Tanya Learns the Hard Way III

Maynard's call came just after 4pm. Barton agreed, disguising his eagerness, to conduct an interview her guardian at his own home. In the light of the urgency of the situation, Colin Maynard was requested to come immediately, if that was at all possible.

Relieved that the man had agreed to see him, Maynard hastily noted the road directions given to him by Tanya's former schoolmaster. Almost as an afterthought, Barton requested that the girl be present as well. "I need to acquaint myself, or reacquaint myself, as the case may be, with the pupil requiring correction"

Tanya had resigned herself to some form of retribution for her deeds. It now appeared as though Arthur Barton, The Baldy Man, would have a lot to do with whatever punishment she was going to receive. What would that punishment involve? That was what was perturbing her. Would he make her write out thousands of times: 'I must not bunk school.' It did not make sense. 'The Boss' could just as easily have done that. No; the more she thought about things, the more she realised that her punishment would include practices which could not be done by the headmaster himself. And that pointed in one direction.

Her guardian had come to her after making the call to Arthur Barton and told her that she would have to accompany him to see the man. She had gone to her room to change; she could have gone as she was - in her school uniform - but her perception of the ex-mathematics teacher as a lecherous old man, led her to selecting clothing items of less revealing attire. Not that the school uniform could be considered overtly suggestive in nature, she simply preferred to keep as much of her anatomy as possible from that man's leering eyes.

Was she going to be punished immediately; this very afternoon, she wondered as she changed into casual clothing. She hoped this was the case; getting this over with as soon as possible was her main objective at that point in time.

Very little was said between the teenager and her guardian as traveled the four-mile journey to Arthur Barton's residence. Residence would, perhaps, be an understatement of the nature of the property. Barton owned, and lived in what could best be described as a manor. High walls and an electronically-controlled gate and intercom system restricted entry to the vast grounds. The house itself was, as far as Maynard could see, in need of fairly substantial maintenance work; painting, window frames and the front door displayed the tell-tale signs of years of weather beating. The garden and lawn areas, while not overgrown, were in need of professional tending. It was obvious that Arthur Barton had neither the time, nor the inclination to indulge in petty things such as landscaping his property.

Barton stood in the open doorway. He greeted Colin Maynard enthusiastically; his grip firm. "Barton," he announced, thrusting out a hand. "Mr Maynard. I am very pleased to meet you" His grip was firm. Every part the typical English schoolmaster, his carriage and eloquence made a favourable first impression on Tanya's guardian. He was overweight, but not unduly so; what late-fifties man did not carry excess poundage? He was ugly, though. Blotchy skin, hanging jowls, and bulging eyes all contributed to making Arthur Barton a visually unattractive specimen of the human race.

He gave Tanya a fleeting glance, confirming that the teenager was in fact the pupil he had 'kept an eye on' during his teaching stint at Edgemeadow High. He remembered she had been physically well-endowed. That still seemed to be the case, although the girl's baggy slacks and top made any physical appreciation impossible. He did not greet her. "Come inside, please" he said to her guardian.

The interior of the house was well furnished, to the extent that what furniture existed, was obviously very expensive. Dark wooden, oak tables, chairs and settees. Wood panels. Wooden doors. In contrast to the relative untidiness of the exterior, the inside of Barton's house was as neat as pin. The wood was polished, generally to a dark brown. Despite being a comparatively recently built house, the interior resembled that of a bygone era.

"We can discuss the problem privately in my study," he said to Maynard. "Whitfield here," he gestured the trailing teenager," will wait in that room," He indicated that she should wait in an adjoining room. She complied. In keeping with tradition at Edgemeadow, pupils, males as well as female, were addressed by their surname. Colin Maynard took notice of this with a degree of pleasure. The girl was being slowly put into her place.

Barton escorted Colin Maynard into his study. The two seated themselves on the two available confortable chairs. Would he like something to drink, he asked the girl's guardian. Tea, coffee; perhaps something stronger? Maynard conceded that the day had been an unmitigated disaster and readily accepted a double whiskey. Although not a heavy drinker, he felt desperately in need of something to help his nerves to settle. All because of the disgraceful behaviour of a seventeen year-old. Not even his own daughter, at that.

Maynard used the opportunity to get all his frustrations and displeasure over the schoolgirl's behaviour , off his chest. The truancy, the insolence and general lack of respect showed him by Tanya, her overall lack of responsibility. Simultaneously, Barton probed: skillfully eliciting even more information from the girl's bitter guardian. Maynard opened up like a sluice gate. He was determined to paint as damning a picture of Tanya as he could manage; without lying, of course. Given the manner in which she was conducting herself, there was no way that he was going to hold back on anything he could dredge up. In the light of the headmaster's virtual ultimatum, he had to ensure that Tanya received as severe a punishment as possible.

When he heard Maynard's accounts of Tanya's "sexually provocative" demeanour in the presence of other teenaged males whilst displaying a sense of outrage at, what she perceived to be, Maynard's improper, voyeuristic interest in her,, Arthur Barton expressed an understanding with the man's visible anger. "I know the type," he said simply. "She looks that type. They assume that being young and physically attractive gives them the power to insult and denigrate their superiors"

Maynard felt relieved that Barton saw things that way. It was an indication that the two were on the same wavelength. "What can be done to remedy this behaviour?" he asked.

"In a nutshell, Mr Maynard," he replied, "the girl requires a series of punishments, all of which will be geared towards altering her attitude towards you, and authority in general"

"What type of punishments do you have in mind?" he asked, interested.

"Corporal punishment will form the basis of the corrective procedures" Barton uttered his words clearly and without hesitation, leaving Colin Maynard in no doubt of the conviction the man had in what he did. "Would you have any objection to the imposition of corporal punishment in this case?" he asked.

"Absolutely none," replied Maynard. It was what he expected all along; even secretly hoping for. Should he feel guilty at this self-admission? "When will you do it? Today?" he probed.

The older man pressed the tips of the fingers of each hand against the other, emphasising the importance of the point he was about to make. "Tanya's punishment - and discipline; remember, she requires discipline as well as punishment - has to be of such a nature that the shock value of it will serve as a deterrent against her carrying on her bad ways," he explained. "It has to be properly administered, in a structured manner"

"It's just that the headmaster would like to know as soon as possible what we have agreed upon. You have my permission to discipline her as you see fit," Maynard said, eager to get the girl's chastisement under way.

"Should you consent to utilising my services, which I assume you will, and given that the girl herself understands the implications of not accepting the full letter of her punishment, Tanya will be permitted to return to school upon completion of the prescribed corrective measures," Barton continued. "In the case at hand, Mr Maynard, I will require that she stay on my premises for full three days"

"Three days? When would the." - Colin Maynard searched for the proper phrase - "the 'corrective measures' begin?"

"If you agree, and the girl understands what will be required of her, then she will be admitted to my care from tomorrow," he replied. As an afterthought, he added, " The headmaster has requested that I phone him immediately you, as well as our problem teenager, signs the authorisation document. He will then be in a position to temporarily suspend expulsion procedures pending my final report - at the end of the three days - on the actions instituted against the girl"

"What will happen to her during the three days she's here?" enquired the girl's guardian. He was more interested than concerned. "Surely you don't need three days to give her a few cuts?"

"Tanya will receive more than a 'few cuts', as you put it," said Barton. As you know she has to receive a minimum of eight strokes with a suitable cane. But I agree with you, were this were to the only planned means of enforcing a changed behaviour pattern, it could be done immediately. However, given the desire to cause a radical change in the girl's outlook on authority, we need to adopt an equally radical approach in order to achieve this change"

"Tell me more," Maynard pressed. So the ungrateful teenager would not just receive a hiding. He would have been satisfied with that alone; but there was more. Things were getting better.

"She will be required to bring along her school books. I will set her various assignments based upon her curriculum," he told the eagerly listening guardian. "Of course," Barton continued, licking his dry lips," fairly strenuous physical education sessions play a fairly major role in ensuring that punishment and discipline is done within a school-type environment"

"I'm impressed," admitted Maynard. "That means that she will have to come with a full change of clothing, including P.E. clothes"

"I'll give you a full list of what she will be required to bring with her," the disciplinarian said. He laughed. "Although it is necessary for her to bring gym kit. P.E. is, generally, conducted indoors. Underclothing should suffice except when we venture out of doors"

Maynard felt a lump in his throat. He swallowed. "I agree," he muttered. The prospect Tanya being exercised in her underwear, as well as being caned! I fully agree," he emphasised.

Tanya was then requested to join proceedings. Sitting in the adjoining room, she had anxiously listened to the two men's murmured discussion. She had been unable to anything make much out. Oh God, she thought. 'Baldy Man' still looked the same as he had. Popping eyes leering at her. Thank goodness she had chosen to wear the clothes she had on. She did not think she could handle him ogling her legs and boobs. She had jumped with fright as the study door opened. The blotchy, jowlly image of her former maths master confronted the schoolgirl. "Come in here," he ordered.

Tanya nervously followed into the man's study. Despite the availability of a third chair, she was not permitted to sit. "Stand," barked Barton as the girl began moving the chair.

"You have been given a last chance by your headmaster, Whitfield. One last chance to mend your ways," Barton advised the standing teenager. "You will report to this house tomorrow. You will remain here for three days," he said firmly

"Three days?" Three days with the subject of her nightmares. "Why three days?" she offered faintly.

"Because that is what it is going to take to keep you from being expelled from Edgemeadow High," the man replied harshly. "Unless of course you want to be sent to boarding school?" he added for good measure.

"Will I be punished?" she asked, before realising the stupidity of the question. "How will I be punished?" she corrected herself. As if she had no idea.

"In a similar way to your school-skipping classmates," he said, his contempt obvious. "Spread over three days to give you time to ponder the consequences of your behaviour"

Tanya did not reply. She had suspected that something like this would be the outcome. But three days, in the house of the very person she literally hated the sight of. To all intents and purposes, her worst nightmare was coming true.

Colin Maynard entered the fray. "You do realise, Tanya, that this is the only way we can salvage something from this mess you've got both of us into. We have to be thankful to Mr Barton for being prepared to be part of the solution," he said. He knew he was being cynical; but so what. She deserved what Barton had in store for her.

The girl sighed. What else could she do. To refuse would invoke even more unpleasant consequences. Expulsion. Boarding school. She had no choice but to agree. Resignedly, she shrugged, signaling her willingness, albeit reluctant, to subject herself to three days of discipline at the hands of Arthur Barton.

"Tell me something, Whitfield," Arthur Barton addressed the dark-haired teenager (in true English public school tradition, he had always called his pupils, male and female, by their surname; he still maintained that practice) , have you ever received corporal punishment before?"

"No, sir," she replied respectfully. As respectfully as she would have had she been sitting at the front of his maths class. "Not like.like in school," she qualified, falteringly.

"What you mean is that you have never received a formal caning, with a bamboo rod, by a person in authority over you," the pop-eyed tutor prompted her.

"No, never," she replied simply.

Colin Barton basked in the satisfaction of witnessing his attractive, well-built charge being put in her place, psychologically at this stage, with the promise of a more physical imposition of authority looming. Things were definitely looking rosier from his point of view; hopefully they would become even redder from her posterior's perspective in the not too distant future. Once again, he felt guilty for harbouring such malicious thoughts.

"Have you ever witnessed anyone else receiving a caning?" he asked., knowingly.

The subtle ploy drag the girls mind back to her days in his class were lost on Tanya. She was astounded; had the man lost his marbles. How could he ask such a question? He knows darn well. He had made her sit outside the room while he caned the daylights out of various male classmates of hers.

Seeing the look of incredulity on her face, Barton feigned sudden realisation of the facts: "Oh yes. How could I ever forget. You were probably my most frequent detention class occupant. So you would have heard several of your male peers receiving a taste of what you are going to experience"

"Yes, sir," was all that the teenager could offer as a response. She hated him. How could God have made such a monster. Why did everyone, including her guardian and all the teaching staff at Edgemeadow High think so much of this man? His sarcasm stung in a similar way that his cane must have felt on those boys' bottoms.

"Yes, sir, indeed," he mimicked. "Are you going to make a clean start when you leave this house after three days or are you going to revert to bad old ways?"

The pretty schoolgirl said nothing for a few tangible seconds before replying meekly. "I'm going to try to be a better person," she attempted, bravely.

"Are you going to improve your behaviour in the home; especially as regards your hard-working, providing stepfather?" he gestured towards Colin Maynard.

"Yes, I will," she answered with more conviction.

The lecture from the man was following a planned route. "I am told that you have made very serious insinuations about your stepfather. I think you know what I'm talking about " he continued.

Maynard knew very well what Arthur Barton was alluding to; he wondered if Tanya did. At the same time he felt a bit uneasy that the subject had been raised. But he rationalised that the strict man knew what he was doing.

The girl pondered the man's accusations. True, she thought; there were a few things she had done that her guardian may not have liked. Maybe it was something that she had not meant and had been taken the wrong way. "Whatever it is, I'm sorry," she compromised.

"Sorry for making him out to be a peeping-tom?" the ugly tutor prompted.

Colin Maynard, much as he had secretly wished for the shapely teenager to get her come-uppance, he nevertheless felt self conscious at having his own deep-seated motives put in the spotlight. Fortunately, her response to Barton's accusation only served to pull herself further into the realms of the guilty party. She knew exactly what he was referring to.

She could easily have feigned ignorance but, rationalising that the matter of her insulting her guardian was of far lesser gravity than the truancy issue, Tanya attempted to make light of her insolent behaviour. "I didn't mean to be rude. I'm sorry," she offered.

"Are you sorry?" asked the disciplinarian doubtfully. "Or are you just saying so?"

"I am sorry," she repeated, meekly. Then, addressing her guardian: "It will never happen again. I promise."

Maynard did not know how to react to the girl's apology so he merely acknowledged it with a non-committal "Right."

"That's just a minor issue in comparison to the matter at hand," said Arthur Barton. "Nevertheless, I will make damn certain that by the time your confinement to these premises is over your pretentions of modesty in front of your stepfather will be a thing of the past." The ugly former schoolmaster glared at the shapely teenager. "To that end I have very definite plans."