There is nothing quite like a man in uniform—at least as far as nineteen-year-old Alice Aubrey is concerned—and when Colonel Edmund Seymour’s regiment arrives in town she is ecstatic. But a bout of youthful exuberance results in her wandering through the streets unchaperoned with a junior officer, inebriated and causing a general commotion, and it isn’t long before the entire town hears of the incident.
Upon visiting Alice’s home to apologize to her family for the officer’s conduct he is informed that due to the ensuing scandal Alice now has no chance of marrying well, so he does what honor demands and asks her father’s permission to marry her himself. Agreeing that this is the only good offer Alice will ever receive, her parents inform their wayward daughter that she must accept the colonel’s hand or be disowned.
Alice wisely accepts, but only a day after the wedding her sharp-tongued defiance rears its head as she tours her new home. To her shock and horror, Edmund leads her to a private spot in the gardens, bares her bottom, and spanks her soundly until she is sobbing and repentant. Worse yet, she is made to finish the tour of the estate with her bottom sore and her cheeks blushing. In spite of her shame, his stern chastisement awakens something in her, and when he takes her long and hard that night it satisfies her more than she ever imagined possible.
As the months pass, Alice learns—often with the help of Edmund’s firm discipline—how to be a respectful, modest wife in public even while enjoying the most scandalous pleasures with her husband in the bedroom. But when Edmund grants her wish to throw a ball, will people see that the silly, frivolous girl they remember is now a lady worthy of their respect?