The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë

by Laura Joh Rowland

  “It is God’s will, and I must accept it,” he murmured. “Yet I shall have no peace until I know what happened to Isabel. Somehow I cannot believe she was killed by a common thief.” He turned on me a gaze filled with anguish and frustration. “The police told me you knew her and that you witnessed the murder. I decided that I must speak with you and learn as much as possible about my sister’s death, so I went to the Chapter Coffee House—the police said you had lodgings there. The proprietor told me where to find you.”

  I did not recall telling the proprietor I was going to the National Gallery, but I supposed he had overheard Anne and me discussing our plans at breakfast. Neither did I think to wonder how Mr. White had recognized me, a stranger, in the crowd.

  “Might I beg a few more moments of conversation with you, Miss Brontë?” His keen face alight with entreaty, Gilbert White said, “Would you let me buy you a cup of tea?”

  Ordinarily I would have declined an invitation from a stranger, yet I could hardly refuse aid to a bereaved brother. He was a respectable man of the cloth, and drinking tea with him in public would harm neither my person nor my reputation. And perhaps he represented an opportunity to discharge the duty I felt towards Isabel White.

  “Yes; I would be glad to tell you whatever I can,” I said.

  Anne came looking for me then, and I introduced her to Gilbert White. We went to a coffee shop whose clientele consisted of modestly dressed ladies and a few clergymen. A maid in a frilled cap and apron served us tea. When I told Gilbert White about Isabel’s behavior on the train, he reacted with bewilderment.

  “I had no idea that Isabel was in such a bad state,” he said. “Her recent letters to me indicated naught of the sort. Did you ever see the person she feared?”

  “No,” I said. “I couldn’t be sure whether anyone was actually following her, or whether she just thought so.”

  “Did she say who it was?”

  Regretting to disappoint him, I again replied in the negative, then described what had happened to me at the opera and the Chapter Coffee House. “I suspect those incidents might be connected to Isabel’s murder, but unfortunately, I don’t know who was responsible.”

  “That someone would attack innocent women!” Gilbert White exclaimed, clearly shaken. “The world has become a dangerous place.”

  “I wondered if Isabel was in trouble of some kind.” I related Isabel’s strange remark about hoping to escape punishment. “I also wondered if her trouble stemmed from her employment with Mr. Lock of Birmingham.”

  Gilbert White stirred sugar into his tea, his expression dazed as if he could make no sense of all he’d heard. Studying him covertly, I decided that most people would think him too dark, sharp-featured, and disheveled for fashion, but I found his looks oddly alluring. I couldn’t help comparing him to George Smith. He wasn’t as handsome, but I discerned in him a depth of character and feeling that George Smith lacked.

  “I know my sister’s character, and I cannot believe she would deliberately do wrong,” Gilbert White said. “She must have somehow become associated with people who involved her in bad business.” Anger glinted in his grey eyes, and his hands clenched into fists on the tablecloth. “Surely they are responsible for her death.”

  I sensed that he was capable of passions never experienced by my publisher. Intrigued by Gilbert White, I stole a glance at his left hand: He wore no wedding ring.

  “I must learn who killed Isabel,” he declared. Leaning towards me, his slender, strong figure tense with purpose, he said, “I beg you to tell me everything she said during the journey, in the hope that her words to you contained some clue to the mystery of her death.”

  Having failed to induce the police to search out the murderer, I desired to help Gilbert White achieve the same objective. I related what I remembered about my conversation with Isabel. As I spoke, Mr. White watched me closely.

  “I regret that your sister and I talked more about me than about her,” I said, flustered by his attention. “My experiences as a governess will contribute little towards identifying the killer.”

  “One never knows what information may prove useful in the future,” Gilbert White said, “and I sincerely thank you for your assistance, Miss Brontë.”

  For the first time he smiled—a brief flash of white teeth that lent his face a radiance more striking than conventional good looks. The effect momentarily dazzled me. I reckoned that Gilbert White smiled neither often nor at just anyone; a smile from him seemed a gift. But a man like him could have no sympathy with anything in me, and I must shun him as one would fire, lightning, and all else that is bright but antipathetic. Gilbert White wanted facts from me, just as George Smith wanted me to write novels for him, and I wouldn’t be a fool twice.

  “Tell me, Miss Brontë,” Gilbert White said, pouring more tea for Anne, who had been sitting timidly throughout the whole interview. “How did you come to be a governess?”

  His interest seemed genuine, not merely polite, and it was balm to my injured pride. “I was born the third of six children,” I said. “Our mother died when I was five, and my father was left alone to raise us all.”

  Sympathy softened Gilbert White’s sharp features. “I know what it is to lose a parent. My mother was widowed when Isabel and I were quite young.”

  I felt drawn to him against my will, in spite of the lesson I’d learned from George Smith. “My father is a clergyman of limited means,” I said, “and he determined on educating his children to support themselves. He sent my two eldest sisters and me to the Clergy Daughters’ School in Cowan Bridge. Unbeknownst to him, the conditions there were unwholesome. My sisters contracted consumption and died.”

  Heartache and rage halted me as I recalled the bitter episode. I saw Anne puzzling at why I would talk so much to a stranger; yet Gilbert White’s attention encouraged me. “Later, Anne and I attended a better school at Roe Head, where we received training to qualify us as governesses. We eventually obtained positions in private homes.”

  “Are you governesses still?” Gilbert White asked Anne.

  She looked down at the table and remained silent, while I hesitated between opposing impulses. I had promised to protect the secret of our identity, but I found myself overcome by a desire to show Mr. White that I was more than the ordinary person I appeared to be.

  “No,” I said, “I am an author now.”

  “Indeed?” Surprise and growing interest animated Gilbert White’s expression. “What have you written?”

  “My book is called Jane Eyre,” I said, lowering my voice so that the shop’s other customers wouldn’t hear. Anne kicked my foot under the table, but reckless daring spurred me on. “It was published under my pen name—Currer Bell.” When Mr. White asked what the story was about, I said, “It relates the experiences of a governess.”

  “Based on your own experiences?” he said.

  “It is more fiction than autobiography,” I said, though I have since come to realize that Jane and I have much in common.

  “Perhaps you described the life you wanted to live,” Mr. White suggested.

  I felt myself blushing. “Well, not quite.” Although I wouldn’t have enjoyed suffering Jane Eyre’s woes, a passionate love affair with a man of kindred spirit was a different matter; indeed, fiction can fulfill dreams that life does not.

  Another kick from Anne brought me to my senses. “I must ask you not to tell anyone I wrote the book,” I said to Gilbert White. “It’s a secret known only to my sisters and my publisher.”

  “I shall be honored to keep your confidence,” he said, as though he meant it. “I don’t read much except religious works, but I shall certainly buy and read your book.” His eyes sparked with sudden thought. “If I send you my copy, would you inscribe it for me?”

  Pride and gratification warmed me as I nodded.

  “How should I address the parcel?”

  “It will reach me at the parsonage, Haworth, Yorkshire.”

  “I do thank you.
I’ve never met an authoress before,” Gilbert White marveled. Then he spoke in a voice tinged with caution: “Miss Brontë—”

  Anticipation rose in me, and though I resisted defining what I hoped him to say, my breath caught.

  “Did Isabel give you anything?”

  “Why, no,” I said, startled, disappointed, and vaguely disturbed. “What would she have given me?”

  Gilbert White shrugged, his expression rueful. “I don’t know. I don’t even know quite why I asked. I suppose I was just hoping that Isabel passed on to you something—anything—that might explain what led to her death.”

  This sounded reasonable; yet uneasiness stirred in me, for I recalled Isabel White clutching her carpetbag as though she feared it would be stolen. What had she owned that someone else might want, perhaps badly enough to kill for it? I thought of the wreck of my room at the Chapter Coffee House. Did someone think I now possessed some unknown treasure?

  Did Gilbert White seek the same object? If so, could he be involved in what had happened to me—and to Isabel?

  I could not have guessed then that my suspicions might be justified. When I saw tears of grief and despair in his eyes, I inwardly rebuked myself for my distrust. Whatever crimes I witnessed or misfortunes I experienced, I ought not to suspect everyone I met of evil motives.

  “I wish your sister had given me something of use,” I said. “If she had, I would gladly give it to you; but alas, she did not. I wish I could be of more help.”

  “You’ve been very helpful,” Gilbert White said with sincerity. “Now I fear I’ve imposed upon your kindness too long.” Rising, he extended his hand to me. “Thank you and goodbye, Miss Brontë.”

  As I grasped his hand, our gazes met. I felt the warm, firm grip of his fingers, and the same electrifying sensation as when I’d first beheld him. It struck within me an unfathomable premonition that we would someday be important to each other. I saw my discomposure reflected in Gilbert White’s eyes, and I knew that the same premonition had visited his mind, as well.

  “You think I spoke too frankly to Mr. White, don’t you?” I asked Anne as we rode in a hansom cab towards Paternoster Row.

  “Emily wouldn’t like our secret told to a stranger,” Anne said with quiet reproof. “However, he seems trustworthy.”

  “Do you think so?” I said.

  “Yes. In spite of such a brief opportunity to appraise his character, I have the feeling that he is a person who keeps his commitments.”

  Still, my unease persisted. If Isabel had planned to meet her brother, why had she not said so? Was it he that she feared?

  “Mr. White looks nothing like his sister,” Anne remarked.

  That I, too, had noticed the lack of resemblance caused me further disquiet. Yet I preferred to trust Gilbert White rather than admit that someone of bad character could inspire in me the peculiar feelings that arose in his presence. “Families vary in looks. After all, you and I are nothing like Branwell.”

  Our cab paused at an intersection. Looking out the window, I saw other black hired carriages. I recalled the one I had seen on the way to the opera, and I shivered at the thought that someone might be still following me.

  If so, was it Gilbert White?

  Despite my misgivings, I could not suppress the hope that we would meet again.

  8

  THE INEXORABLE FORCE OF TIME CONVEYS US PAST GOOD AND BAD alike; all things must eventually end. My great adventure was over, and I could scarcely credit the reality of it. My body had become weak from eating and sleeping too little; yet even while I looked forward to going home, I wished I could live my entire London trip anew.

  Rain beat against the windows in the second-class coach of the train carrying us northward. I gazed at the passing landscape, a dull scene of grey sky and sodden fields. Anne sat beside me, writing. The only other travelers present were two gentlemen—one sitting across the narrow aisle at the front of the coach, and the other at the rear. I observed them with only mild curiosity. Both wore city coats, trousers, and hats; both were reading newspapers. One had ginger hair and sideburns, while the other was dark.

  With a despondent sigh, I opened my notebook and recorded our expenses for the trip. Anne and I had spent fourteen pounds—a vast sum. We had accomplished our initial purpose, but beyond that, what? I felt I had lived more in these few days than heretofore; yet now I was returning to the same quiet existence. Would I ever see London again? I nurtured faint hope of hearing from Gilbert White. The monotonous chugging of the train, its mournful whistle, the hard wooden seat, and the damp, chill air in the coach underscored how dreary and void everything appeared. There seemed little likelihood of learning the truth about Isabel White’s murder. As the miles rolled by, I brooded about what awaited me at home. Would Emily forgive me? Would I find Branwell in a worse state?

  That evening, as we entered Leeds, a storm engulfed the train. Thunder boomed above the metallic racket of the wheels. Outside the windows, lightning illuminated the city in flashes; rain slanting through the smoky air dissolved the lights into yellow streaks. Anne and I were collecting our books and satchels in preparation for our arrival at Leeds Station, when suddenly the dark-haired man seated in front of us rose. He strode towards us, seized Anne, and jerked her out of her seat. Anne gave a startled exclamation. I gasped in alarm.

  “Sir, what are you doing?” Anne cried.

  The man pinned her hands behind her and dragged her up the aisle. Anne shrieked in fear, struggling against him.

  “Let her go!” I jumped out of my seat. The train’s motion rocked me as I lurched after my sister. Horror flooded me as I realized that by leaving London, we had hardly escaped danger. I grabbed Anne’s arm and tried to pull her free, but the man held tight. Why should this stranger attack her? Anne’s screams pierced the thunder. A dreadful thought dawned. Was this man the murderer of Isabel White? Had he followed Anne and me here to kill us too?

  “Please help us!” I called, turning to the ginger-haired man at the rear of the carriage.

  He advanced up the aisle, gripping the seats to steady himself. Lightning blazed, and I glimpsed his face. His raw features wore an expression of sly malice: He was clearly no savior. Even as I recoiled from him, he snatched at me. I uttered a cry, dodged, and fell sideways into a seat. He grasped my collar. I realized that he and the dark man must be partners. He yanked me upright, and as my collar dug into my throat, I gagged. Anne’s screams continued. With a strength born of panic and the desire to save myself and my sister, I lunged towards the window. My collar tore. I beat my hands against the glass and fumbled open the window. Rain blasted into the coach.

  “Help!” I shouted. “Someone, please help us!”

  The noise of the locomotive and storm drowned my voice. The train sped on. My attacker scrambled into the seat after me. I sobbed in terror as he hauled me backwards into the aisle; I kicked and thrashed. I saw the dark man wrestling with Anne, whose cries and attempts to free herself weakened as he forced her to the floor.

  “Anne!” I screamed. “No!”

  My attacker clamped a rough cloth that reeked of chemicals over my nose and mouth. The cloth smothered me, and I felt a cold, burning sensation across my skin. Sickly sweet fumes invaded my lungs as I gasped and choked. My vision blurred, and a dizzying faintness quelled my struggles. Thunder boomed, then, darkness claimed me.

  Distant voices and hurried footsteps merged in the darkness with a great rattling, rushing din. The smell of smoke accompanied the sound of water spattering as I gradually returned to consciousness. I lay on a firm surface; my head throbbed painfully, and my mouth was dry. Alarm, inspired by terrifying memory, jarred my groggy mental faculties alert.

  My eyelids flew open. Light glared across my vision. I tried to sit up, but vertigo assailed me. Coarse, heavy fabric covered me up to my chin, and I thrashed under it, crying, “Anne!”

  Her hazy image bent over me. “Dear Charlotte!” Her face was pale and drawn. “Thank God you’re all r
ight!”

  “Those men. Where are they?” Breathless with anxiety, I clutched my sister’s hands.

  Anne said with a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, Charlotte; we are safe now.”

  I relaxed, though I remained bewildered. “Where are we?”

  “At Leeds Station, in the stationmaster’s room.”

  “My spectacles—”

  Anne positioned the spectacles over my eyes, and my surroundings came into focus. On the walls were colorful railway maps of Britain. I was in a room furnished with a desk, bookcases, a sofa upon which I lay beneath a blanket, and several chairs.

  “How did we get here?” Now I recognized the sounds of trains entering the station and people hurrying about. Rain was falling outside the window. “What happened to us?”

  The door opened. Anne called over her shoulder, “Come in—my sister is awake at last.”

  Gilbert White entered the room. What indescribable astonishment was mine!

  “Hello again, Miss Brontë,” he said, gazing down at me with concern. His dark hair was wet; his black suit clung damply to him. “How do you feel?”

  “Extremely unwell, but alive.” I pushed myself upright, fighting dizziness. “What are you doing here?”

  “Mr. White saved us,” Anne said, giving him a thankful look.

  “I don’t understand.” Overwhelmed by the events of the past moments, I shook my aching head. “What happened?”

  Gilbert White perched on a nearby chair. Bruises discolored his cheeks, and his white collar was torn, but he appeared vigorously alive, his masculine looks enhanced by his injuries. “I was riding on the same train as you. When I got off at this station, I saw two men climb out of the carriage ahead of mine, supporting a woman who seemed unable to walk.”

  “It was you, Charlotte,” Anne said. “The men who attacked us put you to sleep somehow.”