Undisciplined Page 3

  "Ha!" Gabrielle crowed, triumphantly. At least Mr. Hood was going to get his. Threaten to spank her would he! "That over-bearing - "

  "Gabrielle," Cordelia said sharply, cutting off whatever insult Gabrielle had been about to utter. "You should also know that Philip has said he will take care of any necessary discipline in the household."

  Gabrielle’s jaw dropped in shock.

  "You would let him beat me?" Gabrielle asked, more tears sparking in her eyes. These weren’t quite real, because she knew that Cordelia would never stand for that. Once she’d become Gabrielle’s stepmother, the Baron had never raised his hand to Gabrielle. Even he had realized such a step would be too far for his young wife.

  "Philip would never hit you," Cordelia avowed, confident in that. "But-"

  "Only children are spanked! I am not a child!" Contrary to her words, Gabrielle stomped her foot as she produced more tears, which she let fall down her cheeks unchecked.

  "Gabby-"

  "Don't call me that!" Whirling around, Gabrielle flung open the door to her bedroom. The tears had stopped as abruptly as they'd started, but the bright color in her cheeks attested that her temper had been set off. "Get out of my room!"

  Cordelia left, but it didn’t make Gabrielle feel any better. Spanked! Like a child!

  And Cordelia would let him?

  It was official… she’d finally turned her stepmother against her. Burying her face in her pillow, Gabrielle let her tears flow again.

  ******

  Jermyn Street

  Throwing his book against the wall, Felix wished that it made him feel better.

  He was a mire of frustration, anger, and guilt. It was the last that sat most uneasily with him. Felix wasn't used to feeling guilty. Especially over a woman.

  He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Miss Astley and wondering if he’d truly upset her.

  He shouldn't have threatened to spank her. No matter how much damage she'd been doing to herself by letting her tongue flap freely. But how to apologize? Even more to the point, how to apologize without backing down? Whether or not his threat was appropriate, her behavior certainly hadn’t been.

  Miss Astley had a bit of a temper, that was certain. Obviously, she could control it when it suited her. He didn’t truly mind that she had a temper either, since he’d rather liked the way her green eyes had sparked and flared. Much better than when they’d been dull and sad, the way she’d looked after the wedding ceremony.

  It didn’t help that he wanted to spank her. He wanted to take her in hand and spank the shrew right out of her; he’d seen flashes of her kinder, sweeter nature. All that charm couldn’t have entirely been an act after all. And he’d noted that she treated the servants with the same kind of sweetness and charm that many of his peers wouldn’t have bothered with, which spoke well of her. He didn’t understand why she didn’t do the same with Cordelia. It was just one of the many inconsistencies in Gabrielle’s behavior that fascinated him.

  Chapter 2

  After several days of spending as little time with the Marquess as possible, Gabrielle was pleased when Cordelia took her out shopping. Shopping had been the one way in which the Baron had always indulged his daughter; as if by allowing her to buy whatever trinkets she wanted, he fulfilled his fatherly duties towards her. In her opinion, it was a poor recompense, but she had been willing to take what she could get.

  Considering how miserable she’d been the past few days, she felt she deserved some fripperies. Certainly, she should get whatever she needed to help catch some gentleman’s eye so she could be married off. The Marquess had made it clear that she was to have her Season and her come-out and that he expected her to receive an offer by the end of it. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if she didn’t receive an offer. While she doubted Cordelia would allow him to throw her out on the street, she didn’t think he’d want to fund another Season for her either.

  When they finally arrived home, Gabrielle was exhausted, but satisfied. She’d gotten everything she wanted to put herself forward at her best. Even better, she’d kept Cordelia from getting everything she wanted. It was the first time in ages that Gabrielle had turned the tables. For some reason, Cordelia seemed to want to placate Gabrielle and she’d taken full advantage of it. She deserved it, she figured, after having been ignored, threatened, and bullied by everyone. Perhaps Cordelia was feeling guilty for asserting that she would allow the Marquess to beat Gabrielle – good. She should.

  The trouble started when Cordelia noticed a package that she hadn’t seen Gabrielle purchase and demanded that she take it back.

  “What? I will not! Henry, take it upstairs,” Gabrielle ordered imperiously. Cordelia had never said no to her before!

  “No, no, Gabrielle you knew we were at our limit, what else could you have possibly needed?” Cordelia’s big brown eyes were pleading and resigned, sparking just a tinge of guilt in Gabrielle’s conscience… but Cordelia was already married. She already had the perfect husband, who doted outrageously on her in a way the Baron never had. Why should she get all the happiness?

  “Some lace caught my eye while I was waiting for you,” Gabrielle said coolly, noting that the staff were all watching, and that Henry still hadn’t followed her command. He looked frozen and torn; he was a very nice footman and had been quite kind to Gabrielle, but he obviously didn’t know what to do when what she wanted clashed with what his employer’s wife wanted. "And two beaded reticules that will go perfectly with the lilac gown and the pink gown that we purchased from Madame Liriene's. If you're so concerned, you take something back."

  "We already bought you a cream reticule that will go nicely with both of those dresses," Cordelia argued. Neither she nor Gabrielle noticed that Bonnie, the maid that had accompanied them on their trip, had slipped away.

  "I wanted matching ones," Gabrielle said, sniffing haughtily. "I daresay you would be perfectly satisfied with just the cream." Cordelia had always made do before, after all. This was the one area of Gabrielle’s life where she’d ever had any control, where she’d ever gotten what she wanted – she wasn’t giving that up now! She’d already given up her father, her home, and her pride, enough was enough!

  "Henry, put the package by the door for now," Cordelia said, her face as stern as she could make it. It did not intimidate, but Henry moved to follow her bidding. Gabrielle gritted her teeth. She didn’t blame him of course. "Gabrielle, I need to speak with you in the parlor, please."

  Rolling her eyes, Gabrielle flounced down the step she was standing on. "If you insist."

  "Actually, Gabrielle, I would like you to go up to your room until I send a maid for you." The staff all relaxed as the Marquess appeared in entrance to the hallway, Bonnie just a step behind him. Gabrielle scowled as soon as she saw the maid; Bonnie was one of the servants who was completely on Cordelia’s side and Gabrielle knew it. "Cordelia, sweetheart, if you would come with me, I'd like to speak with you."

  Gabrielle opened her mouth to protest, but one hard look from the Marquess and she turned and walked up the stairs. Stomped up the stairs, really, as much as she could in her frothy skirts. She hadn’t liked the look in the Marquess’ eye one bit. She already knew he was going to take Cordelia’s side.

  God she hated it here. She’d take the first offer of marriage she got, just to get away from this awful house.

  ******

  When Molly came to fetch Gabrielle, she was grateful that it was Molly and not Bonnie. Other than the housekeeper, who was constantly mothering Gabrielle as much as she could, Molly was the closest thing to a friend that Gabrielle had in the Dunbury household. She often served as Gabrielle’s lady’s maid and she and her husband had two darling daughters that Gabrielle enjoyed spending time with whenever she could sneak away to the servants’ quarters. As far as she knew, no one had whispered a word about her activities to the Marquess or Cordelia and that was how Gabrielle preferred it. Her father had forbidden her to interact with those “lower”
than them, but she wouldn’t have had anyone to talk to back at home if she hadn’t. Considering the Marquess’ social status and his general perception of his consequence, she doubted he’d be any different.

  Molly’s silent support did much to reassure Gabrielle, so when they arrived at the Marquess’ study, she sailed in with her chin held high. She faltered only for a moment when she saw Cordelia seated behind the Marquess’ large desk, with him standing forbiddingly at her side.

  "Thank you, Molly," the Marquess said to the maid who had escorted Gabrielle from her room to the study. "Please wait out in the hall for Miss Astley. I'll call you back in when she's ready to return to her room."

  Bobbing a curtsy, Molly took herself back outside, closing the door behind her. The very air in the room seemed to change, a strange tension filling it, as if everything was about to change. If Gabrielle could have lifted her chin further, she would have.

  "Sit down, Gabrielle," the Marquess said, nodding to the chairs in front of the desk.

  Keeping her chin high, Gabrielle came forward in a stately manner, clutching her skirts because she couldn’t help herself.

  "What do you have to say for yourself, about your behavior today?" he asked.

  Recognizing she was being given a chance to defend herself, Gabrielle straightened even more in her seat, folding her hands in her lap over her cerulean skirt. Her eyes widened, making her look extremely innocent and a little bit younger, a tactic that had often served her well with her father, as she tilted her head to the side.

  "I know I shouldn't have spoken to Cordelia so, in front of the servants," Gabrielle said, her tone falsely apologetic. She’d already thought out what she would say. "I was just so upset by her public accusations... I didn't mean to go behind her back at Fotherby's, I thought she realized that I had added to our purchases. If I'd known she wasn't paying proper attention to me, of course I would have informed her straightaway."

  "You're saying Cordelia didn't inform you that the limit of your funds had been reached?" the Marquess asked, his voice amiable.

  Hearing the warning in his voice, Gabrielle faltered, for just a moment.

  "Well, I just thought she'd put aside some of her items," Gabrielle said, fluttering her eyelashes at Philip. She knew it made her look even younger and more innocent than she was. "After all, with my debut imminent, there are certain necessities to success. I know Cordelia agrees with me that I must appear to my best advantage. She was so generous today with providing me everything I needed, I didn't expect her to quibble over such a small matter. After all, even if we did exceed our allowance, it wasn't by very much."

  "From now on, you and Lady Dunbury will have separate allowances," his slight emphasis on her title made it clear that he didn't approve of Gabrielle's use of her name. "Your extra purchases today will be deducted from that allowance, and if you continue to exceed your limit, eventually you will reach a month when you have no allowance at all. You will also be disciplined every time you exceed your limit, to teach you some constraint. Please stand and bend over the arm of your chair, lift your skirts and present yourself for your punishment."

  "What?!" All the color had drained from Gabrielle's face as the Marquess had spoken, until it flushed again at his final order.

  His gaze on Gabrielle was implacable. "Position yourself for a spanking. I'm aware that your stepmother informed you of the disciplinary consequences that I intend to uphold in this household. Today you were disobedient of your stepmother, both selfish and extravagant in your purchases, and disrespectful upon your return home. So you will be spanked, and hopefully there will not be a repeat of today."

  Practically sputtering, for the first time in her life, Gabrielle looked to her stepmother for support.

  "Cordelia! You can't let him - you shouldn't - I..." Gabrielle's voice trailed off as Cordelia's jaw locked into place, and she realized that her stepmother wasn't going to stop any of this. Furious, frightened eyes turned back on Philip. "I'm not a child!"

  Even though Cordelia had told Gabrielle that this was possible, she hadn’t truly believed it. She certainly hadn’t believed Cordelia would actually allow her new husband to beat Gabrielle.

  "Then you should not have acted as one. Your spanking is currently at a count of twenty. If you do not get up and put yourself in position, I shall begin adding five swats for each minute that you delay." The ruthless authority in the Marquess’ voice made it clear that this was no idle threat. Tears began to spill from Gabrielle's big, green eyes, real tears that had her cheeks and nose turning red, as she looked between her two guardians and seemed to realize that no relief would be forthcoming.

  Gabrielle glanced towards the door… but what was the point? There was nowhere she could go, no one she could turn to. None of her relatives would take her in, or they would have done so already. None of them were close relatives anyway. They certainly wouldn’t care that her guardian wanted to spank her. She didn’t doubt that the Marquess would make her pay for any resistance on her part. Sniffling, she moved around to the side of the chair, staring at it as she tried to scrounge up the motivation to actually place herself over it.

  The Marquess provided it.

  "Twenty-five."

  With a squeak, Gabrielle practically threw herself forward, her stomach landing on the armrest, pushing her bottom into the air. The position was humiliating in the extreme. The last time she’d been punished like this, she’d been a little girl and it had been her Nanny doing the job.

  "I hate you," she spat, a sob in her voice as she reached back to lift up her skirts. "I hate you both."

  Her stomach roiled as she heard the Marquess moving behind her, her bottom automatically clenching and then unclenching. Fear filled her, followed quickly by shame. How could Cordelia allow this? Tears rolled down her cheeks as she bit her lip to keep her sobs to herself. She might have to do this, but she didn’t have to give them the satisfaction of hearing her misery.

  "Do not attempt to cover yourself," the Marquess said, his authoritative tone making her shiver. "I do not wish to injure your hands by accident. If you reach back to cover yourself, I'll tie your hands in place to ensure that you hold your position. You will be given twenty swats for your disobedience, selfishness, and disrespect and then another five for dawdling. Do you understand?"

  "Yes! I hate you!" It was the last gasp of defiance that she could muster, even as a fine tremor went through her body. Gabrielle was going to die of shame and pain, she was sure of it.

  SMACK!

  Gabrielle shrieked loudly, her hands instinctively starting to reach back towards her bottom before she abruptly stopped herself. It hurt! It hurt so much more than she could have imagined! The paddle was long enough that it had impacted against both cheeks of her bottom, making her skin spark with pain, like the first licks of flame against her skin.

  "That was not included in either count," the Marquess intoned. "You and you alone earned this punishment, and I will not tolerate any disrespect, insults or invocations while you're being disciplined. Do you understand?"

  Gabrielle nodded her head, burying her face in her hands. She bit her finger to keep from saying anything, because she knew she would not be able to speak without crying. Damn him! Damn them both!

  "Very well. We'll begin. My lady," he said, obviously to Cordelia and not to Gabrielle, "if you would please count the strokes."

  Obedient, awful Cordelia. Gabrielle wanted to sneer, except she was feeling too pitiful to even attempt one. She turned her face so that she could see her stepmother and glared at her, wanting her to have to see exactly what she was condoning. Cordelia’s face was so pale her skin almost looked translucent, but she didn’t speak up to defend Gabrielle. Didn’t speak up to stop this.

  SMACK!

  Despite her determination not to, Gabrielle cried out.

  "One." Cordelia's voice came out as a mere whisper, so soft that Gabrielle barely heard her, before her voice strengthened. "One."

  SMACK!
>
  Another pathetic cry as the paddle’s impact landed against already pink skin. Gabrielle hated that she couldn’t keep quiet, but it hurt so much!

  "Two."

  Gabrielle clenched her fists to keep from reaching back to cover herself as the spanking continued. She couldn’t stop crying out. She couldn’t stop the spanking. She couldn’t do anything but kick and cry and pray for it to soon be over.

  The paddle was landing fast and hard, with just enough time between strokes to allow Gabrielle to cry out and then get her breath back. By seven she was crying pitifully and had turned her face away from her stepmother. It was clear that Cordelia was horrified, but she wasn’t going to help either. By twelve she was sobbing. At fifteen she tried to cover her bottom and Philip quickly snapped out that, if she didn't remove her hands, he'd tie them down and they'd start the count over. She'd sobbed and then brought her hands back up her body, putting her arms beneath her chest as holding them there.

  SMACK!

  "Sixteen."

  Gabrielle wished she’d never added those extra items to her shopping list. Why hadn’t she stopped? Why hadn’t she at least told Cordelia that she’d wanted to add those items? Her stepmother probably would have made some of her own sacrifices… but Gabrielle had wanted to be sneaky. She had wanted to do something without permission, without having to ask. She’d wanted to feel like a real woman, a real person, able to buy a few paltry items without feeling like a beggar. The Marquess was not related to her, his money was not her money, but for a few moment she’d wanted to pretend that nothing had changed… that she could spend what she wished, get what she wanted… and she’d wanted the things that would make her feel more like a lady. Make her feel more comfortable in the capital. Instead, now she was bent over being spanked like a child. Her bottom was burning, it felt swollen and hot and she was sure that she couldn’t take anymore.