Doctor Gassner's Greatest Scheme Ch. 01

"Yes. I will give in to his desires. I will let him believe that men are superior to women. I will stop arguing with him."

"Very good, Charlotte! Very good indeed!"

"Thank you, Doctor Gassner."

"And at night, you must give him your body. Allow him to fulfill his desires, as often as he wishes. Refuse him nothing. If does not want relations, then you must seduce him. Use your hands; use your mouth. Use your body. Do what you must to seduce him so that you may control him through the needs of his body."

"Seduce him. Yes ... I can do that."

"Yes. Make him dependent on your body. Make him crave you as the Chinese crave opium. Use your body to become the drug that controls him. When he is with you, desiring you above all other things, then you may ask him for anything you may desire and it will be granted to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I will control him through my body."

"Perfect!" Gassner took a deep draught of water. "Now, I am going to return you to consciousness. When you awake, you will be refreshed, relaxed, happy. You will remember nothing of this session, except that you desire your husband to be happy and that you desire to make him your slave through use of your body. The rest of what happened today, you will forget. When you awake, you will remember nothing. But you will want to have another session, as soon as can be arranged. Is that clear?"

"Yes. Thank you, Doctor Gassner."

"Indeed. You are waking slowly now, Charlotte. Slowly waking up. When I count to three, you will be fully awake and remember nothing of what has transpired."

On the count of three, Charlotte's eyes opened. She sat up. "Oh! Are we done already?"

"Yes, Lady Charlotte. How do you feel?"

Charlotte looked puzzled for a moment, then her face cleared. "I feel ... fine. I feel fine!" She smiled widely. "I feel very fine!"

"Then my work here is done. I now bid you good day, Madam."

As he closed the door behind him, he saw Mary, the maidservant, looking at him. He showed her a five-pound coin; the gold coin glinted in the light of the hallway. "For your troubles—and your silence," he said quietly. "There will be one of these each time I return, so long as you keep your silence. And if you prove yourself worthy of my trust, then there may be more for you—more than your current position—in the future."

Mary nodded and took the coin.

*****

The two well-dressed gentlemen sat together in the same quiet corner of White's, sipping well-aged claret.

One of them was quiet, thoughtful. Contemplative. The other was animated, energetic. Overjoyed.

"My God, man!" William Wood expostulated. "You did it!"

Doctor Gassner held his hand up. "A bit more discretion, sir—I beseech you."

"Of course; of course." Wood's voice quieted. "You kept your word. I doubted you—I must admit I doubted you. But I doubt no more! She is a changed woman, sir! Almost entirely different in her demeanor!"

Gassner smiled. "She vexes you less?"

"She vexes me not at all! What did you do to her? I must know."

"I simply used the forces I have told you about, sir. Nothing more than that. There are forces that affect the mind and the emotions. I have mastered them. That is all."

Wood shook his head. "I would never have believed you had I not experienced it myself!"

Gassner nodded. "You are pleased with the results, then?"

Wood's smile was wide; his eyes shone with delight. "Pleased, sir? I am delighted! My wife and I.... Well, I have dismissed my mistress. I have no need of her anymore."

"I am pleased that you are pleased, sir. Yet I must offer a warning."

Wood sat back and looked at his companion, puzzled. "What warning, sir?"

"This is a delicate business, this manipulation of thoughts and feelings. The resultant state is surprisingly fragile. It only lasts only so long as you are careful not to disturb it. For example, you must not argue with her. If you argue, you recreate the same feelings, the same emotions, that I have hidden away. You must be kind to her, sir; you must be gentle. You must be—in a word—a loving, devoted husband. Overreach with her and you lose everything you have gained."

Wood nodded. "That makes sense. Frankly, I see no need to argue with Charlotte anymore. She has given up that suffragette nonsense and, instead, seems entirely devoted to my needs." His eyes gleamed. "Entirely devoted."

"As it should be. Yet, kindly heed my warning, if you will. If you enjoy the current domestic situation, take pains to preserve it."

"I will, sir. I will! You have proven yourself to me, sir. I must heed your advice in these matters."

"Excellent. And I believe that, to be on the safe side, I should visit her every so often, so as to ensure the, uh, conditioning remains strong. Perhaps monthly?"

"A very sound idea."

"Very good. And as to our mutual plans?"

"I shall have 5,000 pounds deposited into your account by the end of the week. There will be more made available if you have need."

"Thank you. And The Times?"

"The article is being drafted as we speak. Have you procured the lecture hall yet?"

"I will have it as soon as I have the funds to secure a deposit."

"Capital! Capital!"

The two gentlemen toasted, draining their glasses, smiling all the while.

[To be Continued]