Free Katie Rose by Courting Trouble

Flipping through the pages, she found chapters on pregnancy, menstruation, female complaints … her finger paused at the chapter on female sexuality.
    “Men are catabolic in nature. They are concerned basically with fertilization, and thus are encouraged to expend energy. Women, by contrast, as the weaker sex, are anabolic. They must conserve energy, and are thus considered receptacles for a man’s pleasure. It is the female then, who controls sexual advances, and is held responsible for the morality of the culture, who can say ‘yea or nay’ to the consummation of intercourse.”
    Winifred’s nose wrinkled thoughtfully. Receptacles? What on earth did that mean? She read on.
    “However, it must be said that with the study of evolutionary theories, there is a distinct possibility thatwomen, as well as men, are endowed with mating instincts which compel them toward completion of the sex act. These instincts may be subtle, or may cause physical symptoms such as rapid pulse and breathing, distraction, lack of concentration, night sweats, and fantasies. Many believe that these feelings are associated with the seasons, much as they are in the animal kingdom, spring being a particular time for female sensitivity. The only cure appears to be the sex act itself, which temporarily purges the body of impurities and rids the mind of toxins.”
    Her hand was shaking as she slammed the book shut. So that was what was wrong with her! Mating instincts! The symptoms the doctor listed could not have been more like the ones she was experiencing if she had recited them herself.
    Relief sped through her. She could finally put a name and a cause to her condition. Good Lord, why didn’t anyone inform women about this, tell them that these feelings were normal, healthy, and indeed, good for the species? Instead of watercolors and needlepoint, why weren’t women taught anything useful, especially about their own bodies? Surely she was not the only female who thought she was losing her mind when the only thing she could concentrate on was a man.
    Yet her thoughts wandered back to that last sentence.
The only cure appears to be the sex act itself
. That she could believe. Her little experience in lovemaking, rather than sating her, only left her wanting more. Was this the way of it, then, and why lovers would take any risk to be together? Or perhaps, once the act itself had taken place, one felt satisfied?
    That notion made some logical sense, and a solution began to suggest itself in Winifred’s mind. What if she were to become Charles’s mistress, at least for one night? Excitement pulsed through her as shetasted the thought. Their romantic interest was becoming entirely too distracting from her work. Surely, if they experienced the ultimate in a physical relationship, they could both put it from their minds and concentrate once more!
    Before she could congratulate herself on her brilliance, a sobering thought came to her. There could be consequences to her plan. Even as sheltered as Winifred was, she knew how women became pregnant, and that the very act she was contemplating could have such a result. Her nose wrinkled, and she opened the book once more to read the section on female fertility:
    “The female fertile cycle is a three-day period occurring approximately fourteen days before the onset of menses. If a woman forgoes sexual intercourse during the fertile period, she may safely indulge during the off cycle without pregnancy occurring. Conversely, if a woman desires pregnancy, conception is most likely to occur during the fertile period. Thus any woman can control the size of her family and number of children by adhering to a few simple rules.”
    That was it! Winifred knew most married women must practice something like this. They spoke of it in hushed whispers that died when she or another young woman entered the room, and now, she finally knew the particulars. A burden seemed to lift from her as she anticipated her fantasy