Chapter Five: And so it went
And so it was that things continued like this for a couple weeks, until one night when Matthew had gone to meet her once again, only to wait until morning outside the garden door without anything.
The entire day he did not struggle with loosing sleep as he had a few times previously when they'd lost track of time, but his worry for Sarah Elizabeth kept him wide awake and wondering. Had they been found out? Had she grown cold and turned away from him? Surely not.
Unfortunately, the answer he got that evening was not the one he'd expected at all. He decided to travel the distance to the convent again in the hopes that she would meet him and explain something, but as he was walking in the darkness, he heard something up ahead. It sounded like horses, and though they were pretty far off, they were going terribly fast!
Matthew hesitated and almost turned to hide on the side of the road, but then he was knocked into by somebody, who he'd apparently not noticed before. The force from the impact knocked them both to the ground, and Matthew recognized the fierce panting immediately.
"Sarah Elizabeth!?" He said, shocked. What was she doing outside the convent, on the road! At this time of night!!
"Matthew!" At first, she sounded shocked, but the fear in her voice told Matthew immediately that something was wrong.
"Please, please help me! They'll kill me-" She continued then, but Matthew shushed her and pulled her to the side of the road with him.
"Ssshhhh, come on". He said, not bothering to ask what was happening.
He laid flat on his stomach in some tall weeds, pulling her down with him, and told her not to move or speak. Both lay still as the riders past, Matthew guessed that their were at least two or three of them.
When they had passed, and were far enough away that barely the horses hooves could be heard, Matthew heard a small sob escape from the throat of the girl next to him. He turned, and though it was very dark, could tell that her face was slightly disfigured or something, but again, he didn't bother asking.
"Come on". He said, helping her to stand as they walked to the road.
"I can't...go back to the convent. They'll beat me!"
"Alright, you can come with me then". Matthew said, helping her to walk along the roadside, but quickly abandoning that and lifting her bodily into his arms, carrying her down the road.
Matthew carried her all the way to town where he took her into the barn far back in the field behind Mr. MacNamara's house, far enough away from the house that a small lamp burning inside the building would not be seen by anyone.
"I'm so sorry, Matthew". Sarah Elizabeth was saying. She sat on a small wooden stool, wrapped in an old wool blanket, her face bruised and scarred, and bleeding from her lip.
"Oh, nonsense, it's alright". Matthew said as he knelt by her, lightly whipping the blood and dirt from her face. "Who were those men chasing after you, and what did they want?"
"They were evil men. Very evil, they...did things to me". A small tear rolled down her cheek, and Matthew paused. "What things?" He asked, and Sarah Elizabeth's face grew so afraid and ashamed and innocent at the same time, that Matthew had a feeling he already knew.
"Terrible, unholy things". She said, looking ashamed.
Bloody heck, Matthew thought. "They raped you, didn't they?"
Slowly, as if not quite sure, she nodded. "Do people do things like this all the time here, outside God's walls?"
Matthew looked at her, as if ashamed to admit it, and nodded.
"Do...do you do this?" She asked then, and Matthew looked surprised.
"No! No, only evil men, perverted men who have no good in them. They'll burn in hell". Matthew said, his anger growing. If he ever met who'd done this to her, he'd kill them.
Sarah Elizabeth closed her eyes, as if to block the tears of her fear. Matthew ached inside for her, how could this have happened? Don't they bolt the doors of the convent twenty-four seven?
Matthew suddenly let his head drop, realization hitting him.
Last night.
She'd been waiting for him, and they'd taken her then.
"You were waiting for me, weren't you". He said it more as a fact than a question. "And they attacked you before I arrived".
Sarah Elizabeth nodded, and Matthew sighed regretfully.
"Then this is my fault". He said, and Sarah Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I shouldn't have been waiting outside for you".
Matthew sighed again and continued tending to her wounds.
"What will I do now? I can't go back to the convent".
"Why not? They wouldn't beat you when they see what's happened to you, will they?" Matthew said.
"I'd be...I'd be stoned". She said quietly.
"Stoned!!" Matthew exclaimed, shocked. "They still do that even now!?"
"Yes". She said sadly.
"But...But it wasn't your fault!"
"They won't believe me! I'll tell them what really happened, and they'll ask why I was outside at night. I'll have to tell them the truth, and they'll not believe my story and think that I practiced unholy things with the delivery boy. They would do nothing to you, but I would be stoned!" Sarah Elizabeth explained, in tears.
"But that's insane!" Matthew said, but she only cried more.
"What will I do!?" She cried. "I've no where else to go!"
There was a slight pause as Matthew raked his brain for something she could do, that he could do for her. Carefully, he reached out his hand placed it on hers that was gripping the wool blanket. She looked startled slightly, but didn't pull away. "I'll help you". He said.
Then an idea hit him suddenly, and he considered it.
He carefully considered all the other options, little that they were, and realized that it was the best and only way, for both of them.
"We must leave this place, both of us". He said. "We'll travel to America and find somewhere to stay. I'll get a job, and you'd be safe".
Sarah Elizabeth looked taken aback. "Leave Ireland? (Pause) There is no other way, is there".
"No". Matthew replied solemnly .
"Then I will go with you".
And so it was that things continued like this for a couple weeks, until one night when Matthew had gone to meet her once again, only to wait until morning outside the garden door without anything.
The entire day he did not struggle with loosing sleep as he had a few times previously when they'd lost track of time, but his worry for Sarah Elizabeth kept him wide awake and wondering. Had they been found out? Had she grown cold and turned away from him? Surely not.
Unfortunately, the answer he got that evening was not the one he'd expected at all. He decided to travel the distance to the convent again in the hopes that she would meet him and explain something, but as he was walking in the darkness, he heard something up ahead. It sounded like horses, and though they were pretty far off, they were going terribly fast!
Matthew hesitated and almost turned to hide on the side of the road, but then he was knocked into by somebody, who he'd apparently not noticed before. The force from the impact knocked them both to the ground, and Matthew recognized the fierce panting immediately.
"Sarah Elizabeth!?" He said, shocked. What was she doing outside the convent, on the road! At this time of night!!
"Matthew!" At first, she sounded shocked, but the fear in her voice told Matthew immediately that something was wrong.
"Please, please help me! They'll kill me-" She continued then, but Matthew shushed her and pulled her to the side of the road with him.
"Ssshhhh, come on". He said, not bothering to ask what was happening.
He laid flat on his stomach in some tall weeds, pulling her down with him, and told her not to move or speak. Both lay still as the riders past, Matthew guessed that their were at least two or three of them.
When they had passed, and were far enough away that barely the horses hooves could be heard, Matthew heard a small sob escape from the throat of the girl next to him. He turned, and though it was very dark, could tell that her face was slightly disfigured or something, but again, he didn't bother asking.
"Come on". He said, helping her to stand as they walked to the road.
"I can't...go back to the convent. They'll beat me!"
"Alright, you can come with me then". Matthew said, helping her to walk along the roadside, but quickly abandoning that and lifting her bodily into his arms, carrying her down the road.
Matthew carried her all the way to town where he took her into the barn far back in the field behind Mr. MacNamara's house, far enough away from the house that a small lamp burning inside the building would not be seen by anyone.
"I'm so sorry, Matthew". Sarah Elizabeth was saying. She sat on a small wooden stool, wrapped in an old wool blanket, her face bruised and scarred, and bleeding from her lip.
"Oh, nonsense, it's alright". Matthew said as he knelt by her, lightly whipping the blood and dirt from her face. "Who were those men chasing after you, and what did they want?"
"They were evil men. Very evil, they...did things to me". A small tear rolled down her cheek, and Matthew paused. "What things?" He asked, and Sarah Elizabeth's face grew so afraid and ashamed and innocent at the same time, that Matthew had a feeling he already knew.
"Terrible, unholy things". She said, looking ashamed.
Bloody heck, Matthew thought. "They raped you, didn't they?"
Slowly, as if not quite sure, she nodded. "Do people do things like this all the time here, outside God's walls?"
Matthew looked at her, as if ashamed to admit it, and nodded.
"Do...do you do this?" She asked then, and Matthew looked surprised.
"No! No, only evil men, perverted men who have no good in them. They'll burn in hell". Matthew said, his anger growing. If he ever met who'd done this to her, he'd kill them.
Sarah Elizabeth closed her eyes, as if to block the tears of her fear. Matthew ached inside for her, how could this have happened? Don't they bolt the doors of the convent twenty-four seven?
Matthew suddenly let his head drop, realization hitting him.
Last night.
She'd been waiting for him, and they'd taken her then.
"You were waiting for me, weren't you". He said it more as a fact than a question. "And they attacked you before I arrived".
Sarah Elizabeth nodded, and Matthew sighed regretfully.
"Then this is my fault". He said, and Sarah Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I shouldn't have been waiting outside for you".
Matthew sighed again and continued tending to her wounds.
"What will I do now? I can't go back to the convent".
"Why not? They wouldn't beat you when they see what's happened to you, will they?" Matthew said.
"I'd be...I'd be stoned". She said quietly.
"Stoned!!" Matthew exclaimed, shocked. "They still do that even now!?"
"Yes". She said sadly.
"But...But it wasn't your fault!"
"They won't believe me! I'll tell them what really happened, and they'll ask why I was outside at night. I'll have to tell them the truth, and they'll not believe my story and think that I practiced unholy things with the delivery boy. They would do nothing to you, but I would be stoned!" Sarah Elizabeth explained, in tears.
"But that's insane!" Matthew said, but she only cried more.
"What will I do!?" She cried. "I've no where else to go!"
There was a slight pause as Matthew raked his brain for something she could do, that he could do for her. Carefully, he reached out his hand placed it on hers that was gripping the wool blanket. She looked startled slightly, but didn't pull away. "I'll help you". He said.
Then an idea hit him suddenly, and he considered it.
He carefully considered all the other options, little that they were, and realized that it was the best and only way, for both of them.
"We must leave this place, both of us". He said. "We'll travel to America and find somewhere to stay. I'll get a job, and you'd be safe".
Sarah Elizabeth looked taken aback. "Leave Ireland? (Pause) There is no other way, is there".
"No". Matthew replied solemnly .
"Then I will go with you".
