Chapter One
“Elizabetta, what are you doing in here when we have guests who desire our attention?”
“Oh, Herbert, I am without patience for this one!”
“And why is that, my dear?” Herbert asked knowingly. He, as well as all their guests, had heard the woman’s cries as her husband punished her.
“The handsome one thrashed my pet,” she pouted. “I would see him punished for that!” she declared angrily.
“Perhaps your pet deserved the correction?” Herbert said softly. His Elizabetta was most tenderhearted and suffered greatly when those under her care were disciplined, forgetting that she, too, was subject to the same type of correction when she misbehaved in some way.
“No, Herbert, she did not!” Elizabetta protested with a pout. “See the tears on her cheeks? She cried herself to sleep this night. He was harsh.”
“And you watched this?” Herbert scowled at his pretty wife. He knew full well that she knew and understood the rules. It wasn’t good for her to become so involved with the people in their home!
“I tried to stop him, but his determination was much too strong,” she admitted, lowering her eyes.
“And what have I told you about interfering, Elizabetta?” Herbert scolded. “It will be your turn to cry when our guests leave,” he pronounced. “Now come and be witty and charming lest I decide to take you straightaway to our chamber and mete out your punishment now.”
Elizabetta paled but she knew that particular tone of voice and did not argue. It would only go worse for her if she did. She took Herbert’s outstretched hand and floated with him to the ballroom where their guests were making merry, but the smile on her face did not quite reach her pretty blue eyes, and every time she caught Herbert’s eyes on her throughout the party she dreaded what was to come after…
There were only ten days left until her guests would arrive for her weekend long Halloween Party, and Bethie still had things to do. She was going to scare the pants off most of her guests, but especially Carl Wilkes, the previous owner of this house! He’d made his own wife’s life hell by refusing to believe Judy when she told him the house was haunted, and even when confronted by Bethie and her husband Alex’s supportive evidence, he still refused to believe that the three of them could be right. Bethie gently rubbed her very sore backside and frowned. Yes, she was rude to Carl last night, and she probably deserved the spanking that Alex gave her after Carl and Judy left, and while she did feel guilty for provoking Judy to take her side against Carl, she didn’t think the other woman deserved a spanking… and she didn’t feel she deserved a strapping for the things Judy said to Carl. Alex didn’t support her view, however, and not only did he strap her for encouraging Judy’s misbehavior, he gave her extras for trying to talk him out of the punishment. She was sorer from this punishment than she’d been from the other two spankings Alex gave her since she bought this house right before he proposed to her.
It felt odd, yet ridiculously normal, to be married to a man who believed in spanking! She was a grown woman, and had been on her own since her Grandfather’s death ten years before. While Grandpa did spank her as a child, and even as a sassy teenager, it had been years before someone cared enough to spank the grown woman! Alex certainly cared; he loved her, and they were newlyweds. She would probably have a sore bottom fairly often during their lifetime together since her temper showed no signs of improving… and she could practically count on a spanking once her Halloween party was underway. Alex didn’t want her frightening anyone, which was perfectly silly. What else would she do at a Halloween party? Besides, the guests she’d invited to come and stay in her Haunted House all deserved a good scare… especially Carl Wilkes, and she was saving the best of all for him!
“Elizabetta!” she called out with a smile to the wife of the man who built this house over one hundred and twenty-five years ago, “What do you think I should do to our dear friend Carl Wilkes? He lived here with you and Herbert for nearly a year and refused to believe you exist… I think he needs something very special, don’t you?” The curtain above the sink fluttered in spite of the fact there wasn’t a fan blowing and the window was closed. Bethie laughed in delight. “We’ll come up with something, Elizabetta. I promise,” she giggled, and then turned her attention to the jam she was cooking.
Elizabetta watched carefully as Bethie paid careful attention to the jam she was making. The lovely woman took special care to be precise and she sold the items she made to Elizabetta’s delight. Of course Herbert did not approve of Alex’s wife working, but Bethie was so proud of her accomplishments. Her business was thriving, and Elizabetta found it fun to be in the kitchen with her as she worked so hard every day. It made her long to don an apron, too. She sighed. Those days were long past!
Once the jam was placed in brand new, sterilized jars, and then placed in a water bath to prevent contamination, Bethie took her rising bread dough and punched it down and kneaded it again, forming it into loaves and placing it in small bread pans to bake. “I am positive that Alex hasn’t discovered any of the secret passages yet,” she giggled. “I don’t intend to tell him about them, either. At least not until after the party!” she laughed, still talking to Elizabetta. The telephone rang, and she jumped. She wiped her hands on a towel before answering.
“Hello, sweetheart. What are you doing?” Alex asked in his sexy voice.
“Making jam and baking bread,” she laughed at his question. “What else would I be doing?” she teased him.
“Perhaps making two telephone calls…?” he reminded her.
“I am not looking forward to calling Carl Wilkes,” Bethie frowned. “I only spoke the truth last night.”
“Perhaps you did, but he was a guest in our home, Bethie, and I won’t permit you to treat guests without respect. Do I need to spank you again to make you understand my position on this?” Alex’s voice was firm. Suddenly the connection went dead.
“Elizabetta! Did you do that?” Bethie asked, and then giggled. The telephone rang again. “I did not hang up on you!” she said before Alex could speak.
“You better not!” he sputtered and the line went dead once more!
Alex was furious and if he didn’t have a client due in less than five minutes, he would drive home and turn his bratty little wife over his knee and spank her until she found it impossible to sit down! How dare she hang up on him? The telephone rang, and Beverly passed the call through to him. “Hello…?”
“I didn’t do that,” Bethie said. “I think Elizabetta is mad at you for some reason.”
“Elizabetta?” he asked curiously, tramping down his irritation.
“The lady ghost you saw, honey. I’ve been researching, and the man who built this house was named Herbert Anthony. His wife was Elizabetta. She actually responds to me when I talk to her,” Bethie explained, and then added, “I’m not crazy, either. I asked her a question today, and she made the kitchen curtains flutter. I think she disconnected us twice, too. I asked her not to do that again,” she giggled. “I would never hang up on you, honey.”
Alex was somewhat mollified, but only because he had seen the lovely ghost with his own eyes. “When do you plan to make your calls, sweetheart?” he asked, getting back to the reason for his call.
“When I have time to do it properly,” she answered calmly. “I also have to be careful when I call Judy at work; this is not a good time of day to interrupt her.”
“I see. I expect it done before four o’clock today. Understand?”
“Yes, Alex,” Bethie sighed. She’d hoped Alex would simply forget this part, but he was a stickler for details. It was why he was so good at what he did. Once she hung up she decided to get the worst call over with first so she could stop dreading it. She looked up Carl’s telephone number at work and got his receptionist/secretary. “May I speak with Carl Wilkes, please? This is Bethie Parker.” In another second she was put through. Unfortunately, Carl answered on the first ring.
“Carl Wilkes… Hello.”
“Hi, Carl. This is Bethie Parker. I am calling to apologize for being rude last night. It wasn’t well done of me, and I am sorry for embarrassing you and putting you on the spot, and I’m very sorry that I upset Judy to the point she got into trouble with you.”
“Bethie, Judy is responsible for getting herself in trouble with me. She knows very well how I feel about this haunted house nonsense.” He smiled and waited for the inevitable explosion from the feisty redhead, and Bethie didn’t disappoint him.
“It is not nonsense, Carl Wilkes! You are just too stubborn for words!”
“I am not stubborn; I just do not believe in the supernatural. I lived in that house for a year, Bethie, and not once did I see any sign of ghosts,” he taunted her. “I think that Judy’s fears transferred to you, and now you are imagining all sorts of things.”
“That is not so! Alex saw Elizabetta the night he stayed over because he was skeptical. Surely you don’t think he is imagining things?” Bethie was incensed.
“I know all about holograms, Bethie, and I also know from Alex that you like to play tricks on people. I suggest you stop with the haunted house stuff before people start thinking that you are loony and try to have you committed.” He was laying it on thick, and pushing his luck, and he knew it. Bethie’s temper was like liquid fire.
“You are the one who should be committed for refusing to believe a simple truth. There are a lot of things in this universe that might not make sense to you, Mister, but until you spend one entire night in MY home with your eyes and ears open don’t you dare to criticize me or Alex, and especially your sweet wife for what we’ve seen and heard. You have to be the most stubborn, obstinate, inflexible, mulish, impossible, unthinking person I have ever met in my entire life! I do not know how Judy puts up with you because I certainly would not! I dare you to stay awake the night of my Halloween Party! I dare you to face me the next morning and tell me that you think my house isn’t haunted!”
“All right, Miss Bethie, I will accept your dare. What do I get when I win?” he asked with a wide grin, glad she couldn’t see how much amusement he was deriving from the call on an otherwise boring day.
“Scared out of your pants, I hope!” she declared with spirit.
Carl chuckled, “Besides that, little Bethie? What about a basket full of your goodies?” he suggested, and then added, “I’ll supply the basket.”
“Fine, you’re on. Now, what do I get when you’re scared to death and trying not to wet your pants?”
“What do you want?” he asked curiously, wondering what she would come up with.
“To witness you apologizing to Judy and offering to take her on a vacation wherever she wants to go, even if you hate it… no, especially if you hate it!” she demanded without hesitation.
Carl was surprised. It was a pretty unselfish request. “You’re on, little lady… But, I’m warning you, no shenanigans that night… or else!”
“Your ‘or else’ might work with Judy, but it doesn’t apply to me,” Bethie bristled once again.
“If you resort to trickery, Miss Bethie, I’ll have a little conversation with Alex. His ‘or else’ will apply right to your cute backside.”
Bethie gasped in outrage, “You are a real pain, Carl Wilkes! How does Judy put up with you?”
“It’s my charm and good looks,” he answered promptly and heard her groan and mutter something derogatory under her breath. “I have an appointment in a couple minutes, Bethie, so I need to go now. Thanks for the apology… I’ll be sure to let Alex know you called.” He chuckled when she gasped in dismay and then he hung up. Let her stew in that all day, he decided, and then did pick up the telephone and called Alex.
********************
Bethie moaned when she hung up the telephone and reconsidered her conversation with Carl. Alex was sure to spank her again for being so rude and calling the man names again! She went back to her work. “Elizabetta, Carl Wilkes just makes me so mad… He was rude and insulting, but Alex won’t take that into account, I’m sure. I am in so much trouble now,” she muttered, talking to her invisible friend. In the next second Bethie would have sworn she felt a light brush across her cheek. She smiled, “It’s nice to know you care, Elizabetta. Do you want to help me cook Carl’s goose?” Again the curtains fluttered, and Bethie giggled. “I think we are going to be very good friends,” she said in response, and the curtains fluttered once more.
She waited until mid afternoon to call Judy at work. “Is this a bad time, Judy?” she asked immediately.
“No. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to sit down all day. We’ve been so busy, and I’m selling out of your goodies already. I need to have a new supply,” she said seriously. “How soon will you be able to deliver?”
“Tomorrow morning,” Bethie answered promptly, delighted. “I stocked up in hopes you would need more.”
“Good. I do, and tomorrow morning is excellent. Thank you, Bethie. Featuring your jams on the tables is really paying off for both of us. It was a fantastic idea.”
“Yes, it was, and I’m so happy you thought of me.”
“And that was before we met and became friends!” Judy said enthusiastically. “And before we sold you the house, and I learned you were the one I wanted to do business with! Amazing, isn’t it?” she said with a happy giggle.
“Yes, it is. It’s so strange how things work sometimes,” she agreed, and then said, “Judy, I am so terribly sorry I got you into trouble last night. I don’t know why I felt I had to get nasty with Carl, but I surely didn’t mean to upset you and cause you a problem. I hate it that Carl took his frustration with me out on your backside.”
“Bethie, that wasn’t your fault,” the older woman said quietly. “I know better than to talk to Carl like that. It was disrespectful, and he didn’t punish me for anything you said, I promise. You just said things that I wanted to say, and then when he was so stubborn last evening, I had to tell him what I thought. I didn’t have to use that tone with him, however.” She then lowered her voice to a whisper that Bethie had trouble hearing over the telephone. “It wasn’t a very harsh spanking, I promise. I’m sitting just fine today… a wee tender, but nothing like normal after a punishment spanking.”
“I’m glad, Judy,” Bethie admitted. “I really felt bad when Alex told me you were in trouble and it was due to my interference. That is the last thing I wanted from the evening. I can’t believe I ruined everything.” To her surprise, the other woman laughed.
“You didn’t ruin anything. Dinner was lovely and Carl and I both had a great time. You and Alex are special people, and Carl and I like you both very much. He told me he can’t wait for your party.”
“I can’t wait either,” Bethie grinned. “I have a bet with your husband. He is to stay awake all night and then tell me this place isn’t haunted!” She giggled when Judy laughed.
“So, what have you got planned for Carl?” Judy asked in good humor.
“Nothing yet… but just wait. It will scare the pants off him, I’m sure!” Judy was needed elsewhere and had to end the conversation, and Bethie went right back to work. She needed to start making another batch of jam right away. It was selling so quickly that it might be necessary to hire some help! She kept busy the rest of the afternoon and when Alex came home she gave him a big smile. “I got a lot done today, honey. Judy needs another supply of jam and other things delivered tomorrow morning.”
“That’s great. Do you have enough made to keep up with your orders and Judy’s restaurant, too?” he asked worriedly.
“Yes, barely. After I deliver in the morning, I’ll need to go shopping for more berries and such. I’m going to be busy as can be keeping up if this continues, and I might have to hire some help… at least someone to make deliveries for me. We’ll see. I don’t want to get ahead of myself.”
“Your products are top notch, sweetheart,” he told her with a proud smile. “I just don’t want you stretching yourself so much that you don’t have time to take a break and relax a bit.”
“I won’t do that,” she promised, enjoying the hug he was giving her. It felt good to be in his good graces again… unless Carl complained about her less than sincere apology. If he did that, she doubted Alex would be holding her so tenderly.
“Did you make your apologies before four o’clock?” he asked, seeming to read her mind.
“Yes, I did. Both Carl and Judy said I wasn’t responsible for Judy getting into trouble, but I still feel badly that she did,” she added truthfully.
“What else did Carl say?” He already knew that Carl goaded Bethie into making a bet with him, and that she’d lost her temper again with the man. Alex wasn’t pleased with his wife’s apology, but Carl seemed to find her temper amusing and assured Alex that it was his fault. He was looking for an excuse to take Bethie’s challenge without making it look like he was giving in to Judy and Bethie. Carl took the blame for pushing Bethie’s buttons, and Alex knew it wouldn’t be fair to punish Bethie for losing her temper when she was provoked, but he did expect her to be honest with him and admit that she had.
“Carl said the usual… That he doesn’t believe in ghosts, and Judy, and you and I, are all imagining things. I’m afraid I got a bit upset with him again,” she confessed, looking up at Alex warily. “He just seems to irritate me so much… We have a bet, Alex. Carl promised he is going to stay awake the night of my party… I hope he pees his pants when he hears the music and people in the hallway,” she giggled.
“You are not to do one single thing to frighten the man, Bethie,” Alex said firmly, letting her know precisely where he stood on the subject.
“Oh, come on, Alex! It’s a Halloween Party! People expect to be a bit frightened.” She stomped her foot for emphasis.
“I’m serious about this, Bethie. If I catch you doing one thing to frighten anyone, especially Carl, I’m going to punish you until your sweet butt falls off.”
“That is not fair!” She had to protest for the sake of protesting, even though she knew full well that Alex would spank her after the party was over. She had several paybacks to mete out, and she was planning to do it in style!
“It is more than fair, Bethie, and, just so you remember, you are going to get a spanking every night between now and until the party is over to remind you to behave.” If the look on her face had power, Alex knew he would be sliced and diced and dumped in the garbage disposal. Bethie was furious and not making any attempt to hide it.
“That is the most ridiculous, outrageous thing I have ever heard you say, Alex Parker! If you dare to spank me for wanting to have a fun Halloween Party, I swear I will divorce you! I haven’t done anything to deserve that kind of treatment, and I won’t tolerate it. If you spank me before I do one damned thing to deserve it, I guarantee I will make sure to include you in every prank I pull, and I will make sure your life is a living hell between now and the party. Trust me on that one, Mister! I give as good as I get!” She threw her wet dishtowel at his face and then stomped out of the kitchen before she gave in to temptation and smacked him sill! How dare he threaten her like that? Maybe she was too hasty to marry the aggravating, bossy man? But she loved him so… It hurt that he was such a prude when it came to having some fun!
“What are we having for dinner?” he called after her, his stomach growling in complaint.
“I’m not hungry, and I don’t give a damn what YOU eat!” she replied, and then went upstairs to the third floor to the room she called her sanctuary. Alex rarely entered the room because he said it gave him the creeps. Bethie was fairly positive that Elizabetta had something to do with that, and right now she was glad that he wouldn’t disturb her. She needed time to calm down and get her raging temper under control. Alex could be so unfair at times. It was one thing to spank her when she crossed a line and did something to earn a spanking, but to spank her just because she might do something… no flipping way! It was wrong and it was purely unfair! Alex was taking himself much too seriously these days. She was going ahead with her party as planned. And, Carl Wilkes was going to suffer most of all!
Elizabetta could feel the anger radiating off her pet and it filled her with sadness… and anger, too. She knocked a pillow to the floor to get Bethie’s attention, but Bethie didn’t notice. Herbert wouldn’t approve if she interfered again, and the spanking he’d given her the night before was still felt beneath the silk under things she wore, but if she didn’t do something, she would choke, surely! Her pet did not deserve to be so unhappy and Elizabetta hated seeing her tears. The man needed a lesson!
Alex decided it would be best to give Bethie some time to calm down. When she was as angry as she was right now, she was apt to say all sorts of things she wouldn’t say normally. She would learn at bedtime tonight what he thought of her threats, too. If ever a woman needed discipline in her life, it was his hot-tempered bride. He looked in the fridge to find something he could reheat for his dinner and found a container of leftovers from last night’s wonderful dinner. He was thrilled, and put the plate into the microwave to heat the food. When he took it out, it felt as though someone deliberately knocked the dish out of his hands! It went crashing to the kitchen floor and shattered, ruining his dinner in the process. Alex said something short and crude under his breath and started to clean up the mess. Just as he had the food and shattered glass swept into the dustpan, it was jerked from his hand and dumped on the floor again!
