Chapter 7: The College

Father Reilly considered what the attendance at the College of Correction and Redemption might involve. It did not sound promising — severe self-flagellation at the very least would be the 'Correction' part of the course, he imagined. He made his way to the address he had been given, and found there a gaunt early Victorian building which looked extremely forbidding from the outside. There was no indication on the door that this was the College, but he was in the right street and the number on the door was correct so he pulled the bell handle and waited.

The door was opened by an insignificant servant girl in a drab smock, and Father Reilly started to ask if this were the right address.

"Follow me," said the girl, ignoring the question.

Father Reilly was led along several corridors until they reached a closed door.

"There," said the servant, and turned away, disappearing before Father Reilly could ask any more.

Hesitantly he knocked at the door, and then entered in response to the call from within. Seated behind a desk was a short dark priest wearing the purple which signified that he was a Monsignor. He had a sour expression on his face as he looked Father Reilly up and down, and evidently was not much impressed by what he saw.

"You will be Reilly, the child molester?" he asked.

"Not a child, Monsignor, not a child. She was ... is eighteen," stammered Father Reilly.

"But you sinned with her in your heart long ago; you 'looked upon her' as Our Lord expressed it," it was a statement, not a question.

"No matter," Monsignor Flavin continued, "I am Monsignor Flavin, the Master of the College of Correction and Redemption. It is our purpose here to ensure that you do not transgress with any of your new parishioners. The Holy Mother Church accepts that you are human and therefore sinful. What we do here is provide an outlet for the sinful part of your nature which is carefully controlled so that no scandal can arise. To that end a devout nun accepts the rôle of provider, we call her the Merciful Nun, and she allows you to indulge any carnal desires you may have, after which you come to me and confess. I then give you a penance and absolution."

Father Reilly was completely silenced by this short speech. He wondered if he had correctly understood what was being said. Was it possible that a nun was being offered to him for sexual dalliance simply to stop him becoming entangled with another parishioner?

After some moments Monsignor Flavin said, "Yes. That is the usual reaction. Well, now comes a certain amount of disappointment. The current Merciful Nun is heavily pregnant so no chastisement of her is allowed. Of course she can perform fellatio, or you can sodomise her, or you can copulate with her, though the latter is difficult now. And, of course you may indulge in all three if you so desire; she is entirely at your disposal for the rest of the day."

Still Father Reilly was struck dumb by the enormity of what was being offered here.

After some moments he gathered himself and asked, "Are you sure no word will get out?"

"Absolutely sure, Father."

"But what about the servant girls?"

Monsignor Flavin laughed, "They are specially selected from girls of very poor families, girls who have been orphaned in their early teens and who remember the hardships of their childhoods. Having three meals a day, more than one set of clothes, a waterproof roof over their heads, a comfortable bed, and warmth in the winter is like living in heaven for them. They will not talk. In any case they never go out. They are not to be touched, or even spoken to unnecessarily; their purpose is to act as maids in the College, not to indulge any of your needs."

The older man rose from his chair and walked to the door, saying, "Let me introduce you to Gertrude."

Following him, Father Reilly asked, "Gertrude?"

"The current Merciful Nun's baptismal name was Gertrude. She does not use her convent name while performing her sinful duties. We find it helps these women if they can divorce their two lives."

As they spoke, the two men were walking briskly along a corridor. Monsignor Flavin stopped at a door and turned to the younger priest.

"In there. No need to knock, just walk in and use her as you see fit. She has several different costumes and on future visits you can specify in advance what apparel you want to find her in."

With that he turned away and strode back towards his office.

Father Reilly hesitated for a moment and then opened the door and walked through it.