The Asylum - Prologue

The Asylum Prologue Augustus Wolvercote was good at spotting a need and filling it. And his pockets at the same time. And Wolvercote House, with its barred windows, high fencing and walls, and high security was going to meet a very specific need. During Queen Victoria’s reign, there were families who would pay good money to have their relatives “looked after”. Relatives who had a shaky grip on reality. Augustus built Wolvercote House out in the countryside. No-one wanted a lunatic asylum on their doorstep after all. Discretion was everything. And the beautiful surroundings meant that the sorrowing families didn’t feel quite so bad about locking their relatives away. Augustus Wolvercote was very good at spotting a need and meeting it. Very good indeed. Sometimes, for instance, a man might have a wealthy ward who was unwilling to agree to the marriage being proposed for her. Augustus could help there too. Young, unprotected, and at the mercy of her guardian, there was nothing Annabella Faversham could do to defend herself from the plot hatched against her. The stairs they made her climb were hidden, secret, and they led up to the attics at the top of the asylum. “You had your chance! You refused his offer! Well, let’s see if a few weeks here will change your mind.” When they locked her in the tiny cell, she fainted from the shock. A week later, her guardian came to see her.
“Well, will you agree to the match I have proposed for you?”
“But I love Algernon! And he loves me – and his family is well-enough born for the match to be suitable.”
“If you think I’m going to see your fortune in his hands, you may think again! You will stay here until you agree to this marriage. No-one knows where you are, and there is no-one to rescue you.” A month later, he returned.
“You still resist me? Then Mr Wolvercote recommends moving you to the special cell.” The special cell was bare indeed. And as the door was locked behind her, her guardian said, in tones as smooth as silk, “I’ve given out that you are going abroad for a year for your health. Naturally, I shall accompany you. I’ve found someone willing to be my “invalid ward” while we’re away. When I return, maybe you will think again.” Through the grating, she could see other unfortunates brought to these secret cells from time to time. Mostly, they left weeping, and promising to do what was asked of them. Sometimes she heard the screams. From time to time she was alone in the secret portion of the asylum. Only Augustus Wolvercote knew that she was there in any case. And when he was thrown from his carriage, and lay unconscious in a hospital for a week, there was no-one to bring her food or water. She died alone – and Augustus bricked up the door to her cell, leaving her body behind it. After that, he began to experiment with other ways of “changing people’s minds”.