While Obadiah stood waiting impatiently, Maria opened the door to his cell. He was ready to go, with the blanket wrapped securely around his shoulders as he held the bayonet in its scabbard. Once the door was open, he took the keys from her and locked it back, so that any casual observer looking up from the courtyard would not see anything amiss.
"I have the things we need inside my room," she told him. "They're right by the door, so just grab your things and I'll get mine, then we can leave."
"Good planning missy," he said, his voice low, as he scuttled over to her room to get his belongings. Maria took the bag with her clothing, after which they carefully proceeded down the stairs.
All was clear as they reached the bottom. Hakeswill waited as Maria looked out the door that opened into the stable area, then followed her out when she silently gave the all-clear signal.
Once outside, he quietly told her, "Go into the stable and get the horse out of his stall. Wait in there 'til I comes in."
"What are you going to do?" she asked, bewildered.
"Got to get something out of that old well," Hakeswill replied, twitching "Won't take me but a minute or so, then we can be on our way."
After she obeyed, he made his way noiselessly to the dry well, then carefully brought the bundle containing Pot au Feu's loot to the top. Considering that his former partner in crime had been captured and would most likely be executed for desertion, Obadiah saw no reason to let the loot to go to waste. He was sure that Pot au Feu would rather he have it than Sharpie, in any instance.
A moment later, he entered the stable, where Maria stood waiting, holding the horse's reins.
"Let's go, missy," he said gruffly, then helped her up into the saddle before swinging up to sit behind her.
Hakeswill proceeded to the back road leading out of Adrados, keeping the horse at a walk, so as not to alert anyone who might be awake by the sound of loud hoof beats. Once out of town, however, he urged the horse into a trot, but did not risk going any faster, as he didn't quite know where Sharpe's men might be lurking.
Maria was surprised when he turned the horse down the narrow lane that led to her house. "Why are we stopping here?"
"Got to get my loot," he explained briefly. "I done buried it in your cellar a few days ago, so's no one would be stealing it from me."
"What about that bag you got when I was waiting in the stable," she asked, perplexed. "I thought that was your loot."
"That was Pot au Feu's," he replied. "Where he's going, he won't be needin' it no more, so I took it for myself. No point in letting Sharpie find it, eh?"
"I suppose not" she said as he helped her down from the horse.
"I won't be takin' too long to get my things, so you needs to get whatever you want to take with you quick as you can," he told her as they entered the house.
Maria lit two candles, putting them into holders. Handing one to Obadiah, she said, "Here, this will make it easier to find your things."
"'Preciate it, missy," he said, then left for the cellar with no further delay.
After Obadiah had gone to retrieve his belongings, Maria hurriedly grabbed several more clothing items, including a heavy shawl, and a few small sentimental mementoes. She paused by the wardrobe that held Ernesto's clothing, then pulled out several shirts for Obadiah, as well as socks, a hat, and a winter coat. Ernesto had been taller and heavier than Obadiah, so her dead husband's trousers would not work for the Englishman.
When Obadiah reappeared a few minutes later, she told him, "I collected a few of Ernesto's shirts and socks for you, and also his winter coat. It might get cold riding out to the coast and I know it will once you're aboard the ship going back to England."
"Good idea," he said, reaching up his hand to brush against her cheek. "You takes good care of me, you do." Going into the bedroom, he said, "Believe I'll change my clothes now, so's if anyone sees us riding from a distance, I'll be wearing something they won't expect to see me in and that might keep them from recognizing me."
"Make sure to wear the hat, so they will not be able to see your bald head," she cautioned. "That would give you away."
"Right you are, missy," he said, twitching slightly as he slipped on a pair of the new civilian trousers, then put on a new shirt. After stuffing his old clothes into the bag, he slipped on the coat, then put the hat on his head. "My own mother wouldn't know me now, eh?"
"Not from a distance, at least," she said, smiling.
"Let get out of here," he said gruffly, picking up his things. "You got what you needed, eh?"
"Yes, I'm ready," she affirmed, looking around her home for the last time. "Let us leave." After blowing out both candles, she put them and their holders into a bag to take with them.
Within moments they were heading down the road toward Portugal, moving at a pace that would be comfortable for the horse to maintain for several hours. As the horse put miles between them and Adrados, Obadiah held Maria close to him, so they both could share the warmth on a cold night of travelling.
They rode for hours, neither saying very much, as they concentrated on the need to get away and to stay warm. About an hour or two after the sun came up, Obadiah spied a small town up ahead in the distance.
Maria noticed it at the same time he did, sitting up a bit straighter to get a better look.
"Believe we'll get us a room once we get into that town, missy," Obadiah decided. "We needs to get us some sleep 'fore we go any further."
"That is a good idea," Maria agreed, yawning, as if to emphasize her point. "I can barely keep my eyes open any longer."
After a short interval, they entered the Portuguese town. People going about their business in the dusty streets paid them scant attention as they found the lone inn situated in the middle of town. Obadiah paid to have the horse stabled, then they went into the inn, where they ate an early lunch.
A short time later Obadiah closed the door behind them as they entered the room he'd rented for the day. He quickly removed his clothing, then got into bed as Maria stood by a mirror to comb her hair. After watching her for a moment, he said, "Come on to bed, missy. I've got me an itch that needs scratching. Been several days since we've had a chance to be together, it has."
"All right, Obadiah," Maria said, sighing, as she walked over to the bed and stripped down to her shift, before climbing in next to him.
"That's better," he said, twitching, as he took her into his arms.
A half hour later the two fell asleep, still entwined, then slept peacefully for the next several hours.
Obadiah awakened at twilight feeling rested and ready to go. Looking down at Maria, who was still asleep, he shook her gently., "Time to get up and be on our way!"
"Mmmmm," Maria said groggily as she slowly returned to consciousness. "What time is it?"
"It's sundown," he told her. "Better for us to travel at night, it is. We needs to be on our way, 'cos the further I get from Sharpie, the better I like it."
"I'm awake now," she said, sitting up. "I'll be ready in a few minutes."
Before heading out a short time later, they ate a hearty meal, packing up the leftovers to take along with them to eat on the road.
The further they got from Adrados, the more Obadiah's mind turned to thoughts of his homecoming and seeing Anna and the children again, and also of meeting the new baby for the first time. It had been a long and eventful year and he was eager to rejoin his family.
Turning his attention to the Spanish woman in his arms, who now carried his fifth child, he realized that in a few months, he'd have two families. He wished he could do more for Maria, but it couldn't be helped. Anna was his heart and would always come first to him. Obadiah had decided he would give Maria some gold before they parted. He would try to send her money from time to time, when he had any to spare, for their child, but that would be it. It was a shame that he'd never know the child she would bear or be a father to it, but it was the way it had to be. He knew that Maria would love and care for this child and that had to be enough for him.
They made good time that night, even with making a few rest stops for the horse and to answer the call of nature. By the time they stopped to sleep for the day in another small Portuguese town, they were closer to the coast than to Adrados.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Back at the convent, the two guards had slept well into the morning after Obadiah had escaped. Between the rum and the wine they'd each imbibed in prodigious quantities, they'd slept like the dead and had only awakened when the bright rays of the rising sun had hit them in the eyes.
Disoriented and groggy when they first returned unwillingly to consciousness, their first thoughts were not about the prisoner they were supposed to be guarding. Rather, their first concern was how to ease the pounding in their heads and the dryness in their mouths.
It wasn't until much later that they remembered their duty. As they both eventually headed to the refectory to have some coffee, the younger of the two said, "I'd best bring a plate up to that bastard, Hakeswill. I'm surprised he ain't been yelling for it yet."
"You go ahead," the other soldier said. "I'm going to try to eat something and see if I can keep it down."
As the young soldier sauntered into the kitchen to pick up Hakeswill's breakfast, he did not see Maria among the women in there. No matter, another woman would do just as well.
"I need one of you ladies to come with me to feed the prisoner," he said, waiting expectantly.
The women exchanged glances, knowing that Maria preferred to do this duty, but apparently had slept late that morning.
Finally, a short buxom woman named Juanita tossed her head and said, "I will do it." She carelessly dumped some leftovers onto a plate and followed the soldier out of the room.
The soldier didn't even look inside the cell when he opened it a few minutes later.
"Where is he?" Juanita asked calmly after she'd moved forward to hand the plate to the prisoner. "There's no one in here."
"What?" The guard shoved the door open wide and saw that the Spanish woman was telling the truth. The cell was empty.
"Bloody hell!" he swore, taking off down the stairs to find the corporal.
Almost out of breath by the time he reached the refectory, he blurted out, "He's gone! I went to give the miserable bastard his plate and the cell was empty!"
Looking up blearily from his plate, the corporal just stared for a long moment. "What? How did he break the lock? That door is solid and he's just a skinny bugger."
"The lock wasn't broken," the private explained. "The door was locked when I found it."
Wiping his mouth, the corporal said, "Let's go take a look."
When the two arrived back at the cell, the corporal examined it closely. "He didn't break out of this cell, that's for sure. Probably Major Sharpe done come and got him while we were asleep, I'd say."
"You think?" the private said doubtfully.
"Makes sense to me." the corporal shrugged. "Either that or he gulled one of them women to open the door for him."
"Could be," the private said, scratching his head.
At that moment, there was a loud cry from down in the courtyard. Both men ran downstairs to see what the problem was and found that one of the prettier camp followers had tripped over a piece of rubble from the battle and had hurt her leg.
"Oh, Dios, it hurts so bad," the woman moaned as the two men ran up. Other women were milling around, not quite knowing what to do to help her.
The corporal kneeled down to examine her leg and, after a moment, said, "It's broken. She's going to need the town doctor to see her."
"I'll go find him," the private offered.
"You do that and I'll get her into the refectory," the other man said. Turning to the women, he ordered, "Somebody find a blanket and pillow or something to make her more comfortable."
The doctor came a short time later and after he'd taken care of the woman's broken leg, the other women wanted the man to take care of their aches and pains as well. A squabble broke out among them as to which of them should be seen first, which the two soldiers had to break up.
By the time the doctor had left the convent and peace had been restored within, they'd forgotten about Obadiah Hakeswill, with both men passively accepting the corporal's first explanation that Richard Sharpe must have come back to take Hakeswill from his cell. In any instance, there wasn't anything they could do about it now, considering that one of the reasons they'd been left at the convent was to protect the women there, as well guarding the prisoner. If he'd escaped, he was long gone.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Three days after Hakeswill's escape, Richard Sharpe and his men returned to the convent, weary but happy after defeating the French, thanks to an elaborate ruse Sharpe had devised. They'd been ordered to rejoin the main British forces without delay, but Sharpe had one last bit of business to attend to before they would move out.
It was time to make Obadiah Hakeswill pay the piper for all the havoc he'd created over the years and all the people he'd hurt. Sharpe was determined to see Hakeswill dead before he left Adrados.
Shortly after arriving back at the convent, he turned to Harper and said, "Come on, Pat. Let's go take care of that bastard Hakeswill now."
"I'm right behind you," Harper said, following Sharpe up the stairs.
After unlocking the cell door to an empty cell, Richard Sharpe stood there in stunned disbelief for a long moment, not quite registering that Hakeswill was gone.
Harper, who was standing where he could not see inside the cell, asked, "What's wrong, sir?"
"He's gone, that's what's wrong!" Sharpe roared, slamming his fist against the wall. "The bloody bastard has gotten away from me again!"
Looking sorrowful, Harper said, "He's a right slippery bastard, so he is."
Rushing over to look down into the courtyard, Sharpe spied the two soldiers he'd left to guard the convent. "You two!" he bellowed. "Up here! Now!"
When the two men appeared at the top of the steps, Sharpe looked at the corporal and coldly demanded, "Where is the prisoner, Corporal?"
"He's not with you?" the corporal asked, scratching his head.
"Now, why would he bloody well have been with me, eh?" Sharpe shot back. "I've been gone for the last three days fighting the Crapauds. What gave you the stupid idea I had him?"
"Well, when I found him gone, the door hadn't been forced; it was still locked," the corporal explained nervously. "So I figured you came to get him and just didn't tell us."
Sharpe and Harper exchanged glances, wondering how two soldiers could be so stupid. Barely keeping his temper in check, Sharpe demanded, "How long has it been since you noticed he was missing?"
"Three days ago," the corporal admitted sheepishly.
"Three days ago?" Sharpe repeated. "The filthy bugger is no doubt long gone by now." Letting out a loud gusty sigh of frustration, he asked, "Didn't it occur to either of you to conduct an investigation?"
Before either of them could come up with an excuse, Sharpe said, "Never mind! I don't want to hear your excuses! I'll deal with the two of you later." Turning to Harper, he said, "First thing I'll need to do is talk to the women to see what they know. Get them all together in the refectory."
"Right away, sir," the sergeant said, hurrying off to do the officer's bidding.
As Sharpe went downstairs, followed reluctantly by the two embarrassed enlisted men, he met the rest of his riflemen at the bottom. They'd just seen Harper rushing past with a serious expression and now Sharpe was here, looking like he wanted to kill.
"Hakeswill's escaped," Sharpe explained briefly before anyone could ask. "He got away three days ago, and neither of these two bloody sods thought to come looking to tell me." Heaving another sigh, he admitted, "But I suppose there's nothing I could have done about it, anyway, not if I wanted to stop the French that is." Kicking a nearby barrel, he swore, "Damn that bloody Hakeswill!"
"Is there anything you want us to do to help?" Harris asked.
Sharpe thought for a long moment, then said, "We'll never find him now, not with three days head start and not with us being ordered to report back immediately to the general. But I want to know how it happened and I need to find clues that might help me find him later when I get the chance to look for the filthy bastard. I'm going to go talk to the women and see what they know, so you might all come to listen, then search the place to see if you can find any hints that might give us a clue as to where he was headed."
The group entered the refectory a few moments later, where the camp women sat waiting. Looking at Harper, he asked, "Is this all of them, Pat?"
"All except one," he replied. "It seems that the woman who showed you where Miss Teresa was the other night hasn't been seen since the day Hakeswill buggered off from here."
"Bloody hell, he's taken a hostage!" Sharpe exploded. "That's all we need!"
"Oh, no, SeƱor," Juanita piped up helpfully. "Maria would not be a hostage. She was Hakeswill's lover. If she went with him, she went because she wanted to. She even told us that she would not be going with us when we joined your baggage train."
Sharpe grimaced momentarily at the idea of any woman wanting to be Hakeswill's lover. Turning back to his men, he said, "Well at least we know now how he escaped. The woman must have let him out herself when those two worthless buggers were asleep or drunk or both."
"No doubt," Harper agreed, totally revolted by the thought of Maria in Hakeswill's bed.
"I still want you to search for clues as to where he might have gone," he told the men, who left immediately to search the convent. Facing the women again, he asked, "Does anyone here know where they might have gone?"
"She did not say," Juanita said, shrugging. "She never confided in us very much. I am sorry."
"Where did they sleep?" he asked her.
"Upstairs," the Spanish woman said. "Come on, I will show you."
When he entered Hakeswill's quarters a few moments later, Sharpe could see the evidence of Hakeswill's hasty departure. There was little left in the room and what remained was piled haphazardly on the unmade bed. He spied the red coat from Hakeswill's colonel's uniform draped carelessly over a chair.
As he snatched up the coat, a piece of paper fell out from an inner pocket onto the floor. He picked it up and saw it was a letter from an Anna Hakeswill in Surrey.
Sharpe was nonplussed as he read the heartfelt letter, full of love for the misanthropic ex-sergeant.
"Hakeswill has a wife and children?" he thought to himself, shaking his head in disbelief, wondering what kind of a woman would marry the likes of Obadiah Hakeswill. The fancy handwriting and vocabulary of the letter, as well as the quality of the paper, suggest an educated woman and, again, Sharpe wondered how such a mismatch had occurred. He did not remember Anna from India, thus had no idea who she might be.
Sharpe folded the letter back and put it in his pocket. This was the hint that he'd been looking for. He vowed that the next time he had the chance to return to England, that he'd be paying a visit to Surrey to take care of some unfinished business with Obadiah Hakeswill.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Obadiah and Maria rode into Porto at midday on the fourth day out from Adrados. It had been a fast, hard journey and they were both glad to see it at an end.
"There's the pier, missy," Obadiah said, as the horse trotted them close to the harbour, where several ships were moored. "Sight for sore eyes, it is."
"It is beautiful," she said, sighing. "I'm beginning to look forward to seeing my sister in Cadiz. It has been too long."
They'd eaten shortly before entering Porto and had also found a place to stock up on provisions for their respective journeys. The only thing left to do was to arrange their passages and to sell the horse.
All of this was accomplished in less than an hour. As luck would have it, Maria's ship and Obadiah's, both merchant ships, were docked adjacent to one another, so the two were able to say their goodbyes properly before boarding.
"I'll miss you," Obadiah told Maria, twitching. "You're a good woman and I know you'll make a fine mother to our little 'un."
"I think I will miss you as well," Maria admitted. "My time with you was better than I expected it to be. You were much kinder to me than my own husband was." Reaching up to brush his bony cheek with her hand, she added, "And, if not for you, I don't think I would have ever had a child. For that, I will always be grateful."
"Take good care of him and love him," Obadiah said gruffly. "That's all I ask."
"You know I will," she promised, "He will be my life."
Reaching into one of his pockets, he brought out a small pouch, filled with gold coins. "I wants you to have this to help take care of you and the baby."
Not at all proud, Maria took it from him and stuffed it down into her own pocket. It was enough to keep her going for at least a year, as long as she spent it wisely.
As the time came nearer for departure, Obadiah said, "I don't know if I'll ever see you again, missy, but I got your address just in case I ever come back to Spain."
Maria had his address, too, copied down from one of Anna's letters, but she did not expect to ever need to use it. She would save it, just in case the child she would bear would ever want to meet his father.
"I guess this is it," Obadiah said, taking her into his arms for one last, long kiss. "Take care of yourself, Maria. And our little 'un."
"Goodbye, Obadiah," she whispered. "May God protect you."
They broke apart after another lingering kiss, then walked resolutely to their ships, with neither pausing nor looking back.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Author's Note: Check out my blog for a photo of Porto where Obadiah and Maria said goodbye. My blog can be accessed through the link on my profile page
