The Importance of Punctuality

When I arrived to the study as I had been instructed, Lady Lisle gestured for me to come in.

"Close the door behind you, please."

I did so then hesitantly approached the sprawling mahogany desk where she sat apparently engaged in correspondence. She had looked up at me briefly when she spoke but now appeared entirely engrossed in the letter before her. I shifted uneasily and waited for her to address me.

"I see that you are prone to fidgeting, Miss Seymour," she observed without looking up.

"I suppose I am, Lady Lisle."

After what felt like forever but was probably only a minute, she signed her letter with a flourish, blotted it, and sealed it with wax before looking up at me.

"And why do you fidget? Are you an anxious type?"

"I do not believe myself to be generally anxious, my lady... but surely some anxiety is normal when one has failed to meet expectations."

"That is true enough. I was very displeased by your tardiness earlier. Perhaps you did not take me seriously when I told you I am very strict, but I shall soon impress this upon you."

She paused and looked at me thoughtfully. I swallowed nervously, unsure if I was meant to respond and not wishing to compound her displeasure by speaking out of turn.

"What did Mrs. Debenham do when she was displeased with you?"

"I don't know," I said stupidly.

The truth was that I had rarely displeased Mrs. Debenham and when she had punished me, the punishment had often ended with us in bed.

Lady Lisle gave me a look and I hastened to correct myself.

"That is, she did sometimes punish me, but-"

"How did she punish you?"

"She usually smacked my backside, but-"

"Good, then it shall be no surprise to you that I intend to do the same," she cut me off and I subsided, unsure what to do.

"As I have never disciplined you before, I shall go easy on you this time. I think twenty smacks with my hand should do it... Come here and lay yourself across my lap."

She had risen and now sat down in a big leather armchair. I wandered hesitantly over to her. When I was close enough, she reached out and I found myself rather efficiently laid across her lap, my dress folded above my waist. I had to wonder if the practiced air in which she accomplished this indicated she spanked all her servants. Surely not...

"Untie the waist of your underthings, please."

I reached under my hips and did as she asked. She tugged my underthings down and they pooled around my ankles.

I flushed as I felt cool air on my bottom. I had hoped I would be equal to enduring a spanking with equanimity, but the fluttering in my nether regions suggested otherwise.

Lady Lisle rested a hand on me and made a sound of disapproval.

"Why are you trembling? I can think of nothing I have done to cause you to quake upon my lap."

"I am nervous, my lady," I said hesitantly.

This was technically true. She didn't need to know that my anxiety was not at the thought of being spanked but of thoroughly enjoying said spanking.

"I shall give you twenty smacks on your bottom, nothing else."

This seemed a curious statement to me but before I could consider what she might be implying, she continued.

"You must do your best to keep still until I am done, Miss Seymour. Do not seek to interfere or I shall be cross. You may, of course, indicate you are unsuited to serve me at any time and I shall desist."

"Yes, my lady."

"You must count out your smacks. If you lose count, we will have to start again."

Lady Lisle gave my bottom a brief caress then the hand lifted before being brought down with a stinging smack.

"One," I muttered.

I tried to imagine the hand smacking my backside belonged to someone other than Lady Lisle. Someone very unappealing. My former mistress' mother in law, perhaps. However, the memory of her disapproval only inflamed me more. I found myself thinking with rather perverse pleasure of her stern lecture on my wickedness.

"What was that?" Lady Lisle paused and I realized I had muttered aloud.

"Nothing, my lady," I responded, unable to keep from squirming slightly. "Is it over?"

"Have you managed to forget how many smacks I said you would receive? Or have you forgotten what number we are on?"

"You said I would receive twenty... I think we are on fifteen, my lady."

She tutted.

"That is incorrect. In fact, I do not think you even counted the last few now that I think about it. Do you remember what I told you would happen if you failed to count your smacks properly?"

I squirmed again and she delivered two sharp swats that caused a moan to escape from my lips.

"I asked you a question."

"You said we would start over if I did not attend to the counting," I admitted.

"And why did you fail in this task?"

"I suppose I became distracted?" I offered, sounding more like I was asking a question than answering one.

"I am not. At all. Sure," she said, punctuating her words with smacks. "That this punishment. Is having. The intended. Effect."

She paused as if waiting for a response from me.

"I am very wicked..." I mumbled.

"Indeed," she agreed. "What of it?"

I was unable to think of any reason likely to help me avoid disgracing myself further so made no reply.

"We can meditate on your wickedness later. Right now you need only concern yourself with reflecting on the importance of punctuality," Lady Lisle huffed.

She delivered another stinging smack.

"One..." I managed to mutter without conspicuous pleasure.

However, a short time later, I was so overcome with lust that I again forgot to count.

"If I did not know better, I would think you are thoroughly enjoying this," Lady Lisle observed sternly.

I made no reply. What could I say?

Another smack landed and I clenched my thighs and squirmed in an effort to soothe the throbbing between my legs.

The next words out of Lady Lisle's mouth startled me so much that I would have toppled off her lap had she not prevented it.

"Relax your legs. Do not think I am unaware of what you are doing," came the disapproving voice over my shoulder.

I froze and gaped in astonishment at the rug.

"My lady?" I asked when I had recovered my wits sufficiently.

I gasped as her hand wedged between my clenched thighs.

"I said relax your legs. It is very wicked, not to mention inappropriate, to pleasure yourself on my lap when I have not given you leave to do so."

"Yes, my lady," I said, not really listening and wondering vaguely why she did not tip me over onto the floor.

However, a couple smacks later, I had a delayed realization of what she had said. Could I have heard her correctly? Was what she found wicked and inappropriate not that I was enjoying my spanking per se, but only that I had not been given permission to clench my legs together? This question distracted me from my attempts to stifle any expression of pleasure. When her hand came down next, I emitted a gasp that ended in a wanton moan and I was guilty of clenching my thighs yet again.

Realizing my mistake, I blushed furiously. She made a sound of disapproval and again forced my thighs apart.

"Well, what have you to say for yourself?" she asked sharply, her tone at odds with the feather-light touch of her fingertips trailing along my inner thighs.

"I am very wicked,,, yes... and inappropriate... " I hazarded, thinking my brain was too addled by lust to understand what was going on but aware that a large part of me was enjoying being scolded.

"Is this the sort of indiscretion that caused you to lose your last place?"

"Something like that, my lady..."

"Look at me, Miss Seymour."

I craned my head around to look at her.

"Is this how you think ladies of good breeding carry on?"

I thought I detected a slight twitch of my new mistress' mouth as she said this and however stern the words, her eyes seemed amused rather than indignant.

"No, my lady. I do not know what is wrong with me... Perhaps I am ill."

Lady Lisle gave me a look of frank disbelief and I returned her stare with an expression of wide-eyed innocence. Slowly, a smile began to spread across her face.

I allowed a small smile of my own to flicker briefly across my lips before I turned back to regard the rug once more. For several long moments I waited with bated breath to see what she would do.

She rubbed my thoroughly spanked bottom then her hand ventured lower until she cupped me between my legs. I pressed back against her slightly, but otherwise kept still as she had instructed me.

Just when she seemed on the verge of speaking, a knock came on the door and Mrs. Brendan entered.

I stiffened with mortification and would have promptly removed myself from Lady Lisle's lap had the hand cupping me not tightened slightly to discourage such a maneuver.

Mrs. Brendan appeared completely unfazed to find me facedown with my mistress' hand between my legs. In fact, if it did not seem rather unlikely, I'd have said her expression held a hint of a smirk.

"Forgive the interruption, my lady, but Mrs. Carmichael is here."

"Is she?" Lady Lisle asked. She sounded rather distracted and it was my turn to smirk, if only to myself.

"Indeed. She indicated you were expecting her," Mrs. Brendan answered delicately.

"I suppose I did at that... The afternoon quite ran away with me."

Lady Lisle sighed and her hand abruptly left me, much to my disappointment.

"Please put her in my sitting room and see that a tea tray is sent.

"Yes, my lady," Mrs. Brendan bobbed a curtsy and exited, closing the door again behind her.

"Well, Miss Seymour, we shall have to continue our discussion of your 'illness' another time," Lady Lisle murmured, carefully pulling my underthings back up and giving my bottom a last squeeze.

"Yes, my lady."

I righted myself and made to walk from the room, thinking I would just have to tend to myself in the privacy of my room, but she stopped me.

"Oh no you don't," she caught my arm, her eyes narrowing.

"My lady?"

"You must take tea with us."

"I would not wish to intrude," I replied hastily.

Her lip curled slightly as she regarded me and I shifted uncomfortably under her knowing stare.

"Mrs. Carmichael is a dear friend of mine. I know you would not wish to offer offense by absenting yourself for any but the most compelling of reasons."

"Of course not, my lady. I shall certainly join you if that is your wish."

She rewarded me with a nod of approval that did nothing to diminish my discomfort. I reluctantly followed her from the room hoping that it would not be too long before I found myself again in need of her correction.