It was cold. Her chest felt heavy. She tried to move, but her arms were tightly bound. She struggled against the ropes. A heavy gag pushed her tongue to the back of her throat, strangling her cries. The more she pulled against the binding, the more she panicked. She pulled and jerked against the ties until she lay exhausted in the darkness. Breathing deeply.
‘Think Evie, think' .
Her head ached, she felt sick and tired. So extraordinarily tired.
She thought of William. Of how easy it had been to betray him, and how easily she'd been betrayed. She laughed at the irony, and her choking laugh became a sob. Curling up on herself, as much as she was able; cold, alone, and afraid, Evelyn sobbed.
***
Bess stared at her cards, she had two aces, and two fives. She knew Johnny must have a good hand because of the maniacal grin plastered across his face. Jim was harder to read; he stared at his cards like the enemy, no matter what he held, and Charlie was still laughing.
“She said ‘sorry'?!”
“Yeah” Replied Johnny, “You should've seen her face.”
“What did she say?” Charlie was clutching his side, he didn't seem to care that Jim could see his cards.
“Oh, she didn't get a chance to say nothin' afore I smashed her head in”
“Oh that's so funny!” he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. “What were you thinking Bessie?”
“I'm out.” She said, and dropped her cards on the table.
“Oh don't get like that”
“Are we gonna finish this game or what?” Jim was just as irritated as Bess.
“I'm going to check on her.” She said, standing.
“Send her ladyship my regards!” She heard Charlie and Johnny enter into another bout of laughter as she slammed the door. She stood in the small kitchen taking a moment to allow her anger to subside. Then she grabbed some food, and a jug of water, before heading upstairs.
***
Evelyn heard footsteps. She threw off her sobs, and forced herself to sit up. She wriggled along the floor trying to find a wall to back into, as the slow footfalls came closer. Someone was outside. She heard movement, and crockery, and then a key was turned in the lock.
There was precious little light, Evelyn could only just make out the shadowy figure cross the room, and place something on a side table. Then a match lit up Bess' face. She crossed over to a small mantelpiece and lit a candle, which she used to light the others, scattered about the room. Closing the door, she carefully locked it and placed the key in the pocket of her long waistcoat, before turning to face Evelyn.
She was propped against the wall, her hands still tied, a gag in her mouth, the blood around the gash on her forehead had dried, and she was smeared with dirt from the floor.
“I'm going to untie you. Now it's very important that you're quiet. I don't want to; but if I have to, I will tie you up again. Do you understand?”
Evelyn nodded, and Bess took out a small knife. She knelt in front of Evelyn, and carefully eased the knife between her cheek and the gag, slicing through the cloth, until it was loose, and Evelyn could once again move her mouth.
“What in hell do you think you are doing?” she said, her voice was broken, and barely above a scratched whisper.
“You have to keep it down.”
“Keep it down? I will not keep it down!” Her voice was beginning to return “I'll shout to the BLOODY RAFTERS IF I W—”
Bess leapt forward and clasped a hand over her mouth; she glanced behind her to the door, and then looked straight back into Evelyn eyes. There was a distinct note of panic in her voice.
“I told you to keep quiet! You must understand Evelyn, you have to understand. If I let you go, or if they find out that I even want to let you go, they will kill me. Do you understand?” Evelyn was unmoved. “Do you understand Evelyn? They will not kill you, but they will hang me from the nearest tree without a second thought.” Evelyn nodded, and Bess released her mouth. She cut the binds on Evelyn's hands, before placing the knife back on the table, and pouring a mug of water.
“Here you go.” Evelyn drank, she gulped down the whole mug without a second thought. She didn't know how long it had been since she'd had a drink, and realised that she didn't know how long she had been here, or where ‘here' was.
“Where are we?” She said holding the mug out to Bess, who obligingly poured another.
“We're in an old farmhouse; it hasn't been lived in for years, and there is no one around for miles. In case you were wondering.”
“Well I did ask.”
“Don't be like this.”
“Oh I'm sorry I didn't realise I was supposed to stay on cordial terms with my kidnapper.”
“I'm sorry I—”
“Yes you keep saying sorry, you keep on and on saying sorry, but so far you have done nothing to make me believe you!” Bess was silent, she poured some water in a bowl, and rinsed a cloth in it.
“Come over to the bed.” She said quietly. Evelyn didn't move from her corner. “Please.”
“You'll have to help me. I don't think I can stand.” Bess pulled her up off the floor, and half carried Evelyn across the room to the small single bed. In the light of the candles she was able see the wound more clearly, and began to softly clean it. Despite everything, Evelyn was comforted by the woman's gentle touch, and caught herself admiring her features; her smooth skin, and her deep brown eyes, that held a look of such deep concentration as she carefully bathed Evelyn's forehead.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“It's the safest place; no one will find you.”
“You know what I mean” Bess turned and leaned over to the side table, rinsing the cloth. “If you want me to trust you...” Evelyn trailed off, hoping she'd pushed the highwaywoman far enough. Bess sighed, and once again she started to bathe the wound.
“It's for a ransom” she said finally “there isn't enough money for… for what we need in stopping coaches, and hardly anyone travels after dark any more. So it was decided that we would do something… more profitable.”
“You and your gang?”
“Yes. Me and my gang.”
“I don't understand.” Said Evelyn, Bess looked at her.
“What don't you understand?”
“Well why didn't you just take me that night? Last night?” ‘ Had it only been last night? '
“There were too many people—”
“So you thought you'd come after me on your own in broad daylight? That doesn't make sense!”
Bess stopped bathing the wound, and looked down, unpicking the weave on the cloth “I knew you'd come willingly” she said quietly.
“You had a pistol!”
“You didn't come with me because I had a pistol, you came because you wanted to.” She looked up at Evelyn.
“But the others… they didn't know about… they didn't know I'd come willingly. Why did they let you come alone?”
“I persuaded them to let me go after you—”
“So you wanted to do it?”
“If you'll just let me explain!” Evelyn raised her eyebrows, and Bess continued. “That night, last night, I came to warn you, to tell you to leave. They knew where you were, they knew you couldn't leave Harrow … but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to tell you. I gave you the money hoping you would get back to Bristol , and they'd never find out.”
“But then you changed your mind? You decided that you would like to be a kidnapper after all?”
“No! Someone saw you. They saw you get on a coach, and they warned us, Johnny, he's the big one—”
“I know Johnny” said Evelyn remembering the musket, and the look of glee as he thrashed it down, she swayed slightly as she remembered the strike.
“Are you alright?”
“I'm fine, go on”
“He said he would go after you, and that's when I persuaded them to let me go, I said I could get you to the glen without any trouble. I didn't think he'd hit you with a musket.”
“What did you think he'd do? Dazzle me with daisies?” Bess was silent. “I could do with something to eat.” Evelyn said finally. Bess passed her the plate of bread and cheese, but said nothing.
Evelyn ate in silence, she was tired and sore, and wasn't willing to argue with her captor anymore.
Eventually Bess left her side and knelt by the grate, to inspect the fireplace “I'll be back in a minute.” She was careful to lock the door as she left, and Evelyn heard her footsteps on the stairs.
As soon as she was gone, Evelyn slipped over to the chimney. She looked up into the dark tunnel. It was far too small to squeeze into, and then there would be the problem of getting off the roof. That's if she was upstairs, ‘maybe those footsteps had been going out of a cellar' she thought to herself. She looked around the room, it was difficult to see anything in the semi-darkness, so she grabbed a candle, and began to examine her surroundings.
The floor was wooden, and the room itself was larger than she'd thought, it contained just the bed, a side table and a chair. Even in the half light she could see the paper peeling from the walls. It seemed that the room had once been well looked after, and quite grand. She moved across to the back wall; four large shutters were nailed closed, over the windows. She placed the candle on the floor, and felt around the edges of one of the shutters, if she could just get her fingers underneath it, and ease it free…
***
Bess searched the kitchen, there was a bit of coal, but no kindling. She didn't think she would be able to get the kindling from the other room, without the lads asking questions. She started collecting coals in one of the buckets, and thought about going out to fetch some hay from the yard.
Jim burst through the kitchen door followed by Charlie and Johnny. “Oh look she's started cleaning the stove now!” Bess stood up awkwardly
“I wasn't cleaning.”
“I tell you what, how about you put dinner on, we'll go down the pub.” They were already grabbing their coats from the kitchen table, and sliding into them.
“But what about Evelyn?”
“I'm sure you can manage to look after her ladyship for a few hours.” Laughed Johnny.
“Look you can come with us if you want,” said Charlie as they started to head out, “It's not like she can run off. You did good today.”
“No, I'll stay, I'll be fine.” Charlie shrugged, and waved to her as he closed the door behind him. Bess was anxious for a moment, she knew she could take advantage of the opportunity, but she'd never be able to explain what happened. Then there was the added problem that, although she did want to help Evelyn, she didn't want to let her go.
After a moment's hesitation, she decided that she would make the most of the time alone with Evelyn. She grabbed some kindling from the parlour, and ran upstairs; at the very least she could make her comfortable. She burst through the door, and saw Evelyn just as she'd left her, only she did look a little flushed.
“You don't look well. I'll get a fire going, and then I'll get some blankets for you. I'll try and do the bed aswell,” Bess started busying herself with the fire as she spoke “They're only the blankets we brought with us, I don't think there are any sheets left in the house, I don't think they would be very pleasant by now anyway.”
The fire was slow to start, but Evelyn was glad for the warmth, she felt cold to the bone, aggravating her aches and pains. She glanced over to the shutter. She'd managed to loosen one of the nails in the corner, by wriggling the wood, just before Bess came back, and she wondered if she would get another opportunity to finish the job.
***
Bess had tried to make the bed look comfortable, the fire was warm, and Evelyn had managed to eat some of that peculiar cheese she'd been given. Bess sat in the rickety chair looking into the flames, and Evelyn, exhausted, was sitting on the edge of the bed. She found herself staring at Bess, remembering the night before, and how differently she'd felt when looking at the same beautiful girl in the light of the flames. How much had changed in so little a time.
Bess glanced over at her “Is there anything else I can get you?”
Evelyn thought for a moment. “Yes” she said “Is there any chance I could have a wash?”
“I don't know… I don't see why not. I'll be back in a moment.” She got up and left the room, once again she was careful to lock the door behind her. Evelyn looked across at the shutter, and wondered if it was worth the risk for the few second she'd gained. She stood up to walk over to the window, but as she did so she heard hurried footsteps on the stairs again, and quickly sat back down. Bess smiled at her as she placed some more cloth on the side table.
“I've put some water on the stove to heat up, it won't be too long.” She then sat on the bed next to Evelyn “I want to do everything I can to make sure you get out of this alright.” She tentatively reached forward to touch Evelyn's hand. Evelyn looked up into her face, she couldn't help but smile. She found it so easy to believe this girl. Once again she found herself trusting Bess.
“I know” she said, and squeezed Bess' hand.
“The water should be hot by now.” She disappeared downstairs, and Evelyn started unfastening her clothes. She was stiff and tired, and found it difficult to move, but was down to her underwear by the time Bess was back, carrying a wooden bucket overflowing with water. She placed it by the fire, and looked up at Evelyn standing by the bed in nothing but her shift. For a moment Evelyn wondered if Bess intended to stay.
“I'll leave you to it.” She said quietly, before once again clicking the lock in the door.
Evelyn ignored water, and almost ran to the wooden shutter. She could now just about squeeze her fingers under the frame, and she started to wriggle it loose. She felt something brush against her finger tips, and almost screamed as she yanked her fingers out. She struggled with the thought of spiders, hundreds of them swarming behind the frame, all ready and waiting for her to yank it open so they could leap out and crawl all over her face.
“Come on Evie” she said to herself. Taking a deep breath, she eased her fingers once again under the shutter, and steadied herself. Then she gave the shutter a heave. She wrenched it again, and again. It flew open, banging hard against the wall. She stood rooted to the spot, waiting for a reaction from someone in the house.
Silence.
Relieved, she stepped forward to the window. It was dusk, the moon was clear and high. She gave the window a test, unlocking it, and lifting up the lower pane, to let in the cool breeze. She stuck her head out and looked down, it was a sheer drop to the ground, but manageable if the ground was soft. From her vantage point she could see the countryside spread out before her, for miles in all directions, broken only by a few scattered trees. She remembered Bess' look of panic when she'd clamped her mouth shut. She tried to shake off the image of that beautiful girl, pale and lifeless, swinging from the great oak, just yards from the house.
‘So I can get out' thought Evelyn ‘but then what?'
To be continued in Chapter 4….
Betrayed by the girl she risked everything for, Evelyn is trying to figure out exactly what happened, and if she can learn to trust Bess again. The third instalment of Mask of the Highwaywoman, takes us one step closer to finding just who Bess really is…