Her only chance was to act—to remain passive now would be the cause of her demise. Forcing herself not to panic, Charlotte retraced her last few steps and hopped onto a fallen trunk, swaying precariously for a moment or two before she regained her balance. Crawling along its length, she flung herself as hard as she was able into a deep thicket, and found herself caught as a fly in a web, thorns snatching at her skirts, her hair, her hands.

“Charlotte, show your dear little face to me,” Catherine called. “So serious and plain. Let me explain it all, for I’m sure you will understand. I never meant to become the creature that I am. I was made this way by the men who abused and hurt me: the father who beat me, the uncle who attacked me, the cousins who tortured me, all of them injuring me so grievously that I was forced to stop them dead. I had no choice if I was to survive.”

Charlotte realised that any movement she made now would betray her position, and worse, she was stuck fast. Closing her eyes, she did her best to concentrate on remaining perfectly still.

“I arrived at Oakhope aged a little more than eleven years old. I was so miserable and afraid; I ran away up to the moors, and I thought I should never come back. And I met him, standing by the crossroads. It was as if he had been waiting for me.” Charlotte held her breath as the branches around her bent and rebounded. “We were friends at first, playmates and confidants, and then one summer afternoon just after I turned fourteen, we became lovers. It felt as natural as the water running down the hillside. It was just before I rid myself of my uncle and aunt that I discovered I was with child. I did not tell anyone, not even Clifton. Instead I told him that I could never marry a man like him, so dirty and lowborn, that I must have a life of greatness. I told him that I was never meant to be a rough farmer’s wife. A London solicitor who had been appointed to manage my estate sent me two matronly companions to watch over me. It took only a small portion of my fortune to offer them freedom and an independent income in return for their discreet departure. I appointed my own staff with great care, often at the prison gate, and paid them handsomely to keep my secret. After my child was born, I hired a nursemaid who knew not to talk and kept him here, my precious secret, my darling boy.”

Catherine was just a few steps away. One moment more and Charlotte was certain she would be discovered. And then, from a long distance away, she heard her sisters calling her name, their voices carrying on the cold, clear air.