Lucy's Journey Home (Hunter's Ridge) (13 page)

“Yes, please plan on fresh linens each morning of our journey. 
We will require additional wash cloths as well.  Our little one is in need of several cleansings each day.”  Lucy wished the floor beneath her feet would simply open and allow her to escape the tiny corridor.  Brannon simply nodded his understanding.

“Very well, Sir.  It shall be done.  It is my job to ensure your comfort.”  Lucas nodded and stepped from the room. 

“Don’t tarry,” he said over his shoulder to Molly who had allowed Brannon to enter the compartment and was walking Lucy to the water closet at the far end of the car.

“Yes, Sir,” she assured him
and was reaching for the latch of the door when it opened suddenly.  Lucy gave a small shriek, her heart jumping at the sudden appearance of Lord Northbridge.

Stefan looked down at the startled young woman and smiled reassuring.  “I’m sorry to have
frightened you, Lucy,” he said kindly.  She gave him a quick look before blushing realizing she was not properly dressed to be seen in the company of anyone other than her Papa and her nanny.  Stefan chuckled and reached out to pat her on the top of her head before he nodded at Molly and stepped around the two women.  Molly had been a bit startled herself and was even more so when she pulled Lucy into the compartment only to realize that it was not empty.  Bertha was helping Emmaline down from where she had been sitting on the toilet bench.

“Oh, pardon me,” Molly said turning to guide Lucy back out the door.

“Nonsense,” Bertha said, waving her hand as if she had no concern at all that Molly and Lucy could easily see her young charge standing in all of her naked glory.  “I’m sure you’ve seen a naked little bum before.”  Lucy felt her face heat as her eyes lifted to see her new friend wiping at her eyes and being led to the tub where a bath was waiting.  “Don’t mind us at all,” Bertha said as she helped Emmaline step into the tub.  Lucy almost gasped seeing the condition of Emmie’s small bottom.  It was obvious she had just received quite a spanking as her bottom was quite red and looked a bit swollen.  The girls’ eyes met and Lucy froze, not knowing whether to look away or try to transmit her empathy with her gaze.  Emmie managed a tentative smile, not wanting her new friend to be uncomfortable.  When her nanny told her to sit, she immediately did so with a sharp gasp at the coldness of the water.  Bertha ignored her discomfort as she began to scrub her charge.

Molly
took the other, more experienced nanny’s cue and acted as if seeing naked little girl women with spanked bottoms was a common occurrence.  She suddenly smiled as she realized that it was indeed quickly becoming so.  She led Lucy to the toilet bench and when Lucy attempted to pull away, gave her a stern look.

“No fussing, Lucille.  Up now and make your toilet so that I can get you ready for the day,” Molly ordered
before continuing, “Unless you feel the need to be diapered for the entire day?”  Lucy shook her head, her face flaming even more as she kept her eyes on her feet as Molly helped her onto the bench.  Though she was terribly embarrassed to be forced to do something so intimate in front of strangers, nature took its course.  Her eyes squeezed tightly shut when Molly reached between her legs to wipe her clean.  Stepping down, Lucy clasped her dressing gown together, desperately ready to leave the room.  Molly had other plans as she watched Bertha finish the quick morning bath and lift Emmie from the tub, wrapping her in a thick towel. 

“I do so appreciate the modern convenience of this bath,” Bertha said as she lifted the plug from the tub allowing the shallow water to drain.  Molly nodded appreciating the fact that hot water was so easily obtainable from the pipes having taken many a trip carrying hot water up many stairs in order to fill the tubs from her home.

“I still find it hard to believe such wonderfully hot water is so readily available,” Molly said as she replaced the plug and turned the tap making sure to add a little cold water to the mix.  Bertha laughed as she began drying Emmie.

“Yes, that is wonderful as well though I’m afraid Emmie
’s bath was cold this morning.  She was a very naughty little girl when having her enema and I had to call her Papa.  Her Papa gave her a good, hard paddling with her hairbrush for making such a fuss.  Naughty little girls soon learn that the only thing being so naughty earns them is a very full tummy and a nice hard blistering on their bare little bums.  Hot baths are only for girls that behave themselves when their nanny is tending to their little bottoms.”  Lucy couldn’t believe the woman was speaking so blatantly about such personal matters but found herself listening to every word.  She barely noticed when Molly removed her dressing gown and helped her step into the tub.  Lucy found herself very grateful the water was nice and warm and eagerly sank down into the tub.

Bertha finished drying Emmie as Molly gave Lucy a very thorough bath
.  Lucy didn’t fuss at all.  Seeing Emmie’s red bottom was serving as a wonderful reminder of what condition her own bottom would be in if she was disobedient.  She lowered her eyes as she saw Miss Bertha gather up Emmie’s belongings, including a large enema bag with a nozzle that swung from the end of a long tube.  Lucy’s bottom clenched thinking about how that nozzle had been inside her friend’s bottom, delivering its medicine to its unlucky recipient.  She was very grateful when Bertha informed Molly that they would see her at breakfast and the two women left the room.  Molly saw Lucy relax from where she was kneeling up. 

“I’m glad my own little one is being such a good girl,” Molly said with a smile which Lucy returned shyly.  She was soon dried and back in her dressing gown.  Molly helped her to brush her teeth and as they prepared to leave the room, Molly informed her that she would have her little pussy shorn that evening.  Lucy’s face had flamed but she simply nodded
remembering the shock the first time she had been intimately shorn by Miss Summers in preparation for her wedding night.  Molly took her hand and led her back to their compartment where the bed was freshly made.  Lucy saw Nellie on the pillows and realized that the porter had obviously placed her there.  She didn’t mention it as she stood still while the woman who was quickly becoming a true nanny finished dressing her.

Breakfast was a bit awkward as Lucy slid into the chair beside Emmie.  She didn’t know how to react and found herself grateful that little ones were to be seen and not heard
unless an adult first addressed them.  Lucas looked between the girls, noticing their easy relationship seemed to have changed.  When Emmie caught his eye, she smiled wanting to reassure him that she still wanted to be friends with his little child-bride.  Lucas watched Lucy take a sip of her milk, noticing her hand trembled slightly.  Stefan noticed as well and turned his gaze to his own wife who met his eyes, hers full of contrition over the morning’s beginnings.  He gave her a smile to reassure her that though he had to punish her, she was forgiven and her slate was clean.  She tentatively returned the smile, relief flooding through her that her Papa was not still angry with his naughty little girl.  The girls gradually relaxed and when the meal was completed, were very pleased when given permission to return to their car to play. 

They were allowed to play with Cleo for a bit as their nannies moved between their own compartments gathering items and placing them in small baskets to be taken to the reading car where they would all spend the morning.  As they were about to leave, Emmie reminded Lucy that she wanted to meet Nellie. 

“Oh, thank you,” Lucy said as the girls left Molly’s room.  “I almost forgot; I’ll get her.”  Emmie nodded and when the nannies stepped from Bertha’s compartment, she barely had time to inform them that Lucy went to get her doll when Lucy ran to join them, Nellie safely tucked in her arms.  Molly shook her head and reminded her that proper little girls did not run about like little heathens.  Lucy flushed but quickly apologized.  The four left the compartment, little hands being held, dolls clutched in arms ready to spend the morning getting to know one another better.  Molly smiled grateful that they had met Lord Northbridge and his family.  It would make the remaining days of the journey far more pleasant as Lucy had a friend to play with and Molly had more time to partake of Bertha’s welcomed advice. 

Their nannies settled into large easy chairs at one end of the compartment after instructing their charges that they were allowed to play as long as they stayed nearby.  Lucy and Emmie quickly agreed and were soon seated on a nearby rug, their dolls in their laps.  Emmie realized that though Lucy was trying not to show it, she was obviously uneasy.  Having lived among several women in Miss
Summers’ school, Emmie had grown quite used to being bathed, dressed, fed and even disciplined in front of others.  She bent a bit closer to her new friend.

“Please don’t stop being my friend,” Emmie said softly and suddenly realized exactly how much she meant it.  She had grown to love many of her fellow little
women from her school but hadn’t truly had many opportunities to play or simply talk to another special child-bride in several months.  Though she adored her Papa and even loved her nanny, she missed spending time with a woman who lived her life in the same manner as she.  Lucy looked up at her, surprised at both the words and the emotion she heard in them.  She impulsively reached out her hand which Emmie immediately clasped.

“I’m not going to stop,” Lucy said.  “Why…why would you say that?”  Emmie wiped her eyes with her free hand and gave a shaky giggle.

“I…I know you were embarrassed this morning.  I wanted to tell you it was okay but didn’t want another span…spanking,” Emmie said after looking up to make sure their nannies weren’t listening.  Lucy flushed but nodded easily understanding exactly what Emmie meant.  She squeezed her hand around Emmie’s.

“It’s okay, I
just felt so bad for you.  I…I wanted to give you a hug but, well, I couldn’t.  I’m sorry,” Lucy said.  Emmie smiled and the two girls found their arms wrapped around the other, giving each other the hug they both needed.  The earlier tension disappeared and they were soon playing happily, pretending that Nellie and Carolina were taking a train trip.  Molly and Bertha were knitting and speaking quietly together, making sure they glanced up often to check on the two girls.  Satisfied that they were behaving themselves, Bertha paused in her knitting.

“Tell me, did she give you any fuss with taking her temperature last night?” she asked and Molly was very pleased to answer.

“Not a bit.  She was the perfect angel even though she didn’t like it.  I think she realized she was being reminded of what to expect.  I am being more firm and not hesitating to give her orders.  She was quite the good girl and didn’t misbehave at all.  I can’t thank you enough for all your advice.  I know it’s been a short time, but you are such a wonderful nanny for little Emmie and I know you love her very much,” Molly said reaching out to pat the older woman’s hand.  Bertha smiled, pleased at the younger woman’s praise.

“She’s an easy one to love,” Bertha said with a chuckle.  “I know she loves me as well but I promise there will be days when you are quite certain that your little one wishes you would simply drop dead and go straight to
the devil.”  Molly gasped at the comment even as Bertha nodded her head.  “Trust me, when the time comes that you have to really make your authority known, it will be not only be difficult for you because you love Lucille, she will hate you for at least a little while.  We do so very much for them that they tend to see us more as loving mother figures than nannies.  I suppose it has something to do with the fact that nannies are really associated with much younger children.  They might wish to think of us as a governess, but can’t as no governess that I’m aware of has their hands poking around between their charge’s little legs or doing other necessary but somewhat embarrassing things to their students.  We also are definitely not their mothers because no mother shaves their child’s hair from their little quims or witnesses or even participates in their being disciplined by their husbands.  Our roles are truly all three rolled into one, which is both a blessing and a curse.  We want them to love us but also need to realize that when we are blistering their little bums or giving them medicine for being naughty, they are definitely not happy with us.”

Molly thought about the woman’s words and realized that she truly appreciated Bertha.  While Mrs. Bremmer had told her a few things about tending to the special women who wed men like Lord Huntington
, Lord Wintercrest, and Lord Northbridge, she had never managed to convey what Bertha had so easily done.  It was wonderful having such an honest discussion with another woman who served in the same capacity as she.

“I have to admit I’m a bit afraid of that day,” Molly said,
looking at Lucy, who was laughing at something Emmie had said.  “She was always so very kind to me when I was in her service.  She even saved me from a birching once.  I’ve been very grateful that I haven’t had cause to truly spank her.  I’m not really sure that I actually will be able to do something so harsh even though I know her Papa spanks her quite soundly.”  Bertha shook her head, and this time her hand patted Molly’s.

“You
must never allow her to know you have even the smallest doubt, Molly,” Bertha said firmly.  “She is your responsibility and it is your duty to serve her in a different manner than your former role required.  You must be strong and confident from the very first time you take her across your knees for a sound spanking.  If you allow her to even suspect that she can manipulate you to go easier on her, or God forbid, ignore her naughtiness or disrespect, I guarantee you will regret it immensely.  Your little one needs to know that besides her Papa, you have absolute authority which she will never be allowed to question.  Though you will be causing her poor little fanny pain, I promise Lord Huntington would soon understand the truth and not only would you no longer be employed, your precious little one would have to start her training all over again under a new nanny who might not love her as you do.”  Molly nodded as the woman’s reasoning became clear.  Bertha allowed her a moment to process her words and then continued. “So, Molly dear, when the time comes, you give that little girl a spanking that she will never, ever forget.  She might hate you for a bit but come to love and trust that you are only punishing her because you love her and want to help her learn to be the very best little girl that she can.”