The Confessions of Mary Dulac

An article, mentioning Mary Dulac's reappearance

### Sold/Available at

Almost impossible to acquire, as very few copies exist. Most likely stored at Lockwood & Co. offices and DEPRAC

**The Confessions of Mary Dulac** is a book written in a psychiatric institution about confessions of Mary Dulac, a former associate of Edmund Bickerstaff that had become clinically insane. It contains, among other things, information about the practices of Edmund Bickerstaff and his associates. Few copies of this book exist, one formerly in the Fittes Library, one in an unknown location, after being stolen by Albert Joplin.

## Content

The book is a cleaned up version of the original confessions, selecting paragraphs which made the most sense and neglecting incoherent ones. Still, significant portions of the book are taken up by information about Mary Dulac's nutrition while living in a forest and philosophical ideas about life and death, specifically concerning the afterlife.

The most notable portions of the book are those centered around Edmund Bickerstaff. They contain details of her murder of Bickerstaff(*"I killed him. Yes, we buried him deep and sealed him up with iron, yet still I see him in the darkness, whenever I close my eyes."*), his character, with the book painting him as a wicked and cruel genius, his actions and ideals. It especially focusses on the death of Simon Wilberforce, another associate of Bickerstaff, and details surrounding the Bone Glass. It paints a gruesome picture of Bickerstaff, mentioning cruel actions against his followers, how he instilled fear among them, and his reckless character.

## Author

*Main article: Mary Dulac*
Mary Dulac was a disillusioned associate of Edmund Bickerstaff and his murderer. She was an aristocrat and prominent socialite who went missing shortly after Bickerstaff's death at one of his occultist meetings. She was found ten years later, having gone mad, likely due to the Bone Glass, and living in a forest. At that time, she was described by the Daily Telegraph as a "beast" with "matted hair and hideous appearance". The book was written during her time at Chertsey asylum, where she was brought after she was discovered in the forest. It is likely a collection of verbal confessions written down by doctors or caretakers, as she was most probably unable to write at this time.

### Edmund Bickerstaff

*Main article: Edmund Bickerstaff*
Edmund Bickerstaff was a charismatic occultist who worked at a sanatorium on Hampstead Heath. He led a circle of cultists, including, among others, Mary Dulac, Simon Wilberforce and an assistant, described by Mary Dulac as a silent boy. They held regular meetings, disguised as party's, dedicated to occult research. Through their efforts, Bickerstaff managed to create the Bone Glass, a powerful relic wich possibly allowed glimpses into the afterlife, although it seemingly killed anyone who saw into it for long enough, and drove others mad.

## Known Copies

There are only two copies known to have survived until now. One was stored in the Fittes Agency's black library and stolen by Lockwood & Co. agents, who most likely stored it in their hedquarters. The other was stored in Chertsey Library, where it was stolen from by Albert Joplin. It is unknown where the book is now, although it is quite likely that DEPRAC took possession of it in their search of Joplin's belongings.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 *The Whispering Skull*, **III: The Missing Mirror**, Ch. 14
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 *The Whispering Skull*, **VI: Through the Looking Glass**, Ch. 25
3. ↑ *The Whispering Skull*, **VI: Through the Looking Glass**, Ch. 25: *"I killed him. Yes, we buried him deep and sealed him up with iron, yet still I see him in the darkness, whenever I close my eyes."*
4. ↑ *The Whispering Skull*, **VI: Through the Looking Glass**, Ch. 25: *"Who was Bickerstaff, whose cursed shadow hangs over me these past ten years? Ah! He was a genius! And the wickedest man I ever knew! Yes, I killed him."*
5. ↑ *Death Is Coming*: 13:58
6. ↑ *The Whispering Skull*, **VI: Through the Looking Glass**, Ch. 27
7. ↑ *The Whispering Skull*, **VI: Through the Looking Glass**, Ch. 29