a twig or realise that there was someone else hiding in the undergrowth until a rough hand clamped over her mouth, and strong arms lifted her off her feet. She fought and kicked but she was powerless to save herself from being dragged deeper and deeper into the bush.
Chapter Four
‘Shut your face, you little whore.’
The harsh cockney accent ripped through Lucetta’s consciousness. The smell of unwashed flesh made her feel physically sick, but she was more angry than afraid. Struggling and kicking out with her feet she sank her teeth into the grimy hand that covered her mouth. Her attacker loosened his grip with a grunt of pain and she stumbled, clutching at an overhanging branch to save herself from falling. She backed away from the man, who was sucking his injured hand and glaring as if he would like to finish her off there and then. ‘You’ve made a big mistake. Just wait until the consul hears about this.’
‘Bloody hell, Stranks. You’ve snatched an Englishwoman.’
Lucetta turned her head to stare at the speaker, who lay on a matted bed of dry leaves, his right leg twisted in a most unnatural position. ‘Yes, I’m English, and you’ll both end up in jail if you don’t let me go this instant.’
‘Hoity-toity, begging your pardon, ma’am.’ The man called Stranks executed a mocking bow. ‘If I’d have known you was a lady, I’d have asked your permission afore I grabbed you.’
‘I–I’m not a lady. I’m a lady’s maid and you’d better let me go, or my master will have the law on you.’
‘Send the trollop on her way, Stranks,’ the man on the ground muttered wearily. ‘We don’t want no more trouble than we got already.’
‘Shut up, Guthrie, and let me think.’ Stranks wiped his bruised hand on the seat of his pants, staring hard at Lucetta. ‘What’s an English maidservant doing in them fancy duds, then? Answer me that?’
‘I know who you are,’ Lucetta said slowly. ‘You’re the escaped convicts that the men from the British merchant ship were looking for.’
‘You know a lot more than is good for you, and I don’t believe you’re a lady’s maid,’ Stranks said suspiciously. ‘Who are you, girl?’
Guthrie raised himself on his elbow, wincing with pain. ‘We’re done for, mate. Might as well give ourselves up.’
‘Shut up, you fool.’ Stranks spat on the ground, just missing Lucetta’s feet. ‘D’you want to go back to London clapped in irons? It’ll mean the gallows for certain.’
‘How far d’you think we’ll get with my leg busted?’ Guthrie collapsed onto the ground with a low moan, covering his face with his arm.
Lucetta watched in horror as a huge centipede appeared from the rotting vegetation and scuttled across his body to disappear into the folds of his shirt. She held her breath, waiting for him to realise that something strange was happening, but he didn’t appear to notice. ‘Your friend needs a doctor,’ she saidin a matter-of-fact voice. ‘And the thing that just crawled inside his clothes could be poisonous.’
‘Shut your face,’ Stranks said, fisting his hands. ‘One more charge against me won’t make no difference, so you button your lip.’
Lucetta was quick to hear the note of panic in his voice. ‘If you don’t let me go there’ll be another search party and this time they’ll be looking for me. You can’t exactly make a run for it with him in that condition, now can you?’
‘Stop going on at me,’ Stranks muttered through gritted teeth. ‘I ain’t never hit a woman, but there’s always the first time.’
Lucetta turned her back on him and she knelt on the ground beside Guthrie, running her fingers gently along the contour of his twisted limb. ‘It’s broken all right and the bone has come through the skin. He must get medical attention or the wound will go septic in this heat.’
Guthrie let his arm fall to his side. ‘Oh, God. I’ll lose me leg. I’ll die of gangrene. I’m burning up
Chapter Four
‘Shut your face, you little whore.’
The harsh cockney accent ripped through Lucetta’s consciousness. The smell of unwashed flesh made her feel physically sick, but she was more angry than afraid. Struggling and kicking out with her feet she sank her teeth into the grimy hand that covered her mouth. Her attacker loosened his grip with a grunt of pain and she stumbled, clutching at an overhanging branch to save herself from falling. She backed away from the man, who was sucking his injured hand and glaring as if he would like to finish her off there and then. ‘You’ve made a big mistake. Just wait until the consul hears about this.’
‘Bloody hell, Stranks. You’ve snatched an Englishwoman.’
Lucetta turned her head to stare at the speaker, who lay on a matted bed of dry leaves, his right leg twisted in a most unnatural position. ‘Yes, I’m English, and you’ll both end up in jail if you don’t let me go this instant.’
‘Hoity-toity, begging your pardon, ma’am.’ The man called Stranks executed a mocking bow. ‘If I’d have known you was a lady, I’d have asked your permission afore I grabbed you.’
‘I–I’m not a lady. I’m a lady’s maid and you’d better let me go, or my master will have the law on you.’
‘Send the trollop on her way, Stranks,’ the man on the ground muttered wearily. ‘We don’t want no more trouble than we got already.’
‘Shut up, Guthrie, and let me think.’ Stranks wiped his bruised hand on the seat of his pants, staring hard at Lucetta. ‘What’s an English maidservant doing in them fancy duds, then? Answer me that?’
‘I know who you are,’ Lucetta said slowly. ‘You’re the escaped convicts that the men from the British merchant ship were looking for.’
‘You know a lot more than is good for you, and I don’t believe you’re a lady’s maid,’ Stranks said suspiciously. ‘Who are you, girl?’
Guthrie raised himself on his elbow, wincing with pain. ‘We’re done for, mate. Might as well give ourselves up.’
‘Shut up, you fool.’ Stranks spat on the ground, just missing Lucetta’s feet. ‘D’you want to go back to London clapped in irons? It’ll mean the gallows for certain.’
‘How far d’you think we’ll get with my leg busted?’ Guthrie collapsed onto the ground with a low moan, covering his face with his arm.
Lucetta watched in horror as a huge centipede appeared from the rotting vegetation and scuttled across his body to disappear into the folds of his shirt. She held her breath, waiting for him to realise that something strange was happening, but he didn’t appear to notice. ‘Your friend needs a doctor,’ she saidin a matter-of-fact voice. ‘And the thing that just crawled inside his clothes could be poisonous.’
‘Shut your face,’ Stranks said, fisting his hands. ‘One more charge against me won’t make no difference, so you button your lip.’
Lucetta was quick to hear the note of panic in his voice. ‘If you don’t let me go there’ll be another search party and this time they’ll be looking for me. You can’t exactly make a run for it with him in that condition, now can you?’
‘Stop going on at me,’ Stranks muttered through gritted teeth. ‘I ain’t never hit a woman, but there’s always the first time.’
Lucetta turned her back on him and she knelt on the ground beside Guthrie, running her fingers gently along the contour of his twisted limb. ‘It’s broken all right and the bone has come through the skin. He must get medical attention or the wound will go septic in this heat.’
Guthrie let his arm fall to his side. ‘Oh, God. I’ll lose me leg. I’ll die of gangrene. I’m burning up
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