Claiming His Wife (20 page)

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 said 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.