Chapter Three
“Mrs. Collins.” Doctor Trent turned to Charlotte with a serious look as she re-entered Elizabeth’s room, “Miss Bennet will be well, I am sure. She has taken a nasty knock to the head, but with proper care I hope she will be recover fully.”
“Oh, thank the good Lord.” Charlotte sagged against the door, and Maria, who had stayed with the doctor and Elizabeth, ran to her for a reassuring hug.
“Could Miss Lucas remain with her for a moment while I speak to you privately?” the doctor requested politely.
Charlotte blinked. “Yes, of course,” she said uncertainly. “Though, I wish to get Lizzy changed, to make her more comfortable – she is wet through…”
“One minute is all. Perhaps Miss Lucas could begin making her comfortable.”
“Anything for poor Lizzy!” and Maria at once began to unlace her friend’s shoes.
“Come this way, Dr. Trent.” Charlotte led him to her little abovestairs parlour.
“I pray you will tell me quickly, whatever it was that you felt you could not say in front of my sister,” she said, holding his eyes with her steady grey ones, and Trent tried unsuccessfully to suppress a sigh.
This woman, this amazing woman was utterly wasted on that sycophantic little idiot Collins.
What he would only give to have met her first!
“Not all of Miss Bennet’s injuries are consistent with her taking a tumble down a bank into a stream, Mrs. Collins,” he said slowly.
“I have not the pleasure of understanding you, Dr. Trent,” Charlotte replied, her brow furrowing.
Looking at the floor, the doctor sighed. “Dear God, this does not get any easier.” He took off his glasses, wiped them on his handkerchief, looked at Charlotte and looked away.
She was struck, suddenly, that Dr. Trent was quite a handsome man.
He wasn’t particularly tall, but he was lean and well-built, and his sandy-brown hair and squarish face were rather pleasing to the eye, especially when he took off his glasses and revealed a remarkable pair of eyes; grass-green in colour.
He must be about thirty-five or thereabouts, Charlotte thought, and wondered why such a handsome, well-set-up man had not married.
And then she despised herself for thinking such thoughts when her friend lay injured and in need of her.
“Just say it, Doctor, I have no time for this!”
“I believe Miss Bennet was injured before she fell in the stream, Mrs. Collins,” he said bluntly.
“The top of her gown was ripped – nay, shredded. The Colonel had wrapped her in his coat, and I have left her in it, but it looks very much as though she was assaulted. There are bruises forming on her – upper body which resemble finger-marks,” he blushed, unable to say the words bosom or chest to this lady he admired so strongly.
“Her face, too, appears bruised in a way a fall would not explain.”
For fully half a minute Charlotte stood, mouth agape, unable to comprehend the possibility of what she had just been told. And then she said, “My God, Lizzy!” and bolted.
Charlotte sent Maria to get more hot water, not wanting her to see the state of Elizabeth’s gown. She looked up to see the doctor standing in the doorway watching her seriously.
“Was she – was she – defiled?” Charlotte asked in a small voice. Elizabeth was so very still. So small and pale. Maria had only removed her shoes and stockings, had not yet unwrapped the coat around Lizzy’s body.
“I could not check, with your sister in the room, Mrs. Collins,” Dr. Trent said gently.
“Then we had best check now.” Charlotte closed her eyes momentarily, but made herself stand up and close the door. She slid the bolt across and looked at the doctor. “Elizabeth is my friend, Doctor. She – no matter what, I will do anything I can for her.”
“Miss Bennet is lucky to have you for a friend, Mrs. Collins. Let us pray that she is no more hurt than I have already ascertained.”
“I will look. You shall advise me,” Charlotte determined. “If she is not – well, whether she has been or not, I do not think any man should look on her so.”
“As you wish, Mrs. Collins. I pray you, describe anything you see on Miss Bennet’s form that looks unusual, that you do not see on yourself, for example.” Dr. Trent politely turned his back and stared at the wall.
Charlotte bent to Elizabeth, lifted off the blanket Maria had placed over her legs, and raised her skirt. “I see no blood on her legs,” she said, after a moment. “There would be blood, wouldn’t there?”
“Assuming that Miss Bennet was a maiden before…” Dr. Trent glanced over his shoulder, and then held his hands up as Charlotte rounded on him, her eyes full of fire. “Yes! Yes, Mrs. Collins, certainly there would be blood.”
“Well, I see none.” Charlotte bit her lip, and folded the gown carefully to cover Elizabeth’s groin, but show the length of her legs. “Nor bruises.”
“Any scratches, or scrapes? Anything that might indicate violence, to her legs, or hips? Or her stomach?”
“Nothing,” Charlotte said after a moment. She unwrapped the coat tangled around Elizabeth’s upper body and sucked in a breath. The top of her dress was, as the doctor had said, shredded. Livid bruises were forming on her breasts, her neck and around her mouth.
“What is it – is there signs of a man’s, er, emissions?” Dr. Trent asked, thinking that was something he had not warned Charlotte to look for.
“What – NO! I have just – the bruises on her chest – oh, Lizzy!” Charlotte burst into tears.
“Calm yourself, Mrs. Collins,” Dr. Trent turned around, cast one comprehensive look over Lizzy’s legs, and swept the blanket over her body. “Mrs. Collins. They are only bruises, they will heal. I am sure she has escaped the worst, but your friend needs you now.”
“I told her,” Charlotte sobbed, turning to him and burying her face in his shoulder. “I told her, walking alone like she does, one day something would happen…”
Dr. Trent allowed his arms to close around her, for one blissful moment allowing himself to hold her close.
And then he took her shoulders in his hands gently and made her look at him.
“Mrs. Collins, you must pull yourself together. Miss Bennet has escaped the worst, I am sure she has not been violated. But she needs you now. While I do not believe her skull to be fractured, she has some nasty bruising that needs to be minimised. She woke briefly, but spoke incoherently, so I suspect she may have a concussion. Cool cloths on that lump on her head must be applied constantly. I will go directly to Rosings, and apply to Lady Catherine to have some ice sent down to you.”
His practical, no-nonsense tone made Charlotte pull herself together. She nodded against his shoulder and stepped back. “I will take care of her. Her family has been sent for too.”
“Charlotte?” Maria’s voice sounded outside the door. “Charlotte, I have the hot water. Can I come in?”
“Find an errand and send Miss Lucas away,” Dr. Trent said in a low voice, “you want as few people as possible to see Miss Bennet’s true state. And burn her dress.”
Charlotte took a deep breath and nodded, taking a handkerchief from her pocket and wiping her eyes briskly with it. “Yes. Yes, you are quite right, Doctor. I – will send Maria…” she faltered uncertainly.
“I will send her around to my housekeeper, with a list of things to collect. Mrs. Thomas will keep her busy for a little while. I shall go on up to Rosings and return directly, Mrs. Collins.”
“Thank you,” she said, deeply grateful, and he opened the door to Maria.
“Good girl, Miss Lucas, admirable work! Now, I have an important task for you…” his voice trailed off as he led Maria away.
Charlotte had to take a few more deep breaths to collect herself.
And then she closed and bolted the door again and bent to Elizabeth.
“Who did this to you, my dearest friend?” she said softly, beginning swiftly to unbutton Elizabeth’s dress.
“Whoever did this, rest assured they will not go unpunished – and you, I vow you will not suffer any more than I have in my power to prevent!” Tears still ran down her cheeks and dripped onto Elizabeth’s motionless form, because Charlotte knew that even though Elizabeth did not appear to have been ravished, should word get out of this, she would be just as surely ruined in the eyes of polite society.