Chapter Fourteen
Poor Dumpty Fell into a Dream
As Lydia laid her head down for the night, she continued to smile as she reflected on the joke she played on Billy Lucas.
“He won’t brag in front of me anymore,” she murmured into her pillow.
“Lizzy might be mad, but I am pleased. Besides, what can she do? Lectures don’t hurt, and I can suffer through them even if Papa and she both lecture me. ”
Still smiling, she finally fell asleep.
‘Wasn’t I here this morning,’ Lydia thought as she stood near the pond with Kitty, Pen, Harriet, and Maria. ‘And there is Billy,’ she reflected as she watched him walk up to her group.
“It is such a hot day, I think I will go swimming,” Billy said as he reached them. “Do you want to join me?” Then he laughed. “Oh! I forgot. Girls can’t swim.”
“Girls can to swim,” Kitty retorted. “Jane and Lizzy are expert swimmers.”
By this time, Billy had stripped off most of his clothing and waded into the pond.
‘This happened yesterday,’ Lydia reflected while trying to determine why this was occurring again.
“Miss Show-off Lydia. You can’t even swim. Maria can, but she is too scared. Billy taunted. “Girls are stupid. They cannot do even the simplest thing like swimming.”
“Papa says proper young ladies should not swim with boys,” Maria shouted because Billy had swum closer to the other side of the pond.
Lydia whispered to Pen, “Use your magic to wrap the water weeds around his leg and pull him down.”
“No, Lydia. That is not the correct use of the power. I will get in trouble if I misuse my ability,” Pen whispered back.
Lydia laughed. She had laughed yesterday, so laughing today was correct, or at least she thought this was a repeated yesterday. Lydia knew she could coax Pen into doing anything she wanted her to do. She just had to call into question her ability to use the power.
With some more cajoling, Pen finally did as Lydia asked. As Lydia watched Billy being pulled under the water, she laughed at the shocked look on his face. After he was pulled down three times, Lydia said, “You can let him go now.”
She watched as Pen concentrated but finally frowned. “It is not working,” she whispered to Lydia.
Lydia laughed thinking Pen was joking.
“No, Lydia, I am serious,” Pen hissed quietly. “I cannot get the weeds to let go.”
Lydia did not understand why, but she found this fact even funnier causing another burst of laughter.
She never thought about the fact that Billy could drown.
'Nobody could drown in such shallow water,’ she thought.
Then, she remembered the day before when Lizzy went in the water, and the water was nearly to her sister’s chin, but Billy was shorter than her sister.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter. Lizzy and Mary will be here in time to save him.’ This thought also caused her to giggle. Lizzy would get wet she remembered.
As she waited, however, Lydia realized Lizzy was not showing up, and Billy was not coming up out of the water.
Lydia nudged Pen with her elbow, whispering, “Bring him up.”
Pen whispered back, “I can’t. The weeds will not let go.”
Maria began screaming, “Somebody save him. Save my brother.”
Kitty began weeping; much too noisily Lydia thought. Harriet just looked on, ringing her hands and periodically looking around for someone to help.
Maria’s screams finally caught the attention of some tenants working in the nearest field. When they appeared, Maria screamed, “My brother is in the pond and not coming up.”
One of the men promptly jumped into the pond but came up emptyhanded. “I needs a knife. Something to cut with,” he shouted to the other man on the bank.
Another man pulled something out of his pocket and waded out to the man already in the water. Lydia saw something exchanged between them. Then the first man went back under the water.
Just then, Lydia saw Lizzy and Mary come into view. “Where have you been?” Lydia shouted at Lizzy who only looked at her in surprise. “You should have been here sooner.”
“What are you talking . . .” Lizzy got no further for the man who went under the water came up with a small lifeless figure in his arms.
He walked out of the water with the other man beside him and laid the figure on the ground. “Too late,” the man sputtered.
Lizzy walked over and knelt down beside the boy. “Billy Lucas,” she muttered. Then she turned to Maria, “Run get your father. Tell him to send for the apothecary and bring a wagon.” When Maria just stood there, Lizzy yelled, “Go now, Maria!” causing Maria to jump and then run off.
From there, Lydia noticed everything went quickly. Mary and Lizzy spoke, but she did hear them. Then the wagon with Sir William arrived and soon after Mr. Jones the apothecary.
Lydia then found herself at home standing in front of her father and Sir William.
“According to Miss Penelope, your daughter forced her to use the power improperly. Your daughter is just as responsible for my son’s death as Miss Penelope is,” Sir William declared.
“Lydia has no ability to use the power,” Mr. Bennet replied.
“No. Her power is persuasion,” Sir William fiercely retorted. “That makes her guilty.”
Lydia watched her father turn pale as he asked, “What are you intending to do?”
“I am charging both girls with murder,” Sir William growled. “They killed my son.”
“But they are both so young,” her father replied.
“It matters not.” Lydia saw Sir William turning red with anger. “My son is dead, and they are responsible.”
Lydia was not sure what happened, but she suddenly found herself locked in a small room with Pen.
There were two cots up against the wall and a chamber pot sitting out in the open.
Pen sat on the bed wrapped in a blanket, and Lydia noticed she too had a blanket wrapped around her.
When she looked closely at Pen, she noticed her crying.
Looking around the room, Lydia noticed bar walls, a dirty floor, a small window over the beds with only a little light shining through.
Lydia was ready to ask where they were, when she heard the door rattling.
“The trial is ready to start. You will follow me,” a gruff man ordered.
Pen dropped the blanket around her, and Lydia noticed her wearing a drab grayish gown that just hung on her frame.
Lydia dropped her blanket and noticed she wore the same kind of gown.
Without saying anything, Lydia followed Pen through the door, and the two walked down a long dark hallway at the end of which Lydia saw a dimly lighted opening.
The nearer she approached the end of the hall, the easier she could make out the light was coming through a doorway.
As Lydia passed through the doorway, she discovered the light temporarily blinded her.
When her eyes finally adjusted, she saw a gallery to her left where people were seated, and to the right was a tall area where a man stood next to what she took to be a chair.
The man leading them, ushered them into a box with no seats, so the two just stood and waited for what would come next.
Lydia had never attended a trial before, but she knew this must be what she was experiencing. When the judge came in, he stared at her with a look of disgust. Only when another man read the charge, “Accused of murdering one William Martin Lucas,” did Lydia fully realize what was happening.
Lydia felt everything swirl around her, and the next moment she heard the stern judge saying, “Hanged by the neck until dead.” Pen, standing next to her, began hysterically weeping.
Lydia could only stand stunned, not sure what was really happening.
The next moment, she found herself back in the small room with Pen and watched as the door once again opened.
The same man who took her into the trial again said, “Follow me.”
Two men behind the first man came into the room and took Pen by the arms and walked her out.
As Lydia followed, she saw a man in a smock and decided he was the local vicar.
He was quoting a passage from the bible that Lydia had heard Mary reciting many times, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” [1]
Lydia felt like laughing. ‘This must all be a joke,’ she thought. The feeling continued until she again walked out into the light, but this time, instead of a room, she was outside facing the gallows. “No,” she wailed. “This can’t be happening. I didn’t do anything.”
Without knowing how she got there, she was standing on the platform with her hands bound in front of her.
As she looked out on the sea of faces, she spotted her papa and Sir William standing in front of the crowd.
She noticed tears running down her papa’s checks, but Sir William only scowled.
Before she could plead with her papa to save her, a bag was placed over her head, and then she felt a rope being place around her neck.
Lydia wanted to cry out, but only her thoughts came through. ‘Someone, help me. I do not want to die.’ Only as the thought of death presented itself, did Lydia finally realize the truth of what was happening to her.
“No,” she whispered.
“Lydia.” She heard Lizzy’s voice speaking. “You did wrong. All actions have consequences. You are now facing your consequence. Maybe you thought it was a funny joke, but, Lydia, any joke that will harm another person is not funny. Can you admit that?”
Very softly, Lydia replied, “Yes.”
“Are you willing to atone for your wrongdoing?”
“Yes,” Lydia whimpered.
“Can you face death courageously?”
‘Death,’ Lydia thought as she faced the reality of her actions. Fear rose up in her, remorse overwhelmed her, and she suddenly found herself crying out loud, “No! No! I was wrong. Don’t let me die.”
Lydia felt arms wrapping around her, and a soft voice whispering, “It will be alright, Lydia. You are dreaming.”
Lydia did not remember sitting up, but she knew she was. So thankful of someone being with her, she threw her arms around the person holding her and wept.
Nothing was said, but her sister, Lydia knew it was Lizzy sitting with her, just held her and allowed her to cry. When she felt all cried out, she laid back down. Lizzy smoothed her hand over Lydia’s brow until she finally fell asleep.
In the silence of the room, Lizzy said to Peachy and Butterbell, “We should know in the morning if the dream worked.” All three then quietly slipped out of the room.