This story is complete fiction and may be offensive to some readers.
I returned to manage the family estate in England after my father died and my mother moved to our home in Southern France.
After such a long commission in the forces it was tough adjusting to a quiter life. Watkins, our estate manager, coped well with day to day matters such as managing the estate's tenant farmers so I decided that we should begin to sell some of our investments in the City and start to acquire further land.
At the age of 40 I also set about finding a wife. No time for that sort of thing moving around the globe from one posting to another.
Courting was not as easy as I had imagined.
One day I was asked by Watkins to attend a funeral service at our estate chapel. A tenant had died. As I was newly returned home I had not met all our tenants and Watkins tld me that this was a particulrly tragic case. The widow was six months pregnant.
I thought mary was wonderful the minute I saw her. She looked beautiful, even though in the circumstances perhaps I should not have been thinking the way I was.
Mary and I married in the same chapel just after her thrid son, she named him William , after her husband, was born.
Mary found adjustment to motherhood difficult and moving to the large house, as it was widely known locally, was also difficult. The staff tried their very best to help Mary but, I will not go into too many details here, in the end I asked for a specialist to visit the house.
Mary needed treatment and I agreed for her to move into a home some miles away. It was a traumatic time for her and her sons. William was now just over one year old so Edward must have been three and Harry five. The doctors told me that Mary wawould need a lot of rest and medication. I should not expect to see her for two months. She would be quite different when she did return home and would require further peace and a full time nurse.
I knew that Susan, the housemaid could not possibly cope with the boys and her other duties so I asked mother if she had a contact telephone number for nanny.
Nanny agreed to come up and stay for a few weeks. She had retired to live with her sister on the south coast. She was by now in her mid sixties and the day she arrived, complaining about the journey, memories of my own childhood came flooding back.
I as terrified of nanny as a boy. She, even more than my father, latin master, hosuemaster and headmaster was the person I fraered and respected. I was not sure how she would cope with the boys, even though Susan would help out when nanny wished to rest.
The first day did not go well. Harry and Edward would not stand still when they came form the nursery. Harry whined about his mother not being there and Edward kept jumping up and down. The next thing that happened was when William stated bawling his head off from his cot.
All nanny remarked was ''oh dear me'' and '' this really will not do at all''
She looked at me and for the first time in about thirty years my eyes fell to the floor. I could not believe my reaction.
''Do you think you can help, nanny'' I asked
''Oh yes dear'' she replied, adding ''nanny has remembered to bring her little helpers''
Susuan styade to look after the boys, taking William from his cot. Nanny immediately asked her to return him to the cot. He continued to cry.
Nanny and I went down for tea and I introduced her to the other staff.
''Nanny will have complete authority dear?'' she asked and I agreed.
''It will not do you any harm to take a hand either...you will come and assist me when I ask it''...nanny had that way of talking and one did not argue with her.
That evening Susuan had bathed the boys ready for nanny and me to say goodnight.
Nanny and I entered Williams room first.
''you may go dear'' nanny ordered Susuan who left the room.
''No lets see what that girl has managed shall we'' she said as she lifted Willaim from his cot. She placed my youngest step son on his back on the cahnging blanket and carefully undid the pins that held the diaper together. An inspecton was made, a little more powder applied and, as I watched in amazement at her dexterity, she flipped the liile boy on to his front.
William stated to wriggle about. Nanny lifted her right hand and gave a sharp smack to the baby bottom. A red mark appeared.
''Isn't he a little young to smack, nanny'' I asked. To be honest, although I had applied my hand to the back of Harry and Edwards legs on more than one occasion, and intended to spank them hard as they grew up, I did not think such a small boy should be smacked.
''Go to that top drawer dear'' nanny ordered. She looked angry that I had spoken.
''fetch me that small spoon, yes, that one there''
I handed nanny the spoon and for a moment thought she was going to order me to hold out my hand.
William continued to wriggle and had started to cry.
Nanny lifted the spoon and with a very considered and careful aim gave the baby three hard smacks on the middle of his tiny bottom with it. Willaim shrieked as if he was being murdered.
Nanny passed me the spoon and as she rubbed more cream into William's soft red baby bottom I saw her lean down to his head and holding his back firmly in place she said.
''Nanny is not pleased with baby''
Placing William , who was still bawling his head off, back in his cot, nanny took the spoon from me and placed it back in the drawer.
She walked out of the room and I followed her, feeling sorry for William. She closed the door and looked at me
''we will go and see Edward now dear....come with me''.
We walked the little way down the hallway to Edward's room. William continued to cry out.