The Wrong Girl(33)

"Go on, Lady Violet," said Mr. Gladstone in a soothing voice. "Whatever you tell us will remain in confidence if you wish, as will our findings from the hypnosis itself. If you don't want anyone else to know, then we'll not divulge a thing."

Dr. Werner patted my hand. "Tell us what you know of the memories that are blocked, Lady Violet. Indeed, what makes you think you have some missing memories at all?"

"I fall asleep with no warning," I said. "At least, I believe there's no warning. That's the part I can't remember. Whatever happens just before I fall asleep is lost to me."

"You're a narcoleptic?" Dr. Werner said. "Interesting."

"Not from my point of view."

"From a medical perspective it is. You're unique. Memory loss is not normally a symptom of narcolepsy."

"Then it would seem I'm not normal."

Mr. Gladstone smiled. "Let's see what we can discover during the hypnosis." He picked up a gold disc attached to a chain. "Concentrate on this object and my voice, Lady Violet." How could I not? The disc was right above my nose and his voice slid against my skin and melted through to my bones. I felt like I was sinking into it, surrounded by it, lost in it. "Your body is feeling heavy. Your eyes want to close. Close them, Lady Violet. Listen to my voice."

I heard nothing more as I slipped away.

***

"Well?" I said, sitting up on the sofa. "What did you learn?"

The two hypnotists stood beside me just as they had done before I fell asleep. Both frowned.

"Nothing," Dr. Werner said, adjusting his glasses. "Absolutely nothing, I'm afraid. There is indeed something blocking access to that compartment."

"Compartment?"

Mr. Gladstone sat on a chair nearby. He didn't look at me, but down at his palms.

Dr. Werner retrieved a clay model of a head that had been sitting on a table near the window. It was cut in half to reveal the brain inside. "Everything about us—our memories, our abilities and thoughts—are stored in different areas of our brains." He pointed to various parts of the head. "On rare occasions, access to these are blocked off. The blockage is usually caused by an accident, but I've known of cases where some other sort of traumatic experience has closed off the compartment where the memory of the experience is contained. It's the brain's way of coping with the event. Usually hypnosis will reveal to us what that event was, and by discussing it with the patient afterward, we're able to permanently unblock the blockage."

"But not with me?"

Mr. Gladstone looked up and shook his head. "Not with you, Lady Violet."

"What does that mean?"

The two men exchanged concerned glances. "It's almost impossible to say," Mr. Gladstone said.

Dr. Werner cleared his throat. "In all likelihood, it means the event was so traumatic that your mind wouldn't cope if the compartment were unblocked, and the memories became accessible again."

Mr. Gladstone winced as if he'd not wanted his employer to reveal that much. He opened his mouth to say something then shut it again and returned to studying his hands.

"I see," I said. "Well, thank you for your help." I stood and hardly noticed when Mr. Gladstone stood too and took my elbow. I felt distant, removed, as if we'd just been discussing another patient and not my own situation. Perhaps the hypnosis hadn't quite worn off completely.

"I'll call in your friends," Dr. Werner said.

"Wait. Before you do, tell me, what would it take to unblock that compartment?"

He paused at the door and glanced once more at Mr. Gladstone beside me. I felt the assistant stiffen and heard the air hiss between his teeth. "I don't know, Lady Violet. You may never regain those memories. That may not be a bad thing, however."

Jack was standing just outside the door when Mr. Gladstone opened it. "Were you listening in?" I asked him.

"No!" he said, unblinking. "Not at all."

Sylvia made a miffed sound through her nose. "The door was too thick to hear anything through it."

"I wanted to make sure you came to no harm," Jack said.

"I'm quite all right. Thank you, Dr. Werner, Mr. Gladstone."

"Wait a moment." Jack held up a hand. "What happened? What did you learn?"

"Nothing, I'm afraid," Dr. Werner said. "I'm sorry your visit to London has been a waste of time."

"Not a waste at all, Doctor," said Sylvia. "We have other activities to pursue during our stay."

He bowed to her then to me. "I bid you good day, ladies. Mr. Langley."

Mr. Gladstone took my hand and held it in a grip that had me quite alarmed with its firmness. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Violet. Perhaps...perhaps you'll come again and we'll have more success next time."