Tabitha's Guardian (4 page)

Also, it was thought a man was not ready for
marriage until he was employed and showing a consistent pattern for
supporting himself. A license would not be granted until it was
proven he could support a wife and family, even if the young woman
chose to work as well. It was believed that children fared better
when their mother stayed home with them, but in some instances work
permits were granted, as long as another family member was willing
to offer childcare, or an older woman who was widowed was hired to
become part of the family.

“I am sorry I lost my temper,” Tabitha said
a few minutes later. “I am grateful you stepped in before it
escalated and my parent was upset. If you feel I need to go to him
to confess my bad behavior, I will do so.”

“Will he give you the spanking you have
earned?” Owen asked.

“No, probably not. He punishes in other
ways.”

“Such as?”

“He would probably insist I construct
something special for that woman, such as a new dress, or a special
modesty covering for evening wear.”

“I see.” He did see. Jenson’s punishments
were designed to make his daughter think of her behavior, while
doing something nice for the person she wronged. Owen had a feeling
that Tabitha would be furious the entire time she had to spend
doing something nice for Glory. “I will not send you to your
father, although I am tempted to punish you in the same manner in
addition to the spanking you have earned.” He saw a flash of
disbelief in her pretty eyes. “However, I would have to see Glory
punished in the same manner for deliberately provoking you, and I
am not permitted to do so.”

“I am glad of that!” she exclaimed, upset at
the idea of Owen touching Glory, even to give her a sound spanking.
Tabitha’s cheeks turned pink, but she quickly applied herself to
fixing dinner, while trying to pretend that Owen was not watching
her every move. She could not believe she admitted that she cared
what he did, but for some reason she did care!

Jenson actually came to the table to eat,
and he was profuse with his praise for his daughter’s cooking. “I
am recovering my health and feeling much better already, honey. I
am so happy to have you home.”

“I am happy to be here, Daddy,” she
admitted. “I have missed you so much.”

“Do not go away again without telling
me.”

“I will not do that, Daddy; I promise.” Owen
saw the look Tabitha flashed Glory and realized that the other
woman would be in trouble with her husband if he knew of her
deceit. Glory’s face was suffused with anger.

“Why the angry face, wife? You surely cannot
be jealous of a few compliments for my daughter’s cooking
skills?”

“If you wanted such simple fare for your
meals, you should have told me, Jenson. I am your wife and it is my
duty to prepare your food.”

“Your style of cooking does not agree with
my stomach. I feel much better after just a few days of my Tabby’s
fare. Have you set up interviews with chefs?” He wanted to
know.

“I do not feel it is necessary to waste
money on that when I am perfectly capable of cooking for you!”
Glory dared to raise her voice.

“Glory, I am the one who earns the money to
run this household. I believe it would be best to have Tabby do the
interviewing since she is home again.”

“Daddy, I will be happy to do as you say. I
shall start the process tomorrow morning.”

“I will not permit this child to take over my
duties as your wife, Jenson!”

“Glory, I cannot believe you are behaving in
this manner in front of our guest. Owen, my apologies for my wife’s
ill-becoming nature. Glory, I think perhaps it would be best if you
spend the rest of the evening in your room and go to bed early.
Surely it will help your disposition.”

“I have plans to go out this evening!” Glory
argued.

“You may cancel your plans and do as I said.
Please leave the table.” It was easy to see that Jenson was
furious. “Daughter, I am sorry to ruin your lovely meal. If you
will both excuse me, I need some time to myself to calm my
temper.”

“It is all right, Daddy. I understand.”

“No, daughter, you do not understand, and I
hope you never do.” Jenson rose and left the dining room with
dignity.

Tabitha bowed her head and prayed for her
father. It hurt her to see him so upset and defeated because of
that woman! Once she was finished praying to Father and Mother God
and asking them to heal her father’s hurts, both physical and
emotional, Tabitha got to her feet and started clearing the table,
her mind clearly on the parent she loved so much. It took her a
while to realize that Owen was helping her. “Thank you, Guardian
Owen, but it truly is not necessary for you to help.”

“I do not mind helping, Tabitha. I used to
help my mother when she was still living.”

“Tell me about her,” Tabitha said softly.
“Do you resemble her in appearance?”

“No, I look more like my father. He had dark
hair and dark eyes. My mother had red hair and green eyes, just
like you.” He smiled before saying, “She had the temper, too.”

“Seriously? I’ve always thought a redheaded
temper was just a myth.”

“Some myths are born from truth. Mom had no
more control over her sassy mouth than you do when you are
provoked.”

“That is a mean thing to say about your
mother,” Tabitha scolded him.

“It is the simple truth, Tabitha. I mean no
disrespect to her. My father loved her temper.”

“He did?”

“Oh, he did, even though there were times he
spanked her to calm her down.”

“He told you this?”

“No,” Owen admitted. “I overheard one day
when their bedroom door did not close all the way. I also heard my
father giving my older brother some advice when he and his wife
were at odds. It may be an old-fashioned way to settle issues, but
it is effective. You should not slap anyone across the face,
Tabitha Rose, and I believe you already know that, do you not?”

“I have said I am sorry, and I am. I
permitted that woman to goad me beyond my tolerance. I was taught
by my mother and father to know better.”

“Then you will accept your punishment?” he
asked.

“I will try,” she said quietly. “My request
is that you respect my modesty, please.”

“I think your skirts need to come up to give
you the feel of a hand on your bare skin.”

“No! I will not permit that,” she said, her
temper already rising. “No man but the man I marry will see me
exposed.”

“Must I remind you that you have no say?”

“Must I remind you that I am innocent of the
things that woman charged me with? You are here because of
her!”

“Do you wish extras with a cane, Tabitha
Rose?” Owen asked, trying to control his own temper.

“No, of course not!” she cried out. “I do
not wish to be spanked at all. Why do you not go to the Magistrate
and tell her of my innocence?” she demanded.

“And have the Magistrate ask if you struck
your stepmother?” he reminded her. “You will do this my way, young
lady, and there will be no more discussion unless you wish to
become acquainted with my cane.”

“You would not do such a thing to me,”
Tabitha said with certainty. “If you must spank me, then please
allow me to keep my modesty. I have already told you that I was
wrong and admitted I am sorry for losing my temper with that woman.
Would it be so terrible to show me that much respect?”

“Do you know what it means when I say ‘no
more discussion,’ Tabitha?” Owen asked her.

“Yes, I do know what it means, but I cannot
help pleading my case when I feel that I am in the right. I know it
was wrong to slap that woman, and I am sorry I lost my temper. I
will not do so again, but if you feel consequences are necessary I
will do my best to accept them, but I cannot permit you to bare me
in any way. That is not punishment; it is a crime, and you know I
am not deserving of that particular humiliation.”

“That is enough! Never, in all my years as a
Guardian, have I met with such a stubborn young woman. You need a
bare bottom spanking and that is what you shall have, and with no
more argument.” He took her by the arm and led her through the
large house and up the wide staircase to her room. He gave the door
a push, but did not realize it did not close completely. He
wrestled with the little redhead to get her across the room and to
her bed. Owen sat, and dragged her down over his knee.

Tabitha struggled frantically, trying to
escape the indignity he had planned for her. A spanking was one
thing, baring her another altogether! She would not submit to that!
She fought as hard as she could and when she felt his hand on the
hem of her skirt, she let out a loud scream!

Owen was not about to tolerate her fighting
him the way she was doing. He brought his hand down on her rump as
hard as he could and the little brat screamed again. “Enough,
Tabitha!” He spanked her again, and she screamed for her father.
Owen was so determined to mete out the deserved punishment that he
did not hear the door to Tabitha’s bedroom open. The little redhead
was pulled off of his lap and then Owen felt a hard fist on his
chin. Everything went black.

“Oh no, Daddy! What have you done?” Tabitha
cried out, kneeling on the bed beside Owen. “Oh, Daddy, why did you
hit him?” she asked, desperate to undo the last few minutes.

“I think it is about time you tell me who
this man is and why he is living under my roof,” Jenson said
firmly.

“You will go to prison for this for at least
ten years!” Glory joyously proclaimed. “Your daughter is
incorrigible, Jenson, and you have been too ill to notice!”

“He has been ill because you were poisoning
his food!” Tabitha claimed. “Daddy, I do not wish to upset you, but
this man is a Guardian. The Magistrate appointed him over me for a
period of twelve months.”

“What? Why? Did you do something wrong,
daughter?” Jenson demanded.

“No, Daddy, I did not.”

“She did. She was sneaking out at night, and
dressing immodestly. She refused to do as I said, and she was
making all sorts of ridiculous accusations about me. I had no
choice but call in the Court to keep myself safe. Earlier today she
slapped me, and all I did was offer to help her fix dinner.”

“That is not true, Glory.” Owen had finally
regained consciousness and was listening to Glory lie about
Tabitha. “Sir,” he addressed Jenson as he sat up on the bed. “You
pack a wallop!”

“Tell me what is going on here, and do it
quickly before I lose my temper completely.” Jenson was not a man
to anger.

“Glory is doing her best to discredit
Tabitha. I have a copy of the complaint against Tabitha in my room.
Glory filed the complaint in your name, sir, claiming she was
acting on your orders.”

“What! You filed a complaint against my
daughter, woman?” Jenson was angrier than Tabitha had ever seen him
before.

“You were ill, darling,” Glory said with a
sickening smile. “I did what was best for our family.”

“You filed a complaint against my Tabby?
Tell me, what were the charges?” Jenson’s eyes were bright with
fury. “Get the copy for me, Owen, and be quick about it.”

Owen did not argue. He went to the guest
room and returned with his folder. He removed the copy of the
complaint and handed it to Jenson, and then stood there as he
watched him read the entire document.

“I cannot believe that you would do
something of this enormity without any discussion at all, Glory. I
am beyond furious with you right now.” When Glory attempted to
leave the room, Jenson grabbed her. “You are not leaving my side,
woman. You will explain these charges to me at once.”

“She has dresses that she has shortened to
an immodest length. You know the law does not permit that!”

“My Tabby would not hem her dresses too
short; her mother taught her better.”

“Glory hemmed the dresses herself, sir,”
Owen said quietly. “I compared the stitching on Tabitha’s other
garments to the dress she sent to the facility for Tabitha to wear
home. I also looked at the hems on several of Glory’s dresses. She
is the one who shortened Tabitha’s clothing. Tabitha is a modest
young woman.” He took a deep breath, and then continued speaking.
“Glory picked a fight with Tabitha earlier today. She admitted to
having Tabitha arrested, and promised that she would see her in
prison. I overheard the conversation myself. Tabitha reacted
precisely the way Glory intended and slapped her face. As a
Guardian I cannot permit the incident to go unpunished or Tabitha
could be sent to prison for at least five years. I was going to
spank her, but she decided to put up a fight,” he stated.

“You were planning to bare me, and I will
not be disrespected! I am a modest woman!” Tabitha inched closer to
her father.

“Owen, you will contact the Magistrate
immediately, and you will tell her that she is to be here within
the hour unless she wishes to spend time in prison herself for not
getting her facts straight. In the meantime, you get the hell out
of my daughter’s bedroom and stay out. I guarantee you will not be
my daughter’s Guardian by the end of this evening.”

Jenson looked at Tabitha and said,
“Daughter, you are confined to this bedroom until I personally tell
you otherwise. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Tabitha replied, her lower lip
quivering. She hated seeing him so upset.

“Out, Owen!” Jenson ushered the younger man
out of his daughter’s bedroom before saying, “I would appreciate it
if you would go downstairs and allow the Magistrate to enter when
she arrives. I will meet with you both in the study.”

“Yes, sir,” Owen replied. It was obvious
that Jenson was a powerful man.

“You, my dear wife, are going to feel my
wrath on your body. I have never struck a woman before, but you
have earned my belt on your skin, and this belting will not cease
until I have every bit of truth from you. Then, and only then, will
I decide whether or not to file a complaint against you.”