Tabitha's Guardian (16 page)

Owen thought she looked almost happy. “Do
you have more questions, Jenson?” He was at the end of his
patience. His wife was practically begging for a sound
spanking.

Jenson looked at his son-in-law in complete
understanding. In Owen’s place he would be dealing harshly with
Tabitha, too. “I have no more questions at this time, son. Tabitha,
I am not happy with you right now. I want you to know that there
are times when you need to trust others’ instincts and permit them
to decide what is best for you.”

“I am aware of that, Daddy, and I am truly
sorry for what I put you and Owen through today. I still think that
Horace was truly horrid, however, and I am sincerely relieved he
will no longer be staring at me all day long!”

“Amen, Tabby,” Janice fervently agreed. “He
was an odious toad.”

Tabitha giggled, and then said, “I fear Owen
is growing impatient with me. Janice, will you please prepare
something for Daddy and Owen to eat this evening? I doubt I will be
up to the task, and will wish to seek my bed.”

“Owen, you better not be that harsh!” Janice
shared her opinion.

“Janice, this is not for you to decide. A
husband has every right to take his wife to task when she errs.”
Jenson’s voice was firm. “I fear you will learn this lesson the
hard way.”

“Daddy, please do not take your upset with
me out on Aunt Janice. She does not wish to see me suffer.”

“Do you think that I wish to see you suffer,
daughter?” Jenson asked, his voice full of hurt. “If so, you are
mistaken. However, I believe our rules were made for your safety
and you blatantly ignored our concerns and went your own way. This
is not to be tolerated.”

“You have said enough, Tabitha Rose. Tell
your family goodnight because you are being put to bed for the
night,” Owen ordered, his temper fraying at the edges.

“Goodnight, Janice. Goodnight, Daddy. I
truly am sorry for the distress I caused you today. I will strive
to make amends.” Tabby was in tears by the time she finished. She
turned toward the steps and ran to the room she shared with her
husband. She stepped into the washroom, and cried for a few moments
before she removed her clothing and her modesty cap. She put on her
nightgown and then brushed her long hair and braided it into one
long plait. Finally, she relieved her bladder, and then washed her
hands and brushed her teeth. She knew that Owen was serious about
seeing her to bed, but the next few minutes in between now and
actually going to bed for the night were going to be painful. She
knew she had earned a punishment, but it did not mean she was not
afraid now that the time was here to pay the price for her actions
this day.

“I thought I was going to have to drag you
out of there, wife,” Owen said softly when she opened the door and
stepped into the bedroom.

“I was attempting to gather my courage. I
know I promised not to fuss, but now that the time is here to own
those words, I find I may not be able to keep that promise.”
Tabitha felt her eyes fill with tears that burned. “I hope you know
that I truly regret what I put you through today, Owen. I did not
set out to be worrisome, but I could not bear another moment of
that guard, and I was beyond frustrated that I could not go
shopping for my fabric. I was so filled with hope when you said you
would get off early, and then it did not happen. I was
disappointed, and when I heard Horace snoring in the hallway, I saw
my chance to get away from him and this house, and I took it. I
knew when I left that I would earn your displeasure; in that moment
I was very brave. I am not so brave now, darling. Now that I know
how foolish and dangerous it was for me to think that you and Daddy
were worrywarts and nothing could happen on such a busy street, I
would not make that same decision to leave here. It was a very poor
choice.”

“I agree with you, wife.” He could see that
she was riddled with remorse and a need to make amends. He was
going to help her do that with a very sound paddling that she would
feel for some time to come. “Come on over here,” he said, offering
her his hand. To his surprise, she immediately took his hand,
allowing him to pull her close and down over his lap. She did not
protest when he pulled up her gown to bare her pretty bottom.

Tabitha closed her eyes in anticipation of
the first spank, and she did not have to wait long. Owen was wroth
with her, and she was going to wear his frustration on her poor
bottom. The spanks were stinging like crazy, but Owen’s scolding
words were even harder to bear. He reminded her of every sassy
thing she had said to him over the communicator that morning, and
he continued to make sure she felt his disapproval. He also spanked
her sit spots for using bad language, even after he warned her to
expect a soaping for doing so. Once she was sure she would never
sit again, Owen put her on her feet and took her into their
bath.

“Oh no, Owen!” she whispered in shock when
she realized he actually meant to soap her mouth,

“Yes, Tabitha Rose. I gave you a warning and
told you what to expect, and you continued to swear like a
dockworker. I will not tolerate those words on my wife’s lips. You
will scrub your mouth thoroughly, and you will not spit or rinse
until you are given permission.”

Tabby wanted to flee, but Owen was blocking
the door and she would never get past him. “Please forgive me this
one time, Owen. I was so overwrought today. You know it is not my
wont to curse.”

“And it will not become your wont,” he
stated firmly. He took her hands and put them under the water
source. Then he applied the scented soap. “Wash thoroughly; I do
not want you to get sick from germs on your hands.” He waited
patiently while she slowly washed her hands, then he picked up the
soap dispenser and applied a liberal amount to the fingers of her
right hand. “Put your fingers in your mouth and rub the soap
everywhere, including your teeth, tongue, and gums, all over your
mouth. Make sure you rub your lips as well.”

“Owen, please do not make me do this!” she
begged.

“The longer you hesitate, the longer you
will soap your mouth. It is not pleasant, Tabby, and it is best to
do it and not make it harder on yourself. I promise you that I am
not going to be lenient in any way with you this evening. You
crossed too many lines today for me to have any mercy in your
punishments. Do it now or suffer more consequences.”

Tabitha knew he was not bluffing. Owen was a
former guardian, and he was taught to be firm in his discipline. As
his wife, she had disappointed and frightened him today. He was
correct to punish her no matter how much she might dislike his
methods. She slowly opened her mouth and put her fingers inside.
The taste of the soap that smelled so lovely was horrendous. Tabby
wanted to gag, but she knew that would not help her end the
soaping. She followed Owen’s instructions and soaped her mouth
thoroughly, and continued to do so while he stood there watching
her punish herself. It was humiliating, and she had tears running
down her cheeks as the burn from the soap grew more intense. When
she knew she was going to throw up if the soaping did not end soon,
Owen finally told her she could spit and rinse her mouth.

“Was this soaping thorough enough that you
wish not to repeat it?” he asked.

“Yes, it was awful!” she said, still rinsing
and trying to rid her mouth of the foul taste. “May I brush and get
the soap off of my teeth?” she begged. He nodded; and she said,
“You are enjoying this, are you not? Your eyes are smiling!” she
accused.

“It is just that you are not the first to
beg for toothpaste after a good soaping, honey. I mean no
disrespect. I would have had you soap again if you did not ask for
the toothpaste.” Her eyes widened in distress and he felt like
kicking himself. Tabby was trying so hard to accept her
consequences and he did respect that. “You did well, little one,
and I am positive you will not curse again now that you have tasted
soap and know that if there is another time you will soap even more
thoroughly and there will be no toothpaste after to help cut the
terrible taste. Am I correct, Tabby?”

“I do not swear often, and now I will think
before doing so again!” she admitted.

“Thank you.” He gently took her arm and led
her back into the bedroom. “You have been punished for your
attitude today and for your cursing, now you will be paddled for
leaving this house and going shopping by yourself. I know that you
are proud of yourself for getting your way, Tabitha, and I fully
intend that you regret your behavior. You are going to be soundly
paddled tonight, and spanked each night at bedtime for the next
week. You will not be permitted to touch that fabric for the next
thirty days. Your sewing room is off limits. You will be assigned
an essay to research and write every day for the next month, and I
am sure you will use every moment of your free time to get this
done. If I do not feel you are putting sufficient effort into these
essays, I will take away your sewing room for even longer, and I
will paddle you again. Do you realize now how seriously I take your
misbehavior and disobedience? You put your life in danger, wife,
and that will never happen again, will it?”

“No, Owen! Must you be so harsh with me?”
she tearfully asked. “I have my designs in my head and I need to
create them!”

“You will not do so until you accept your
punishment, Tabitha Rose.” She started crying then, and he knew
that taking her sewing from her was the worst punishment he could
give her. It was a suitable consequence, and one she would recall
once the sore bottom was gone. “Lie over the end of the bed,
Tabitha Rose. You are going to feel my paddle now. I will only use
this when you behave badly enough to earn it as a consequence.”

Tabby was too upset over losing her sewing
room to care that he was going to paddle her! She did what he told
her, and felt Owen bare her again. The first crack of the paddle
made her cry out in genuine distress. It hurt, especially when her
backside was already tender from the hand spanking he gave her!
“Please have care, husband!”

“You earned this paddling, Tabby. Lie still
now and accept it like you promised you would.” He wanted to make
this punishment over the top. He had seen men put their wives
before the magistrate for far less than Tabby did today, but he
would handle this situation himself. He did not need a magistrate
to order a sound paddling.

Tabby was sobbing and praying the paddling
would end long before it did. Owen made sure that sitting would be
difficult for days, and he did not seem to care how miserable she
was! “You will go to bed now and remain there until morning.” He
covered her, and kissed her on the forehead before leaving the
room.

Tabby cried herself to sleep, but she slept
soundly, except for those times she moved and the pain of her
bottom woke her. Still, Owen came to bed at one point, and he held
her close and told her how much he loved her. With his reassurance,
she was able to sleep the night through.

The next morning he gave her the subject for
her essay and announced she was to have it finished by the time he
came home from work. He also reminded her she would be spanked
after dinner and would be put to bed. This was the routine for the
next week, and Tabby had to lie on her stomach on the bed to work
on her essays. Sitting at the dining table for meal times was all
she could tolerate!

Once the week was over, she was once again
permitted to stay up and be with her family in the evenings. Her
father seemed particularly happy to see her, and he suggested they
play board games. She agreed as long as she could have a soft
pillow to sit upon.

It became harder to come up with content for
her essays; and she had to dig deep to write them. The final
assignment was to write about what she had learned from her
punishment, and the first thing she wrote was: My husband does not
react well to being frightened! Owen looked at her, and she was
sure she was in trouble, but he read the rest of her paper and then
took her in his arms. “You are forgiven, my lovely Tabitha
Rose.”

The wedding had been beautiful, and Tabitha was so glad to
see her father and Aunt Janice so happy! Janice looked beautiful in
the dress that Tabby had made for her. Once the ceremony was over
and the party for close friends and relatives was well underway,
Jenson took his bride and they left on a honeymoon trip. Neither of
them would tell where they were going, but Tabby was sure her
father confided in Owen. They respected each other.

In the meantime, Tabitha felt like a new
bride again when she had the house all alone with her husband in
the evenings once he returned from work. “Do you have any idea how
handsome you are, husband of mine?” she asked over the special
dinner she fixed for them.

Nothing embarrassed Owen most of the time,
but compliments like those his wife often gave him made his ears
and face flood a deep, dark red. She always teased him when it
happened, and this time was no different. “You are so cute when you
blush, darling.”

“Perhaps I should give you a blush of your
own on your pretty butt?” he teased her back. When she merely
giggled at his mock threat, he growled and got to his feet. It was
small work to pull her over his knee and bare her fanny, and then
he swatted her several times, just enough to sting a bit, but not
to hurt. Now his lovely wife was laughing, and he raised her up to
kiss her tenderly.

“What is the occasion for this lovely
dinner?” he asked, well aware that she had put special effort into
surprising him with dinner in front of the fireplace.

“I have some news to share, my darling. We
are going to be parents in a few months’ time.”

Owen smiled and then kissed her in delight.
“You could not have said anything that would please me more, wife.
Is your health reasonable?” he asked, concerned.