As the middle of her fourth week at Carstairs arrived, Lucy sat at her desk and began to review the draft of her thesis. She was running out of time, she knew. Her spell at Carstairs was drawing to a close and she was determined that whatever the trials and tribulations she had endured, at least it would not be time totally wasted. She would show Sebastian. Despite his trick on her, she was not to be put down so easily.
The thesis really was getting to be quite an impressive document, she thought. With the new material she had gathered recently, she could see her way to drawing some conclusions. It was fascinating to see how the relationship between Juliette and Wendy Williams had turned out, and she knew that somehow she would have to work this into her dissertation, together with the assumptions she was making about Juliette's apparent relish for using the cane. Poor Juliette! She had found it so hard to adjust to Carstairs and it had taken the combined efforts of all the girls to convince her that taking a spanking was not the end of the world. Lucy blushed to herself at the subterfuge they had resorted to in order to convince Juliette that she was fully accepted.
As Lucy read and re-read the document, her original sense of satisfaction began to fade. Something was missing; it lacked that last deft touch, that vital spark necessary to lift the words off the pages and make them live. She knew exactly what Sebastian would say when he read it and for some reason she couldn't quite fathom, it was suddenly very important to her that Sebastian was pleased with her work.
Carefully, Lucy tried to analyse what it was she knew should be there, yet could not quite put her finger on. She had dealt with the circumstances which led up to Juliette's first formal strapping. That section read quite well, she thought. She had captured the sense of drama, the coldness, the impersonality of the procedure and the location in that drab police station. The foreboding which the waiting miscreants must have felt, the sense of inevitability, came over as well. Then the drama of the actual punishments and her own feelings at the sight of the lovely Juliette being secured to the table. She had covered that part of the thesis well, drawing out the fact that it was the ceremony and the anticipation that made things so effective.
That came over well in the rest of the work, too. Each of the more memorable punishments which Lucy had described and analysed had its own little script, its build-up and climax. She thought of her own experience on that first day. The scene with Miss Edwardes had got Lucy's adrenalin flowing and had prepared her, in an odd sort of way, so that the belting which Miss Parkin had added to her already rosy cheeks had not seemed in any way excessive. Her perception of reality had been so shifted by the humiliation of being publicly spanked by Miss Edwardes that her interview with Miss Parkin had really been no less than she had expected.
That was it! Lucy re-read the relevant pages again. She suddenly knew what was missing; just as surely she knew what she must do to correct the omission. As the knowledge registered, it was as if her whole body had been connected to the mains. The hair on the back of her neck prickled and her stomach turned somersaults. Could she do it? Would she have the nerve? Nevertheless, it was the only way. She steeled her nerves and began to work on the details.
The following morning, Lucy almost overslept and only just made it to the restaurant before breakfast closed. Feeling like death after a night of restless sleep, broken by vivid nightmares, she loaded her tray with whatever came to hand and joined the small group that she had come to think of as friends. They were all gathered around a typed notice pinned to the door of the restaurant.
"You don't want to be late for any classes today, of all days." Karen looked seriously concerned as she gestured at the notice.
"Why, what's the matter?"
"The Governor is here today and it's accounting time."
"I don't understand."
"It's quite simple. Today is one of those days when the Governor comes to inspect the establishment. He always checks on demerit points and then, this evening, before supper, he will award appropriate punishments. We all assemble in the main hall and watch. He usually deals out the awards himself, at least for the more serious cases. How may have you got, by the way?"
"Four, I think - no, five," Lucy answered uncomfortably, blushing at the memory of each point she had earned.
"Well you had better be careful not to earn any more today. You only need six to qualify for the tawse."
Lucy shivered. Her time had run out. She had only what remained of the day if she was going to implement the plan she had formed the night before. It was the only way she could complete her thesis in a way which was guaranteed to win Sebastian's approval. Somehow she knew without being told that the Governor referred to in the notice had to be Sebastian.
Spotting her shudder, Karen assumed that Lucy was cringing at the memory of her traumatic interview with Miss Parkin. She was, but only in the sense that she was imagining how much worse it would be to receive similar treatment from Sebastian himself.
"What do I get for five points?"
"I don't suppose the Governor will even bother with you for five." Karen shrugged dismissively. "Technically, you should get a bare bottom spanking, but I don't suppose the Governor will bother with that; there are bound to be some more severe punishments for him to deal with. He'll probably either let you build up your total and deal with you then, or delegate you to Miss Parkin.
"Anyway," Karen continued, "you'll find out soon enough. The Governor always spends the morning meeting the staff and touring the establishment; then this afternoon the points are totalled up and you will be told what's coming to you."
"You mean, there and then, in front of everybody?"
Again, her colleague mistook Lucy's response for fear. "No, I told you, the actual punishments are later, before supper. They tell you earlier, though, in case there are any special arrangements to make."
Deep down, Lucy felt the butterflies churning. She tried to guess what the phrase 'special preparations' might mean. Her mumbled enquiry to Karen was met simply with "Don't ask; just pray it doesn't apply to you."
"Well that's it then, I'll see you later." Lucy was suddenly decisive.
"What?" Emma was a millisecond ahead of her companions in registering surprise as Lucy turned and made for the exit. "Where are you going, you idiot? We have classes in five minutes."
"Maybe you do - not me, I'm skipping them. Things to do. I'll see you later on." Before anyone could stop her, Lucy was gone.
"Whatever has got into her?" Emma exclaimed. "She's gone mad. They'll have her hide pinned to the wall for decoration if she does something stupid on Governor's Day."
At that very moment, Sebastian was already in Miss Parkin's office, making the first of his own very special preparations for the rest of the day's activities. He had taken over Miss Parkin's seat and his body language made it quite clear that he was in charge. Miss Parkin stood before her own desk, her hands clasped behind her in exactly the attitude she expected of her young charges.
"I may as well say, right at the outset, that I am not pleased with the way things have been going here since my last visit." Sebastian's voice was stern, betraying no hint of the excitement he was feeling over the plan which he had carefully thought up over the last few hours. "In particular, I feel you have rather let me down over the treatment of your two temporary guests."
"Lucy and Juliette?"
"I do indeed refer to Lucy and Juliette. I read both of their records yesterday evening, and I was amazed at the directions in which they have developed in the short time they have been here. Some very strange goings-on seem to be happening."
"I am sorry you are not satisfied, Governor." Miss Parkin evidently did not like the tone of this conversation at all. "I do assure you that both girls have been equitably dealt with."
Sebastian cut her short. "That may be, but they will be even more equitable after I have finished with them this afternoon! Now listen carefully."
He proceeded to outline his requirements very thoroughly. When he had finished Miss Parkin looked quite flushed.
"Finally," he smiled grimly, "there is the question of Miss Wendy Williams and her 'tastes'. She has a lot to answer for."
"Indeed she has," Miss Parkin agreed wholeheartedly, thinking just what she would do when she got Wendy Williams into a position where she could take revenge for the uncomfortable time Sebastian was giving her.
"Perhaps you can deal with her at leisure, later, in your own way." Sebastian had virtually read Miss Parkin's mind. " I think perhaps I will get Miss Williams to show me the gymnasium now, while you are making the other preparations. I want to give her some news, and perhaps add an extra surprise of my own, before the assembly this afternoon."
He rose from the desk and made towards the door. Miss Parkin stood meekly to one side, inwardly jubilant at what she guessed was going to be Wendy Williams's discomfiture. As he brushed past, Sebastian turned again. "Oh and by the way, Miss Parkin,when you are down in the coppice, you had better prepare enough birch cuttings for two. " Her mouth dropped open in shock as Sebastian continued, "As Vice Principal you have considerable responsibility for the performance of your staff and in certain areas that has been lacking. I think you need guidance in certain aspects of your role and later this evening, after assembly, I believe you and I can resolve a few of the shortcomings. I think you will assimilate the guidance best bent over with your knickers down!"
As the door clicked shut behind him, Miss Parkin hung on to her desk for support. Her mind was in turmoil. That she, the Vice Principal should be subjected to such a humiliation. Yet she imagined her submissive posture and her body trembled with a fierce burning excitement.
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