Page 32 of By the Sword
He opened his eyes, still hazy with the after-effect of the laudanum.
‘Jesus wept,’ he swore, as he tried to move.
‘Listen to me.’ Kate waited until his eyes had focused on her face. ‘Do you think you can stand?’
He gave her a rueful smile. ‘Mistress Ashley, I’ll do whatever you tell me.’
‘Good. Ellen, get him dressed and pack. We leave within the hour.’
‘Leave?’ Ellen looked surprised. ‘It’ll be a miracle if he gets on his own two feet. He’ll nowt sit a horse.’
‘We’ll be using a wagon.’
‘E’en so…’ Ellen protested.
‘We can’t stay here, Ellen. It’s too dangerous.’ She smiled at her maid with more reassurance than she felt. ‘It will be all right. We have a plan. Jon, listen to me.’
Kate explained the plan she and William had concocted to both Ellen and Jonathan.
Ellen sucked her breath in through her teeth and shook her head. ‘I don’t know…’
‘It’s the best we can do.
Ellen nodded. ‘Aye well, tha’s as well as maybe.’
Jonathan closed his eyes. ‘We will make it work. If there were any other way that didn’t involve you–’
‘There is none.’
Ellen nodded. ‘Come on lad let’s get ’ee on thy feet if we’re to leave within the hour.’
They gathered in the hallway. One glance at Jonathan’s ashen, unshaven face and a wave of panic passed over Kate. She needed him to have his wits about him, and he would have to endure the pain until she could get him back to Barton–if he ever reached Barton. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind.
William clapped a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. ‘So, young Tom. You’ve heard the plan. Are you up to a spot o’ play actin’?’
‘I’m much better at pretending than Mother,’ Tom pointed out. He looked up at Jonathan. ‘Are you going to be all right?’
Jonathan managed a watery smile. ‘Just fine,’ he said. ‘You’ll see.’
***
‘What’s this?’ William inquired of the guard at the city gates. ‘I’ve not been stopped afore.’
The man put his fingers to the brim of his hat. ‘We’ve orders to search every wagon leaving the city,’ he said. ‘There’s a notorious delinquent on the loose.’ The soldier lowered his voice. ‘There’s talk of witchcraft. Those that saw him says he just vanished into thin air.’
‘Your name, sir?’ The other guard enquired of William.
‘William Rowe of Barton Hall.’ He indicated Kate and Jonathan who sat hunched between them on the bench, his hat pulled down as low as possible. ‘My sister, her husband and my nephew.’ He jerked his head in the direction of the back of thecart where Tom sat among the piles of empty sacking munching on an apple. ‘We’re returning home from the wool sales.’
‘I’ve orders to search the cart, sir,’ the guard said.
‘Search away,’ Kate said assuming a tone of petulance in her voice. ‘You’ll find naught. We sold our wool and I swear my husband has drunk all the money away in celebrating.’
‘Here dwells a pretty maid whose name is Sis…’ A slurred rendition of the popular drinking song issued from underneath Jonathan’s hat.
‘You may come in and kiss…’ The song tailed off as Kate elbowed him in the ribs, her lips set in a hard, tight line.
The guard grinned. ‘I can smell the ale fumes from here, mistress,’ he said. ‘I’ll warrant he’ll have a sore head tomorrow.’
