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been nearby at the time to give
their version of events. He asked a few questions to help clarify what had
happened and why. He finally determined the woman had been careless with
household items but not willfully malicious, and ordered her to receive five
mild lashes with a strap.
    When he asked if she had any comment, she bent her head
toward him and then toward the cook and apologized for her behavior, promising
that it wouldn’t happen again.
    Two young men brought a bench forward into the open area
formed by the U-shaped group of tables. The sinner was assisted to bend over it
and her skirts lifted. She wore a peculiar undergarment, a set of tight-fitting
drawers with a button-fastened panel over the buttocks. When the two buttons at
the top were undone, the panel dropped down to reveal the bulk of the woman’s
bare bottom-cheeks while the rest of the garment remained in place to preserve
her modesty.
    The victim made no protest or request for mercy as she
grasped the sides of the bench tightly. The head groom stepped forward, holding
a leather strap that looked like a belt for an unusually large person. At
Jeoffrey’s nod, he double the strap over, raised his arm and brought the
leather down sharply on the woman’s bottom. It cracked as it snapped on her
flesh but the woman made no sound. She flinched slightly then was still. The
second lash was delivered with the same force, something considerably less,
Rosalind guessed, than the full power of the groom’s arm. The next three followed
at measured intervals, all at the same force. The woman made no sound
throughout, but sighed heavily when the groom restored the flap to its closed
position and helped her to rise.
    She stood for a moment facing Lord Jeoffrey. He smiled at
her and said, “Well done. ‘Tis over.” In a voice that carried and was meant for
everyone in the hall, he said, “The incident is closed and will not be
mentioned again.” He nodded for the woman to go and she turned and walked from
the room, a flush on her cheeks, which she tried to hide in her hands.
    Rosalind couldn’t help staring at Lord Jeoffrey as he stood
at the head table waiting for the persons involved in the next case to come
forward. His smile had conveyed an extraordinary degree of warmth, concern and
forgiveness to the woman. To be the recipient of such an expression, Rosalind
would willingly take a much heavier punishment than the light strapping the
young woman had just endured.
    The second case of the evening would be more serious. A
young assistant herdsman had been found off flirting with one of the maids
while he was supposed to be guarding the stock. He was fortunate no harm had
come to the cattle during his inattention, but the results could have been
devastating. The maid was off duty at the time and unaware he was not, so no
blame accrued to her.
    Once again, Lord Jeoffrey listened to the accuser’s story,
the accused’s, and then sought out as much information from others as possible
before rendering his decision. Before voicing it, he called the young man to
come forward and stand in front of him. Only those at the head table could hear
him ask, “What came over you, Gerard? This isn’t like you.”
    The young man, who was probably no more than twenty,
shrugged, but his expression showed more care. “I had…I had just had enough of
watching sheep and cows, my lord. I needed a change, but Master Thomas said…It
was not possible.”
    Jeoffrey studied him a moment before nodding. “Come and see
me tomorrow morning. Perhaps we can make some adjustments.” He drew a long breath
and let it out on a sigh. “Next time, pray come and see me before you do
something so stupid.”
    He spoke louder when he announced, “Though you acted like a
child, Gerard, you’re a man and should be taking a man’s approach to your
responsibilities. Therefore you must be punished as a man for your failures.
Two dozen with the whip would be my assignment for such a dereliction.