Another story from the Rachel Kent Universe.

It had been 22 years since Elisabeth had graduated from the Bainbridge School, over 20 since she had been married. In all that time, although she was only a few years older herself, Rachel had been more of a mother than a sister-in-law.

Rachel had been there when Elisabeth’s son had died. That had been a bad time. But Elisabeth’s two daughters had grown up strong side-by-side with Rachel’s own girls.

Tom had given Elisabeth a parcel of land and now there were two grand houses in the valley, one either end of Bannerman Creek, as everyone now called it.

The old ranch house was still used by Tom Bannerman’s ramrod, but instead of pasture, there were small houses surrounding it where the Bannerman hands brought up their families.

The Bannerman’s were looked up to in these parts and there was the rub. With Thomas junior away in Boston studying to be a lawyer, it brought more attention to the Bannerman girls, as they were known, and everything they did was noteworthy.

Sarah Bannerman at 20, was the eldest, with Kitty her sister and Katherine Masters their cousin, close behind both at 19. They had all graduated from Bainbridge’s, a school, which the three younger girls still attended. Although Mrs Bainbridge had long since passed on.

With Rachel and Elisabeth’s firm hand at home and Caroline Coolidge, who had taken over as principal at Bainbridge’s, at school, the girls were no stranger to discipline. So it was a matter of some frustration to Rachel and Elisabeth that still they were full of wild ways.

“Why couldn’t we have had more boys?” Rachel sighed as she and Elisabeth and her sat on the balcony of the Bannerman Mansion taking tea with their former maid and friend Milly. Then immediately Rachel clapped her hand to her mouth in horror at what she had said. “Oh I’m sorry.”

“Oh don’t be silly that was long past.” Elisabeth smiled. “But I know what you mean. Were we ever such a trial?”

Rachel looked sideways at her with an enigmatic smile of her own.

“Don’t answer that.” Elisabeth chuckled.

“No or you might incriminate both of us.” Milly said.

The three women laughed. They were all barely in there 40s and still handsome women, although they had been through a lot together.

“Do you remember that time when I put the salt in the sugar bowl when that stock dealer came to see Tom.” Milly giggled.

The three broke into a fresh round of laughter.

“Did you do that on purpose, you always denied it?” Rachel asked as the laughter abated.

“Of course I did.”

Elisabeth’s jaw gaped open even after 20 years.

“Oh you were such a naughty maid servant in those days. I knew you had.” Rachel chuckled. “But why ever did you do it?”

“He pinched my bottom when I let him in the house.” Milly said and grinned. “The licking you gave me was worth the look on his face.”

“I hope it was. I blistered your bottom with a dustpan brush out in the hall as I recall.” Rachel smiled fondly at the memory.

“A bottom well displayed in the hall when the devilish man left.” Milly remembered ruefully. “I could have died.”

“That was not as bad as that time you washed the velvet drapes.” Elisabeth giggled.

“Oh my.” Milly gulped at the memory even now. “How was I suppose to know they would be ruined, they were filthy as I recall?”

“Not as filthy as you were after a week of having to work outdoors dressed in just a poncho and boots.” Elisabeth gushed. “And the welts on your bottom. Oh my lord. They stood out like a pencil rack.”

“Oh you were so beastly to me. That poncho was so short. There are still ranch hands here who will remember what my caboose looks like.” Milly blushed. Then visibly wincing added. “As for that switching. I really could not sit down for a week.”

“You were not the only one in hot water in those days I recall.” Rachel smiled looking at her sister-in-law.

Elisabeth blushed and suddenly became interested in stirring her teacup.

“Oh lordy yes.” Milly hooted. “Do you remember that time that you bet the new hand that you could ride old Thunder?”

Rachel pursed her lips to hide her smile as she watched Elisabeth’s blush grow to her ears.

“That old horse dumped you on your tail and jumped the fence.” Milly was rocking with great gales of laughter now and hardly able to get the words out she added. “Then he smashed the hen house to kindling. There were feathers everywhere.”

“I do seem to recall that Tom had specifically said that no one was to attempt to ride the beast and had to cap it all, he had built the hen house himself.” Rachel’s face cracked.

Elisabeth’s face was a thundercloud.

“Rachel spanked your bare bottom right there in the coral in front of all those men.” Milly continued oblivious to her friend’s discomfort. “Your face when Rachel said you had to stand sans culets on the front porch with your back to the yard for an hour while she sent that boy to cut a switch. He was so darn keen.”

Then Elisabeth burst into laughter and Rachel joined her.

“Even keener I bet once Rachel used it to good effect right there in front of everyone. Tom wailed me good after that with his belt when he got back from riding picket.”

“Nobody’s bottom is safe from Tom.” Rachel observed. “Mine included.”

“Oh you wouldn’t have it any other way.” Elisabeth smirked.

“I guess not.” Rachel blushed.

“Speaking of which, it seemed to me you were sitting awfully shy of the chair last week.” Elisabeth said pointedly.

“Just a touch of lumbago.” Rachel said sucking in her cheeks.

“Of course.” Elisabeth nodded with a smirk.

Rachel punched her on the arm.

“You are not too old to go over my knee.” She chided.

Then there was an awkward silence as Elisabeth blushed. Milly looked uncomfortable suddenly as she caught the exchanged glances between the two women. It hadn’t been so long since both of them had indeed suffered over Rachel’s knee, especially Elisabeth.

“Well I know you have matters to attend to so I had best get home, or else I will be going over my husbands knee.” Milly said.

At the reminder of matters to attend to Rachel stood and nodded.

“Yes I suppose they have waited long enough. Are you sure you won’t stay. Your presence will be quite salutatory for some I could mention.”

“I think this is a family affair.” The former maid chuckled as she made to go.

After their friend had gone Rachel and Elisabeth exchanged glances and Rachel removed the hall brush from the wall by the main door.

“I suppose we had best get to it.” She sighed.

“How shall we?” Elisabeth began, then she shrugged, she would follow Rachel’s lead.

The two women made their way out of the front door and down to the stable block behind the house. How pretty it all looked with everything whitewashed, very different from the old days when the rough wooden barn, woodshed or outhouse had been the venues for what was to follow.

“Good afternoon Mrs Bannerman.” One of the women said as she beat the carpets out back.

“Good afternoon Mrs Staley.” Rachel replied with a pleasant nod to her housekeeper.

Then Rachel and Elisabeth walked on to the tack room attached to the stables. As expected there they found Sarah, Kitty and Katherine stripped to their shifts facing the back wall of the room. Each girl held a freshly cut switch between both hands that was tucked under and framing their bare bottoms.

At their feet, between their legs and the wall, were toolboxes that caused the girls to bend forward slightly, causing their bottoms to tilt outwards. This had the effect of displaying the offered buttocks to the full advantage to any who entered the room.

Rachel eyed the flour scattered on the floor for any sign that the girls had moved during the last hour or so that they had been placed here. She also took note that the pennies were still pinned to the wall by her daughters’ and niece’s noses.

Rachel and Elisabeth had had to get more creative in recent years. Whilst under Ginny’s tutelage, Rachel would not have dared moved from the corner once put there. Any more than Elisabeth would later when under Rachel’s strict hand. But led by Sarah, the Bannerman and Masters girls had had altogether been more rebellious and stricter methods had needed to be employed.

“No one has dared move I hope?” Rachel observed with a steely voice.

“No mama.” Kitty whispered, her bottom anxiously shook a little as she spoke.

“I am so glad to hear that.” Rachel said dryly. “We don’t want a repeat of what happened last time do we?”

“No please mother.” Sarah said frantically.

Rachel and Elisabeth traded a look at this response, each remembering not so distant events.

The girls had been allowed to attend a party given for all the workers and neighbours on condition that they did not imbibe any alcohol. “Oh no of course not”, they had solemnly promised. But once the party was under way they had crept off to the old barn where some of the boys had acquired a jug of cider.

All six girls had been frog marched back to the house and set in the corner until their mothers had a chance to do the necessary. But no sooner had their backs been turned, when the three older girls had crept away to rejoin the boys back in the barn.

Sarah had argued that the spanking was going to be a lulu anyway and they might as well get their money’s worth. So when Elisabeth had returned to find only two daughters and a niece in their rightful place she had seen red and had gone to fetch Rachel.

Rachel’s response had been less than mild. She had dragged all three girls from the barn and spanked them right there and then on the bare in front of the assembled guests. Not to mention the cider-swigging boys.

Sarah and the other two had frantically begged not to be spanked outside but to no avail. Once the first spanking was done, Elisabeth took a turn while Rachel cut switches. Then each girl was upended bare bottom up over the rail outside the bunkhouse and lined with welts until each of them had been set afire and all thoughts of the hollering crowd were driven from their minds.

Corner time had been a public affair after that and the party and impromptu floorshow had been a topic of conversation for weeks.

Rachel had no doubt that the girls wanted no repeat of that.

“Tell me. Whose idea was it to send a telegram to New York?” Rachel said addressing the row of contrite bottoms. Then paused at Sarah’s behind and added with a growl. “As if I didn’t know.”

“Please I can explain.” Sarah volunteered in a small voice.

“You can explain why it was charged to Mrs Temple’s account?”

“I… that it is we…” Sarah stuttered.

“We kinda thought that she wouldn’t mind so much and then you wouldn’t find out.” Kitty offered brightly.

“It is kind of. But I am grateful for your honesty.” Rachel rasped. And then to Elisabeth she said. “You know sometimes our Kitty reminds me of cousin Becky.”

“Thank you mother.” Kitty piped up.

“Becky was always getting the tar whaled out of her as well.” Rachel replied dryly.

“Oh.” Kitty squeaked.

“We will start with the youngest.” Rachel said tartly. “The rest of you stay where you are.”

As she pulled a reluctant Katherine from the wall the penny clattered to the floor unheeded. Rachel turned to Elisabeth to see if she wanted to handle her daughter herself. The girl’s mother just put a finger to her lips and shook her head.

Rachel sat on a box and pulled her niece over her lap.

“Please Aunt Rachel it was all Sarah’s doing.” Katherine pleaded.

“Katherine Hadley Masters.” Elisabeth snapped. “You know full well that you are as much to blame. Don’t you dare tell tales young lady. Just for that you have another appointment with my hairbrush and a bar of soap after supper.”

“Oh Ma.” Katherine wailed.

But her protest was cut off by a sharp application of the hall brush to her behind. The loud crack across the tight protruding posterior was heard clear across the ranch and several hands turned to see who was shooting. Then they heard the girlish yelp and broad grins spread across their faces.

Rachel paid the girl out in hard steady spanks until her bottom was peony red and she was doing a fair imitation of a banshee. The spanking lasted a little under 10 minutes, by which time Katharine didn’t care who knew she was sorry.

“Alright back and face that wall.”

“Yes Ma’am.” Katherine sobbed.

Kitty was shaking by now, knowing she was next. But unlike Katherine, it seemed, knew better than to try and wheedle out of it.

Kitty’s spanking was as sound as Katherine’s and soon she too was shouting the place down and promising to be “so good.”

“Please mama I am so sorry.”

“I know baby.” Rachel shushed. “Why do you do these things? You know I will always find out.”

Then setting her daughter back against the wall, she tugged her eldest by the arm and dragged her struggling across her knee.

“Mother I am too old for this.” Sarah growled.

“I didn’t even get my first spanking until I was your age and you young lady have not been spanked half enough. I know it was your idea. Don’t you know what you did was stealing. Not to mention sending a telegram to a… a man to whom you have not been introduced. The very idea.” Rachel was spitting.

Elisabeth blushed remembering a certain incident when she too had attempted to make contact with a music hall star. The punishment for that at Mrs Bainbridge’s hands had been quite a trial.

The hall brush bit hard and low across Sarah’s 20-year-old full bottom. Rachel certainly had a lot to work on. And work on it she did.

For the first 10 minutes or so, Sarah merely grunted and gasped as the brush bit into her bottom. Rachel was always frustrated by her daughter’s stoicism. The stubborn girl always held out until the last spank determined to beat it. As it was, by now her bottom had turned to a colour like liver and the skin had flecked up white where it had begun to chafe.

Then at last one of her groans was prolonged and she spluttered. A small wail followed and then she began to cry.

“That’s it. Let it all out.” Rachel said, but there was no gentleness there yet. Not as there had been with Kitty. “Why must you always fight me?”

“Mama.” Sarah sobbed. Then tears and a little snot trailed down her face as she was beaten.

Rachel did not stop the spanking immediately. She had a point to make. But after another minute or two, she had made it and let her daughter flop to the floor.

Sarah pulled herself together quickly, although her breathing remained ragged. Then she walked stiffly as she was returned to the corner.

The other two girls had stopped their fuss by now and waited impatiently to be dismissed. Perhaps Rachel had no use for the switches, they hoped. At least Kitty knew this was a forlorn hope. Katherine hazarded a peek over her shoulder as Rachel collected the discarded, but as yet unused switches.

“Aunt Rachel please. I will be ever so good. Really I will. Ever so.” The girl pleaded.

“Oh Katherine. You won’t be good will you? Really you won’t.” Rachel replied.

Elisabeth laughed, knowing it was true.

The two younger girls fluttered and cringed as Rachel tested the switch in the air. Only Sarah remained defiant, as her mother could see by the set of her back. The eldest girls’ larger bottom was also the most swollen and abused. A switching would be an interesting experience placed across such a tender tail. Not that the others weren’t in for a time of it as well.

“Perhaps a taste of the strap before the main event.” Elisabeth teased.

Sarah jerked at his and began clenching and unclenching her fingers which were by her sides.

“Perhaps you are right Elisabeth. What do you say to that Sarah?” Rachel tested.

“Please mother I really am sorry. I would very much appreciate if you didn’t. I know I am a trial really I do.” The girl’s voice was edged in panic. Then she sobbed. “Oh mother.”

Rachel reached out and gave her daughter a squeeze on the shoulder.

“Alright Katherine lets have you across this work trestle.” Rachel barked.

“Oh.” Katherine wailed and wrung her hands, eyeing the door and considering her chances of making a break for it.

Elisabeth took no risks with that and seized her daughter by the ear and collected a switch from her sister-in-law. Then Katherine was put right over the frame so that her naked bottom was directed to the roof. The trestle legs were too long so that the girl’s feet barely touched and only her long hair reached the ground on the other side.

Her bottom was already looking the worse for wear and red wasn’t in it. The girl’s pert and deeply divided behind was tending towards the purple. Rachel couldn’t help but consider the aesthetics of the target, removed as it was in the family bloodline. Something in her recognised an inappropriate primeval feeling.

Then there was a swish and a fizz as the switch stung its target.

“Oh mama.” Katherine wailed.

Elisabeth set a steady pace, crossing her daughter’s bottom with stripes of fire while the girl squealed a yelped at the onslaught.

Rachel had intended to watch Sarah’s reaction, but instead the bottom under correction drew her eyes as it bobbed and sways and made such efforts as it could to escape.

All to soon it was over, and in defiance of protocol, Katherine danced and clutched at her bottom while her gaping mouth struggled to emit any sound. Then it did. For a time she defied all attempts to return her to the corner and Elisabeth had to hug her and ease her tears.

“Oh mama, oh. It hurts so.” She repeated.

When she was finally stood, more or less in place, with her forehead pressed to the wall as she cried, it was Kitty’s turn.

“I don’t mind going last. Really I don’t.” Kitty said desperately backing away.

“Kitty Bannerman.” Rachel said sternly and pointed to the trestle with the switch.

“Yes mother.” Kitty said dejectedly as she marched slowly downcast to the trestle.

At first, she fared a little better under Rachel’s switch than Katherine had had under Elisabeth’s, but soon she was rivalling her cousin in the chorus of pain. The singing was heard, as much of the punishments had been, all the way across the valley. Most of the adults ignored it, the young men’s grins notwithstanding, but the kids were excited and some of them chanted in a childish singsong: “the Bannerman girls are getting a whupping.”

Once she was allowed to stand, Kitty’s face was a picture of woe. There were tears streaming down her face as she walked stiffly but unbidden back to her place at the wall.

“Alright Sarah you know what you have to do.” Rachel sighed.

“Yes mother.” Sarah breathed and then turned.

She looked forlornly at her Aunt Elisabeth as if hoping for a rescue and then tilted her head defiantly as she strode boldly to the trestle and neatly dipped awkwardly herself over it. The two older women contemplated the duly presented the fiery red bottom for a moment before Rachel shrugged and stepped forward with the switch.

Elisabeth wondered if that was how she had looked all those times that Rachel had had her in a similar position and blushed.

There was some anger in the set of Rachel’s back as she plied the switch in rapid strokes across her daughters behind. The swish-phut of the passage and impact of the switch rapidly became one continuous sound. Sarah twitched and strained on the trestle for a moment or two and then began to emit a long slow high-pitched wail.

Rachel switched low and hard taking a grim satisfaction her daughter’s vocal distress as her wails choked on broken tears. If Kitty had been a singer then Sarah was a fine instrument on which Rachel intended to extract an elaborate performance.

“If only you wouldn’t lead the others into such mischief.” Rachel said angrily. “Why, why, why do you do it?”

Sarah’s knuckles were white where she had reached back to grip the trestle top to steady herself. Her legs had begun to kick back in a random dance and she kicked up dust off the tack room floor. Still Rachel punished on, with a grim look on her face that Elisabeth found disconcerting.

“Rachel.” She said gently.

Rachel sobbed and nodded. The switching was over.

“Are you alright?” Elisabeth asked her.

Rachel smiled and nodded again her eyes puddled with tears.

“This girl just vexes me so.”

Sarah herself was oblivious to her mother’s unaccustomed distress. She was lost in her own tears. From her sobbing and wailing it was not clear she knew the switching was over.

“Get up you selfish girl.” Elisabeth snapped, providing the iron that was usually Rachel’s province.

Sarah stood up slowly, her face still marred with tears and stood meekly like the whipped schoolgirl she had once been. Elisabeth half pointed impatiently to the wall before turning to her sister-in-law who had turned her back to compose herself.

“What shall we do with these little brats now?” Elisabeth asked.

“Leave them where they are for the rest of the afternoon.” Rachel growled. “If they even dare run off this time I will whip them in the yard in front of everyone.”

Sarah gasped audibly at this.

As Elisabeth and Rachel head back to the house, a lone rider could be seen coming on fast. From the way he sat in the saddle Rachel knew at once it was Tom. Her buttocks clenched a little and her heart raced. She tried to think of everything that she might have done wrong, lest she had to face her own punishment that night. I am sure I will think of something by then, she thought.

The end?