Mary Dulac

An article, mentioning Mary Dulac's association with Edmund Bickerstaff

**Mary Dulac** was an associate of Edmund Bickerstaff and Simon Wilberforce. A wealthy aristocrat rumored to be interested in strange ideas, she disappeared in 1877 after attending a gathering, disguised as a party, at Bickerstaff's residence. Nearly ten years later, in 1886, Dulac resurfaced, captured in a forest and now known as the "Wild-woman of Chertsey Forest," described as having become a scrawny vagabond who had described herself as living like a beast for many years and disturbed those around the forest with her wild howls. She was placed in care at Chertsey Asylum.

## Early Life

Little is known about the early life of the aristocrat. It is likely that she was born around 1850, placing her age at the time of her disappearance at about 27, which is fitting as she is described as *"young"* during her time with Bickerstaff. She was known to be a socialite and was a member of the nobility, although her exact title, except for the title of "Lady", was unknown. She was, even in early life, known to be rich and interested in the occult.

## Work with Edmund Bickerstaff

*Main article: Edmund Bickerstaff*
Officially, Mary Dulac was a guest of Bickerstaff, invited to his exclusive parties of unknown function. In reality, she was a member of his cult, researching the occult and mystical, with a special fascination with the afterlife. The experiments and research of Bickerstaff led him to creating the Bone Glass, a powerful relic that, at least possibly, opened a window to the afterlife. This glass was tested on Simon Wilberforce, a fellow associate, who died a horrid death because of it. Dulac and the other cultists fled the mansion, only for Bickerstaff to show up at Dulac's doorstep hours later. He forced her to take a look into the Bone Glass, which drove her mad, but not before she managed to shoot Bickerstaff. She escaped and buried the body, with help of other associates, in an iron casket, successfully keeping Bickerstaff's ghost at bay for many years to come.

## After Bickerstaff

### Chertsey Forest

Mary Dulac lived in Chertsey Forest for years, likely most of the ten years since her disappearance. She ate fungi and bark, howled in the night, which instilled fear in the population of the area, and lived beast-like for her time in the woods. She was known as the "Wild-women of Chertsey Forest" among the locals and was only discovered around 1886, when she was quickly transferred to Chertsey Asylum.

### Chertsey Asylum

Mary Dulac was transported to Chertsey Asylum after her discovery in Chertsey Forest. She was said to have gone mad, her behavior scaring her discoverers. She likely stayed in the asylum for the rest of her life, driven mad by the Bone Glas.

#### The Confessions of Mary Dulac

*Main article: The Confessions of Mary Dulac*
After being placed in the asylum, Dulac wrote a book titled *The Confessions of Mary Dulac*, one of the few known copies being kept within the Black Library of the Fittes Agency. This book was described by Anthony Lockwood as being mostly a lot of nonsense about forbidden knowledge and seeking out the mysteries of creation, but nevertheless contained an important piece of information: that Dulac herself had killed Bickerstaff and sealed him in an iron coffin, as well as the details of the cult's experiments.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 *The Whispering Skull*, **III: The Missing Mirror**, Ch. 14
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *The Whispering Skull*, **VI: Through the Looking Glass**, Ch. 25
3. ↑ *The Whispering Skull*, **III: The Missing Mirror**, Ch. 14: *"Two young aristocrats"*
4. ↑ *Death Is Coming*: 13:48
5. ↑ Lady(Title) on Wikipedia
6. ↑ *Sweet Dreams*: 35:01