“Father would be horrified to see what you are doing, how can you dishonour his memory by doing this?”
“I do no such thing. Were he alive still I would be doing him a favour by not having one more mouth to feed.”
“That is a lie and you know it. You're only telling these lies to make yourself feel like less of a monster, but you are a monster. Now let me go, take me home. I want to go home.”
“Stop your whining, I will do no such thing. Now, we have a long way to go, and it will be much more enjoyable if you were to shut your mouth. Do not make me shut it for you,”
“A long way to go? We are not going where you said we are going? We are not going to Scotland, are we? No, that cannot be so. That is too far from home, stop.”
“We are going to the border between Scotland and England, that is where I have substantial gambling debts and where my post is. You wouldn't last in Scotland, it is very cold and filled with very strong people, not weak like you. They would eat you alive. The way the clans fight, abduct women; you have no idea. You have had it easy, but no longer. You will do your part to pay my debts, and that is all.”
“Pay your debts, why should I do such a thing? You are the one that accrued those debts, and you should be the one to pay for them, or die for them for all I care.”
He laughed. “Now that's the spirit. I might to make a tough woman of you after all. You need to live. You need to see what the world is like away from the safety of the farm, you will see. Then you will have no choice, the way I have no choice now.
“Never. I will never be like you.”
“In a few hours we will be stopping at an inn. I cannot afford a room, but we will seek shelter in the barn; that is where the servants, drivers, and footmen stay whenever their masters stay inside. They stay in the barn and sleep with the horses, and that is exactly what we shall do. You will not give me any trouble there, do you understand? Or you will pay for it.”
“I hate you.”
“That is fine. Hate me in silence though, for I have had enough of your words.”
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Tears streamed down Hilda's face. The night was very dark in front of her, and the only thing she could see was what the moon's glow cast upon the grassy fields around them as they rode quietly down the muddy road. There was no one else about, not even a carriage to pass.
Hilda was headlong for adventure, but not like this. She did not want to be taken prisoner, and to have no control over her own fate. She did not know what sort of people her brother planned to sell her to. O
h, she only knew that he had no right to do it. He did not own her, she owned herself. She would have to protest this whenever she came before the people he planned to trade her for. She would scream and shout that she did not belong to him, and that he had abducted her. Perhaps there would be a man of the law nearby, and would hear these things and save her from her brother. She did not care if he went to prison for it, she would feel safer if he was locked up.
She thought of her aunt and uncle, what would they think? She and Euron would be gone, never to be heard from and perhaps they would think that she ran away. No, they knew her better than that, knew that she loved them and would not do such a thing even in an act of desperate grief. But how long would it be before they knew that she was missing and would send someone for her? With Euron back, they were not calling upon her for days at a time, nor did they expect her at the tavern. A week complete would go by before either would talk to each other, and that was not anything unusual. So a wee could go by before anyone went to the cottage to see that she was not there, and by then it would be too late. She could be on a boat set for America for all she knew by then.
More tears fell down her cheeks. She was frightened, cold, and feeling extreme hate for her stepbrother. Oh Father, how I wish you were alive and everything was as it were. I miss you.
A few hours later, with her body sore from riding and being tied, the air changed. She breathed it in.
“Yes, that is sea air. Fresh and crisp. We are very close to the shore and to the docks, but a mile west of here. A fine place,” Euron said.
“The sea...” she whispered. She had never seen the ocean before, and had longed to see it. She closed her eyes and inhaled the deep heady scent of salty air, fish, and wind. It's filled her lungs, and was a relief in her desperate situation.
Hilda saw a few candles lit upon the horizon. It must be the end he spoke of, she must muster her strength, in order to fight and alert anyone that cared about what was going on.
“Now, remember what I told you. Do not make a fuss, do not make a scene. Stay quiet, I will feed you, you will get dressed, and then we will be on our way in the morning. A few more hours down the road by day and we shall be at our arrival.”
Hilda closed her eyes, only breathing in the air and not taking note of his words any longer. She needed the escape in her mind and so she took to her imagination and was off on one of the adventures in the novels and penny rags she read.
Suddenly the air was thick with smoke. She opened her eyes to see that they were approaching the inn, going around the back where three barrel fires and torches filled the air with smoke.
Euron moved the horse forward, into a spot in the stable. He dismounted, and then pulled Hilda down by the waist.
She noticed that there were those that were watching. Euron noticed as well.
“Go back to your own affairs. This one here is an indentured servant, a runaway. I am commissioned with bringing her back to her master.
“That is not true” He abducted me! Help me!” she shouted.
“Stop,” Euron said and placed his hand over her mouth.
“What’s this then?” a deep voice boomed.
Hilda looked up to see a man mounted on his horse, trotting over to them. He stopped his horse and looked down upon them. He was quite a handsome man with dark long locks of hair, quite unruly. His five o’clock shadow beard made him look very dark indeed, but Hilda knew that his dress made him out to be a gentleman of wealth.
“Mind your own business sir and I shall do the same,” Euron said.
The man slid off his saddle. Hilda tensed and she felt Euron do the same, for the man was much taller than her brother with broader shoulders, and a very dark scowl upon his face.
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Captain Ross Brookend found the Sea Maiden Inn to be a thing of comfort for him. For when he docked his three masts ship the Cornish Dame at the nearby docks, he often stretched his sea legs by making his way inland to the very inn.
The food was agreeable, the fires were always lit, but this was not the reason he moved the mile inland to the place. For it was the comforting arms of the tavern wench with flaming red hair, Miss Gwen Kelt, that brought him in. Though she was not a prostitute, Captain Brookend did have special services from her when he stayed at the inn, and he saw fit to make sure she received a bountiful allowance for it. He had no wish to be in the arms of prostitutes, but a tavern wench that was selective in who she bedded was another thing all together, and so he allowed himself the indulgence when visiting this far up the coast from his Cornwall home. Besides her accent of being half Scottish and half English was something he could not resist, along with her red hair.
Captain Brookend lived a nomadic life, but it suited him, for he could not bear to be idle for too long.
During the pleasing summer months, he sailed his ship from Cornwall to Ireland, Scotland, and to France when called for. His work was trade and he could not be prouder of it; though some in society frowned upon it in the previous years, times were changing.
During the winter months he stayed in London for the Parliament season, for he was an MP of Cornwall, and took that responsibility very seriously. Though he much preferred to be at home in the high sea cliffs of Cornwall working on his estate and overseeing his copper mines. But hi
s sister and closest friends lived in London and therefore that was where he made his home most of the time. The people of Cornwall had come to depend on him to see to their representation in Parliament and therefore, he would not let them down, for coming to the aid of those less fortunate than he was part of his character and he could not escape it, like his father before him.
Therefore when he saw a young girl that looked not be nearly five and ten years of age, bound by the wrists, he could not look the other way. Twas not in his nature to step away from such a scene and his temper would not allow him to ignore it, regardless.
He stood next to the man that had the young woman bound at the wrists. She had been crying out for help, and Brookend could tell that there was true fear in her words.
“I will mind my business when I see to this matter and make sure there is no offence here,” the Captain said to the man.
“And I’m telling you that there is nothing to see here. Move along,” the man said.
“Child. What is your name?” Ross Brookend asked.
“Don’t answer that,” Euron sneered.
“Hilda Carson,” she said.
“You cried for help. Are you in distress? Tell the truth here, I will not allow this man to strike you,” the Captain said.
“I am in distress, sir. Euron abducted me from home. He is my step-brother and means to trade me in for some gambling debt he owes. I do not consent to it.”
“Shut up, Hilda!”
“He took me from my aunt and uncle. I want to go home,” she cried. Her lips trembled and the Captain could see that she was quite pretty, and would fetch a fair trade for her step-brother. Though she was not but a child and should not be subjected to such things, especially not by her brother of all people.
“You are her step-brother? What a vile creature you are,” the Captain sneered.
“She lies. She is an indentured servant that has run away and I am bringing her back to her master,” Euron said.
“And who is her master?” the Captain asked.
“Her master? Her master is... Her master is a Mr. Brondine,” Euron stuttered.
“You lie. It is written all over your words and your face, now let the girl go. I shall see fit that she is returned to her home,” the Captain said.
Euron laughed. “Let her go? So you can take her yourself? I think not. Now leave us alone.” He turned and yanked Hilda by the arm.
“No! Let me go!” she cried out.
“Let her go,” the Captain pulled Euron around quickly.
Whack! Euron punched him. Hilda fell onto a mound of hay. Euron pulled his arm back for another go, but the Captain blocked his blow with one arm.
Whack! The Captain punched Euron across the jaw, drawing blood. Euron snarled. “You think you’re better than me? With your fancy clothes? You’re no gentleman, I can see that.”
“I never said I was,” the Captain said. “But you sir are a monster.”
Euron took great offence to this. He charged Brookend by the waist. The Captain felt the blow to the stomach and stumbled backward onto the ground. The two tumbled across the hay-strewn dirt, wrestling and punching. The horses grew anxious, pawing and neighing at the commotion.
Ross punched Euron across the jaw again, causing the man to fall unconscious. Ross stood up, and wiped the blood from his own mouth with the sleeve of his coat. He took in a deep breath of air. Now, that should give him ample time to deal with the child.
He turned to the heap of hay where she had been thrown, but she was not there. He moved around the posts of the stable.
“Hilda? Hilda, it is safe to come out. He is out cold. Come, I will get you back to your aunt and uncle; that is a promise.”
He turned every which way, looking in and out of the stables, calling out for her. Ross could not find her. He checked the inn and the grounds, to no avail. The girl was gone. He hoped that at least he had given her the freedom she desired.
* * *
Hilda Carson moved quickly with a rapid heart through the sea grass, running as though her very life depended on it, and it did.
The dark stranger that picked a fight with Euron gave her the means to escape the hold of her brother. She knew better than to wait around, for if Euron won the fight, she would have missed her chance.
Therefore, as soon as she saw the first strike, she took the distraction and made a run for it.
Hilda followed the sea air, if she could reach the shore, she would feel safe. She did not know what she would find there, but felt it would be easier to hide there than among the fields surrounding the inn.
“What is that?” Hilda stopped. A rushing sound reached her ears. She turned and looked behind her. She could not see anyone following her, but she could only see as far as the moon lit.
She took slower steps, cautious. The air was thicker and moist. Then as Hilda came over the rise, she saw what the source of the sound was.
“The sea. Oh, tis beautiful.” She stopped in order to take in the view of the moonlight reflecting off the vast sea, which was black in the night. She stood on top of high cliffs, she could see that much.
A smile came upon her face as she looked at the sight she so longed to see, hear, and touch. The waves crashed against rocks below and she knew that if she could find a beach it would be a good place to hide until morning.
Slowly she made her way along the cliff sides, until she saw the docks in the distance. That would be where she went in the morning, but for now she stepped carefully down a trail where a few boulders lay. She found a crevice and inched her way in. With her back resting against rock, she had the perfect view of the sea. She could rest, and release her fear of Euron, for the moment.
The next morning, she awoke with the dawn. She needed to be on her way as quick as may be, and she knew that since Euron would be searching for her on land, perhaps she could stow away on a ship.
But first, she would allow the sea to caress her.
“Oh, how I have longed to feel you,” she whispered as she took off her dress, stockings, and lace up boots. She kept on her nightshift and moved to the shore.
The waves tickled her bare feet. “So cold.” She squealed.
Then she moved into the waves, waist deep and bent her knees until her head was under the water. It was the most refreshing thing she had ever felt.
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Hilda stealthily moved toward the docks. No one stirred as of yet, and she was glad for it. For her nightshift under her dress was wet, and her meagre dress was torn from Euron’s grasping.
A row of cottages on the cliffs caught her eye, for there were dresses and clothes hung on the clotheslines. She had never been a thief before, but she was in desperate times and it would do her good to change out of the brown dress she wore, to throw Euron off as much as possible.
A fine green dress would do just fine. She stole the dress, changed in the stable, and quickly made her way down to the hillside toward the docks.
Tall ships of all sorts lined the docks. She had never seen anything like it; a wondrous sight.
“Your brother is searching for you!” a deep voice shouted.
A chill ran down her spine as she turned to see the dark stranger mounted on his horse. Shock overtook her as he slowed his horse and made his way to her.
“I thought that might be you. Are you alright? Are you injured?” he asked with his brows pursed together in concern.
“I am not hurt, sir.”
“Good. I was not able to hold your brother, but when he left the inn he was on a search for you, I guarantee it. It will not be long before he makes his way in this direction.”
Hilda turned around, searching in a circle for her brother to appear like a monster out of one of her books. Her breath quickened in panic.
The man sighed. “My name is Captain Ross Brookend. That is my ship there with the three masts. I am afraid that I cannot take you with me, for I am headed very far wh
ere a girl like you should not venture, but I shall return to these parts in six months’ time, and then I will be headed to London. There is a family there with a daughter a year or two older than you. They can take you in while I conduct my session of Parliament and then I can see you off to your family. But I must set sail with the tide tomorrow. For now I have a relation, a cousin that is in need of a maid at his manor. If you are willing to do the work you will have room and board until I return.”
“I? I do not know you, sir,” she said confused and terrified of this strange man.
“I understand. I do not wish to harm you, but I cannot in good conscience leave a child like you here without shelter and with that vile brother of yours hunting for you. You have family?”
“An aunt and uncle in Hampshire sir. I must go to them,” she said.
“And your brother, does he know of them in Hampshire?”
“Yes sir.”
“Then he will likely go there in search of you and you will not be safe. I cannot guarantee your safety to get to Hampshire for the post does not come this way and I cannot find you suitable passage to arrange your travel there by tomorrow. If you are willing to wait, I suggest you take the position at my cousins and then I shall retrieve you when I return and set things right. Will you trust me?” he said.
Hilda turned back staring at the fields that led back inland. At any moment Euron could appear on that horizon and take her again to pay his debts and who knew what her fate would be then. She had planned to stow away on a ship regardless, and this man that had already saved her was offering her passage for free. He was right about Euron returning back to the cottage and to her aunt and uncle’s and perhaps it would be best if she was not there, then he would stop looking for her all together. She would not have to hide in the bows of a ship either as previously planned.
A Farm Girl's Despair (#5, the Winds of Misery Victorian Romance) (A Family Saga Novel) Page 3