Henry Hyde did not like hearing that there were trouble. Well, if they were of medical or financial, or sexual kind, he could understand those and attend to them. But troubles in general, they left a sour taste in his mind and made his hands ball into fists. Rena's arrangements with the servants and Letti may have been splendid, worthy of the future lady of the house, but her unfortunate remark added to his already tense mood.
?
Yet, to his own surprise, the good mood began returning to Henry when the barmaid described the problem. It was somehow less alarming than he'd imagined it to be. More...intriguing might have been the word, as he recalled Dr Reynolds experiments in consciousness.
?
"Memories are curiously fleeting at times. A colleague of mine experimented with a girl named Rachel. He used the methods of some stage performers, hypnotists, who could mesmerize the audience, supposedly. Only he was able to do it from the inside, by stimulating an electrical charge...well never mind that. Only the girl Rachel completely forgot her?own name, her mother, her village. She remembered instead being somebody else, and being able to see...well, what she thought of as God. So, technically, I have heard of memories being completely lost. Truncated at a certain point, or lost completely. Your case is clearly not?as radical...The interesting thing is...what kind of an effort would be required to achieve such a feat.
?
My colleague, another medical doctor, of sorts, is a firm believer in hypnotism and that their methods could be improved?inside of a human body. But you would have remembered anything electrocuting you, it would have been accompanied by some pain. And yet, if you were ordered to forget?it...oh no, what am I saying, the touch of the hand could likely be used by a hypnotist as a sort of a signal. Yes, that would be much simpler. I think.
?
So,?dearest Leticia, it appears you might have a stage performer frequenting the Black Bess. How...unexpected. I thought your establishment was worthy enough, a little too dull perhaps. I may have been wrong. I am curious though. I suppose you do not recall performing any physical favors for the gentleman, so to speak?? Well, that would be too bold of him. No, we would simply need to confront him, make certain he does not consider such in the future. Not everybody can remain as pleasant of a company as myself after all. If he feels you could be enthralled, he would strike again. This may only have been the prelude,?an experiment to find out how susceptible you are, I fear. Yes, very unusual.
?
You are correct of course. My day yesterday was far from regular, the notes?I locked away in a drawer suddenly surfaced with additional comments added to them, and I do not like that turn of events one bit. There are social opponents of sorts, spies even, but who would even think to go to all the trouble to retrieve some unassuming notes. For that matter, who would even be aware of them? My servants, as well meaning as they may be, hardly possess the necessary skills to distinguish my failed experiments described in the notes from successful ones. Yes, it is all very puzzling indeed, but at least, your problem we could hope to contend with, nothing a few fists in the face would not resolve," Henry Hyde pleasantly reassured the girl,?finding himself oddly waking up in the wake of his rushing ideas.?????
?
Kat