Birching His Bride Teaser

This is not going to be a long blog post because it is Sunday and I finally have time to sit and do some real writing. It's been a hectic week at work for me, returning from Costa Rica and trying to get everything unpacked / put back together in the evenings, being super tired from the return to work, and also catching up on work from when I was away. Yesterday was the longest Saturday I've worked so far this busy season. *sigh*

But now it's Sunday and I have time to write and I'm feeling super motivated! So instead of a long blog post, I'm going to give you a teaser from Birching His Bride and I'm going to get my ass writing!:

One year later Edwin saw a very different Eleanor at her come-out ball than he had before that fateful day when he'd witnessed her birching.  She looked every inch the presentable young lady, demure and well-mannered, although Hugh said that she occasionally still received a spanking for minor infractions. There seemed to be a spark in her pretty sapphire eyes though, as she surveyed the young men of the ballroom, like a huntress surveying her prey.  Edwin found himself intrigued, and not just because of the memory of her rosy, beaten buttocks, although of course that was part of it.

 

Since that time he'd found one or two ladies that were intrigued by having a spanking to their bare bottoms, and he'd found that it had aroused him more than ever before. But, of course, the ladies had to be willing and it wasn't quite the same as a true punishment.  Once he'd caught one of his maids stealing from him and instead of turning her out he'd let her stay on after receiving a personal birching from him. The discipline had aroused both of them so much that he'd broken one of his cardinal rules and taken her right then and there. Normally he left the staff alone, having learned his lesson from the first time he'd made one of the maids his mistresses and the disruption it had caused in the household. Collette wasn't his mistress though, there had been that one time and she had gone on to be married about a year later to a footman in a neighboring household. Edwin rather envied the lucky man. 

 

Lately his own thoughts had turned to marriage. His parents were ensconced firmly in the countryside, but that didn't stop his mother from sending him constant letters inquiring as to the steps he was taking to find a wife. After all, he was her only child and if something were to happen to him then the title would go to a distant cousin.  The last few letters his mother had sent had hinted at coming to London herself to offer her assistance.  Considering how much either of his parents hated to leave the country, he didn't want her to feel as though that was necessary.

 

Now, tonight at this ball, he realized what he had been waiting for this past year.  The milk and water misses held no allure for him, despite the fact that many of them were quite beautiful, they all bored him. He wanted a different kind of marriage. Not one where with he would have to respectfully knock on her door, request admittance, and then make boring, gentle love to, but a wife that could be disciplined and then fucked. A wife like Collette's lucky husband had. Eleanor would make a splendid future Countess, she'd been hovering in the back of his mind constantly ever since he'd seen her birched.  Of course, her late coming out also caused a bit of gossip, but he didn't care about that. And the spark in her eye indicated that perhaps her father had not entirely tamed the spoiled hoyden.  Edwin would much rather she not be entirely tamed, after all, then he would have no chance to discipline her himself. 

 

Although they hadn't spent much time together recently, and he had seen for himself what sharp-tongued brat Eleanor had turned into during that time, he also knew what she had been like before she turned spoiled.  He knew that she had once followed Hugh, Wesley and himself around practically begging for attention, trailing her doll Rose along with her everywhere she went. He knew that she'd worn pink for two years straight and refused to put on a dress in any other color. He remembered when she'd found some neighbors boys bullying one of the village girls and had given the little girl Rose to play with, after driving the boys off with nothing more than her own indomnitable spirit.  At that point he'd kept a sharp eye out in case one of them had wanted to retaliate against Eleanor, but the boys had the wits enough to realize that it was best to leave the eight year old and her new six year old friend alone. There was sweetness still inside of her, he believed, it was just buried deep down. 

 

Deciding that he might as well get to know this new Eleanor so that he could make an informed decision, Edwin crossed to her side of the room. 

 

"Lady Harrington," he greeted her mother with a slight bow, smiling his most charming smile. "Lady Eleanor." 

 

"Lord Hyde, you rogue," Lady Harrington said with a smile. "You've been staring at my Eleanor here for the past fifteen minutes and you're only just now coming to talk?"

 

"I was too arrested by the sight of her beauty," he said smoothly, "and have only just now found my tongue again.  You are looking particularly lovely tonight Lady Eleanor." In fact, the rose pink of her gown was quite nice with her blonde hair and fair looks, and it put him in mind of the first rosy color her buttocks had turned when her father began to spank her.  The neckline was low but not immodest, in fact it was almost demure compared to some of the gowns other women in the room were wearing. He was quite sure that he had seen Eleanor eying them enviously. Obviously still wanting things that her father said she couldn't have.

 

"Since you have found your tongue again, one would think that you would use it for something other than the usual banal compliments," Eleanor said a little waspishly.  He hid a smile. Not because he wasn't offended at her brash remark, but because it was obvious she still had some of her spirit and that a husband would have ample opportunity to discipline her if she couldn't get her own tongue under control.

 

"Eleanor!" said her mother in scandalized tones, snapping her fan against her daughter's wrist. "You are being quite rude. Please do forgive her, my Lord." She fluttered her eyes at him.

 

The lady's mouth puckered mulishly. "It's just Edwin, mother. We've known him forever."

 

Smiling genially at Lady Harrington, Edwin turned a more rakish look on Eleanor. One that she wouldn't have seen on his face before, because he'd never turned his flirtatious charm on his friend's sister. They had not recently spent much time in each other's company until now, despite the length of their association. After all, her father hadn't deemed her fit for polite society until now, and obviously he had been deceived if this was an example of her behavior! She still had the same sharp tongue from he’d always known, perhaps because she did not find him intimidating.  Looking at her through half-lidded eyes, he leaned in closer and his smiled broadened as she inhaled sharply, looking up at him in consternation.

 

In truth, Eleanor was quite intimidated by Lord Hyde, which is why she so often sharpened her tongue on him, as if she had something to prove.  He was very tall, very muscular and very good looking, and having him in such close proximity to her, with her mother teasing him about staring at her, had pushed aside all the society masks she'd created over the past couple of years.  The number of spankings and birchings had subsided as she'd started bowing to her father's demands and wishes, no matter how much she chafed over his unfair rules. After all, look at the number of young debutantes here with much more bosom showing than herself, in finer fabrics and with better jewelry! This was her coming out ball and she should have shone; instead she was stuck in a dress that catered to her father's stupid and old-fashioned ideals. 

 

Over the past year she'd learned to keep her thoughts to herself, to pretend to be satisfied with her father's demands, and to show herself as the perfect little society miss.  It was all part of her plan to remove herself from her father's strict household as soon as possible, once she was a wife she could do as she pleased, buy all the clothes and fripperies that she wanted, and her husband would shower her with expensive jewelry. Eleanor knew exactly what she wanted in a husband - a man who loved her to distraction.  She'd seen the way her parents' marriage worked; her mother loved her father unconditionally and bowed to his every wish.  That's exactly what Eleanor wanted but in reverse.  There was no need for her to fall in love and she had no intention of doing so.  She wasn't sure whether or not her father loved her mother, although she felt fairly certain that he cared for her at least.  The person who was not in love had the power and that's what Eleanor wanted, a comfortable life with a man who would worship her and lavish gifts upon her. 

 

Already she'd flirted with several young men who would do quite nicely. Lord Kilcairn had practically tripped over himself to be the first to secure a dance with her, the second son of the Marquess of Salisbury had begged to supply her with a lemonade and the young Earl of Cawdor had promised to talk to his aunt, Lady Cowper, about securing her permission to waltz.  There were plenty of other men in the room looking at her with admiring puppyish eyes that she hadn't even spoken to yet, although she knew she would soon. Perhaps she'd even let a few of them take her out on the terrace and kiss her.  After all, her debut had come after most of her friends' and so she had some catching up to do - all of them had been kissed at least once. 

 

Lord Hyde was certainly not on her list of possible husbands. He was too large, too intimidating, too disturbing. The way he looked at her made her feel like he was undressing her with those unfathomable dark eyes; they were admiring of her but there was nothing puppy-like about it.  Tonight he was looking particularly fine in a light grey coat that set off his dark hair and eyes and emphasized his shoulders, breeches that molded themselves to his muscular legs, and a charcoal waistcoat that hugged his masculine figure. The slightly amused and yet somehow intense expression on his face did nothing to soothe her anxiety around him; the roguish smile that he gave her only affirmed her wariness of him, but it also made her insides tighten in the most inexplicable way. 

 

"I could never deny a request from you Lady Harrington," he said, in that smooth, deep voice of his. Shivers ran up her spine and she could feel gooseflesh breaking out all over her body.  She didn't remember him ever having quite this effect on her before. It was incredibly unnerving. Had he ever looked at her quite that way before? "However, I do believe that apologies are more appreciated coming from the source of the offense."  

 

He looked at her expectantly.  

 

A sharp retort was on the tip of her tongue when she saw her father approaching out of the corner of her eye. Immediately she bowed her head, knowing that her mother wouldn't say anything to her father about her misbehavior if only she could apologize and change the topic before he came within earshot. 

 

"Please forgive me, my lord," she said in a mild, soft tone, giving a small curtsy.  "I'm afraid that I am overly excited by the importance of this evening and temporarily lost my head."

 

"Of course," said Lord Hyde. She peeked up at him through her lashes, wondering at the tone in his voice. Was he amused by her? Fury pinked her cheeks, but she couldn't say anything because her father had just reached their group.  He exchanged greetings with Lord Hyde and asked if Edwin would call on him the next day.  Having agreed to do so, Lord Hyde then turned and asked Eleanor for a dance.

 

With her father watching she couldn't do anything but say yes, as graciously as possible.  Once on the dance floor she kept on her smooth social mask, finding it the only defense she had against Lord Hyde's probing eyes and heated glances.  He even flirted with her when they were close enough to speak, commenting on the lovely flush of her cheeks, the way her blue eyes shone like jewels and one about how the color of her dress complemented her complexion, his eyes dipping down to observe her creamy breasts. Beneath the fabric of her dress she could feel her nipples pucker and she found herself suddenly breathless. His words were not inappropriate, but his meaning was quite clear and made her glad, for the first time that evening, that her gown had a modest neckline. 

 

All in all, other than those moments with Lord Hyde, Eleanor's come-out was deemed a success by both her and her parents.  Her mother was happy because everything had gone smoothly, her father was happy because Eleanor had behaved - her mother neglected to inform him of his daughter's behavior with Lord Hyde and the walk on the terrace she'd taken with the Earl of Cawdor, and Eleanor was happy because she'd begun her campaign on two eligible young gentleman who seemed suitably malleable and easily infatuated.  She was quite sure that removing herself from her parent’s house and into a pampered marriage, where she could return to the lifestyle she'd formerly led before her father took such an interest in her upbringing, would commence by the end of the Season. 

 

Putting on her most flirtatious smile, she turned her efforts for the night into finding her a malleable husband as soon as possible.