"You have a lovely apartment," said Natasha. "Did you decorate ityourself?" Yes, I did," replied Billy with a happy smile. "Thank you for noticing.It'... not much right now. I covered all the mirrors in anticipation of thecount's visit." He turned to me. "By the way, I threw out all the garlicand stored away anything that might be mistaken for a cross." Natasha justsmirked at the feminine decor."Did you remember to get rid of the Stars of David?" I asked. What elsecould go wrong?"I didn't realize. She knelt and took off his sandals, then helped him free his legs. Standing back up, she looked him up and down and smiled. "I done good, didn't I? You've kept yourself in good shape, Honey." Me? What about you, Mom? You sure don't look like you're ready for Medicare." Danny! Don't go skipping any years like that. Besides, just how bad is sixty-one supposed to look?" I guess your friends know what they're doing with the exercise and nutrition, huh?" he commented."They are all brilliant women.. She pulled out a few of the flowers in the vase, rearranged and, before Michelle could blink, had a beautiful arrangement."Figures you'd be good at this too, you're good at everything else," she groused. "I don't know why he would do that." Because I told him about the sheriff talking to you. He thinks that you want the badge more than him." She picked up the vase and stood it back on the stand in the middle of all the picture frames where Michelle's mother always kept it."Maybe it's better. And they changed everything.She continued to watch the performance, still mesmerized, … and, indeed, she understood that it was a performance, of a remarkable kind.The headmaster proceeded to cane her, with slow, agonizing care. He gave her exactly eight strokes, starting close to the top of her bottom and working down towards her thighs. They were hard strokes, perhaps as hard as the worst than Anna and Priscilla had received.The results began to show very clearly in brilliantly crimson,.