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“This is the second week of abdominal pains, Miss Bennet, and my draughts are not helping. I fear this is something…bad. Your father must take you to see a doctor.” Mr. Jones, the apothecary, helped Lizzy sit.
She consciously smoothed down her dress, feeling a twinge of unease. “Bad…how?”
“It could be something internal. A womanly sickness. If untreated, I fear you might get problems bearing children.”
“Oh no…that cannot…” Lizzy broke off, feeling her heart beat faster. She loved children and she had always imagined having a score of them. She gingerly touched her throbbing stomach, wondering about the mysterious female parts inside. Could they have been damaged somehow? Was it…
She felt her cheeks heat up when she thought of what she had done that time in the outhouse, after her best friend Charlotte had just married. Charlotte had whispered to Lizzy everything she had experienced in the marital bed during the wedding night. When Lizzy was alone later, she had been so curious, wondering what a man’s part might feel like. So she had inserted first her finger, and then a smooth stick. It had felt nice, and not at all painful like Charlotte had found it. She had kept doing it for a while, until she had to stop when Lydia came banging on the door demanding she needed to pee.
Had she broken her womb now? What if the physician somehow would be able to see she had done it to herself? Oh the humiliation, if so.
There was nothing for it. Dr. Darcy, a prominent young Londoner physician was contacted and the carriage sent for, and the next day Lizzy hugged her parents and sisters goodbye and was on her way. Her father would not accompany her, instead she would be living with her relatives at Gracechurch Street, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.
The journey was uneventful, but with every mile Lizzy grew more nervous. She had never seen a physician before, and now she would do it for such a personal reason too. That a man was to see her there. Even Charlotte’s husband had not seen her naked – they would naturally keep their nightshirts on and the candles out like all decent couples.
The day before the visit, Lizzy could hardly eat a bit. Her pains had grown worse during the journey and she had no appetite – if from nerves or womb failure she didn’t know. When Uncle Gardiner’s driver finally escorted her up the stairs to the physician's office, she felt almost relieved because at least now she did not have to anticipate the visit anymore.
Dr. Darcy proved to be a tall, dark-haired gentleman nearing his thirties. He showed Lizzy into his office and seated himself behind the desk, indicating a chair opposite for her. “Welcome, Miss Bennet. I was told you suffer from an ache in your internal genitalia, is that right?”
“Uh, yes, I think so…” Lizzy was not certain what internal genitalia were but did not want to sound ignorant.
“And how long have you felt this?”
Dr. Darcy continued to ask a series of health-related questions, some of those of an embarrassingly personal nature, such as when she had her last period and if she had ever caught a venereal disease.
Lizzy answered everything truthfully, fervently hoping he would not ask about inserting foreign objects, and thankfully he did not. He wrote all her answers down carefully, and Lizzy noticed he had a surprisingly neat hand for a doctor.
When he was satisfied with her answers, Dr. Darcy showed Lizzy into a back room with an examination table and a couple of chairs. “I need you to lay down here on your stomach.” He indicated the table, helping Lizzy to climb up and giving her a flat pillow for her head. “Before I examine you, I need to take your temperature,” he explained, taking out a glass thermometer from a cabinet and shaking it to get the mercury down. Then he smeared a drop of something oily on its tip.
Lizzy watched his movements with a sinking feeling. It was many years since she had last had her temperature taken, when she was little and suffered from the measles. Her nanny would take it then, and she had hated it, even though she could not now recall what it had felt like. This thermometer looked larger than the one at home, about as thick as her index finger.
Dr. Darcy folded up the skirt of her dress and her slip and pulled down her knickers, just enough to expose the required area. He parted her buttocks and very slowly and carefully slipped the instrument inside.
“Ugh,” groaned Lizzy, her face hot with embarrassment.
“Does it hurt?” asked Dr. Darcy kindly.
“No,” she admitted. It did not feel bad really, just strange and a little cold.
“I need it deeper in. Take a breath if you feel pain.” He gently and very slowly pushed the glass rod further until only an inch or so remained.
She let out another involuntary groan. Having an object inserted there felt very different from the wood stick she had tried at home. Her rear opening was more sensitive, and no matter how hard she tried to think of something else, her focus kept being drawn back to the foreign sensation.
Time passed endlessly slowly, measured out by Dr. Darcy’s ticking wall clock, and the thermometer kept sliding out which might be the reason she felt it so distinctly. It would take a good ten minutes to get an accurate reading, so Dr. Darcy had to push it back in several times. He was so very gentle that it never hurt, and the last two times it actually felt…good, in a strange way. She almost wished he would keep moving it in and out, which was extremely disconcerting.
Why was she so strange? Wanting objects pushed into her holes like that…she was certain a decent woman should not have such unusual desires.
Glancing over her shoulder, Lizzy could see how odd it looked, with her smooth buttocks exposed between her knickers and raised skirts, and the glass rod protruding from between them. Again she felt a twinge of…something.
At last it seemed the humiliating procedure was over, and the doctor slowly pulled the object out of her. That felt good too, and Lizzy bit her lip not to make a sound.
“Hm, this is odd,” he remarked. “No fever. If there was an inflammation in your genitalia, it should be.” He helped her sit, still with her knickers part down. “I need you to remove your underwear now, and sit as far out on the edge as you can, with your legs apart.”
“Oh, so you will not look?” Lizzy felt a surge of relief. Perhaps he would not notice what she had done to herself?
“Of course not!” The physician looked shocked. “That would be very indecent.”
While she took off her knickers and placed them folded beside her, the doctor smeared his hands with the same oil that he had used on the thermometer before. Then he positioned himself face to face with her, and gently pulled her knees apart a little further.
Though the skirts covered her, it still felt oddly exposed to open her legs that much in front of a man. This close she could feel the perfume he used, something musky and spicy.
His face – a very handsome face too, she noticed – screwed up in concentration as he slid his hand under her skirt and began feeling his way up her thigh. Then his fingers were on her center, carefully opening her folds and examining them thoroughly. His moist finger slid over them easily.
Lizzy bit her lit to remain quiet. His touch sent sparks through her, sparks of need – but what it was she needed, she could not say.
He murmured to himself as he worked, frowning slightly in concentration. “Labia majora feels normal, no swelling. Minora also normal. Slight swelling of clitoris, but that is expected with palpation. Perineum normal.” Then he raised his voice, addressing her again. “Now, Miss Bennet, I will enter your vagina. That is your birth canal. If you feel any pain or discomfort, say it immediately.”
“I will, Dr. Darcy.” Lizzy swallowed, bracing herself.
He was very careful, and his fingers, despite their thickness and length, were soft. A scholar’s hands. He slid one of them in, felt the edges of her opening, and then continued along the walls further in. His dark eyebrows were drawn together in concentration as he worked.
It did not hurt. Rather, it felt good, a bit like the thermometer had in her other opening although this was very different. Lizzy could not hold back a small sigh.
Looking at his free hand she saw how large it was, and marveled that such a long, thick finger would fit inside her without any pain at all. But then he withdrew, and adding a second finger, slowly pushed them back in. Now the fullness was overwhelming, but at her low hiss he carefully lingered in her, allowing her walls to accommodate his long digits.
Then for a long time his fingers moved inside her, examining every inch of her slick canal, prodding its walls. Several spots in there were extra sensitive to his touch, and whenever he pressed and prodded them, more sparks ignited deep within her.
Pressing down with his free hand on her stomach, he touched her even deeper within, and again she hissed – but this time it was from pleasure.
“Now I will feel the wall between your vagina and rectum for any prolapses, and for a better reach of your uterus. Your womb, that is.” He withdrew, added more oil on his hand, and then he began to softly massage her rear entrance with a wet and slick finger. Lizzy gasped at the sensation, both wanting him to continue because of how pleasant it was, and to stop because it was so embarrassing. Would he really examine her there?
That apparently was just what he intended, for after a while he began entering her again, this time with one finger in each opening. Slowly but purposefully he pushed deeper, the oil making his fingers slide in easily.
When they were fully inserted, the doctor could examine her in new ways, reaching new spots a lot further inside. Then he pinched them close together and carefully felt the area along the thin wall between her openings. This part felt so good that Lizzy completely forgot her embarrassment. She nearly stopped breathing.
“Hm. This is strange,” Dr. Darcy said after examining her like this for several minutes. “I did not expect that.”
A chill trickled down Lizzy's spine, and all the pleasant feelings instantly vanished. He knew. He must realize what she had done! How humiliating! Tears burned the corners of her eyes, and she could not keep silent anymore. Not when he had treated her so professionally and kindly.
“I’m sorry. It was me! I did this,” she babbled, blood rushing to her face. “I was just curious. I put a stick in there, but I did not know it would break my womb.”
The doctor met her gaze, looking surprised, and then…was he smiling? He suddenly looked like he desperately tried to hold back a grin.
“This is not funny!” she exclaimed, annoyed and not a little mortified.
“I’m so sorry Miss Bennet, it’s just…” He bit his lip, looking away to hold in his laughter. “Sorry,” he repeated. “Your womb is perfectly fine. I have palpated it both externally and inwardly, and its deeper parts via your rectum, and you have no fever. That is why I was a bit confused, because I was told there would be something wrong with it. But of course, a country apothecary would not know much about female anatomy,” he added with some disdain. Then his smile returned. “You need not worry about inserting things into your vagina. Has nobody explained to you what happens in bed between a husband and his wife?”
“Yes,” she murmured, wishing the floor might open and swallow her up. His fingers were still inside her holes too, and she did not want to have that kind of conversation under the circumstances.
“Well, then you know the male organ is supposed to go in there. Larger things than a stick will fit inside you.” He slowly extracted his fingers and went to wash them in a basin. “Lord, down there is where babies come out, you know.” He smiled again, and he really had a very nice smile.
Suddenly Lizzy could see the funny in the situation and began to giggle. “Christ, how relieved I am. I thought I could never have babies.”
He shook his head. “This is why women ought to be taught about their bodies and about marital intercourse. My research… Well. We are straying from the topic. There is still the issue with your pain, and since it is nothing gynecological it must be something else. If you lay back on the table I shall examine you.”
Lizzy obeyed, and he began to press and poke her stomach, pushing down here and there, asking if it hurt. Then he seemed to be done and let her sit again.
“Miss Bennet, I am happy to say I know what ails you and it is nothing dangerous at all. The cure is very simple too, and your father will not even have to pay for medications.”
“Really!” She met his smile.
“Yes. You suffer from a severe constipation, a common enough ailment this time of year when there is not much fresh fruit or vegetables to be had, and exercise is limited.”
“Oh.” She wrinkled her nose. She never had trouble with her bowels before.
“Your stomach is very swollen with it, meaning the blockage must be far up. It might take a while to get all that out, so I think it is best you stay here until tomorrow. I have an overnight patient’s room next door.”
“Thank you. Can you send word to my aunt and uncle? They will worry.”
“Of course. I will write a note for your driver to take back with him.”
Dr. Darcy showed Lizzy to the other room, which contained a bed, some chairs and an adjoining washroom with a big, wooden bath. While the physician was out, a chambermaid came in with two steaming water buckets, but for some reason she did not pour them into the bath. What were they for? Perhaps she would get a bath later, once her bowels were empty?
Lizzy had no idea how constipation was treated, but normally when ill, one would get a nasty concoction or other to swallow, so she assumed this was the case now as well. Therefore, when the maid came in with a metal stand, a rubber bag and a tube, she had no idea what those were and what they would be used for. Would the doctor pour water down her throat to flush out the block?
The maid also spread out a rubber sheet on the bed, before she left with a curtsy. Lizzy heard the doctor bid her a goodnight in the corridor outside, telling her he would manage on his own now and she was allowed to retire for the night.
It soon became apparent that the treatment would be quite the opposite of what Lizzy had imagined. When Dr. Darcy returned, he asked her to lie down on the bed with her back towards him, and again he folded up her skirts and pulled down her knickers a bit. Since he did not explain what he would do, it was obvious he thought she knew already, so Lizzy kept her mouth shut to not seem stupid. Her heart beat faster. Somehow he would pour water there, and flush her clean that way. If she had thought having her temperature taken was mortifying, it was nothing to having to use the lavatory in front of him!
She heard him bustle around a bit, making the equipment ready behind her. There was a gurgling noise, and a grinding as the doctor moved the stand closer.
“I will need to lubricate you well so the nozzle won’t chafe,” he said. Again he parted her buttocks, and again she felt his finger on her opening, wet and oily. This time he did what she had almost wished he would do with the thermometer; pushing in and retracting, with every push coming deeper.
Lizzy choked her groan. How could this feel so good?
When his finger was entirely buried he held it still a moment. “I am allowing your muscles to adapt to the intrusion, which will help relax you for the enema.”
Enema. She had no idea what that was, but she loved the feeling of his long digit, and when he again began to move it in and out, massaging her, she closed her eyes and this time she moaned.
“You react very well to massage. This is a good sign. I have actually been thinking of asking you to partake in my research, once I have finished curing your constipation.”
“R-research?” panted Lizzy. Good grace, how good this felt. She wished he would never stop. Even though he was not touching her there, she felt a knot of pleasure near her other entrance.
“Yes. I research female hysteria. Have you ever heard about that ailment?”
In and out, ever so slowly. Once in a while he pulled all the way out to add more oil, and when he did, the cool slickness when it slid back in sent shivers through her.
“I don’t– I don’t think s-so.” Lizzy had a hard time speaking, or focusing on anything but his magical finger.
In and out, in and out.
“Many women suffer from hysteria, and that’s why I have been researching a cure. By stimulating the genitalia, the woman will get a release that relaxes her. With repeated releases during an extended period of time, she will get so much calmer and happier.”
In and out, in and out.
“I assume you are staying a couple of weeks with your relatives? I could book some sessions for you, and we can see if you find them helpful.”
“R-really.” Stimulating the genitalia? If the genitalia were what she thought they were, she was in. When touching her back entrance did this to her, she wanted to know how it felt to be stimulated elsewhere too.
In and out, adding more oil.
“Since I am still researching it, it would cost your father nothing extra.”
“Ngg… Uh… I see.”
In and out, in and out.
“I think you are sufficiently lubricated now.” He withdrew his finger, again agonizingly slow, and Lizzy almost told him to put it back there. But soon something else replaced his digit, a rubber nozzle attached to a water bag by a hose. The nozzle was thicker than his finger and as long as an average candle, shaped a bit like the handle of a rolling pin. It was well lubricated with that same oil.
He pushed it all the way inside in a smooth motion, and after the lengthy massage it made almost no resistance. When fully inserted it remained firmly in place, for though her muscles helplessly contracted around it as if trying to push it out, its shape only caused it to slide deeper in.
Despite its size it felt good, causing Lizzy to breathe unevenly again and heat flood to her face.
“Are you ready?” the doctor asked.
“Yes,” she managed.
Then he made something with the bag, and warm water began to flow into her. It felt nice and made her muscles contract again, sending pleasurable shivers through her.
But after a while her belly was very full and cramping. The physician had been watching her closely for signs of discomfort, and instantly turned off the water. He began to rub her stomach, making soft circles over it and soon the cramp was gone.
“If you can turn on your back now, it will be easier to take the rest of the enema,” he said, helping her shift. “Bend your knees like this. Good.”
On her back with bent knees, Lizzy felt more exposed, but thankfully the physician was very professional and folded down a piece of her dress to cover her front. Then he let the water pour again, and now he kept rubbing her stomach all the time to avoid any additional cramping.
When the bag was empty, Lizzy stared at it in surprise. Was all that water inside her now? She desperately needed the outhouse, but Dr. Darcy told her she had to keep the enema inside as long as possible for it to work. He detached the hose and rubber bag but left the nozzle, which he explained would help her hold the water in.
“I really must go,” moaned Lizzy after several agonizing minutes.
Dr. Darcy consulted his pocket watch. “Five more minutes. If you want, I can massage your genitalia. You might find that helps you relax.”
“Please do.” Lizzy was much beyond feeling embarrassed now, all she wanted was to expel the water and feel empty again.
The doctor slid his hand under her skirt, and she felt him part her folds to rub a spot above her entrance. A shock of feelings radiated from his touch and through her body, making her completely forget the discomfort of the enema. This felt heavenly good, and she closed her eyes to focus. Her muscles contracted around his finger and the thick nozzle inside her, creating a magical, wonderful rhythm that she had never felt before.
When the five minutes were up she had almost forgotten her need, but when his hand left and he began pulling out the nozzle she was painfully reminded of it. She clumsily sat, and he helped her to a back door, leading out to a small yard with an outhouse.
Thank God, he did not follow her there!
She hurried to sit on the wooden bench. Expelling the water and the blocked contents of her bowels took a long time, but when she finally was done, she felt a lot better. The pain she had suffered for so many days was entirely gone. Therefore she was surprised and somewhat dismayed when she saw the doctor had refilled the rubber bag.
“I need another?”
“Yes. The one you had contained soap, so you need one with pure water to clean that out. But don’t worry, you will not have to hold this in as long as the last one.”
It was nothing to do but obey. Again Lizzy lay on the bed, and Dr. Darcy exposed her backside to push the re-lubricated nozzle inside. That, at least, was a benefit with having an enema. The feeling of the nozzle gliding inside was equally heavenly this time.
When the water started pouring, the doctor repeated his massage of her pleasure point, as she was now mentally calling it.
“Do you feel alright? No pain?”
“It feels g-good. Ngg…” she groaned as her muscles again clamped down around the nozzle and under his moving fingertip. She suddenly wished he would push something inside her other hole too.
When the water bag was empty, she was allowed to return to the outhouse almost immediately and this time it was easier to get rid of the enema as it was only water pouring out of her.
When she came back, Dr. Darcy gave her a washcloth and a bowl. “You can clean yourself up a bit, and go get some sleep. I will see you in the morning and make sure there is no remaining constipation. Goodnight, Miss Bennet.” He removed the rubber sheet and enema set and left her.
When alone, Lizzy had a lot to think about. As she washed herself, she noticed her sensibility down there was enhanced somehow. She squatted and touched the spot where the doctor had massaged and felt it was swollen, but in a good way, it did not hurt. Instead it felt nice, although not quite as fantastic as with the doctor.
Laying back in the bed, Lizzy found she very much looked forward to that research session.
…
In the morning, after a breakfast in bed brought by the maid, Dr. Darcy came to tell her it was time for her examination. She followed him into the other room, and he told her to lay on her back on the examination table.
He prodded her stomach carefully, pushing and pressing like yesterday, and soon seemed satisfied. “I cannot feel any blockage in the upper part of your bowels, Miss Bennet. This is a good sign. Now I need you to lay on your side so I can check the rectum for any constipation further down.”
Lizzy readily obeyed. By now she trusted the doctor completely, after his considerate treatment of her yesterday.
Dr. Darcy lubricated his finger, and began to massage her back entrance again, before slowly sliding inside. Just like yesterday, he would push in and withdraw several times until his finger was embedded as deeply as it could.
“I will use a tube to look up your rectum, and for you to fit that inside I need to massage you a bit like yesterday. Is that alright?”
“Yes,” Lizzy murmured, her mind almost blank with how great it felt.
“If you want, I can give you your first hysteria treatment before you go home today. I notice how well you respond to relaxing massages.” He twisted his finger and she let out a low moan. “You enjoy being touched like this, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks heat.
“Don’t be embarrassed. It is a natural and healthy reaction. A woman has many nerve endings in the area around her genitals and rectum, that are closely connected. Let me show you.” He gently pushed her legs to bend so he could reach better from his position behind her, and again he prudently covered her front with her dress.
Soon she felt a finger slide into her other opening, a bit like during the examination yesterday. Unlike then, he now moved his fingers in and out, alternately filling and emptying her both holes. It felt absolutely fantastic. Nothing could have prepared Lizzy for that, and she bit her lip not to cry out with pleasure.
When he added a second finger in her front opening, she saw white flashes around the edge of her vision. “Oaaahh…”
“As you notice, when you are entirely full like this, all your nerves will be stimulated and thus enhancing the experience. In our session later I will add stimulation to the clitoris as well, which will give you the release you need. But first I must finish examining your rectum.” He slipped his fingers out.
“No…” Lizzy murmured, and flushed again as the doctor chuckled.
“Soon, Miss Bennet, soon. First things first.” He fetched a metal object from a drawer and held it so Lizzy could see. It was about the length of her hand, narrow in one end but gradually thicker. It looked to be as wide as four fingers or more, and Lizzy shuddered. Would that really fit into her narrow passage?
“This instrument is hollow as you see, and will allow me to look inside you for any remaining constipation. Now, since this is slightly larger, I need you to stand on all four, facing away from me. That’s good, precisely so. And move your legs apart a little. Good. Now bend down your head, you can rest it on this pillow.”
He lubricated the object well, while Lizzy lay uncomfortably with her buttocks up. Her female parts were hidden by her knickers, which still only were pulled slightly down, but yet she felt extremely exposed like this with her rear hole unusually open.
But then she forgot all about her embarrassment, for the feeling when the doctor worked the cold metal inside her demanded all her attention. Her focus narrowed down to that single part of her body, and the exceptional fullness growing there.
His tempo was slower than ever. The doctor allowed her muscles to adapt to every inserted inch, trying to ease the passage of the massive instrument. Face pressed into the pillow she tried to breath as she was stretched wider than she thought possible.
When it at last was embedded to its hilt she felt fuller than she ever had, and immensely open.
“Is it alright?” he asked kindly.
“Tight,” she choked.
“Just relax. I will try to stretch your rectum and make it more comfortable for you.” He began to slowly rotate the object, and then slide it out – just a little bit – before coming deeper again, repeating this many times. By his ministrations the tight feeling gradually became bearable, even pleasurable to her surprise.
When Lizzy breathed easier, Dr. Darcy peered inside the tube a long time, shining a light down it, all the while mumbling to himself. Since the object was hollow, it allowed him to stick a thinner metal rod in to touch her bowels from the inside.
By now she was rather enjoying the fullness. Every once in a while her inner muscles involuntarily clamped down around it, squeezing it, and each time a spear of pleasure was sent through to her front. As if the instrument was so thick it touched her sensitive parts from the inside.
“I have good news, Miss Bennet, I see no remains of that constipation,” he finally concluded.
She replied with a grunt.
The doctor slowly withdrew the instrument. It glided smoothly along her stretched walls, making her ache for him to touch her front again. Sadly he did not, and after another minute the object was fully extracted leaving her feeling oddly empty.
“Is it…time for that other treatment now?” asked Lizzy, and could not hide her hopeful tone.
“Indeed, it is.” He helped her sit on the examination table. “For this, you will decide which position is most comfortable for you, as the object is for you to be relaxed afterwards. If you lay on your back I will have to expose your genitalia, which might be a bit uncomfortable to you, while on your side it will be as before and I can cover your front.”
“On the side then,” Lizzy decided. She did not want a man to see her there! Not even someone as handsome as Dr. Darcy.
She lay down, and the physician helped her position herself with her knees drawn up, exposing both openings to him. “Just relax, close your eyes and allow yourself to get that well-needed release.”
With closed eyes Lizzy could focus completely on what the doctor did between her legs. First he began to rub her pleasure point, circling it, pinching it, sliding his fingertip up and down over it. When her breathing became faster, she felt his long finger enter her opening, while the other finger kept its massaging. Vagina. He had called it her vagina.
A second finger joined the first one. Rhythmically he pushed in and pulled out several times, and then to her surprise he added a third one. How was it even possible?
“Goodness me, this feels good!” Lizzy exclaimed, unable to keep her silence.
“Very good, Miss Bennet. Keep being vocal with me. Tell me how it feels.” Still speaking, he began to insert his oiled thumb into her rear entrance. Because her vagina was so full, his thumb felt larger than it might have otherwise. She shuddered as he steadfastly, unrelentingly entered her, driving his digit deep inside.
“Oooooh yes, oh ggg…”
“You like that?”
“Yes!”
Now all four fingers moved in unison, sliding in and out, while all the time he kept rubbing the spot in the front. Lizzy was moaning and groaning ever more loudly, concentrating on the pulsating ripples of her muscles contracting around his fingers, involuntarily squeezing them. She marveled at the amazing fullness inside her. Something was building up within her core, like the calm before a huge storm, as if she would explode. And then a cascade of pleasure soared through her entire being, so forceful her legs began to shake. She muffled her scream in the pillow as wave after wave hit her.
The doctor withdrew and allowed her a moment to capture her breath.
“That was… oh, I feel so relaxed now!” She smiled widely at Dr. Darcy, and was rewarded with an almost boyish grin in return.
“I am so glad. This means I have one successful session for my research. Thank you for volunteering. Your help will be invaluable!”
”You mean I was your first patient?”
”Yes. I knew it should work, theoretically I mean, but I had yet to try it. Would you like another session tomorrow?”
“Oh yes, absolutely!” She felt proud to be such an important part of this work. Perhaps this research could change the world, and help thousands of stressed women feel better.
Lizzy and the doctor parted with a polite handshake, before she returned to her waiting carriage, feeling unusually happy and comfortable.
This had been a most productive visit! Her stomach pains were gone, her worry about infertility eased, and in addition she had a series of hysteria treatments to look forward to! Lizzy truly felt blessed.