Chapter 25
Evie came awake from the terrible dream, disoriented, heart racing, and breathless. She opened her eyes, realizing the little elf with the stick beating her leg was not real. With a long moan, she relaxed against the musty pillow, and gritted her teeth against the agonizing jabs beating painfully in her ankle.
Cracking her eyes back open, she saw the beams crossing the thatched roof above, then turned her head and found the tiny dwelling empty but for the two flies circling a chipped clay bowl on the table. With a grimace, she sat up, careful to keep her right leg still, and stretched her arms high above her head to work out the kinks.
Wondering where the little bearded man had gone, she gritted her teeth and scooted to the edge of the bed. Her makeshift cane was resting against the wall within reach and she grabbed it, then hauled herself up, crying out when her right foot hit too hard on the floor.
Tears pooled in her eyes and she gulped in several deep breaths, trying to get past the pain in short order. Nausea pooled in her stomach and she had to sit back on the bed for several minutes until her head quit spinning.
Quite possibly, the man went to fetch Montague. That thought had her setting her jaw and lifting herself back off the bed. She could not sit around and wait for that horrible man to find her and haul her back to the nearest candle-lit cave. Just thinking of those black robes and silver pentagrams made her shiver. Getting out of here was her only option. Even if she had to limp all the way back to London, she’d do so.
Straightening her spine, Evie stumbled forward and found the flies buzzing around a full bowl of something she supposed passed for soup. She leaned over and sniffed the air above the food. It actually smelled pretty good and her stomach growled, urging her to try it. Beside the wooden spoon lay a hunk of bread that had been torn off the loaf and a cup filled with some dark liquid.
Her stomach growled once again and Evie lifted the bread. She dipped a corner into the soup broth and nibbled, just to be certain it wouldn’t make her gag. Surprisingly, she found the food tastier than she imagined one little elf-man could make and ended up cleaning the bowl with a satisfied sigh. The dark liquid, an earthy, buttery tea of some sort, tasted better with each sip and she drank the entire contents in three greedy gulps.
Setting the cup down, she wondered if she hadn’t just made a huge mistake. Then she thought better of it. The man had every opportunity to do something nefarious while she slept, and the fact he hadn’t made her feel better about eating the food he so generously left out for her. So, where was he now? Had he just wanted to keep her there longer so he could fetch Montague?
Deciding she didn’t want to wait and find out, Evie opened the door and stepped out into the cool morning. The sun had already dispatched the mist and fog and, deciding she had dallied long enough, scuffled into the trees behind the cabin. After a minute, she slowed, glancing this way and that, wondering which direction to go. Then she noticed the lichen growing on an oak that split in two branches midway up the tree. The thicker branch on the left leaned over while the branch on the right shot straight up in the air. She’d once read about lichen and how it tended to grow on the south side of trees. With a smile, she decided to use that bit of information as her guide.
After limping forward for several minutes, she heard a large animal thrashing through shrubs and over sticks and leaves behind her. Evie whirled around, her hand splayed across her chest, and leaned back against a tree. She took several deep breaths and shook her head. “You gave me a fright.”
The little man scowled down at her from his perch on a donkey’s back. “Well, you shouldn’t have run off, miss.”
With a nod, she glanced behind him, half expecting to find Montague there. Instead, she found the man alone and smiled up at him. “I am sorry for leaving. Your soup was delicious, by the way.”
His scowl lifted long enough to be pleased by the compliment, then he heaved a sigh. “We better leave.” He slid to the ground. “Let me help you climb up old Dorothea, here.” He patted the side of the animal, who twitched her long ear in return.
It certainly would help her ankle, Evie decided, then allowed the man to assist her up with a strength that surprised her. He held on to the rein and began in the same direction she had been traveling, she noticed with a spurt of pride.
Glancing down to the flat wool cap on his head, she asked, “May I know your name, sir? Or do you just prefer, ‘sir’?”
“Name’s Tully. Grover Tully,” he added over his shoulder.
She swatted a pesky gnat buzzing her ear. “Very nice to meet you, Mr. Tully, and I appreciate your assistance.”
They plodded through the forest for about an hour until Evie decided she needed to visit a large bush. Looking none too happy, Mr. Tully helped her down and she hobbled behind the thick screen of greenery beyond the wide yule tree to relieve herself. Just as she finished and was about to step out from behind the bush, she heard a familiar voice and froze in place.
“You there. Have you seen a dark haired young woman come through this area?” Montague asked.
Evie’s hand went to her throat and she held her breath to hear the answer.
“I haven’t seen anyone.”
She let her breath out slowly, now certain Mr. Tully was not in league with Lord Montague. How she wished she could see what was happening beyond the bush, but she dared not move and expose herself.
“Who are you looking for?” Mr. Tully asked.
Evie’s ankle throbbed and she longed to find a comfortable place to sit, even a tree to lean against. She glanced to her makeshift cane leaning against an oak several feet away and frowned. Too far away, she decided. She’d make too much noise hobbling over to retrieve it.
“My, er, daughter. She’s lost,” Montague said.
“Terrible, just terrible. Many years ago, I had a wee niece who went missing near Chester. Just seven years old she was. Took a fortnight to find her, but we were too late. Well, I wish you gentlemen luck in finding…” Mr. Tully’s voice trailed away. “What did you say her name was?”
“I didn’t give her name, but it’s Evie if you must know, and I am providing a reward for anyone who brings her back to Spencer House.”
There was a long pause before Mr. Tully asked, “How much reward are you asking?”
Evie swallowed hard. Perhaps the little man could be persuaded with money to give her location. She glanced around, wondering what to do, where to try and escape.
“One hundred pounds,” Montague replied, deepening Evie’s frown. That was a handsome sum for someone of Mr. Tully’s station. “I must warn you,” Montague continued, “she may not come willingly. We had a disagreement and she left upset. Evie might even make up some horrendous story. She has been known to do that in the past.”
Oh, things were looking worse for her. It Lord Montague could persuade Mr. Tully to believe such tripe, she would not make it out of these woods alive. She glanced over to her cane, about to dash over for it when Mr. Tully spoke.
“Wish I could help you gentlemen. A hundred pounds.” He whistled softly through his teeth. “That is a fortune. But I haven’t seen anyone other than the two of you today.”
Evie closed her eyes, briefly, and said a quick prayer of thanks.
“Well, if you do happen to see her, tell her I will find her and bring her back.”
“I will tell her if I happen to see her,” Mr. Tully agreed.
Even after Lord Montague and his companion loped off, Evie remained behind the wall of greenery for another minute. She wanted to be certain they were gone before peeking around the bush. Mr. Tully nodded and motioned for her to come out.
“They have left, miss, so you can come out.”
Gathering her cane, she limped back to the little man. “I must admit, good sir, I feared you’d accept Lord Montague’s hundred pounds.” She grinned over at him. “But I am most relieved to see you did not.”
Instead of looking happy, Mr. Tully scowled. “I thought you said your name was Alice Penny-something.”
“Pennymaker,” she corrected, digging her thumbnail into the top of the cane. “She is actually my maid.”
His dark eyes narrowed. “So, you are this Evie that Lord Montague is searching for?”
Her mouth went dry, wondering how she should answer. Would he call out for Lord Montague? Were the men close enough to hear? Perhaps she should make up another lie. Or maybe this time, she should just tell him the truth. With her shoulders aching from so much tension and her ankle pulsating in pain, Evie settled herself on the trunk of a felled tree with an inward moan. “My name is Evie, but I am not that man’s daughter. Lord Montague wishes to sacrifice me in some satanic ritual.” She shook her head. “I know that sounds odd. I can hardly believe it myself. But it is the truth. He and his followers wear black hooded robes and large silver pentagrams.” She closed her eyes, seeing the candle-lit cave and all those terrible men inside. “I am hoping to expose the man for what he almost did to me and to keep him from trying again.”
Evie glanced back at Mr. Tully who continued to stare down hard at her. She prayed he would believe her and crossed her arms over her suddenly chilled body. “If you will just take me back home, you will see I am speaking the truth. I will pay you two hundred pounds for your trouble,” she added, hoping to sweeten the pot.
The man leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Does Falcon mean anything to you?”
Evie gasped, then could only stare at him for several seconds. “Where did you hear that?”
He nodded and relaxed, even gave her a gape-toothed smile. “Thought so. Elder gave me orders to find and follow Montague, then send a message with a location. Problem was, the man kept moving. I had just tracked him to that house,” he said and nodded toward the north, “when you showed up.”
When she could finally find her voice, she asked, “Who are you?”
His smile widened. “Scout.”
Of course. She grinned up to him. “I thought you’d be—”
“Taller?”
“Younger,” she said with a laugh, then remembered what he told Montague about his niece. “So, the story about your niece was true, then?”
He patted Dorothea’s side and nodded. “Little Mary would have come home if we had found her sooner. That was when I decided to learn how to track, and Elder found me. He brought from the Colonies two of the best Yamacraw trackers who agreed to train me. Three years later, my brothers returned home and I could track as well as they could.” He smiled over at her. “That was thirty years ago.”
Evie leaned over and gently rubbed her swollen, throbbing ankle. It felt hot to the touch. “Why didn’t you tell me who you were sooner?” she asked, adjusting the strips of sheet she had tied around her ankle for support.
“Because I thought you were a maid named Alice.” Then he chuckled and shook his head. “I actually thought for a minute you were working for Montague and had set a trap for me.”
She finished tying the knot and looked up. “You did?”
“Yes. Until the man called you ‘Evie’ and then I knew the truth,” he said with a shrug. Then he held out his hand. “Are you ready to go back…” He stopped speaking and held up his finger to his lips for her to be silent, then he cocked his head and listened to something over to their right.
Praying it wasn’t Montague returning, Evie listened as well. She heard nothing but the treetops swaying in the breeze and the distant call of a raven. Then she heard a horse snorting out a breath and froze.
Scout mouthed ‘stay here and be quiet,’ then turned and headed into the trees without making one sound. Evie kept her eyes on the very spot he disappeared, between two ash trees, and picked the bark off her cane. She wondered what she should do if someone other than Scout returned. What if Montague came back?
She had just decided to try and crawl on Dorothea’s back when she heard the sounds of horses moving quickly through the trees, from the same direction Scout had gone. Holding her breath, she watched the shadows of the branches and leaves swing and sway on the ground and gripped tight to the cane. Perhaps Montague had hurt Scout and now came for her. What if he had caught sight of her through the bush, or perhaps a part of her dress had been visible?
The thrashing got louder, then a white stockinged horse leg appeared between the two ash trees. Evie held her breath, rising slowly to her feet, ignoring the pain in her ankle. Then the other horse leg appeared and Evie held up the cane, ready to bash Montague’s head in.
But it wasn’t Montague who appeared on top of Prinny, pulling the reins. And as he slid to the ground and rushed up to her, Evie wasn’t at all sure what she would do with the cane.