Part 32 (1/2)
”That was part of it,” he said quietly. ”But then you were gone, and I . . . I couldn't bear the loss of you, Lucy. You must believe that if nothing else. I came the moment I found where you were.”
”I don't understand why. Why not just leave me?”
He sat on the bed. ”Dr. Little came to me at the Neurology a.s.sociation meeting. He'd heard my presentation, and he told me about you. Apparently William has given him until the end of September to cure you. He was quite desperate.”
”The end of September? Why?”
”Your house will be finished. Your ball is scheduled for October sixth.”
I felt ill. ”He can't mean . . . He can't want me there. Not after-”
”Perhaps it's a measure of his love for you,” Victor said carefully. ”He wants you well. He wants to redeem you.”
”I don't want to be redeemed,” I said.
”How can you not?” he asked me. ”It's the only life you've known.”
”It was destroying me.”
”But you said you wanted it. You begged me to give it to you. Make me like them, you said.”
”You sound as if you're agreeing with William.”
”I only want you to be certain.”
”Certain of what?”
He took a strand of my hair between his fingers and rubbed it. It seemed I felt the pain of that touch in my skull.
”You haunt me, Lucy,” he whispered, ”so I can't sleep for thinking of you.”
Bitterly, I said, ”What other fame can I provide for you?”
He leaned closer. I felt his warmth at my side, his breath against my jaw, and it roused my desire. ”I love you, Lucy. Isn't that what you want from me? If I told you that I could take you from this place, that we could be free forever-”
I did not want to trust him, but such a habit was hard to unlearn. My heart said no, but the memory of the feel of him stole over me. I wanted him, yes, my body yearned for the satisfaction of him, but I was frightened of him too, of the control he'd once had over me.
He kissed my collarbone. ”We haven't finished, you and I.”
”What do you mean?” My voice did not sound like my own. I struggled to keep hold of it.
”The culmination of everything,” he whispered, and there was desperation in his voice, such raw emotion-something I had never seen in him before, a lack of control, and my fear disappeared. I understood for the first time the power I had over him. My mind was my own again, and I realized that we were equally matched, that he had not lied to me. I did haunt him. I was his obsession, as he had once been mine.
It was exhilarating. It inflamed me, because I understood how to take what I wanted; I knew how to be free.
”Very well,” I said to him, and he smiled in satisfaction. He leaned to kiss me again, and when he was near my lips, I whispered, ”But this time, Victor, I get what I want.”
To those at Beechwood Grove, it was a miracle.
When Dr. Little came back into my room, he found me awake and speaking again. ”This is quite remarkable,” he said.
Victor nodded. ”She's a curious case, Dr. Little, but I find myself intrigued. And as you can see, my methods seem to have been very effective.”
”My G.o.d, yes. I must admit I'm surprised. I had not thought-”
”Yes, I know. You were ready to attempt surgery.”
”Will the effect last?”
”For a time. I would like to pursue this further, if you don't mind.”
”Yes, yes, of course.”
”I would require that I be her only doctor. And that my instructions be followed to the letter.”
”Her husband-”
”Ah yes, that's the other problem. It's important that he not be told I'm treating his wife.”
There was a pause. ”This is quite irregular.”
”I think if you examine it from his point of view, you won't find it so unusual. You said yourself that most people are wary of hypnosis. It's still very experimental. There's no need to cause him undue worry. Nor hope. I cannot say with any exact.i.tude how effective I can be.”
Dr. Little winced. ”Yes, I see.”
”Good. Then we're agreed. I'll stay on here for a time and hope we can make some progress with Mrs. Carelton. I will need rooms of my own.”
”Of course.”
”I will need to return to my own practice, you realize, but I've found that hypnosis can achieve fairly quick results. I don't expect my treatment to take long.”
”How soon?”
”My first goal will be to break her of the laudanum habit. That could take some time. After that it's hard to know. My best estimate is that it will take a few weeks.”
”Thank G.o.d,” Little murmured. ”I'm most appreciative. Mr. Carelton has been very distraught. If his wife can be cured . . .”
”I can't promise a cure.”
”No, no, of course not.”
”But I do think she'll be much improved.”
”We must hope so, Dr. Seth. For her sake, and her husband's, we must hope so.”
”Yes,” Victor said slowly. ”It's her husband I'm thinking of.”