew full well that she herself was lucky that Hugh cared so deeply for her that he had fallen in love with her. But he'd also started out their marriage with the appropriate sentiments. She was appalled at Alex's attitude towards marriage. Why should Grace treat their relationship as something worthwhile when he didn't?
She didn't realize it, but her chin tilted up at a stubborn angle as she looked back at the men, feigning calm. Only her hands, clenched in her lap, gave away her nerves. That and the tiny tremors that shivered through her body. Beside her, Eleanor, much more practiced at being in trouble, raised a questioning eyebrow at her approaching husband.
While Wesley and Alex hung back, it was clear that they were even more agitated than Hugh or Edwin, who looked like avenging furies as they loomed over their wives.
"My Lords," Eleanor said smoothly, and Irene mentally blessed her. Her own throat was so tight with nerves that she could barely breathe, much less talk. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"
Edwin crossed his arms over his chest, the stern look on his face making Irene quail. She didn't know how Eleanor managed to remain so collected, looking up at him as if she didn't have a care in the world. Peeking at her own husband, Irene felt her tremors increase at his severe countenance. Every inch of her wanted to squirm under that authoritarian gaze.
"Where are Cynthia and Grace?" Edwin asked, his mild tone completely at odds with the stern look on his face. Deceptively mild, that was what it was, Irene thought. She didn't trust it any more than the men trusted her and Eleanor's wide-eyed innocence.
"Why the retiring room, of course," Eleanor s
aid with a little laugh, her eyes meeting each man in turn, with a look that said they were all being silly. More than ever, Irene admired her sister-in-law. The lie wouldn't hold up for more than a few minutes, but Eleanor looked completely serene, even facing off against the four large and very intimidating men in the room.
Even knowing that her and Irene's bottoms were going to pay for it.
Irene bit on her lower lip. She hated the look of disappointment on Hugh's face as she didn't speak up and avoided meeting his eyes, even when she peeked at him through her lashes. Eventually either she or Eleanor would break, and she was honest enough to know that it would probably be her, but she would delay the men for as long as possible. Give Grace and Cynthia the time to search, so that at least their punishments wouldn't be in vain.
"I think we both know that's not true." The growing menace in Edwin's voice made Irene shiver again. She actually shrank into herself as Hugh spoke up.
"Perhaps Irene and I should move to a different room to talk," he said. "Wesley, do you have a room we could use?"
Staring at her hands in her lap, Irene's bottom clenched. She instinctively knew why Hugh wanted privacy. It was what she had expected. Eleanor was protected by her condition, but going by the look on Edwin's face, he was already thinking about lighting into her bottom once it was safe to. Not that it quailed Eleanor in the slightest, unlike Irene.
She knew she was their weak spot. Unused to standing up to her mother. Unused to being spanked. Unused to doing anything other than what was expected of her.
"My study," Wesley said, his voice hard, not at all like the laughing, flirtatious rake that she was used to seeing him as. Quite suddenly, she realized that this was the side of him that Cynthia probably saw most often. Stern, imposing, and, as Cynthia would say, a "stuffed-shirt." Although, right now he certainly had reason to be. "The chair is in there."
Irene stifled a little moan as Hugh reached out and took her arm, lifting her to her feet.
"Wait," said Eleanor, reaching out to grab Irene's hand. The men all stilled, looking at the rebellious blonde as she tugged Irene back down beside her. Hugh allowed it, although he kept his hand on Irene's arm. His thumb caressed her skin, even as his fingers remained firmly gripping her. It was both reassuring and anxiety inducing. Irene knew that she was going to be spanked tonight, but she was relieved that it had been put off for at least a few minutes. Eleanor's cool sapphire gaze slid around the room again, not lingering on any single man. "They went for a walk."
"Where?" Wesley demanded through gritted teeth. He stepped forward from his place by the door, Alex only a pace behind him. Irene tried to lean back, away from them, even though they were nowhere near her, but Hugh's hand held her in place. "It's far too late in the evening for them to be out walking alone."
"Nell, where did they go?" Edwin asked, his voice foreboding as he loomed over his wife in a most intimidating manner. The little smirk she gave him said that she wasn't nearly as daunted as Irene was. Leaning over, he whispered in Eleanor's ear, softly enough that none of the other men could hear what he was saying, but Irene could just make out the threat. "I may not be able to spank you right now, but for every minute you wait to tell me, I will add on a day that you will not be allowed to climax."
Irene's cheeks paled along with Eleanor's.
She could only assume that the two of them had at least as lusty a relationship as she and Hugh; she couldn't imagine being with him every night and not being able to climax. That was awful! Irene almost thought she'd prefer to be spanked! At least she was still allowed to find her pleasure after that particular discipline!
But Eleanor's primrose lips still firmed in rebellion. Her head tilted up as she gave her husband a saucy smile, the tension stretching between them as their wills collided. Irene bit down on her own lip, looking back and forth between them. Eleanor’s expression was almost taunting, while Edwin was looking at her with a mix of frustration and the same hunger that Irene often saw in her own husband’s eyes. Everyone in this room knew that Eleanor would never play this game if Cynthia and Grace were up to something truly dangerous, but now that the stakes had been laid down, she would follow it through to the bitter end.
"That's one," Edwin said, after glancing at the clock.
Eleanor's chin tilted up even further, her smile becoming taut, and Irene saw the other men exchanging glances, as if wondering what Edwin had threatened her with. As she looked up, Hugh caught her gaze, and Irene immediately dropped her eyes back to her lap again, squirming a bit as she felt his scrutiny boring into her.
“They’re perfectly safe,” Eleanor said, sound like a prim and proper matron at tea. Irene was in awe of her composure. “They didn’t go far.” Neither Alex nor Wesley looked very reassured by her words, if anything, they looked more anxious now.
"Two."
The fingers on Irene's arm tightened, and she knew that Hugh was considering removing her from the room to find out where the women were. The stalling tactics were doing nothing to help her or Eleanor. She couldn't stand the thought that Eleanor was going to be punished for trying to shield her; even if they had both been trying to give Grace the time she needed, it was different when Irene was sitting right there, knowing what Eleanor was going to have to live with (or, really, without) during the next few days.
"Three."
"Grace went to her and Alex’s house, and Cynthia went with her," Irene blurted out.
The look that Eleanor gave her contained almost as much exasperation as it did gratitude. Somehow, Irene didn't think that Eleanor's pride would have allowed her to give in at this point, so in some ways, Irene was protecting her now. Although she had given up Grace and Cynthia, but that was always a foregone conclusion. Either way, the men would get their hands on them, and it didn't make sense for her and Eleanor to suffer more than they had to, just to give the other women time to get back.
Hopefully by now they'd had enough time to go through Alex's correspondence.
"Let's go." Alex spun on his heel and stalked out of the room, Wesley right behind him.
"I believe we'll be leaving as well," Edwin said, holding out his hand for Eleanor to take. She didn't look like she wanted to, but she did anyway, with a small sigh, as if in acknowledgement that she'd gotten herself into enough trouble for tonight.
"Us as well," Hugh said, pulling Irene up. His voice sounded grimly determined and her insides quivered. It had been a while since Hugh had felt she needed discipline, but she hadn't forgotten how much a spanking hurt. Even though she'd eventually spoken up, she knew that would only gain her the slightest of reprieves, considering her prevarication. "Irene and I apparently need to have a very long... talk."
She gulped, meekly moving with her husband as he led her purposefully towards the door.
Oh she was in so much trouble.
Chapter 9
Grimly leading his suddenly submissive wife to their bedroom, Hugh could only wonder what she had been thinking. He'd been glad that she'd made friends with the others, especially Grace since there had been such friction there; now he was wondering if his approval had come too swiftly. Apparently none of them were a good influence on her.
Although at least she and Eleanor had stayed behind from whatever trouble Cynthia and Grace were getting into.
"Why did Grace and Cynthia go out?" he asked, leading Irene to the bed.
She looked quite soft and feminine, like a sweet paragon of virtues in her pale green dress. The look she gave him, however, was anything but. "For private reasons."
Hugh raised his eyebrow. It was obvious that Irene knew she was going to be punished, and yet she was still defying him? On the other hand, if she had been sworn to secrecy by her confederates, then he could understand her stubbornness a bit.
"Anything that will affect us?" he asked, mildly. As much as he wanted his wife to share everything with him, he also knew that he had to accept there would be occasions when she was the confidant of other people's secrets. It woul
d be unreasonable of him to expect her to disgorge another's confidence, as he certainly didn't tell her everything that he, Wesley, Edwin and Alex talked about.
To her credit, she thought it over for a brief moment before shaking her head. "No... It will only affect Grace and Alex."
His curiosity roused, but he wasn't going to punish Irene for being a true friend. Unless he planned on utterly controlling every aspect of her life, including her relationships, he couldn't. And he wasn't that kind of man.
With her hands twisting together in front of her, Irene glanced at him and then down at the ground, and then back at him, obviously nervous. As she should be. Even if he wasn't going to press for why Grace and Cynthia had left the house, as they weren't his responsibility, he was still going to discipline his wife for her part in their machinations. Not too harshly, because she had stayed where she had told him she would be.
So had Eleanor, but he doubted that it was for the same reasons as Irene. His wife preferred to be good, which was part of why he loved her. It was his duty to ensure she had reason to remain that way and not be tempted or corrupted by her friends and his sister.
"Very well." He had to suppress a smile as Irene relaxed slightly with a long sigh of relief. She so badly wanted to please him, to not disappoint him. No man could be unaffected by such sweet devotion. "But we still have to deal with your own transgressions. I understand that you wished to protect your friends, but you did them no favors by prevaricating. Have you heard from them since they left Wesley's house? How do you know they arrived safely at their location? How do you know they remain safe?"
The questions made Irene feel suddenly sick. She'd known from the beginning that Cynthia's idea was questionable, although her objections had mostly focused on how easily they could all be caught. It hadn't even occurred to her to worry about Grace and Cynthia's safety; after all, the house Alex had rented wasn't too far from the Countess'. Yet, it was nighttime and they had left unescorted by any male protection, and even if they did reach Alex's house unmolested, they wouldn't be able to send a servant with a message for Eleanor and Irene. Even if the entire mission had been successful, and the men hadn't found out they'd gone missing, that would have meant a second trip back through the streets in the darkness. Obviously Eleanor had been convinced that they were in no danger, but what if-