Page 90 of By the Sword
Poor Derby, Jonathan thought. It would not be long before the Earl’s head adorned London Bridge. Someone had to pay the price for the battle of Worcester.
‘I hear that Charles Stuart still roams the countryside,’ Jonathan ventured.
The boy nodded. ‘Vanished into thin air, but we’ll get him, sir, and he’ll meet his father’s fate.’
The grim determination on the soldier’s face made Jonathan shiver.
‘So, where did you say you were garrisoned?’ he asked, returning to the subject of Stephen Prescott.
The young man leaned back in his chair and sipped his ale. ‘We are billeted at a house which has the strange name of Seven Ways,’ he said. ‘The major says it used to be the home of anotorious family of malignants but the lady who is there now seems godly enough. I swear she must sleep with her Bible under her pillow. Her conduct of prayer meetings would make the regimental parson proud.’
Jonathan schooled his face to remain neutral, although his heart raced. He should have known that Prescott would go straight to Seven Ways in search of him and now Kate had Stephen Prescott under her roof. She could only be in the greatest danger.
The lieutenant continued, the ale loosening his tongue. ‘If you ask me, the major’s a bit sweet on her.’
Jonathan’s unease doubled. ‘The major has a partiality for such godly women?’
‘Well I’ve not seen him look twice at a woman before but he seems in no hurry to leave.’ The boy sniggered.
Jonathan summoned another ale for the young soldier and stood up. ‘Well, my friend, I’ll leave you to your ale. I wish you well with your commander in the morning.’
Alone in his room, Jonathan flung himself full length on the bed and stared at the ceiling. The enmity Stephen Prescott held for him extended to anyone connected with Jonathan Thornton. Five innocent men had already died for Jonathan’s sins. Now Prescott’s hatred threatened his family in a way it had never done before. More than that, the one person who mattered most to him in the world appeared to be the object of Prescott’s attention. No amount of prayer meetings would help her if he were to discover her secret.
The people he cared most about in the world were in the gravest danger. He clenched his fists in impotent rage, although he could not have said whether his anger was directed at Prescott or himself.
He had no choice but to return to Seven Ways and finish this business with Prescott for all time, even at the cost of his own life.
Chapter 32
Not normally a man given to profanity, Jacob Howell swore volubly when he opened the door to his cottage and found Jonathan standing on his doorstep. Without waiting for an invitation, Jonathan stepped into the cottage, divested himself of his wet cloak and hat and stood in front of the fire. As steam rose from his damp clothes he smiled at his astonished bailiff.
‘You look like you have seen a ghost, Howell.’
Before he closed the door, Jacob peered into the damp gloom of the autumn night. ‘Where’s your horse?’
Jonathan lifted the lid on the stew pot Howell had simmering over the fire.
‘I’ve left her in the old quarry. She’ll be safe enough there. Have you anything to eat? I’m starving.’
‘You must be addled to come back now.’ Jacob spooned the last of the stew he’d made for his supper into a trencher. ‘The house is full of Roundheads.’
Jonathan took the proffered trencher and spoon and said calmly, ‘I know, and that is exactly why I’ve come back.’ He sat down on a stool by the fire and stretched his legs out towards the fire.
‘Now tell me everything that has happened?’ he asked between mouthfuls. ‘And why is the quarry full of livestock?’
Jacob resumed his chair and picked up his discarded pipe. He poked at the tobacco and took several sucks on the long stem before he said, ‘That Colonel Price, he came by with an order to sequester the bulk of the harvest and the stock. I managed to get some of the best beasts away, but he drove off the rest and took most of the harvest, too.’
Jonathan set the spoon down on the trencher and sighed. ‘Revenge is mine, saith the Lord.’
‘Aye,’ Jacob agreed, ‘as if it weren’t bad enough having that Prescott and his men up at the Hall.’
Jonathan looked up. ‘What has Prescott been up to?’
Jacob gave his master a knowing look through narrowed eyes. ‘You know this man?’
Jonathan nodded. ‘Go on.’
Jacob frowned. ‘Hard to say. Sometimes he’s here and sometimes he’s not. Been asking a lot of questions about you.’
