Chapter 22 The great escape
Friday 16th April
This evening we had a small family dinner before Lady Elizabeth leaves to stay at Studleigh Park for two weeks. Frederick, Lucy and Sarah were present and will stay the night before returning to Studleigh Park with Lady Elizabeth tomorrow. Richard made a small speech saying how very pleasant Lady Elizabeth’s stay had been and how we looked forward to hosting her, and Sir John if he is available, in the not-too-distant future. Then he surprised me but not Lady Elizabeth or her daughters apparently, by announcing that we would be holding a ball on Saturday 2nd May before Lady Elizabeth returns to Grasmere. I confess that it was something I had thought would be very pleasant to have, especially as I could renew my acquaintance with the young ladies that I met this week. However, the thought of the cost of a ball held me back from mentioning it to Richard as I would hate to be thought of as an extravagant wife.
I’m sure Frederick would have been happy to host a ball, but while Baby Elizabeth is so young and I am still feeding her, I would not willingly choose to leave the house for an evening, so hosting it at Marston House is most convenient for me, and I’m sure Richard thought of that. He really is the most considerate man that I know.
Friday 30th April
Tomorrow is the day of the ball, so this morning I held a brief meeting with Mrs Danvers and Mr Anderson to confirm that all is in readiness. They have both organized many balls at Marston House, so I had no fear that anything was wanting. It did give me the opportunity to thank them both for their hard work and to request that they pass on my thanks to the other staff. I feel almost guilty that so much work is required so that we and the local gentry can enjoy an evening of conversation and dance.
As the meeting concluded, I asked if there were any other items to discuss. Mr Anderson cleared his throat.
“There is just one item ma’am; Eric, the footman who travelled with Lady Elizabeth requested the honour of a brief audience with you before he accompanies her to Studleigh Park. I told him that you might be too busy to see him, but I am honouring his request by telling you. I believe he wishes to thank you for the care that was taken of his wound.”
My first thought was that it was not really necessary to thank me since I had only done what any Christian woman would do, but then I had a second thought that a Christian woman would not appear to be too busy to find the time to meet with someone like Eric, a footman, who had shewn so much devotion to the family.
“I will see him, Mr Anderson; after the service he has provided to the family, I think it is appropriate that I do so. After the conclusion of this meeting, I will retire to the drawing room. Please bring him to see me there.”
“Of course, ma’am,” said Mr Anderson and bowed slightly. I believe he approved of my decision.
Ten minutes later there was a knock at the drawing room door and Mr Anderson and Eric entered. They both bowed and I nodded my head in acknowledgement.
“Eric, come forward. I am very pleased to see you and I also see that you no longer have a bandage on your arm.”
“No ma’am. Thanks to your insistence, I subjected myself to the approved medical procedures, and I am pleased to report that my wound has almost completed healing.”
He held up his arm and I could see that apart from a scar which no doubt he would proudly show off for the rest of his life, the wound was barely visible.
“You have performed a great service to Lady Elizabeth at the risk of own your life and I’m sure it will not be forgotten,” I said. Lady Elizabeth had informed me that she will be reporting details of the whole incident to Sir John, and she is sure that a reward will be given to Eric.
“I understand that a guard will be provided to travel with each stagecoach for the present, and that a reward has been offered for information resulting in the capture of Turpin and his gang, so we hope that soon the dangers of stagecoach travel will be greatly diminished,” I said.
“That is indeed good news, ma'am,” replied Eric. ”Thank you again for your kindness. I have otherwise enjoyed my visit to Oxford.”
With a bow, he and Mr Anderson left the room. I feel satisfied that I have done the right thing.
Sunday 2nd May
Yesterday was the day of the ball. It was a great pleasure to attend such an event once more, since there were so many months when I was ‘great with child’ as the Bible phrases it, and it was just not possible for me to attend such gatherings. Mama, Pappa and Emma were amongst the guests and Emma looks more grown up every time I see her. As usual, she stayed overnight, with her nurse staying in the same room as a comfort to her.
Lucy, Sarah and Freddie were also present. I took the opportunity to quietly congratulate Freddie on his impending fatherhood and I believe that Richard did the same. At present I do not believe that the news is common knowledge. Lucy is making the most of her opportunities to attend balls before she has to retire due to her impending confinement. I, and I’m sure, Lucy, noted Sarah dancing with several eligible young men. While it would be hard for her and Lucy to be parted, I’m sure Lucy thinks that it would be good for her to find her own husband. We will have to wait and see.
Oh what a joy it was to dance with the handsomest man in the room once more – I have really missed that. There were a number of young single ladies and gentlemen present, and the sight of all the women in their elegant gowns, their jewels glittering in the candelight, and the men in their evening dress never fails to delight me.
I have not mentioned a private meeting I had with Lady Elizabeth a few days back. The topic was one which I’m sure she would never have confided in me before I became a married woman.
“I am worried about my daughter Sarah,” she said. “She seems almost abnormally committed to her twin sister Lucy and as a result I fear that she will never accept an offer from a suitable gentleman because it will part her from Lucy’s constant company.”
“I understand your concern ma’am. I have heard it said that twins, especially girls, are often extremely close. If it were possible to find a suitable suitor who lives close to Studleigh Park, then Sarah could still see her sister frequently while enjoying conjugal happiness. There are several of the young men who will attend the ball who live in the proximity of Studleigh Park, are gentlemanly and of good fortune. Perhaps nature will take its course?”
“Thank you for your help my dear. I know you will do your best to find a good match for Sarah,” replied Lady Elizabeth. She paused and then, colouring slightly, she continued. “Like most mothers I suppose, I did have some concern that you, or indeed any young woman, would not be good enough for Richard but I freely admit I was wrong, and I could never have hoped for a better daughter-in-law.”
It was now my turn to blush as I replied, “Thank you very much, Lady Elizabeth, that compliment means a great deal to me.”
Indeed, I did see Sarah dancing twice with several of the young men at the ball, and she seemed to enjoy verbal intercourse with them. One can only hope for the best. I have noticed that Sarah seems more comfortable in the company of young ladies than gentlemen, and perhaps she is one of those women who are destined never to find marriage attractive to them – who knows?
Monday 3rd May.
Richard came home from his office with some news. It seems that the offer of a reward leading to the capture of Turpin and his gang has been successful. I had little doubt of it; these days some families are in dire poverty, and the reward of a few pounds might mean the difference between eating or going hungry. This is certainly good news for Lady Elizabeth, her maid and footman, not that Turpin is the only highwayman, but it will at least make the trip seem safer.
With some hesitation, I gave Lady Elizabeth a sketch of the Studleigh Park chapel with figures of the wedding party during the ceremony, all drawn from memory, so that Sir John and Lady Ellen might have a sense of the occasion.
“I am sorry it is such a poor representation; I hope to make something better when I have time,” I said.
“Nonsense my dear, it is a remarkably good representation of the event. You have a real talent with pencils and brushes,” replied Lady Elizabeth. That was very kind of her. I’m sure that the time will come in the future where by some means a permanent record of events which does not require artists’ tools will be found, but I do not intend to share such speculation with anyone and merely record it in my journal, lest I be considered crazed in my mind.
(Leonora’s speculation was proved correct only fourteen years later in 1827 when the French scientist Nicéphore Niepce recorded the first photochemical image he called a ‘heliograph’ of a view from his upstairs window in a farm in France. Dora L)
Tuesday 4th May.
Today we bade farewell to our visitors when they called by on their way from Studleigh Park, trusting that their journey back to Grasmere will be uneventful. Richard tells me that Turpin and his gang will be tried tomorrow, and he has little doubt of Turpin’s fate but his gang may be transported to New South Wales on the other side of the world. Quite frankly, the thought of a man being hanged makes me shiver, but they must all know the risk that they take.
Thursday 6th May
Richard came home in the evening in a sombre mood. He had not told me of the fate of the Turpin gang yesterday as he realized that I did not really wish to know, but now there was news of a very unusual nature.
“My dear, I did not tell you of the fate of Turpin and his gang at the trial. His accomplices are indeed to be transported to the Antipodes for the term of their natural lives, but as I predicted Turpin himself was sentenced to hang and this was to be carried out today. However, when the guards went to his cell to collect him this morning, he had escaped! No-one knows how it was effected, since the door was still locked and there was no evidence of any other means of escape. The whole thing remains a mystery. A posse was sent out to search for him but of course he will now be many miles away.
I puzzled over this unusual occurrence too but then a thought came to me.
“Tell me, dearest, did Turpin receive any women visitors last night?”
“I do not know, but in any event, they could not have smuggled a grown man away with them!”
“Well, it was done once before in the famous case of the Earl of Nithsdale’s escape from the Tower of London in the early eighteenth century; I read of it in one of my history books.”
“I am not familiar with the case, please tell me of it,” said Richard.
“William Maxwell, the fifth Earl Nithsdale was a Scottish peer, a Jacobite and Roman Catholic, he had been captured, and confined in the Tower of London. On the eve of his execution, his brave young wife, Winifred, having exhausted all possibilities of gaining a reprieve for him, visited him in the Tower with two female servants, one apparently a stout lady about the height of the Earl. They persuaded the guards, no doubt coins changed hands, to allow them to see the Earl. Once alone, the stout servant revealed that she was wearing two hooded cloaks and two gowns. Divesting herself of one of each, the Earl was persuaded to reluctantly don them.
The servants came and went from the cell on various errands and the guards by now were confused as to the number of persons in the cell. Eventually, the Earl, his face painted with makeup and holding a kerchief to his face to conceal his beard, left in the guise of the stout servant, apparently weeping and accompanied by his wife, who bravely returned to the cell. The other servants left but the guards could hear Lady Nithsdale seeming to carry on a conversation with her husband. When she finally left, she persuaded the guards that the Earl was at his prayers and begged that he not be disturbed until morning. This gave the party more time to escape. The Earl was smuggled by friends across the Channel and eventually made his way to Rome where, his wife, after returning to Scotland to ensure that his estate was passed onto his son, eventually joined him. They lived the rest of their lives in Rome at the court of the ‘Old Pretender’. As far as I am aware, he is the only man to escape from the Tower.”
“What an intriguing story, I wonder why I never heard of it before,” said Richard. “I shall certainly make enquiries tomorrow to see if Turpin too received female visitors.”
Friday 7th May
Upon his return home this evening, Richard instead of his usual salutation of a kiss on the lips, took my hand and kissed it instead. At my enquiring glance he said: “I pass on to you a respectful salutation from Mr Barry, the Sheriff. You were right, Turpin was visited by three women, one claiming to be his wife, and the other two his sisters, one being a stout woman about his height. When I passed on your suggestions on how the escape was effected, he first scowled and then burst out laughing.
“’I cannot help but admire their bravery and audacity,’ he said. ‘I doubt that a man would have invented such an ingenious scheme. If Turpin has a brain, he will travel as far from Oxford as possible, change his name, and if he has money left, perhaps buy a small farm and live a blameless life for the rest of his natural days. However, I fear the lure of easy money may draw him back to his old ways, and if he is again caught, he will be closely immured, and meet the fate he has at present escaped.
“I fear the Sheriff might be right,” I said. I dared not say so to Richard, but I could not but hope that Turpin would take the sensible path in recognition of the risk those women took to effect his escape, and not cast it all away for the sake of easy money. One thing that still puzzles me – I find it hard to believe that Turpin’s wife, if indeed she was such, could have heard of the Earl of Nithsdale’s escape which happened nearly a century ago. Perhaps the idea just came to her as it did to the Earl’s wife. Women can be very resourceful when the occasion arises, and brave too.
To be continued
Author's note: The crossdressing escape of the Earl of Nithsdale is a true story. He was the only person ever to escape from the Tower of London.
Comments
I wonder if Turpin will show up in Leonora's life again.
But the first Tower escape was an interesting story of a wife's determination to save her husband and her resourcefulness to do so.
Also, Leonora's mention of the invention of photography shows us, that she still has Leonard's memories but wisely doesn't want to be thought of as a crackpot who makes strange predictions about the future.
I really hate to an old poop
But you realize this is fiction. Other than the authors aside at the end, all truths are suspect. But then again is Bronwen or Lenora the author? British history is frequently in the way of some very incredible stories.
Ron
Incrementally
Leonora is very careful about using her fore-knowledge. In the last episode she pioneered the use of antiseptics in medicine, merely by using spirits in wound treatment. She said she had read about it. Photography is not an advance that she could have read about. Perhaps, later on, she may interact with Florence Nightingale (or one of her predecessors) and impart her knowledge of revolutionary nursing techniques, which would be seen as suitable for women.
That's not a suggestion, Bronwen, merely an observation!
Also, in that age women were expected to be domestic creatures whose main purpose was to bear children and provide arm-candy for the male of the species, so anything they said about scientific achievement was either laughed out of court or stolen by a male.
The British legal system at that time was draconian. Death was the penalty for anything deemed serious and transportation for anything "minor". Since the American colonies had gained their independence about thirty-odd years earlier convicts could no longer be deported to the USA, so Australia became the destination du jour for dissidents. I have often wondered why Canada did not become the dumping ground as it was much closer and more convenient.
Lenore's Second Journal continues...
Bronwen's ability to intrigue her readers. I agree as I embrace my feminine mind I grow in insights that I have not had before. Lenore has the benefit of Leonard's thoughts.
Hugs, Jessie
Jessica E. Connors
Jessica Connors
I could never have hoped for a better daughter-in-law
Aww, I absolutely loved that lovely little scene between Leonora and Lady Elizabeth. Not only did it make me smile at the candour, but it also rang so very very true.
Beautiful writing Bronwen.
I do hope that Sarah finds a love as strong as Leonora and Lucy both have.
Lucy xxx
"Lately it occurs to me..
what a long strange trip its been."
Turpin has started a hard life,
One where he will look over his shoulder the rest of his life. In the end he will be caught and hanged. I do not see how it could happen any other way.