persons, this time endangering even her own life, she surely deserves a sound beating. Moreover, although perhaps you cannot smell her, apparently she rolled in dung of some sort before presenting herself to you.”
Hearing muted, hastily stifled chuckles from some of the observers and feeling heat flame in her cheeks, Laurie did not dare meet her father’s gaze.
Curtly, Sir William said, “Clear these people out of here, Samuel.”
The scribe got up at once and cleared the hall, taking himself out with the others. Other than a couple of hounds stretched on the hearth before the roaring fire, only Blanche, Sir William, and Laurie remained.
Sir William said grimly, “You do deserve beating, daughter.”
Laurie, saying nothing, heard Blanche’s sigh of satisfaction.
Sir William went on, “This is no example to be setting for your younger sisters. You must do better, lass.”
“Yes, sir.
Haughtily Blanche said, “One need not fear that my daughters would ever be so foolish as to follow Laura’s bad example, Sir William. God in His mercy has seen fit to give you two children whose behavior is faultless.”
Sir William smiled faintly at her. “You have done well with May and Isabel, Blanche. I’ll not debate that with you.”
“One hopes that no debate will arise betwixt husband and wife on any point, sir,” Blanche said, bowing her head with apparent submissiveness.
“I could wish, however,” he added gently, “that you had done as well with my eldest daughter.”
“’Twas yourself who ordained that she should not be properly disciplined,” she reminded him, lifting her chin. “Perhaps now you will admit that you erred in taking such a lenient position.”
Laurie wished fervently that she were still with Sym in the beech tree.
Sir William said evenly, “Laura had not yet attained her fifth birthday when I married you, and she had recently lost her mother. Under such circumstances, my dearest, you can hardly blame me for thinking that your notions of discipline seemed overly harsh.”
“She would not be as she is now,” Blanche said with a sweeping gesture toward Laurie, “if you had left her to proper maternal discipline.”
Remembering that her stepmother’s notion of discipline had included a leather slipper and a switch, both of which had left bruises that lasted long after the initial punishment, Laurie could only be grateful that her father had intervened. She had not heard him discuss the matter with Blanche before, but she vividly remembered that the vicious punishments had abruptly stopped. After that, Sir William had disciplined her himself, albeit rarely.
She had an unhappy feeling that this might prove to be one more of those rare occasions. Certainly it would be if Blanche had her way.
“You may safely leave this matter to me, madam,” Sir William said.
With a nod and a curtsy, Blanche replied, “One bows to your authority as always, dear husband. Pray do not forget, however, that her actions inevitably affect lives other than her own.”
Rising from her curtsy, Blanche cast Laurie a look that from anyone less haughty would be called a triumphant smirk and then swept past her out of the hall.
Meeting Sir William’s stern gaze at last, Laurie said, “I am sorry, Father.”
“You should be,” he retorted implacably. “I have never known a gently bred lass who could stir more trouble than you do. I shall not go so far as to say that you were responsible for the raid, of course—”
“No, sir.”
“Do not interrupt,” he said. “I own, I’m sorely tempted to take a switch to you, to teach you to behave. Did I not command you to cease your visits to Davy Elliot and that tribe of his unless and until your mother agreed to accompany you?”
Stifling the impulse to remind him that Blanche was not her mother, Laurie said only, “Yes, sir, but you said that only because she insisted that you say it. She will not set a foot anywhere near Tarras Wood.”
“I did say
Hearing muted, hastily stifled chuckles from some of the observers and feeling heat flame in her cheeks, Laurie did not dare meet her father’s gaze.
Curtly, Sir William said, “Clear these people out of here, Samuel.”
The scribe got up at once and cleared the hall, taking himself out with the others. Other than a couple of hounds stretched on the hearth before the roaring fire, only Blanche, Sir William, and Laurie remained.
Sir William said grimly, “You do deserve beating, daughter.”
Laurie, saying nothing, heard Blanche’s sigh of satisfaction.
Sir William went on, “This is no example to be setting for your younger sisters. You must do better, lass.”
“Yes, sir.
Haughtily Blanche said, “One need not fear that my daughters would ever be so foolish as to follow Laura’s bad example, Sir William. God in His mercy has seen fit to give you two children whose behavior is faultless.”
Sir William smiled faintly at her. “You have done well with May and Isabel, Blanche. I’ll not debate that with you.”
“One hopes that no debate will arise betwixt husband and wife on any point, sir,” Blanche said, bowing her head with apparent submissiveness.
“I could wish, however,” he added gently, “that you had done as well with my eldest daughter.”
“’Twas yourself who ordained that she should not be properly disciplined,” she reminded him, lifting her chin. “Perhaps now you will admit that you erred in taking such a lenient position.”
Laurie wished fervently that she were still with Sym in the beech tree.
Sir William said evenly, “Laura had not yet attained her fifth birthday when I married you, and she had recently lost her mother. Under such circumstances, my dearest, you can hardly blame me for thinking that your notions of discipline seemed overly harsh.”
“She would not be as she is now,” Blanche said with a sweeping gesture toward Laurie, “if you had left her to proper maternal discipline.”
Remembering that her stepmother’s notion of discipline had included a leather slipper and a switch, both of which had left bruises that lasted long after the initial punishment, Laurie could only be grateful that her father had intervened. She had not heard him discuss the matter with Blanche before, but she vividly remembered that the vicious punishments had abruptly stopped. After that, Sir William had disciplined her himself, albeit rarely.
She had an unhappy feeling that this might prove to be one more of those rare occasions. Certainly it would be if Blanche had her way.
“You may safely leave this matter to me, madam,” Sir William said.
With a nod and a curtsy, Blanche replied, “One bows to your authority as always, dear husband. Pray do not forget, however, that her actions inevitably affect lives other than her own.”
Rising from her curtsy, Blanche cast Laurie a look that from anyone less haughty would be called a triumphant smirk and then swept past her out of the hall.
Meeting Sir William’s stern gaze at last, Laurie said, “I am sorry, Father.”
“You should be,” he retorted implacably. “I have never known a gently bred lass who could stir more trouble than you do. I shall not go so far as to say that you were responsible for the raid, of course—”
“No, sir.”
“Do not interrupt,” he said. “I own, I’m sorely tempted to take a switch to you, to teach you to behave. Did I not command you to cease your visits to Davy Elliot and that tribe of his unless and until your mother agreed to accompany you?”
Stifling the impulse to remind him that Blanche was not her mother, Laurie said only, “Yes, sir, but you said that only because she insisted that you say it. She will not set a foot anywhere near Tarras Wood.”
“I did say
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