Warning: Some violence and gore in this chapter

Chapter 21 What happened?

"Crawford! Welcome back. You wanted to speak with me?" Henry was greeted by Sir Thomas.
"Thank you, sir. Yes, if I may."
They entered the office.
"So, how may I help?" Sir Thomas asked.
"Well sir, I have just asked Fanny to marry me and she has accepted me!" He could not help it, but his face was beaming.

Sir Thomas smiled. "I can see how happy you are. Ever since the ball – and maybe earlier – I have thought there was something between you two. I did not want to interfere and I know that Fanny would always act properly and I have gotten to know you as someone with some sense of propriety."
Henry bowed in acknowledgement.

Sir Thomas continued: "I am very grateful for the way you helped my family in autumn with those rakes around and I believe Fanny will be safe in your care. She has gone through so much in her life, you know. She deserves to be happy and safe with someone who loves her. And I can see you love her! So I heartily give my consent and blessing."

"Thank you, sir, for your kindness! Now, I did not dare to be too presumptuous and have left the settlement papers at the parsonage. I can come whenever suits you so we can look them over."
"Very well, Crawford. Next time you're coming this way I will await you here. Now, where is Fanny? Is she with my wife?"
"No, she wanted to stay outside for a while. Shall I send her in?"
Sir Thomas nodded. Then they both stood up and shook hands.

They were interrupted by a very agitated Baddeley who knocked on the door and opened it straight away.
"Begging your pardon sir, but something has happened to Miss Price."
"What has happened Baddeley?"
"I can't say for certain sir, but she is outside unconscious and bleeding."
Henry felt his heart constrict with fear. What happened to Fanny?

Without a word, he hurried out of the office, closely followed by Sir Thomas and Baddeley. In the hall near the doors they were met with Mrs Norris, who looked positively awful. "What have I done?" She kept repeating. She had her hands in front of her face and walked up and down. "What have I done? I have killed her." She wrung her hands in agitation.
Henry looked in shock at the bloodied hands of the woman. What had she done?

He did not stop but walked past her out of the doors, where the sun was still shining. He turned around the corner and found a maid and a footman bending over a still form on the ground.
"Oh no! Fanny!"

He ran towards them and the sight that met him was shocking. His Fanny lay on the ground, balled up as if to protect herself. Her face was covered in blood what looked like it was coming from her nose. The nose was in a wrong angle. Her eyes were shut and bruised, as was the rest of her face.

Without thinking, Henry knelt next to her.
"Fanny! Wake up! What happened? Please do not die!"
Henry felt the panic now coming up.

"She is breathing sir, but she appears to be unconscious," the footman said.
"Has someone sent for a doctor yet? Please let someone get a doctor! As fast as you can. Oh Fanny!"

Then he breathed deeply. He must be calm. He must get her inside.
Henry looked her over and saw no other apparent damage except more bruises on her hands and arms. But he needed to be careful nonetheless, for her clothes might cover other injuries.
The footman ran off to get a doctor.
"You. Get the nearest room ready," Henry addressed the maid. "We need warm water and cloths to clean her wounds." The maid ran off.

Carefully he lifted Fanny up in his arms, taking care to support her head.
Then he started to walk towards the doors.
Henry felt very strange. He was panicking and shocked. But somehow he managed to remain calm and think logical. It was as if he was two different persons at this moment.
She must be helped as quickly as possible! He needed to be strong for her. They must do the right things. She must survive whatever attack this has been!

In the hall he saw Sir Thomas appointing two footmen to take Mrs Norris to a room upstairs. Sir Thomas looked very agitated and angry.
The footmen were nearly carrying Mrs Norris and halfway the stairs she collapsed. If she was not supported by the two men, she would have fallen down the stairs.
Henry ignored what happened to her. He was sure he would hit her or worse, for what she had done.

The maid walked ahead of him to a room. Other maids were already walking in with cloths and water.
Fanny lay very still in his arms. Only faintly he saw her chest rise and fall as a sign that she was still alive. But her nose was bleeding very rapidly and who knows what other injuries she had.
In the room he carefully put her on the bed.

He was glad to see Sarah entering. She was as a personal maid to Fanny and would be able to help.
"She must be carefully checked for other injuries. I can see her nose is broken, so do not touch it. Strip her off her clothes, but do it carefully. I do not know if she has broken ribs or other injuries. It might be best if you cut her clothes open instead of trying to get them off the normal way."
The maids quickly started with their tasks. Henry could see they would do it carefully. He knew Fanny was well loved by the servants and they would do everything for her.

Sir Thomas now came in.
"Do you know what happened? I did not get one word of sense out of Mrs Norris. The only thing I deducted was that she did this to Fanny."
Henry turned his head. "I do not know for sure. What I am guessing is that she somehow heard our conversation in the garden and when I was gone, attacked Fanny because of it.
She is unconscious and her nose is broken. What more damage there is, I do not know yet. I have sent a footman to get a doctor."
"Good. I hope he will be here soon."

The two men turned away as the maids undressed Fanny.
"She is bruised all over, Sir," Sarah said.
"Can you see any bones that appear to be out of place? Or a strange swelling? Is she bleeding at other places?" Henry asked.

It was quiet for a moment and Henry guessed she was checking. "Some swelling at her ribs, but nothing else. And bleeding… sorry Sir."
"What is it? Is it really bad?" Henry felt anxious.
"Sarah, it is alright. Mr Crawford is Fanny's betrothed," Sir Thomas said.
"Ah, I see," the girl said. "Well, ah, she bleeds as if she has her monthly period. Except that it is not her time of the month."
Henry blushed at the detailed information.
"Thank you for telling me, Sarah. It sounds like she might have some internal damage. But I hope the doctor can tell that."

"I have covered her over now, Sirs," Sarah said. "How can we stop her nose bleeding?"
Both men now turned around.
"Her head needs to be elevated," Henry said. "I remember that once one of the stable hands at Everingham was kicked by a horse. He broke his nose and we were told that his head needed to stay up higher. It would help stop the bleeding. He did survive, but only just. They said if the break had been slightly higher, he might have had brain damage."
Sarah looked at him with widened eyes. "I am sorry Sarah. I realise it is not very nice to hear."

He now held Fanny's head so Sarah could put another pillow beneath her. Carefully he put her head back onto it. He took a wet cloth and gently started to clean the rest of her face, although it was a bit useless since her nose was still bleeding. He hoped that soon the doctor would come. He knew there was a spot where one could press so it would stop the bleeding, but he did not dare to touch her nose for fear of making it worse.

"Fanny, my love, be strong. Please stay with me!" Without realising, he started whispering sweet nothings to Fanny, although she did not react. He didn't see the looks between Sir Thomas and the maid. Another maid was sent to Fanny's room to get other clothes. The ones that she had just worn, would have to be thrown away.

"How long until the doctor can be here?" Henry asked.
"I am not sure," Sir Thomas said. "He does not live far, but if he is visiting someone else then we might have to wait."
Henry sighed, trying to keep his impatience at bay.
"Fanny, can you hear me? Please wake up! I'm so sorry, my love. I should not have left you alone. Please, dearest."

He took one of her hands, the one with the ring, and kissed it.
"Ice!" he suddenly said. "Ice reduces swelling! Is there ice in the house that we could use?"
"Yes!" Sir Thomas walked to the door and called someone to send for ice. A maid came towards him then. She looked like she had been crying.
"Sir Thomas," she said. "I was upstairs and have witnessed what happened."
"Come in, Molly, and tell us about it."
Molly entered and Sir Thomas had her sit down on a chair, for she was still shaking.
"You must be very upset. Tell us what you saw."
"I was busy sir, cleaning the windows is one of the upstairs rooms, when I heard shouting. I looked and I saw… Mrs Norris hitting Miss Price in the face. Miss Price tried to shield her face with her hands, but Mrs Norris kept hitting, until Miss Price fell on the ground. Then she kicked her a few times. Suddenly she stopped, looked around and then walked towards the front doors."

Sir Thomas asked another servant to bring a bottle of brandy and some glasses.
"I'm sorry, sir," Molly said, crying. "I wish I could have stopped it, but I was so shocked that I could not move at first. It all went so quickly!"
"I understand Molly. Thank you for coming and telling all this. Now, you must drink a bit of this." He took over the brandy and a glass and poured some in. "To calm your nerves. Then I think you should have some rest. For it must have been a shock to witness."
The girl drank with little sips and seemed to calm down a little. "Thank you, sir," she said a bit shakily.

Baddeley arrived with the doctor.
They had to explain what had happened. Henry made way for the doctor, and with Sarah's help, the doctor started to examine Fanny.
Sir Thomas and Henry were asked to leave or at least turn around.
They stood together in a corner, whilst listening to the doctor's comments.

"Yes, her nose is broken and I will have to set it in a moment. Two ribs are cracked and will probably hurt her a great deal, but they should heal by themselves over time. As you said, it is likely that she has some internal bleeding. However, I cannot tell if it is her womb or another organ. This is the most worrying bit. I can't tell how bad it is, or how to stop the bleeding. We must hope for the best.
I will now set the nose. Can one of you help?"
Henry came and sat next to Fanny to assist.

Fanny felt her face burn. She could not open her eyes and her nose throbbed so much that she nearly lost consciousness again. At first she could only focus on her pain. Soon she noticed how painful it was to breathe. But then all other soreness seemed to shrink into nothing when she felt the stabbing pain in her stomach. It was as if she continually was kicked there. She instinctively moved her hands to cover her abdomen, but the movement caused the other places of pain to resurge in all intensity. She winced.

"Fanny? Are you awake, love?"

Hearing Mr Crawford's voice, made her remember what had happened. His proposal and her acceptance seemed long ago. She now also remembered how frightened she had been when her aunt had approached her with madness in her eyes. The woman had shouted at her. Words that Fanny wished to forget, but now came back with much force. "You ungrateful harlot! How dare you accept a man so much above your station! He should have been for Julia." Meanwhile her aunt had started to hit her. Then her words had become more incoherent and incomprehensible to herself. "You deserve this! You have made my life misery, Frances. I wish you were never born!" Her blows had become so violent that Fanny tried to protect herself and turn away, but her aunt seemed suddenly to have a lot of strength. One punch on her nose sent her to the ground, but Mrs Norris was not finished. She began kicking where she could reach. Fanny tried to curl up to defer the blows but to no avail. The pain in her face already nearly made her pass out, but a well-aimed kick into her lower abdomen sent her into blackness.

Fanny did not know how to make her thoughts stop.

"Fanny, please don't cry. All will be well." She felt the lightest of touches upon her face where Henry wiped away her tears.
"Love, are you at all able to open your eyes?" She tried, but her eyes hurt too much.
"No," her lips formed.

"She truly is awake it seems," said an unfamiliar voice.
"Miss Price, I am Dr Jones. How are you feeling?"
She nearly grimaced, but held back because of her pain.
"My… face burns," she croaked.
"I can well imagine. Your nose is broken and I will set it in a moment. What else can you tell me?"

She felt a steady, gentle pressure upon her hand. It seemed that Henry was still next to her.

"My… stomach hurts a lot. That and my nose are the worst."
"Well, I will be able to do something about your nose. For your stomach I am afraid I cannot do much. I will now give you some laudanum, which hopefully should dull your pains for a while. Then I can set your nose."

She felt someone help her sit a bit straighter so she could swallow the medication. The last thing she heard before it started to work and she passed out, was Henry's quiet voice near her ear: "I love you, Fanny. Please be well again."

"Even though she is unconscious again, I need you to hold her so she cannot make any sudden movements. She needs to be completely still," Dr Jones said.
Henry held Fanny's head with his hands while the doctor carefully set the nose. The sound was sickening, but it was clear that now the bone was realigned again.

"Now, for the bleeding to stop, someone needs to put some pressure on this spot," Dr Jones pointed. "Her head needs to stay elevated and I hope soon the bleeding will stop. Continue to be careful." Henry nodded and took up the task.

Sir Thomas had been present the whole time, although he had not talked when Fanny was awake. When the doctor indicated that there was nothing left to do for him at present, Sir Thomas offered him and Henry and drink.

Henry thought he needed it. Everything had happened so rapidly, yet it felt like hours. He had been relieved when Fanny had been awake, but he knew that she was by no means out of danger.
When he had finished his glass, Dr Jones gave instructions to Sarah to clean Miss Price every hour and to let him know whether the bleeding became better or worse.

"I will have to leave now, but I will come back in an hour or two," Dr Jones said.
"Before you leave, could you check upon… the attacker please? I believe she was in some confused state after what she had done and collapsed on the stairs."
The doctor nodded. "I will examine her as well and then come and tell you my findings before I have to leave."

Sir Thomas walked out with him, while Henry gave all his attention to his beloved. The blood flow from her nose already seemed to lessen. He was glad that the Laudanum would cause her not to feel her pain. He was really worried and did not dare to think much more, for the possibility of her death frightened him.

Someone knocked on the door and Sarah let them in.
It was one of the footmen. "I am sorry sir that it took such a long time, but there was no ice to be found in the house. I rode out to a neighbouring estate and got it from them. I have now sent someone to Northampton to get some more."
"Thank you! I forgot to mention it to Dr Jones. Can you send him in as soon as he comes downstairs?"

When the doctor came back in some minutes later he was pleased at how the nosebleed had lessened already. He approved of the application of ice. He cautioned them to be careful and not leave it on for too long each time. He advised them to use it on her face and said that they might try it on her stomach as well. He hoped it would lessen the bleeding.
Fanny shivered when the ice was applied, but did not wake up.

Henry was relieved to find the nose bleed stopped after half an hour of pressure. He carefully let go of her.
"We must give it some time to settle, before we attempt to clean her face," he said to Sarah.
She nodded.
"Sir, I believe you should change, if I may say so. Your coat appears to be quite stained by the blood."

"You are right. I will ask someone to fetch some clothes from the parsonage."
He now stood up and stretched. He had become a little stiff at sitting so long in the same attitude.

If not for her bruised face, Fanny looked as if she was sleeping peacefully.
Suddenly the reality of the situation came to him in full force.
He took his glass, filled it again with brandy and drunk it in one go. Then he sighed deeply.

How was it possible that what was the best day of his life, had suddenly turned into the worst? When he thought about that woman and what she had done to his Fanny, he could strangle her.

Sir Thomas entered again and was surprised to see him walking around.
"Her nose stopped bleeding? That is good news!" he said, looking at his niece.
"You need some clean clothes, Crawford. I will have someone sent to the parsonage."
"Thank you, sir I was going to do that, but got distracted."

The older man sighed deeply.
"Dr Jones' examination of Mrs Norris made clear that she has suffered apoplexy. He told me that it was not the first time. Apparently after the ball she had a minor one, but she never told us. While I do think her reasons for the attack stem from before that, I do think she was altered by the last stroke and therefore lost all reason. The one from today was much more severe. She lost the use of one side of her body and the doctor was not sure if she would survive."

Henry nearly scoffed but held his reaction in.
"I hope you will forgive me if I say that it is what she deserves. Whatever the reason was behind it, I will not forgive her for what she has done to Fanny. Not just today, but for most of her life." He stopped. The woman was the sister-in-law of Sir Thomas after all.
"Excuse me."

Sir Thomas looked dejected. "I know. And I am berating myself that I never did anything to stop her. I have been so neglectful! Fanny was placed in my care when she came to live here, but instead of taking care of her, I made sure that she knew she was inferior to my daughters; I left her to the scolding of her aunt Norris. I did nothing when she was disparaged and belittled. I am so sorry for my own behaviour and for my neglect. And now it has come to this."

Henry handed him a drink.
"Thank you Crawford. I cannot even begin to think what to do now. My family must know what happened and I do not look forward to that. And what then? I pray that she will recover; I am fearful for a different outcome."

Half an hour later Henry's clothes arrived and he left Fanny in Sarah's care, with her promise to warn him as soon as anything changed.