The Prisoner of Rosings Park by Mollenkopf Carrie

Author:Mollenkopf, Carrie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-05T00:00:00+00:00

~Fifteen~

Reverend Herbert Renbury felt a chill go down his spine, as if someone had trod upon his grave. However, it was not he who neared death’s embrace, but the ancient woman who lay upon her pallet before him. Mildred Oglethorpe was well past the time in which most people departed their earthly form, but somehow, she had managed to linger well past a century. In this, the dear lady had seen her share of life, and was now, in her last hours doing her best to impart what she could recall to the listening ear of a handsome young man. Visitors were rare to ones such as she, but Renbury truly relished this aspect of his calling. Mr. Collins, having believed he had meted a punishment, was all the more a fool, for the ministering to those in true need was what Renbury had sought when he had declared his vocation. Even now, as Mildred whispered an amusing confession of trivial transgressions, his mind wandered with equal ease. Giving up his life as a spoilt younger son of a nobleman had been easy, for he required very little in terms of comfort…. Or so he had always thought. Until now, women had been of fleeting interest, for none had provoked any sort of lasting impression. That is, until he had seen Anne de Bourgh creeping down the trellis. Now, it was rare that she ever left his thoughts. It had been not quite a month since Lady Catherine’s threat and he had done his best to avoid all contact, but at grave cost. Most vicars relied upon the assistance of a wife, both in sharing the burden of a parish flock, as well as being one with whom they could confide without censure. But no gently bred lady would ever consent to be the wife of a poor curate. Even when he finished his tenure at Rosings, it would be a poor assignment to which he would be set. Of money, he cared not, but wives…and later children, required far more than he could provide at the moment. No, Lady Catherine had been all too correct, her daughter was meant for a greater man than he. Lost in his musings, Renbury had nearly forgotten the gnarled hand that grasped his own warm fingers. That is, until they suddenly clenched with the force of a beast before relaxing. Looking down, he realized that Mildred Oglethorpe had drawn her last breath, and a faint smile lay upon her features.

“Rest well, dear lady, you have earned it.”

Exiting the chamber, Renbury informed the waiting family and departed, giving promises to not only attend, but preside over the dead woman’s funeral.

“She took a real liking to you, not like Mr. Collins,” Mildred’s daughter revealed, making a face of disagreement at the utterance of Collins’ name.

“We all have our good qualities,” Renbury insisted, but could not repress his own smile, for there were many days in which he too, suffered under the tiresome ways of Mr. Collins.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.