Letters in the Grove

by Felicia Rogers

  “What! Why would anyone deliver such a message?” asked Teresa, her eyes wide.

  “I had it delivered.” Gustav punched Berend in the face. His head flung to the side but straightened within seconds. He massaged his jaw and eyed Teresa. “It was for your benefit that this was done.”

  Gustav raised his fist again but Teresa stepped between them. “Why? Why would you do this? This means they will chase us and return us to our prison.”

  “Nay, it does not. They will chase you, but they won’t find you. They will find me tied to a tree along the path to France. You and your wife trounced me and left me as fodder.”

  “I don’t understand,” said Teresa.

  He grasped her upper arms and Gustav’s stomach lurched. “Aye. We have worked too long and too hard for me to allow you to be taken into custody. Knowledge of our plan must be protected. Our Protestant brothers all over the world depend on it.”

  She peered up through damp lashes, her voice breathless. “I’ve lost the code.”

  Berend lifted his eyes toward heaven and sighed. “No matter. Another will be devised. The important thing is that Herr Raeder doesn’t have an opportunity to question you about our current plans.”

  “But I didn’t have an opportunity to retrieve the last letter! I made the drop, but Herr Wulf took me from the grove before I could make the retrieval.”

  Gustav bit his cheek to keep from crying out. So she revealed her secret to Berend but not him, the man she called husband.

  Berend winked. “Do not worry, Frau Braun. Helga has already retrieved the note. All is well.”

  Berend shot a glance over her shoulder at him. “You must keep Teresa safe. Perhaps you should practice your fighting techniques. That punch is not likely to take down many men.”

  Teresa ignored the insult to Gustav and stuttered, “B-but why does he need to protect me if I don’t know the plan and I don’t have the code?”

  Gustav’s stomach knotted. Why did he need to protect her?

  Berend replied, “Because Herr Raeder believes you know these things. And we may yet need you to fool him.”

  Gustav crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not going another step until you tell me what is going on.”

  Berend looked to Teresa for assistance, but she made no move to explain, and Gustav’s heart ached all the more.

  Berend sighed. “Very well, I will tell you. Helga, the servant that works for Herr Raeder, has been passing Herr Raeder’s plans to the resistance. Teresa and others have been coding them and passing them back through the grove to those in higher places.”

  Teresa’s cheeks flushed red and Gustav grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “You said you had nothing to hide!”

  “I–I said I would tell you the truth when we reached France.”

  Teresa wrapped her arms around her middle and Gustav turned away to fight his rising disgust at her duplicity. He paced the area. Time was escaping them, but he wasn’t moving until he understood what was going on. He tapped his finger to his forehead and swallowed. He rounded on Berend. “I understand. Helga, from behind–“

  “Looks just like Teresa. Aye, she does. A few weeks after you left for France, Teresa was discovered entering the grove. Most people in the city knew that the grove was a place to hold missives for lovers, but you two found a way to use the grove as a communications port. A place where messages could be passed back and forth. I’m sorry to admit it but we took advantage of your system. Later we paid Teresa to code and relay Helga’s messages. The messenger that carried your letters to Gustav also carried our messages to those fighting Herr Raeder’s ilk.”

  Teresa covered a chagrined look. How could she have used their system to pass more coded notes? He trusted her to keep that space safe. If their notes had been confiscated and his location identified, Olga, Max, and their entire family could have been put in harm’s way.

  Berend continued to explain, “Helga has been invaluable to our cause. Her beauty lulled Herr Raeder and Herr Wulf into a false sense of security. They foolishly believe she is unintelligent. But she is a good listener. The fact that she resembles Teresa has been an addition to our cause. Either Helga or Teresa could leave a letter in the grove without readily revealing their identities.”

  Gustav had a suspicion. He tapped his finger to his lips. “Were there times that you had Teresa take false information to the grove?”

  Berend scratched a spot between his brows and Teresa crossed her arms over her chest. Gustav could feel the sense of betrayal.

  Berend sighed. “Aye. I regret to say that all Teresa’s decoded information was false.”

  Teresa cried, “But why?”

  Berend lifted his hand to pat her shoulder, but Gustav shot him a look and he lowered his hand. “Those above me thought it best if you weren’t sending the real information. In”—he cleared his throat—“in case you were caught.”

  “So they didn’t trust me?” Teresa blinked.

  Gustav said, “Since Teresa didn’t necessarily share the correct information in every letter, why can’t we tell Herr Raeder that Teresa was not privy to details that–”

  Berend interrupted, “Very simply if we tell Herr Raeder that Teresa only passed false notes then he will begin to look at others in a more curious way. If Helga is found out, we might never be able to get another person inside. Nay, it must stay this way. I will help you two escape, Victor will give up, and Helga will be safe.”

  Gustav disagreed, but he didn’t argue. Accusations could come later.

  They mounted the horses as the sun crested over the hill. Berend had driven the carriage all night and still seemed alert. They set a steady pace, stopping only to water the horses and grab something to eat. Talk was minimal. Besides what more was there to say. Gustav rubbed the leather reins. How had things gone so wrong? Why had Teresa felt compelled to lie to him? Did she think he wouldn’t understand her desire to help the cause? Did she think he would condemn her for hiding her part in passing the secret notes?

  Covert glances sent Teresa’s way only served to increase his worry. She lay slack; tearstains lined her face. Weight appeared to melt off her already trim body. She needed a decent meal. He sighed. The trip would likely take several weeks. The grueling pace was hard for a solid traveler, but would be next to impossible for someone unused to what was required.

  By day they rode, and at night they found a place to rest, but only during the darkest hours. When light peeped over the land, they were up and off again.

  “We should rest,” Gustav said.

  “Nay, it is too early,” replied Berend.

  “That was not a request but an order. Teresa cannot keep up this pace.”

  “Then she will be back in the dungeon before nightfall.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you not noticed the trail of dust along the horizon? They are on our tails and gaining fast.”

  They had traveled far from their home and even crossed the Donau River by boat, and yet they were still being pursued?

  “Why do you do this to my wife? Does she not deserve peace?”

  Berend grimaced.

  Teresa’s horse trotted ahead of them and Gustav caught himself staring at her wavering form. What was he going to do? Anything and everything necessary to protect her.

  “Then I believe it is time we took our leave of you.”

  Berend raised a brow. “Not yet. There are others like us. Others willing to help on your journey. But—“

  “If you take us there now you will expose them. Let’s stop and tie you up. Stall Herr Raeder and his men for as long as you can. Give me directions to these people you speak of and we will find them.”

  Berend conceded. Teresa’s horse ambled forward, slowing. Instead of calling out to her, he tied Berend to the closest tree while listening to the man’s rambling directions.

  “Remember, even when you reach Caen you must not stop. They will look for you there first. They know of your relation
to Olga and Max Schmidt and of their work within the Protestant movement. You must travel farther.”

  “I understand.”

  Gustav cinched the ropes until Berend cried out. The barbarous pleasure of it forced a grin to his face.

  “Now you need to hit me.”

  Gustav let his lips droop at the corners.

  “You must. Victor will want to know why I allowed you to tie me to the tree. You must hit me and be sure to leave evidence.”

  Gustav reared back his fist and hit Berend in the cheek. The sound echoed.

  “I think you are enjoying this,” said Berend, working his jaw back and forth.

  “I am,” Gustav said as he stood and worked his knuckles, preparing to strike Berend again.

  Berend tipped his head back. “Do as I said. Find our mutual friends, garner fresh mounts, and ride. Make sure to only stop briefly in Caen and then be on your way.”

  “I will go to—“

  Berend narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Do not tell me. Just go. Quickly.”

  Gustav patted him on the head and received a kick to the leg. “Thank you.”

  “Go!”

  Astride his horse he grabbed the reins to Berend’s mount. He raced to catch up with Teresa. She swayed dangerously in her saddle. Coming along beside her, Gustav put his hands around her waist and lifted her off her horse and onto the front of his.

  Teresa moaned and leaned her head against the crook of his neck. Her warm breath hit him full force and he gasped. She closed her eyes. She was asleep.

  It was difficult to hold the reins of two horses and guide his own mount. Fear kept him from loosing Berend’s horse too soon. Around a bend in the road he released the beast. Sides lathered with exertion, it stopped and immediately began to graze.

  Pulling Teresa closer, he created a way to hold her comfortably and not lose her mount. She snuggled against his chest and he wrapped his arms tighter. The feel of her slight weight against his chest sent his pulse thundering through his veins. His lips grazed the back of her hair and she sighed.

  Following Berend’s directions took all his concentration. Bends and rock formations were what he had to go on. After a few hours he took a trail that led off the road. At first it appeared to be little more than a walking trail, but a few steps in and it opened into a huge field covered with cornflowers and tall weeds. In the middle of the field a row of flowers was depressed. Heading the horse in the direction of the path, Gustav let the animal have its head and prayed they were on the right track.

  Through a line of dense trees a house appeared. A byre was attached to the house. Cows mooed.

  He shook Teresa gently.

  Stirring, she stretched in his arms. He held her tight to keep her from falling.

  Her eyelids fluttered open and she blinked. Innocently, she asked, “Are we home?”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Berend waited until Victor crossed over the hill then he tugged furiously at his ropes, opened his mouth, and screamed. The charging horses increased speed. Berend willed that his Heavenly Father would be with him during his next trial.

  Chest rising and falling, Victor dismounted and knelt before him. He cocked a brow. “Berend? What are you doing here?”

  Berend struggled against his bonds. Between gritted teeth, he replied, “That fiendish woman and her husband attacked me.”

  Victor stroked his stubbled chin. “I don’t understand how that is possible. They were in the dungeon.”

  Keeping his voice steady, Berend explained. “While you were with Helga I waited outside in the garden as you commanded. Then, without warning, something struck me. When I awoke I was restrained and lying across a moving horse.”

  “Interesting.” Victor tilted his head to the side. “Why would they bring an unconscious man along? It seems imprudent.”

  Berend prayed his answer would be convincing. “Aye, I agree with you. It seems foolish, but I heard them speaking of leverage.”

  “Hmm, if they needed the leverage you provided then why did they leave you behind now?”

  Sweat beaded across his upper lip. Why wasn’t Victor cutting him loose? Did he not believe him? “It must be because they saw you coming and I was slowing them down.”

  “How long have you waited?”

  “At least a half a day. Or maybe a full day, I’m unsure. He hit me hard.”

  “I see the mark.” He huffed. “I thought Herr Braun was more civilized.” Victor rose and paced.

  Berend gnawed the inside of his cheek. Victor had not commented on his story. This must mean they hadn’t seen Gustav and Teresa barely ahead of them. The plan couldn’t have worked out better.

  “Untie him. Find him a mount. We must make haste.” Victor spoke to one of the other riders and Berend’s heart soared with hope. Victor stared at him pointedly. “You do know which way they went.”

  “Aye, I do.”

  Berend was given water and a fresh horse. The rest of the afternoon he led the group on a merry goose chase. As the sun descended they came to a fork in the road.

  “Which way?”

  Berend scratched his head and covertly sought the hidden path. The sight of horse hooves leading into the grass caused his heart to catch in his throat.

  “I believe they were headed toward Stuttgart.”

  “Aye, I believe you are correct. The large city would give them a place to hide. We will camp here for tonight. Rest assured they will not travel without light.”

  Berend readily agreed. As the men around him set up shelter he used his boot to wipe away all visual evidence of Gustav and Teresa’s escape route.

  “Berend, come with me.” Victor laid his arm across Berend’s shoulders and he shuddered. “Are you all right, Berend? You are not acting like yourself.”

  “I am well, Herr Wulf.” He guffawed under his breath and massaged the place between his brows. “Honestly, I’m embarrassed that I let the little man put me down.”

  Victor laughed and scratched his upper lip. “He isn’t much to look upon, is he?”

  “Nay, he is not. Looks more like a businessman than a criminal.”

  “Aye, that is where you are wrong. Looks are often deceiving. Gustav Braun is as wily as they come. He used his tailoring business to infiltrate some of the most intimate conversations. For this alone he will be hanged.”

  Berend swallowed past the catch in his throat. “And his wife? What is her offense?”

  “Aye, the fair Frau Braun. She has her own set of transgressions for which she must pay. Hanging is too good for her. I believe burning is more in order.”

  “But—“

  Victor lifted his hands and waved away his future words. “All you need to know is that she is against our cause of reclaiming Germany for the Holy Roman Empire. She would rather see the Lutherans and Calvinists take over.”

  “Aye, a hefty crime indeed.” Berend shook his head and prayed Victor wouldn’t notice the tense line of his shoulders.

  They walked farther into camp and Victor proceeded to expound on Teresa’s virtues and vices. By the time night fell, Berend was nauseous. He lay upon the ground, stared at the starry sky, and prayed that God would forgive him his deceptions and that Teresa and Gustav were making their way to Reutlingen.

  ****

  “Welcome.” The ancient man bowed almost completely in half and spoke in slow, hushed tones as if afraid of waking someone. “I’ve been expecting you. Please eat, gather new supplies, grab a fresh horse, and be on your way.”

  Once he finished speaking he exited the porch and they entered his cabin. He’d neglected to light a candle, so Gustav lit one and held it up.

  The cabin consisted of one room. Stones ringed a fire pit in one corner. A hole in the thatched ceiling allowed smoke to exit. In the opposite corner a blanket lay across the rough wooden floor. On the blanket was a clean gown of rough linen, a pair of trousers, and a white tunic. Opposite the blanket was a table with a spread out linen square covered with fruits and vege
tables.

  “It looks like he has given us everything he owns,” said Teresa, her voice quivering.

  Gustav agreed as he stripped and dressed in the new outfit. He folded his old clothes and left them on the bed. The shirt stretched taunt across his back and arms. The length of the breeches ended above his ankles. Looking up, he caught Teresa staring. Her hand covered her mouth. “Are you laughing at me?”

  She shook her head and a giggle escaped.

  “You are laughing at me.” He placed his hands on his hips, a smile teasing his own mouth. “Well let’s just see what you look like in your new clothing.”

  Teresa tried to shy away but Gustav grabbed her and twirled her until he faced her back. Later he could question her motives for distrusting him. For now he wanted to pretend things were normal. He was her husband and she was his wife.

  His fingers trembled. Gown unlatched, it slid along her body and pooled at her feet. She shivered in her chemise and Gustav’s breath caught in his throat.

  She faced him.

  “You are so…symmetrical.”

  “What?” She blinked rapidly.

  He shook his head. “Forgive my lapse into my former employ. I–I meant, enchanting. You are, as you have always been, my muse and mein engel.”

  A red hue covered her cheeks and she gathered the new gown. Gustav reached for it and removed it from her fingers. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her forward.

  Lightly, he laid his lips upon hers. A sigh escaped and he crushed their lips together. The warmth of her body engulfed him. Lifting her in his arms, he eased the pressure of the kiss.

  Backward, he led her to the blanket. Her hair floated around her like angel’s wings. His breath caught in his throat as he settled on his folded legs. “Now we finish what we started in the dungeon.”

  Her hand fluttered to his chest and she made tiny circling motions above his rapidly beating heart. She licked her lips. “Do we have time?”

  “Aye. And if we don’t, we will make time.”