Pauper Princess

Chapter Eighteen

I shrieked and cried, kicking my feet and trying to stand upright. It was no use, though- I was leaned firmly over the table, a maid holding my hands in place as my feet dangled far off the ground.

The switch fell once more, and again a scream finally escaped my lips. "Aaaah!"

Swish, Thwack! "AAAAH!"

Swish, Thwack! "Nooo!"

Swish, Thwack! "Please!"

Swish, Thwack! Swish, Thwack! Swish, Thwack!

The lashing had been going on for several minutes now, and seemed nowhere near the end. Miss Lancing continued to bring the switch down over and over, each lick just as hard as the first had been.

"I don't know what has gotten into her," Lady Baldwin was saying to the Earl and his wife. They stood to the side of the dining room as I was switched, Molly hiding in her Mother's arms like a wounded puppy as she held a cold rag to her bloodied nose. The adults could not see her smug grin as I was whipped, but even between my tears and shrieks, I could see it clearly.

"No more!" I begged, once again trying to pull my hands free. But the maid held fast, and with my dress pinned up and my drawers removed entirely, my backside was perfectly presented to Miss Lancing and the witnesses in the room as the switch continued to fall.

Swish, Thwack! "AAAH!"

Swish, Thwack! AAAAAAH!

Swish, Thwack! "AAAH-AAAHH! AAAAH! AAAAAAAH!"

My words quickly melted into incoherent screams and wails, but that did not deter my governess from carrying the whipping on for several long, horrid minutes. Elizabeth stood near her parents, and though she had shockingly tried to defend me, she had ultimately been told to hush and watch the punishment closely so as to learn what happens to naughty children. She watched anxiously, tears burning in her eyes as she bit down on a finger.

"Perhaps that is enough," Lord Baldwin said to his wife, glancing at her. The severity of the punishment, while certainly considered appropriate in High-Society for a display of behavior such as mine, obviously made him uncomfortable.

Lady Baldwin stared at me, appraising. Her gaze was still hard- in her eyes, I was sure, I had deliberately and maliciously humiliated her.

She looked to Miss Lancing. "Two dozen more. Good and hard, if you will."

She did- the hardest yet. I screamed and bawled my way through what I hoped to be the final stretch of the punishment, my throat hoarse from the constant pitch my voice reached. As it came to a close, Lady Baldwin came forward and grasped my chin.

"You do not strike other children," She warned me, and even over my sobs I could hear the seriousness in her tone. She used her thumb to wipe away some of my tears, trying to get me to see her clearly. "That is entirely improper behavior. It could land you in jail, or the whipping block, or worse. I know you may think this punishment cruel, child, but I am not cruel. This is an act of mercy. I am trying to save your soul- imagine how much more painful the whipping block would be, where it is a real whip that breaks skin rather than a switch that simply reddens it as such. Imagine how much more painful the fires of Hell would be, for a child that is never steered towards the Lord. This lashing is for you, my daughter. It brings me no joy."

She glanced back at Miss Lancing. "Again."

Once more, I heard the sound of the switch, whistling sharply through the air.

Swish, Thwack!

********

It was not the switching that was the worst part- though it had been horrid. It was not the alcohol that Miss Lancing rubbed on my backside to avoid infection after such a serious punishment that was the worst part- though that had also been horrid.