Letters in the Grove

by Felicia Rogers

  “Teresa didn’t just meet me on the way home.”

  Max frowned and went to interrupt but Gustav stayed him. “Let the boy talk.”

  Hans sighed. “She was the one who helped me escape. It was amazing. She took apart the bed frame and made this contraption which we used to raise my bar lock. Then I opened her door. The point is, she was responsible for our escape. You must understand, she was in the dungeon before I arrived.”

  “What?” asked Gustav breathlessly, rising hastily to his feet and knocking the stool backward.

  “Victor Wulf, a friend of Herr Raeder’s, showed up with her a few days before you arrived to collect me. They took her to Herr Raeder’s solar. I assumed they released her, so I was surprised to find her as my cellmate.”

  “She was in the dungeon?” His throat constricted.

  “Yes, onkel. I do not know why. She never said. All I know is Victor Wulf brought her in and Herr Raeder didn’t seem happy with her.”

  Gustav tapped his forehead. “This doesn’t make any sense. Why would these people be interested in Teresa? What could she have done while I was away?”

  Max’s voice was strong and sure as he said, “Things have been moving rather quickly in Augsburg. The Augsburg Settlement in ’55 was meant to create peace between the Catholics and Protestants, but you know as well as I most Catholics are not happy with the agreement.”

  “You don’t think—“

  “That Teresa is wrapped up in something to do with the religious turmoil in the region? And why wouldn’t she be? Look who she is married to! For goodness sake, Gustav, you have been gallivanting across Europe for two years with a target on your back. You never stopped to think someone at home might be endangered by your actions.”

  Gustav clenched his fists at his sides. Hans waited with wide eyes in the corner of the room. Gustav’s heart raced. Emotion overwhelmed him. Ignoring his audience, he gulped and charged toward Max, lifting him by the tunic until his feet dangled above the floor. Between clenched teeth he said, “What right have you to say these things to me? You know the reason I left was not only to help the movement but to help you! You are the one who started this. I had left that life behind. I even stayed away from Olga so people wouldn’t remember my involvements from before.” He sucked in a deep breath and continued, “I was a tailor! A very good tailor! I had a career, a home, a wife, a life, and you took that away with your notions that everyone out there needed a chance to become a Protestant!”

  Max shoved Gustav and he let go. Max stumbled backward. Once steady, he straightened his shirt. Cheeks the color of a pomegranate, he said, “Blame me if you like. The fact is you wanted to go, and you know it.”

  Gustav pointed his finger at Max’s chest. “I had to protect my sister. I had no idea what you had planned for her.”

  Max responded, “Yes, and we see how that went. You left us and the children to go off on your own and work with Jean Broussard. Perhaps that wasn’t the best place for you since you almost got the admiral killed with your failure to discover the plot against his life!”

  “Why you!” Gustav came at him again. He slung his fist, which Max sidestepped. Max swung and clipped him on the jaw.

  “Stop!” shouted Olga from the doorway. “I will not have you two fighting. Do we not have enough problems? Gustav, get your bags and take a carriage to your house. Retrieve Teresa then leave. Just leave Augsburg. Don’t tell us verbally where you are going. We will follow Hans’ plan.” Olga was like a military general in her delegation. She shifted her gaze. “Hans, gather your siblings and help pack our carriage. Max, you do the same. I am sick of fighting amongst ourselves. We have succeeded in thwarting plots against our kind. We have a colony set to grow in Brazil where religious sanctuary will be offered. But we also have men in Augsburg that would see our son in a dungeon. I will not wait around until that happens! Now move!”

  Gustav drudgingly backed away from Max and gave into his sister’s demands. Max didn’t look at him as he left the room. Hans lowered his head probably in disgust. Chagrined at his behavior, Gustav lifted his eyes to the ceiling and asked the Lord for forgiveness. He’d always been headstrong, but his actions today had gone beyond convention.

  He grabbed his things and rushed to the stables. A curricle with two horses waited. Dismissing the driver, Gustav took the reins in hand and climbed inside the two passenger carriage. The trip to his home took longer than he liked. Still, he should have arrived before Teresa, unless she had found a ride along the way. The stable hand had said all the horses were accounted for, so at least she hadn’t had a mount for the start of her journey.

  Pulling up to the house, an eerie feeling surrounded him. Never before had he worried about the trees that sat opposite the house. They’d been a source of pleasure for many seasons. But now they represented a place someone could hide and wait.

  Instead of stopping, he slowed the horses and drove past the house. Once out of visual range, he brought the horses to a shuddering halt. Using the front entrance wasn’t the best idea so he skirted through surrounding yards until he reached his own. He jumped the fence and slinked across the open yard to the back door.

  No light glowed around the linen covering the window openings. With his ear to the wood, he heard items crashing to the floor followed by muted words.

  Opening the door only enough so he could slide inside, he peered in and waited for his eyes to adjust. The silhouette of a woman flashed against their bedroom wall. The wardrobe doors were flung open and small boxes littered the floor.

  Gustav breathed a sigh of relief when his vision focused enough to let him see her. Stray hairs flew around her face and she swiped them away. Words of anger filtered through her gritted teeth.

  “Can I help you look?”

  Startled, Teresa jumped from the wardrobe and lifted a wheel lock pistol.

  Gustav raised his hands in surrender. “Teresa, it’s me. Where did you get that?”

  Her chest rose and fell with heavy breathing. “Don’t worry about where I got it. What are you doing here?”

  “Are you serious? I’ve come to take you away, remember? We are leaving Augsburg today. Get what it is you came for and let’s go.”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “Teresa, this is ridiculous. I’ve put up with your antics long enough.” He took a step toward her.

  “I’ll fire.”

  He stopped. “What has gotten into you? Hans told me Herr Raeder held you in his dungeon. For some reason I believe you are in more danger than Hans. You have to tell me what is going on and let me help you. I love you.”

  Teresa collapsed and Gustav grabbed the gun, sliding it into his pocket secured behind his jerkin. He assisted her to her feet and smoothed hair away from her face while imploring her with his gaze. “Please let me help you.”

  “I can’t find it. This is a disaster. I can’t find it.”

  Gustav opened his mouth to ask what she referred to but stopped at the sound of splintering wood.

  He grabbed Teresa’s hand and pulled. After several tries she gave in and moved. Instead of running to the back door, they laid against the back wall. Gustav sighed at the poor repair of the house. At least with the missing glass panes they could move aside the soaked linen and slide through to the outside.

  They slipped through hedges and jumped over fences until they reached the curricle. Curses slipped past his lips. Men walked around the vehicle. The contents of their bags littered the roadway.

  “What do we do now?” whispered Teresa.

  “We wait.”

  Teresa moaned when the guards drew her unmentionables on one of their heads and pranced around like a woman. Gustav stroked her hand. A smile covered his face.

  They waited for an interminable amount of time before the men gave up on searching their belongings. When they finally did, the clothing was left scattered and the curricle was left horseless.

  Sighing, Gustav realized they were in trouble. The men had left the
m without means of escape.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “Can’t we return to the Schmidt manse and ask for further assistance?” asked Teresa.

  “I’m afraid they left when I did. No, we are on our own.”

  They waited until the light descended over the mountains before gathering their things from the street. Bags packed, they decided to try and trade the curricle for a horse.

  The area in which they were stuck wasn’t the wealthiest section of town. Still, people did own horses.

  It was decided Gustav would ask for the trade. Most of the neighbors were new to the area and wouldn’t remember him from two years ago. Also, he wasn’t the one that was being hunted.

  After several tries someone agreed to the offer. The nag they received wasn’t the fastest horse, or the prettiest, but at least she would move. With their gear tied to its back, Gustav placed Teresa in front of him and wrapped his arms around her to grab the reins. He waited for her to protest. The vixen currently went out of her way to be in charge, why should this time be any different? But it was. She relaxed against him and let him take control.

  The horse poked along at an imperceptible pace. If they were unable to acquire a better mode of transport, it would take years to reach Caen. Gustav closed his eyes and prayed.

  His mind wandered. This had not been the reunion he’d expected. He’d hoped to return to Augsburg and settle into his old routine. He would be a famous tailor and Teresa would be his wife and muse.

  He’d drawn inspiration from Teresa since the moment he’d met her. Bravely she had sauntered through the less stellar parts of town, stood up to bullies, and faced certain death. Fortunate for both of them he’d been in the area.

  The horse ambled along. A rose scent drifted from Teresa’s hair and Gustav inhaled. Hours of travel passed before she stirred in his arms.

  She rubbed her eyes. “Where are we?”

  “Germany.”

  Teresa shook with unrestrained laughter. “This is going to take forever.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  The horse’s breath came in ragged gasps. The poor mount seemed about to die. Not desirous of walking and carrying their luggage, he decided to stop. They dismounted and Gustav constructed a lean-to out of downed branches. Teresa created a bed with clothing while he gathered wood and started a fire.

  “Not exactly the homecoming I planned,” said Gustav, adding twigs to the growing flame.

  Teresa fidgeted with the folds of her gown. “What did you expect?”

  “I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Something like me bounding up the sidewalk and you running to greet me with open arms. Then we would go in, eat together, and spend the rest of the afternoon in each other’s arms.”

  As he said the next words, Gustav studied his wife. “After we talked and caught up, then we would spend the next hours, days, weeks, making love. If we ever tired of that, then we could discuss our future.”

  Teresa’s cheeks blazed red and she rose.

  He jumped to his feet.

  “I need t-to have a moment of privacy.”

  Gustav nodded. Swallowing the lump of fear, he prayed again. This was not the emotional reaction he had expected. Hadn’t she missed him? Didn’t she want to try and renew their love? Had his time battling for their religious freedom lost him his wife? Had the words she’d sent to him dried up like the ink on the parchment?

  When Teresa returned, she didn’t speak but crawled onto their makeshift bed. She rolled onto her side and folded her hands under her head like a pillow. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. Gustav climbed in and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against him.

  He whispered in her ear. “Don’t cry, mein kleiner engel.”

  Sniffing, she rotated in his embrace and laid her head against his chest.

  “See how my heart beats for you?” He stroked her hair away from her face. “I promise to never leave you again.”

  Mumbled words passed from her lips.

  “I don’t understand.”

  Instead of repeating herself, Teresa lifted her face. She kissed him with a ferocity that stole his breath. The sound of his heart beating between his ears blocked out every nighttime noise.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck and drew him closer. When she pulled back, Gustav smothered her eyelids, nose, cheeks, and lips with kisses. Suddenly the distance, the longing, the lonely nights, all came together and it was too much.

  His breathing came in rasped gasps. Moonlight made her hair glow like strands of spun gold. Her beauty arrested him of all thought. “You are so beautiful.”

  Her hand slipped into his opened doublet and splayed against his flesh, a shiver raced along her body.

  “You haven’t changed since the day we met. Feisty, bold, brave, loving,” between each word he planted quick kisses against her lips. Her mouth twitched into a smile. “I don’t know why I stayed away as long as I did. Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  Folded in an embrace, they forgot all about the past and strove to express their love.

  ****

  The next morning Teresa awoke first. Gustav lay on his side facing her. The dawn’s light grazed his skin, highlighting his natural tan. Wayward locks of hair drifted over his forehead and she pushed them into place.

  His lids fluttered open and he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “Morning, mein engel. How did you sleep?”

  “Well…” She glanced at his chest, embarrassed by his apparent admiration.

  “Hmm, that sounds like I didn’t do my job as I should have.”

  A smile teased the corner of his lips and heat rose to her cheeks. He laughed under his breath. The cover flew backward and Teresa gasped as cool air struck her flushed skin.

  Gustav leaned over and left a kiss on the bridge of her nose. “It is too bad we must be moving on.”

  Gustav disappeared into the surrounding tree line and Teresa grabbed the cover and pulled it over her exposed frame. Goose bumps dotted her body as she shivered. When Gustav returned she still hadn’t moved.

  “Mon amour, we must make haste.”

  The words “my love” in French made her toes curl. Gustav had always had a way with languages. Often he would quote phrases of love in both German and French. This was one of the things she had missed about being with him.

  Resigned, she wrapped the cover around her body and stood. She dressed the best she could without removing the cover. When it slipped, Gustav whistled. She turned to chastise him and found him grinning broadly at her predicament. The closest thing at hand was one of the sticks that had formed their lean-to. She grabbed one and threw it in his direction.

  Gustav burst out in laughter and Teresa replied in kind. Feeling she had betrayed herself, she tried to hide behind her hand, but it was of no use. Once clothed, she fell to the ground as peals of hilarity escaped her throat.

  Moments passed and Gustav lowered his brows, his expression becoming grave. He dissembled the lean-to, making sure to throw the pieces in different places. Then he packed their gear and attached it to the ancient horse. Gustav grabbed the horse’s reins and they set out at a slow pace.

  “Besides reaching Caen, what are your plans?” asked Teresa, watching their matching footfalls.

  “I have no other.”

  Teresa stopped, taken aback by his statement. “What do you plan to do when we get there?” He didn’t slow and she hurried to catch up.

  “Olga and Max have a lovely home nestled on the French coast. We will be welcome there until I can make other arrangements.”

  “Other arrangements?”

  “Aye. I’m sure with a few words in high places I can resume my old employment of being a tailor, either in France or England.”

  Her words sounded breathless, “But you haven’t designed in years.”

  Gustav’s lips twitched upward. “That hardly matters. It is like loving a woman, one never forgets.”

  Teresa fought the b
lush creeping up her neck. Clearing her throat, she asked, “And what of me? Am I to sit in your sister’s home and watch her nurse her children while I have nothing?” The bitter words burnt her mouth. Gustav frowned and she instantly regretted revealing her inner torment.

  Gustav stopped, released the horse’s reins, and held her hands to his chest. “I had hoped we could start our own family.”

  “Oh,” said Teresa. Tears of disappointment welled in the corner of her eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. She pulled her hands free and angrily swiped them away. She turned from Gustav.

  He would never understand how much his abandonment had hurt. Leaving her alone in Augsburg with no family and no child to love had wrenched her heart in two. However, the home for displaced children in Augsburg had benefited. Volunteering there had given solace to her damaged soul and allowed her to meet local people of like religious mind. It was also why she was in her current predicament.

  The afternoon’s journey was spent in relative silence, which gave her time to think on her past mistakes. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from sharing her past transgressions with Gustav. What would he think if he knew that she had used their secret hiding place to pass notes to the German resistance? There were still those in Augsburg that were being tormented for their beliefs. How could she stand idly by when they needed her help? All she had to do was pass some notes that were true and others that were false, using a special code for each. The real communiqués allowed her employers to take the correct actions to further their religious freedoms.

  She smiled. The orphanage had been a wealth of information. Wealthy patrons with children they didn’t wish to reveal often visited or sent their servants, and when they did so their tongues wagged. The information gleaned by this means was coded and placed in the grove in a special place. Those in charge of the movement could determine if what she sent was valid.

  They stopped along the road to eat and relieve themselves, only to continue on moments later. Around last light, hoofbeats echoed behind them.

  “Teresa, hide in the bushes,” Gustav’s urgent tone increased her worry.