It was nearly two in the morning when I heard a light step behind me and turned to find Mary-Anne.
“Mistress Carmichael, I saved you this,” she said, holding out a bowl of soup. She looked exhausted, but I sensed she was a strong and determined woman. How it must have hurt to have her kitchen invaded, her precious stores raided, to have to serve the enemy army who had laid waste to her country and killed so many people dear to her. And yet here she had taken the trouble to think of me.
“You are very kind. I have two more dressings to change and then…”
“Now, mistress. Begging your pardon, but you will become unwell if you do not eat. Sir William would not have that happen, I believe.” She thrust the bowl into my hands.
“Thank you,” I said quietly, falling onto the nearest chair. “Tell me, have they let you take anything to Sir William?”
She shook her head, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. “I was permitted to send food down to him, but not to take it myself. Those monsters!” she hissed. “How can they throw him in the cellar like a villain? He is master of this house.”
“Not anymore, Mary-Anne. Things have changed. We must change with them.”
“Must we indeed?” She scowled at two passing pikemen, caked in mud and filth, their arms filled with bedclothes and linen. “Are we to be ruled by thieves, then?” she called after them.
“They are only following orders. They cannot do otherwise.”
“Aye, and that’s what Pilot’s soldier’s said as they raised their hammers.” Muttering darkly she left me then. I wondered what the future held for such a person. Could she really adapt to the new world that was being forged with iron weapons all around her? Who would give her work and a home now?
I ate my soup hungrily, my stomach growling as I did so. The housekeeper was right, of course. I must stay strong in order to be able to help anyone. I decided my best course of action would be to continue to treat the wounded soldiers in the hope that the colonel would soon trust me and I would be allowed to come and go as I pleased, perhaps on the pretext of going to fetch my brother so that he might take William’s corn to the mill. I could then return to Gideon’s house and make sure Tegan was still there. After all, it was possible he had decided to move her, now that the town was under occupation. Might they have slipped away before the soldiers came? It seemed unlikely, particularly given Tegan’s fragile condition.
That night I snatched a few hours’ sleep and then returned to my work. There were so many to tend, and too few of us to meet their needs. I asked for more soldiers to assist me, but the captain said there were none suitable or available. In the end I had to send for Keanes to help hold a man down as I extracted a piece of shrapnel from his shoulder. I worked on, drawing on my experience and training as a healer, as a nurse, and as a doctor. Professor Gimmel would have looked askance at my stitching, no doubt, but I think he would have approved of my makeshift surgical theater, and the impromptu procedures I had no choice but to attempt. Whenever I could, quietly and secretly, I used my magic. I could not work complex or elaborate spells, for to do so would have been far too obvious. What I was able to do, however, was to steady a racing heart, calm ragged breathing, and soothe a fevered mind. I was at least able to ease pain and suffering to some small extent, including using the potion I had concocted for Tegan. Without anesthesia, it was a blessing to have it to send a young lad from consciousness whilst I worked to remove his shot-blasted and infected foot.
Another day passed and I grew increasingly fretful at the thought of not reaching Tegan. I approached Colonel Gilchrist about going to the mill only to be told he had already sent the grain there by wagon, so there was no need for me to go. I asked to be allowed to go anyway, as my brother would be concerned for me, but he assured me he would have one of his men tell the miller his sister was safe and greatly assisting the Parliamentarian cause. I could not be spared. It seemed I had done my work and played my part too well.
By the middle of the second night I was nearing the point of exhaustion. No matter how diligently I went about my tasks, the number of my patients was so great, and their condition in many instances so grave, that I had no opportunity to rest, let alone attempt to steal away. At last I found five minutes to sit and rest. I chose to go outside into the soothing, gentle night. I walked around the house to the walled garden, which was the furthest point away from the soldiers’ encampment. I sat upon a low stone seat set into the wall next to an iron gate that led to the kitchen garden. From here I could look back at the house, with lamps and candles still lit in many windows, but I was myself quite hidden in the shadows. Batchcombe Hall seemed filled with activity, even at such a late hour. I could hear sounds of drink-fuelled laughter coming from the officer’s quarters, and, more distant, sounds of fiddle playing and singing from around the campfires. Someone must have caught a rabbit, for I could smell its meat singeing above hazel logs. I was so fatigued, and so caught up in taking in the curious scenes of an army at rest inhabiting the house that was so familiar to me, that I neither heard nor sensed the man who suddenly appeared at my side until he was close enough to whisper in my ear.
“Elizabeth!”
“Oh!” I jumped to my feet, peering into the moonlight to find Erasmus emerging from the shadow of the high garden wall. “You startled me! How do you come to be here without being seen? There are soldiers everywhere.” Even as I spoke I recalled how swiftly and silently he was able to move about, and how this had surprised me when first we met.
“And at the mill, too. But it is late, and their guard is down.” Even in the low light I could see his smile. “Besides, they are not interested in the whereabouts of a somewhat clumsy miller, so long as he is available to work the mill when required.”
“I have not been able to get away,” I gestured toward the house. “We have set up a small hospital and the colonel wants his men treated.”
“I have heard you are saving lives here, Elizabeth.”
“But what of Tegan? How am I to save her?”
“Tegan is the reason I came tonight. I have been to the house…”
“Did you see her?”
“No, but I saw Gideon leave in the company of Colonel Gilchrist‘s men.”
“He has been arrested?”
“Not yet, but whatever alias and spurious identity he has adopted he has not convinced our wary campaigner. He has been taken to the town hall to be questioned. They may release him, in which case we have not much time. We must go now.”
I glanced back at the Hall. No one had noticed me slip out. I could surely leave with Erasmus without being seen. I nodded and let him lead me the short distance across the parkland to where he had his horse and wagon waiting. We climbed aboard and made our frustratingly slow progress toward Batchcombe. All the way I was tormented with the idea that Gideon would be released and return to the house and we would be too late. We had neither William nor Keanes to help us, and I had used all of my calming potion treating the soldiers. Removing Tegan would be no simple task. The night was still, the moon bright, and the sure-footed old mare had no difficulty trotting on steadily. When Erasmus spoke he kept his voice low and leaned close so that I could hear him clearly. He still smelled of flour and sacking, which was an aroma so incorruptibly homely it made my heart yearn to be at Willow Cottage again.
“Clearly we cannot take Tegan to the Hall,” he said, “so we will find a safe place for her in the mill somewhere.”
“No,” I shook my head. “Things are different now. We must change our plans.”
“But I am not disturbed there: The soldiers are interested only in getting any corn they can lay their hands on milled and then taking the flour. I’m certain we could contain Tegan upstairs somewhere, particularly if you could make a new draught to keep her calm and quiet.”
“But we have no time, don’t you see? If Gideon is released—which I suspect he will be, for he has slipped through the fingers of many more capable before, and don’t forget he
may use magic to influence his interrogators—if he is at liberty he will not stay here, not now there is so much turmoil. Whatever his plans, he cannot hope to proceed with them now, not with the town under occupation. He will want to take Tegan and go. He will quickly work out where we are, and he will come for her.”
“Then we will be ready.”
“The mill is not a fortress. I have made myself valuable to Colonel Gilchrist, and he would not take kindly to my abandoning his men now. We have to work without his knowledge or we will find ourselves locked up along with William. Without somewhere secure where I can keep her protected I will not have much time to release her from Gideon’s spell.”
“How long might that take?”
“I don’t know until I begin. It will be dangerous. He will have anticipated that I might try. I may find my own counter spells only make matters worse, until I strike upon the right one. His magic is so strong, it is entirely possible I could fail altogether, particularly with so little time…” I turned to him. “Erasmus, would it be possible for you to Time Step with Tegan? Could you return to her own time with her?”
“In that state? Impossible!”
“But surely…”
“You don’t know what you are suggesting! To Step with someone who is so deeply under the influence of such a powerful hold … it would be madness to try. At best, if we were fortunate in the extreme, I might succeed in physically taking her back, but her mind would still be enslaved. I suppose the spell might be lifted later, if there was the opportunity.”
“And at worst?”
“It would kill her. And if you have any concern for her soul, you would not want it flung into limbo for eternity, I presume.”
We continued in a strained silence for a while until Erasmus added, “And what is more, I would have to leave you on your own to face Gideon. Time Stepping is not like getting on and off an omnibus. I could not guarantee the precise hour or even day I would be able to come back to collect you. No, all in all, Stepping is not an option open to us. Not with Tegan like she is. Not with Gideon so close. We will have to take her out of the town and find somewhere else to hide her. Somewhere quiet where he will not expect you to go. I urge you to think of such a place, and do so quickly.” He flicked the reins on the horse’s rump and clicked his tongue, urging her into a faster trot.
When we neared the town he took a route that avoided the center, so that we threaded our way through narrow back streets, the mare’s hooves sounding worryingly loud on the cobbles. We came within sight of the house and got down from the carriage. Erasmus tied the reins to a nearby hitching post. I put my hand on his sleeve.
“I have no potion left. We will have to take her quickly, before the alarm is raised.”
We walked to the rear of the house. Erasmus climbed over the wall which marked the boundary of the yard behind it. I heard him land on the other side. No dogs barked. No face appeared at a window. He was able to unbolt the door in the wall and together we crossed the small yard and found our way to the servant’s entrance. We could see lamp light through the small, high window in the door, but could not detect any movement or noise inside. My witch senses were alert, strung tight. I knew Gideon was absent from the house, but his magic remained all too present. Erasmus tried the door. It was not locked, and the latch lifted easily. We stepped inside to find the stove burning, but the kitchen empty.
“It appears our winsome hostesses are not at home.”
“Can they have left Tegan alone?”
“It may be they have gone to Gideon. They did not strike me as beings which could survive long or well without their master. Can you detect their rather uncommon selves within the house?”
I paused for a moment to consider. “There is magic here, definitely, but I cannot be certain whose. Some of it must be Gideon’s, even though he is not in the house. Such a force does not dissipate instantly. Some may be emanating from Tegan, of course. Beyond that, I can’t tell.”
We stood and listened. When we were both satisfied we could hear nothing we moved on, making our cautious way through the house. I began to allow myself to believe that luck was with us. We mounted the stairs. The closer we came to Tegan’s room, the more strongly I felt the presence of Gideon’s magic. We found her on the bed still, barely conscious and even paler and more disturbed than before. When she opened her eyes and saw me she reacted with real fear, struggling to get away from me, calling out for Gideon.
“Hush now, Tegan. There is nothing to be afraid of. You are not well. You are bewitched. It’s all right, we are going to help you get better, but to do that we must leave this place.”
Aloysius appeared in a little flash of snowy whiteness. He ran out from beneath the pillow, darting back and forth between me and his mistress, clearly distressed at her condition. The sight of him did appear to calm Tegan a little, her attention taken by his movements.
“Look, Tegan. Aloysius is here. See?”
The girl reached out a trembling hand toward him. When her fingers touched his downy fur a glimmer of fleeting recognition lit up her face. I seized my moment, signalling to Erasmus, who stepped forward and scooped Tegan up in his arms. She began to protest, but was weak and confused so her resistance did not amount to much. The mouse leaped onto my shoulder and held on tight. My heart was pounding as we descended the stairs. Gideon might return at any moment, and I knew he would be dangerous to all of us with Tegan in such a fragile state. I would not be able to withstand the strength of his magic alone whilst trying to protect her. Then, as we drew level with the entrance to the reception room, the door was snatched open. The twins sprang out, blocking our way to the kitchen.
“We heard you come in…”
“… thought you’d take her, did you? You shouldn’t have come!”
“He will be very angry!” cried the smaller twin. “And it’s your fault! He will be angry with you, not us!”
“Yes!” The taller sister leaned forward, thrusting her face close to mine, her eyes bright with a mixture of fear and excitement. “We won’t let you take her. He would hate that. He would be furious with us if we let that happen.”
Tegan’s guardians no longer looked like pretty young women. Their faces were distorted by anger and wickedness, their movements were those of predators sizing up their prey, judging their moment to pounce. And their hair! It billowed and coiled and reached toward us like Medusa’s head of vipers. Even without being touched by it I could smell the poison held within those tresses.
I kept my own voice as level as I could. “You have no right to keep her here.”
The smaller twin stamped her food and shook her head, glaring at Erasmus. “You don’t want her! She’s plain. She’s not pretty at all.”
Erasmus said firmly, “We are leaving now, and Tegan is coming with us. Forgive me, but you must stand aside and let us pass.”
“But I thought you liked us!” The taller twin whined, pulling at the neck of her dress and sliding her hands down over the fabric of her bodice. “I thought you might come back to see us, not her.”
“What do you want with her?” the other sister asked, taking a step closer to Erasmus. “He’s the same. Always going on about her. What’s so special? What’s so important?”
“If you let us take her,” I said to them, “you will have your master to yourselves, without Tegan in your way, won’t you?”
The girls considered this and for a moment I thought the idea would satisfy them, but their fear of Gideon returned.
“No!” they shouted in unison. “He won’t like it. He would be very, very cross! You can’t take her!” The stood squarely in front of us and began chanting an incantation.
Whether they were spellcasting or trying to reach Gideon I did not wait to find out. I quickly whipped up a spell of my own, one that conjured images of faces leering and looming about us. It was a harmless trick, a parlor game in truth, but I judged it was the sort of thing that would frighten the sisters. I had read them correctly. They s
et up a terrible squealing and shrieking, flapping their hands at the phantom faces that swooshed out of nowhere and flew about them. To be certain they would be held, I summoned some friendly bats down from the attic and could hear them diving at the twins, snatching at their hair with their tiny claws.
We seized our chance. Erasmus pressed forward and we both pushed past them, Tegan still moaning softly as we hurried down the passage, through the kitchen, and out into the yard. It seemed to take forever to get back to the cart. I feared at any moment the girls might come after us or raise the alarm. Or that Gideon himself would somehow effect his release and appear. Although the night was warm Tegan had began to shiver and I wished we had thought to bring a blanket for her. Erasmus placed her in the back of the open wagon and I sat with her, my arms around her, pulling the empty flour sacks about her. All the fight had gone out of her now, so that she slumped against me, her head resting on my shoulder. Erasmus was on the point of untying the mare’s reins when the twins came screaming across the cobbles, hair flying, like a pair of banshees, with murder in their eyes.
There was no time to work a spell. The fiendish girls set about Erasmus, beating him with their little fists or clawing at him with their long nails. Their hair wrapped itself around him like the tendrils of a nightmare plant The horse began to pull back against its tied reins which I feared would snap. If it decided to bolt I would not be able to control it from the back of the wagon. I caused a maelstrom to disturb the air around them, setting up a whirlwind of dust in an attempt to whip the loathsome hair away from Erasmus. It had little effect.
The Return of the Witch Page 14