When Bash got back to Catherine, she was sitting by the fire waiting for him. She stood when she saw him.
"You're late. Did something happen?" She asked, worried, as she wrang her hands. He sighed and walked over to her and gently pulled her hands apart. He held them, rubbing circles over her fingers with his thumbs.
"They tracked your movements. They found the cabin." He said.
"Oh God."
"Caitlin was there…"
"Did she…?"
"It's alright, she covered for you. Luckily our guards weren't very smart. They told her exactly who they were looking for."
"So now they're going around telling the world I'm a fugitive."
"Don't worry, I had a talk with the guards and informed Francis that telling people who you're looking for is a bad idea…that they may cover for you." He explained. Catherine looked at him rather impressed.
"The best way to get away with a lie is to tell them exactly how you got away with it."
"Why would I alert them to the very mistake they made in aiding me?"
"Still, it will only buy us a bit more time. It's not a solution."
"Enough time is all we need."
"Time doesn't matter. He's never going to beleive I didn't do this, and do you honestly think that Francis will let me live if he thinks I tried to have Mary killed. He may be able to forgive me for a great many things, but that isn't one of them." She said looking away from him. He gently turned her face back to him.
"I believe he will see that you didn't do this and I believe he will forgive you for the rest. You just have to have faith."
"I wish I could believe like that."
"It's alright, I have enough faith for the both of us." He said with a grin. She sighed.
Two days later, Bash was in a meeting with Francis, when a messenger came in and handed him a letter. He took the letter and read it quickly.
"Is something the matter?" Bash asked. Francis pursed his lips.
"My mother's been spotted, just outside a village." Unreadable emotions passed over his face.
"Where?" Bash asked, hoping someone had made a mistake.
"Near your properties actually. We'll have to leave at once. If she has any clue she's been seen, she'll be long gone by the time we get there."
"Francis, don't you think this has gone a little far? She's your mother. Do you really want to be doing this?" He said doing his best not to sound like he was defending her.
"You're right. It has. Too far to turn back."
"Francis…" he tried to grab his arm as he walked away.
"It'll be late by the time we get there. I'll be staying in your home while the men search the surrounding areas? Ready the guards." He said as he took off. Ready the guards?…He had to warn Catherine somehow. He had to get back before Francis did. But how? He had to ready the guards.
Bash had finished with the guards as quickly as possible and then got on his horse and rode for Catherine as fast as he could. He rode hard knowing Francis and the guards were right behind him.
He arrived and ran inside. He went to their room and she wasn't there. Then the gardens, the common room, the library. She was nowhere. He heard horses. They were close. He grabbed a passing servant in the hall.
"Anne, have you seen her? I can't find her anywhere and the King is almost here. She…she won't have time to prepare." He said, trying to come up with a reason why he was in such a rush.
"No worries. I told her earlier that he was coming. I'm sure she's readied herself by now." She said.
"Told her before?" He asked.
"A messenger told us he was coming and to ready some rooms. I haven't seen her since." He ran back up to their room and looked around. Everything was gone. All of her things.
…A short time earlier, Catherine was in their room reading a book when she heard a lot of talking in the hallway. She got up and opened the door and walked out to see two servants discussing something over a letter.
"What's going on?" She asked them.
"It's so exciting. The king himself is coming here. A messenger just brought word. They want us to ready them rooms. I knew we served his brother, but I never imagined he'd come here. We have a lot to do." She told her as she hurried off.
'Oh God' she thought. 'I can't let him catch me here.' Her dream came flooding back to her. She had to get out of here and fast.
She ran back into the bedroom and closed the door. Luckily, she hadn't yet unpacked her things. She would need to get those out as well. She couldn't chance of them being found. She made sure everything was packed once more and then made her way down to the stables. She readied two horses and hooked them to the cart. She went back to the room and waited for the right moment to drag her belongings down to the horses when no one would see her.
She had one last trunk to load in when she heard horses. She started moving faster. She got up onto the cart and slowly led the cart out looking to see if they were close enough to notice her departure. They were just around the corner, but she couldn't see them, which means they could see her. She snapped the reigns and made the cart move as fast as she could, hoping the sound of Francis and his men approaching would cover the sound of her own horses.
She took off in the other direction just as Bash came into the stables from the other side. He looked around, he saw cart tracks. He breathed a sigh of relief. She'd gotten out. He quickly started covering up the tracks while Francis and his men came around. He got to the stable entrance just as Francis arrived. He prayed they didn't notice the rest of the tracks leading away.
"Welcome brother." Bash said, almost out of breath.
"Is everything alright?" He asked as he got down from his horse.
"I hope so." He said. Francis gave him a strange look and patted him on the back. "Come, let me show you around."
They started walking inside and Bash looked over his shoulder a few times to make sure he could see her.