by Jacqueline Scott
Marion Colville was a quiet young woman. Coming from a family where her father was very much the dominant figure, she had been brought up very strictly and had learned to keep most of her thoughts to herself. She was the youngest child, with a brother and sister who were respectively five and three years older than herself.
Corporal punishment featured regularly in the household and Marion spent a significant amount of her childhood trying to avoid the pain and embarrassment of being taken over her father's lap, her panties pulled down and her bare bottom spanked hard, either by his hand or with any implement that at the time he thought appropriate. Her mother always watched these punishments but made no comment nor tried to persuade her husband to reduce the severity. Marion was not the only one to be spanked, and she often heard the sounds of her siblings receiving the same treatment.
She was a bright girl and did well at school. She had few friends, partly because of her shyness but also because she never wanted to invite a friend home... she never knew when her father was going to take exception to something and she was very aware that the presence of a visitor in the house would make no difference to whether or not a spanking would take place. The very idea that anybody from outside the home would learn that she was spanked made her come out in a hot flush!
In due course she went to university and did well there too, ending up with a good law degree which led to a position in a largish law firm. That led to finding herself a flat, which meant she was at her parents' house far less often. The tensions of growing up receded and Marion enjoyed her new found freedom, although she remained a quiet young woman who could easily be overlooked in company.
So for the next few years Marion's life continued without memorable incidents until one of the partners in the firm asked her out. Frank Arbuthnot was quite a bit older than Marion but she had always found him very helpful at work and he seemed a nice caring man, so she agreed, having not that long previously given herself a 'talking to' along the lines of Marion Colville you are becoming an old maid and you're only 28. Stir yourself and start getting out and DOING something with your life!
Frank turned out to be quiet as well and the two found themselves comfortable in each other's company. A gentle romance blossomed and they spent most weekends walking in the local countryside, or if the weather wasn't suitable for that, going to the cinema or simply sitting in one or other of their flats reading and chatting as the mood took them.
It was during one Sunday afternoon after a long walk that Frank broached the subject of his family. They were at Marion's and after a simple meal they were sitting with a glass of wine when Frank suddenly said, "Marion, I need to talk to you about my family."
She looked up from her magazine slightly surprised. He had never mentioned anything about his family before and his tone of voice suggested that he was a bit agitated.
"You see, darling, my mother has asked to meet you."
Marion smiled and said, "Well that's all right, darling. I'd love to meet your mother."
"...It's not quite as simple as that, I'm afraid. You see I have never suggested that you meet her, or indeed any of my family because, well to be brutally honest, they're a strange bunch. They're a very odd group of people in fact!"
Realising that he was serious, Marion stopped smiling and suggested that he tell her all about it. He nodded and began to speak, quite slowly and carefully.
"I should probably start at the beginning. My parents were, indeed still are, very conservative in their beliefs as to how children should be treated. By that I mean there was never any question of sparing the rod and spoiling the child in my house. There are four of us. I am the youngest. I have a brother and sister, James and Felicity, who are twins and both still unmarried. They are three years older than me, while the eldest of us, Maria, is married with twins as well. Maria is a lot older than the rest of us, her children are 18 now... brother and sister. My father had an accident some years ago and is in a wheelchair so my mother is now in charge of the family, as it were. Can you follow all of this, dear? I mean it's rather complicated."
Marion laughed and suggested that a family tree might be useful but yes, she thought she understood the basic group, then said, "But if you are going to tell me that you were all spanked, Frank, don't worry. I was too, as were my brother and sister. So I know all about what that involves!"
Frank looked at her. "Well, yes, that might make it easier, but it's not really quite as simple as it sounds... you see, all of us are still spanked. Well not me as I no longer live in the family home. Although any time I do go back I'm subject to the same rules as the others. My parents believe that if we are with them we are still subject to their discipline. That means any of us can be spanked by my mother... it used to be my father... if she considers we deserve it. I know, darling, it sounds completely bizarre but that's the way it is. Even Maria can be spanked and she's married! In fact, if either of her children misbehave when at our house, Maria is expected to spank them. And if my mother thinks she has been lenient she'll give the twins a top up and then Maria is spanked as well, with the twins looking on! In fact that's another thing I should say... all spankings take place in a public room and in full view of anybody who should happen to be around. So you see, Marion, when my mother said she wanted to meet you, I just had to come clean and tell you what an extraordinary set of people we are."
All this time Marion had been listening with increasing bewilderment. She had never heard of such things and it made her spankings from her parents about ten or more years previously very tame. Eventually she admitted just that.
"Frank, I don't know what to say. It sounds... well you said bizarre, and I can't think of anything else. As I said, I was spanked regularly at home, as were Andrew and Jilly, but I can't conceive of going back to see them and ending up over my dad's lap! Have you been spanked since we started going out?"
He shook his head. "No. I don't go and see them very often. And to be honest if you do meet them your first impression will be of a charming family, living in beautiful surroundings with nothing to suggest anything weird. If somebody steps out of line, however, a punishment will be inevitable."
Frank paused at that before saying what he knew he had to, although he really would rather remain silent.
"You don't have to meet her, Marion. It isn't compulsory. But we get on so well, I... well I was hoping that eventually we might make it more... permanent. And my family is an obstacle that has to be surmounted."
Marion could hardly believe her ears! Permanent? He had never hinted that he liked her that much. She swallowed several times before managing to speak again. "Are... I mean, is... well is that a proposal of marriage, Frank?"
He flushed bright crimson and then nodded and said sheepishly, "Yes, I suppose it is really."
Visiting Frank's mother was forgotten for the next hour or so!
Three weeks later they arrived at the large house in the country that was the home of the 'Arbuthnot clan' as Frank described them. Marion had already taken him to meet her family who were suitably delighted (and inwardly a little surprised) that their youngest child had become engaged to this attractive, if a little older man. After they got out of the car Frank took her hand and held it firmly as they walked up to the front door. Marion's tummy was doing cartwheels, and Frank was also nervous. Before they reached the steps the door opened and an elegant woman, impeccably dressed from head to toe, came down the steps to meet them.
"Hello, Frank, it's wonderful to see you. You don't visit your parents often enough, you know. And this must be Marion. I'm delighted to meet you, dear. You must call me Susan."
Frank's mother took both Marion's hands and kissed her cheek. "In you come you young lovebirds. The family are waiting in the lounge. We are all dying to meet you, Marion."
She led them through to a large room towards the rear of the house with French windows looking out to a huge garden with a swimming pool to one side about 20 yards from the house. There Marion was introduced to Frank's father, who greeted her pleasantly from his wheelchair, and the twins, James and Felicity. They were obviously identical twins and Marion wondered briefly why neither of them had married; they appeared to be both good looking articulate adults of about 40. Susan Arbuthnot then said,
"Maria is coming as well with her two, although Larry, her husband is away in America. We never seem to see much of Larry these days."
The last sentence was spoken with just a hint of disapproval, but Mrs Arbuthnot quickly moved on to instructing a maid, who had been standing silently to one side of the room, to bring champagne. This arrived quickly and a toast was made to Marion and Frank. Shortly after that a strikingly beautiful woman appeared with two children behind her. She immediately came up to Marion and hugged her tightly.
"I'm Maria and I am so delighted that you have snared my little brother. It is high time some woman captured his heart. These are my angels, Edward and Georgina, although we always call them Eddie and Georgie. Come and say hello to Marion, you two."
The non-identical twins came forward and shook Marion's hand. Her first impression was of two rather gawky young people still waiting to become adults, which surprised her slightly as Frank had said they were 18 and she had expected the girl at least to be more sophisticated looking by now.
The afternoon flew past in a blur of conversation and chattering that almost made Marion's head spin. She was not used to being in such a large family group. Champagne glasses were topped up and then later tea appeared as well. It was a lovely day so the French windows were open, and at one stage Marion found herself gazing out at the garden when her future mother-in-law appeared by her side.
"It's beautiful isn't it, Marion? It's a pity that it's a little bit early in the year for swimming or we could have gone in the pool."
Marion murmured something about that sounding lovely although she had not brought a swimming costume. The reply surprised her, given that Frank had said that the couple were so conservative.
"Oh we don't bother with costumes, darling. It's so secluded we sometimes all use the pool au naturel."
All in all, however, it was a very pleasant afternoon, and Marion's nervousness had all but disappeared apart from her usual concern when in the company of strangers. Even Frank seemed content, whispering to her at one point when the found themselves together, "So far so good, darling."
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