P&P FF
"Captain's Concession: A Bennet's Destiny"
*Grasshaven..as far as I know another town of my making (and I could find no Grasshaven in my searches).
Previously:
"We already know ours," said Mr. Hales. "It is a Scottish history book our nephew promised us." His words were spoken as his wife unwrapped the book, revealing indeed a history book. "Now," he looked at Leif and Charlotte, "pray tell, how long are you to stay? Is it long enough for you to come by and take a stroll through memory lane of Charlotte's old childhood home?"
"We would love that, after supper that is."
Cry for Help
Ch. 29
Michael and Wendi had no time to take a break from running. They could not believe how bent McBean's men were on getting them. The couple's breaths came in sharp gasps as they managed to dash through the rugged terrain of their beloved Scottish Highlands. The various plants of the forests brushed against their legs, leaving dewy trails on their clothes.
Their ears could pick up the sounds of dogs barking in the distant. The shouts of men's voices echoing and -only in their minds- could they hear their pursers' feet pounding the forest's floor not far behind them. But they both knew the land better than any of McBean's men; they were children of these native hills; unlike those transplants, and they used every hillock and glen to their advantage.
The sky was a violent canvas of grays, the clouds hanging low as if to aid the two fugitives in their escape. Wendi glanced back, her eyes scanning for movement which could be of threat to herself or her mate. The lady saw the flash of red tartan through the trees — their chasers were gaining ground. "Follow me." she hissed, pulling Michael toward a narrow wild animal track that wound its way up a steep embankment most could not climb. The path was indeed treacherous, but it was their best chance to lose the men and their dogs. And it was not a hill uncommon to her and her husband.
As they began their climb, the ground beneath them became slick with moss and rainwater from the day night before. Michael's foot slipped, sending a cascade of small stones down the hillside. The noise was a beacon to their hunters, but the couple pressed on, their hearts felt as if they were pounding outside their chests. At the top, they found temporary relief, a plateau covered in thick sharp plants that scratched at their skin but offered a place to catch their breath.
Below, the dogs barking started back up, their noses sniffing the air, trying to pick up the scent that had been so abruptly cut off. The men shouted commands; frustration evident in their voices. Wendi knew just as much as Michael did, they had to move again before the dogs picked up their trail. They hurried to a peat bog, its earthy smell was extremely strong and pungent. They carefully crossed, knowing the bog would mask their scent and confuse the men's hounds.
Once across, they doubled back, using a trick handed down to them by their grandfathers to the fathers and then on down to them. They ran through streams, the cold water numbing their legs, but effectively throwing the dogs off once more. Finally, the couple dared hope they might make it out of the highlands.
They went around a rocky outcrop, using the natural barrier to hide any of their movements, any possibility of being seen by anyone that could report back to their pursuers or to McBean. They moved with the silence of the deer, around them, their presence hardly disturbing the world around them. The men, unaccustomed to such rough country, slowed, their progress hampered by the unfamiliar landscape.
As night began to fall, the shadows grew longer, and the world turned to a palette of muted blues. The men were no longer following them. Michael and Wendi found themselves in a dense group of Scots pine, the needles underfoot quieting their steps. They knew they could not stop, that would be stupid. However, the forest...even as the drew close to the edge...had provided cover, and for the first time since the chase began, they felt a semblance of safety.
"We can't stop." Michael pointed to the valley. "We've onl' one place ta and they know it."
"But if we go there, we'll be bringin' trouble ta Emil and Mary's home." Protested Wendi. "They've done nothin' ta us."
"What choice do we have?" Michael spoke with frustration in his voice and holding up his bag." Our supplies will only last so lon', there's no refreshin' them as if we were in de hills."
Wendi came up with a plan that she hoped would, at the very least, make the men second guess themselves enough as to give them a few more hours. "Might give us enough time to get some sleep and enough time ta get ta Mary's. Emil's bound ta be out ta sea. No guarantee she dannae went with him."
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No sun's rays even breaking the horizon when pounding came at the Pederson's servant's door. Julia answered the door in her white nightgown and was stunned to see a couple she had never laid eyes on begging to see Mary or the captain.
"It's urgent, we can't be seen out here, please let us in."
"Come in." Julia would have made them stand out but the servant had been around enough to know true panic when she saw it. "Wait here, I'll get Mrs. Pedersen."
Michael and his wife watched the servant leave, heard her footsteps echoing off the marbled floors and then -he guessed- up a flight of stairs. "Think she will help us? Quite of few of highlanders sided with her, but a lot did not."
"Michael, we sided with them. Mary will not turn us awa'."
"But McBean sent men after us ta kill us, and we can't even prove it."
They both quit speaking when they heard voices coming closer. One was definitely Mary's and the other one was the woman's who had just answered the door. Hopefully, Emil's wife would repay their kindess to her as they now needed help.
"Michael, Wendy! What's goin' on?"
Michael told her everything. How McBean had been harrassing them all winter. "Or should I say his men, I can't prove it, but I feel it ..." Emil's cousin pointed to his chest. "In here. And Mary..." His voice shook. " I hated comin' here, I feel as if I've played into his hand."
"What do you mean?"
"He wants that land but with de paper I had drawn up with de courts; it ain't his legal twile we married, He wants me dead, but there be nowhere else ta go. That man's got quite a few of de family turned against me and we haven't got de time ta go into all de reasons."
Wendi told Mary of the men behind them. What they had done to get the dogs to lose their scent. "But my man is right...they're goin 'to figure out we came here. Honest we didn't know where else ta go."
"Julia grab those bags I had ye prepare and have Hannah help them refill theirs. Ye wait right there, I know what we are goin' ta do. And they will not expect it, not all of it anywa'."
"We?" Miachel grew concerned. "We don't want ta drag ye into this mess. Ye got out of it when ye left de hills, could stay out of it by just givin' us supplies and sendin' us on our wa'."
"McBean wants more than that!" Mary shouted as she ran up the stairs, it was not long before she was back downstairs, dressed and ready to flee; her footsteps sounded as if she had gone into the parlor before reappearing where the servants where handing Michael and his wife their refilled bags.
"Julia, do not let anyone move a thin' in the parlor, clean it as usual, but not move what anythin' I have touched. When the captain gets home. Inform everythin' that has happened. However, do not tell anyone else what has occurred. You come up with a cover story. And Hannah..." The young maid gulped and looked at her employer. "I will keep you on as lon' as you desire if ye follow Julia and keep yer mouth shut ta this, but if ye do not keep ta her story consider yerself fired. Understood?"
"Understood."
"Now ye go back to where ye were, I need to talk to Julia." Turning to her head housekeeper. "When those men get here see if ye can't convince them to let ye feed them breakfast, as if ye think I am sleepin' and will get me for them when they are done. And then act as if I must have gotten up earl' ta go take care of de lower gardens. When they go to take a look, grab Hannah and dive into the groundskeeper's office. Bruce doesn't know exactl' what is goin' on, but enough that if you show up with Hannah, he'd keep you under lock and key with more than one gun handy. I dannae think dose men will bother ye, better safe than sorry though."
It was not long afterwards Michael, Wendi and Mary were racing on horses towards the Scottish border. They would take a route none would expect for all would assume the captain's wife would run to her parents' home or Emil's uncle.