demeanor gives me hope that Dr. Nerval will be able to cure you of this Illuminist nonsense,” her father announced as the footman appeared with a satchel and placed it near her on the pavement. “The upstairs maid packed everything you shall need for your stay.”
“My stay?”
“Yes,” her father answered. “Dr. Nerval was quite clear. You will need to be completely removed from any sources of impure thinking while being purged.”
She wouldn’t be staying.
Two burly men started toward her from the clinic, making it plain her attempt couldn’t begin immediately.
“Good-bye, Father.”
It was a bittersweet moment, one she expected to hurt more. Instead, she felt a sense of strength growing inside her.
“Now, Janette, it is only for a little while.”
She reached down and picked up the satchel herself. She didn’t look back at her father. There was nothing behind her but a life spent in ignorance. Clarity dawned on her, a clear understanding of why she’d gone up those steps to the Solitary Chamber. Something had drawn her there, something inside of her.
Something she craved to know more about.
She wasn’t even sure how long she’d battled the discontent that had prompted her to try to enter the Illuminists’ building. At the moment, it felt as if she had been secretly yearning to escape her father’s home for years. That wasn’t very kind of her, for her mother loved her, but somehow, she had always sensed a distance between her father and herself.
The clinic attendants flanked her, their white jackets sending a chill down her spine. The sense of impending imprisonment made her mouth go dry. The urge to run needled her more and more the closer she came to the door of the clinic.
Janette clamped her control down on top of that impulse. The presence of the attendants told her they expected her to flee, so she would deny them the spectacle. She would employ every bit of intelligence and find a way to outwit Dr. Nerval’s staff. If they believed her accepting, they would be less likely to watch her closely. That hope made it possible for her to step through the doors and conceal her cringe when they closed firmly behind her.
“Miss Janette, I am pleased to see you so calm.”
The doctor stood with his stiff-faced matron one pace behind him. There was a look of anticipation in his eyes that doubled her resolve to escape.
“I cannot imagine being upset by anything my dear father has asked of me.” She spoke in her sweetest voice, and the matron softened her expression. Janette widened her eyes. “The weather is lovely this morning,” she offered sweetly.
“Yes…well, we have more important matters to discuss.”
Janette smiled brightly at the matron as the doctor walked past her with a mild look of disgust on his face. Men of the upper class liked to preach about how they wanted their ladies docile, but most of them couldn’t stomach the mindless conversation very well. More than one wife had encouraged her friends to prattle on about meaningless topics until their husbands all retired to the smoking room.
But Janette’s anxiety increased as they made their way down the hallway. All the windows were covered with iron screens. There was the insistent jingle of keys, and she noticed that every door had a lock. A quick glance from beneath her lashes showed her that the matron had a ring of keys hanging from her belt like some sort of chamberlain or jailer from the Dark Ages.
Her hope began to diminish as they passed a door that rattled and she heard someone’s desperate plea for release. Ahead of the doctor, one of the white-coated attendants opened a large door, his key ring clanking. The matron placed a hand in the center of Janette’s back to guide her through.
“Now, Miss Janette, we will dispense with the charade and you shall show me your skills,” Dr. Nerval stated victoriously.
The only windows in the room were up near the ceiling. Behind her, the door closed with a solid
“My stay?”
“Yes,” her father answered. “Dr. Nerval was quite clear. You will need to be completely removed from any sources of impure thinking while being purged.”
She wouldn’t be staying.
Two burly men started toward her from the clinic, making it plain her attempt couldn’t begin immediately.
“Good-bye, Father.”
It was a bittersweet moment, one she expected to hurt more. Instead, she felt a sense of strength growing inside her.
“Now, Janette, it is only for a little while.”
She reached down and picked up the satchel herself. She didn’t look back at her father. There was nothing behind her but a life spent in ignorance. Clarity dawned on her, a clear understanding of why she’d gone up those steps to the Solitary Chamber. Something had drawn her there, something inside of her.
Something she craved to know more about.
She wasn’t even sure how long she’d battled the discontent that had prompted her to try to enter the Illuminists’ building. At the moment, it felt as if she had been secretly yearning to escape her father’s home for years. That wasn’t very kind of her, for her mother loved her, but somehow, she had always sensed a distance between her father and herself.
The clinic attendants flanked her, their white jackets sending a chill down her spine. The sense of impending imprisonment made her mouth go dry. The urge to run needled her more and more the closer she came to the door of the clinic.
Janette clamped her control down on top of that impulse. The presence of the attendants told her they expected her to flee, so she would deny them the spectacle. She would employ every bit of intelligence and find a way to outwit Dr. Nerval’s staff. If they believed her accepting, they would be less likely to watch her closely. That hope made it possible for her to step through the doors and conceal her cringe when they closed firmly behind her.
“Miss Janette, I am pleased to see you so calm.”
The doctor stood with his stiff-faced matron one pace behind him. There was a look of anticipation in his eyes that doubled her resolve to escape.
“I cannot imagine being upset by anything my dear father has asked of me.” She spoke in her sweetest voice, and the matron softened her expression. Janette widened her eyes. “The weather is lovely this morning,” she offered sweetly.
“Yes…well, we have more important matters to discuss.”
Janette smiled brightly at the matron as the doctor walked past her with a mild look of disgust on his face. Men of the upper class liked to preach about how they wanted their ladies docile, but most of them couldn’t stomach the mindless conversation very well. More than one wife had encouraged her friends to prattle on about meaningless topics until their husbands all retired to the smoking room.
But Janette’s anxiety increased as they made their way down the hallway. All the windows were covered with iron screens. There was the insistent jingle of keys, and she noticed that every door had a lock. A quick glance from beneath her lashes showed her that the matron had a ring of keys hanging from her belt like some sort of chamberlain or jailer from the Dark Ages.
Her hope began to diminish as they passed a door that rattled and she heard someone’s desperate plea for release. Ahead of the doctor, one of the white-coated attendants opened a large door, his key ring clanking. The matron placed a hand in the center of Janette’s back to guide her through.
“Now, Miss Janette, we will dispense with the charade and you shall show me your skills,” Dr. Nerval stated victoriously.
The only windows in the room were up near the ceiling. Behind her, the door closed with a solid
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