He led her across to the playroom, unlocking the door to the doctor's surgery to reveal Maria's prone form. "That is Maria," Laura said in a voice loud enough to wake the tied down woman.
Maria immediately shouted through her gag but Edward ignored her. "What should I do with her?" he asked.
"I know the perfect punishment," Laura replied, a smile flickering across her lips. "When I arrived here, a little wanted to examine a patient."
"Oh yes?" Edward replied, raising his eyebrows.
"Here is the perfect patient for her."
They left Maria in the playroom and made their way downstairs, finding the other littles already drinking their bottles in the dining room. "I have a treat for you today," Edward said, as he took his seat. "No lessons this morning."
The littles all grinned but none spoke, knowing the consequences if they were to do so.
"In the playroom there is a new toy for you all to use. After you have finished breakfast you may go and play."
Laura picked up the bottle from her place and sat sucking the milk from it as one by one the other littles left. Finally only she and Edward remained. "Will they hurt her?" she asked as she put her empty bottle down.
"I doubt it," he replied. "Though by the time they are finished I suspect she may regret her voyage into criminality."
He recognised the discomfort in her eyes and continued after a brief pause to sip at his coffee. "Do not be alarmed Laura. I have spoken to Mrs Flanders. Mara will be given a choice, something she was not good enough to give you."
"A choice? A choice of what?"
"She can join in with their playtime or take her chances with the law. I suspect she will choose the life of a little."
"But what of my father? He must be told what she is like?"
"Did I not tell you that you need not worry? By the time she leaves her she will be the perfect submissive little for him. He will have no fear of her nefarious schemes and neither will you. My methods are foolproof."
"They have not worked on me."
"Have they not? You are still here. You are taking part in a conversation like a decent human being. You have not whined over your ordeal, you have not stamped your feet, nor demanded punishment for Maria. In fact, your first thought was compassion towards her. I think my methods are working better than you realise."
Laura blinked and then got to her feet. "I wish to check on Maria."
"Very well," Edward replied. "Though only once for then you will return to your little life."
They walked upstairs and then entered the playroom together. To his right Edward could hear loud moaning and it only took the briefest of glances through the door for Laura to realise what Maria had decided. He pulled the door closed and turned to Laura. "Well?"
She returned his gaze without blinking, looking more beautiful than she ever had before. "You were right, papa," she said.
Chapter 17
It was a strange sight for Laura to see Maria amongst the other littles. It had been three days since her return and in that time she had not seen Maria since spying on her in the doctor's surgery, watching as three littles in white coats treated her every imaginary ailment. All Edward would tell her when she asked was that Maria was in the intensive one on one nursery, kept locked in a portion of the house she was forbidden to enter.
She never did find out what happened in there but Maria emerged wearing a nappy and a babydoll dress with a dummy in her mouth and a placid look in her eyes. She joined the others in the playroom and when Laura saw her, it took some time for her to accept who it was playing with the dolls in the corner.
The rest of the day was spent in lessons but as the evening drew on Mrs Flanders told her she had been summoned by Mr Westall.
She found him in his study and he looked as if he had been waiting for her to arrive. He held up a letter as she entered. "This is from your father," he said. "He has agreed to the marriage and as such you are mine to do with as I will."
Laura expected to feel fear at the thought of someone else being in charge of her life. To her surprise she felt a deep relaxation. To know that Edward would make the decisions for her took a huge pressure off her mind. All she would need to do was obey him. It was all she had ever wanted to do. She knew that now. She sank into the chair opposite his desk and beamed at him. "I am glad," she said.
"You will not be," he frowned in response. "Sitting without my command. Speaking out of turn. You will bend over the desk this instant for such transgressions. Who do you think you are? You think you will receive preferential treatment now we are engaged?"
As he stood up, she saw the look in his eyes and at once she bent over the desk, feeling her dress ride up to expose her knickers. She had been glad to be allowed to leave the life of nappies behind but now she found herself wishing the thick cloth remained in place, knowing how well it would absorb the smacks she was about to endure.
"You are to be my bride," Edward continued, pacing up and down behind her. "You will submit to me fully. Is that clear?"
"Yes papa."
His hand slapped down on her rear and she jolted forwards into the desk, sending his inkwell onto its side. Thick black liquid ran across his papers and began dripping onto the floor.
"You bad girl!" he snapped, spanking her again. "You did that on purpose."
"No papa," she gasped, pausing between each word as he smacked her without pause. "I swear it was an accident."
"You must do better," he said, his hand moving down to her upper thighs, landing as firmly as before even as the pain grew more intense, Laura's skin burning with heat.
"I will," she gasped, shuffling her knees apart, yearning for him to touch the hottest part of her, the part that had called out for him ever since her return to his house. "I will, papa."
He smacked her a final time, leaving his hand on her thigh. "I love you," he whispered, the words seeming to fall out of his mouth.
She glanced back over her shoulder, wondering if she had imagined him saying those words. "You do?"
He spanked her lightly between the legs and she let out a moan. "Eyes forwards," he growled, his hand remaining in place between her legs.
"Yes papa," she replied.
She heard him sigh but she did not look, waiting and hoping he would move his hand, knowing if he did not he would feel the wetness that had formed between her legs. "I promised myself I would wait until we are wed," he muttered, his fingers sliding over the soft folds of her flesh. "I must be patient."
"I don't want you to be patient," she replied, pushing her hips back towards him. "I want you to take me."
His hand continued stroking her, findings its way up to her nub and rubbing back and forth across it.
"I am yours to do anything with," she added. "I must submit to your every command after all."
Pushing her bottom towards him, she was rewarded by his fingers sliding down to her core and easing their way into her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, not wanting him to change his mind about what he was doing. He continued to slide his fingers slowly in and out of her. She could hear her wetness as much as she could feel it, growing hotter across her body as he moved gradually faster.
"Do not move," he growled, pulling his fingers free and leaving her groaning with frustration. She heard the rustling of clothing and a moment later something much thicker than his finger was pressing between her legs. She realised what it was as the heat brushed over her nub. With a moan she moved herself, wanting him inside her, needing to feel him filling her.
He continued to tease her, moving up between her buttocks with the tip of him, and then down to her thighs. "Keep still," he said as he pressed himself to her entrance. She did as he ordered, her muscles on edge, her nerves on fire as she felt the head of his member stretch her, entering her slowly whilst she let out a long low groan.
He kept moving ever forwards until he was buried inside her, his hips pressing against her posterior. The sense of fullness he gave her made her cry out with pleasure. "Thank you papa," she managed to say but her words failed her as he pulled all the way back and then thrust into her once more.
He continued this motion for some time, groping her tender buttocks as she fought to keep her breathing under control, wishing he would give her permission to look at him, to kiss him, to climb into bed with him and forget about everything but each other.
He took hold of her hips and began to thrust faster into her, the heat building within her until she could stand no more. She let out a scream, the muscles in her legs turning rigid as he buried himself as far inside her as he could go, filling her to capacity.