Once he reached the cabin, he looked inside to make sure Caroline was obeying him. She was. He gave her a sharp warning to remain exactly where she was, and he set about his job. It would take him a good while, and hopefully give Caroline even more time to regret her behavior and to worry about the consequences.
Caroline could not believe that Jacob was making her sit even longer! The seat of the chair was growing harder by the second! She had many things she could be doing, and sitting was a waste of her time. She wanted to defy Jacob and get up and at least put a stew on for their supper, but she was positive it would only get her into more trouble with him. Cursing under her breath, she stomped the floor beneath her feet in frustration. It was well over an hour before she finally heard him step inside. When he still did not acknowledge her, Caroline decided that enough was enough! She jumped to her feet and whirled around to face him. "I have sat on this stupid chair long enough, Jacob Willis!"
He turned to look at Caroline and saw no trace of remorse on her face; instead, she was angry with him when he was not the one who did something wrong! "Caroline, I shall not tolerate defiance."
"I am not being defiant, Jacob. I have been punished for hours now, and it is enough! I grow weary and sick at heart from sitting and doing nothing. I have chores and our supper should have been started well over an hour ago! My bottom is numb from sitting so long! This is a terrible punishment, and meant for a child, not a grown woman who has no time for such idleness! I shall lose my mind if I sit here another minute!"
"You have not sat that long, Caroline," he countered.
"I may not have a sense of direction, but I have been sitting here for well over three hours, Jacob!" she contradicted.
He looked at her in disbelief, and then went outside to look at the sun. To his dismay, he realized his wife was right. He had left her in the corner for much longer than he planned, and it was no wonder she was so upset with him. He also doubted the punishment made the impression he planned to make. Instead of feeling remorse for her behavior, she was angry with him for mistreating her. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he turned around and reentered the cabin. "You are right, Caroline. I was deep in thought and time passed without my knowledge. I did not mean to leave you alone so long. I am sorry you felt neglected."
"May I please go about my business, Jacob? I am truly miserable and need some privacy," she told him.
"Of course. I am sorry, Caro."
"I understand, Jacob. You are not a cruel man. Please excuse me," she said as she hurried outside. She lightly ran to the little building that she had begged Jacob to construct. It was far enough away from the house that the odor did not reach the house, but it was a luxury compared to finding a bush to hide behind. Caroline quickly satisfied her need, and then much more slowly returned to the house, feeling a bit chagrined at the way she spoke to her husband. She made up her mind to clear the air and give him the apology that was due.
Caroline found Jacob waiting for her inside the cabin. He had already placed the chair back at the table, and to her surprise he was at the table cutting up some vegetables to add to a pot he already had simmering over the fireplace. "You are fixing our supper?" she asked in pleased surprise.
"It is the least I can do," he replied, and she heard contrition in his voice.
"Jacob, I would speak with you," she said as she walked over to take his arm and pull him around to face her. He looked down at her, and she said, "I was so wrong to do what I did this morning. I am remorseful. I need for you to believe that. I know I did not show you any remorse a few minutes ago, but I have promised myself to stop being foolish and doing things to cause you worry. I am truly sorry, Jacob, and I hope you shall now be able to forgive me? Please?"
"You are forgiven."
"Thank you. Please do not punish me in that manner again. It is truly horrible, husband."
He smiled to himself, wondering if perhaps he had found the easiest method of all to punish his busy little wife; make her sit down and do nothing at all but stare at a corner for a lengthy amount of time. It seemed to have the desired effect upon her attitude at least. "No promises, wife. I shall punish you as I see fit, however, I shall not be negligent of the time passing in the future."
* * *
Two days later winter was upon them with a fury. The first snow was light at first, and then turned into a blowing mass of inches of snow dropped on them within hours. Caroline felt guiltier and guiltier as the snow piled higher and higher. Jacob did not say one reproving word, and that only served to make her remorse more intense when she recalled that but for Jacob's refusal they would have been caught out in the open between here and the Crawford's. They would have perished and she knew it as well as she knew her own name. Finally, she went to where Jacob was sharpening his knife and said, "Jacob, you were so right to insist we stay home. I am so sorry I doubted you and gave you a rough time."
To her surprise the dark eyes he turned on her were full of ire. "When I think of you setting out alone on foot to visit the Crawfords, young lady, it is all I can do to keep from turning you over my knee and spanking the snot out of you!"
Caroline saw that his knuckles were white as he gripped his stone in one hand and his knife in the other. She swallowed hard and summoned all of her courage to say, "I truly wish you would give me a spanking, Jacob! I am sure I would feel much better about everything if you did!" She could not bring herself to look in his eyes, but he rose to his feet and put a finger under her chin to draw her eyes upwards so that he could look into her eyes.
"I think a spanking is what we both need, Mrs. Willis." He took her hand and led her over to their bed. "What I am doing now, young lady, is undressing you for this spanking, and you shall not put on clothing until I give you permission to do so."
Caroline felt her cheeks redden with embarrassment as she contemplated walking about the cabin without certain items of clothing. That embarrassment grew with each garment he removed. She was soon without her apron, then her skirt and her petticoats. Her shoes and stockings joined the pile of discarded clothing, and then he took her shirtwaist. All that remained was her simple shift, and Caroline knew that she was simply too modest to go without any clothing at all! It would shame her terribly, but within seconds she was standing before Jacob as nature made her!
"I can see that your cheeks are pink, wife, but there is no shame in standing bare before your husband. I do not want you to hide anything of yourself from me. Not your faults and certainly not your beauty. I find you pleasing to look upon, especially when your hind wears marks from my hand and your cheeks carry your tears of remorse. I am proud of you for telling me you need a spanking as much as I need to give you a spanking. Will you please place yourself over my knee now and give me your pretty rear to spank?"
Caroline was moved by his words. Jacob made it sound like she was offering him a gift, one that he desired very much. She reached up with her hand and gently caressed his cheek, trying to convey her thoughts and emotions. He took her hand and kissed the palm, and gently led her around to his right side. Caroline placed herself over his lap and squirmed forward until she was positive her bottom was where he wanted it to be. Her upper body was supported on the bed, and she suspected Jacob planned it this way because he planned to spank her a very long time. She was amazed that she was calm and accepting. She truly needed a spanking and she promised herself she would not beg him to stop; she would accept whatever Jacob felt she needed and what he wanted to give.
Jacob placed his hand on her creamy white bottom and then said, "I did not spank you the other day when you attempted to go to the Crawford's alone; one reason I did not was because you did attempt to come back on your own; the second reason was because I did not spank you for having a tantrum when you did not succeed in getting your way. If I had done my duty by you in the first place you would never have left the cabin with the intention of walking to the Crawford's by yourself. However, seeing that storm out there, and realizing what might
have happened, makes me realize that I need to impress upon you the danger of behaving like an impulsive child. I am going to give you a very long spanking, Caroline. I expect you to lie as still as possible and keep your hind right where it is so that I can spank it as deserved. Is that clear and understood?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, Jacob," she replied in a small voice.
"Very well. I shall begin now."
The first spank sounded loud in the room, but it was not nearly as hard as it sounded. Caroline gasped, but she remained as she was, offering her bottom for correction. The spanks were light at first, but they continued and continued, and it did not take long for a low, steady burn to build.
"Are you beginning to regret your foolishness, Caroline?" Jacob asked in a stern voice.
"Yes, sir, I am," she replied, her green eyes swimming in tears.
"Good. We shall see if I can make you regret your impulsive behavior even more." With those words he started spanking harder and her delicate sit spots received a thorough spanking.
Caroline was soon crying, but she still did not beg him to stop. She did start apologizing, though, and kept telling Jacob she was very sorry and promising not to ever do it again, and he kept right on spanking, making the burn even more intense.
Jacob finally stopped, and gently lifted her up to sit on his lap. She placed her head on his shoulder and cried and he held her close and comforted her. Once she quieted, he said, "That was the first spanking, Caro. I am going to give you at least two more before we go to bed tonight, and the rest of the day you shall obey me whenever I ask you to do something. If you fail in your tasks, extra spankings will be added. Right now it will please me very much to observe your red bottom. Please walk over to the table and bend over so that I may fill my eyes."
Caroline's face blushed a deep red as she did as she was told. Bending over the table so he could see how well he spanked her was too mortifying for words. She wanted nothing more than to rub the sting away, and bent over as she was, there was no taking her mind off her stinging bottom! She could feel his dark eyes on her, and she involuntarily squirmed.
"Your hind burns, does it not?" Jacob asked knowingly.
"Yes, Jacob!" she replied honestly. "And my face burns just as much!" she added.
"This is meant to be a punishment that makes you think, Caroline. I want your face to burn as much as your hind. It means you are aware of my displeasure, and yet you are doing your best to return to my good graces. I imagine your face will burn quite a lot before you go to bed this night with a very sore backside."
"I am aware of how foolish I was, Jacob," she insisted.
"How do you imagine you would feel if you were out in this blizzard right now, wife?"
"My poor bottom would welcome the cold snow!" she whispered in such a forlorn manner that he was grateful she could not see his smile. "I would be terrified," she answered. "And, if you were with me, I would regret talking you into giving me my way. I was acting like a spoiled child having a tantrum."
"Yes, you were. I believe a few more healthy spanks to reinforce that thought would be wise. Stay as you are and I shall fetch your hairbrush and give your hind a nice warm-up so that you may think on your tantrum and what the cost to us could have been had I given in to your wishes."
Caroline did not want or need another spanking on her already burning bottom, but she knew that protesting would only make the punishment worse. She heard Jacob's boots cross the floor and then he was placing his hand on the small of her back, and then she heard the crack of the hairbrush before she felt the incredible sting on her right cheek. "Ouch!" she cried out. He gave her left cheek a spank and she cried out in pain once again.
"Keep your feet flat on the floor, Caro. I want you to feel every smack of this brush on your pretty hind." He did not spare her, and by the time he was finished reheating her bottom, Caroline was sobbing. Jacob left her lying there with instructions to think about how she would feel if she was lost outside right now.
Caroline did not tell him how hard it was to imagine herself in a snowstorm when her backside was on fire! She did her best to simply obey Jacob and accept the punishment he felt he needed to give her.
Jacob finished sharpening his knife and then turned his attention to Caroline once more. "You may rise now, Caro, and go about your chores. If you are not warm enough, you may place more wood upon the fire."
Caroline knew her face was crimson. "May I please put on my apron, husband?"
"And hide yourself from me?"
"I was thinking of something to wipe my hands on while I am baking; I meant no disrespect."
"I understand, my sweet, but you are being punished, and I would have you the way you are this day."
Caroline nodded her understanding, and then tried to go about the cabin as she would normally. Her poor bottom was still stinging too much to attempt to sit down, and she knew that sitting this evening to eat supper would be difficult. She kept her back to Jacob while she put something over the fire for their supper, and she cursed under her breath each time she reached for her apron to lift a hot pot, or to open the door to her small oven so she could bake a cobbler with fruit she'd preserved.
"How long will that need to be in the oven?" Jacob asked from directly behind her.
Caroline answered and he said, "Good. Time for another lesson in self control." He pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit down.
Caroline did not want to sit. Her behind was much too sore for her to sit! She gave Jacob a pleading look and he instantly responded, but not in the manner she hoped for. "Since you hesitated, I shall need to remind you that I expect obedience, Caroline. Place your hands on the seat of the chair, and I shall see if I can convince you to sit down!"
"But Jacob! I am already in pain! How is giving me another spanking going to make me wish to sit?" Caroline asked desperately.
"It shall remind you that I expect obedience," he answered, and Caroline felt his hand on her flesh once again. Fortunately, it was a short spanking, only ten firm spanks, but she felt each one! "Now, wife, will you sit?"
"Yes, Jacob," she replied, and immediately, albeit gently, lowered herself on the wooden surface of the chair. Sitting was not fun.
"I expect you to sit still, Caroline. No squirming about. Keep your hind flat on that chair and ask yourself if you would miss your home and your oven to bake cobbler if you were taken captive by trappers or unfriendly Indians while you were traveling on your own... or while you were lost trying to find your way home."
Tears streamed down Caroline's face as she did her best to sit still. All she wanted to do was get up and rub her injured sit upon. Those few spanks brought back all the sting from before and she was miserable! Jacob was reading in his Bible and seemed oblivious to her suffering. He was also oblivious to the fact that the cobbler was starting to smell done! Finally, she called out, "Jacob, my cobbler shall be ruined if I do not remove it from the oven!" He looked up at her as if startled. "Jacob, please... either check it yourself and stir the pot on the fire, or allow me to do so!"
"I did not realize the time had passed. You may rise now and take care of your cobbler."
Caroline immediately jumped to her feet and grabbed towels to take the pan from the oven. Another minute or two and the crust on the cobbler would have gone from golden brown to burned. She was relieved she spoke up when she did and rescued her cobbler just in time. Once it was on the table to cool, she stirred their supper and was delighted when the bottom of the kettle was not burned. Once she was certain her food was safe, Caroline hurried behind the screen in the corner of the room. She could not possibly go outside in this weather to relieve herself, so had no choice but make use of the chamber pot. She was simply thankful they owned one.
She then noticed the room was growing chilly, and she decided to add more wood to the fire. However, Jacob was already doing so. "I do not want you to take a chill," he said with a smile as he built up the fire. "I need to go outside and tend our stock, Caroli
ne."
Caroline suddenly tensed in fear. "I do not think you should go outside, Jacob. I feel fear for you."
"Do not be silly, Caro. "Tis just the wind making you tense. I need to tend our animals. They have no one else to see to them, and it would be cruel not to make sure they are warm and watered and fed. You stay by the fire and see if you can find suitable words to express your feelings on today's lessons. If your words please me, you shall only get a mild reminder spanking when we go to bed tonight. If you fail to express the proper remorse I shall add other lessons that are not nearly as pleasant as those you received already." With those words, he opened the door and went out into the blowing, cold snow.
Chapter Fifteen
Jacob felt the blast of cold through the warm coat and hat he was wearing and he was thankful he had put more wood on the fire to keep the cabin nice and warm for Caroline. He really did not want her to take a chill. He could permit her to put on her clothing, but he was doing his best to make a point. He knew his wife was a modest woman and it did bother her to go about the cabin without her clothing. It was a punishment she would recall for the rest of her life, and hopefully, she would never consider taking off by herself to visit anyone. It was simply too dangerous; wild animals, the weather, accidents, not to mention human predators. A man had to be careful and keep his wits about him, and for a woman it was even more dangerous. Jacob hoped that Caroline could express her remorse to him in such a way he would know that she finally understood the risk she took the other day. In a way, this sudden snowstorm was a Godsend. It made an impression that all of the spankings in the world could not impart.
A Man of Dreams, a Woman of Passion Page 16