Chapter 31 Succor
Mary crept along a deserted alley in the direction of the church steeple.
At one point, the alley joined the main road passing through the village. She drew back into the shadows. She dared not be seen. Any woman abroad at such an hour without an escort would be taken for a woman of ill repute.
She retraced her steps until she reached the end of the alley, then entered the woods and skirted the village until she came upon the church grounds.
Emerging from the trees, she crossed the green.
The parsonage ought to stand nearby.
She moved along the church wall, grateful for the height of the stone enclosure shielding her from view. Reaching the gate, she looked carefully in both directions.
Then she saw it.
The parsonage stood farther back from the road at the end of a long path. Light glowed from the front windows.
She guessed it was sometime after eight o’clock. Mary drew the cloak more closely about herself and proceeded up the lane to the front entrance. She rapped upon the door and waited.
A servant answered.
Mary introduced herself. “Pray inform the rector’s wife that Mrs. Collins from the Hunsford parsonage wishes to speak with her.”
The servant curtsied. “Come in, Mrs. Collins, if you please. Kindly wait here.”
She closed the door behind Mary and departed in search of her mistress.
Mary’s strength seemed to abandon her as the relief of escape swept through her being. She sagged against the door, panting softly as she struggled to recover both her composure and her strength.
Several minutes passed before a woman, perhaps in her middle fifties, descended the stair. Mary had never felt such relief at the sight of another person. The woman exuded kindness and wisdom. Surely, she would not cast her out unprotected into the night.
The woman examined her closely.
“Good evening, Mrs. Collins. How may I assist you?”
“If you please, ma’am, I should like a word with you in private.”
“Of course. Come with me.”
The lady led her into a dainty parlor where they both took seats.
Mary recounted everything she knew and all that had befallen her that day.
“I have no notion where I am, nor where they confined me, but I know the matter concerns the free trade, for my captor told me so himself. I was held in what appeared to be a castle.”
The lady looked astonished.
“The only great house in these parts within walking distance would be Penshurst Place. The old manor was built centuries ago, and from its style and fortifications, it might well appear to you as a castle. Surely you do not mean to say you walked all that distance tonight?”
“Yes, ma’am. There was a footpath, and it proved easy enough to follow to this village.”
“This is Penshurst, Mrs. Collins. And you reside at Hunsford Parsonage?”
“Yes, ma’am. It lies three miles east of Westerham.”
“Well, dearie, you are only some nine miles from home. I imagine you wish to return tonight?”
“Yes, ma’am. My family and our friends at Rosings Park must be frantic with worry until they learn I am safe.”
“Of course. My husband is not at home at present. He sits beside a dying parishioner. But my man of all work shall drive you in the gig. Come into the kitchen and take some food. From your appearance, you must be famished.”
“Thank you, ma’am. I am indeed very hungry.”
While Mary ate, the servant prepared the gig, and by the time he drew it round to the front entrance, she had finished her meal.
“Mrs. Clavering, thank you for assisting me. Pray, may this matter remain secret? I would not bring retaliation upon you or your servants.”
“Of course, Mary. Old John knows how to keep his tongue in his head, and so does Martha, his wife. We all know the sort of people who inhabit these parts. We have learned to mind our own affairs and hold our tongues.”
Mary took the woman’s hand and kissed it.
“Thank you, ma’am. God bless you.”
Then she departed.
Old John assisted her into the gig, and they set off into the night.
Nearly two hours later, they arrived at Rosings Park.
Mary stood shivering before the front entrance while John rapped upon the door. Drake himself answered it.
“Mrs. Collins! Ma’am, your sisters shall rejoice to see you returned.”
Mary turned toward the servant. “John, may we offer you some refreshment before you return to your mistress? Hot coffee or tea perhaps? A pastry?”
Drake opened the door wider. “Come in, ma’am.”
He dispatched the footman outside. “See the horse watered. You must remain long enough for the animal to rest. Come down to the kitchens, sir, and we shall provide you with something to eat.”
Mary clasped the old servant’s hand. “Thank you, John, for bringing me safely home tonight.”
“My pleasure, mistress.”
Mary excused herself and hurried upstairs. She burst into Elizabeth’s bedchamber, where all four ladies sat holding vigil.
They stared at her in astonishment, frozen for one moment before rushing toward her in a flood of tears, embraces, and kisses.
When their first joy subsided, they settled together to hear her account of all that had happened.
At length, Anne spoke.
“We shall send a note to your husband, Mary, informing him of your safe return.” She looked toward Elizabeth. “But what of Richard? Ought we send word tonight, or wait until morning? It can alter nothing for him now. The smugglers’ goods must still be found and returned lest something worse occur.”
Elizabeth said, “Send a servant, Anne. It will spare him one worry.”
Anne ordered hot water for Mary to bathe, and afterward they all prepared for bed. It had been a long and harrowing day.
The two sisters remained with Mary until she had bathed and changed into her nightclothes. Jane prepared a poultice for the laceration and bound the wound before all three sisters climbed into the massive bed and fell asleep together.
Richard stood outside a deep cavern, some three miles from Rosings Park, when he spotted a rider approaching across the fields.
The men standing beside him lowered their cups of water and looked up.
“It is the stable boy, sir.”
Richard stepped forward as the boy pulled the horse to a halt and jumped down from the saddle. Reaching into his pocket, the stable boy handed him a note.
After he read it, Richard said, “Thank you, Jimmy. Tell Mrs. Fitzwilliam we shall continue searching along the bluffs, and inform her I am relieved to hear the news about Mrs. Collins.”
“Yes, sir.”
The boy left them.
Richard made the announcement. “Mrs. Collins managed to escape the gang. They held at Penhurst Place.”
Beaumont said, “The family is never at home this time of year. It is well known that they remove to London shortly after Michaelmas, for he is too advanced in years to travel during poor weather.
“The Board of Customs must determine that. If the gang is using the manor without the family’s knowledge, then their stranglehold upon the county is stronger than we imagined.”
Beaumont said, “Her return is a mercy. Miss Bennet was nearly overcome with distress. I feared she would collapse.”
“I feared the same for Miss Elizabeth. I am thankful that their sister has been safely restored to them. I confess I can hardly wait to hear the account of her abduction. It is going to be difficult not to speak of it.”
The two footmen accompanying them remained silent.
“Well, gentlemen, we had best continue with our work. I begin to suspect the goods have been concealed elsewhere.”
Beaumont said, “It would assist matters greatly if we knew precisely what we searched for.”
“Yes, indeed. Still, I imagine we shall recognize it when we find it. Beaumont, you have labored through the entire night. Return home and sleep awhile. Will you join us for dinner this evening?”
The man grinned. “I shall. I look forward to the visit.”
Richard laughed. “You mean to say you look forward to seeing Miss Bennet?”
Then he addressed the other men.
“I must return home and dispatch another express to Darcy. The rest of you may return as well, except you, Miller. Remain here until Jacobs and Masters arrive. Show them which caves we have already searched and where they must continue the work. Afterward, you may return to Rosings and sleep. We will return to continue the search once we have slept a few hours.”
Mr. Collins awaited Mary in the drawing room at eight o’clock the following morning. All three sisters descended together. Anne joined them and ordered tea.
Mary recounted everything she knew from the moment she had walked toward Rosings until she arrived at the parsonage in Penshurst village.
Mr. Collins’s expression unsettled Elizabeth, and from the look upon Mary’s face, she knew her sister felt distressed as well.
He rose to his feet.
“Mrs. Collins, I should like a private word with you.”
Anne spoke at once. “Mary, there is a fire lit in the yellow salon.”
Mr. Collins closed the door behind him before asking, “Did these men violate you, Mrs. Collins?”
Mary flushed but met her husband’s gaze without fear.
“Sir, I have already described the full extent of my injuries. I suffered a laceration to my arm and a headache from the blow to my head, but beyond that, the man with whom I dealt treated me kindly. He brought me supper. That was the only occasion upon which I saw him. I remained locked alone in that chamber for hours.”
“Yes, Mrs. Collins, I understand, but you have stated you lay unconscious for part of that time. How can you know you were not assaulted?”
Mary pressed her lips together.
“Sir, I should know if I had suffered the sort of assault to which you refer. I bear no injury on my person apart from the laceration on my arm.”
The rector repeated the question a third time.
Mary offered no reply.
Instead, she left the room.
Her sisters heard her run up the stairs and exchanged uncertain looks, unsure whether they should go to her or whether Mr. Collins would follow.
Anne spoke before anyone else could reply.
“Sir, what has occurred to distress my friend so greatly?”
“She will not satisfy my concerns, Mrs. Fitzwilliam. I asked her three times whether those men violated her.”
“And did she not answer you, sir?”
“She did. She insists no assault took place, but she lay unconscious for part of the time, ma’am.”
“Mr. Collins, pray understand that a woman would know whether she had suffered such an assault. If you choose not to believe your wife when she assures you no violation occurred, that is your own affair, but you must not continue questioning her in so disrespectful and humiliating a manner.”
She drew herself upright.
“You must forgive my bluntness, sir, but I believe you ought to leave now. And pray, do not divulge that Mrs. Collins was taken by the Aldington Gang. We do not wish open hostilities to erupt upon the grounds of Rosings between rival gangs.”
Color flooded his face to a dark purple.
“Yes, Mrs. Fitzwilliam. I shall not speak of it to anyone.”
“Indeed, sir, I am quite certain Colonel Fitzwilliam would wish me to request that you refrain from calling here unless your presence is expressly requested.”
“Yes, ma’am. I understand.”
He rose to his feet.
“I shall return to the parsonage.” He bowed and departed.
When Drake closed the door behind him, Anne looked toward the two Bennet sisters. “He does not believe Mary.”
“No,” Elizabeth replied. “He does not. Some men lack the ability to trust. He is one of them.”
Jane rose at once. “I shall go up to Mary and try to comfort her.” Elizabeth also rose and followed behind.