Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
“Perhaps you should calm yourself, Jane. You might rip a hole in your dress at this rate.”
Jane was startled out of her thoughts by Penelope’s words and when her friend pointedly looked down, she followed her gaze and found her hands twisting and tugging at the fabric of her dress.
Quickly, she released her grip and smoothed down the rumpled creases she had accidentally left behind, sighing as a glance out of the carriage window told her they were almost at the church.
“I'm scared,” Jane confessed.
All her life, the only thing she had wanted was a peaceful life, away from her father’s scrutiny and her mother’s disregard.
Somehow, those forces had combined together to put her in an even worse situation than she could imagine.
Penelope’s hand reached for hers, the duchess’ grip reassuring and firm as she told Jane,
“I know. But you must keep your chin up. We have a plan – though it is rushed, I am convinced we have a good chance to make it out of this safely. Just do exactly as we have said.”
Jane nodded, unable to return Penelope’s smile with one of her own but feeling encouraged regardless.
“All right... thank you.” She replied quietly.
The carriage came to a stop before the doors of the church, and Jane felt her stomach tighten anxiously. Before her fears could threaten to consume her once more, Penelope pulled her into her arms, her embrace lulling her buzzing nerves into silence.
“Do not forget; we are to meet later tonight at the Grey inn. It is quite close to my estate, so once everything has settled on my end, I shall come find you. Once you leave, ride through the woods, heading north until you reach Miller Street. Godspeed.” Penelope said quickly as she stroked Jane’s hair.
Jane nodded, trying not to cry again.
“I won’t forget. Thank you.”
Penelope tightens her hold on Jane for a moment, before she released her and exited the carriage. Jane quietly watched as Penelope approached the earl and countess of Highclere who glanced in the direction of the carriage as they asked her a question.
Penelope’s voice was just barely audible as she spoke to them and Jane caught a few bits and pieces of the dialogue that had been drafted as a necessity of their plan.
“... quite fine, but I felt rather dizzy the whole ride here... oh. Oh dear. Is the world spinning or have I taken leave of my senses?” Penelope moaned as the wind started to pick up around her.
Harriet glanced between the duchess and her husband for a second before she reached for Penelope, gasping as the duchess stumbled forward.
“Y-Your Grace? Are you all right?”
Arthur looked as though he was more irritated by the distraction than anything else.
“We do not have time for this. He is already –”
“I am sorry, Lady Highclere. I do not mean to take away the attention from Jane’s special day, but I am feeling quite ill all of a sudden.
To be honest, I have had a few bouts of light headedness and nausea – especially in the mornings these days.
I thought it had passed because I awoke this morning without incident,” Penelope said earnestly, cutting Arthur off and addressing Harriet only.
Jane watched her mother’s eyes widen and a flush fill her cheeks as she looked around, as though the conversation was far too much for her. Still, she kept her arms out, as though she was ready to catch the duchess if she were to slump.
In an effort to reward her efforts, Penelope did tilt back and forth in an unsteady manner before she nearly dropped to her knees.
Harriet screamed for her husband to catch her but Arthur was too confused to jump into action like his wife expected.
It was Penelope’s coachman who had quickly stepped forward to ensure his mistress did not actually end up on the floor, much to the obvious amusement on Penelope’s face before she committed to her task of fainting.
“My goodness, I feel so faint and breathless,” Penelope panted as onlookers began to swarm around her.
As more people gathered, the duchess began to groan, saying her head and stomach hurt.
“Should we send for a physician?” a man asked in concern, clearly out of his depth.
A woman beside him shook her head. “She is possibly… with child and is unaware of it. We only need to let her rest for a bit. If her condition doesn’t improve then she can be seen by a physician.”
“Water,” Penelope panted, her dramatics so greatly believable that even Jane forgot herself with how impressed she was. “I need water. The sun is… so hot out here. I need shade.”
The whining of a woman whose rank outweighed practically everyone else around and the possibility of what her predicament was caused the people to assemble quickly.
“Let us get her inside. Quickly now. You, find some water. Ladies, if you have fans with you, let us help grant her some air for relief,” the woman who had spoken earlier instructed.
Everyone began to move, gingerly lifting Penelope up and taking her into the church. In mere moments, the entire area was clear.
While their attention was occupied and Jane carefully disembarked from the carriage and quickly moved to the horses. But as she began to undo the brace that connected the horse to the carriage, a drop of water landed on her nose.
Confused, Jane looked up and another drop landed on her forehead. Soon, it began to rain.
“This must be a sign,” Jane mumbled as she continued to fuss around with the horse’s restraints. “This marriage would be cursed if I went along with it. I must leave, now.”
It took longer than she had hoped but she managed to get one free and she led it away from the front of the church.
Jane mounted the horse and rode it into the woods by the church, heading north like Penelope had advised.
It was hard to move because of the rain and she couldn’t clearly see what lay ahead of her. The further away she got from the church, the more worried and anxious she grew.
She had never blatantly disobeyed her parents or rebelled against their wishes like this before. She was always too scared of upsetting them, so she quietly kept up a ruse to delay the inevitable, instead of outright stating her desires.
She could never dare to oppose them and in a way, she wondered if it meant she was just as compromised as her mother.
Now that she had run away and left them to deal with the outcome of her actions, she couldn’t help but worry. Arthur would be livid, undoubtedly and Harriet…
Jane wished she could count on her mother to worry about her well-being, but she knew better than to have such hopeful notions.
With her vision hampered by the rain and her distracted mind, Jane failed to notice there was an obstacle in her path. It was not until her horse veered sideways suddenly that she realized something was wrong.
But it was too late.
Jane felt the reins slip from her fingers and she fell of the horse. The abruptness of her fall caught her off guard and she could barely do much as she rolled in the dirt, coming to a stop by a tree. For a moment, she lay there, willing her mind to clear from the fear and shock.
When she was certain she had recovered some of her bearings, she sat up, wincing when she noticed there was a cut along the back of her left leg, likely gotten after she had fallen.
Shivering, Jane glanced around, her heart sinking as she realized she was utterly alone and lost. Her lips parted to call for help but she stopped before a single sound got out, suddenly scared that she might attract something other than the help she needed.
“What do I do?” she muttered, glancing around at the cluster of trees.
Just as she had begun to turn away from her left, she saw something move from the corner of her eye. Quickly, she looked back in that direction, surprised to see a figure on horseback riding towards her.
Who could that be, she wondered as the person grew closer, cautiously unable to decide if she should be relieved or scared.
It would seem she had been discovered and well, because the person called out to her,
“You there! Are you all right?”
Jane wondered if he would leave if did not respond, but then she also worried that she might cause her only chance at rescue to leave.
“Can you hear me?” he asked once he was only a few feet away from her.
Slowly, Jane nodded. The horse stomped about in place, but he calmed the horse down with a click of his tongue. There was a moment of silence before he questioned,
“Are you hurt?”
His voice was rough and his tall frame was quite intimidating, doubling the anxiety Jane had carried around all day. Once more, she nodded and the man seemed to regard her thoughtfully. It was unnerving that she could not see his face, yet she lay before him, vulnerable and injured.
“Do I have your permission to examine your wounds?” the stranger asked ad he climbed off his horse in a single fluid movement.
This time, Jane was reluctant to answer him and it seemed as though her hesitation was clear because he told her,
“I merely wish to assess them soon in order to prevent the rise of any infections. For the sake of your health, it would be wise to do what can be done early enough.”
His voice lacked any hint of warmth or patience, as though he was only being formal in an effort to be humane, not kind, and if she refused again, he had no reservations about leaving her to her fate.
Still… it was clear he intended to help, otherwise he would have remained on his horse.
Despite his imposing nature and her weakened state, she felt as though she feared going back to the church rather than the man before her.
“A-All right,” she agreed eventually.
He settled down on his knees next to her and he gestured to her.
“Show me the injury,” he instructed briskly.
Jane sighed and pulled her skirts up, just high enough to provide a clear view of her left leg from the knee below. The gash was still bleeding and suddenly Jane was worried it be even more serious than she had initially thought.