PP AU NON-CANON GENERAL REGENCY
Ashes to Honor
Guests...My apologies ..out of habit I typed Bingley and did not catch it when sent it back from my beta-reader. It was supposed to say Mrs. McCoy and it read Mrs. Bingley instead. So Jane is married to Andrew MCCOY NOT Charles Bingley...that error has now been corrected.
Previously:
"Took it out on your mother."
"I am afraid so." Jane lifted her head. "Could Charles and I come back with you to Matlock? Reconcile with my mother before the wedding?"
"Yes, of course."
Search and Sucess
Ch. 21
A church in North Central England held no sound as the early summer breeze blew softly over its grounds. Parishioners walked quietly over its ground and entered into side buildings. However, Steffan and Charlotte were not interested in any activity going on in the lower buildings. Their searches in Scotland had been fruitless. Their minds turned to what little they had uncovered up in that country.
Their investigation in Scotland had not brought much success. Yes, they had managed to locate a document for Fredrick Montgomery. It was a faded letter dated a few years before he was born. And it was addressed to Mr. Collins from a Sophia Bennet. The letter had been found in an old parish registry. It had mentioned plans to meet again. Sadly, it made no detailed references to marriage or any formal union.
Additionally, Charlotte had stumbled across a journal entry from another rector, discovered in the same parish. It recorded the arrival of Mr. Collins and a Miss Bennet during that period. The entry was brief and confirmed their presence together in Scotland. However, again there was no mention of vows being exchanged. So, sadly, those pieces of evidence were insufficient to say for sure any matrimonial bond existed. It did prove that Mr. Collins had indeed known Sophia Bennet. Which is why, when the current parson found a small entry mentioning the church they were now looking at, the McBrides had headed south.
"It is a good thing I have plenty of money saved away, and you are a practical woman," Steffan spoke to his wife. "Or this trip would not be possible."
"I count it a blessing for our friend's sake. I do hope we can bring them some good news as a wedding present."
"Me too."
Steffan took his wife's hand and walked over the grass, their feet parting the tall grass which really did need mowing. The couple moved quietly up the well-kept path and approached the old cathedral.
"I always thought those spires, casting their shadows over the cemetery were heaven's swords protecting people's graves," whispered Charlotte as they saw the cathedral's towering spires reaching towards the sky, casting long shadows on the ancient nearby graveyard.
Steffan said nothing as he admired the church's weathered stone walls and the stained-glass windows that were catching the sunlight. However, they both ignored all that as their footsteps took them nearer to the heavy wooden doors, and then Mr. McBride pushed the doors open. A creaking sound echoed throughout the building and quickly a cool, dimly lit interior was revealed.
Stepping inside, they were greeted by the silence of the sanctuary. A high vaulted ceiling was adorned with beautiful, detailed carvings, and the scent of incense lingered in the air. Rows of polished wooden pews lined the nave. At the end, a soft glow of candlelight lit up the area, and sunlight came flowing into the room through stained-glass windows.
Their footsteps echoed loudly through the vast space as they walked down the central aisle towards a parish priest who was facing away from them. However, when they quit walking, he turned to face them. He appeared to be middle-aged and invited them to sit down.
"How may I help you?"
"We were hoping we could look through your old registries. We are on a search for proof of a marriage between a William Collins Senior and Sophia Bennet."
"How long ago was this marriage?"
"It would have been at least forty-six years. We have proof of his second marriage and a much younger son, but only hints of another spouse. And there is a gentleman—much older than the younger man—trying to see if he really is a brother."
"Follow me."
The McBrides followed the priest through the quiet corridors of the church and were taken to a side door that opened into a quiet, secluded room. "This is our vestry." It was a modest space. It held wooden cabinets that lined the walls, and a large table had been placed in the center. "As you can see, we have shelves with plenty of tomes, scrolls and such." He then motioned them over to another table.
"These ledgers, as you can tell, are yellow with age. If any marriage vows were taken here by the people you mentioned, they would be listed here."
"Thank you."
Steffan and Charlotte each took a ledger, turning page by page. Names like Anderson, Alders, Brandon, Brook, Dahle, Hanson, Clark, Campbell, Connor, Carter, Smith, Jones, Chapman, Crawford, Wellington, and Cross appeared in the book. Their eyes scanned each line carefully, searching for any mention of Collins or Bennet.
Steffan sighed as he flipped another page, revealing more entries of births, marriages, and deaths, but frustratingly enough, none linked Mr. Collins to Sophia Bennet. The large, musty room was filled with the scent of old paper and leather. There was no sound other than the quiet rustling of pages being turned.
"Anything on your end?" Steffan asked quietly, not wishing to disturb anyone who might be passing down the room they were now in.
Charlotte shook her head. "No, but we must keep looking. After what we read in Scotland, there has to be something here."
They continued their search, the weight of their task pressing down on them. The vestry's dim light made reading difficult, but they stuck to their goal, driven by the hope of finding a clue that could shed light on the connection between Mr. Collins and Sophia Bennet.
After what felt like hours, Charlotte let out an excited yelp, quiet as it was. "Steffan, look at this," she whispered, pointing to an entry. "It mentions a Mr. Collins and a Miss Bennet attending a service together."
Steffan leaned over to examine the entry. "It is something, but we need more than just attendance at a service."
They carefully replaced the ledgers and then asked the priest to please take them to the archive. This room was much larger, with rows of shelves filled with records, documents, and old scrolls. The priest guided them to a section labeled "18th Century Records."
"I will be back. I am sure you two will be fine on your own."
Steffan and Charlotte turned back to the documents and began their search. They also pulled out old letters, receipts, and parish announcements, sifting through the records for any mention of Mr. Collins and Sophia Bennet.
Among the stacks, Steffan found an old letter. "Charlotte, this is from Sophia Bennet to Mr. Collins. It talks about meeting him, but still no mention of marriage."
Charlotte looked at the letter and read it with her husband carefully. "This is good, but it is not enough. We need definitive proof of a marriage, or at least more substantial evidence of their relationship."
The two continued searching, their determination unwavering. Finally, Steffan found a journal entry from a parish priest. "This is interesting," he said. "The priest mentions performing a service for Mr. Collins and Sophia Bennet, but it is vague. I would be hard-pressed to think it was not a marriage."
As they looked through the remaining documents, Steffan and Charlotte began to piece together a timeline of Mr. Collins and Sophia Bennet's interactions. Their search had not yielded the concrete proof they had hoped for, but it had provided valuable insights into the relationship between Mr. Collins and Sophia Bennet. Steffan and Charlotte exchanged determined glances, knowing just how important it was they found that blasted marriage certificate.
"There has to be one. What other service would those two have come here for?" asked Charlotte just as the priest walked in, holding a piece of paper, his expression contemplative and silent.
"I thought about how determined you two were and, when you left the vestry and asked me to bring you here." The parish priest shook his head. "I followed an impression I was getting and told you I had things to do and would be back." Walking over to Steffan McBride, he finally smiled. "The Good Lord really wanted you to have success on your mission today."
"You found the marriage certificate?"
"Mr. Collins's marriage certificate was misfiled. I would suggest I make you a couple of copies. It is always a good idea to have backup."
"I agree." Steffan grinned wide and looked at his wife. "Looks like Fredrick is getting that wedding present after all."
A few hours later, the McBrides left with two copies of the marriage certificate of Mr. William Collins Senior and Sophia Bennet.