“I know,” Elise cried. She grabbed her cloak and thrust the valise into James’s hands. “I must say good-bye to Lucy.”
Elise ran up the stairs to the top floor and called out to Lucy, who opened the door just a crack.
“Lucy, I’m leaving with Master James. I thank you for what you’ve done for Janet, and I hope that you will be here when I return. I will pray for you every day.”
“Thank ye, mistress,” Lucy said, her voice trembling with misery. “It’ll be a miracle if I’m still here, but I appreciate yer prayers on me behalf. Go with God!”
There was so much Elise wanted to say to the girl, but there were others within earshot, so she couldn’t do more than nod and retrace her steps. Lucy had been her only friend during these lonely months, and she was leaving her to die while she ran toward freedom. Elise felt a stab of guilt, but there was nothing she could do. Even if she tried to take Lucy with her, James would not allow it. He balked at the notion of taking Peg, but Elise convinced him that she’d need a maid. Elise prayed that she hadn’t made the wrong decision in bringing Peg. She could already be infected, but then again, so could she. They could all already be one foot in the grave, including James, who’d just traveled through London on horseback.
Elise snuck a peek at James. He looked tired, having just ridden through the night, but there was a vitality in him that gave her a small surge of hope. He was vibrating with determination and purpose, and she suddenly believed that not all was lost. He’d get her to safety, her and their child. The thought lit a warm glow in her belly, and the babe suddenly kicked, making her gasp with surprise as her hand flew to her stomach. James spun on his heel at the sound but was reassured by the smile on her face.
“So, it’s quickened, then?” he asked, not expecting an answer. He held out a tentative hand toward her belly but instantly drew it back, aware of Peg’s curious stare.
“Come now, my lady,” James said instead. “There’s no time to waste.”
“Go with James?” Barbara asked as she took James by the hand and smiled up into his face. She didn’t seem to fully understand what was happening but didn’t appear to be put off by leaving with James. She seemed to trust him wholeheartedly.
“Yes, my lady. You are to come with us. You will be all right,” he assured her with a patient smile.
“All right,” Barbara repeated, still smiling.
Chapter 38
The day was oppressively hot but overcast. Thick clouds blanketed the sky, threatening rain, and the air stood still, as if holding its breath. Elise was surprised to see a carriage waiting outside when she finally emerged with Peg. Edward kept a fine carriage but rarely used it, preferring the sedan chair when he went to the palace. Still, he would be furious to find his carriage and horses gone. He did not ride since his accident, and the sedan chair could only be used for local outings. If and when he finally decided to leave, he’d have no means of transportation. Elise was about to mention this to James but changed her mind. He already knew, and he didn’t care. James was in the process of tying his own horse behind the carriage, so as not to leave it behind. Two grooms watched from the stable, their expressions wistful.
The servants were sullen and silent as they gathered to watch their mistress leave, resentful of her timely escape. They understood only too well what awaited them within the next few weeks. Few would survive, if any. Elise was tormented with guilt, but there was nothing she could do for them. She noticed one of the servants pinch Peg as she walked by. Peg winced and paled visibly but didn’t complain. She understood their anger and would have been just as envious if she weren’t leaving with the mistress.
Cook pushed her way through the crowd of servants and walked down the steps. She approached Elise slowly, her mouth a grim slash across her face. She didn’t smile, nor did she wish Elise well. She simply placed a bundle of food into her hands and walked away, her anger palpable. Elise accepted the offering with a nod of thanks. She made no apologies; there was no point.
James was impatient to leave, so Peg, Barbara, and Elise climbed into the carriage without further ado and shut the door. They felt the vehicle rock gently from side to side when James jumped onto the bench. He’d put on his kerchief again to block out the noxious fumes of the city and pulled his hat down to shield his face. Peg leaned back against the seat as the carriage began to move, breathing a sigh of relief. She had the look of a woman who’d just been spared the gallows while Barbara gazed about with interest. She never left the house, so to her this was probably an adventure.
Elise took one last look at the imposing facade of Asher Hall as the carriage turned into the street. Edward would be furious when he returned from Whitehall and found her gone, but she didn’t much care. She had a chance at life, and she wouldn’t forfeit it because of the deluded ideas of her misguided husband. If Edward wished to stay in London because His Majesty was still in residence, that was his prerogative, but he had no business sentencing Elise and her baby to death. Elise allowed herself a small smile. Had someone told her that she would become so defiant after only a few months of marriage, she wouldn’t have believed them, but life with Edward Asher had changed her in ways she never expected—whether it was for the better remained to be seen.
Elise settled back against the padded seat and placed her hands on either side in an effort to retain her balance as the carriage jolted over the rutted street. She debated whether she should pull down the leather blinds. Covering the windows would offer anonymity, but it would also plunge the interior into tomblike darkness, not a prospect she relished. A few more minutes, Elise thought as she leaned forward to see how far they’d traveled. She saw several men striding toward the house with a determined gait. They carried a bucket of red paint and a brush, ready to mark Asher Hall as a plague house. One of the men noticed the carriage and raised his hand, demanding that James stop, but James whipped the horses and the carriage lurched forward, tossing Elise headlong into Peg and Barbara, who squealed with alarm. Elise grabbed on to Peg and the frightened girl, and they held on for dear life as James raced down the street, putting distance between the carriage and the angry men. Two men started after them, but the vehicle moved quickly and soon left them behind, their curses and threats still echoing in Elise’s ears as she tried to calm her racing heart.
James avoided busy streets, which would force him to slow down, and sped down a narrow road for a few minutes before turning onto what Elise thought might be Holborn. She didn’t know London that well, having grown up in Southwark, but Peg looked distinctly nervous as she pressed her nose to the uncovered window.
“What is it, Peg?” Elise asked the frightened maid.
“I think Master James is heading toward Newgate,” Peg muttered, her expression worried.
“What of it?”
“He seems to be going toward the city rather than away from it.”
“I suspect he knows what he’s doing,” Elise answered sternly. It gave her immense comfort to know that she trusted James. He had a plan, of that she was sure. Elise leaned back and tried to force herself to relax. They were away from Asher Hall, so at least they were safe for the moment. The carriage slowed down considerably as they approached Newgate. James had timed their escape well. The gates were the most congested in the mornings and before closing time when people were streaming in and out of the city. There was traffic at this hour, but at least it was moving. They were surrounded by carriages, sedan chairs, men on horseback, and those on foot. People’s faces were grim and wary as they shuffled toward the gate. Some held handkerchiefs and bunches of nosegays to their noses, but most were too accustomed to the smells of the city to even notice and didn’t think a sprig of flowers would protect them from the pestilence should it come for them.
Elise pulled down the shades, uncomfortably aware of the hostile stares she received from passersby. The interior of the carriage was airless and hot, but Elise was grateful not to be outside mingling with people who, if not ill, were filthy
and disgruntled. The carriage offered a modicum of protection and sealed them in a tiny world of their own, offering a false sense of security. They finally passed through the gate and into the walled city of London, where Elise felt safe enough to open the blinds again and look out. The people who entered through the gate dispersed in various directions, and although the streets were congested with traffic, the city was quieter than ever.
Elise spotted many red crosses painted on doors, and the people who were out in the street hurried along, their eyes downcast. The cheerful bustle of the city had been replaced by a miserable pall, the fear almost palpable. Elise gasped with shock when she saw a cumbersome wagon make its way slowly down the street. An old man drove the wagon, his face covered with a black kerchief and his hat pulled down low. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead, glinting with grim determination. Two more men walked alongside, calling out, “Bring out yer dead.” They banged on doors with red crosses, urging the inhabitants to dispose of corpses. Many doors remained firmly shut, but some opened, and frightened, filthy people came out and added their dead to the pile of corpses already stacked on the bed of the wagon. Elise couldn’t see the faces of the dead, but she could see several pairs of dirty feet hanging off the back of the wagon.
“Will they get a proper burial?” Elise asked Peg, who was staring at the wagon fearfully. Her hands were folded in her lap, but they were shaking.
“They’ll throw them into plague pits with a bit o’ lye,” Peg whispered.
“How do you know?”
“Me mam told me. Both her parents died in 1625. ’T’were a terrible time, then. She were only four. Her brother Jack was eight and took care of her until someone found ’em. An uncle took ’em in but only after the forty days. Me mam and Jack were shut in with their dead parents for near a month. They almost starved to death. Jack climbed out the window at night and foraged for food while me mam slept.”
Elise shuddered at the thought. Would it get as bad this time? She hoped not, but judging by the number of marked doors, it was bad already. She stole a peek at Barbara, who was looking out the window and humming quietly to herself. She didn’t seem affected by anything she saw, so that at least was a blessing. The carriage continued on, and Elise leaned back and closed her eyes, so as not to see any more. She was terribly frightened.
She must have dozed off for a bit but woke up when the carriage came to an abrupt halt. It was so hot inside, she could barely draw breath. Her chemise was soaked with perspiration, and her face was flushed and clammy. She gazed out the window. They appeared to have reached another gate.
“Where are we, do you think?” she asked Peg.
“I reckon we’re by Bishopsgate now. I ’xpect Master James is making for the Old North Road.”
It was now midafternoon, and the gate was bottlenecked with wagons leaving the city, the farmers having made their deliveries of produce, meat, and dairy and ready to return home to the outlying countryside. Elise could see several coaching inns from the window. One or two appeared closed, but the ones that were open seemed to have little business. The shutters were closed despite the hour, and the yards seemed deserted. Several doors had some type of proclamations nailed to the wood.
“They’ve closed them to keep the pestilence from spreading,” Peg said knowledgeably.
“Does it help?”
Peg shrugged.
It took the better part of an hour to finally get through the gate. Elise noticed the bishop’s miter built into the gate as they passed underneath. It grew momentarily dark, and then they were on the other side, but it wasn’t a great improvement. Elise sucked in her breath as the stench assaulted her. Piles of refuse had been dumped outside the city gates, left to rot in the hot summer sun. Clouds of flies buzzed above the mound, and the stink was so evil that it made Elise’s eyes water. She covered her nose and tried not to take deep breaths until they finally passed the dump.
The road was congested, but the farther they got from the city gates, the faster they were able to proceed. She suspected that James wouldn’t want to travel through the night. It was dangerous on the roads after dark, and she was sure he was worn out after traveling from Suffolk the day before. She expected him to stop when they approached roadside inns, but the carriage kept moving, rocking from side to side as James whipped the horses.
As darkness settled around them, the air in the carriage grew cooler and fresher. Peg and Barbara were slumped against the side of the coach, asleep, but Elise stared outside, even though she couldn’t make out anything in the darkness. She spotted candlelight occasionally, coming from a farmhouse window, but otherwise, everything was quiet and dark. Elise hadn’t been able to eat before, but now she was starving. She reached into the bundle of food and tore a chunk of bread from the loaf. There was some cheese and a bit of sausage. She had some and washed it down with ale, gulping it directly from the leather flask. Despite the heat of the day, the ale was cool, and she felt marginally better. James must be hungry, she thought. He hadn’t eaten anything at all.
Elise suddenly realized that she desperately needed to relieve herself. It had been hours since they left, and she had been holding it in without realizing, fearful of stopping. Elise wasn’t sure how to alert James, so she knocked on the side of the carriage closest to the bench. She hoped he’d hear her. The carriage didn’t stop, so she knocked again and again, waking Barbara, who stared at her in blind panic.
“It’s all right,” Elise assured her as the carriage finally slowed and came to a stop.
James opened the door and peered inside. “What’s wrong?”
“I need a few moments of privacy,” Elise said, amused by her own choice of words. This was no time to be delicate.
“Of course.” James looked tired and irritable, but he’d pulled down his kerchief and taken off his hat, dragging his fingers through his damp hair, which had come loose from its binding.
“James, there’s some food and ale. You must eat.”
James shook his head stubbornly. “Not now. We still have a few miles to cover tonight. I’ll take a drink though.”
James gulped down the ale as Elise set off, holding Barbara by the hand. She was too frightened to go far, so she chose the first bush and squatted down behind it to do her business, urging Barbara to do the same. Peg joined them in a moment.
“I’m fit to burst,” she said as she lifted her skirts. “Are we to keep going, then?”
“I think Master James has a destination in mind,” Elise replied as she adjusted her clothing and walked back to the carriage with whatever dignity she could muster. James gave her the empty flask and helped her into the carriage before climbing back up onto the bench. Peg came back with Barbara and reached for the bundle of food, offering bread and cheese to Barbara first. Barbara didn’t seem impressed by the offering but took it all the same, and she chewed the food with all the enjoyment of eating dirt, her expression never changing. They traveled for another hour or so before the carriage finally stopped. A small inn was situated on the side of the road, the ground floor windows alight. A young boy came out of the stables as soon as he heard the carriage draw up and smiled up at James, revealing several missing teeth.
“Shall I see to the ’orses, sir?”
“Yes. And take the carriage out back,” James instructed as he threw the boy a coin. The boy caught it deftly and took the reins, ready to walk the horses toward a dark building behind the inn. He would unharness the horses for the night and feed and water the poor beasts. They’d earned their rest.
James escorted the women into the inn. “Good evening to you, Rupert,” he said to the man who came out to greet them. “We need a room for the night and a hot meal.”
“I’ve kept a room back just as ye requested, Master James. Shall I send the food up or would ye like to eat down ’ere?”
James glanced at Elise. She shrugged, indicating that she didn’t care either way. And she didn’t. She was so tired, she could have sat down right where she stood
and gone to sleep, with or without eating.
“We’ll eat down here, if it’s all the same. I’d like some hot water sent up after the meal.”
“Of course, sir.”
Fatigue notwithstanding, Elise ate with relish. She was starving despite having a bit to eat in the carriage, and she was very thirsty. The stew wasn’t half-bad, and the bread was fresh and slathered with butter. She drank three cups of ale and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, making James chuckle. He ate like a man who hadn’t eaten in a week. Elise wondered what he had been up to these past few months and what made him come for her now. James barely said anything as he ate, and she didn’t press him. He was obviously exhausted, so questions would have to wait.
James waited downstairs while Elise, Barbara, and Peg used the warm water to wash. They undressed and climbed into the narrow bed in their chemises, their bodies pressed against each other for lack of space. When James finally came in, he bedded down on the floor with an extra blanket and went to sleep immediately, seemingly unaware of any discomfort.
Elise’s back ached from hours of jolting, so she stretched out and tried to carefully massage her back without elbowing Peg, who was already sound asleep. Elise’s mind was teeming with questions, so she began to hum a mellow tune in order to calm her mind. It worked, and she began to feel drowsy, her body sinking into the thin mattress as it began to relax. Elise closed her eyes and smiled. She was surprised to discover that despite everything, she was suddenly happy. Her melancholy had lifted, and she was eager to find out what tomorrow would bring. Elise rested her hand on her belly and waited for the baby to kick, pleased that it obliged.
“Good night to you too,” she whispered and fell into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 39
The Lovers (Echoes From The Past) Page 24