From the Top Shelf - Juliette Finds Acceptance at Last

As you will recall, last week Karen and Juliette were investigating the old stable that was used as a carpenter's shop, when they were surprised by the carpenter, Mr Parry-Jones. Karen escaped, but Juliette knocked over a bottle of glue, and was caught before she could hide. How will she be dealt with? Let's find out:

Juliette stood, petrified at the threat from this angry man.

"Please, I'm sorry." She desperately tried to excuse herself, but knew that it would cut no ice at all. "I didn't upset the glue deliberately, honestly, it was an accident. I'll clean it up."

"Indeed you will, I'll see to that." He advanced a pace towards her. "But not until after Miss Parkin has tanned your arse. I'll see to that as well, so I will." His accent and the cadence of his speech sounded Welsh, removing any doubt that this must be the famous Mr Parry-Jones.

"Oh please don't. There's no need for that. I've said I'll clean it up."

"Oh, no." He grabbed her arm in a crushingly tight hold. "I have put up with too much nonsense from you unruly young ladies for too long. Now it's my turn. Damn me if I don't ask Miss Parkin to put you in that frame and give you a dozen with the birch, just see if I don't." The terrified Juliette tried to pull away from him, but his grip was far too tight and she found herself being dragged out of the workshop.

Half-stumbling and pleading for mercy, the unhappy girl was frog-marched in the direction of the main building and Miss Parkin's office. They had got about halfway when, to Juliette's embarrassment, they met her Great Aunt Elspeth walking in the opposite direction. Juliette had not seen her aunt since the day she arrived at Carstairs and her heart leapt. Perhaps she could escape from this terrible man and preserve her posterior after all.

"What is the problem, Mr Parry-Jones?" the old lady enquired, giving no indication that she recognised Juliette at all.

The carpenter touched his free hand to his forehead in a gesture of respect which Juliette thought would have graced a Dickens novel. "Beg pardon, ma'am, but I was just on my way to see Miss Parkin with this young madam here." He nodded at Juliette. "Caught her red-handed, I did, in my workshop. Vandalised, it is, mess everywhere and I know that Miss Parkin will want to have words with this young lady about her part in it, so I do."

"Oh dear." Elspeth's tone was calm, almost dreamy. "That won't do at all, I agree, but Miss Parkin is away at a staff meeting just at the moment. Perhaps you should show me the damage and then I'll decide what to do about it."

"Very well, ma'am, if you say so."

"I think you can let go of the girl's arm now, Mr Parry-Jones; she won't run away, will you?"

Juliette rubbed her arm, which was numb from the vice-like grip. This was the first indication that her aunt was even aware of her presence. "No, Aunt Elspeth," she said, forgetting in her stress and confusion the agreed convention of 'ma'am', "but it was an accident, honestly it was."

Too late she realised her slip, for the old lady's face clouded with irritation. "Hush, Juliette, I will see the truth for myself. Lead the way if you please, Mr Parry-Jones."

The carpenter was not at all pleased to discover the relationship between Juliette and his employer. He instantly assumed that his erstwhile captive was to be let off, which made him angrier than he was already was. Abruptly he turned on his heel and stalked off back to the workshop; the two women being hard put to keep pace with him. Juliette was by no means sure she was going to be let off, and glumly thought that if Karen was also discovered in the workshop, then she, Juliette, was sure to be condemned by association with a girl of such tarnished reputation and they would both get the birching which she knew Karen was already due for.

Thankfully, when they arrived back at the workshop, Karen was nowhere to be seen. Parry-Jones gestured at the almost empty glue bottle lying on the floor in a puddle of white, oozing adhesive.

"Nothing but vandalism, deliberate vandalism," he growled. "A new bottle of glue that was. I bought it special, see, so that I could finish the changes Miss Parkin wants to this birching frame." He wagged a bony finger at the frame in question. "I know Miss Parkin has a particular girl in mind for this here frame, but it would serve this little madam right if she were the first to christen it, so to speak. I reckon a good dozen with the birch on her bare bottom is just what she needs, damn me if I don't."

"Oh, I think that might be a little excessive, Mr Parry-Jones."

Juliette's sigh of relief was audible.

"Who was with you, Juliette? Who else is involved?"

"No one, ma'am. I was on my own." She mentally cursed herself for a fool to have been led into this by Karen. She should have known that the association would do her no good, but it was too late to worry about that now; nor could she involve Karen in what was about to happen to her. To do so would be an open invitation to bring down more trouble on her head, or rather her bottom, from the rest of the girls when they found out.

Her aunt's disbelief was written all over her face. "You acted entirely alone? I see. Well in that case, you will also have to bear the consequences of your actions entirely alone."

"You see what I mean, ma'am?" Mr Parry-Jones was determined to push the point to the limit. "She's brazen, that's what she is - brazen. A good dose of the birch is what she needs. Teach her not to do it again, I say."

"And I say that would be excessive, Mr Parry-Jones - and it's what I say that matters." The sudden addition of an edge to Aunt Elspeth's voice left no doubt that she did not like to have her authority questioned. "However, I do believe some form of chastisement is in order. So what are we to do with you, Juliette?"

"Please, ma'am, I've said I'm sorry, and I'll clean up the mess."

Aunt Elspeth's voice was hard and brittle. "Don't whine, Juliette. It doesn't become you and you need to learn to take responsibility for your own actions. I'm very keen that all my girls at Carstairs should learn that. Moreover, although I think Mr Parry-Jones's suggestion of a birching is a little harsh, it does seem appropriate that you should make restitution to him; after all, he is the injured party." She smiled grimly at Juliette.

"What do you want me to do, ma'am? I'll clean up the whole workshop, honest I will."

"Oh indeed you will, my girl, indeed you will - but after Mr Parry-Jones has taken you across his knee and taught you a lesson in traditional fashion. Would that fit the bill adequately, Mr Parry-Jones?"

The carpenter's eyes widened in delight.

"You mean I should spank the young lady's arse myself? Begging your pardon, ma'am."

Aunt Elspeth nodded. "I mean just that. A good spanking will do no lasting harm and will do Juliette a lot of good. What say you, my girl?"

Juliette's face was scarlet with horror. "Oh please no, please not that!"

"Of course, we could always leave the decision to Miss Parkin when she returns. I have a feeling, though, that she might be inclined to take up Mr Parry-Jones's original suggestion and christen this excellent frame."

Juliette knew that her great-aunt was probably correct in her assumption. Knowing that did not make her humiliating choice any easier though.

"Well, we're waiting." Her aunt was clearly impatient.

"Please, ma'am, I suppose I'll have to take my punishment now. Please don't involve Miss Parkin."

"A wise decision, I'm sure. Very well, Mr Parry-Jones, would you like to pull up that stool and do the honours?"

The dour carpenter needed no second prompting, but grabbed a wooden stool from under the bench and set it down in the middle of the open space in front of them. He sat down on it and smoothed his overalls over his thighs, patting his lap. "Come on then, girl, let's be having you. No more fuss, now."

Reluctantly, Juliette stepped forward towards him, plucking up the courage to lower herself across his knees. Her Great-Aunt's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Just a moment!" Juliette turned enquiringly. "I think you are a little over-dressed for the occasion. You know perfectly well how we conduct a spanking at Carstairs. Get those jeans off, my girl!"

Juliette was horrified. "Oh no, ma'am, please no. Not in front of Mr Parry-Jones!"

"Nonsense, girl. If you think you can escape a good hiding that easily, you have another think coming. I warn you, Juliette, if you make a fuss now and I have to remove your jeans myself, then I shall ask Mr Parry-Jones to put you in that frame to restrain you. I shall leave you there to think about your behaviour while I go and pick some birch twigs myself. Now which is it to be?"

Close to tears, Juliette began to undo the zip and peel her jeans off. Mr Parry-Jones watched impassively as she revealed her long legs and the skimpy silk panties she had chosen to wear as a change from the sensible cotton which was part of the Carstairs uniform. Crimson with shame she folded her jeans and laid them on the bench. Worse was to come.

"That's better," Aunt Elspeth nodded approvingly. "Now I want your knickers off as well. You are going to get this on the bare bottom, my girl, make no mistake about that!"

Now the tears did start. Since she had arrived at Carstairs, all her punishments and humiliations had at least been at the hands of other females. The thought of exposing herself to Mr Parry-Jones was more than she could contemplate. Her tear-stained face looked round frantically for some avenue of escape but, of course, there was none. Aunt Elspeth, however, realised that she had probably sentenced her young relative to a disproportionately shaming ordeal, and took her gently by the arm.

"Very well, for the sake of your modesty I will allow you to settle across Mr Parry-Jones's knees before I remove your knickers." The pressure of her aunt's grip and the firmness of her tone had a calming effect on Juliette. Fighting back the urge to panic, she recognised that the small concession offered was the only one she was going to get. The alternative would be a taste of the birch. She had no idea what that might involve but every time it was mentioned by anybody, the very words gave her a sense of foreboding. Reluctantly she allowed herself to be pushed into position and subsided over Mr Parry-Jones's knees.

His hand was very rough as it pinned her firmly in the small of her back, almost pressing the breath out of her body as she hung her head and stared at the floor. It was also surprisingly warm on her bare back. She was pushed well forward across Mr Parry-Jones's lap so that his right knee was under her hip bones, pushing her bottom up. He had pushed her T-shirt up slightly and twisted it, retaining the fold of material in the hand which held her down. The gathering of the material at the back put a gentle pressure on her breasts.

Aunt Elspeth's hands, small and cold, were on her hips now. "Lift your hips a little, Juliette, or this material will rip. Really, I don't know what the young people of today see in these skimpy things, I really don't."

Juliette felt her panties being pulled down. Her legs were already straight out behind her, the points of her toes to the floor, so she did as she was told and lifted herself slightly against the pressure of Mr Parry-Jones's hand. Her panties slid silkily across her bottom and down her thighs, to remain like a hobble at her knees. The material of the carpenter's overall was coarse and chafed at her shaven groin as she let her weight come down onto his legs again. She felt her sex moistening as she squeezed her legs together, the tears of shame at the humiliation of her position pricking at her eyes.

Mr Parry-Jones's hand was every bit as hard and rough as Juliette feared it would be. His first strike was made with his hand slightly cupped to follow the contours of Juliette's right buttock, which he smote absolutely dead centre, with a resounding smack! which fairly knocked the breath out of her. As her head jerked up, she saw Karen's face pressed to the window, eyes wide with excitement.

Mr Parry-Jones's hand was hard and gnarled like a piece of old oak. Wasting no time, he applied another slap to Juliette's left cheek. After only two smacks, Juliette's bottom was already glowing; as the heavy impacts had knocked the breath out of her; she had nothing left with which to cry out. Unthinkingly, she put her hand back to ward off any more blows. Parry-Jones quickly grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back, gripping her wrist with the same large hand which held her T-shirt. Now she was completely powerless to move her upper body, without wrenching her arm from its socket.

The spanking resumed. Having placed two clearly defined palm-prints slowly and carefully, one each in the centre of Juliette's vulnerably raised bottom, the carpenter now increased his strike rate. The smacks rained down on Juliette's bottom thick and fast. She had no idea how many times her body bucked under the impact, but each time her head jerked up, her long blonde hair flying, she could see Karen at the window, wide-eyed. The unfairness of her predicament only served to make her punishment more humiliating. It was Karen's fault that she was here and it should be Karen who was suffering! She wanted to cry out and explain, "It's not my fault! Spank her, not me. She'll enjoy it!" Of course she did no such thing.

Mr Parry-Jones covered her bottom entirely with prints of his hard hand, from the cleft at the base of her spine right down to the under-curve of her plump and quivering cheeks, and from side to side, almost from hip bone to hip bone. As the smacks progressed downwards, Juliette could feel her bottom swelling and she squirmed from side to side in a vain effort to escape the relentless spanks. The shocks were coursing right through her and she could feel the man's hardness rising up under the rough overalls and increasing the pressure on her belly. Despite the sting, she was equally aware of her own body responding to the smarting warmth generated in her wobbling, shuddering bottom.

As the slaps reached the tops of her thighs, she found enough breath to shout and her hoarse cries mingled with the loud smacks. If she hoped that her watching aunt would take pity on her, she was misguided. Elspeth watched as Mr Parry-Jones's spanked his way halfway down her niece's shapely thighs then overlaid his red hand prints as he worked back up to her well reddened cheeks.

Juliette had long since forgotten about her modesty and had totally abandoned any attempts to keep her legs closed. Now they were splayed wide, revealing all her intimate secrets, and her feet were kicking wildly. The second round of spanks progressed back up Juliette's legs and a couple of resounding whacks to the under curve of her bottom came perilously close to the obscenely gaping and very moist pussy lips. Juliette's cries took on an even greater urgency and at last she heard her aunt's voice.

"I think she's had enough now, don't you, Mr Parry-Jones?"


Mr Parry-Jones took a deep breath and let his hands drop to his sides. He surveyed his handiwork as Juliette's body heaved with sobs. He rubbed his hand on his overalls as if he too was suffering and wanted to take some of the sting away. "I reckon this young lady will have learnt her lesson, ma'am." He released his pressure on Juliette's back.

"Perhaps, but two further demerit points added to her already disgraceful total will serve to remind her later. You may get up now, Juliette, but you still have to clean up the mess you have made."

As Juliette began to rise, Karen slid quickly down below the level of the window and crept away.

It took Juliette fully half an hour to clear up the sticky mess left by the glue. Aunt Elspeth allowed her to retrieve her panties and jeans, which were agony to put on over her bruised and smarting bottom, and supervised as Juliette, wincing each time she had to bend down, mopped up the mess. When Juliette finally emerged from the workshop, walking stiffly and carefully so that the denim of her jeans did not chafe any more than was absolutely necessary, she was astonished to be met by Karen, Joanna, Lucy, Samantha and Emma, and even more astonished to be given a round of applause and virtually a hero's welcome.

Karen had, in fact, witnessed the whole painful scene, terrified that Juliette would reveal her complicity and, worse still, give away her hiding place. She had made her escape from the workshop in the brief moments while Juliette was being marched by Mr Parry-Jones to meet Aunt Elspeth and had swiftly concealed herself in the undergrowth behind the workshop when she heard the little party returning, and creeping round under the window when they had gone into the workshop. She couldn't make out the muffled conversation from within, but the sound of Mr Parry-Jones's cupped hand making its first contact with Juliette's bottom was unmistakably the start of a spanking.

She found herself looking directly at the top of Juliette's head. Juliette was in the classic position, prone across Mr Parry-Jones's lap, her head down and bare bottom raised. Pressing her nose to the glass she saw Juliette clamp her teeth together and grimace in pain as she seemed to bounce on Parry-Jones's lap as each slap struck home.

All this was recounted in vivid detail as the other girls, and particularly Joanna, did their best to relieve the sting as soon as they had escorted Juliette back to her room.

Ruefully, Juliette had to accept that the price of peer group acceptance at Carstairs was an extremely sore bottom.

Was it worth it? Juliette probably thought so.

If you would like to re-read the entire story, go to this post - From the Top Shelf - scroll down to A Degree of Discipline, and you will see all the posts from the story, in order.