“Goodness.” Harriet was listing intently. “That is quite different.”
“I hope it is a book that will appeal to women. I think it quite wrong that there is so much erotic literature out there for men who can simply walk into their library and pull a volume off the shelves, while there is little to nothing available for women. We have no resources, nowhere to turn to elicit the information we so sorely require.”
She rose and Harriet followed as they resumed their walk.
“Women need such information, Harry. Nobody tells us anything about passion or intimacy. About how our bodies respond to a man’s touch. About what we will feel, about how to go on, about…so many things…”
Harriet looked confused. “But isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? We find ourselves a husband and they will be the ones to educate us about those things.”
“That’s the way it is, Harry. Not the way it’s supposed to be.” Letitia gave a firm assertive nod. “What, for example, what if your husband has no idea how to please you?”
“Please me?” Harry blinked. “I thought it was a wife’s job to please her husband.”
“Would it surprise you to know that pleasure can be mutual?”
“It can?”
“Yes.”
“Er…how do you know?” Harriet’s eyebrows rose high.
“I read it, of course.” Letitia shook her head. “I am not speaking from experience, Harry. But I have read everything I can get my hands on. All those books that only men are supposed to read. The old Baron, my father, gave not one whit about anything I did. I was a mere girl and therefore unimportant. So I had the run of more places than he could have imagined and it turns out one of my ancestors had quite a collection of improper works. From many countries.”
“Oh my goodness.”
“Some were illustrated.”
Harriet struggled. “Ah. Well. How…how…”
“Fascinating is the right word, Harry. Fascinating. I learned so much from them.”
“I’m sure you did. I mean you must have.” She gulped. “Pictures?”
“Detailedpictures.”
The two women looked at each other—and burst out laughing.
All in all, thought Letitia, not a bad way begin life with a new maid.
