The Christmas Fig Read online

  The Christmas Fig

  A Tale of Victorian Correction

  By

  Ava Sinclair

  www.avasinclairauthor.com

  © 2016 Ava Sinclair

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be divided, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without express written permission from the author

  Chapter One: Sweet Surprise

  “Can I look now?” Millicent’s hands were pressed tightly over her eyes. It was all she could do to keep from parting her fingers, but Edward had told her not to peek, and a good wife obeyed her husband.

  She was sitting on the horsehair sofa in the parlor, waiting for one of her early Christmas surprises. It had been a good year for Edward Hargrove, a barrister in a busy law firm. It was the year he could make good on his promise to give Millicent the Christmas she’d been longing for. There were already several gifts under the tree, and her excitement over their hidden contents bordered on childlike. Patience was not Millicent’s strong point, so her husband had taken to bringing her home small gifts each day to make the wait for the larger ones a bit more bearable.

  “You may look, my dear.”

  The delicate hands flew away from her heart-shaped face and her blue eyes widened as her pretty rosebud mouth formed an “o.”

  “Edward!” She instantly recognized the custom wrapping on the package as being from Sewell’s Confectionary. Millicent knew this because she’d purchased chocolates there for two of Edward’s work associates, and had come home from the shop wistful for some of the sweets. Now she smiled happily as she undid the pretty paper and opened a box with four elegant candies. “Oh, how wonderful!” she cried, picking a chocolate. But before she could pop one in her mouth, Edward stayed her hand.

  “Wait,” he said. “Don’t you have anything for me?”

  She looked down and flushed. “You know that isn’t fair, Edward. I don’t have an income. As it is, you are so very strict with the budget that even when I want to buy you something you won’t let me.”

  He took the chocolate away and carefully put it back in the box. “My dear,” he said. “What I want will cost you nothing.” He pulled her to him and began to undo the buttons of her high-necked blouse.

  “Edward!” she gasped, her hands fluttering in exasperation. “We can’t! It’s light yet!”

  “What does it matter?” he asked. “We’re alone. And I’ve a taste for something sweet as well.”

  Millicent continued to protest as he raised her to standing and stripped her down to her corset, lacy drawers, and stockings. But as he divested her of each layer of demure clothing, her protests grew weaker and weaker. When she’d come to Edward as a prim virgin bride, she’d not known what to expect. Her mother had told her little of what happens between a man and a wife, only that it was her Duty. Millicent wasn’t prepared for that duty to be so pleasurable.

  Oh, the things he did to her! The ways he touched her! Her gentlemanly husband was a different man in the bedroom. There he told her she wasn’t required to be a lady. He taught her to use words like “pussy” without shame. He’d lit the gaslights on their wedding night, illuminating the room. No fucking in the dark, he’d told her. He’d made her look at his cock, had taught her how to take it in her hands. He’d guided her, instructed her. He’d schooled her in passion and she’d passed with high marks, always the apt pupil to his carnal tutelage.

  So by the time the she was naked in the parlor, excitement had replaced shame. Edward laid her back on the sofa and spread her legs wide. She flushed to see him openly staring at her pussy.

  “So beautiful,” he said. “This is my treat.” Millicent moaned with pleasure as he ran his tongue up the cleft already crowned with her own sweet cream. It had not been easy, getting used to her husband’s fondness for feasting on her pussy. Millicent never imagined that men did such things to their wives. But Edward’s skill had vanquished her modesty for this as well. Now as he cupped her buttocks, his tongue coaxing the pearl of her clit from beneath its fleshy hood, she felt her toes begin to curl. Millicent arched toward his mouth, eager to give him access. And when he caught the tiny prize he sought and lavished it with small, rapid sucks, stars exploded behind her eyes as waves of pleasure rocked her small body.

  When he stood to look at her, his handsome face was slick with her arousal. She readily obeyed his command to rise and turn around, planting her knees on the sofa as he instructed her to do. He was taking her from behind in the parlor—scandalous!—and she was loving every minute of it.

  “Oh, my love!” she said, looking back to watch Edward’s large cock slide in and out of her pussy. From this angle, she could see the curve of her buttocks as she pushed back against him, could watch his pelvis meeting the cushion of those fleshy globes each time he thrust into her.

  The parlor smelled of cinnamon and evergreen and sex. Outside the snow was falling and somewhere in the distance, carolers could be heard. The innocent backdrop of the season made their activities seem all the more naughty. Millicent felt her excitement peaking. Edward was thrusting harder, faster. He came with her, her rhythmic contractions so powerful as to easily coax his seed into the warmth of her body. His hands had moved up to roll and pinch her sensitive nipples, the little sparks of pain heightening the pleasure.

  After his cock had softened and slipped from her, Edward lifted Millicent into his arms and walked over to the fire grate. He picked up the chocolates on the way and settled onto the floor with her in his lap.

  “Until I can fill this little mouth with something else, I’ll fill it with chocolate,” he said, pressing one of the candies to her lips. Millicent smiled shyly and bit into the confection, her white teeth cracking the chocolate shell. The center was buttercream. It was divine. She laid her head back on Edward’s shoulder as she savored the sweet taste on her tongue.

  After a moment, her eyes strayed around the room and her gaze came to rest on their Christmas tree. An angel, its wings spread, adorned the top. She’d tatted some of the lace ornaments herself. Tiny candles adorned the branches, but were only allowed to burn for a short period of time. Her gaze dropped lower to the presents and to one in particular. It was wrapped in beautiful red paper, and adorned with a golden bow. It was large enough to hold a hat. Could it be the one she admired at Frederick’s Millinery? But it was also large enough to hold a frock, or the paints and canvases she’d been begging for…

  “Millie…” Edward’s tone was softly scolding, as if he’d been reading her mind. But how hard was that when she was so obviously and longingly looking at the gift?

  “Oh, Edward!” She turned to him. “Just a hint, please? It’s days yet until Christmas and I can barely stand it!”

  “Well, you’ll have to, my dear.” He went to feed her another chocolate, but she turned her head away.

  “It’s cruel.”

  Edward’s hands moved to her shoulders now and he turned Millicent to face him. His handsome face had grown stern with disapproval.

  “Millicent Grace!” At the sound of her full name, she knew she’d pushed him too far. “I am most disappointed in you, young lady. Do we need to get dressed this instant and walk together to the poorer section of town? Do I need to remind you that there are those in London who only wish they were half so fortunate? Here you are, agonizing over the contents of a box when families with babes in arms have graver questions to ask, such as where their next meal will come from.”

  He stood then, his departure a silent condemnation, and Millicent rose with him, tears of shame stinging the back of her eyes.

 
“Edward, wait!” She followed him into the bedroom, picking up their discarded clothes on the way. She found him changing into his nightshirt. His back was to her, his carriage tense and erect. “Edward, please look at me.”

  When he did, the look in his eyes made her wish she’d not made the request.

  “I love you, Millie,” he said. “But I fear that I may be indulging you to your detriment.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, wiping away a tear. “Please don’t think my excitement for the season means I am without compassion. I do care, you know. Oh, don’t think less of me, Edward.” She ran over and clutched his arm. “I couldn’t bear it!”

  He said nothing for a moment as he stared down at her. Then he lifted a finger and trailed it down her jawline. “I think,” he said, “that my greedy little girl needs a stern lesson to help her remember to behave properly.”

  Millicent bit her lip as her stomach flipped with fear. She deserved a spanking; she knew that. Edward was as accomplished a disciplinarian as he was a lover, and this would not be the first time in their marriage that she’d submitted herself to his correction. But perhaps if she begged…

  “I said I was sorry,” she said, looking up at him with teary eyes. “Please don’t spank me.”

  But Edward sat down on the bed, and pulled her over his lap. “Sorry isn’t enough, Millie. I’ve indulged you daily with little gifts so you won’t feel so anxious about the larger ones that await. You agreed not to badger me, but still you do. And what’s more, you paint yourself as selfish in the process.”

  She was still naked, and could feel his hand rubbing her bare bottom. Her cheeks twitched in anticipation of the punishment she knew was coming. Millicent balled up her little fists, telling herself that this time she would be stoic. But that only lasted until the first stinging spank.

  “Ow! Ow! Ow!” She kicked her legs fiercely, wriggling on Edward’s lap in a fruitless effort to evade the stinging pain. Any resolve that she may have had dissolved in a gale of tears that ran down into her open mouth.

  Edward was a thorough spanker, and always intent on making an impression when one was warranted. Millicent realized he was determined to send her a message when he trapped her legs with his own, immobilizing her in a manner that exposed and stretched the skin between her bottom and thighs. Now he targeted this soft strip of flesh amid her renewed howls of distress.

  By the time her husband was finished, Millicent was as contrite as she’d ever been in her life. And it wasn’t just because her husband had spanked her. As she reflected upon her behavior, she worried that he was right; perhaps she’d become more greedy than grateful.

  “I’m bad,” she sobbed into her husband’s chest. “I’m a bad wife.”

  “No, you’re not,” Edward said. She was curled in his lap now, her bottom hot against his leg. He kissed her on the head. “You’re a good wife. You’re just having a bad day.” He tipped her chin up until she was looking at him. “But you’ve been spanked for it, and what do spankings do, hmm?”

  “They clean the slate,” she said, remembering what he’d told her the first time he’d spanked her early in their marriage. “They clean the slate so we can start over.”

  “Exactly. And now that the slate is clean for you, I’d like you to practice a bit more patience and a bit more appreciation as well. It’s not every wife who gets a little gift every day before Christmas to prepare her for the large ones.”

  She nodded, feeling guilty again. Edward had been most generous. Today it had been chocolate. The day before it had been fine writing paper. The day before that it had been a lovely book of poetry.

  “I’ll do better,” she said, managing a smile as she wriggled on his lap, for her bottom was terribly sore. “Starting now I won’t even think about those other presents. And you don’t even have to bring me small ones until Christmas.” She paused. “Unless, of course, you want to.”

  Edward chuckled and pulled her to him. “I suppose that depends on how good you are, doesn’t it?”

  Chapter Two: The Firm Husband’s Promise

  The next morning brought a fresh coating of snow. Millicent was delighted. She loved snow. But as Edward pointed out, it was likely because she didn’t have to be in it.

  “That’s not true,” she countered. “I will be out today to finish the holiday shopping, remember? I’m meeting Caroline, in fact. I’m quite excited that she thought to ask me to accompany her to the shops. She says she knows where all the best ones are.”

  Edward frowned. Caroline Hillington was the wife of Tom Hillington, a senior partner in his firm. While he was glad to see his wife socializing more within their circle—Millicent had been quite shy when he’d met her—he worried at the influence of his colleague’s wife. While Edward had indulged Millicent more than usual in the past year, he believed her prior night’s regret proved that she’d not become spoiled. Caroline, however, was spoiled.

  “Remember to stick to your budget, Millie,” Edward said, adjusting his tie. “The Hillingtons are quite well-off; I expect you to resist any temptation to try to keep up with her.”

  “But don’t we have good credit at the shops?” Millicent asked.

  He turned to her. “Yes, we do. But items bought on credit must still be paid for. We’ve had this discussion before, have we not?” He fixed her with a serious look. “You know how much you have to spend. I expect you to stick to it. Is that understood?”

  Millicent walked over and looked up at her husband as she straightened his tie. “Of course, Edward,” she said. “I promised you last night that I will be more considerate, and I shall.”

  “Good girl,” he said, pulling out his pocket watch and scowling as he popped it open. “I’d better run along now. I don’t want to be late.”

  Edward leaned down and kissed Millicent. Her breath was warm and carried the hint of mint. He wondered if she realized how hard it was to leave her each morning, or how thoughts of her sweet softness and beautiful smile invaded the quieter moments of his workday.

  It seemed especially hard to leave her on this morning, when biting cold greeted him outside his door. Edward was able to get a cab straightaway, at least. The black horse pulling it clopped restlessly as the other carriages moved past.

  London streets were especially crowded the holidays. Edward tried not to worry about his wife’s planned outing. She was a grown woman, although sometimes it was hard not to think of her as a child. Her small size and innocent demeanor had been what initially attracted him the day her father came by his office on business. Millicent had been with him, just returned from a school for young ladies. She was poised, but sweet and shy. She was well-mannered, too; when he’d spoken to her, she’d called him “sir,” and the sound of it made his cock twitch. He knew then he’d have to have her, provided he could pry her from under the watchful eye of a protective father.

  But Roger Teasdale had been impressed by the ambition of his daughter’s suitor and had allowed him to court his daughter. Everyone agreed that they made a smart couple. He was the tall and dark to her small and fair. As Millicent began to fall in love with the handsome barrister, her father took the younger man aside for a frank conversation.

  “I know you are soon to ask for my daughter’s hand,” Teasdale had said. “I’ve seen the way Millicent looks at you. I’d not accept any man who inspired less loving glances.” He paused. “But before you beg permission to wed my daughter, know that while on the whole she is gentle, Millicent does have a stubborn streak, just as her mother did.” The older man had shaken his head and wiped a tear from his eye as he continued. “God rest her soul, Louisa was as beautiful as our daughter. But the early years with her were not easy. She tested me terribly, and I found only one thing could tame her—a sound spanking.”

  Teasdale looked down at his open hand for a moment before continuing. “A man who hits a woman is a brute; but a man who lovingly corrects with a spanking will win her loyalty and respect. It was ne
cessary with my Louisa, and because I took the time to lovingly correct her, she and I had a wonderful marriage. I should have been stricter on Millicent, but every time I looked at her face I became weak. She needs a strong man in her life, Edward. I believe you have that strength, but please don’t ask for her hand unless you can be as firm as you are loving. My wish is for you and my daughter to have the kind of marriage I had with her mother. I believe that is what it will take.”

  It had been easy for Edward to give Roger Teasdale that commitment. He was a fair man, but having been educated in schools that employed the cane, he knew the value of correction. However, his impressions of Millicent up until that point seemed contrary to her father’s characterization of her. But time is a great clarifier, and once Edward and Millicent were wed, the stubborn side of his sweet little wife emerged. She could be as argumentative as she was placid, and because her father had indulged her, she expected her new husband to indulge her as well. When he did not, she took to purchasing things on store credit without his consent. One afternoon Edward stopped by the general store on his way home for a pouch of tobacco, only to be presented with a large bill for other goods. He openly disputed it with the clerk, and was embarrassed when the owner took him in the back to show him a ledger filled with items purchased on credit by Mrs. Millicent Hargrove. Apologizing profusely, he paid the tab and then purchased one item before heading home—a small oval breadboard with a sturdy handle.

  Millicent’s first punishment was not carried out with a lot of fanfare. Edward came home that day, recounted what had happened at the store, and announced that she would be spanked for deception.

  The shock on her face had turned to indignation. Millicent had stomped her foot as she told her husband that under no uncertain circumstances would he punish her. He proved her wrong. Within seconds he’d taken a seat and she was over his lap, the hem of her blue dress flipped up over her back, the seam of her bloomers parted to expose her bottom. Pulling the breadboard from his pocket, he began to spank her.