would probably be asleep before she could even bring his face to mind. It was cruel of Mrs. Crumley to keep her working so late, especially since she was four months pregnant. She limped down the short passageway with the painful shuffle of an aged crone.
If only Daniel would get home
, she prayed,
before these endless hours of work make an old woman of me
.
She’d barely opened the door and stepped over the threshold, wondering if she’d left herself a match with which to light the candle, when she was seized about the shoulders from behind, and a hand clamped down firmly on her mouth. Terrified, she struggled wildly. “Shhh, girl,” a man’s voice whispered in her ear, “it’s only me. Don’t make a noise when I let ye go.”
“
Daniel!
” Betsy, trembling from head to toe, couldn’t decide whether to kiss him or strike him. “How
could
ye—”
But he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the hunger that more than three months of separation had built up in him, and she forgot her fright and anger and let herself surrender to the urgency of his embrace. “Oh, Dan’l, love,” she murmured breathlessly between kisses, “I thought ye’d never … I’m so
happy!
” It was not until she heard a match being struck by someone behind her that she realized there was someone else in the room. “Daniel,” she asked with a troubled start, “who—”
The match flared up, revealing a shadowy figure on the other side of the room. “Don’t make any noise, love,” Daniel warned in a hissing whisper. “It’s my friend, Tom, that I wrote ye of. We been sittin’ here in the dark for three hours, waitin’ fer you t’ finish yer chores.”
“Sorry we had to break in on you this way, Mrs. Hicks,” Tom said quietly, lighting a candle on Betsy’s bedside table.
Betsy put a hand to her heaving breast and sank down on the bed, looking from one man to the other. “Somethin’s gone wrong, ain’t it? That’s why ye didn’t come to the inn to fetch me. Somethin’s terrible wrong. I’ve felt it in my bones all day.”
Daniel sat down beside her, took her hand and stroked it gently. “Don’t take on when I tell ye. I …can’t stay with ye. We’re on the run.”
“On the
run?
” In the dim light of the candle she searched his face, taking agonized note of his puffed right eye, and ugly bruise on his left cheek and a bit of dried blood on his lip. “Oh, my God! What is it ye’ve
done
?”
Quickly, without going into minor details, he related to her the events of the evening before—the encounter with the press-gang and the struggle in the cabin of the
Undaunted
. “We’re in fer it now, y’ see,” he concluded glumly. “They’ll be lookin’ fer us up and down the coast.”
“But, why?” Betsy asked, fingering her husband’s bruised face tenderly. “Ye’ve given them the slip, haven’t ye? They’ll forget all about ye as soon as they nab some other poor sot in yer place.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. That Captain Brock’ll remember us, fer sure. And the officer—what was his name, Tom?”
“Moresby.”
“Aye, Moresby. He’ll not forget us, neither. We’ve got to get away, love.” His voice choked. “We only waited so’s I could say goodbye to ye.”
“No!” the girl cried, flinging her arms round his neck. “Ye’ll not go a step without me! I swore to myself ever since ye left that I’ll never say goodbye to ye again.”
Daniel buried his face in her neck. “Nay, love, don’t be foolish,” he murmured brokenly. “We don’t know where we’ll end. We can’t—”
She put a hand to his mouth to stop his words and shook her head. They clung to each other for a long moment. Then she pushed him away and got to her feet. “Y’re wet and cold and prob’ly hungry. We can’t think straight in such a state.” She wiped her eyes, sniffed bravely and tried to pull herself together. Straightening her shoulders, she looked at Tom shyly.
If only Daniel would get home
, she prayed,
before these endless hours of work make an old woman of me
.
She’d barely opened the door and stepped over the threshold, wondering if she’d left herself a match with which to light the candle, when she was seized about the shoulders from behind, and a hand clamped down firmly on her mouth. Terrified, she struggled wildly. “Shhh, girl,” a man’s voice whispered in her ear, “it’s only me. Don’t make a noise when I let ye go.”
“
Daniel!
” Betsy, trembling from head to toe, couldn’t decide whether to kiss him or strike him. “How
could
ye—”
But he pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all the hunger that more than three months of separation had built up in him, and she forgot her fright and anger and let herself surrender to the urgency of his embrace. “Oh, Dan’l, love,” she murmured breathlessly between kisses, “I thought ye’d never … I’m so
happy!
” It was not until she heard a match being struck by someone behind her that she realized there was someone else in the room. “Daniel,” she asked with a troubled start, “who—”
The match flared up, revealing a shadowy figure on the other side of the room. “Don’t make any noise, love,” Daniel warned in a hissing whisper. “It’s my friend, Tom, that I wrote ye of. We been sittin’ here in the dark for three hours, waitin’ fer you t’ finish yer chores.”
“Sorry we had to break in on you this way, Mrs. Hicks,” Tom said quietly, lighting a candle on Betsy’s bedside table.
Betsy put a hand to her heaving breast and sank down on the bed, looking from one man to the other. “Somethin’s gone wrong, ain’t it? That’s why ye didn’t come to the inn to fetch me. Somethin’s terrible wrong. I’ve felt it in my bones all day.”
Daniel sat down beside her, took her hand and stroked it gently. “Don’t take on when I tell ye. I …can’t stay with ye. We’re on the run.”
“On the
run?
” In the dim light of the candle she searched his face, taking agonized note of his puffed right eye, and ugly bruise on his left cheek and a bit of dried blood on his lip. “Oh, my God! What is it ye’ve
done
?”
Quickly, without going into minor details, he related to her the events of the evening before—the encounter with the press-gang and the struggle in the cabin of the
Undaunted
. “We’re in fer it now, y’ see,” he concluded glumly. “They’ll be lookin’ fer us up and down the coast.”
“But, why?” Betsy asked, fingering her husband’s bruised face tenderly. “Ye’ve given them the slip, haven’t ye? They’ll forget all about ye as soon as they nab some other poor sot in yer place.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. That Captain Brock’ll remember us, fer sure. And the officer—what was his name, Tom?”
“Moresby.”
“Aye, Moresby. He’ll not forget us, neither. We’ve got to get away, love.” His voice choked. “We only waited so’s I could say goodbye to ye.”
“No!” the girl cried, flinging her arms round his neck. “Ye’ll not go a step without me! I swore to myself ever since ye left that I’ll never say goodbye to ye again.”
Daniel buried his face in her neck. “Nay, love, don’t be foolish,” he murmured brokenly. “We don’t know where we’ll end. We can’t—”
She put a hand to his mouth to stop his words and shook her head. They clung to each other for a long moment. Then she pushed him away and got to her feet. “Y’re wet and cold and prob’ly hungry. We can’t think straight in such a state.” She wiped her eyes, sniffed bravely and tried to pull herself together. Straightening her shoulders, she looked at Tom shyly.
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