Our story began here.

Alice waited in the drawing room and tried not to look at the clock. It was almost 10 o’clock and neither girl had arrived. This was going to be difficult enough now that Janet and Jenny had gone back with Mrs Baxter, but she had hoped not to have to have quite a high stakes encounter so soon.

It was time to tighten the ship and for that there had to be strict adherence to the rules. God, she could murder a cigarette, the governess thought. She eyed the clock and the minute hand creeping towards the 11, she had seven minutes.

The patio doors opened easily and Alice was able to slip around the side of the house as she lit up. It would be a disaster if one of the girls caught her, but she was too on edge not to indulge. She thought about what would happen to her if Mrs Baxter were ever to catch her smoking. Her last trip to the woodshed had been one of her most memorable since leaving the college house. Mrs Baxter had been very hard and unrelenting in her treatment of girls who had smoked, she still was.

Back in her early days she, Kelly McMamara and Amanda Casey had been caught out back with a new pack. Mrs Baxter had hauled them into the common room and made each of them quickly smoke one down prior to getting six of the best on the bare in front of everyone.

Then they had to smoke another and another, each time with the same six across the very bare and tightly bent bottom. Alice had prayed in thanks that there were only enough for six cigarettes each, but that was still 36 strokes of biting rod for each of them, all while their smirking compatriots looked on.

The only break in a two hour public vigil facing the wall was when Kelly had turned green 15 minutes in and had run to the bathroom to throw-up. The hairbrush later made Mrs Baxter’s disapproval felt over that lapse. A spanking administered over cane welts was a special species of hell.

Suppressing the memory Alice eyed the cigarette in her hand and dropped it with a rueful pout as she stamped it out of existence. The evidence on her breath was removed with a mint.

She took a deep sigh. It was time to raise her game and let the girls see another side to her methods.

By the time she got back to the drawing room Katherine was already sitting by the window. Alice frowned and gave her a significant look as she waited. The foolish girl just smiled. Forgetting the basics are we? Alice thought grimly. She was still weighing this up when the door opened and Mary tumbled breathlessly in.

“Sorry I am late,” she panted as she too added a smile.

The old Mary was in full retreat and instead of the gauche fright of a girl now stood a sophisticated woman. Alice glanced at the clock. Sophisticated or not, she was three minutes late.

“Tardiness is not tollerated,” Alice said sharply, “And you,” she added rounding on Katherine, “You should know better. Why didn’t you stand up when I entered the room?”

“Oh,” Katherine whispered and stood to make amends.

“Too late, both of you, too little too late,” Alice scolded. “I warned you things would get strict around here. Now both of you, skirts and slips off, panties down… and those off too. Then you can both face that wall.” She pointed decisively at the bare wall facing the mantelpiece.

“But…” Mary gaped.

“At once,” Alice barked.

Both women exchanged horrified glances and then blushed. But there was no argument and both slowly moved to obey.

By the time the two smartly semi-attired women were facing the wall Alice had retrieved a cane from the corner.

“Things have been too lax around here and I am going to test you both further. Before this week is out you will both fetch a hairbrush and ask me to soundly spank you as you deserve…”

“Yes Ma’am,” the both said in unison.

“Furthermore,” Alice continued, “You will both read the books I will give you for a test at the end of the month. It is time you tackled the academic side of your training.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Katherine said with some confidence.

Mary just gaped and rolled her eyes at the wall.

“How many strokes should Katherine have for not standing up?” Alice asked.

Mary half-turned and pointed at her chest as she mouthed ‘me?’

Katherine went peony but didn’t move her nose from the wallpaper.

“Yes you, and face the wall,” Alice snapped.

“I-I don’t…” Mary wailed.

“Katherine?” Alice growled addressing the elder girl.

“Eh…” Katherine spluttered.

“Wrong,” Alice sighed. “Eighteen I would say, but given your age and the fact that this is a rookie mistake…”

“Two dozen Ma’am,” Katherine said quickly.

“A little harsh, but as you couldn’t answer the first time I will accept that,” Alice agreed. “Mary, you were late,” she said, “Should you get more or fewer than Katherine?”

“Same…” Mary said tentatively.

“Enunciate,” Alice barked, “And elaborate. I would have said 12 for only being three minutes late, but for your failure to answer and for taking your nose from the wall… you will accept the same,” Alice said sharply, and then she added, “And if you had been more than five minutes late?”

“Eh…” Mary whined.

“Katherine?”

“A dozen plus one for each minute late up to 37,” Katherine said with some pride.

“Someone has been paying attention,” Alice smiled. “Why stop there?”

“After 30 minutes lateness one is deemed to have been absent altogether and there are other sanctions for that,” Katherine answered.

“Good,” Alice nodded, relaxing a little.

The governess slashed the cane through the air and made to inspect the tip of the thin biter of a stick.

“Alright, turn around,” she said.

Both women made to guard their sex as they made an about turn. Both were also blushing.

“Katherine, you can go first,” Alice said in a firm voice. “Stand out and bend over to grab at your ankles.”

The posture was difficult and completely undignified, but Katherine obeyed readily enough, although her inverted face was rather mauve.

“Stick your bottom out” Alice ordered.

Katherine complied.

Alice felt frisson as she lined up the thin cane to Katherine’s bottom, she had a good seat for it and although she had punished the girl before this felt like a new chapter. The stroke made Mary startle and her expression was agog at the impact.

Katherine too lurched, but held position in readiness for the next stroke, which came very hot in its wake. This one made her hiss and oh so slightly wiggle her behind. Two red ridges grew and blossomed on the woman’s tail and Alice an her tongue over her upper lip as she struck in again hard.

The caning was slow and sharp, each biting sting crossing Katherine’s bare bottom every seven or eight seconds, but pausing for effect at the top of the minute so that four such eons passed before the punishment was done.

For Katherine the struggle redoubled after each pause and by 12 she yelped at each cut with increasing distress. By 18 or so she began to slow tremble as silent tears tumbled down her face. At 24 Katherine was shaking at the shoulders as she asked in a strained voice, “May I rise Ma’am?”

“You may,” Alice told her.

Katherine’s face crumpled into a picture of woe and before she recall them sobbing tears broke like a dam from her.

“Than you Ma’am,” she sniffed, as she extended a hand.

“Well held,” Alice said with admiration as she shook it, adding quickly “Now Mary, your turn.”

Mary gulped, but was determined to show as much spirit as her older friend; indeed there was more than a hint of bravado in her posture as her bottom was out thrust.

In the event she took them well, but by 15 she too was shouting out as the cane sawed into her and before she had taken 20 she too was sobbing like Katherine.
After the thanks were given both women were sentenced to a long spell facing the wall while Alice took up a book. For grown women they took an age to control their crying and Alice smugly drank in every tear.

continued.