Chapter 23 The Great North Road #2
“Lizzy, we do not know all the particulars after so many years. This account is a century old. It may well be that both of these men were eventually found, but you know the way of storytellers. The tale must be made more mysterious than it truly was. Naturally, they would omit the ending and never tell where, or in what manner, the missing fellow was eventually discovered.”
Elizabeth was disappointed by his response. He plainly did not believe the henge to be a place where the veil grew thin upon the eve of the winter solstice. She stared thoughtfully at the open page before raising her eyes once more.
“But, Uncle, what of the local tales you yourself spoke of that day?”
“I know nothing firsthand, my girl. I only know what Maddie's father heard and later related to us. And to be honest, my mind was more agreeably engaged meditating on his beautiful daughter.”
His gaze turned to his wife, and they exchanged a fond look. Elizabeth lowered her own eyes, granting them a measure of privacy.
Mrs. Gardiner took up the conversation.
“I have heard some of those tales myself, Elizabeth, from my father's elderly patients. As you know, I often accompanied him on his home visits. On one occasion, the wife of one of his patients told of a young woman who vanished without a trace. Her suitor had gone to the city to seek employment. He wrote faithfully twice each month until, one day, the letters ceased. Three months later, she learned from his sister, that he had married a woman employed in the same great house where he worked in the stables. The poor girl was heartbroken.”
Mr. Gardiner took his wife's hand in his own, as though to caution her, but she continued her account.
“She fled her friend's house, but instead of going directly home, it is believed she wandered until she reached the barrow, for there, they found her wrap. And when they searched the henge, lying within the stone circle, lay her handkerchief and reticule.
“The accounts I have discovered thus far concern men, but now you tell me of a woman who went missing just as the two men did.” Elizabeth leaned forward. “Do you know the year she is said to have gone missing, Aunt Maddie?”
Edward warned, “Lizzy, do not give too much credence to these accounts. There is no evidence, after all these years, that any of this truly occurred.”
“Very well, Uncle. I shall endeavor not to be naive or fanciful, though I mean to keep an open mind.” She faced her aunt. “What year do you think it happened?”
“This occurred in my grandfather’s generation, for the elderly gentleman was my father’s patient. He told the tale to his daughter, who recounted it to us during one of our visits. So, the woman must have disappeared sometime between 1740 and 1760.”
Elizabeth drew out her notebook and entered the approximate date and a brief account of the missing woman.
Soon afterward, Mrs. Gardiner fell asleep in her corner of the carriage, and Elizabeth ceased speaking with her uncle, lest she disturb her aunt's rest.
She continued reading until the fading light no longer permitted it. Shortly afterward, they reached the inn where they were to spend the night. She set aside her book and prepared for dinner and an evening spent with her family.
* * *
The following morning, they resumed their travel at seven o'clock.
Throughout the day, Elizabeth devoted herself to her book, and by the time they reached the inn that evening, she had finished reading it. As they climbed the stairs to their bedchambers, Madeline asked, “What is it, Lizzy? You seem a little out of sorts.”
“No, Aunt. I am quite well, only disappointed. I found no further accounts of missing souls, and that is what most captures my interest concerning the henge and stone circle.”
“Then was the book not worth the coin you spent upon it?”
“Oh, yes. It was worth every penny. It provides a detailed description of the monument. The author believes the Druids built it, which I found quite interesting and a little mysterious. No one knows the purpose for which the stone circle was built, and I imagine we never shall, for no written record survives. He also writes that the two opposing entrances align to the northwest and southeast, but that there are no astronomical alignments comparable to those found at Stonehenge.” She pressed her lips together.
“I find that most disappointing, Aunt Maddie.”
Mrs. Gardiner laughed. “Never mind, Lizzy. I am certain you will find the monument exceedingly interesting once you pass through the henge and sit among the stones of the circle. I have always found it so.”
* * *
Just before noon on the third day, the carriage suffered a mishap. One of the wheels struck a large stone and broke. The coachman and the groom unloaded the trunks while Mr. Gardiner examined the damaged wheel.
After a few minutes, the coachman emerged from beneath the carriage.
“Sir, all appears to be in good order. It will be safe to move the carriage off the road. I shall then ride ahead in search of a wheelwright.”
Mr. Gardiner looked to the two women waiting by the roadside.
“It is a mercy the axle is not damaged.”
Mrs. Gardiner said, “We are very near Cromford. I believe it lies no more than a mile ahead. Let us eat our luncheon, and then Parker may ride into the village to search out a wheelwright.”
It was agreed. The horses were led to a nearby stream to drink while Mrs. Gardiner distributed boiled eggs, cheese, and fresh rolls to her family.
When the servants returned, she handed them their luncheon basket, and they crossed to the other side of the carriage to eat.
After hurrying through her meal, Elizabeth wandered beside the stream.
The weather was pleasantly mild, though she kept on her pelisse against the autumn coolness.
It was a lovely place. The beeches glowed with bronze and copper foliage, while most of the oaks still wore their summer green.
The ash trees had already begun to turn, their pale, yellow leaves bright against the darker woodland, and the silver birches shone like gold in the sunlight.
She thought the valley was among the most beautiful she had ever beheld.
Ferns lined the stream bank, and yarrow flourished in the nearby fields.
Elizabeth stooped to examine a curious mushroom with a scarlet cap sprinkled with white, when the sound of another carriage reached her ears.
As she straightened for a better look, she silently thanked Heaven for sending assistance. Shaking out her skirts, she hastened to where her family stood.
Her uncle was introducing himself to a tall, dark-haired gentleman. Although the stranger was dressed for riding, the fine cut of his coat and his magnificent mount, a handsome gray blood horse with a silver-white mane and tail, proclaimed him a man of considerable wealth.