“Thank you, my lady. It’s a lovely name. It suits you.”
When I dared risk a glance at him, I saw to my surprise that he was not mocking me. In fact, he looked quite serious indeed. For the first time, I took a good, long look at the man I’d been thinking of as my captor. I saw that the eyes which I’d initially thought bore such a strong resemblance to my husbands’ were in fact remarkably different. They were gray, that much was true, but they seemed to be full of light and framed by dark lashes, making them look truer to silver than the storm clouds Wallace had. He was taller than Wallace, too, and was good two heads taller than my own 5'4" frame. Wallace had an enviable physique from fencing and sword fighting, but this man far outweighed him and it was clearly mostly muscle. His hair was brown with streaks of gold threaded through the strands, but his most noteworthy feature were the twin dimples in his cheeks. I’d only seen them once thus far, but as I looked at him, taking in the full measure of him, I wondered what it would take to see them again.
“You’re too kind,” I answered at last. I felt that my response had been late in coming, but he dipped his head in acknowledgement anyway.
“You may call me Antony, my lady.”
Antony. The name reverberated through me, seeming to suit his quiet strength and dignified bearing. “As you wish.”
We said no more for several long moments, each staring uncertainly at the other. I didn’t know where things went from here. Taught to be the epitome of a proper lady since before I could fathom any of it, I did not knowhow to proceed when one had exchanged Christian names with a man of lesser birth, much less what to do when that same man had promised to spank me.
“What are you thinking, Cecily?”
I could see that he liked trying my name out and it sounded sweet as honey on his lips, making me smile faintly. “Only that I don’t know how to… I don’t know what we should do now.”
“I see. Might I suggest we talk for a bit?”
I nodded and he took a seat in the chair by the door. Mirroring him—for it was all I could think to do—I sat gingerly on the bed.
“Firstly, I want you to know that I intend to keep you safe. I know that might be hard for you to believe, considering the manner in which we met, but I speak the truth. I have no desire to harm you, and intend to protect you from those that would.”
I had so many questions, so many things to say that rose to the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed each of them back, waiting patiently for him to finish.
“However, in order for me to do those things that I might ensure your safety, I must know that you will obey me. This is all I ask of you, my lady. You must obey, or suffer the consequences of failing to do so.”
The word went through me like a shot, making me freeze.Consequences. How did it sound so frightening on his lips, and yet… yet, my bosom heaved in a way that I could not understand.
“Sometimes, those consequences could entail you finding yourself in danger, as you were today. To prevent this from happening again, your consequence for disobeying me will be a sound spanking.”
My heart pounded hard at the sincere, calm way that he spoke of such things. It was unheard of, threatening a lady and especially one as high-born as myself. Yet, I felt myself thawing, somehow warming toward this man who’d spirited me away from my home. “You cannot,” I murmured, my breath quickening as I stared at him. “It would hardly be proper.”
“I’m afraid on this we’re going to have to disagree, my lady. Tell me, did your husband never chastise you?”
“Wallace?” I blurted out, his name a laugh on my lips. I sobered as soon as I’d spoken, flushing when I realized how improper I was being right this moment. I cleared my throat, abashed. “The duke would never do such a thing.”
It was true, in a sense. Wallace had been ready to beat me in a drunken rage on the day I fled from his presence, but I could hardly imagine him spanking me.
Antony’s intense eyes studied me for a long moment before he spoke again. “More’s the pity. I’ve always thought that a spanking, particularly when well-deserved, brings a man and woman closer together.”
I wanted to laugh again—indeed, the laughter bubbled in my throat, but one look at his no-nonsense face and it died on my lips. As the humor was fading, I felt something strange stirring in my breast, something that made my chest tighten and my pulse race. “I think I’m going to be ill,” I murmured, putting my hand to my forehead.
“The prospect of punishment can be frightening.” Antony clucked his tongue sympathetically, while I wondered if we were talking about the same thing. “Best to have it over with, and quickly, so that you can get some rest. I’m sure you’re still shaken from your ordeal.” When he stood, I once again mirrored him, backing away as he began to move toward me.
I kept moving, my feet shuffling in reverse as quickly as I could until I found myself backing into the wall. I swallowed hard, knowing that I had nowhere else to go. My eyes fixed on Antony as he moved closer still, in hot pursuit. I splayed my hands against the wall, pressing them tightly against the wood as though I could give myself room to run from the sheer will of wishing for it.
Regrettably, the wood stayed solid despite my grasping fingers and Antony was soon upon me. He did not grab me, or even make a move to touch me. He stood, large and looming in front of me without moving a muscle. As I waited to see what would happen next, I took in his large palms. I’d never had cause to consider a man’s hands before, but as I studied his I found the knots in my belly growing tighter with every passing moment. They were large and looked heavy. I couldn’t help but wonder, my breath hitching in my throat, what such a hand would feel like on my bottom.
He pinned me with his eyes and when I saw how kind yet unrelenting his gaze was, I knew that this was not a fight I should win. In all truth, I was tired of fighting, which was why I turned in slow, shuffling movements to face the wall. I didn’t know what came next, so I simply stood there, looking at the cool wood and trying to ignore the rapid beat of my pulse in the hallow of my throat.
“Have you ever been spanked before, Cecily?”
The question caused me to start in surprise. In the life I’d come from, such matters simply weren’t discussed, and certainly not so openly. Yet, I knew he expected an answer, and despite myself, something about the soft lilt in his voice when he asked it made my pulse quicken until I felt my breath coming in short bursts. “No.”
Though she’d rapped my knuckles once or twice, my lady mother had believed that disappointed silence was punishment enough—and indeed, I’d learned my lessons well.
“In that case, I feel that I must warn you that thiswillhurt. Under different circumstances, I would go light on you, as this is a first offense, but I need you to understand how seriously I take matters such as these.” As he spoke, Antony began to hike up my skirts until my pantalets were visible to him.
Just the thought of him seeing my dainty, carefully sewn undergarments was enough to make my body tense as a blush stained my cheeks. The only man who’d seen them had been Wallace and I doubted he’d taken much notice. He was not the type of man to undress a woman and had often left the task to one of my ladies.
