My walk to the docks was long. In the approaching dusk I kept strictly to the side streets, sure to show my face to no one. The brown knit cap was pulled down upon my head tightly my hair tucked up inside, completely obscuring my features. So I made my steady progress toward the agreed rendevous point, head down and never veering from the decided course.
John, as promised, was waiting in front of Vorhee's Fish Market. Etched into the pale sky, he stood a solitary figure rising up out of the masses. John had always been like that, alone in the midst of people always absorbed in his own realities. Just as I stepped forward to approach him, he turned his gaze in another direction. I followed his line of sight to see her, a delicate red-head sauntering in his direction. She called out to him, this young virtuous looking man.
I dodged behind a pillar to watch what he might do. As I watched more closely I noticed the flashy green frock on the girl, revealing her as a prostitute. I wondered if I should make my presence known at such an inopportune moment. Thinking better of it I remained hidden, to watch the scene unfold.
The bawdy maid was completely shameless in her appeal to his basest of instincts. The ruddy curves of her chest swayed as she jostled about, attempting to win just one smile from the handsome boy. To my surprise he did not blush, nor did he turn away in any attempt to avoid her lewd presence. Rather, he regarded her as he might regard any passing merchant.
She engaged him for a moment, her red lips wagging sassily. He smiled and looked at her making some sort of appraisal, tempting yes, but ultimately not worth the trouble. He looked her directly in the eyes then, smiled again thinly, and tipped his hat ever so slightly in farewell. She pouted for only a moment, then gave him a wink and continued down the lane into the lights of the city. I pursed my lips in approval.
In some strange way I felt incredibly proud of my brother, the way he had looked at that girl as if she were any other person. I wondered how Joseph Absmeir IV would have handled the situation. Really it would have never happened, Master Absmeir would never deign to be caught near any establishment as seedy as Vorhee's Fish Market. I laughed to myself quietly, and made my way across the road.
John was still gazing down the road after the young woman when I finally approached him. His first reaction was that of shock, not embarrassment. Though I couldn't actually decide if the shock might not also be due to my ridiculous disguise. So there we stood in the middle of the wide alley, side by side in the fading dusk.
"Well, young man. I can see you are of upstanding moral character," I quietly mused.
John smiled with his bright green eyes. "You look absolutely charming." He made to pull the cap off of my head. We were far enough from any part of the city where we might chance to be recognized.
I dodged his hand and laughed. "If we need to be to Bristol by dawn, I suggest we get going."
"True enough," he sighed. "I would offer you my arm..." He looked me up and down, obviously jesting of my manly guise.
"I think that given the situation we can skip the pleasantries." I snapped in a facade of indignance. I did however hand him the heavy bag that I had been toting.
Nothing particularly important to me was placed in the bag. Oh, perhaps a few things for which I cared dearly, a notebook, a silver locket that belonged to my grandmother and even a small thimble connected to a memory long since dimmed by time and experience, for instance. The rest of the hefty burlap sack was filled with all sorts of jewelry, silverware, plates and clothing, all hastily taken from my hope chest. If John and I should fall onto times of trouble or need we could easily barter with anything in this unassuming sack. I smiled at the thought of selling my dowry to win my freedom.
As John heaved the bundle up onto his shoulder, he looked at me curiously. I had not told him about my plans to raid my marriage chest, sure that he would disapprove. Confirmation of such was certainly present in his face. So we began to meander towards the place where John's new partner had agreed to join us. We hardly spoke at all.
Forty minutes of walking along the outskirts of the city and we were finally nearing the crossroads where John's partner would be waiting with a carriage. Light from the sun was all but gone then, but city lights and stars helped us stay the course. Despite my iron resolve to leave I found my thoughts constantly wandering back home. At times I even wondered what Joseph Absmeir IV was doing at this very moment, had he already learned of my treachery?
I pictured him. He would be in his father's illuminated gardens, receiving word from my youngest brother that I had fled taking with me the entire contents of my dowry. Moreover, in my mind's version of this story, I saw him doing an incredibly unpredictable thing. Instead of running out into the night wrought with despair, like an appropriate gentleman, he would stand there, stone cold. Then in an instant slam his fists down on the table in an amazing show of force, completely uncharacteristic.
But the best and most thrilling thing was that he would harness his horse and ride off into the night with wild blood. No rest until he should find his Wendy darling. That was my dream of Joseph Absmeir IV, that he should fight for me if he really hoped to be the only man I would ever lay next to. I shirked it all off as meaningless fantasy, never would the plain and hapless banker decide to abandon propriety for passion.
The countryside was completely silent, save the occasional bird call ringing through the treetops. It felt as if the entire world had become hushed and still. John had slipped several yards ahead of my stride, but I wasn't sure I wanted to catch up to him. I somehow feared he would turn to me at some moment and declare this entire plan of action to be a useless mistake, and that he was going to return me to our parents immediately. I could not have bared returning to that life I left such a short while ago, not at that moment, not ever.
Then, just up on the visible horizon at the top of a small slope in the road I saw the carriage. Something like relief surged through my exhausted body. As I saw it John also became aware of it, and he stopped and turned back to me. He emphatically motioned for me to keep stride with him, so I quickened my pace. I was glad of having Michael's well worn boots as I attempted to catch up with my brother.
As we approached the carriage, we discovered there was no one in the driver's seat. No person had jumped out to greet us, and the clearing in which the crossroads stood revealed there was not another soul for miles around in any direction. A lump began growing in my throat as Michael's calls to his partner became louder and more desperate. While his back was turned I slowly approached the side of the small cab. The horses were clam and had stayed put, despite being left to their own devices which only served to make thing seem that much more amiss.
I heard a gentle rustling from within the carriage. I immediately drew back from the thing, fearing that whatever might be going on inside could be quite dangerous. John had wandered off into the tall grasses of the meadow. Something painful churned inside me. Imploring every ounce of calm and rationale I possessed , I once again crept towards the now rocking coach.
The motion from within became increasingly violent as I struggled with a decision. Surely, if I should tear the door open I might risk attack by whatever was making the growing noise. On the other hand, John's partner could be in dire need of assistance. Ever myself, without notifying my brother I tore open the black lacquered door.
What I saw there caused me to reel back in both surprise and disgust...