Chapter 23: Kidnapped Again?
"Amara!" Elizabeth exclaimed when her manservant brought the caller to her. "What are you doing wearing that uniform? Why didn't you ever reply to my letters?"
"Elizabeth, Amos intercepted your letters to me-I never got them until today. This uniform was the only way to escape the house; I've been under arrest by my husband for the past two weeks. God, Elizabeth, he's gone insane!" After this outburst, she immediately erupted into tears, falling to her knees.
Elizabeth let the storm pass and helped Amara to her feet and a chair. She slowly drew the story out of Amara. "This servant girl Amos hired after he got Katie fired.she was so very shy and scared, and no matter what I did the girl would not speak to me or look me in the eye. I think she was the one that took the letters I wrote to you and delivered them to Amos. Anyway, we found that she had hanged herself in the cellar today. I am fairly certain she did it after she slid the stolen letters- both yours and mine-under my door," Amara checked herself. "This is my belief, at any rate, I didn't see the person that did it."
"How do you know that Amos didn't do it?" Elizabeth asked. "He could have caught her, right?"
"No, he was gone to see how the investigation was going. And he wouldn't have killed her. He's far too possessive of things he believes belong to him." Amara sighed, appearing to be her old self, strong and in control. "At least he doesn't know where I am now." Elizabeth nodded and ordered a servant to get some tea ready.
How little they knew.
********************************
The clock struck midnight, and Amos left the chair he had been sitting in all afternoon. He stealthily snuck out the servant's entrance and stayed to the shadows as he crept down the street to the house of the Turners.
Reaching the first part of his goal, he crept around the house testing windows as noiselessly as possible so he wouldn't wake up any of the few servants that stayed overnight and trying to find the entrance they used, knowing that it usually wasn't locked. The house was completely dark, and the moon was hidden this night by clouds, so he was forced to go about this by feel.
At last, he found a small door hidden cleverly between two bushes. This was not the servant's entrance, but the cellar door, and he decided that this would work as well as anything else. Trying it, he found it to open easily and without so much as a squeak. He smiled, mentally thanking whoever kept the hinges oiled. Finally, he crept down the steps into the cellar's complete blackness and lit the small taper he had brought with him so he would not knock anything over by mistake. Finding the steps leading up to the first floor, he made his way up the steps only to find the door locked. Growling to himself in frustration, he made his way back through the cellar and back outside. Blowing out the taper, he continued his prowl about the house.
********************************
Amara couldn't sleep. Her bed faced the wrong way, the objects were completely different, and she felt altogether insecure. What if Amos did know where she had gone? Would he do anything? She stood by the window, looking out at the dark yard. For a moment she thought she saw a shadow moving around the bushes surrounding the house, but passed it off as her own nerves making her see ghosts where there were none.
She decided she would go down to the kitchen and find a little bit to eat, hoping it would help her sleep.
That was all that saved her.
********************************
He crept up the stairs, rather more irritated than he had been before he ran into the locked door to the cellar. It was damned lucky the servants' entrance had been unlocked. If it hadn't been, he would likely have hanged being silent and broken it, calling attention to himself. But it hadn't, so he didn't, and no one was the wiser.
After checking a few of the rooms with open doors, he discovered they were rooms no one slept in (he even passed by Amara's room, thinking it unused), and so tried the first closed door he came upon. Finding it unlocked, he carefully-so carefully!-turned the handle and slid it open without a creak. He crept silently into the room, closing the door most of the way behind him and made his way slowly over to the bed.
From the meager light of a candle set a few feet away from the bed, he saw familiar curls and grinned with delight. He drew a long strip of cloth from his pocket and wadded it before tapping Elizabeth on the shoulder. When she opened her eyes and then her mouth to scream, he shoved the wad of cloth into her mouth and held her down while she kicked and clawed at him, trying to spit the gag out of her mouth.
********************************
When she realized that her efforts were fruitless and that he apparently felt no pain, she stopped struggling, staring at his face with wide eyes as she finally recognized him. Terror took hold of her then, and she froze as he tied a strip over her mouth and behind her head, then moved on to tie her hands and legs together.
Her mind was screaming a single name, praying he would come and save her, as he had once before. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't return, not yet. Tears began to gather in her eyes, but she blinked them back, forcing herself not to cry, not to let him have the satisfaction of seeing her tears.
She heard him whispering to himself, but couldn't understand what he was saying. She wasn't even sure she wanted to know. The pain that resulted as he yanked the restraints tighter went nearly unnoticed as her world slowly started to fade around her. A small part of her knew she had to make herself stay aware of what was going on, but she was slowly losing the battle.
************************************************************************ Hmmm.am I getting predictable in my old age? Ah well. Anyway! Three chapters in three days! Hope you're all proud of me, though I don't think anyone noticed that chapter 22 was up! Also, thanks muchly to Daydream Believer for telling me that Norrington does indeed have a first name! I MUST see the DVD!
"Amara!" Elizabeth exclaimed when her manservant brought the caller to her. "What are you doing wearing that uniform? Why didn't you ever reply to my letters?"
"Elizabeth, Amos intercepted your letters to me-I never got them until today. This uniform was the only way to escape the house; I've been under arrest by my husband for the past two weeks. God, Elizabeth, he's gone insane!" After this outburst, she immediately erupted into tears, falling to her knees.
Elizabeth let the storm pass and helped Amara to her feet and a chair. She slowly drew the story out of Amara. "This servant girl Amos hired after he got Katie fired.she was so very shy and scared, and no matter what I did the girl would not speak to me or look me in the eye. I think she was the one that took the letters I wrote to you and delivered them to Amos. Anyway, we found that she had hanged herself in the cellar today. I am fairly certain she did it after she slid the stolen letters- both yours and mine-under my door," Amara checked herself. "This is my belief, at any rate, I didn't see the person that did it."
"How do you know that Amos didn't do it?" Elizabeth asked. "He could have caught her, right?"
"No, he was gone to see how the investigation was going. And he wouldn't have killed her. He's far too possessive of things he believes belong to him." Amara sighed, appearing to be her old self, strong and in control. "At least he doesn't know where I am now." Elizabeth nodded and ordered a servant to get some tea ready.
How little they knew.
********************************
The clock struck midnight, and Amos left the chair he had been sitting in all afternoon. He stealthily snuck out the servant's entrance and stayed to the shadows as he crept down the street to the house of the Turners.
Reaching the first part of his goal, he crept around the house testing windows as noiselessly as possible so he wouldn't wake up any of the few servants that stayed overnight and trying to find the entrance they used, knowing that it usually wasn't locked. The house was completely dark, and the moon was hidden this night by clouds, so he was forced to go about this by feel.
At last, he found a small door hidden cleverly between two bushes. This was not the servant's entrance, but the cellar door, and he decided that this would work as well as anything else. Trying it, he found it to open easily and without so much as a squeak. He smiled, mentally thanking whoever kept the hinges oiled. Finally, he crept down the steps into the cellar's complete blackness and lit the small taper he had brought with him so he would not knock anything over by mistake. Finding the steps leading up to the first floor, he made his way up the steps only to find the door locked. Growling to himself in frustration, he made his way back through the cellar and back outside. Blowing out the taper, he continued his prowl about the house.
********************************
Amara couldn't sleep. Her bed faced the wrong way, the objects were completely different, and she felt altogether insecure. What if Amos did know where she had gone? Would he do anything? She stood by the window, looking out at the dark yard. For a moment she thought she saw a shadow moving around the bushes surrounding the house, but passed it off as her own nerves making her see ghosts where there were none.
She decided she would go down to the kitchen and find a little bit to eat, hoping it would help her sleep.
That was all that saved her.
********************************
He crept up the stairs, rather more irritated than he had been before he ran into the locked door to the cellar. It was damned lucky the servants' entrance had been unlocked. If it hadn't been, he would likely have hanged being silent and broken it, calling attention to himself. But it hadn't, so he didn't, and no one was the wiser.
After checking a few of the rooms with open doors, he discovered they were rooms no one slept in (he even passed by Amara's room, thinking it unused), and so tried the first closed door he came upon. Finding it unlocked, he carefully-so carefully!-turned the handle and slid it open without a creak. He crept silently into the room, closing the door most of the way behind him and made his way slowly over to the bed.
From the meager light of a candle set a few feet away from the bed, he saw familiar curls and grinned with delight. He drew a long strip of cloth from his pocket and wadded it before tapping Elizabeth on the shoulder. When she opened her eyes and then her mouth to scream, he shoved the wad of cloth into her mouth and held her down while she kicked and clawed at him, trying to spit the gag out of her mouth.
********************************
When she realized that her efforts were fruitless and that he apparently felt no pain, she stopped struggling, staring at his face with wide eyes as she finally recognized him. Terror took hold of her then, and she froze as he tied a strip over her mouth and behind her head, then moved on to tie her hands and legs together.
Her mind was screaming a single name, praying he would come and save her, as he had once before. Deep down, she knew he wouldn't return, not yet. Tears began to gather in her eyes, but she blinked them back, forcing herself not to cry, not to let him have the satisfaction of seeing her tears.
She heard him whispering to himself, but couldn't understand what he was saying. She wasn't even sure she wanted to know. The pain that resulted as he yanked the restraints tighter went nearly unnoticed as her world slowly started to fade around her. A small part of her knew she had to make herself stay aware of what was going on, but she was slowly losing the battle.
************************************************************************ Hmmm.am I getting predictable in my old age? Ah well. Anyway! Three chapters in three days! Hope you're all proud of me, though I don't think anyone noticed that chapter 22 was up! Also, thanks muchly to Daydream Believer for telling me that Norrington does indeed have a first name! I MUST see the DVD!