Page 56 of The Empire and the Wolf King

I took his arm as we went downstairs.

Our lives felt more precarious than before, something about not having any luggage, nothing to pack up. We had the clothes we were wearing, and the sack of our older unusable clothes on Magnus’s back, plus the small amount of gold and jewels in Magnus’s hidden pouch. A couple of pens. That was it.

In the dining room we met the host and he sold us a bit of bread and cheese and a couple of slices of meat, all wrapped in a napkin, to take on our trip. Magnus inquired if Thomas Jefferson had already left and the man said he hadn’t, so Magnus slowed down, taking his time as he asked the host for a carriage to drive us to Charlottesville. We waited on the bench on the front porch, and Magnus watched both the inside of the inn, for signs of Thomas Jefferson leaving, and outside, for our carriage to arrive.

Finally two carriages pulled up at once. From inside the inn, Thomas Jefferson strode out. He tipped his tricorn hat at us. “Lord Magnus, Lady Kaitlyn, you are off for Charlottesville?”

Magnus said, “Aye, we are determined tae make Oakhurst by nightfall.”

Before I knew what was happening, Magnus opened his bag, fumbled through it, and pulled out Lochinvar’s wedding pen. “Lady Kaitlyn and I discussed it last night, we would like ye tae hae the pen.”

He passed it to Jefferson who said, “No, I could not, are you certain?” He held it up to inspect it in the dim light just before dawn.

“Aye, we discussed it, we can replace it when we return tae Scotland. We are not concerned and are verra grateful that ye are takin’ our message tae Mister Washington.”

Jefferson wrapped the pen in a handkerchief and placed it in his coat pocket and patted it to assure us of its safety. “I will keep it, thank ye, Lord Magnus.”

Magnus added, “Ye might feel the urge tae take it apart tae see the internal workings but I warn ye, tis difficult tae put taegether once more.”

“I will take great care with it.”

We bowed to go and watched him climb into his carriage as we climbed into ours.

I said, “We could go with him, follow him north to Richmond.”

“Aye, but we already got him tae write in his book that we are in Charlottesville. What good will it do, besides confusin’ the rescue? We need tae stick tae the plan.”

Thomas Jefferson’s driver said, “Hie!” And drew his carriage forward, headed north.

Our carriage driver said, “Yah!” And pulled our carriage headed in the opposite direction.

Magnus and I ate as we rode. We drank from a bottle of cider we had bought for the journey. And then we watched out the window as the landscape rolled by.

I said, “If you think about it, we could have someone meet us, they might already be there.”

He nodded.

I said, “Like Quentin. He and James could be in the dining room of the inn when we walk in. We… it could happen that way.”

I watched his face, then asked, “You don’t think so?”

“I think… Kaitlyn, that I do hope there will be someone there, but I haena seen any proof that the vessels are workin’ again. Without the vessels workin’, tis unlikely that we will hae a rescue.”

I nodded, looking out the window.

“But we saw a vessel work when we escaped from whatshisname.”

“True.”

“That’s proof, Magnus, we are going to be rescued, stop being dour. You need to be strong.”

He chuckled. “Ye are usin’ my words against me.”

I said, “Aye, you have to be optimistic. Likely the rescue has already been set in motion, then we will rescue everyone, and we will rewrite all that garbage back there at Stirling, and voilà!”

“Voilà?”

“Yep, voilà! We will solve everything.”

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