The Lady and the Sheriff Read online

  Thomas nodded. “She hates me. I could see it in her eyes. She wouldn’t look at me. Will she ever forgive me?”

  Mary smiled sympathetically. “Of course she will. She’s embarrassed. She’s feeling confused. She can’t believe that the father who has doted on her for years has done something so painful and humiliating to her. She’ll most likely be planning all sorts of revenge on you at the moment, but once the worst of the sting has gone and she reflects on her bad behavior that caused her to end up with a sore bottom, she will forgive you. She will eventually accept that her own actions caused this to happen and she deserved it. She loves you and she knows you love her too. She’s feeling sore and embarrassed right now, but in the morning I’m sure she’ll be much less angry.”

  “You sound like you speak from experience,” said Thomas, with a slight smile.

  Mary blushed and glanced at her husband, who took her hand and tenderly kissed it. Mary was very relieved when John quickly changed the subject.

  “Thomas, it seems that more than anything, Emma wants desperately to travel. It’s rare to see her without a book in her hands about the American West. You have plenty of contacts in New York. Why not take Emma there? You know there are many very rich families in New York who would love nothing more than to have one of their sons marry an English lady and inherit land in England. Can you imagine how much social prestige that would bring to their family?” said John. “You could even take her for a visit out West while you’re there. I’m sure you would enjoy the experience too.”

  Thomas nodded in agreement. Why had I never thought of that? This is the perfect solution to our problem, he mused.

  “Thank you John. That’s a wonderful idea. I’ll tell Emma first thing in the morning. I’m tempted to go and tell her now, but I’d prefer to have her stew over her spanking and strapping for a while longer. I want to make absolutely certain that she heeds my warning as I never want to have to do that to her ever again. It broke my heart to have to cause her so much suffering.”

  * * *

  Emma finally stopped crying and got up from her bed and carefully undressed. She turned her back to her bedroom mirror and gasped when she saw the broad red stripes that decorated her buttocks. She put on her cotton nightdress, climbed into bed, lay on her tummy, and cried herself to sleep as she gently rubbed her aching buttocks.

  I hate you, Daddy, she thought spitefully, as she clutched her buttocks and relived the humiliation of having her bottom bared and spanked. Her embarrassment escalated as she remembered her father completely removing her bloomers. Recalling how much she had struggled and kicked her legs as her father had spanked her soundly with his hand, Emma’s shame increased even further. Daddy, I can’t believe you did something so awful to me. I’ll never, ever, ever, ever forgive you.

  But as Emma closed her eyes and she drifted off into a peaceful sleep, she thought about how much she loved her father. More than anything else, she desperately wanted him to hold her and tell her she was forgiven and reassure her that he still loved her as much as ever.

  Chapter Two

  The next morning, Thomas tentatively knocked on his daughter’s bedroom door before slowly entering her room. “Good morning Emma. How are you today?”

  Emma turned away. “Go away Daddy. I’m still sore,” she pouted, reaching back to rub her bottom. She was distressed to find that her buttocks were in fact still sore, though admittedly nowhere near as painful as they were the previous night. “I can’t believe you did something so beastly to me,” she whined. “I don’t want to talk to you ever again. Just go away. I hate you.”

  “Very well Emma, I’ll leave you alone,” Thomas said, her words stabbing through his heart like a knife. “I did have some good news, a special surprise for you, but I guess you don’t want to hear it,” he said, stepping through the door and reluctantly closing it behind him.

  “Wait Daddy, come back, please,” she squealed.

  Thomas opened the door and smiled brightly at his daughter, who was now out of bed and on her feet. Thomas approached Emma, sat down on the edge of her bed, and pulled her onto his lap, gathering her into his arms.

  Emma smiled as her father held her. “Daddy, I could never hate you. I love you so much. I’m sorry I was naughty.”

  Thomas kissed her gently on the forehead. Emma was pleased to see he was smiling again. “You’re forgiven Emma. I’m sorry I had to be so harsh with you, but your behavior was becoming intolerable.”

  “Promise you won’t do it again, Daddy,” she said, as she gazed at him lovingly. Thomas held his daughter’s face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes, shaking his head sternly. “I’ll make no such promise, young lady. If you misbehave so shamefully in the future, I won’t hesitate to take you across my knee and spank your bottom in front of whoever may be present, and if you make that course of action necessary I will also take you into my office, bare your bottom and give you a sound caning, which I promise will be much more painful than the strap or my hand. Do you understand?”

  Emma visibly shuddered. “But Daddy, you said you were sorry.”

  Thomas shook his head. “Oh no Emma, I said I was sorry that you made it necessary for me to have to punish you. I did not say I was sorry that I’d done it. It was long overdue and I hope you’ve learned a lesson that you won’t soon forget. As I’ve already said you’re forgiven and there’s no reason for you to be punished again if you behave yourself from now on. The choice is yours. Now do you want to hear my good news or not?”

  Emma nodded, curious to hear her father’s announcement, but still unhappy about her recent punishment and the knowledge that her father intended to do it again if he believed it was necessary. She wanted to sulk and refuse to talk to him, but her curiosity won out.

  Thomas smiled. “Emma, I’ve decided to go to New York on business and I’d like very much for you to come with me.”

  Emma bounced up and down on her father’s lap, excitedly hugging him tight, wincing slightly when the action caused her bottom to sting and remind her of her recent punishment. “Oh Daddy, I’d love to. Thank you. Are we going now?” she said, jumping quickly to her feet. “What do I need to pack?”

  Thomas smiled and pulled his daughter back onto his lap. “Emma, calm down,” he said kindly. “We’ll probably set off in a few weeks. I only had the idea last night. Actually it was John who suggested it. He reminded me that I have a lot of valuable contacts over in America and I could travel there on business, take you with me and see if we can’t find a more suitable husband for you over there.”

  Emma’s eyes widened with joy. Oh wow. An American husband! Wouldn’t that be just wonderful! He would love travel and adventure, just like in the books. Emma’s enthusiasm was growing by the minute and she made a mental note to thank John for making such a brilliant suggestion. She blushed as she realized that if her father had spoken to John and Mary after he had spanked her, they most certainly would have heard her being punished in such a humiliating manner. She wondered how she would ever face them again, but those worries were soon forgotten as she planned for her trip to New York and excitedly counted down the days.

  The next few weeks went by in a whirl for Emma. She quizzed her father every evening about their travel plans and he never grew tired of her non-stop questions. Although her father had travelled many times, Emma knew he had never left England since her mother’s death and she was pleased to see him looking so happy and enthusiastic about something again. She too was feeling much more positive and optimistic.

  The day of Emma’s eagerly anticipated first trip abroad finally arrived and she excitedly set off with her father by road to Liverpool. She had never travelled such a long distance before and her excitement grew as they eventually arrived at the huge docks.

  They boarded an enormous steamer and Emma’s eyes widened at its immense size. She was a little disappointed once on-board to find that they had such a small cabin and she would be expected to sleep in a bunk bed below her fathe
r, but she accepted his explanation that the trip was already costing a lot of money and they had to keep costs as low as possible. Emma guessed that with the financial problems at Windmere she was very lucky to be getting a trip to America with her father at all. “You will get privacy to dress and undress Emma, but we need to sleep in the same cabin. Another reason for sharing is that I also want to keep you close to me. You’ve never travelled before and I don’t want to let you out of my sight for too long,” he explained.

  Emma nodded. She was just so happy to finally be leaving England. She loved living in England—the nearby countryside was beautiful and she couldn’t imagine a better place to live—but she knew there was so much more out there and she was desperate to see more of the world. She hoped this would be the first of many trips she would make before she was expected to settle down and have children.

  Emma was momentarily saddened when her father sat her on his lap in their cabin and his tone became stern. “Emma, I know you have been very well behaved since I spanked your bottom.” Emma blushed and looked away. She had almost forgotten about that humiliating experience and didn’t wish to be reminded of it again.

  “Emma, look at me,” her father ordered, and with tears in her eyes she glanced up at him. Thomas smiled at his daughter. “Emma, I’m so proud of you. I’m very happy to be taking this trip with you. It’ll do us both a world of good, but I need to warn you that even though we’re away from home, I still expect you to be on your best behavior. I promise you I will spank your bottom if you misbehave on our journey. If you give me cause to spank you whilst we’re travelling, that spanking will be given in public, so please bear that in mind if you think about disobeying me.”

  Tears rolled down Emma’s cheeks and her father tenderly wiped them away with his thumbs before hugging her against him and rocking her gently. “Emma, I have no intention of spanking you, unless of course you misbehave. It wasn’t my intention to make you cry. Cheer up, dry your eyes and we’ll go and have a look around.”

  Emma hugged her father and as she sat up and wiped away her tears, he kissed her gently on the cheek. “Daddy, I promise I will be on my best behavior. I don’t ever want you to have to do that again. I hated it so much. It really hurt,” she pouted.

  Thomas smiled and kissed her gently. “Good. I hated doing it too so let’s not make it necessary ever again. Good girl.”

  Emma smiled and nodded. Taking her father’s hand, she allowed him to lead her out onto the ship’s deck. Emma stood on the deck mesmerized and watched Liverpool in the distance disappearing from view until she could see nothing but sea all around them. She was excited but also a little apprehensive.

  For the next two weeks Emma thoroughly enjoyed her surroundings, although sometimes she was desperate to get off the boat and have a walk around on steady ground, especially when they had passed through some bad storms and she had become frightened and a little unwell. She was glad her father was with her to offer comfort and reassurance. At those times she wished desperately to be back at home again, but the feeling soon passed and she continued to enjoy her exciting journey.

  As each new day dawned and Emma counted off the days until they reached New York, she became more and more excited. She was pleased that she had not angered her father and he had not had to carry out his threat to spank her again, but she was a little distressed to find that other fathers had similar ideas as her own and walking around the ship during their long and tiring journey she overheard a few spankings. She gripped her father’s hand tight at these times, feeling very grateful that it was not her own bottom that was receiving such harsh chastisement.

  Even more shocking was the time Emma watched as a man not much older than her sat down and took his wife across his lap after she argued with him loudly. He started by spanking her firmly over her skirts before dragging the blushing, weeping woman to their room where the unmistakable sound of a leather belt cracking down against bare flesh could be heard, accompanied by the young woman’s howls of anguish and promises to be good.

  Emma was horrified, and she wanted to ask her father if it was usual for a husband to spank his wife, but she was afraid of his answer. She could not believe her father would ever have done something so awful to her mother, but there was a time she wouldn’t have believed he would spank his only daughter either. Besides, why else did he already have a strap and a cane if he hadn’t used them on her mother? Emma flushed at the thought of her mother being punished in such a way. She couldn’t imagine it, and did not want to think of her mother in such a humiliating position. Emma would make sure that she never married a man who intended to spank her bottom. It was bad enough to be punished by her father, but being punished by your husband was somehow much more humiliating.

  Sensing that his daughter was upset, Emma’s father put his arm around her. “You’ll be able to see New York soon. We’re almost there.” Emma jumped to her feet and ran to the side of the ship, looking out to the horizon and willing New York to come into sight. As the recently strapped young lady came to stand beside Emma and looked tearfully out into the distance, her husband’s arm wrapped protectively around her as she still sniffled slightly, Emma gave her a sympathetic smile before once more dreaming about what lay ahead.

  Eventually she could see the outlines of the buildings in the dock and Emma gazed in awe at the Statue of Liberty as they passed by her and headed into port. When they finally arrived at the busy port Emma was breathless with excitement. Thomas allowed his daughter to run ahead and have a look around, with a stern warning not to wander out of his sight. When Thomas joined her with their bags and they climbed aboard a horse drawn cart which took them to their hotel, Emma’s eyes took in everything around her and she had a permanent smile plastered on her face. “Oh Daddy, thank you so much, I love you,” she said, gripping her father’s hand as she tried to absorb everything about the busy city around her.

  Despite Emma’s protests that she wanted to immediately go sightseeing, she followed her father to their hotel rooms and reluctantly obeyed his order to rest for a little while. She was shocked when she woke the following day. She hadn’t realized she had been so exhausted from her travelling. She was pleased that her father had got them separate rooms and she excitedly washed and got dressed, ready to start exploring New York.

  Emma and Thomas spent the next few days wandering around the streets of New York. Emma loved to watch the hustle and bustle of the city and all the well dressed, quite obviously very powerful men going about their daily business. Emma imagined them being involved in some very financially lucrative deals. All the leading banks were in the area and Emma enjoyed sitting and watching the people coming and going.

  She was thrilled when her father had business to deal with inside a large bank she was able to walk around a bit on the inside of the huge building. They had banks in London, of course, but she had never had any reason to go inside one. She was disappointed when her father came back and said it was time to leave, but she wasn’t disappointed for too long as New York offered plenty more for her eager eyes to see.

  Emma grinned when her father warned her not to go into certain bars he pointed out. She had seen prostitutes in London before and remembered her mother telling her about these women of “ill repute” and what they did for a living. Although her father had not told her it was a brothel, she had read enough to know that that was exactly what it was. And although it looked glamorous, it certainly was not a career that appealed to Emma personally.

  The highlight of their visit to New York was going to see the Statue of Liberty. Even though she had seen it briefly as they came into port, to be able to stand and gaze at it in wonderment as her father shared his knowledge of this amazing piece of architecture was the greatest moment of Emma’s life. She had read about the statue and seen pictures, but never in her wildest dreams had Emma imagined she would be standing in New York, gazing across the water at it as she delighted in listening to her father share his knowledge with her.
/>   “She was a gift to the United States of America from the people of France. She represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. She welcomes immigrants arriving from abroad,” her father told her. Emma smiled brightly and could barely tear her eyes away from the huge statue as her father led her away.

  They also visited Central Park, which made Emma think fondly of home as she recalled how she often walked in the local Regents Park with her father. Emma was amazed by the number of female cyclists in the park and loved their slightly shorter dresses that clearly made cycling easier for them.

  After seeing everything that she wanted to see, Emma returned to the hotel with her father and got ready for a dinner party that evening, where her father hoped she might find a man she might consider marrying. When Emma stepped out of her room that evening in a very elegant blue satin gown embellished with lace and beading, Thomas beamed with pride. “Oh Emma, you look stunning. Maybe you will find a suitable beau at tonight’s dinner party.”

  Emma nodded. “I’ll try my best Daddy. Thank you for bringing me here. I’m having such a good time that I don’t ever want this to end.”

  Thomas smiled and nodded. “I haven’t seen you so happy since long before your mother passed away. It’s been very hard for both of us. I miss her too, but she would want you to be happy. She would want you to find someone who will make you feel satisfied, and I know she would be proud if you could help us to keep Windmere in the family.”

  Emma bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes.

  “Don’t cry,” her father consoled, pulling her into his arms. “I’m really enjoying our visit to New York and I can’t wait to travel west with you and see the places you’ve dreamed of for so long. I’m looking forward to seeing the west too. It’s somewhere your mother and I never visited. It’s obviously been made so much easier to travel that way now with the growth of the railroads. It’ll be an adventure for both of us.”