Finding Peace
Matthew stood uncomfortably on the side lines of the gathering after church. For him this country life was still a bit alien from what he was used from the city. The community was a lot more close-knit than in a city were many didn't even know their neighbours. Here everybody knew everybody else and their solidarity was inspiring. His eyes were covertly fixed on Mrs Hughes and his mother as the two women talked with Cousin Cora and Cousin Violet.
Some nights he would wake up, sweat-drenched and with a hammering heart, his sleep disturbed by horrible nightmares. It was made worse because they weren't mere nightmares they were memories, they had truly happened. Matthew was often roused by images of a bloodied and beaten Mrs Hughes crying out to him to help her and when he tried to approach her she moved away from him and the faster he moved the faster she backed away. He could never quite reach her. Other nights the nightmares were more horrible since he dreamed of what must have actually happened to her. He could hardly imagine the horror she must have felt, but for him it was heart-wrenching enough to see a bare back moving rhythmically above her. Above all was the fear of being too late to help. Lately another scenario had sneaked up on him. He had overheard his mother talking with Dr Clarkson and she had told him that Mrs Hughes could have bled to death if Matthew hadn't found her. That night he had dreamed of the kind housekeeper dying in his arms on his way up to the Abbey.
Swallowing thickly, Matthew drew up all the strength and courage he could muster and stepped forward to approach his mother and Mrs Hughes. He had only taken one step when he heard a gruff voice behind himself and turned around.
"I know I have thanked you once for her life," Mr Carson's voice was a low grumble since he didn't want anyone overhearing them, "but I would like to thank you again. It is thanks to you that she is standing here today – not to mention thanks to your mother as well. Mrs Hughes speaks very highly of Mrs Crawley."
Matthew nodded and an uncertain smile curled his lips. "Yes, they have become friends, I'm glad to say. Mother has been very worried for her ever since … since then. It would appear that Mrs Hughes has finally allowed herself to move forward."
Mr Carson inclined his head in acknowledgement as his eyes were drawn once again to his beautiful betrothed. She did seem to bloom since her conversation with the Dowager, which he had observed earlier. Whatever the old Lady had told her had obviously taken a load off her shoulders and lightened her mood considerably. "She is starting to trust people again and trust herself," he agreed with the young man.
"I hope you don't mind me saying that it has something to do with you as well and the love you express to her," Matthew said slyly, smiling at the astonished expression on the butler's face. "Mother keeps me well informed on that score," he added in a whisper, drawing a chuckle for the other man.
"Maybe," Carson admitted, but then turned serious, "but it started sooner. After the trial she could breathe more easily again and the fear that he would come for her again stopped, knowing he was locked away. It helped her overcome her trauma."
oOoOoOo
As Charles sat in the Ripon courtroom he couldn't quite take his eyes off Elsie, who held Beryl's hand in a vice-like grip. She was scared – he could see that plainly from where he sat. As Mr Grigg had been brought in he had sneered at her in a very nasty way and Charles had curled his hands into a tight fists. In his head he constantly repeated the mantra 'Don't kill him, don't kill him!' and he kept a close watch on Elsie, sitting two seats to his right. She was nervous. Understandably. Facing her rapist must bring back a lot of horrible memories and the same fear she had felt that night. Charles was extremely proud of his housekeeper for facing him and not running away. She wasn't a coward, never had been.
"Disciplinary hearing on the tenth of March into crimes committed under the 'Offences against the Person Act' by Charles Grigg will commence shortly. Offended party: Elsie Hughes. Lawyer for the offended: George Murray. Witnesses for the defence: Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham. Dr Richard Clarkson, doctor of Downton College Hospital, Isobel Crawley, Nurse, and Matthew Crawley."
Thus far only the formalities were read down. That was the easy part. Elsie could handle that by detaching herself from the situation. Beryl and Anna, who were sitting next to her, gave her rather tight-lipped but reassuring smiles and squeezed her hands more tightly in their hands. Beryl even wrapped one of her arms around Elsie's shoulders and squeezed a little. Charles, though, did not relax just yet. He knew that the worst was yet to come when the real testaments began and she herself would have to give a statement. For a fleeting moment he wished fervently that he could wrap Elsie in his protective arms and shield her from everything, but he also knew that she would shy away from his touch. Sighing deeply, he focused his attention on the judge again.
"We will hear the offending party first. What do you have to say in your defence, Mr Grigg?" the judge asked cuttingly.
"I plead not guilty. The wench got what she deserved. She was begging me, but then changed her mind. "
Elsie was stunned beyond belief. She must have understood what had been said. Charles' furrowed brows relaxed a little and an understanding smile appeared on his lips. Slowly he began to grin wolfishly. This lie was easily proven wrong. Grigg had chosen the same tactic to avoid punishment that he had used years ago when they had been on stage together. Back then he had been dragged before the court for a similar crime and had not been found guilty. Not so today, because today Charles knew the truth and couldn't be convinced to lie for the wretched man. Moreover Grigg had unknowingly sentenced himself to a more severe punishment as usually handed out in a similar situation. False oath in front of a court was not easily forgiven by the judge.
"I see", the judge said with a disdainful look on his face. Then he turned around to face Mr Crawley and asked, "I understand that you found Miss Hughes after the attack and brought her back to her employer's home where she was cared for." Matthew nodded. "Do you agree with Mr Grigg's account of the events?"
"Not at all, Your Honour," Matthew answered emphatically.
"Then kindly tell us what happened from your perspective," he was commanded to do and Matthew immediately launched into a precise restitution of the events which haunted his nights. He told the Court how he had been almost overrun by Mr Grigg while hastily fleeing the crime sight, how he had gone to investigate and had eventually found Mrs Hughes. For a long moment he was silent, trying to muster up the courage to describe the state he had found Mrs Hughes in. Apparently he was not needed to do that since the judge spoke up again, "The Court realizes your account, Mr Crawley. Before we will listen to the witnesses, I will question Ms Hughes about her recollections of the attack."
Elsie flinched terribly and cowered in her seat, trying once again to become invisible. Beryl's arm wrapped itself more firmly around her shoulders, but did nothing to dispel her fears or calm her rapidly beating heart. She hadn't spoken to anyone except Mrs Crawley and Lady Grantham about what had happened to her. It would be pure hell when she was called forward to recount the actual events. She couldn't do that. She would surely faint …
Lady Grantham noticed that her poor housekeeper was approaching a blind panic. She tried unsuccessfully to get Mrs Hughes' attention and divert her from the trial. Mrs Crawley had her eyes fixed on her friend as well, noting the growing distress in the widened pupils and the clearly visible thrumming pulse in her throat. She and Dr Clarkson had come prepared. He had given her a small vial of Phenobarbital before the trial, which was now residing in her pocket since she was sitting closer to Mrs Hughes. Isobel couldn't bear to see the fear in the younger woman's eyes, her tense muscles, and her obvious panic and so she carefully withdrew the vial of pills and slowly extracted one from the bottle. She was prepared to sedate Elsie, if that would help her get through the trial with relative composure. Before she could slip it the other woman's hand, Elsie got up from her seat.
Elsie stepped up to the questioning pulpit as if she were heading for the gallows, trembling from head to toe. Grigg locked eyes with her, giving her a malicious glare before looking over to Charles. Panic constricted her throat and the trembling became more pronounced.
Mr Murray had seen this little byplay. It was not the first time a convict wanted to intimidate a witness or cow his victim into silence, so he asked the judge calmly, "Could Mr Grigg be escorted outside while we hear Mrs Hughes' rapport? It would make matters easier."
Elsie nearly collapsed with relief and she felt her knees nearly give way under her. Grigg, the poor excuse of a man who had raped her, wouldn't be in the same room with her. It certainly did make everything easier. 'No, not really', said a small inner voice, 'Charles is still here and will hear everything that happened to me. What will he do when he knows the details? It's one thing to imagine what was done, and it's another thing entirely to know the truth.' The panic was back in full force and she was trembling again. Despite her inner turmoil, she knew that sooner or later she would have to give her version of events. Almost inaudibly she began to speak, closing her eyes and wishing for it to be over – much the same way she had hoped that night.
oOoOoOo
After her statement the doctor and Mrs Crawley were called forward to give a detailed account of the afflicted wounds and the treatment, but for Elsie all that was a haze, blurry and disjointed. She had been given the sedative to calm her nerves and was now snuggled against Beryl's side, breathing in her scent and feeling her heartbeat. Her friend held her close and Elsie had the distinct feeling that no harm could reach her here. From time to time she would carefully peek over to Charles from the safety of Beryl's arms. She expected him to be angry and repulsed by her after everything he had heard, but when she looked at him he was smiling sweetly at her. Carefully he reached for her, slowly extending his hand to touch her fingers lying in Beryl's lap. When Elsie didn't flinch or withdrew, Beryl hesitantly loosened her arms around her friend and scooted her a little closer to Charles, so that he could hold her hand properly and even wrap his own arm around his dear housekeeper. Closing her eyes after a moment or two, Elsie relaxed even further into the embrace of her friends. It was finally over. He was still by her side and everything would be all right in the end.
oOoOoOo
Grigg had been brought in after Mrs Hughes' testimony. He had been mute throughout the questioning of the witnesses, but now he spoke up again, "You don't really believe all that, Your Honour, do you? I mean, this is utter nonsense. These women are all the same. They lead men on with their flirting …"
"Silence!" the judge growled lowly. He had been given a very clear picture of the events and was disgusted by the man sitting before him. It was obvious that he treated other people without any respect and was only ever interested in his own advancement. What was almost worse was the fact that he seemed to believe his own lies. When he spoke again his voice was more controlled and filled with finality, "According to the 'Offences against the Person Act' from 1861, Section 48, regarding crimes of rape, we have come to a verdict.This section provides that a person guilty of rape is liable to be kept in penal servitude for life or for any term not less than three years or to be imprisoned, with or without hard labour, for any term not exceeding two years. Based on these guidelines, this court has decided to convict you to a sentence of penal servitude for 10 years."
Grigg started to get up from his seat and protest, but couldn't voice any of his arguments because the police officers were already dragging him from the room.
oOoOoOo
Mr Crawley nodded thoughtfully, but couldn't quite agree with the older man. "A bit, but I think you were and are the deciding factor, Mr Carson. Your love holds her together."
Astonishingly, Mr Carson blushed faintly at the kind compliment, but he smiled and inclined his head. He would certainly love his housekeeper to the day he died. His eyes were drawn to her hands, lying softly over her stomach. They were not tightly knotted in front of her in a protective gesture, but lay loosely one over the other. Her cheeks held a faint pinkish hue and she actually smiled as she talked with Beryl and Mrs Crawley, while Anna and Daisy stood next to, leaning slightly into her. Charles beamed with love and happiness at his happy family. He would devote himself to see Elsie's happy smile more often from now on. It would be the highlight of his day to see her smile like that.
A./N.: The Section 48 was a revised version of section 16 of the Offences against the Person Act 1828, incorporating the non-textual amendments made to that section by section 3 of the Substitution of Punishments of Death Act 1841 (4 & 5 Vict c 56) and section 2 of the Penal Servitude Act 1857. It replaced section 16 of the 1828 Act and the corresponding provision in section 3 of the 1841 Act, which were repealed. Before that there was a death penalty for severe rape cases.