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Edmund repeated his instruction “If you refuse, I shall take you over ed”

Alice heard him and found she responded as if he had taken over her hands and fingers She didn’t want to suffer his punish up her skirts to her waist, gathering the layers of fabric about her, she twisted around in the confined space and knelt between his legs, elbows on the seat

The sha Edmund had a perfect, if shady, view of her posterior made tears prick in her eyes

“Why, Edise to a stranger?”

“Caroline Fanshawe lost her parents, like me, when she was but a child Her elder brother, Frederick, took on the responsibility of raising her,” explained Edmund “Her brother and I ell acquainted Freddy joined another regi with the French, Freddy was captured Injured, his captors treated hilect and intervened By then, Freddy though alive, had to lose a leg to gangrene The doctor saved his life and kept hied”

Alice sed hard She began to understand what Ed her

“Freddy returned to England, under the care of his sister, who gave up any plans of e to nurse him She asked me to help trace the doctor, so she could send him her personal thanks The correspondence, the subject of this ossip, are not love letters, the doctor is already e of information between two people, who have over the years become friends”

A tear trickled down Alice’s face “I rite the letter I will be etic and I

will tell everyone I meet that there is no scandal to speak of”

“You should feel guilty, Alice, but that is not the reason I a you You said you would be respectable in the company of others, you haven’t been I asked to you to do so, you defied me and refused Do you not trust me? I am your husband and have your best interests at heart Maybe this was a test—to ask you to do so without explanation I am sorry to say, you have failed”

Alice let out a tiny sob, she truly felt disappointed at her behaviour Edht at the dance, he had introduced her to ossip and repeated it with little consideration “Please punishover her shoulder

Edmund picked up the nettles at one end “We have little time, you must be quiet The coachman is not to be alarmed”

Alice tensed, buried her face and took hold of the sleeve of her pelisse between her teeth, biting down hard

The oil laht across her buttocks, each crescent curvature, pert and firm in aspect, while pliant to touch Ed on his task

“Spread your legs apart, Alice,” said Edirl”