Chapter 2: A Thriving Practice
Mayfair, Londonâ1868
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Richmond, 6th Duke of Lennox, 1st Duke of Gordon, KG, PC, and President of the Board of Trade in Disraeli's Ministry, had a problem. It was a difficult problem to solve, as it concerned his daughter, Caroline.
Caroline was 27 years oldâdamn near 28âand was, as of yet, unmarried. She was comely, intelligent, well-mannered, quick-witted, accomplished in both music and other arts. Yet she languished without husband. The lack of a suitable match reflected poorly on him, he believed. It held him back from greater achievements.
In addition to lacking a suitable husband, Caroline was difficult in other ways. She was mad, he had been told. The doctors said she suffered from "hysteria." Duke Gordon-Lennox wasn't a doctor himself, yet he knew something was wrong with his elder daughter. He ticked off the symptoms to himself: insomnia, melancholy, extreme nervousness. And the convulsions. It was not a frequent occurrence, but sometimes she simply seemed to lack control over her own body. It was as if she was possessed by a demon.
He shook his head.
That is nonsense!
She was a well-bred womanâa British woman of education and means. She had been raised well. Whatever her issue was, he was sure demons had nothing to do with it. Nothing at all.
Several doctors had tried and failed to cure her. The last oneâ
damn his eyes!
âhad suggested that Caroline be incarcerated in an asylum. That was when he turned to Doctor Gassner for assistance.
In the past year, Doctor Gassner's name had become associated with miracle cures. Cures of the mind. He could change lives, people said. He could turn the most melancholy of individuals into vivacious extroverts; turn the saddest or angriest of men into stalwart and calm hearts. From a lamb into a lion, and from a lioness into the meekest doe. Nobody knew how he accomplished his miracles; yet accomplish them he did.
Thus, Duke Gordon-Lennox found himself sitting with his elder daughter in the waiting room of a well-appointed office flat in Mayfair, waiting for the Doctor to see him. After some small time, a woman dressed as a nurse led him into a small room.
"If it pleases you, Your Grace, you are to remove all clothes and prepare for a bath."
"A bath?" Charles shook his head. "What does a bath have to do withâ" He shook his head. "Never mind. I must trust in your methods. What other choice do I have?"
The servant or nurse, or whatever she was, helped him undress. She was a petite one, with small breasts hidden under her gown, but with dark eyes too large for her face. Her hands were gentle, yet firm on his body. He found himself reacting, as a man would react to a woman's touch. When he was naked, his manhood stood up tall.
He saw her smile. She wasn't disgusted by his natural reaction. Of courseâbecause she was a trained nurse! She was used to a body's natural reactions.
When she led him to a hot bath, filled midway with water and sweet-smelling bubbles, he sighed. After a few moments, he looked up at her while she prepared some lotion or oil. "My daughter?"
"The same, Your Grace. Sitting in a tub much like this one, naked."
His cock, which had flagged a bit in the water, stood up again at the thought of his daughter's naked body.
The nurse applied a lotion to his hair, gently massaging the oils into his scalp. The massage was soothing, yet his erect member refused to go away.
The nurse smiled again at the sight of his erection. She began to lightly stroke him under the warm water. As she stroked, she looked into his face for a reactionâseeking either approval or disapproval.
"What's your name, girl?" he asked after a few moments of pleasure. After all, one should know the name of the girl who was stroking one's cock, yes?
"Mary," she said, smiling slightly. Her hand was moving a bit more quickly now; she was gripping him a bit tighter. Between the soap and her hand, Charles heard himself moaning. Still, he found within himself the gumption to speak, to inquire.
"Do you provide such services to all men who come to the Doctor?" he managed to ask the girl.
Her hand was moving rapidly on his member now. His release was not far away.
"Not all, Your Grace. No. Many find the hot waters and bubbles relax them sufficiently for the procedure. But not all. Some need more. Some, like yourself, need a bit more service in order to reach a state of full relaxation."
"I must say: at this moment, I feel anything other than relaxed."
"Ah, yes. But afterwardsâyou will be relaxed." She looked down at where her hand was, under the water, stroking on his manhood. She moved down to the root of him, and tugged up firmly and quickly. "Your daughter may require similar services, you must understand. Right now, there may be someone touching your naked daughter in her most intimate places, just as I am touching you. She may be gasping in pleasure or perhaps even spending loudlyâscreaming as she is overcome by the feelings coursing through her naked body. Her breasts flushed, her nipples erect, a stranger's finger deep in her cunnyâ"
"Damn you!" Charles cried out and spent hard in the tub against her hand. He could feel the strength of his pulses; he could feel her hand milking him for every drop of seed. The pulses went on for an unusual length of time. When they were done, he fell back rather than leaned, panting, every muscle loose and relaxed.
Mary helped him up from the tub, dried him thoroughly, and gave him a dressing robe to wear.
"My clothes?"
"Shall be taken care of, Your Grace."
He nodded, and she led him to Doctor Gassner's office.
*****
Doctor Gassner was able to put Duke Gordon-Lennox into a suggestive state with unusual quickness. He smiled to himself as he realized the cause: Mary.
Hiring that woman away from Lady Charlotte was a brilliant move,
he thought. The former maidservant caught on quickly and had no qualmsâ
none
âabout doing what needed to be done for his patients. He believed she actually enjoyed her role. The generous pay didn't hurt; but she seemed to relish her duties. She had become a key member of his staffâalmost his Private Secretary in some ways.
He had so much faith in Mary that he began to train her in some of the arts. She was an apt student, a fast learner. Someday she would be able to initiate the trances on her own. It was simply a matter of time and diligence.
After a few easy questions, Gassner got into the heart of the matters he was interested in. "Tell me, Your Grace, about the inner workings of the Ministry. How fares our Lord ChancellorâLord Chelmsfordâwith The Prime Minister?"
"Not good. Everyone knows Disraeli wants Lord Cairns to take the role. He makes no secret of his wishes."
"I see. What else can you tell me?"
The Duke had much to say. The discussion took the better part of an hour. When it was done, Gassner nodded.
"You have done very well, Charles. Very well indeed. Now, let us discuss your daughter, the lovely Caroline."
Charles nodded. His eyes were closed and he was breathing slowly, deeply. "She weighs heavily on my mind. Something must be doneâyet I would rather die myself than see her committed to some disgusting asylum for the mentally ill."
"Do you love her?"
Chales nodded again.