Lucy's Journey Home (Hunter's Ridge) (14 page)

Molly’s hands lay idle in her lap as she looked across the room to watch Lucy play.  She
nodded and turned to look at Bertha.  “I promise I shall follow your advice, Bertha,” she said and then smiled.  “I just hope that the need is a long time coming.”  Bertha chuckled as they took up their needles again.  Bertha knew that no matter what the younger nanny hoped, it was highly probable that Lucy would test her nanny’s resolve soon enough.

Lucas and Stefan joined the women an hour later.  Both girls were pleased to see their husbands, eagerly pressing kisses to their cheeks.  Molly and Bertha were happy to be told they could take a break until it was time for luncheon.  They reminded their girls to behave for their Papas and then left to do some exploring of the train for themselves.  Lucas and Stefan settled into the vacated chairs and drew their wives onto their laps.  Lucas
was very pleasantly surprised when Lucy didn’t fuss or squirm or look embarrassed at being seated on his lap and cradled like a child.  He gave her forehead a kiss and then surprised Lucy by telling her a story that soon had both girls entranced.  It was full of castles and dragons and, of course, little girls that were saved by brave knights on big white horses.  When he mentioned horses, he paused and smiled down at Lucy who immediately blushed and buried her face in his neck.  He chuckled and promised to continue the story another day.  They accompanied their girls back to their compartment to freshen up, their Papas taking them one at a time into the water closet. 

As her Papa wiped her bottom, Lucy’s face flushed at the intimacy that seemed so much more embarrassing than when had done the same thing in his bed. 
He ran his fingertips over her pubis and told her that her nanny would be taking care of the fine stubble he felt.  She squirmed but nodded, whispering that Molly had informed her that she would be shorn that night during her bath.  Lucas smiled and gave her sex a soft pat as he helped her from the bench.  She doubted she would ever understand her feelings or confusion about such things but didn’t make a fuss and flushed with pleasure when he kissed her and called her his good girl.  The girls were granted permission to check on Cleo as Stefan changed his shirt in his room and Lucas used the facilities. 

The luncheon was delicious
, and the girls behaved perfectly.  When Lucy felt the train slowing, she looked up to see the server approaching their table.

“We are pulling into the station.  Perhaps you’d like to stretch your legs a bit?  We shall take on fresh water and additional passengers but will depart within a
n hour,” their server informed them.  The girls knew that naps immediately followed lunch but looked hopefully at their Papas.

“May we, Papa?” both girls chorused together reminding Lucas of how often Louisa and Lucy spoke the same words at the same exact time.  Lucas nodded and Stefan agreed it would do them all good to walk a bit
and take in some fresh air.  Molly and Bertha were pleased as well and soon they had joined other passengers on the platform.  The men surprised the others by purchasing ice cream at a stand on the platform.  The girls stood licking their cones unaware of how adorable they appeared.  Several people noticed the grouping but none commented on the fact that the two girls were dressed far more like coddled children than the adult women they were.  Lucy was laughing when she suddenly caught a small movement out of the corner of her eye. 

“Cleo?” she whispered and then, seeing the cat run across the tracks, she screamed.

“Cleo!  Stop!  Stop Cleo, come back.”  She dropped the remainder of her cone on the ground and ran after the cat.

“Lucy, no.  Lucy,
stop!” Lucas yelled seeing his wife dashing towards the edge of the platform.  She ignored him and would have run off the platform after the cat if Lucas had not reacted immediately and managed to grab her around her waist, lifting her off her feet.  Lucy began to screech and kick her feet against his legs, her hands clawing at the arms holding her. 

“No!  Put me down.  Cleo – that was Cleo – I have to get her,” Lucy screamed.  The crowd around them quieted as her voice rose above all other sound
s, her panic obvious.  “Cleo!”

“Lucy, hush,” Lucas said as he attempted to calm his wife.  “That wasn’t your Cleo, sweetie.  Cleo is in her bed on the train.  It just looked like your kitten.”

“No!  It was her, I know it was her!” Lucy cried and then sobbed harder when she realized the cat had disappeared.  Lucas set her on her feet and held her close to him.

“Shh, honey, I’m sure Cleo is safe and sound
,” he said soothingly.

“Excuse me, Sir,” a voice said and Lucas looked up to see the porter approaching them.  “I was just in your
nanny’s compartment to take this opportunity to freshen the kitten’s box.  I must say I was a bit surprised when the door was open but I thought perhaps you or Miss Lucy had brought Cleo out to take some air.  I’m so sorry but I did not see the kitten.”  Lucy sobbed harder, pushing against her husband’s chest, aching to run and find her pet. 

“
Oh, Lucy,” Molly said as she approached the couple and reached out to take Lucy’s hand.

Lucy slapped Molly’s hand away
, the sound sharp in the air as Lucy continued to slap at the poor woman.  “Don’t you dare touch me!  Damn you, this is your bloody fault!” Lucy spat out, her face turning red with her anger.  “It’s your job to take care of her and you should have kept her safe.  Now she is gone and I hate you…I hate you!”  Lucas was shocked at his wife’s words and accusations.  Molly froze where she stood, the words tearing into her heart.  Before Lucas could speak, he heard a man laugh and looked up to see the gentleman from the smoking car.

“I told you
that your little bride would soon become as appealing as a she-devil.  I told you to bed her early while she was sweet and agreeable.  Don’t say you weren’t warned that it would become impossible to control her or her little pussy,” the man said, and Lucas instantly stiffened.  He tightened his grip on Lucy’s hand as he turned to face the man.

“If I ever hear you disrespect Lady Huntington or any woman with your vulgarity again, Sir, you shall have to answer to me,” Lucas said each word clipped but strongly said and instantly commanding authority.

“And me as well,” Stefan said coming to stand beside Lucas.  Not a sound was heard for a moment as the older gentleman understood exactly how serious the two men standing side by side were.  He wasn’t a stupid man.  He instantly understood he had taken the joke way too far.

Giving Lucas and Stefan a quick bow of his head, he spoke softly, “
I meant no disrespect, Sir.  I apologize to both you and your wife.”  Neither Lucas nor Stefan spoke.  The man turned, walking hurriedly towards the opposite end of the train.  Lucy’s tantrum had ended the moment the man had spoken.  She seemed to only now realize that everyone was looking at her, no longer in sympathy at the loss of her pet but in obvious disapproval of the horrid tantrum she had thrown.  Shame at her public behavior began to color her face and then her heart seemed to stop.  She looked to see Molly looking very upset, her lips trembling and Lucy remembered slapping her nanny’s hands.  Moaning deeply, she suddenly realized that she had been the last person in Molly’s room.  Molly had left the reading car with Bertha and had not helped Lucy freshen up for luncheon.  Lucas had done so and Lucy remembered she and Emmie running to pet her kitten while waiting for their papas to take them to the dining car.  Lord Northbridge had come to the door to get Emmie while Lucy replaced Cleo into her basket.  When she had heard her papa calling for her, she had run to him.  She realized she didn’t remember if she had closed the door properly but, hearing the porter’s words, understood that she hadn’t.  She broke down into fresh sobs, her heart breaking as she felt enormous guilt consume her.

Lucas shook his head knowing how sad his little one was but knew her behavior had been atrocious
and totally unacceptable.  “Take Lucy to your room, Molly and attend to her.  We have a few minutes left and I shall see if I can find Cleo.”  Stefan and Mr. Brannon volunteered to help and after the girls had boarded the train with their nannies, the men stepped off the platform to begin their search.

The four women were quiet as they walked through the cars.  Emmie was stunned to have witnessed her new friend throwing a tantrum and screaming vulgar words,
not only fighting her Papa, but hitting and then accusing her own nanny for losing Cleo.  She trembled just imagining the punishment in store for Lucy.  Lucy continued to cry, though she no longer fought to release herself from her nanny’s hold.  Bertha gave Molly a look of encouragement before leaving them in front of the first room.  She was pleased to see Molly nod, her face showing her determination to do her duty.  Bertha led Emmie into her Papa’s chambers and prepared the little one for her nap, knowing the young woman’s sleep would probably be a long time in coming if the expected sounds of strict discipline echoed through the train car.  She knew that even that disturbance would serve as an unexpected lesson to her own charge.  It never hurt for any little child-woman to understand that naughtiness earned quick punishment and usually served to keep the witness more mindful of her own behavior lest she find herself the subject of that discipline.  Instead of leaving her charge alone, Bertha returned to her room only long enough to gather her knitting and to say a quick prayer that Molly would remember to be strong. 

“Go to sleep, honey,” she said softly returning to find
Emmie still awake, her face showing her concern.  “I’m sorry for Lucy’s loss but, honey, she was a very, very naughty little girl.  Go to sleep and try to dream of happy things.” 

Emmie
felt guilty and broke into tears.  Bertha sat on the bed, holding the small woman as Emmie told her that Miss Molly couldn’t have let Cleo escape as Lucy had been the last one in the room.  Bertha shook her head and prayed that Lucy had the sense to confess herself before the truth was discovered.

“Shh, now, Emmie.  It
doesn’t concern you.  Lucy’s Papa will take care of it.  Dry your tears and try to sleep.  Everything will be all right when you wake up,” Bertha promised, wiping Emmie’s face and settling her beneath the covers again.  Emmie sniffled but stopped crying as she prayed that Cleo would be found and then added a prayer that she could be deeply asleep by the time Lord Huntington returned to attend to his naughty little one.

Molly didn’t speak as she
removed Lucy’s pinafore, dress, petticoats, shoes and stockings leaving her standing in only her thin, short chemise and her drawers.  Lucy was trembling with guilt and didn’t make a single protest as she was undressed.  She had never in her life felt more awful than she did at this moment.  She watched as Molly picked up her hairbrush and took a seat on the narrow bed. 

“Come here,” Molly said as she tried to control her emotions.  Lucy’s words had cut her to the quick but she couldn’t feel anger as she truly hurt for Lucy’s loss of Cleo.  Though she didn’t understand how it could have happened, she knew the kitten meant t
he world to her young charge.  Lucy began to sob, her face buried in her hands, making no move towards the bed.

“Lucy, don’t make this any harder than it is going to be,” Molly said.  “Come to me.”  Lucy shuffled towards the
bed and allowed her arm to be taken.  However, before Molly could bend her over her knees, Lucy began to twist away, managing to break Molly’s hold.  Molly reached for her but Lucy stepped away, both hands now held out as if to ward off some horrible threat.  She saw the hurt on Molly’s face and sobbed harder even as she attempted to speak.

“Wait!” Lucy gasped and then seemed unable to breathe.  Molly watched in horror as Lucy sobbed and then choked, and realized the girl was not being defiant
.  Lucy was not a stranger to spankings and though she didn’t like them, she had never truly fought her earned discipline.  At this moment, though, she appeared to be fighting to simply take in enough air to breathe.  Molly dropped the brush and immediately stood, gathering Lucy into her arms, holding her tight.

“Shhh, Lucy, shhh,” she said, her hand stroking down Lucy’s back.  “Breathe, sweetheart, just try to breathe.  It will be okay.  Shhh, shhhh.”  Lucy clung to Molly, her tears soaking her uniform.  Her chest ached as she attempted to get herself under control.  Though it was several minutes later, she was finally able to catch her breath and took several deep breaths before Molly loosened her hold and set her slightly away from her.  “Better?” Molly asked and was pleased to see Lucy nod.

“Tha… thank you,” Lucy said once she felt she could speak without gasping.  “I…oh,  Mol…Miss Molly, I am so, so sorry.  Please, please forgive me.”  Molly knew Lucy was truly sorry as her face showed her anguish so clearly.

“Of course I shall forgive you, Lucy,” Molly said and pulled the girl to her again.  Lucy accepted the embrace and even returned it.  When Molly felt the tension leaving Lucy’s body, she once more released her.  “I’m still going to redden your bottom, Lucille.  I know you are sorry for acting so horrible but
, honey, as your nanny, it is my job to help teach you never to throw such a tantrum again.”  Molly hoped her words would not set off another panic attack but was shocked when Lucy nodded vigorously.  Satisfied that her charge understood the need for the chastisement, Molly again walked to the bed and sat, picking up the brush again.  She patted her knees fully expecting Lucy to come to her.