Page 23 of A Very Roguish Boxing Day
Dr.Pickering guided him to the cherrywood table by the window and pressed him into a chair.“Let’s see, shall we?”
Gwen sat on the edge of her bed.Dr.Pickering took the other chair by the window, and Mrs.Whitby settled on the padded stool by Gwen’s dressing table.
Dr.Pickering’s eyes were gentle.“So, Mrs.Simpkins.Allow me to begin by apologizing for the indelicate nature of the questions that are to follow.”He cast a sideways look at Harry.“It is my personal belief that one should accept a lady at her word in such matters, especially when the lady in question is of unimpeachable moral character.But, as your brother is insisting, we will do what must be done.”
Gwen nodded, attempting to cloak herself in an air of wounded dignity.“I understand, Doctor.”
“Very well.”Dr.Pickering opened his notebook to a blank page and withdrew a pencil from his waistcoat pocket.Beside him, Harry shifted in his seat, seeming to realize that he should have brought something similar.
Dr.Pickering gave her an encouraging smile.“Tell me, Mrs.Simpkins, was your marriage consummated?”
“It was,” Gwen answered.To her own surprise, she did not feel even a pang of guilt as she uttered this untruth.Although lying was a sin, she had difficulty imagining that the Almighty would have preferred that she subject herself to a lifetime of misery at the hands of her brother and her next husband.
Dr.Pickering nodded as he made a note in his book.“Tell me, did you know much about the act prior to the wedding?”
Gwen felt her cheeks heat.And to think, things would only get more awkward from here!“Only a little bit.Growing up, I spent summers in the country.So, I have, upon occasion, observed animals engaged in, um…”
“The act of procreation,” Dr.Pickering supplied, his pencil scratching softly on the paper.“Did anyone tell you what to expect before your wedding night?”
“Not particularly,” Gwendolyn answered.“Over the years, I have heard a few stray remarks.About how the first time is painful for a woman.But my mother died last year, so there was no one to give me a more detailed talk.”
It was true, strictly speaking.Lady Sylvan had told her what to expect, but that had been after the wedding night.
Dr.Pickering looked up.“My apologies for the nature of the question, but could you please describe what your husband did?”
Gwen’s hands twisted the fabric of her skirts into knots.It was difficult to force the words out.But she did.She described in broad terms the things Tom had done to her.How he had kissed her, undressed her.Touched her all over.And finally, laid down on top of her and breached her maidenhead.
“Did it hurt?”Dr.Pickering asked gently.
“It did,” Gwen confirmed.“Right when he first… you know.”
“And did you bleed?”Dr.Pickering continued.
“Only a little bit,” Gwen admitted, hearing the astonishment in her voice.“It was not nearly as unpleasant as I had been led to expect.”
Harry’s voice was lurid as he said, “Enjoyed it, did you?”
Dr.Pickering gave him a sharp look.“I am not sure how that is germane to the issue at hand.”
“And yet, if this series of events really transpired, she should be able to answer it.”Harry looked at Gwen, his eyes challenging.“How is it that you had such an easy go of it,Mrs.Simpkins?”
Gwen swallowed.She pictured Aunt Agatha’s cottage.The life her beloved great-aunt had wanted her to have.
She could endure any humiliation to bring that dream to fruition.
Drawing in a breath, she said, “I must confess, I did enjoy parts of it.He was… considerate of me.More considerate than I would have thought.”
Harry leaned forward.“What do you mean byconsiderate?”
Cheeks aflame, Gwendolyn said, “He f-fondled me.On my breasts and…” She squeezed her eyes shut, then said in a rush, “… between my legs.He said it would make the rest of it go more easily for me.Those were the parts where I found, er… enjoyment.”
She opened her eyes a slit.Dr.Pickering was writing in his notebook, his expression carefully blank.Mrs.Whitby had a fierce expression in her eyes.
Harry, on the other hand, was staring at her slack-jawed, his expression incredulous.“You expect me to believe thatMauricedid all that?”
“He did,” Gwendolyn said tightly.
Disbelief was plain on Harry’s face.“Because I have been to the brothel with Maurice any number of times, and I haveneverseen him?—”
