Peeping Freddie

I was so excited this morning when we went up to the schoolroom.

At dinner last night Freddie had announced “ I think I might take the opportunity to inspect a local educational establishment tomorrow Papa.”

My heart had turned a little somersault as he had accompanied this remark with a broad wink in my direction. Thankfully Sir George hadn’t noticed the wink.

“I don’t know why you want to do that my boy,” he had grumbled, “I certainly wasn’t impressed by what I saw at Kingsmead School, very modern I must say.”

“Oh I don’t know Papa, it might be entertaining and we must support the cause of education.”

“As you wish dear boy, as you wish.”

I had hardly slept a wink thinking about how much fun it would be to know that all during our lesson with Miss Downing, Freddie would be hidden in the cupboard, watching and listening to everything that was said. That silly Miss Downing would be totally unaware that her every word, her every action would be scrutinised by her employer’s son! Oh how we would laugh about it afterwards!

It was only when I got to my desk that the awful truth of it suddenly dawned on me. If Charlotte or I were to displease Miss Downing in any way then she would undoubtedly punish us, and if she did punish us it would be in her usual manner – on the bare bottom! And I had invited a man to watch! Freddie would see it all, he would see our nakedness! It was mortifying enough when Sir George had caned me, but to have another man, a man my own age, watch me lift my skirts and part my drawers, let him see my bare bottom – well just the thought of it made me flush red with embarrassment! Not only that but I had risked Charlotte’s modesty too!

I didn’t have time to say anything to Charlotte before Miss Downing entered the room. She bade us sit and explained what the morning’s task was to be; a very dull exercise in reading a set of household accounts and trying to spot the errors that had been made there.

“There are ten errors to find, and I will be most displeased if you do not identify them all,” she said.

My heart sank, I hate things like this, I don’t have Charlotte’s attention to detail and I find that after only a few minutes the columns of tightly written figures seem to swim on the page and I can make little sense of them. Before I could even begin though, I had to find a way to warn Charlotte. As quietly as I could I slowly tore a corner from the paper. I checked to see that Miss Downing wasn’t watching then scribbled a quick note. I screwed it up and tossed it over to Charlotte.

Miss Downing glanced up just at the wrong moment, she was on her feet in an instant.

“What is that?” she demanded of Charlotte, “give it to me at once.”

Charlotte hadn’t even had the chance to read my note, she had no choice but to hand it over to Miss Downing.

“Be good!” she read out “Don’t get yourself whacked!”

She swivelled to face me. “Well Lucinda, a fine sentiment and sound advice, but perhaps a little superfluous in Charlotte’s case. Why the need for the dire warning may I ask?”

I felt myself blush bright red.

“I… I just didn’t want her to get in trouble today…” I said lamely “I…I…I thought we might ride this afternoon and I didn’t want her to be in discomfort.”

It was the best I could do and I don’t think Miss Downing believed me, but she had nothing to suggest another motive. Her eyes narrowed as she stepped forward to my desk. She picked up my book and flicked through the pages until she came to the place where I had torn off the corner.

“You have wantonly spoilt this book Lucinda haven’t you?”

“Yes miss,” I agreed reluctantly.

“And you have been wasting time sending silly, unnecessary notes instead of getting on with the exercise I have set you. Stand up young lady.”

I got to my feet, feeling very trembly and blushing bright red. “Please don’t spank me miss,” I begged.

“Give me one good reason why I should let you off a punishment you have richly deserved Lucinda?”

There was a good reason! The good reason was only five yards away and he was watching everything that was happening. But I could not betray him. I shook my head.
Miss Downing took her chair, placed it in the middle of the room and sat down. I knew what was going to happen and there was nothing I could say or do to prevent it. I also knew that, unknowingly, she had placed the chair in the worst possible place. Over her knee I would be looking out of the window and my bare bottom would be pointing directly at Freddie’s hiding place. He would see everything!

“Lift your skirts and get over my knee Lucinda. I have told you before, if you insist on acting like a silly little girl then that is how I will treat you. You never seem to learn.”

I felt like my face was bright, bright red, I could feel my cheeks burning. I knew that my face would not be the only part of my anatomy that would be bright burning red in a few minutes time! I lifted my skirts and lowered myself across Miss Downing’s lap. I gulped as I felt her untie my knickers and part them in order to bare my bottom. She didn’t hold back, she spanked me hard. It hurt like it always hurt but truth be told I hardly noticed the sting so aware was of the shameful display I was making of myself for Cousin Freddie!

It felt like an age before I was allowed to rise and return to my desk. I lowered myself onto the seat, my bottom smarting.

“Now let’s have no more nonsense Lucinda, get on with your work.” Miss Downing instructed.

I really wanted to now. I really wanted to find all ten of the errors in the accounts. If I could only present a perfectly completed exercise to Miss Downing I would avoid any more humiliation. Why oh why had I agreed to Freddie’s silly wager? He must have known what I was letting myself in for but he had done nothing to prevent me making a fool of myself. Try as I might I couldn’t concentrate on the page in front of me, all I could think of was Freddie watching as my bottom was bared and I was spanked like a naughty child! What on earth would he think of me now? He would be laughing every-time he saw me.

“Right ladies, that’s long enough,” Miss Downing announced. My stomach turned over with sick horror. I hadn’t found a single error in the accounts, not a single one!
Miss Downing went to Charlotte first. It didn’t take her long to mark Charlotte’s work.

“Well done Charlotte,” she enthused, “You really are excellent at this sort of thing. You will make someone a very good wife and run a very well ordered household if the evidence of this is to be believed.”

“Thank you Miss Downing,” Charlotte replied.

My heart sank even lower as Miss Downing turned to me. She picked up my exercise book and I saw a frown cross her face. She turned over the pages looking for my answers. She looked in vain, I had written nothing, not a single word.

“Even by your poor standards Lucinda, this is totally unacceptable,” she said icily. “I do not expect perfection from you but I do expect you to have tried. You have not even attempted the exercise, you have sat at that desk and you have dreamed the morning away.”

It was so unfair, it wasn’t a dream I was in it was a nightmare, and it was about to get even worse!

“Luckily for you Lucinda, I have something that will wake you up. Stand up and fetch me the cane.”

My mouth went dry. I hate being caned. Of all the implements she uses the cane is the worst. It hurts so much and it leaves horrid red welts that you go on feeling for days afterwards. I could have argued, I could have pleaded, but it would have been completely futile. I slowly stood up and pushed my chair back. Stiffly I walked across the room and opened the little cabinet of horrors that Freddy and I had laughed over yesterday. It wasn’t funny now and the thought that he was about to watch me being beaten was an especially horrid one. How stupid I had been, and now I was about to pay for my folly. I unhooked the cane and held it out to Miss Downing. She took it from me and flicked it casually through the air making me flinch.

“Face the window, bend over and grip your ankles,” she ordered.

Oh no! It was as bad as before, Freddie would see everything, absolutely everything!
Slowly I bent forward, my face burning with my shame. Miss Downing moved behind me and I felt her lift my skirts, folding them across my back. Her fingers parted my drawers, baring my bottom, and affording the unseen onlooker a perfect view of my feminine secrets. I tensed as I felt her place the rod across my bare cheeks. I gripped my ankles. She did not make me wait long. There was a swish of the cane and the retort as it bit home. Oh my! It hurt so much! I could not help but gasp aloud. No matter how many times you have been caned in the past the first stroke is always a shock, it always takes your breath away.

“You have only yourself to blame for this Lucinda,” Miss Downing said, sanctimoniously. “You are a very lazy little girl. You had plenty of time to attempt the exercise, I am vexed that you made not the slightest effort even to attempt to complete it. I do not enjoy having to punish you like this but if you can’t be bothered even to try then you leave me no choice but to discipline you.”

I just wished she would get on with it. She hadn’t said how many strokes I was to get, but it was clear that she was in no hurry. She left me bent over, the single stripe across my bottom still burning fiercely. I raised my head a little to watch her walk over to my desk and examine my exercise book again. She tutted her lips.
“Pure laziness,” she said. She walked back and placed the cane across my bottom again. I took a deep breath as she drew back the cane. The second landed a fraction lower than the first. Oh it stung so! I gritted my teeth and held on for dear life.

“You are a very lazy little girl Lucinda,” she announced. “What are you?”

I kept silent. It was too shameful to have to say that in the hearing of Cousin Freddie; what on earth would he think of me. I didn’t want him to view me as a ‘lazy little girl’ I wanted him to think of me as a sophisticated young woman.
Miss Downing whipped the cane down hard.

“Answer me girl!”

I shook my head.

She gave me another stroke, a low one, hard across the tops of my thighs. I could not help but cry out.

“Answer me Lucinda.” She placed the cane warningly across the hot, sore stripe that she had just marked on me. My fortitude failed me and the tears started to fall.

“I…am…a…lazy…little…girl…” I sniffed.

The cane swished down again, across the middle of my cheeks this time. I yelped with pain.

“Say it again, louder.”

“I… am… a… lazy…little…girl…” I sobbed.

For the sixth time Miss Downing whipped the cane across my poor bottom. I’m sure my bottom was now as red as my face!

“Stand up,” she ordered.

I quickly straightened up, my skirts falling back to restore my modesty. I thought my punishment was over, but it was not to be. Miss Downing took my elbow and led me over to the corner. She forced me to stand in the corner facing the wall. She lifted my skirts, exposing me again, and then, horror of horrors took two pins and pinned up my skirts to the yoke of my dress. I could have died with embarrassment.

“Place your hands on top of your head Lucinda,” she ordered “You will stay there until the ten minute gong goes for lunch. Do not move and do not unpin your skirts until then. I want you to stand in the corner and reflect on how a more diligent attitude would serve you better in the future. Charlotte, you are dismissed.”

I heard Charlotte get up and leave. I dared not move whilst Miss Downing was there, even though I was uncomfortably aware of the picture that I was still presenting to Freddy. It was a full ten minutes before she had finished whatever she was doing and I heard her chair scrape on the floor and her footsteps as she left. Even then I hesitated to move, for fear that she would return.

Freddie had no such hesitation. I heard the door open. I whipped my hands off my head to cover my bottom and turned as he came across the room. He was smiling, but it was a gentle smile of concern rather than a mocking one.

“Oh poor, poor Lucy,” he said. “She really is the nastiest witch of a governess isn’t she? You were absolutely right, she puts my Miss Littlefield totally in the shade.”

I managed a smile. “But what a brave girl you were! I would have been blubbing after the first but you took six real stingers with hardly a murmur.”

He took a step closer, and for a moment I forgot about my smarting bottom as he took my hands in his and drew me to him.

“I made a wager with you Lucy, that I have convincingly lost,” he said softly, his mouth close to my ear, “And so I must pay my dues. What would you like in payment?”

"A... a kiss?" I suggested tentatively.

Suddenly his lips were on mine, and I was melting in his arms. He kissed me, and oh what a kiss it was! I had heard girls giggle about being kissed like this but never imagined it would happen to me. He kissed me on my lips, and as my lips parted slightly his tongue was in my mouth! Oh it was such an incredible sensation. It made me tremble all over. He held me closer, letting go my hands to stroke down my back. I had forgotten my skirts were still pinned up but realised as soon as he hands moved lower to cup my bottom. He was touching my bare bottom! I almost swooned, as he stroked his fingers gently along the cane stripes. We broke apart and he looked deeply into my eyes.

“You are not a lazy little girl Lucy,” he said firmly, “You are my brave and valiant lady.”

I felt like my heart was melting. I was in love…truly in love!

“But now, regretfully, I must leave you to your time in the corner. It would not do for Miss Downing to catch us like this!”

He was right, it would be truly terrible if she were to come upon us making love! As much as I wanted him to stay I knew he was right. He gave me one more kiss and then he was gone. I put myself back in the corner, hands on head. It was a humiliating position for a girl my age, but I didn’t care, I didn’t care about my smarting bottom, I didn’t care about nasty Miss Downing, the only thing I cared about now was Freddie!