Calista was heartened by Raymond’s words. She’d never had the courage to voice how she felt to Aaron. Perhaps Aaron would also be swayed. Mrs. Cleary had fondly spoken of London and Calista already imagined Regent Park, the river Thames, the elegant boutiques and coffee shops. There was a world to see out there. It wasn’t sunny Kerkyra, but it was something. She turned to her husband, awaiting his response. But Aaron’s faraway expression had blackened.
“There are means to bring the best of all we need to Alexandra Hall. Everything, anything at all can be purchased and transported here,” replied Aaron darkly. He seemed miles away, barely looking into Raymond’s eyes as he spoke.
The latter tilted his head, suddenly aware of Aaron’s changed mood. He set his wine glass on the table.
“I meant it, you know,” insisted Raymond. “If you can find a method to prove your far-fetched theories, then all the best to you. But tell me, do you have a mesmerist in mind? Another Frenchman, perhaps?”
Aaron did not reply to this ultimate provocation. He glanced at Calista, who stiffened, before meeting her husband’s gaze with her own penetrating blue and black eyes.
“I have better than a mesmerist,” said Aaron.
And he grasped her hand tighter than he ever had.
Lost Souls of Alexandra Hall
IT had begun with dogs then later, cats. Aaron would encourage her to caress the animal and bond with it. For the first few days, it grew accustomed to the cellar. This would take a week and then the subject, as Aaron liked to call them, would attach itself to her and begin to obey all her orders.
It was her favourite period. She loved them and they loved her. But what she loved most, was the enchantment it seemed to have on Aaron. When he saw her interact with the animals, he fell once more under her spell, and she glimpsed the wonderment in his eyes. It reminded her of how he used to stare at her in Kerkyra. It reassured her that all was well between them. As the days passed, Aaron was continually impressed by her abilities, her animal magnetism, as he called it. It made her feel useful. It made her feel loved for who she was.
In the early days, he also taught her how to use a stethoscope. With the dog or fox, lying down strapped on a table, she would press the end of this wooden tubular contraption and listen for the animal’s heartbeats.
She learnt to recognise when the animal was unsettled or when it was calm, just by listening to the ebb and flow of its breathing and the pulsing beats deep within its chest.
“If the subject is in distress,” advised Aaron, “then you must take over.”
Aaron had designed what he called his pain free experiments. It began as a period of soothing where Calista caressed the animal and monitored its heartbeat. She would record the number of beats per minute. Aaron prepared the instruments and washed his hands in a basin.
The first time the candlelight reflected on the metal implements, Calista had almost swooned. As Aaron laid out various surgical contraptions from his opened leather case, she felt herself grow weak.
She had lost all courage. “What are you going to do?” she had asked in disbelief.
“You can do this, Calista. Do not fail me,” had replied Aaron. He shot her such a stern expression that she felt a nasty jolt in her chest. From that moment, she asked few questions.
And in his journal, Aaron would describe the nature of each experiment. He undertook the minor operations first, those he deemed would inflict less pain and were unlikely to harm the animals. Then, over the months, if the animal remained alive, he performed more advanced vivisections – removal of a paw, an ear, the kidney, or else an entire limb.
The method was simple. Soothe, operate, monitor and soothe again.
“I can’t do this,” she cried out, the first time he brandished the knife over a yelping Labrador puppy.
“Calista, you must trust in your capacity to diminish its pain. Everything rests upon you and your magnetic force.”
Calista shook her head violently.
“No, no, Aaron. I cannot do this. I can barely look. Don’t make me look.”
“Shut it out. Look away if you must. Focus on its heartbeat. Raise your arm, like this, if you find it is in distress and you wish me to pause. Then it is up to you to soothe it. If you do not apply yourself properly to calm it, it will feel pain, Calista.”
Calista flinched away, trembling. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Calista, my darling. We’ve spoken about this. I do not possess your abilities. But this dog,” he said, pointing to the puppy strapped upon its side, “has utmost faith in you. Use it. You must caress it and speak to it like you always have, continue to hold its attention until it focuses only on your voice, until it falls into a trance and begins to lose sensation and feels no pain. Do you understand?”
Calista had not been convinced. But she’d tried. To her great
