Chapter 8

They entered the Keep and Ailene turned to go to her room to change out of her ruined dress and see her maid about repairs, but instead, Stuart grabbed her arm and led her down the central stairway to the cellars. Normally, they would turn right to the main storerooms, but he turned left and before them was a large wooden door. Stuart unlocked the door and they stepped in. It was a fairly large room, one Ailene had never been in before. There was a large piece of furniture in the center of the room, like a table, but not like any table she'd ever seen before. There appeared to be a pillory in one corner, and some ropes coiled in one corner, and a large cabinet against the far wall.

Stuart removed Frang's cloak from around her shoulders and said, "Take off your ruined dress."

"I don't have anything else to wear here," Ailene said.

"You'll nae need anything to wear for awhile, wife. There must be a punishment for your behavior. Take off your dress."

"I thought you forgave me."

"I do forgive you. That does nae mean you can escape your punishment. You must fully understand what you did, and punishment will make sure that you'll nae forget; take the dress off now, or the punishment will be more severe," said Stuart.

Ailene regretted leaving the Keep without her guard and her near rape at the hands of the outlaws. She thought that maybe she did bear responsibility for and deserve some punishment for her actions, so she removed the tattered remnants of her stays, then her dress and shift, standing naked before Stuart. She covered herself, something she hadn't done since her wedding night, not in front of Stuart. He'd taught her not to be ashamed of her body in front of him, but the way he was acting and looking at her now, she felt insignificant, and he acted a stranger to her.

"Lie down on the table, with your head at that end, and with it just over the edge." He indicated the far end of the table. "Put your arms beside your head."

He took her hands and tied them down, saying, "Your hands and legs are to be restrained. A good strapping is painful and in order to prevent unintended harm, you need to be immobile."

After finishing with her arms, he went to her feet and tied her legs down, at her ankles, her knees and her thighs. He then released something below the table and it split below her torso and he pushed the two sides apart, spreading her legs, leaving her feeling very vulnerable. Imagine the vulnerability she felt when the door opened and both Thorburn and Frang walked in.

"Stuart! Get them out of here! For God's sake, I'm naked!" She screamed, tugging at her bindings, wishing she had been less compliant to his wishes.

"They are here to participate in your punishment. This is a Clan Cameron matter. It was the Lairds orders that were violated, not just my wishes. You must understand fully the consequences of your actions. Because of you, small parties had to be sent out to search for you, putting them at risk, the Keeps strength was reduced, putting the Keep at risk, I rode out with just Frang, putting both of us at risk. All orders are given for a reason. All punishments are given for a reason. There are reasons for everything that we do."

He nodded to his two older brothers and they opened up the cabinet in front of her. Inside, was an assortment of switches, canes, whips, paddles and straps, all of which looked as if they would be extremely painful when applied to her bare skin. Thorburn ran his hand over several implements in the cabinet, considering his choice.

Stuart said, "Perhaps the flexible paddle made of saddle leather. She is sincerely sorry for what she did, and did not fully understand the danger presented by Calum Blackthorne or the consequences of her disobedience. The paddle will make her sorry without marking her. I would appreciate it. I find her skin quite lovely."

"As do we," Thorburn said. "Aye, I agree."

He pulled out a brown leather paddle over 20 inches long and 4 inches wide. It flexed, but stiffly in his hand.

"This should do the trick."

"Stuart," Ailene whispered, "can you cover me? I do nae want to be naked in front of your brothers. It is nae proper."

"We share everything. Do nae worry, it will be fine," he replied.

"Do you want to do the strapping?" asked Thorburn, holding the paddle out to Stuart. "We'll witness."

"You should do it, Laird Cameron. I love her too much. I may nae do an adequate job as a result. Mainly, she's being punished for disobeying your order, it should be you," he said.

"Aye. You're right."

Thorburn took up a position between Ailene's legs. Ailene was acutely aware of her naked bottom and that it was a man other than her husband viewing every part of her down there. Thorburn smacked the paddle once against his hand, getting a feel for the heft and feel of it. Shortly thereafter, Ailene felt it crack upon her left cheek with a loud thwack. A sudden, sharp burning pain spread from the point of impact. Another smack to the right cheek, just as bad as the first, setting her ass on fire. Another to the left, followed by one to the right. And a succession of regular steady blows followed. Soon, the only thing she could think of was her burning ass, it was all that she felt and all she could remember feeling, ever. Her bonds kept her rigidly tight to the table, she tried pressing her hips downward against the unyielding wood, but she could nae escape the unvarying intensity of the blows raining down upon first one side of her ass, then the other. The boards under her breasts were neither rough nor particularly smooth, but they scraped naggingly upon her nipples, making them stand to attention.