Page 28 of Secret Dynasty

But now that I was here in his office, I wondered if it was enough. The entire space had been designed to calm. White on white on white with a side of white and white chairs. In other words, it was sterile, boring, and had the opposite effect. I fidgeted on the sofa and checked my watch.

He wrote another note. “And Kate?”

“What about her?” I’d practiced this part. I knew exactly what I needed to say. “She doesn’t exist.”

“Doesn’t she?” he asked.

I shifted again and stared at my nude-leather Manolo Blahniks. I’d worn jeans and a linen blouse, opting for comfort, so I could easily lie down on the couch. Or whatever was expected of me. Now, I felt silly. It didn’t matter what I wore or how quickly I jumped through the hoops. I knew the truth. I knew this was all pointless. B

“I made her up.” I slipped into the lie they wanted me to believe. It was getting easier everyday. I was Kerrigan Belmond. Heiress. Engaged to Spencer Byrd, the future prime minister if he had anything to say about it.

“I see.” Dr. Simmons placed his notepad on his desk and took off his glasses. “I think we’re done for today.”

“What?” I blinked at him in surprise. “My appointment is for an hour.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t bill you.”

I wasn’t certain which was more shocking: that he wasn’t going to charge me or that I was being sent away. He stood and moved toward the door.

“Am I cured?” I asked slowly. I hadn’t expected it to be this easy. I’d braced myself for a few sessions to keep Tod happy while I waited for the test results.

His forehead wrinkled, two bushy eyebrows knitting together as he inhaled deeply. “No, you’re lying.”

“What?” I got to my feet, daring me to say that to me face-to-face.

“You do not believe you are Kerrigan. You have accepted nothing. I told your father this would happen if you were pushed too hard too quickly.” He patted my shoulder and I shrank away from him. “These things take time.”

“What things? Brainwashing people?” I snapped at him. I reached down and grabbed my purse. I couldn’t believe he was just kicking me out.

“There. Now that was honest,” he said.

“What do you want me to say? I agreed to some crazy arrangement in exchange for ten million pounds? That I slept with a stranger while pretending to be someone else? That I’m being forced into a life of wealth that’s not mine? Why would I make that up?” I demanded.

“That is what we are trying to figure out,” Dr. Simmons said, bypassing my logic and returning to his previous claims. “And until you want to know those answers, we won’t be able to get to the truth behind this traumatic episode.”

“I’m the crazy one?” I pointed to my chest. “How is any of this helping me?”

“It’s not, but you have to seek the answers.”

I hadn’t come all the way to South London to get five minutes of therapy. “And how do I do that?”

“We could try hypnotherapy.”

“You’re going to hypnotize me,” I said in disbelief. Was I at a doctor’s office or a Las Vegas side show?

“Regression therapy can be quite useful in uncovering past events. Think of your mind like a library. You can browse through your memories, pull them out, relive them. But there are parts of the library that are locked away, even to you. Hypnosis can help us unlock them.”

“Great,” I said. “So why didn’t you try this on Kerrigan and fix her?”

“We have tried this before, Miss Belmond,” he said gently. “It had unexpected side effects.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. “Well, now you’ve sold me. Do you need a pocket watch or something?”

“It was regretful,” he continued, ignoring my sarcasm. “But we are more prepared to handle the episodes now.”

“Episodes?” I repeated.

“The deeper we looked, the more frequently you began to experience panic attacks,” he explained. When I didn’t speak, he continued to clarify. “You described them as being pulled under water. I thought it might have something to do with your mother’s drowning, but I underestimated the effect they were having on you.”