"Johanna, I promise," Anthony said, "We'll start new in Plymouth. Nobody knows us there. Nobody has to know anything about us. We'll say we're from Newcastle."

"What if Judge Turpin looks for me?" Johanna asked, "People will know right away a girl with long, yellow hair whose name is Johanna."

Anthony thought for a moment. He devised a full plan in only a few moments. "We'll have to cut your hair a bit, but you won't have LONG, yellow hair." He said, "And we'll be Ophelia and George Barker."

Johanna thought for a moment. "If it'll keep me from the Judge, and you from being sent away for stealing me, I'd cut all of my hair." She said, "I'll cut it myself. How short?"

"Not too much," Anthony said, "It'll look odd, a woman with such short hair."

Johanna cut most of her hair off. It only came to her shoulders when Anthony fixed the uneven parts. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Not bad, for me helping." Anthony said, "But beautiful, as ever."

______________________________________________________________________

They settled into a small cottage in Plymouth. They got to know their neighbors pretty well. Since they were unmarried, people began to talk.

"I worried that, maybe, if we got married, he'd lose interest in me." Johanna explained to their neighbor, Mrs. Finnegan.

"I understand that feeling very well, my dear." She replied, "No fears. I'll clear all of this up. But, if you two keep on living together, you really should marry the boy."

"I'd gladly say yes if he asked me." Johanna said.

"Alright, Ophelia." Mrs. Finnegan said, "I'll set all of this right. And I'll tell that boy of yours, George isn't it? That you would marry him gladly."

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Finnegan." Johanna said.

"Good day, Ophelia." She replied.

Anthony walked in the back door at that moment.

"Anthony, I really do hate lying to our neighbors." She said, "I'm going to get us caught one of these days."

"Then don't call me Anthony." He said, "Just call me George, darling."

"I know, I just, I'm afraid that I'll slip." She said.

Anthony thought, "I'll just say that Anthony is my middle name." he said, "George

Anthony Barker."

"And Ophelia Johanna doesn't sound odd?" she asked, "Just in case you should slip up as well?"

Anthony walked closer to Johanna, "It sounds lovely." He said, "Just like you are."

________________________________________________________________________

"Ophelia, dear." Mrs. Finnegan called, "May I come in?"

"Of course you may." Johanna said, "I have the loveliest news."

"And what is that, darling?" Mrs. Finnegan said.

"George has asked me to marry him." Johanna was very excited.

"That IS wonderful news, dear." Mrs. Finnegan said.

~Mrs. Finnegan's POV~

This is terrible. Absolutely terrible. I was going to get her to marry that boy from down the road. Then they would call her a common whore, and nobody would want her. But now, it's all ruined.

"How is it, knowing that you'll soon be married?" she asked.

"I can remember being a small girl, and always wanting to be married." Ophelia said,

"And now, that wish is coming true. It's like a dream."

The girl seemed excited, but why didn't her eyes say that she was… That smile was only on her lips, not in her heart.

Mrs. Finnegan would know. She's seen many girls excited about weddings. This girl is not one of them.

~Johanna's POV~

Johanna was afraid that Mrs. Finnegan had found her out. She noticed that the older woman, instead of looking at her while talking, would look around the house.

Maybe she knows that I'm not really Ophelia.

"I lied." She said, accidentally.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Finnegan said, looking quite like she knew exactly what she meant.

"I…" Johanna started, "Ophelia isn't really my name."

"Oh." Mrs. Finnegan said, "Well, then, what is your name?"

"It's Johanna." She said, "I'm not really from Newcastle, either. I'm from London."

"What about George?" Mrs. Finnegan asked, "Does he know about this?"

~Mrs. Finnegan's POV~

Not exactly the news I was looking for, but it will do to start some rumors.

"What about George?" Mrs. Finnegan asked, "Does he know about this?"

"Yes." Johanna said, "His name is really Anthony. He helped me escape."

"What do you mean, escape?" This was beginning to reveal a lot about this young couple.

"Well, my father, or, the man that called himself my father, told me a bit about my family when I was very young." She said, "My father, a barber, was a very stupid man. He ran away from his wife a year after I was born. My mother died a few months later, from heartbreak. The Judge took me in as his own daughter, and raised me."

"Yes, go on." Mrs. Finnegan said.

"Well, father said, one day, that my true father had died in exile in Australia." She said,

"He promised that he would, one day, find the perfect man to take me as his wife, and that he'd never let anything like what my true father had done happen to me. About 5 months ago, he told me that he had found that man."

"Was it your dear Anthony?" Mrs. Finnegan asked.

"No." Johanna said, "It was himself. He had paraded around as my father, and now wanted to marry me. I was afraid. Anthony helped me escape that fate, and brought me here. We called ourselves different names to keep him from finding me and sending Anthony away. Please, don't tell anyone?"

"Of course not, dear." Mrs. Finnegan said. I'll tell EVERYONE.

________________________________________________________________________

"Johanna, what have you done?" Anthony said.

"I only told her because it seemed that she already knew parts of it." Johanna said, "I'm sorry, Anthony. Most of it just slipped out."

"Now, we'll have to go somewhere else." He said, "That Mrs. Finnegan isn't just nosy, she's a gossip as well. She might get parts wrong, but the story will reach Judge Turpin eventually."

Johanna began to cry, "I'm so sorry." She said, "I didn't mean to."

Anthony shushed her, and held her close, "I'm sorry for yelling." He said, "It's alright.

We'll be fine. We'll find somewhere else. Somewhere secluded."

"Could we find a place by the sea?" Johanna asked, "I would love to live by the sea."

"Of course we will." Anthony said, "Somewhere by the sea, possibly in France?"

"That sounds lovely." Johanna said, quite calm now.

"You go to sleep now, Johanna." Anthony said, "I'll go and buy some tickets on the next ship to France."