Chapter Eleven
Lord Charles Birmingham’s funeral was a quiet affair. Mary Margaret Birmingham buried her husband of only seven years. She felt empty and hollow. She would have cried but she was dry inside. Her lover was gone forever.
Doris, who was still ill, stood by her daughter’s side. She could not believe what had happened; her eldest daughter a widow and her youngest in prison. Tears of sorrow rolled down her face. Daniel stood sadly to her left, his handkerchief in hand. Young James held his mother’s hand, confused and tearful. Susan, the nanny, held baby Emily, who squirmed in her arms.
On the opposite side of the casket stood Evelyn Birmingham dressed in her finest black gown. A veil covered her face. She stood erect and stoically alone. Her eyes stared stonily at the coffin, as it was lowered into the ground.
Many of the Lords and Ladies of the area, including the Douglas’ attended, standing behind the family. The servants stood in the outer circle. As the casket was lowered, Evelyn tossed a red rose into the grave. Then, without a look to anyone, she walked stiff backed toward her carriage. The coachman opened the door for her. She stepped in and the coach pulled away. The rest of the attendees watched the lone carriage leave. Many commented that it was very strange behavior for the elder Lady Birmingham. Tradition dictated that the entire family traveled in procession back to the reception. Many heads were shaking in disgust and several muffled whispers could be heard.
The reception was small and intimate. Evelyn did not attend. The reverend asked Mary Margaret to sing, but she refused, feeling as if her voice had died along with Charles. Maude kept the tables filled with food and drink. “Dine we must and we may as well dine elegantly as well as wholesomely,” she said to the reverend when he reached for a small cake.
“Very true, Maude.” The reverend reached for a second helping. People milled together sadly; no one knew quite what to say to the young widow.
When Mary Margaret finished performing her hostess duties, she asked Jill to fetch the children. She wanted them near her.
“Your Ladyship, the children left earlier with their grandmother. I thought you knew.”
Mary Margaret stared at Jill in horror.
“My children left? What do you mean they left with their grandmother?” Suddenly she realized what Jill had said. “No, no not my children!” she screamed. Mary Margaret collapsed in a heap on the floor. Daniel and Doris rushed to her aid.
“What happened here?” Looking up from his crouched position on the ground, Daniel directed his question to Jill. The maid stood with her hands over her mouth, staring at her ladyship. Doris was fanning Mary Margaret, trying to revive her. Maude ran for the smelling salts.
“I told her Ladyship that Lady Birmingham took the children earlier today. I thought she knew.” The girl was in great distress. Daniel turned to Doris. His face was red with rage.
“That old dragon has gone too far. I’ll kill her with my bare hands!” Daniel was shaking. His beloved wife was in prison because of that old woman, and now his niece and nephew gone It was taking its toll. “Get the nanny down here now. I am going to get to the bottom of this.”
Jill ran like a rabbit to fetch the nanny. Max put his hand on Daniel’s shoulder.
“Be careful what you say, Daniel. I know you are at the end of your rope, but you will do Elana no good locked in the next cell.” Daniel took huge gulps of air, trying to calm himself. Max was right. He nodded gratefully to his friend.
The nanny appeared carrying Emily. Everyone stared at her in surprise. Trying to regain his composure, Daniel stared at Emily. “But you said the children were gone.” Daniel turned on Jill again.
“But I thought they were.” She put her head down in shame. The nanny interjected.
“Lady Birmingham only took James. She told me to get the children ready, but when we went to the carriage, she didn’t take Emily. It was very strange. She said, James was the one she wanted. He was the key. I thought it a very strange statement but took the baby back upstairs and unpacked her things.” Nanny looked at poor Jill, and trying to ease her distress, she added, “Jill helped me carry the children’s bags down to the west wing. She left before her Ladyship left with James. I have been upstairs all afternoon so Jill had no way of knowing that Emily was still here. The baby was asleep upstairs.” Nanny patted Jill’s shoulder in support.
Mary Margaret was opening her eyes. She was struggling to find her way out of the darkness that enveloped her. Slowly, she pulled herself to her feet with Daniel’s help. She screamed, clasping Emily to her bosom. “My baby, oh my baby. Where is James?” The nanny stared at her in horror. Baby Emily started to wail; her mother’s firm grip was upsetting her.
“Your ladyship, I thought you knew. I am so sorry, I thought you knew.” The woman clasped her hands together so tightly her fingers turned white. “Dear me, I never would have let her take him if I didn’t think you had given permission.”
“It is too late for that now. How long has she been gone and where did she go?” Max wanted answers.
“She didn’t say, however, I heard the coachman say they would be in Essex by nightfall.”
“Essex, she has gone to Lady Jane Windsor. Max, Daniel, please go and fetch my son.” Mary Margaret took the baby and sank into the armchair, rocking her gently. Jesse, who kept her distance as the fiasco took place, came and stood beside her friend. Doris sat opposite her wringing her hands. What was happening to her family?
“We will bring him home, Mary Margaret. Don’t fret.” Daniel turned to Doris. “Go and see Elana at the jail. Tell her I will be back in two days. Tell her I love her and I will get her out of that place. Come on, Max.” The two men sprinted from the room. Daniel was relieved to have something to do; now he felt as if he were making a difference. His hopelessness was pushed aside for the time being.
Guests filed out of the house, heads down, talking in quiet whispers. As if on cue, Emily started to cry. The Birmingham family was in turmoil.
The evening was dull, cold and damp. Thomas commented that there was a fog rolling in across the moors. Doris and Mary Margaret were experiencing the same feelings that the atmosphere was putting off-cold, damp and dull. Mary Margaret didn’t know what she was feeling-grief, anger, loneliness or sadness. Doris was heartbroken for both of her daughters.
Doris went to the jail the next morning. She bundled up against the chill. She was still not feeling herself, but her daughters needed her and she found the strength to keep going. The first time she entered this building, the sergeant behind the desk refused to let her see Elana. This time she was determined to see her daughter. She pulled the heavy door open and walked in.
“I would like to visit one of the prisoners.”
“Which one?” The young constable behind the desk asked without looking up.
“Elana Dryfess.” She waited; he seemed to be taking a long time to answer her. Finally he looked up.
“No visitors, sorry.” Doris looked at him. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer.
“What do you mean? Prisoners have visitors. I want to see her immediately.” She stood her ground. He groaned and looked at her.
“Lady Birmingham has left orders that the prisoner sees no one. She shot her son you know.” Doris could not believe her ears. Lady Birmingham has left orders? What right did her ladyship have here in the local constabulary? Doris had to think. Suddenly a possible solution loomed in her mind.
“Yes young man, I am aware of that. Lady Birmingham sent me here to see the prisoner. I too, am under orders. Now take me to see her, please.” He hesitated and then lifted the keys from the wall. He gestured for her to follow him down a narrow staircase. The building was very old and the cells were below ground. Doris shuddered as she descended the stairs, where the air was thin and the light sparse. The guard seemed unbothered by the dimming light.
With a shrug, he opened the inside door and led Doris down one corridor to an iron door. He unlocked the door and the stale smell of
urine and body odors wafted out. She almost gagged. Dear God, my poor, poor Elana.
“Down there on the left.” He pointed and locked the door behind her. A terrible feeling of claustrophobia overtook her. She was gagging on the smell. Taking her handkerchief from her pocket, she held it to her nose while she walked down the corridor. It was cold. She pulled her coat tightly around her. A man shouted obscenities at her from his cell. Finally she reached Elana’s cell. Doris could not believe her eyes. Her daughter lay on a mat on the cold floor. Her hair was knotted and stuck out around her head. Her clothes were tattered and dirty. Elana’s hands and face were dirty. It was obvious she had not washed in the week she had been here. Elana’s face was toward the wall.
“Elana love, it’s Mother.” Elana rolled over. Her eyes were glazed and she looked deranged. “Elana, come here please.”
Elana squinted in the darkness trying to focus. Was it really her mother or was she dreaming again. “Mother?” Her voice was a mere whisper.
“Come here, my dearest. Come closer.” Doris was beside herself. How had her daughter come to this terrible fate? She knew Elana would not harm a soul. Elana rose slowly, holding her left hand to her chest. She had ripped her petticoat and her hand was tied in a sling. “What happened to you?”
Elana made her way to the bars. She rested her head against them and Doris reached around and held her daughter. “Mother, I want to die.”
“Elana, you listen to me. Daniel said he is going to get you out of here. He said he loves you, Elana. Are you listening?” Doris tried to fix Elana’s tangled mop of hair. It was impossible.
She reached into her pocket and brought out a second handkerchief. “Wipe your face, Elana. What is wrong with your hand?”
“I broke it trying to strangle Lady Birmingham.” Doris stared at her. Was she hallucinating?
“Lady Birmingham, but how?” Elana told her mother of the ladyship’s visit and how she tried to attack her. Doris was beginning to understand. “Don’t cry love, we have to get you out of here.” Elana wiped her face with the handkerchief, but all she accomplished was a smear of tears and dirt on her face. Just then the door opened. Making his way from cell to cell, the constable arrived with a water jug and a piece of dried fish on a plate. He ignored Doris and shoved it through the bars.
“Young man, could you bring me a wet towel, please?” He looked at her and was about to tell her it was impossible when Doris added. “We don’t want her ladyship to be angry, now do we?” The young constable had no idea why Lady Birmingham was involved with this prisoner other than the fact that she had shot the Lord. He nodded and returned a few minutes later with a tattered and torn rag, dripping with water. He plopped it in Doris’ hand and left them alone.
Slowly she wiped Elana’s face. Next she washed her hand, but when she reached for the arm in the sling, Elana flinched. “I will be careful, Elana. Let me see it.” Taking the swollen hand from the sling Doris could see that the fingers were twice their normal size and purple. Gently she wiped the grime from the hand. Elana grit her teeth against the pain. After her hand was as clean as Doris could get it, she returned it to the sling. “Wait.” Doris reached down and tore a clean strip of cloth from her own petticoat. She handed it to Elana and helped her fix it around her neck. Doris’ heart was breaking. Her child was locked up like an animal. Again the iron door opened.
“Time to go. Visiting hours are over.” He laughed. Doris kissed Elana and reluctantly left her. She thanked the constable for the towel, now black with grime, as she handed it back to him. He just shrugged.
When Doris arrived back at Birmingham Manor, she told Mary Margaret about the visit. “Lady Birmingham has said Elana can have no visitors? But how can she tell the police what to do?” Mary Margaret was confused. She shifted the chubby Emily over to her other arm. She had not put the baby down since James was discovered missing. Surely her mother-in-law didn’t have power over the police. A cold chill ran down her spine as she realized that if she did, her sister was doomed. Doris was thinking the same thought and they shared a nervous look.
“I wish Max and Daniel would come back with James. I am so worried about him. He is just a little boy.” Again she burst into tears. “Charles is dead. Oh Mother, what will become of us?” Doris held her daughter. She started to perspire heavily. Her fever was back. After a few minutes she excused herself and went to lie down knowing that she had to stay strong.
The next day Doris was burning up with fever. Maude sent the girl to fetch Doctor Phillips. He checked the patient, gave her more medicine and ordered cold compresses.
Dr. Phillips sat in the parlor with Mary Margaret. Again Emily sat on Mary Margaret’s knee. The doctor offered his finger and the baby clutched it fiercely. “She has a good grip.” Mary Margaret nodded, but didn’t speak to him.
He felt very sorry for the young Lady Birmingham. She was a delightful woman and now a widow. It was very sad. Finally, Mary Margaret discussed Elana’s situation with the doctor. He was well respected in the village and had many contacts. She wanted him to go and see her sister and possibly treat her broken hand. Dr. Phillips promised to do whatever he could to help her. Lord Douglas was also making inquiries and hopefully someone could do something to get Elana out of that dreadful place.
Afterwards, the doctor gave Mary Margaret some sleeping tablets to help her sleep. When he left, Mary Margaret stood at the large bay window staring out into the gardens. She wore a black widow’s gown. She would wear black for at least a year. Her mind was in turmoil. Where are you, James? Will she ever bring you home? Charles help me. I need you, Charles, why did you leave me? She clutched at her chest trying to fill the emptiness within.
Dr. Phillips went to the jail, but his visit was refused. On his way back to his office, he met up with Lord and Lady Douglas. The Lord told him, “Lady Birmingham has gone too far this time. I have visited judges, barristers and the jail and no one will help her. What on earth can we do for that poor girl?”
“I don’t know, but apparently she has a broken hand and is in quite a dirty state.” The doctor looked very concerned.
Lady Douglas put her hand to her mouth in horror. “A broken hand! Dear me it is worse than I thought.” The doctor agreed.
“Mary Margaret has hired a barrister. He is to see Elana today. Let’s hope he can get her out of there.” The Lord and Lady conversed with the doctor for a few minutes and then went their separate ways.
The barrister arrived in the jail. Mr. Fred Brown was a young barrister with little experience. The firm had been instructed by Evelyn to send the member with the least experience. The senior partners had worked for the Birminghams for three generations. It was one of their most lucrative accounts. Not wanting to offend one of the wealthiest families in the area, they agreed. Since the current Lady Birmingham was in mourning, it seemed acceptable to take their orders from the senior Lady Birmingham.
Mr. Brown spoke with Elana for a few minutes through the bars and left. She tried to ask him questions, but he wouldn’t answer her. He did not give her any hope. In fact he did not tell her anything. She shrank to her mat in despair.
Once he had seen his client, he visited the courthouse. The trial date was set for one month from the day. Mr. Brown came back an hour later and informed her of the date. He stuffed papers haphazardly into his portfolio as he spoke.
“Can I go home now then?” She looked at him through the bars in hope.
“I am afraid you will have to stay here for now. Take care, Mrs. Dryfess.” Barrister Brown turned on his heel and left her alone.
She screeched at him through the bars, “Take care! Are you a raving lunatic? I’m in jail with one hand broken and my clothes in tatters. How am I supposed to ‘take care’?” Then she started to laugh. The entire situation had gone completely mad and it appeared she was going mad as well. She laughed and laughed like a madwoman. The beady eyed rat watched her from under the cot.
Max and Daniel returned to Birmingham Manor w
ithout James. Mary Margaret was horrified. “But he is my child. Why didn’t you bring him home?”
“She said he is in private school where he belongs and that her solicitor would be in touch with you shortly. She refused to let us in the door. She had two very large chaps guarding the house.” Daniel put his arm around her in support.
“Lady Jane Windsor verified that James had been enrolled in school, but both refused to tell us which one. I am sorry, your ladyship, but we tried our best.” Max added.
“Don’t fret. We will find him. How is Elana? Did you see her?” Daniel’s concern was for his wife, but Mary Margaret’s reply gave him no consolation. “The trial has been set for one month from now, but they won’t let her out.”
“I am going down there. They will not stop me from seeing her.” Daniel was ready for a fight. Mary Margaret explained how Doris had tricked the guard. Daniel was beside himself with worry.
“Mother might be able to get in again, but I am afraid she is very ill herself. She is upstairs burning up with fever. Dear God, will you take my entire family away from me?” Mary Margaret directed her question skyward. Daniel and Max exchanged a look of dread.
“Doris is ill again? I will go up and see her. Perhaps she can tell me how to get in to see Elana. Poor Doris, this could kill her.” Daniel left. Mary Margaret gave a frightened stare as he walked out. Max realized what the lad had said.
“Take no notice. The lad is worried about his wife. Your mother is a strong woman. She will be fine.” She tilted her head as if listening to some invisible voice. Her face took on a new determination. He wasn’t sure what was happening to her. Max watched her for a few minutes as the expression on her face turned from dejection to determination.
“Ask Thomas to come in here. I have had enough of this.” Mary Margaret seemed to have suddenly been given an injection of strength. Max was not sure what had happened, but he liked this new attitude. He went to call Thomas. The old man shuffled into the room. “Thomas have one of the stable lads go to town with a letter for my solicitor. I want to see him immediately. I am going to get my son back and my sister’s freedom, now!” Thomas shuffled off. Max told him he would go to the stable and ran out the door. Thomas let out a sigh of relief. The stables were a long way away and a long walk for an old man.
When Fate Steps In Page 12
