by Maggie Ryan
Lucy was deeply asleep when he lifted her from the rug, tucking her into his bed before sliding in beside her, spooning her back to his front. Though it was still very early for him, Lucas didn’t leave the room until the next morning.
Chapter 11
The next morning, when Molly led her into the dining room, Lucy saw that her sisters wore clothes that looked almost exactly like her old school uniform. Dark grey heavy skirts hung to just below knees with grey, pleated blouses tucked into them. Dark stockings and black ankle boots completed their attire. Lucy shivered, memories of her schooling making her grateful she had graduated with the help of her mathematics professor’s tutoring. She went to where Lucas was sitting at the head of the table and gave his cheek a kiss.
“Good morning,” she said, softly. He smiled at her and gave her another kiss, his lips tender against hers until she blushed and felt her body responding, remembering her lesson of the evening before. Lucas chuckled as he stood and helped her take her seat. Lucy was determined to show the governess that she knew how to be polite.
“Good morning, Miss Browning. Good morning Frannie, Ettie,” she said, as Molly once more placed the bib around her neck. Lucinda eyes met Lucy’s as she took a sip of her tea, offering no response to Lucy’s greeting.
Lucas looked at the two empty chairs but indicated that the meal should begin without Bea and Frank. Fifteen minutes had passed, the others almost finished with the meal before the couple entered the room. Bea went to her brother, bending to kiss his cheek.
“I’m sorry we’re late,” she said quietly, before moving to her seat. Lucy was about to wish her a good morning when she realized that Bea was seating herself very gently. Lucy looked around the table, seeing that both Ettie and Frannie were also watching their older sister but saying nothing, their meal completed, though both remained seated, not having yet been excused to leave the table.
“Lucas, I apologize as well for being late. I know you wish to go over some of the accounts this morning. I have everything ready when you wish to discuss them,” Frank said, as he took his own chair.
“It’s fine, Frank, enjoy your breakfast. There is no hurry. I want to give Lucy a tour of the estate as well,” Lucas said. He saw Lucy smile and knew she was pleased to see more of her new home.
She was about to ask if he would take her to see some of the horses when Mrs. Mayes entered the room. “Sir, Mrs. Harris has arrived,” the housekeeper announced.
Lucas took a final sip of his coffee and nodded. “Excellent, Molly, please show Mrs. Harris to the nursery; Lucy and I will be up in a moment,” Lucas said. Molly immediately stood and followed the housekeeper from the room. Lucy squirmed a bit on her chair at the word ‘nursery’ and was grateful that no one seemed to have noticed. She watched as Miss Browning stood, which seemed to signal her sisters to do the same. Bea, only having eaten a very small portion of her breakfast, stood as well.
“Beatrice, I’ll expect that essay by luncheon,” Frank said, looking up at his wife.
“Yes, Sir,” Bea answered softly before bending to kiss his cheek. Though Ettie gave Lucy a wave, nothing else was said as the three were led away by Miss Browning. Servants entered to begin clearing the table.
Lucas leaned forward a bit towards his wife. “Finish your milk, Kitten; we don’t wish to keep Mrs. Harris waiting.”
“But I thought you were going to give me a tour,” she said, even as she reached for her glass. “I want to see the horses.”
“There will be time for that as well, Kitten,” Lucas assured her.
Lucy obediently drank the last of her milk, and Lucas smiled as he lifted his napkin and wiped her face. She flushed, knowing that Frank, as well as the servants, had seen the gesture, though no one said a word. Lucas untied her bib, leaving it on the table beside her plate.
As Lucas helped her from her chair, she looked up at him. “Who is Mrs. Harris? Why is she going to my … my room?”
“Your nursery?” he asked, giving her a pointed look as he took her hand. Lucy looked back at the table, seeing Frank smiling over his cup. Though her face showed her embarrassment, she managed to nod. Lucas shook his head, dropping her hand to take her shoulders, his fingers touching the large buttons on the back of her pinafore. “Lucille, you know better than to simply nod when I’ve asked you a question. Is it already necessary for me to discover how well your nanny’s tailoring works?”
“No … no, Sir,” she whispered, praying the servants would continue to ignore the two.
“Where are we going?” he asked firmly, and when she hesitated, her eyes once more roaming towards the servants, Lucas spread his large hand across her bottom, giving it a sharp swat against the back of her dress.
“My nursery!” she yelped, her face now flaming, her eyes dropping to her feet.
“I suggest you stop worrying about the servants, young lady, and pay attention when I am speaking to you,” he said, as he took her hand again. “Frank, let me settle Lucy, and I’ll meet you in your study.”
“Certainly. Take your time, Lucas. I understand that even the most stringent schedules can be thrown off when our girls need attention, as Bea demonstrated this morning,” Frank assured him.
At his words, Lucy’s world shifted. Though she had wondered at Bea’s discomfort, she now was positive that her husband had attended to the girl's bottom before the two had joined the family for breakfast. Suddenly a little concerned that Lucas might take it as a challenge to correct his own little one, she spoke softly. “I’m sorry, Sir … Uncle Frank. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.”
Her face flushed when she heard Lucas chuckle. “That’s a good girl,” Lucas said, before turning back to Frank. “At least they keep us on our toes. I shouldn’t be too long.” Lucy was led from the room, remaining silent as they passed Mrs. Mayes, who gave her a gentle smile. Once in the nursery, she was introduced to Mrs. Harris, discovering she was a seamstress that the household often called upon. Molly took over and soon had Lucy stripped to her chemise and drawers. Lucas leaned against the doorway, watching his little one squirm in embarrassment as Mrs. Harris took out a tape and began taking measurements.
“I … I already have a lot of clothes,” Lucy said, as she was told to hold still and stop wiggling about. “Why … why do I need new ones?”
Lucas moved from the door, and after seating himself in the armchair, took her by the hand and led her to stand between his legs. “You do indeed have many pretty dresses, Kitten,” he said, seeing that she was becoming quite agitated. “What you do not have, however, is a proper set of riding clothes.” He was pleased when her face broke out into a huge smile, the joy of being able to ride clear to see in her eyes. “When I was in America, I discovered that many changes have been made to riding apparel for women. It was a bit shocking at first, but having seen many women ride, it seems a far better design and allows them to feel safer when seated on a horse,” he explained. Lucy felt his hands drop to cup her bottom cheeks and her heart beat faster. “Mrs. Harris has made riding clothes for your sisters and they enjoy them immensely. I suppose she could have taken in a pair of Ettie’s but since you, little one, will most likely need to have this bottom attended to, it is necessary for adjustments to be made.” He saw the look of understanding in her eyes. “It will save you the embarrassment of having me remove your entire outfit if I have cause to redden your little bottom for misbehavior.” When Lucy’s head turned, as if to see if the seamstress was listening to her husband’s embarrassing words, Lucas turned her chin so that she had to look at him. “Lucy, I’ll remind you only this final time. When I am speaking to you, I suggest you keep your attention on me. It is not for you to worry what others in the room might be doing, thinking, or even saying. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir,” she whispered, knowing that he was indeed being lenient, especially having just corrected her downstairs for the same offense.
“You are to stop fidgeting and let Mrs. Harris do whatever is necessary to measur
e you properly, Lucille. If you continue to make her job more difficult, she will witness your nanny baring your bottom and applying your paddle to it until you decide to be my good girl,” he informed her, reaching behind to give her rear a swat. “Do you understand?”
“Yes … yes, Sir,” she said, softly.
“That’s my girl. I know you love riding, Kitten, but remember, naughty little girls spend their time sitting on their naughty stools instead of saddles.”
“Yes, Sir,” she said again. Though her joy at the proposed new riding clothes lessened somewhat, knowing that hers would be altered to enable access to her bottom, the thought of not being allowed to ride was more than enough to make her decide to behave. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Harris,” she said softly, chancing her Papa’s anger by turning to look at the seamstress, instead of keeping her attention on him.
Lucas smiled, giving her bottom a pat before turning her back to the women. “Good girl, I’ll leave you to your work,” he said, and stood. Before leaving the room, he addressed Molly. “Please make sure buttons and ribbons are added to the rest of her clothing as well as any new items, Molly. I think it would be a good idea if Lucy helps you with the task. A few hours sewing might make a more tangible impression upon our little one.” Molly agreed wholeheartedly and assured him she would do exactly that.
Lucy moaned softly, knowing she would be required to sew, a task which she truly detested, unless it was to work on a pretty tapestry or pillow. Lucas chuckled at the look on her face before turning to leave the nursery. Serves the little minx right, he thought. Having to sew the buttons on her pinafores would certainly remind her of their purpose.
Upon his departure, Lucy found herself totally stripped, so that the most accurate measurements could be taken. She blushed and clenched her eyes shut as she was forced to spread her legs apart and felt the tape measure going around each of her thighs and then down the length of her legs from her crotch to her ankles. The seamstress ignored her small muffled moans of embarrassment as she measured what seemed to be every inch of the small woman, including areas that Lucy couldn’t fathom the woman's needing for any article of clothing. Despite her resolve to behave, Lucy got her bottom popped no less than three times by her nanny as she was told to stand still. Lucy couldn’t step into her drawers fast enough when finally allowed to dress again, only to find her nanny wasn’t quite done with her. Molly turned her to face away from the seamstress while she lifted Lucy’s clothing to demonstrate the significance of her recent alterations.
“Oh, that’s quite clever,” Mrs. Harris said, seeing as how the arrangement allowed Lucy’s clothing to simply drape down Lucy’s back, framing the ruffled seat of her drawers. “I’m sure it reduces wrinkles and all that tedious ironing required when the fabric is simply shoved up or tucked into her waistband when she needs a spanking. If you don’t mind, I’ll suggest this to my clients who could benefit from the design.” Molly assured her that she didn’t mind at all and told her that another nanny had shown her how to easily tailor the garments.
“If you don’t mind me saying, Lucy’s drawers are just darling,” Mrs. Harris continued, actually reaching out to run her hand across Lucy’s seat. “All those ruffles across that tiny bottom are adorable. I know several clients who would appreciate a few pair for their own little ladies.” Lucy listened as Molly returned her clothing to its proper condition and explained how her Papa had purchased Lucy's clothing from a friend of his who ran a school for training adult women to become child-brides. Mrs. Harris made some notes on her pad of paper, including a sketch of the ruffled drawers that Lucas was so fond of seeing covering his little wife’s bottom.
Mrs. Harris gathered her items and waited while Molly went into her own room and returned with her sewing basket. She removed several pinafores and petticoats from Lucy’s armoire, piling them into Lucy’s arms. Lucy didn’t speak as they left the nursery, the entire session embarrassing, but enlightening. Evidently, she was not the only woman who lived as a child-bride if the seamstress’ words were any indication. Lucy wondered if Emmie knew of others besides the two of them.
Lucas met them at the bottom of the stairs. “I shall begin immediately, Lord Huntington,” Mrs. Harris said. “I should have at least one uniform prepared quickly, as the design is quite common. I simply need to adjust my pattern, as your precious little girl is exceptionally tiny. The riding clothes will take a bit longer, since your needs are quite specific. Do you wish me to wait to return until all the items are completed, or would you prefer they be delivered as each is finished?”
“I’m sure my little one is quite anxious for her riding clothes,” Lucas said, and saw Lucy nod eagerly. “I realize they require extra work, but if you can manage, please have at least one set of riding clothes ready within a few days and please don’t forget the additional buttons and loops required.”
“Certainly, that should not be a problem. The alterations to existing clothing are quite simple and clever. I have several clients who will be delighted that Molly has shared the design. And, oh, those precious ruffled drawers. I’m sure I will sell a dozen pair instantly,” Mrs. Harris said, her smile large and bright, her fingers almost twitching with the desire to start sewing as soon as she returned to her shop. She turned to speak to Lucy. “What is your favorite color, Miss Lucy?” she asked.
Lucy had been imagining the look of dislike on the faces of females who found their husbands or Papas showing their naughty ones the benefits of such buttons and loops. Hearing the question directed to her, she looked up at Lucas, her surprise at being allowed a choice evident on her face. He nodded, giving her permission to answer, and she smiled.
“I love blue,” she said, and then flushed, “The color of Lucas’ eyes.”
The seamstress smiled and nodded thinking it was an awfully romantic choice. “Very good, Lucy, it is a beautiful blue. I’ll see what I can find. Good day, I shall see you soon.”
As the door closed on the seamstress, Lucas turned to his wife. “Lucy, do not think for a moment that I have not noticed your reluctance in addressing me properly. I suggest you think hard about your choices.” He didn’t wait for her response as he walked away into a hallway Lucy had yet to explore.
Molly turned to Lucy, her disapproval apparent on her face, though she didn’t speak of his suggestion. “We will sew in the library.” Just as Lucas had done, Molly didn’t wait for Lucy to respond. She simply turned and walked towards the back of the house.
Lucy followed the woman, though she turned her head back to look down the hall where her husband had disappeared, a sour feeling of guilt filling her stomach. Before Molly realized it, she heard Lucy give a soft cry. She turned to see Lucy running to follow Lucas, ignoring her nanny’s call to stop. When she reached the hallway, Lucy didn’t see him but did hear the sound of a door closing. Approaching it, she knew the door most likely led to his study. Memories of her previous trips to her Uncle Edward’s study caused her stomach to tighten, but she bravely knocked on the door. Hearing a call to enter, Lucy slowly pushed the door open. Lucas was surprised to see her, especially when he realized she was not with Molly. Before he could speak, she ran to him, throwing her arms around his waist.
“I’m sorry, Papa. I love you, and I won’t … won’t hurt you again. Please forgive me,” she said, her head tilted back to look up at him, a soft sheen of tears in her eyes.
Lucas' heart melted and he pulled her even closer. “Thank you, Kitten. I know this is still new to you, but I’m so very proud to be your Papa, and I want to feel that you are proud to address me as such.”
She was grateful for his easy forgiveness. She had been reluctant to call him ‘Papa’ in front of his family and staff, but at the look in his eyes had understood that she was not only being naughty, she was causing him pain with her disrespect. It was not truly important what other people thought of the address, for he was her Papa as much if not more than he was her husband, and she loved him deeply in either of his roles.
&nb
sp; Lucas kissed her and smiled when she immediately turned to the door. “I … I left Nanny Molly …” she began, but stopped speaking as Molly appeared in the doorway. “I’m sorry; I just wanted to talk to Papa,” Lucy explained, hoping that she had not earned herself a spanking for running from her nanny.
“I’m happy you did, Lucy,” Molly assured her, once more taking the girl’s hand. Lucy gave her Papa a final wave before she and Molly went back down the hall. Without the other girls, it seemed quiet and a bit lonely in the large library. The two women spent the next two hours sewing on buttons and ribbons. Lucy’s fingers ached from being pricked by the sharp needle as she watched Molly snip the thread she had just used to attach a button and then remove it completely.
Hearing her soft moan, Molly turned to look at her. “Lucy, you must make sure the buttons are properly positioned and even,” Molly explained again. “The buttons must be placed on the outside edge of the straps so that your skirts will be lifted wide enough to bare your entire backside. They must also be exactly even. We don’t want your dress and petticoats hanging lopsided like some crooked frame on a wall, now do we?”
Lucy wanted to say that she didn’t want any buttons at all and certainly wasn’t concerned if her naked backside wasn’t properly framed. Just the thought of her clothing in such a position, her drawers down at her ankles, caused her to flush hotly. However, looking at her nanny’s intense gaze, she wisely kept those thoughts to herself. “No, Ma’am,” she mumbled.
Molly nodded and held out the button. “Now, do it again, and make sure to do it properly. We have a great deal of sewing to complete, and it will take far longer if you constantly have to redo your work.”
Lucy took the garment and remembered being made to redo her stitches several times under Mrs. Bremmer’s exacting requirements. Sighing, she measured carefully before placing the button once more on one of the straps of a pinafore. She stuck herself with the needle and yelped loudly, almost cursing before catching herself. She heard a chuckle and looked up to see Lucas striding into the room.