The Archduke's Songbird
***Completed*** Lady Jessamyn brought home a ten-year-old orphan when she was eight. He was handsome ^_~. She provided him with a place to stay and warm meals. As they grew up, she desired to marry him, despite their differing statuses. As war raged, he signed up for the military, promising to ask for her hand when he was worthy. Two years later, he became more than what he promised he would be. He became the Archduke of Ayberia. But he broke her heart by marrying her friend. Years rolled away; life happened. She married a man who loved her and fell madly in love with him. She didn't think of him again. But fate was cruel; she was widowed at the age of twenty-one. She lost everything. Seven years later, she met a mysterious wolf while she was out at work in the Archduke's fief. She had a fall. The next morning, she found herself on the Archduke's bed. Did fate bring them together again? Or something nefarious is at play? Is this a chance for a second love? Will she find out why he abandoned her in the past? Is it possible to rekindle their old love, or is it too late? ----- Join me in this journey. Your comments and votes are appreciated. Gift me to motivate me. Updates will be daily.
Female Hysteria
Jessamyn was admiring Jerrick's fingers when her thoughts wandered to an unusual place. Her thought process was simple enough: looking at his fingers reminded her of Joar's and the things he did with them.
When she was married to Joar, a new phenomenon was becoming common among the ladies of high society. Physicians had identified an illness that they named "female hysteria," as it affected only women—mostly unwed women, widows, and those with husbands who were away for a long time.
The illness was purportedly caused by a buildup of fluid in the woman's womb, reasoning that since men ejaculated their "fluid," it stood to reason that only women were affected by such an ailment.
Physicians acknowledged that the disorder stemmed from sexual dissatisfaction. The treatment involved stimulation in the pelvic area—a pelvic massage to induce "hysterical paroxysm."