Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine (reading an ebook TXT) 📕

water that can be explained by nothing that she can remember. I shall try to regress her, and it may be that we need go no farther than her own childhood to discover the cause. " He walked thoughtfully back to his desk, glancing at his watch. "She is late, I fear. Sarah!" He called toward the side room from where they could hear the sound of a typewriter. It stopped and Sarah appeared in the doorway. "Call Mrs. Noble and make sure she has remembered her appointment. "

He scowled at the blotter on his desk, tracing the ornate gold tooling of the leather with a neatly manicured finger. "This lady is both vague and a hysteric, " he said almost to himself. "It would not entirely surprise me if she did not turn up. " He picked up the file on his desk and turned back the cover.

Jo felt a sharp stab of disappointment. "Are people usually apprehensive about your treatment?" she asked after a moment's pause.

He looked at her thoughtfully. "It would be strange if they were not. "

Sarah appeared in the doorway. "Sorry, Carl, she's not coming. She says her daughter is ill and she has to go to see her. I told her she'd have to pay for the appointment anyway—"

Bennet gave a sharp gesture of dismissal. He stood up abruptly. "I am sorry, Miss Clifford. I was looking forward to proving my case to you. I am afraid this visit has wasted your time. "

"Not necessarily surely. " Sarah had picked up the folder on the desk. "Have you ever considered undergoing hypnotic regression yourself, Joanna? After all, Carl now has an afternoon free—at your disposal. "

Jo swallowed. "I suppose I should try it myself, " she said hesitantly. "Do you think I could be regressed, Dr. Bennet?"

He spread his fingers in the air and shrugged. "We could try. People of strong personality tend to make good subjects, but of course they must allow themselves to be hypnotized. No one can be against their will, you know. If you are prepared to set aside your reservations completely I would be prepared to try. "

"I have no phobias to speak of. " She managed a little smile. "Hobby horses, yes. Of such are my columns made, but phobias, I don't think so. "

"Then we could regard it merely as an interesting experiment. " He bowed with old-fashioned courtesy.

Jo found she was breathing rather fast. The palms of her hands were sweating. "I'm afraid I would be a difficult subject even if I cooperate as hard as I can. I did take part in a survey at the university under Professor Cohen. He didn't manage to get anywhere with me. "

Bennet sat down on the edge of the desk and looked at her thoughtfully. "Michael Cohen was one of the great authorities on the subject. I wish I had met him before he died, " he said a little wistfully. "I'm surprised to find you so hostile to the theories behind hypnotic regression if you were involved in any of his clinical trials. When you say nothing happened, do you mean he was not able to regress you at all?"

Jo shook her head. "He couldn't hypnotize me. I didn't know why. I didn't fight it. I wanted it to happen. "

Bells were ringing in her mind once more, full of warning. Almost in panic she turned away from him, not wanting him to see the struggle going on inside her; she crossed the carpet to look out of the window into the busy street below, shivering in spite of the humid warmth of the afternoon. The sun was reflecting on a window opposite, dazzling as she stared at it. She turned back to Bennet.

"I have a small tape recorder in my bag. Would you object if I used it while you try?"

He shook his head and gestured toward a table by the far wall. "As you see, I use one too, for various reasons. I also always insist that Miss Simmons is present to act as a chaperone. " He did not smile. "I should explain, however, that often one needs a preliminary session to establish a rapport between hypnotist and patient. It is a far more delicate relationship than that implied by music-hall acts or sensational fiction. So you should not expect too much on this occasion. " He grinned suddenly. "Or too little either, Miss Clifford. You may indeed be a hard subject—I'm sure with your cooperation, though, I can achieve something. And I have a feeling you would be an interesting case. " He smiled boyishly. "Quite a challenge, in fact. But I don't wish to talk you into this if you still have any reservations. I think you should take a little time to consider—"

"No!" Jo surprised herself with the vehemence of her reply. "No, let's do it. I'd like to. "

"You are quite sure?"

"Quite. " She reached for her bag and pulled the recorder out of it. "What shall I do?"

He walked toward the window and half pulled one of the curtains across, shading the room. Above the roof of the opposite building a huge purple cloud had appeared, threatening the sun. He glanced at it as he went back to Jo.

"Just relax. You are very tense, my dear. Why don't we have a cup of tea or some more coffee perhaps while we talk about what is to happen. "

Jo shook her head. "I'll be okay. I suppose it's natural to want to resist giving your mind to someone else. " She bit her lip. "Can I just ask you to promise one thing? If anything happens, you'll do nothing to stop me remembering it later. That's important. "

"Of course. It will all in any case be on tape. " He watched as she set the tape recorder on the floor next to his couch.

"Shall I lie down?" she asked, eyeing it nervously.

"If you wish. Wherever you feel most comfortable and