Our story began here.

Katherine and Mary had not moved from their wall time mooning the room for more than half an hour and it was beginning to get to work on their nerves as Alice had intended.

“I warned you that from now on I would be completely uncompromising,” Alice sighed.

“Yes Ma’am,” Katherine said breathily.

“Mary?” the governess said sharply.

“Yes Ma’am,” Mary said hastily now that she knew a response was required.

“So I have decided to punish each of your errors separately and fully. They will form part of your training so I hope you benefit from the experience,” Alice explained in a crisp voice.

It was a side to her they had not much seen since the early days. They supposed that this stern demeanour was to make up for any dereliction.

“So let me see… and do speak up if I am incorrect in my assessment or I miss anything out…” she continued. “You were late back, you were drunk, no doubt your intoxication, however slight, led to indecorous behaviour in town… did you talk to anyone… men perhaps?”

“One Ma’am,” Katherine said honestly, remembering the barman.

“One is too many while you are under training,” Alice sighed, “So we have… four offences, three of which are very serious.”

“Yes Ma’am,” Katherine agreed, followed a beat later by Mary.

Both women stood hard to attention and were blinking rapidly as they tried to focus on the wall just inches from their noses. Their posture emphasised the curve of their backs and made their bare bottoms jut out just so as if offered up for correction. The posture made Alice feel quite proud. But as she had learned during her own training, when a girl gets it, it is not the time to take one’s foot of the gas.

“Tomorrow you will rise at six and dress in such a way that you are fully attired, but your behinds are exposed as they are now. You may eat breakfast, in fact I suggest that you do, but by 6.45 sharp mind you, you will be facing the wall in the kitchen with your hands upon your heads to await your first spanking for tardiness,” Alice informed them.

They would stew on that overnight, she thought coolly. Then she paused before continuing. “Then we will proceed to the more serious offences. Moving outside you will learn how to cut a switch and the makings for a birch rod. After correctly bundling the latter we will observe the correct application and methods of the former. Then we will study a good old fashioned strap in action out in the woodshed.”

Both women sighed heavily and Alice noted Katherine’s eyes close in resignation. Mary on the other hand widened hers in gentle horror as she considered their fate.

“After returning to the house for some well-earned corner time and an opportunity to recover, we will then explore the thorough application of the birch to a thoroughly tender and humbled bare bottom,” Alice continued, “Any questions?” she added.

Katherine shook her head and Mary chewed at her lip as if holding back a tide of pleading.

“Sinclair girls answer clearly and promptly when they are addressed,” Alice said sharply. Don’t let up on the gas, she reminded herself, but she was feeling rather mean all the same.

“No Ma’am, no questions,” Katherine said with confidence.

“No Ma’am,” Mary agreed.

“Good, now get yourselves off to bed,” Alice barked.

*

There was something about the morning light that promised an intense day. Even the birdsong seemed auspicious and for Mary never had the dawn chorus seemed so sharp. But maybe that was because standing half naked facing the kitchen wall left her more exposed to the new day than usual.

Next to her with an equally bare bottom stood Katherine, who despite the indignity of their predicament managed her usual poise with aplomb. Not for the first time Mary wondered if she would ever be so gracious and elegant.

Katherine had even been together enough to manage a light breakfast before she had prepared herself, something that Mary could not even contemplate.

“Do you think she is going to be long?” Mary whispered after they had been standing at wall time for almost 20 minutes.

“Be quiet,” Katherine replied, her voice barely audible, “If she hears you, you will only make it worse for both of us.”

“You think it could get any worse,” Mary sighed miserably.

“You bet it can, but buck up will you, we signed on for this and we deserve it,” the older woman whispered.

“But…” Mary sounded as if she might whine.

“Shhh,” Katherine soothed, risking a side turn in order to give her friend a light punch on the arm.

“Okay,” Mary said resignedly and sighed.

It was another 30 minutes before Alice arrived but if she was pleased she had been obeyed she made no sign of it.

“Did one of you think to fetch the hairbrush?” she asked brusquely.

Katherine and Mary exchanged glances before the elder shook her head. Mary just anxiously bit at her lower lip.

“We’ll use the one on my dresser, fetch it will you Mary,” Alice said in an officious tone as she pulled a kitchen chair away from the table and made to sit on it.

Glad for the smallest reprieve from corner time, Mary hastened away to do as she had been told.

“She still reminds me of a timid rabbit sometimes,” Alice said lightly and smiled.

Katherine heaved a sigh. Holding on to her dignity was a trial. A private punishment with two dozen across the bare was one thing, but a semi-public over-the-knee session was humiliating at her age.

“Whereas you have always reminded me of me,” Alice continued.

“Even standing in the corner like an errant teen?” Katherine said sullenly.

“Especially when you’re standing in the corner,” Alice chuckled. “Like you, I always found such punishments the hardest. I served in the war remember, as you would have done a few short years ago. Can you imagine? I was mortified the first time I was reduced to sobbing across Mrs Baxter’s lap and every time since come to that. You know, you never get used to it. But it did me good and it will do you good too.”

Katherine shifted in her place and took a deep breath.

“I-I suppose,” she said with an uncustomary pout.

Mary returned a moment later and gave the hairbrush to Alice without a word.

“Yes alright,” her governess said when Mary didn’t move away, “Go back and face the wall.”

Mary sighed, half-relieved that she wasn’t to be first, half regretful that she wasn’t to get it over with. Then with a slow deliberation she composed herself and turned back to the wall.

“Katherine, front and centre,” Alice said sharply and crooked her finger.

“Yes Ma’am,” the elder girl sighed and turned around.

There was no dignified way to get across someone’s knee and Katherine felt as awkward as stooping down to half-crawl and half-tumble onto Alice’s lap. She was conscious of how her bare bottom must seem overlarge and hideously exposed.

“See what I mean about never getting used to it?” Alice murmured.

“Yes Ma’am,” Katherine sighed.

Alice found Katherine’s weight strangely satisfying across her thighs and smiled in amusement as the previously dignified woman squirmed to minimise her discomfort. All in vain of course, the governess thought grimly, because discomfort was the name of the game.

The brush had some weight to it, a present from Mrs Baxter Alice remembered. She also remembered that her old governess had christened it first with a vigorous application to Alice’s bare bottom before giving it to her. From bitter experience she knew that it could impart a sting sore-making spanking that could leave a girl unseated for a week.

Katherine’s bottom was both firm and yielding as the first biting smack cracked down. She hissed in acknowledgement but otherwise held herself. The second, third and fourth spanks had no better reaction either but at number five Katherine groaned.

By then two red ovals had formed on the crests of both of her bottom cheeks and as the spanking progressed these stains became deeper and sharper in colour. These marks also slowly spread out as they became darker and the puffiness at the edges, where the spanking had welted Katherine’s bottom, soon became slightly swollen into tender pads.

Alice knew that a prolonged spanking would cause the spanked areas to become leathery for a time, this where the flesh tightened and already she could see ever more closely knit goosebumps described on the tortured skin

“Ah,” Katherine yelled as the umpteenth spank landed and ever after her cries became shriller.

There was no begging though, or protests of pain or promises. Katherine merely grew ever more laboured in her breathing until she was forced to cry out at each spank. There were tears too of course. No sobbing, not yet, but a sheen of moisture covered her face and dripped from her nose, although some of that might not have been merely tears.

Finally Katherine broke into honking great howls and she jerked in a scissor motion at each heavy thwack.

Alice had no idea how many spanks there had been or how long she had spanked the girl, but her training told her to add at least three to five minutes from this point to make sure the lesson was learned. Stopping on the cusp could leave a girl coming back for more too soon.

It was a pity though that Katherine had proved so tough as now her bottom was a crimson tender wreck and further chastisement was going to be purgatory on the girl.

“That’s a good girl,” Alice sighed, patting her charge on the small of her back and helping her up.

Katherine rocked with sobs and reached for a handkerchief.

“Thank you Miss Bowman,” Katherine said, remembering her manners.

“Now back to the wall with you and put your hands on your head,” she was told.

“Yes Ma’am,” Katherine sniffed.

*

Mary’s spanking was no less severe but unlike Katherine she let go with some heartfelt howls from the very first. Now both young women were crying gently as they again faced the wall.

Katherine had been there for some 20 minutes already and another 30 or so would settle them down for the next lesson. Alice was just considering that when the back door rattled and a masculine voice yelled out, “Grocery delivery, coming through.”

Alice was as startled as the two punished women and before she had time to make a decision the man came in.

“Jesus lady this is heavy,” he cursed as he staggered in with a pile of three great boxes and placed them on the kitchen table. “Any chance of a coffee?” he added.

Alice didn’t quite know what to say but she did note with pride that neither girl had moved, although from their fidgeting demeanour they looked as if they wished they could flee.

“Eh… coffee?” Alice repeated, recovering herself.

“Sure, I don’t mind if I…” the man who had been wiping off his neck with a rag suddenly froze and gaped, finishing at a gasp with “…do…?”

“A little domestic problem…” Alice said casually, “I had to spank them.”

“Yeah…” the man muttered, “Maybe I should… eh… go…”

“No, why should you?” Alice said firmly, coming to a decision, “Coffee yes, please sit down, I’ll make you some.”

To be continued…