As they neared home, Harriett called Mrs Higgins, and asked her to have them met by Sarah and Hilda, as there were packages to take up to Sally’s room. Sally suggested that she could manage, with the help of just one of the maids, but Harriett dismissed the idea:

“No, Girl, you will go straight to the study room and get on with your assessments. I do not have time to spare now, as I must get back to the office for a while, but tomorrow afternoon, we will look together at what you intend to present to the Mistresses. Do not for one moment think that you will be permitted to present artificially low scores. Do your utmost best.”

Sally responded wisely with, “Thank you Ma’am for all you are doing for me and I promise to do my utmost best to meet your high standards.”

Harriett smiled, pressed the button to open the boot and halted the car right by the maids who had hurried to meet the lady of the house as instructed. As Sally got out, her Aunt added, “You’d better my girl or you know what will happen.”

Sally looked at her Aunt who was smiling and responded, “Oh yes Ma’am,” rubbing her bottom and smiling back.

As Sally collected her pile of books and the assessment tests from the boot, Sarah waited deliberately for Hilda to take part of the clothes packages. Hilda got the implied message, pulled out three of the four packages and headed back indoors. Sarah then grabbed the large fourth package and a few of the books whilst Sally closed the boot and watched her Aunt gun the car as if she were in a qualifying round of Formula 1.

Sally looked at Sarah and they both laughed at the exaggerated display of driving skills by the lady of the house. 

Sarah immediately threw half a dozen questions at Sally about her day at the school, her teachers, the strictness, her Aunt and the clothes shop. Sally and Sarah had already become friends but just now, their bond was getting much stronger. As they headed for the house, Sally tried to résumé her day for Sarah. Way too much had happened to do so of course but Sarah said she would see Sally at seven in her room as she had been instructed by Mrs Higgins to alert Sally to pause her study before then and get to her room so that she could prepare for dinner at eight.

Sarah gave Sally a peck on her cheek and whispered, "Your legs look great in those stockings." Giggling, she ran off to her other duties.

Sally was very happy and thanked the fast disappearing Sarah.

She sat and started to sort through the assessment tests. It was already 5:30 and she had only until 7:00.

Sally started with the one for Miss Jones on History and Geography which she reckoned would be a smooth and easy start. It was. She finished it in fifteen minutes. Remembering however her Aunt’s warning, she checked it over again carefully, just to be sure.

Happy with that, she moved onto Miss Matthews assessment on English. There were a series of grammar closed questions which she went through and then checked over. Then, there was an essay to do on her favourite poet. Sally knew there was no way she could do a well-constructed essay this afternoon, so she laid out some ideas to share with her Aunt, and then moved onto Mathematics for Miss Simms. 

At first sight, the questions seemed very complex and demanding. She remembered a trick she learnt from a teacher at her previous school; ‘scan the questions quickly and choose the easiest to start with.’ She did exactly that and was able to make some progress. As it got closer to seven however, Sally began to panic. She was only about halfway through the mathematics test and she knew her Aunt would not be satisfied.

It was a catch 22 situation; ignore Mrs Higgins message via Sarah to be in her room by seven and risk her Aunt’s wrath for being late for dinner or heed the message and see tomorrow whether she could appeal to her Aunt’s better side. She concluded that she could not immediately resolve significantly more in the mathematics test anyway so it would be best to choose the second option and avoid even more cane strokes today. She gathered her schoolwork quickly and ran upstairs.

Sarah was waiting for her. “Hurry Sally, get out of your clothes and into the shower.” Sarah helped her undress. Again compliments. “You look delicious dressed in those stockings and girdle.” Sally blushed but smiled and did a little twirl. Sarah laughed and gave Sally a playful smack on her bottom saying, “Please let’s hurry Sally.” Then she unhitched the back suspenders while Sally undid the front ones and tugged down the girdle and knickers. As Sally stepped out of her things, Sarah let off a low whistle. “Wow, I’ll bet those hurt Sweetie?” Amazingly, Sally had for a while, forgotten about her throbbing bottom. It already seemed ‘normal’ for her new lifestyle. Then Sarah surprised her by gently tracing her fingertips over the tramlines. “We’ll soothe these with the cream right after your shower.” Sally could not help the little moan of pleasure she let escape from her lips. Sarah noticed of course. “Not yet, Sweetie, right after your shower, hurry now.”

Sally smiled and responded, “Yes please.”

Sally was bursting with conflicting emotions as she showered. She soaped herself all over but spent extra time on fingering her hot striped bottom with one hand while exploring her excited nipples and vagina with the other. Sarah walked unnoticed into the bathroom, saw through the steamy glass what her young charge was doing but did not comment. She grabbed a towel and made Sally aware of her presence by saying loudly, “Rinse off please Sweetie and step out and I’ll help you dry off.”

Sally blushed, wondering how long Sarah had been there but rinsed off and stepped out into the welcome fluffy towel that Sarah was holding for her.

Sarah laid another bath-towel on the bed and guided the teenager to lay face down on it. She already had placed the ‘magic’ cream on the bedside cupboard. Lifting the towel clear of Sally’s lower half, she started immediately to soothe the cream into the cane welts with ever-gentle fingers.

Sally moaned in relief and lifted her hips a bit so that Sarah could ease the cream into the crease between thighs and buttocks. Sarah did more than that: her fingers feathered across Sally’s shaven labia, noted the excitement and slipped easily within. Sally moaned even louder causing Sarah to say, “Shh Sweetie or someone might hear.” Sally’s immediate reaction to the intrusion was to pull back but a millisecond later, she rode those delightful fingers in sheer ecstasy. Her clitoris had already been excited since the shower and it took only a moment for her to explode in the biggest orgasm she had ever experienced, drenching Sarah’s fingers with pent up release. She collapsed onto the bed with Sarah’s fingers still under her for a second but rolled over and grabbed Sarah in her arms and hugged and kissed her fully on the lips. The maid pulled away immediately and said in a frightened tone, “Careful Darling, there is nothing more I want right now but time is very short you’ll get us both caned and me fired if we were to be discovered.”

Causing Sarah to lose her job and being forced to leave “the Governess’s village” was the last thing on Earth Sally wanted and so she jumped off the bed and went for a rapid bidet. Sarah followed her in and washed her hands. They smiled at one another as only lovers do, and Sarah ran to get Sally’s clothes ready.

They left the room to go downstairs together but Sarah slipped into her own room saying, “I will be down in a very few minutes, I need to have a quick freshen up.” Pointing at her own abdomen and grinning. Sally giggled and went down for dinner.

Sally was surprised to see her Aunt there before her as it was still only five to eight and she had learnt that the lady of the house never showed up to any appointment either before or after time. Probably it was because seated beside her Aunt was a lady Sally did not know and beside that lady, a man.

Just as Sally approached, her uncle appeared too. He looked his usual tanned and healthy self and very jovially greeted his niece with a hug and “Of course I wish the circumstances were very different and that my sister and her husband were still alive and well and had only given us a loan of you, but I want you to know Sally that you are very, very precious to your Aunt and I and you are as welcome here as the flowers in May.”

Sally knew of her uncle’s massive egoism by family reputation and was sure that he would have gladly done without the imposition but smiled and said, “Thank you Sir for welcoming me into your beautiful house. I’ll do my very best to make you and Auntie proud.”

Harriet indicated to her husband that he should sit opposite their male guest whilst she said to Sally, “Sit opposite me, Dear. You are looking so good in those new clothes. Well done on choosing the black stockings. They contrast well with that red dress.”

Sally thanked her Aunt for the compliment with a smile and, “Thank you Ma’am,” as she took her seat.      

Her uncle was already absorbed in conversation with the man on the other side of the table, but Harriet introduced their guests to Sally by explaining they were Mr and Mrs Lee from Seoul. Mr Lee being her uncle George’s business partner in the Far East. Sally smiled at both the guests, although the man did not even seem to notice her. Mrs Lee however was very kind and interested in Sally’s background and plans.

All the adults were drinking an alcoholic aperitif whilst Sally had found a can of Coke waiting for her which she opened.

Then Sarah and Hilda came in and served starters.

Once starters had been served, Mrs Lee said that she had attended university in San Francisco. That explained why she spoke English without the typical eastern inflection. She asked Sally to call her Shelly.

That was when the pleasure ended, and the tension started for Sally. Her Aunt interjected, “No please Shelly, I require my niece to maintain a formal and respectful attitude with her elders at all times. She will continue to address you as Mrs Lee or Ma’am.”

Shelly paused for a moment, realising her hostess could influence negatively her husband’s affairs, she turned what could have been an awkward moment to one of praise for her hostess by saying, “Of course, you are totally correct Harriet. Back home such respect and formality are an integral part of our society. Forgive me for being negatively influenced by Americanisms.”

The table had gone silent as Harriett had corrected Shelly, and Mr Lee broke off whatever he and George had been discussing to comment, “It must be extraordinarily difficult to follow such a worthy philosophy in the West.” He was looking at George who smiled back at him and said, “I leave all such matters to my dear wife.”

Harriet took the cue and smiling at both her guests responded, “ I could not run my home, my business and have a significant influence on the school I set up, were it not for discipline.”

George probably thought his associate had enough of such discussion and brought their attention back to whatever they had been previously debating. The men did not allow themselves to be distracted again as Mrs Lee leaned towards her Hostess and asked, “Do please carry on Harriet. I am fascinated by how you manage.”

Sally blushed as she did not like the way the conversation was going. Her Aunt spotted that, and smiled at her broadly, which caused also Mrs Lee to follow her Host’s gaze. Sally’s blush grew deeper.

“Well Shelly, I think you will agree that Western society was much more orderly and functional in our parents’ younger days.” Shelly nodded emphatically. “That Shelly was because failure to abide by the rules had consequences. Sally has only been here since Sunday, but she has already experienced those consequences in school and at home. Haven’t you Sally?”

Sally felt her adult woman moment melt away under the floor as she responded, “Yes Ma’am.”

“Please expand for Mrs Lee, Girl.”

Her Aunt was leaving her no way out, so she added, “I am caned when my Aunt or my teachers are dissatisfied with my performance, Mrs Lee Ma’am.”  

Mrs Lee’s mouth dropped open before she gathered her thoughts enough to ask, “Caned, how, by whom, with what?”

Sally looked at the wall to their side and said, “With one of those, Ma’am.”

Mrs Lee blurted, “Jeepers, I did see that, but I thought it was a decoration. How silly of me. Of course, it’s an old-style school cane.”

Her Aunt was not letting her off the hook and pressed her, “And the ‘how’ and ‘by whom’ questions, Girl?”

Sally took a deep breath and said in a voice she hoped would not attract the attention of the men, “On my bottom, by my Aunt and by the teachers, Mrs Lee.”

Mrs Lee was still digesting this information when Harriet added, “Her bare bottom, of course Shelly. Best for effect and best also to add an appropriate sense of humility.”

The lady guest steered the conversation away from the teenager as she could see how much distress it was causing Sally in front of the men. “Surely you can’t use the same methods with the domestic staff and at your company?”

“At work, for now, only with my secretary but of course I apply the same methods and standards here at home with the staff. They know very well that it is all part and parcel of the excellent remuneration package. I however delegate to my Housekeeper Mrs Higgins who is very capable. After a while, as is not surprising, a new member of staff learns that it is far more sensible to abide by the high standards and minimize the necessity of correction. My niece will also learn that in time, won’t you Sally?”

Thank Heavens, the first course was being brought in and her Uncle George’s show of appreciation, moved the general conversation to other things, once Sally had assured her Aunt that she was ‘learning fast’.

Mrs Lee’s curiosity had been aroused, so later, when Sally’s Uncle and Mr Lee had withdrawn to make a call to the USA, she steered the conversation back to Sally’s first day at her new school. Each time punishment was mentioned, Mrs Lee pressed Sally for detail. She wanted to know exactly what was going through the teenager’s mind as the cane had landed. Consequently, Sally was blushing furiously, but neither lady allowed her to take shortcuts.

Harriet was particularly enjoying the game her guest had initiated and when Mrs Lee said, “Your bottom must be very marked and sore still Sally, as I count a total of eighteen strokes from what you’ve told us.” Her Aunt interjected, “Why don’t you slip out of your things, Girl, and show Mrs Lee.”

Sally had not yet understood that she was a pawn in their game as she replied, “But Ma’am, the ‘magic cream’ has healed my bottom already.”

The second she had said it, she cursed herself silently as her Aunt gave her a sinister smile and, pointing at the cane, that had, moments ago, been the object of Mrs Lee’s attention, said, “You know I do not accept discussion of my instructions Girl, so bring me that cane this instant.”

As her niece fetched the rod, Harriet rose, removed her cardigan, placed it on the back of her own chair and then stood behind Sally’s chair, turned it around and pulled it out further from the table. To her evidently astonished but silent lady guest, she explained, “I don’t want my cardigan to interfere with my swing.”

Mrs Lee blurted, “Eh, oh, no, I was thinking if you need me to go and join the others and leave you and Sally alone.“

“Absolutely not Shelly, I told the girl to slip out of her things and show you her bottom, exactly because I wanted you to see the amazing effect of my friend’s balm, even after eighteen good hard strokes of the cane. Now you shall, and you will also witness how I deal with insubordination.”

Shelly was too agitated to discuss any further so chose to hide her emotions behind a glass which she raised and sipped.

Sally handed her Aunt the cane and started to remove her dress. Shelly was very surprised to see that the teenager wore an open-bottom girdle and stockings. As Harriet took Sally’s dress and placed it on a vacant chair, she noticed Shelly’s gaze and commented, “Isn’t she lovely dressed like that? I want her dressed this way for special occasions and the staff use similar underwear all the time. I have it specially supplied from a shop I use regularly in town.”

Shelly replied, “Yes indeed Harriett, she is delightful in that, my compliments on your choice. It is just I have only seen such underwear in older movies. All the staff?“

More surprises: Harriet raised her own dress with her free hand and showed Shelly that she too used the same. “Would you like to visit that shop tomorrow morning Shelly; we have plenty of time before your flight back?”

“Sure, I’d like that.”

Sally was convinced that her Aunt had deliberately drawn the conversation in that direction to make it appear to her guest, as if what were about to take place was routine and normal. Part of normal domestic life. Indeed, as she unhitched her suspenders and tugged down her girdle, she realised that her Aunt’s tactic was working on her too. She was seventeen, almost a mature woman, yet here she was baring her lower half in front of her Aunt and a total stranger, to have her bottom caned because she had dared to utter the word ‘but’.

Harriet took her girdle and knickers, and placed those with her dress, “Leave your stockings and shoes on, Girl, they won’t get in the way. Now lean over the back of your chair and hold onto the seat. Do not let go, you know the consequences.”

Sally obeyed but kept her legs together. Her Aunt tapped the cane sharply across the backs of her thighs and said, “You know better, open wide.”

As Harriet rubbed the cane lightly across the wide, rounded, overhanging cheeks, she addressed her guest once more, “You see Shelly, not a trace of today’s canings nor that I gave her yesterday. I believe in clearly defined rules and strictly applied punishment if any of my rules are disobeyed or I see any hint of less than full commitment to duties. I do not believe the girl needs to suffer at length for her shortcomings however, so I will be instructing Mrs Higgins to have the maid attend to her bottom with more cream before she sleeps. We cannot have her class Mistresses discouraged by bruising from applying any needed correction in class tomorrow.”

Shelly had recovered her composure, or the wine had calmed her nerves because she was able to respond with a remark which made Sally blush even more than she was already blushing, knowing what she was displaying. “How very thoughtful of you Harriet dear. Frankly, I do not think I have ever seen such a big and rounded bottom. It looks like it can take a lot of punishment.”

Harriet smiled broadly at Shelly and compounded Sally’s humiliation, “’Big’ is an understatement Shelly, it is absolutely enormous, and I certainly will be giving my best efforts to ensure she feels each and every stroke.”

She tapped the whippy rattan across the very center of her target saying, “Right, Girl, hold on tight, for six good hard strokes. I hope it teaches you never to respond to me or your Mistresses in school with the word ‘but’. Is that very clear?”

Sally had only just responded, “Yes Ma’am, very clear. Sorry Ma’am,” when the first stroke whipped through the air with a whoosh followed by a loud thwack.

Stroke after stroke followed slowly, Harriet putting, as she had promised, her full strength behind each one. Before and after each, she exchanged looks with Shelly who was, like herself, getting visibly more agitated and flushed.

After four, she paused and moving close, ran her fingers lightly over each developing tramline.

Sally’s groaning turned to moaning, and the adults exchanged smiles silently.

The final two were delivered more quickly. Low and if possible, even harder. Sally cried louder but stayed down obediently.

“Come and feel how hot her bottom is now, Shelly.”

The Korean lady did not hesitate now, and traced her fingers along each line, starting with the top one and repeating the gentle tracing on each one until she got to the lowest line. All three knew but the newcomer was the one who verbalized the truth, “She is sopping wet down here, Harriet. Does that mean she enjoys being corrected with a caning?”

Much later, in bed, after Sarah had visited her with the soothing cream, Sally remembered each moment of that post-dinner scene and realised that yes, it is normal. It is what she needs now in her life. She was made for this kind of life. Decisions being made for her and rules imposed rigidly. The fading pain in her bottom cheeks, the massive release given again by her new best friend Sarah. It was all, perfect.