Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"I haven't slept a wink. My nerves, oh, it's too dreadful, Charlotte," Charlotte's mother said, as Charlotte entered the dining room the next morning to find her mother holding the ransom letter.

She looked terrible. Her face was pale and withdrawn. Her hair was uncombed, and her demeanor was that of a broken woman. Charlotte felt terribly sorry for her. She, too, had not slept for worry about her father, and even Sara had been unable to comfort her.

"It'll be all right, Miss Davidson. Your father's a strong man. And you heard what the earl said. They won't let him come to any harm; not when there's a ransom to be paid," Sara had said.

But Charlotte was not convinced, and during the night, another terrible thought had occurred to her. What if her father's disappearance was linked to Lord Baxter? Charlotte had been rude to him. More than rude, she had dismissed him out of hand, and it would not have surprised her to think he was willing to take revenge for her snub.

"Still no news, Mother?" Charlotte asked, and her mother shook her head.

If any good had come from the tragedy, it was a temporary cessation of hostilities between mother and daughter. The two of them had spent the evening comforting one another, and there had been no suggestion of an argument over marriage, duty, or novel writing.

"Nothing, no. I just don't understand it, Charlotte. What do they want from him? From us?" Charlotte's mother asked, shaking her head sadly.

"I don't know, mother. It's confusing. But Jacob promised to do what he could to help," Charlotte replied.

Jacob's words were a glimmer of hope, and now Charlotte's mother nodded and gave a weak smile.

"Yes, and it's very comforting to think we have him to help us. Thank goodness your father had the foresight to make such an arrangement. Had he not… oh, we'd have been left destitute," she said, and now she began to sob.

Charlotte reached out and took her mother's hand in hers, squeezing it in an attempt to comfort her. She did not know what they would do. Would the ransom be paid? Would her father be returned to them?

"Try not to think about it, Mother. We've just got to wait." Charlotte began, but before she could finish, the sound of a carriage drawing up outside caused them both to look up.

"The earl! Perhaps he's got some news for us," Charlotte's mother exclaimed, and rising to her feet, she hurried out of the dining room.

Charlotte followed, eager to see Jacob and learn if he had discovered anything about the disappearance. But as the two of them hurried outside, they were met by an extraordinary sight. It was not the Earl of Swadlincote who was stepping down from the carriage, but Charlotte's father…

"Father?" Charlotte exclaimed, and her mother now clutched at her in disbelief.

"Thomas… but… how can it be? Did they let you go? We didn't pay the ransom. Jacob… the Earl of Swadlincote told us to wait. But you're here… how can it be?" Charlotte's mother exclaimed.

Mr. Davidson looked at them both in astonishment, furrowing his brow.

"What do you mean? I'm home early, and I'm glad because there's a serious matter to attend to," he said, turning to Charlotte with a stern expression on his face.

"But father… the ransom letter?" Charlotte said, staring at him in disbelief. Did he know nothing about it?

Charlotte's mother had the letter in her pocket, and she took it out, handing it to her husband, who read it with a look of disbelief on his face.

"We thought you'd been taken, Thomas, oh, neither of us have slept for the worry," Charlotte's mother said, shaking her head.

"This is astonishing," Charlotte's father said, and now he explained he knew nothing about an abduction, or a ransom, and that his journey home from Liverpool had been entirely uneventful.

Charlotte and her mother listened in amazement. It was extraordinary, none of it made any sense.

"But then who sent the letter? Why would they do such a thing?" Charlotte said.

If anything, the mystery had only deepened. Why pretend to an abduction when it would so obviously be discovered as false? Her father was standing in front of them. He had come to no harm, and they had paid nothing by way of a ransom. Whoever was responsible had gained nothing.

"It'll be a business rival or someone intent on causing trouble," Mr. Davidson replied.

"Like Lord Baxter, you mean?" Charlotte replied.

She had not meant to be so blunt in her accusations, but the speculation fitted the circumstances. If the whole thing had been an elaborate ploy to cause trouble, then who most likely to desire trouble than the man Charlotte had spurned? Her father shook his head.

"Nonsense. He's my business partner. But there's something I want to talk to you about, Charlotte. Come inside," he said, beckoning her to follow him.

Charlotte glanced at her mother, but she had no choice but to follow her father into the house, where he demanded a pot of coffee be brought to his study, before indicating for Charlotte to join him.

"Father, what's wrong?" Charlotte asked, and now her father turned to her with an angry expression on his face, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket and throwing it on his desk.

"Another ransom demand; not in so many words, perhaps. But I'm led to believe your conduct with the Earl of Swadlincote leaves much to be desired, Charlotte," he said.

Charlotte looked at him in astonishment, and now she picked up the piece of paper with trembling hands, unfolding it to reveal a letter anonymously signed with an " X. " In it, the writer accused Charlotte of indiscretion of being seen cavorting with the Earl of Swadlincote unchaperoned. It was all lies, of course, and Charlotte insisted she had done nothing wrong.

"You can ask Sara. She's been my chaperone the whole time. We weren't cavorting. We sat in the garden together and I read to him. What's wrong with that?" Charlotte demanded.

"The letter says otherwise. It says that you've been indiscreet with him, Charlotte. I can't understand. I never expected such behavior from you," her father said, shaking his head and sighing.

"But Father, isn't it obvious? Someone's playing games with us. First the demand for a ransom, but with no abduction. Now the threat of rumors spread, but unfounded rumors, at that," Charlotte replied.

She was not about to be accused of such a thing when there was no truth in it. Her relationship with the earl had been entirely proper. They had enjoyed one another's company, and the more time Charlotte spent with him, the fonder she was growing of him. But as for impropriety, there had been none. The first time they had embraced had been the previous day, when Jacob had sought to comfort Charlotte over her father's disappearance. It angered her to think someone should be spreading false rumors in this way, and she was determined to defend herself.

"Well… I don't know what to think, Charlotte. It's all very strange," her father said, but at that moment, the study door opened, and Charlotte's mother appeared.

She had obviously been listening, and with tears in her eyes, she let out a cry of exclamation.

"Oh, Charlotte, how could you? I don't understand what possessed you to behave in such a way. I trusted you," she cried.

Charlotte threw her hands up in despair. Could there be no reasoning with them? It was as though her parents had already made up their minds. Charlotte was guilty, and nothing would dissuade them from believing it.

"But I didn't do anything," Charlotte persisted.

"We'll have to send Sara away. She's the one who was supposed to have been chaperoning, not that it did any good," Charlotte's mother said.

Her demeanor had entirely altered. Gone was the anxiousness and fear of a woman who believes her husband to have been abducted, replaced by the horror of a woman who believes her daughter's reputation stood on the brink of scandal. The brief union between mother and daughter was gone, and it seemed there could be no reasoning with Charlotte's mother in this, her terror at the loss of her daughter's reputation.

"Take her to Bath, Brenda…or Liverpool. We'll let this trouble die down. I'll call off the engagement between her and the earl. He's behaved appallingly," Charlotte's father said, shaking his head and tutting.

"Why won't you listen to me?" Charlotte cried. But as with everything else, she was ignored.

Plans were made for her, and Liverpool would be the destination. There she would remain until she could safely return home without scandal. It was an astonishing turn of events, and Charlotte simply did not know what to make of it. She had not wanted to marry the earl in the first place, but now she was forbidden to. Her growing feelings towards him were suddenly put into perspective.

"I'm going to send Sara away. She's behaved terribly," Charlotte's mother said, even as Charlotte begged her to reconsider.

"You can't, she's my dearest friend. Why do you believe this letter over my word?" Charlotte demanded, grabbing her mother's arm and forcing her to look at her.

"Because if we don't have our reputation, what else do we have? Charlotte? It's all very well for the Earl of Swadlincote. He can behave as he wants and be damned the rest of us. But you… no, don't you realize how tirelessly I've worked to maintain our reputation in the face of so much assumption as to our state? ‘New Money,' that's what they call us. What they'll say next is, ‘New Morals.' That's what they'll say. You don't understand, Charlotte. But you will do. Now, hurry and get ready. We'll have to leave at once," Charlotte's mother said, shaking her head with a sad look in her eyes.

***

"Another slice of topside, my Lord? You've hardly touched the rest," Mrs. McDonald said, as Jacob pushed the remnants of his dinner around the plate.

At these words, he looked up in surprise.

"Oh… no… thank you, Mrs. McDonald. I'm sorry… my thoughts are rather distracted," he said, and the housekeeper smiled at him.

"It's a strange business, my Lord, and make no mistake," she said.

Jacob had explained to the housekeeper the circumstances surrounding Thomas Davidson's disappearance. True to his word, Jacob had dispatched a number of messages north, making enquiries as to what might have happened. He had contacts in Liverpool and hoped to hear something in the coming days.

But for now, all he could do was wait. Jacob did not like waiting. He wanted to be doing something, and he could only feel sorry for Charlotte and her mother, who were surely feeling the burden of waiting.

"I just don't understand it, Mrs. McDonald. A man doesn't just disappear. Someone knows something. Someone who knew where he'd be and what he'd be doing," Jacob said.

He had imagined a dozen different scenarios, each one failing to yield the answers he desired. It was a mystery, and it had kept him up for most of the night as he pondered it. Having little appetite for his meal, Jacob left the table, retreating to his study to work on his correspondence, but no sooner had he sat down than Mrs. McDonald announced a visitor.

"Please, my Lord. It's Miss Davidson's maid, Sara Montague. She says it's urgent," Mrs. McDonald said. Jacob was curious to know why Charlotte sent her maid and asked the housekeeper to show Sara in.

As he rose to greet his visitor, Jacob realized she was in great distress. Her face was red, and tears were rolling down her cheeks. She was breathless. It was as though she had run all the way from Thrushcross Grange. It took a few moments for her to compose herself.

"I'm sorry, my Lord. It's a terrible business. I didn't know what else to do. I had to come," Sara exclaimed, and Jacob quietened her, offering her a seat by the hearth.

"Please, Sara, it's all right. What's happened? Is it Charlotte? Is something wrong?" he asked. He was fearful she was the bearer of bad news. In his fear, he realized the strength of his feelings for Charlotte, and he was anxious to know she was all right.

"I'm sorry, my Lord. Look at me. I'm in a terrible state. But it's Miss Davidson. She's being taken away by her parents to Liverpool," Sara said.

Jacob looked at her in astonishment. It did not make sense. Why would Charlotte's parents take her to Liverpool? And what about her father?

"Her parents? Don't you mean her mother? They're not going to look for her father, are they? I told them I'd do what I can." he said. But Sara shook her head, and now she explained how the ransom had not been forgery, and Mr. Davidson had returned as though nothing had happened to him the previous evening.

"But there was another letter, my Lord. Another anonymous letter. It said Miss Davidson and you had been compromised," Sara said, shaking her head fearfully.

Jacob stared at her in astonishment. It was an extraordinary thing to say and categorically untrue. There had been no impropriety between him and Charlotte; none whatsoever. If anything, it had felt they were both holding back from expressing what Jacob felt certain were growing feelings between them. He had embraced Charlotte the previous day, but only as an act of comfort.

"But that's nonsense. Surely her father can see that?" Jacob exclaimed.

"He's worried about his reputation, my Lord. I've been dismissed, an accessory to scandal," Sara said, and now she began to sob.

Jacob could not believe what he was hearing. It was scandalous. The lie, not the accusation. Jacob would gladly defend himself to anyone, and now he was immediately resolved to settle the matter before it got out of hand.

"Don't worry about your position, Sara. If Mr. Davidson won't have you at Thrushcross Grange, we'll find work for you here until Charlotte, your mistress, becomes my wife," he said, but Sara shook his head.

"But that's just it, my Lord. I don't think her parents will let you marry. It's all falsity, of course. But Mrs. Davidson's terrified of her reputation being destroyed. They're taking Miss Davidson now," Sara said, but Jacob shook his head.

"No, they're not. I'm going to put a stop to it," he said, and without waiting for further details, he hurried out of the study, calling for his hat and coat to be brought and setting off immediately for Thrushcross Grange.