Titus looked across at Mr. and Mrs. Winter. They were both staring back at him as if he had lost his senses. It was a look he was used to. Most of the parents looked like that after he explained his methods to them.

“You cannot be serious, sir,” Mr. Winter said.

“Are you mad?” Mrs. Winter added.

“I am deadly serious,” Titus replied. “And probably quite mad, though that has never stopped me from achieving my goals before.”

“But to regress her to become a tiny child again, it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.”

“It can’t be done,” Mrs. Winter said, shaking her head. “You can’t just send someone back in time.”

“I do not intend to make her physically into a child. I intend to make her actions and her mind match her body, match her senses.”

“I am perplexed, sir. Could you perhaps explain again? A little simpler this time.”

“Your daughter, Rose, acts as if she were a little girl, correct?”

“At times, I suppose.”

“If I make her act little, she will learn to grow up.”

“But how do you intend to do that?”

“She will be dressed in a nappy; she will sleep in a cot. She will be fed from a bottle, she will be bathed, she will be dressed. She will do nothing for herself.”

“But why? What good will such insanity do her?”

“She will be so utterly humiliated by the experience that she will agree to grow up.”

“And you say you have done this before?”

“Not with every student of mine, only the especially wilful ones.”

“I wouldn’t say Rose was especially wilful.”

“Which is why she is so difficult. She does not need two parents blind to her flaws; she needs some discipline in her life.”

“We are not blind to her flaws.”

Titus laughed loudly. “You were blind to them for long enough for these problems to occur. If I am to take her on, those will be my methods. It is for you to decide if they are acceptable.”

Mrs. Winter sighed, turning to her husband. “What do you think, dear?”

“I do not know.”

Titus lifted a finger. “I might point out that in the time I have used this revolutionary method of my own devising, I have not had a single failure. In fact, the fastest change took place within an hour.”

“An hour?” Mr. Winter said, sounding shocked.

“A young lady of one of the richest families in the land was brought to me in similar circumstances to your daughter. She took one look at the nappies she was going to have to wear and agreed the same day to the engagement her parents had arranged for her.”

“One hour?” Mr. Winter said again, shaking his head slowly. “Do you think it could be that quick with our Rose?”

“I cannot speculate as to that. All I ask is that you give me free reign to do things the way I choose without interference from yourselves. Agreed?”

Mr. Winter shrugged as he looked at his wife. “I suppose it will not be for long.”

“If we are lucky,” his wife replied. “But how do you propose to dress and bathe her? Surely, you would not handle such things yourself?”

“You need not worry yourself on that score, madam,” Titus said. “I always hire a nanny for the more personal matters that arise during my tuition. If you have a preferred one, we could speak to her. Otherwise, I know several excellent ones that I could recommend.”

“She has not had a nanny for years,” Mrs. Winter replied. “I think hers has retired since.”

“Then I will send for one of my own. Do not worry yourselves, all will be well soon enough.” Titus happened to glance past them at that moment. His eye was caught by movement. “Would you excuse me for a brief moment?”

He strolled from the room, breaking into a run the minute he was out of sight. He was at the front door in seconds, pulling it open and sprinting down the road. He caught up with Rose just as she climbed into a hansom cab. Grabbing her arm, he yanked her back to the pavement. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.

“Oi!” the cabbie shouted down. “That’s my fare you’re manhandling.”

“This is my daughter,” Titus snapped up at him. “And I will not let her run away just because she broke a plate.”

“What?” Rose said, staring in shock back at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Kids?” Titus grinned up at the cabbie. “Always acting innocent.” His grip on Rose’s arm tightened. “Now come on, let’s go in and apologise to Cook.”

He began dragging her down the street, leaving the cabbie to his grumbling. “Let go of me,” Rose said, attempting to pull his fingers from her arm.

“I will not,” he said, not bothering to look at her. “I warned you to stay seated on your chair. I warned you there would be consequences. You chose to ignore me. I doubt you will do so again.”

He had reached the front door by this point. It still swung open and he marched through the hallway, still dragging Rose behind her. Mr. and Mrs. Winter emerged from the drawing room, the sound of her screams echoing towards them.

“What are you doing?” Mr. Winter asked as Titus headed upstairs without stopping. “Rose? What’s going on here?”

“I am going to begin her tuition,” Titus called down to them. “It is long overdue.”

He continued upstairs without stopping, pulling Rose into her bedroom, slamming the door after him. He looked at her as she snarled back at him like a cornered wildcat.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” he said, twisting her around away from him. He sank onto the wooden chair by her dressing table, dragging her down onto his lap as he did so. Ignoring her thrashing legs, he lifted his right hand high in the air and brought it slamming down on her behind.

“What the devil are you doing?” she asked as his palm descended. When it hit, she let out a scream of frustration mingled with pain. “You are striking me!”

“I am spanking you for misbehaving,” he replied, raising his hand and bringing it down on her backside again. “And it is something you have needed for many years.”

“Stop it,” she cried. “Ow! It hurts. Stop it. Let me go.”

“I will when I am done,” he replied, his hand descending again and again. He kept spanking her until her angry cries became entreaties. This was the point when most people would stop, guilt or compassion stopping them from doing what was necessary. Not Titus. He had long learned that if he stopped now, it would be impossible to teach her a thing. She would know she only had to cry a few crocodile tears and the pain would go away and she’d be as bad as she ever was.

He saw it much like breaking in a horse. He had to keep going on the first occasion; he had to show them at once who was in charge. He had to make them fear him, make the fear of disappointing him so strong they would obey him without question in the future. There could be no half measures. It had to be all or nothing on the first occasion. Nothing less would suffice.

His hand began to sting as he continued to spank her. Her cries had faded into sobs, her kicking legs weakening. “Please,” she muttered. “Please stop. I beg you.”

“Apologise for disobeying me. I told you to stay in your chair. You did not. Apologise for letting me down.”

She did not reply quickly enough so he spanked her twice more, listening as she fought back her tears long enough to mutter, “I am sorry, please stop. I am sorry.”

“That’s better,” he said with a smile, enjoying that familiar tingle in his fingers as he lifted her to her feet. She stood with her shoulders hitching, tears still rolling down her cheeks. “Now, sit on that chair until I come and get you and do not move. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, not looking up from the floor.

Titus had to resist chuckling as he left the room, glancing back to see her sit in the chair, her whole body slumping downwards. Things were going like clockwork. This was going to be the easiest fee he had ever earned.