Hey everyone :)

First of all: Thank you for your reviews, favs and follows. I´m happy to read that you like my story.

Unfortunately, this is the last chapter I translated until now which means, that it maybe will take a while till I can upload the next one. There is still my main project for the German Fanfiction-Archive I have to write and which has priority. But I will do my best so that you don´t have to wait too long. ;)

Hospitality

I hadn´t visit many taverns in my life, so far. For the first time in the age of sixteen in London, when some of my former friends had convinced me to leave a boring soiree at an early stage and to pay a visit to one of the downtown pubs instead. We had been naive enough to think that a group of wealthy, young people could do this, without meeting with any obstacles. The pub, we had visited in this evening had been situated in London´s center and had been full of people of the lower class, who had wanted to have an Ale after a day of hard work, without thinking of their everyday troubles. It had reeked of sweat, tasteless beer and mildewed food, but that hadn´t kept us of mingling with the working people. But they hadn´t been thrilled about our presence and arrogance. Without a rambling speech: All of us had been ruggedly kicked out and got on top of everything trouble with their parents, which had meant in my case, that my uncle hadn´t let me out of the house for weeks.

Thinking about this evening again, made me, strangely enough, only remembering the shabby pub and the fetidness, which had filled it. But the tavern, Connor leaded me into, was completely different. First of all, there was the smell of freshly cooked food, which filled the room as well as the sizzling noise of an open fire. It was pleasantly warm, but compared to the pub in London quiet and nearly deserted. Only four people were sitting or standing around a table near to the fireplace and talked to each other with lowered voices. A young woman, who had been sitting there with her face covered in her hands, stood up fitfully, when we entered the house and approached the assassin with hasty steps. Her moss-colored top tautened over a little, nodular belly. She was pregnant and I asked myself, caused by her reaction to Connor, if he was the father. At least it would surprise me.

But when the woman stopped in front of Connor, I could see no facial pleasure of seeing him again. Her eyes were red from crying and there were still tears running down her pale cheeks. "Did you find them?", she asked in a nearly imploring voice and this imploration was also in her gaze she gave to the assassin. He shook his head and sobbing, the expectant mother placed her hand to her mouth, her face twisted with pain. "Myriam, calm down." Another woman had stood up from her seat, went to the recipient, laid her arms around her and lead her back to the table, where Myriam sat down, trembling.

Connor stepped up to the table, too and while the woman took care of the crying Myriam, the two others, an elder, chubby woman and a likewise old and chubby man, looked quietly to the assassin and seemed to be waiting for him to say something. "I was on Jarvis´ property, but he had already brought them away. But this is…" He turned around to look at me and I could see in his gaze, that he just became aware that he had never asked me for my name. Was that a surprise to me? Until now, he had never shown any decency and he hadn´t made a great effort to introduce the attendees to me,too. Even now he didn´t seem to get this intention but kept up speaking after a short break instead. "This is his niece and she said that she knows where he had brought them to."
In every other situation I would have reacted irritably and would have insisted of being introduced to the others in a reasonable way. But given to the five pair of eyes, who were now directed at me, I didn´t waste any thoughts to etiquette and amenities.

I just stood there, anxious and with my back to the door and a group of strangers in front of me, who were all expecting something from me and I felt shabby and dirty at once. The dress ruined, the hair probably a total mess…everyone had always expected from me, that I always appeared dapper in society and even after the events of the past few hours, I couldn´t shake this off. I just wanted to be swallowed by the ground. "So, where are they?" Myriam had stopped crying and was now looking at me with blatant distrust and disdain. I nearly expected her to grab the rifle, which was leaned against the wall behind her and to make me answer by force of arms. In a wave of helplessness I looked at Connor, but his gaze was also demanding an answer and he was right with that. After all, I had told him, that I would give him the information he wanted if he brings me to the Davenport Homestead. But I hadn´t expected to get dragged in front of a group of settlers.

But like Connor had kept his word, I had to keep mine. "London", I said, my voice nothing more than a whisper, but loud enough to be understood. The other´s gazes became stunned and Myriam sobbed loudly again. "London?" The podgy man ran his fingers through his scarce hair and his helpless gaze pointed to Connor, who for his part looked at me, frowning and thoughtful. Did he not believe me? "I don´t know why, but my uncle was explicitly instructed to prepare a transport to London. I´m sure that he did that, when he was in Boston yesterday."
"But this could mean that they are already on their way!" Myriam had leaped up and rested her shaking hands on the table. Her whole body seemed to be fraught with discomposure and panic.

Whoever they were missing, the men could be already hundreds of miles away from the American coast and once they would arrive in Europe, no one would know what was going to happen to them. No one could come to their help. They were already lost.
This thought seemed to have come to everybody´s mind now and an embarrassed silence came over the room, until Connor thumped the table with his clenched fist, looking determined into the company. "I will go to Boston and I will try to find out something. I promise to you, Myriam: Whatever happens, I am going to fetch Norris and the others back."
She seemed to become paler than before but she nodded. "I know", she said quietly and got embraced again by the woman, who had taken care of her before. "Come, I will accompany you home. You need to rest." The woman grabbed the rifle and handed over a pouch to Myriam, which looked like a prey-bag and the two women left without a word.

When the door had closed behind them, the elder lady sighed and sat down on one of the chairs, her hands folded on her lap. "Poor Myriam. I don´t even want to imagine how she must feel." The man beside her laid his hand on her shoulder to comfort her and she took it into hers. "Don´t be worried, Darling. Connor is going to fetch Norris back and then the two of them can look forward to their offspring again."
Connor nodded. "I am going to ride to Boston immediately", he said determinedly, turned around and when his gaze met mine, he appeared irresolute for a moment. Had he already forgotten me again in this atmosphere of departure? "Corrine, would you take care of…her?" He didn´t avert his eyes from mine and when the elder lady stood up, went to me with a smile and said "But of course", I imagined to read relief on his face and it stabbed me painfully. Was I really that annoying to everybody that they just wanted to get me off their hands?
The assassin didn´t care anyway but walked steadily out of the tavern, while Corrine put her arm round my shoulders and led me to a table beside the fireplace. In the meantime the man, probably her husband, had vanished in a room behind the counter.

"I´m sorry that we haven´t received you in a polite way but at the moment the circumstances are…well, I´m sure you know." She offered me a chair, on which I sat down gratefully and took a seat in front of me. "I´m Corrine and the man, who cleared off, was my husband Oliver. We are running this tavern. I think I don´t have to introduce Connor to you. He´s unfortunately a bit…difficult, but a good fellow."
I couldn´t help myself but letting my eyebrows flip up in skepticism. Connor may had let me stay alive and he seemed to be a man who was true to his word. But until now, I hadn´t seen further positive sides about him. Or maybe he was just talented in hiding them. Corrine seemed to interpret my silence in a different way because she looked me over with a motherly gaze and then gasped for breathe.

"For God´s sake, love! I am talking and you are sitting here, completely drenched and chilled to the bone." She patted my hand, grabbed it and pulled me up. "But don´t worry…what is your name again?"
"Lillian."
"Well, Lillian, you don´t have to worry about anything. I will show you a room upstairs, where you can freshen yourself up and then I will make you something warm to eat. It´s inconceivable that you are getting sick in my care and catch your death." She pushed me towards a stairway, upstairs and finally into a room, where she looked me up again and shortly twitched at one of my wet wisps of hair. "You know, I will prepare a hot bath for you and while you warm yourself up, I am going to send someone to Ellen. She´s the lady who accompanied Myriam home and on top of that a tailor. She surely has something suitable for you. This one…" She pointed at my dress. "isn´t wearable anymore."

I was nearly overwhelmed by the lively lady´s chattiness but I was also unbelievably grateful. Thanks to her helpfulness, I didn´t felt like an intruder anymore and on top of that, a hot bath and a warm meal were the only things I really desired at the moment. But at once I had a problem. "I fear, that I can´t pay you for your hospitality." Confessing that was embarrassing to me and I gave a compunctious gaze to Corrine, who chuckled though and patted my cheek. "Don´t worry about that, love. As Connor´s visitor, you are also a welcomed visitor in our house and furthermore I told him that I would take care of you and I am going to do right that."