Lady Meriwyn's Punishment (3 page)

The door opened and her knight appeared, his face tired and somewhat saddened.

“My lord husband,” she said, taking a step toward him tentatively. “Please forgive me. I will accept your chastisement. I know I deserve it.”

A look of surprise flashed momentarily over his face and then disappeared and his expression turned blank. He crossed the room and sat down on the bed. She knelt at his feet to unlace his boots and when she felt his large warm hand on her head, she had to blink back her tears of gratitude. She washed and dried his feet and then sat back on her heels to gaze up at him.

“Come here,” he said softly and lifted her to stand. He pulled at the laces on her bodice. “Take off your clothes,” he commanded. Her heart beat faster as she obeyed, feeling more vulnerable under his watching eye than she'd even felt on their wedding night. Somehow, being undressed for a chastisement was a very different experience than being undressed for his pleasure. She awkwardly removed her clothing and stood before him, naked, shivering in fear and humility. He made her suffer a moment, simply looking at her and she dropped her eyes to the floor, studying the graying hay that covered the floors and noting abstractly that it ought to be changed soon.

He reached for her and pulled her across his lap, her torso resting on the bed. His large, callused hand stroked her bottom, raising goose pimples of anticipation. When she felt the warmth of his hand leave her bottom, she held her breath and tensed for the first sharp smack. She jumped with the impact and made a small cry. He took his time, applying slow, hard spanks so that the tingling sting of the last one was just starting to appear before the next one fell. She grit her teeth and held her breath, as if that would somehow help ward off the pain of his sharp slaps. After what seemed like an eternity, he paused and rubbed her heated flesh.

“Meriwyn, I am depending upon you to speak your mind about Anna's upbringing,” he said, but then started spanking her again before she could reply. She could hardly decipher his meaning, nor think how to answer while she was trying to manage the pain that he was creating all over her bottom.

“But you said--”

He spanked her even harder, interrupting. “I said you may not contradict me in front of her or others. You may speak your mind to me as oft as you like when we are alone.”

“Oh,” Meriwyn grunted, jerking in response to the steady slaps that were still falling on her sore bottom.

“Aye,” he said, still spanking harder than ever.

“But it would be too late to speak to you in private-- you had already made your decision,” she protested sulkily, turning her head so he could hear her. He paused the punishing slaps momentarily as she spoke, rubbing her stinging skin, but he began again as soon as she'd finished.

“I can change my mind,” he said mildly, a contrast to the harshness of his hand, which had started slapping again. “And I would not be ashamed to tell Anna that you've convinced me differently-- if you can.”

She wondered, fleetingly, how he was able to converse so easily as he spanked.

He continued, “It is not that a wife should not influence her husband, it is that it should be respectfully.”

His words sank in, and her remaining defensiveness cracked and then slipped away, lost in the confusion of following the explosions of pain on her burning backside. Mayhap she really had made a mistake. Something in her released and she went limp on his lap, truly surrendering to his punishment. Tears stung her eyes, but she held them back, taking huge sobbing breaths. Then, miraculously, he stopped and pulled her to stand, facing him. His hands kneaded her sore bottom and she whimpered softly, her legs shaking. She wasn't ready to stand, much less to look into her husband's face.

He pulled her onto his lap. “Come, little wife. You're forgiven. And now you've put your first spanking behind you.”

Embarrassed, she curled in tightly to him, the tears she had held back during the spanking starting to spill. As if he sensed it, he wrapped his arms more tightly around her and murmured soothingly, stroking her back and hair. She clung to him, not wishing to ever lift her head and look him in the face again, feeling humiliated and vulnerable in a way she had not experienced before. She wanted to be angry with him, but she needed his comfort more than her pride. And the truth was that being spanked had not as horrible as she'd imagined, not that she would tell him so.

He held her for a long time and then scooped her up and laid her in the bed, removing his clothes and curling his larger body around hers, whispering tender words. She woke in the morning to the feel of his hardened rod pressing into her backside and she pushed back in encouragement.

There was no trace of pain from the spanking the night before, but emotionally she still desperately needed her husband. She needed to know she was still loved despite her mistake, that she was still respected despite the fact that she'd been bent over his knee for such a humiliating punishment.

Conrad's large, warm hands caressed her, igniting a restless heat. She reached behind her and pulled his hips aggressively against her bottom. Conrad chuckled but didn't press inside her. Instead he gently rolled her onto her back. “I want to see your face when I make love to you, Meriwyn.”

She flushed but managed to look at him and gave him a shy smile. He turned serious, though his fingers wandered between her legs and were stroking her in a way that made her breath catch. “Please don't hide ever from me, Meriwyn. I'm your husband-- I'm the one person you need never hide yourself from.”

The heat in her cheeks seemed to be creeping across her neck and chest now too. She really did not want to talk about this. She wanted him to kiss her so she could close her eyes and give herself to him and forget about the awkwardness of the past night. Her eyes filled with unbidden tears. “What do you wish from me, Sir Conrad?”

He rolled on top of her, resting on his elbows, stroking her hair back from her face. “Nothing. Everything. I want all of you. I want you to feel safe with me, even if it's when I'm punishing.” He stared at her for a long moment and though it was difficult to look into his eyes, she saw complete love there. She blinked. “Are you afraid of me, Meriwyn?” he asked softly.

She considered the question. Had she ever been afraid of her husband? Nay. It was just the spanking she'd been afraid of, and that had not turned out to be so bad, after all. She shook her head slowly, locking gazes with him.

His mouth quirked into a small, satisfied smile and he leaned over to kiss her, his fingers renewing their exploration of her willing sex. She spread her thighs to invite his full pillaging and felt her heat rising as he slipped first one finger, then two inside her. She was making tiny whimpers by the time he finally pushed into her with his length, and she climaxed almost immediately, which made him chuckle with satisfaction. She gave herself to him with more enthusiasm than ever before and when she reached a second climax, moments after his, it was an explosion of pleasure. Afterward, she lay on the bed and watched as her well-muscled husband dressed, unable to move her relaxed limbs to do the same.

“It wasn't so bad,” she said.

Conrad turned and looked at her incredulously.

She giggled, reading his mind. “I meant the spanking.”

He grinned and she realized he had known what she meant all along. He pulled his tunic on over his undershirt and leggings and bent over to kiss her. “I know.”

She went still. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head, smiling. “Nothing.”

“Was that not a real spanking?” she asked, stricken by a sudden fear.

He chucked her cheek. “It was a real
first
spanking,” he said, confirming her worries. “I'll see you at dinner,” he said, moving toward the door.

“Conrad--” she said in a strangled voice, all of the post-sex languor disappearing as she sat up in alarm.

He merely gave her a wink as he shut the door and she stared at it, her heart pumping a renewed anxiety through her body. She should have known-- a real spanking would not be with just his hand.

.

Chapter Three

“Fare thee well, sweet wife,” Sir Conrad said, giving her another quick peck on the lips before he mounted to ride escort to the prince on an errand to the neighboring kingdom.

“Be safe,” she said fervently, in a low voice so that the others wouldn't hear.

He cocked a grin. “Never worry about me, my heart. I promise I will always return.”

She frowned. “How can you be so sure? Do not tempt God with your cockiness.”

He sobered. “You're right.” He kissed her again. “It's just that I've always had the sense I would live a long life. But I promise I will be careful.”

She sighed with the small relief that brought her. “Thank you.”

Anna squeezed in for another hug, wrapping her arms around her father's waist. “I love you, Papa,” she said.

“I love you too, sweet cake. You behave and mind your mother.”

“I will, Papa.”

“Meriwyn, don't be afraid to take a strap to her bare backside if she does not obey.”

Meriwyn stiffened. “I shall not!” she blurted before she could help it. Then she bit her lip and looked worriedly at the man she should not have contradicted.

Conrad raised an eyebrow. “You shall not be afraid or you shall not whip her?”

She swallowed but could not seem to answer. She did not want to compound her mistake by offering the truth-- that she would never whip the child.

Conrad turned to Anna. “You may trust if she will not, I will correct the situation when I return.”

Anna gave him an impish smile. “You shall not have a reason to, Papa.”

He gave her a squeeze. “That's what I like to hear.”

He turned back to Meriwyn and gave her an indulgent chuck on her chin before he swung onto his mount. She breathed a sigh of relief at his leniency and gave him her brightest smile, waving enthusiastically as they rode away.

Her belly was still tied in knots, though. Not only had she contradicted Sir Conrad in front of Anna again-- which he had forbidden-- but she had also revealed to Anna that she would not punish her, seriously weakening her authority with the girl. She walked slowly back to the castle, chewing the side of her cheek as her thoughts swirled. She was fairly certain she was safe with Sir Conrad. An understanding had passed between them and it seemed he had chosen to ignore her mistake. But she would have to stay alert with Anna. Aye, she couldn't let the girl get away with anything now, or she would think her stepmother was weak.

But to beat the girl herself? No. She didn't have it in her. And she still intended to protect her from being whipped by her father, if she could help it.
She
hadn't been spanked much as a child growing up and she had not turned out to be spoiled...

She had no trouble with Anna for the first two days that Conrad was gone, but on the third day, as she was walking out in the courtyard to see what the child was up to, she saw her take a swing at the young page Redwald, hitting him square in the eye with her fist. Meriwyn shouted and began to run toward them as Redwald launched himself upon Anna, tackling her to the ground and getting a solid strike to her face before he was pulled off by his older brother, another page named Ricbert.

By the time she arrived, Anna had struggled to her feet, her face flushed with rage, blood dripping from her mouth. When she caught sight of Meriwyn approaching, the girl grew wary, drawing back from her foe and smoothing her skirts nervously.

“What in God's name is going on here?” she demanded.

Ricbert was yelling at Redwald. “You can't fight a
girl,
you idiot! What do you think Sir Conrad's going to do with you when he finds out you hit his daughter? He's going to whip you silly, that's what he's going to do!”

A look of fear crossed Anna's face at the mention of her father. Suddenly eager to make amends, she held her palm out to Redwald. “I'm sorry, Redwald. I shouldn't have hit you,” she offered.

Redwald recovered quickly from a look of shock before he pumped Anna's hand with a sidelong glance at Meriwyn. “I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have called you that.” Both children turned expectantly to her.

Anna swiped at the blood dripping from her lip. “I'm sorry, Mother.” She shrugged. “We were just tussling a bit. No harm done.”

Meriwyn's heart was beating hard. This was one of those moments in which she could not allow Anna to underestimate her. She drew herself up. “If you cannot comport yourself in an appropriate manner, you
will
stay in the castle all day with the ladies!” she said tartly.

Anna's eyes were wide. She curtsied. “Yes, my lady.”

“And Redwald, your brother is right-- it is absolutely unchivalrous to hit a girl, even if she did hit you first,” she said to the boy.

“Yes, my lady,” he said.

She folded her arms across her breasts and looked from one to the other of them, hoping she was making them suffer a bit with worry. “Do not ever let me see anything like this again.”

“No, my lady,” both children agreed.

“Anna, we will discuss this more later. Redwald, if you give me your word that you will never, ever hit a girl again, then I won't tell Sir Conrad when he returns.”

Both children brightened at this news. “You have my most solemn oath, my lady,” Redwald said dropping to one knee.

“Thank you. Come, Anna,” she said, holding out her hand. Anna took it, looking up at her hopefully. “You won't tell Papa? Truly?”

She stopped at looked at her sternly. “You'll be spending all of the morrow in the castle, spinning with the ladies.”

“Yes, Mother,” she said meekly.

Meriwyn squeezed her hand. She liked it when she called her Mother.

“But you won't tell Papa?” she asked again.

“Nay. I won't tell your father.”

“Thank you, Mother!” the girl said gratefully and Meriwyn smiled, feeling as though she'd handled things just right.

A certain pecking order existed among the pages of the castle, and those of the prince ranked higher than Sir Conrad's. Even so, there was a great deal of competition for Conrad's attention, as the prince didn't have as much time to spend training the boys as he did. They had left the pages behind for their excursion, bringing only the squires so they could travel more efficiently. A gaggle of pages awaited them at the castle gates when they returned.