P N Elrod - Barrett 1 - Red Death

by Red Death(Lit)

  After that there seemed to be no further purpose to argument. Elizabeth subsided for the moment into a state of smoldering indignation that no word of commiseration from me would dispel. It gave her a goodly energy, though, for she set a smart pace for the rest of us in our march toward Glenbriar and The Oak, where Nash and his men were quartered. Not half an hour more passed before the road made a last gentle curve and I saw the familiar sign.

  It was an old building, one of the first large structures on the Island with upper and lower stories and a vast cellar below, famous for the choice and quality of drinks kept there. The windows on the ground floor were open and some lamps and a candle or two were burning, but no one was presently in the common room.

  Lauder left us standing outside while he entered, in search of additional orders, no doubt. Elizabeth crossed her arms and jerked her chin up to indicate her displeasure. Even the brute who had not been particularly polite kept his distance from ha The sergeant returned shortly and issued a brief command to his men.

  "What is it? What's going on?" Elizabeth demanded.

  "You will be placed in the cellar until morning," he said.

  "The what?"

  "The cellar of the inn."

  I started to object, but Elizabeth was well ahead of me.

  "Absolutely not! We're loyal subjects of the king and will not submit to such insulting treatment. Where is Lieutenant Nash?"

  "Those are my orders, miss-"

  "To the devil with your orders, sir!"

  "It must be so, miss. I have summoned the landlord to-"

  "Lieutenant Nash!" she bellowed up at the windows above us. She was quite loud enough to wake everyone in the surrounding houses much less those hapless souls trying to sleep at The Oak. Lauder attempted to suggest that she exercise control and quietly go along to the cellar, but found himself drowned out by her continuous shouting. Then he indicated for his soldiers to restrain her and carry her off.

  The first man who reached out to her got a punch in the eye from me. He dropped like a stone. The others, seeing me as the greater threat now, closed in. I lost sight of Elizabeth in the confusion of arms and legs and fists that followed.

  Having my kind of upbringing, I'd no experience at street brawling, but natural instinct and anger made up for it. I had a vague impression of hitting one in the stomach, connecting with another's chin, and kicking a third in a place where no gentleman would have presumed to strike. In what seemed like an instant, the lot of them, including Sergeant Lauder, were prostrate in the dust and moaning. Coming back to myself, I regarded the scene with no small astonishment as I could not make out how I'd been able to do it.

  Elizabeth, from her vantage in the doorway of the tavern, stared at me with wide-eyed wonder. "My God, Jonathan."

  "Get inside," I snapped.

  She ducked through the door with me at her heels and as one, we shot the bolt into place.

  "My God," she repeated. "Four to one and all of them soldiers. What else did they teach you at Cambridge?"

  "Ha," was all I could reply, being still too surprised myself for coherent speech.

  She thought to go to a window to fasten it shut, lest the sergeant and his men gain entry that way, but found it unnecessary.

  "They're not getting up," she reported.

  Surely I hadn't hit them that hard. I joined her looking out on the yard and found it to be true. Though there was some movement in the ranks of the wounded, none of them were attempting to stand just yet.

  "We'll have to talk to Nash soon or there will be the devil to pay for this," she said.

  I almost objected to this sudden degrading of her language when it occurred to me that she was greatly enjoying herself and our circumstances. "Very well," I said, though the encounter to come with Nash was not something I looked forward to with any eagerness.

  The row had been more than sufficient to stir the heaviest sleeper and the narrow stairs were becoming crowded with the curious in various states of dress and undress. The company, all men, upon seeing that a lady was present, either finished putting on the clothes they had, or quickly retired to acquire more for modesty's sake. Elizabeth had the presence of mind and the courtesy to turn around and allow them the privacy to retreat.

  Stumping downstairs against the flow came Lieutenant Nash. He'd managed to throw on the necessaries, but lacked a coat or even waistcoat, and his feet, though in shoes, were without stockings.

  "What the devil's going on here?" he demanded sleepily. He pointed an accusing finger at me. "You! What's happening here?"

  I was standing in deep shadow at this point, thankful for it,

  and reluctant to come forth.

  "I'll handle this," Elizabeth said, and moved into the light "Lieutenant Nash?"

  His truculent manner commendabry altered. "Good heavens,

  is that you, Miss Barrett?"

  "Yes, and I must beg you for your help."

  Nonplussed, but attempting to be gallant, he reached the bottom of the stairs and gave a dignified bow. "No need to beg, Miss Barrett, I am entirely at your service."

  "Thank you, sir. Your Sergeant Lauder and his men wrongfully arrested us and were going to lock us in the cellar for the night. I only ask that you call him off long enough to hear me out."

  "Arrested you, Miss Barrett? Upon what charge?"

  "He was not very clear on that point, sir. He is, however, very devoted to his duty and I fear he will continue with his arrest unless he receives instructions to desist."

  Nash opened and shut his mouth a few times, but decided to take action on her behalf. He unbolted the door and spent some time outside surveying his men. As Lauder was not yet in a condition to offer detailed explanations the business was concluded more quickly than one might otherwise expect. Through the window, more citizens, prompted by curiosity to forget about the curfew, had gathered to investigate. Some other soldiers had also emerged and Nash ordered them to disperse the crowd before coming in again.

  The landlord of The Oak now appeared and was demanding to know the cause of the uproar. Nash looked expectantly at Elizabeth.

  "Would you please show us to a more private room, Mr. Farr?" she asked sweetly.

  His instincts as host helped him to maintain some composure and he gestured toward a door at the back. Elizabeth swept up a candle and glided ahead, but turned just enough to make sure that Nash was following her. She was such an uncommon sight with her regal bearing, humble clothes, and mysterious manner that he'd forgotten all about me. In their wake, I passed the landlord.

  "Would you please bring along some brandy, Mr. Farr? The lieutenant is going to need it."

  Farr rocked back on his heels. "My God!" He whispered, going deathly white.

  I made hushing motions with my hands. "It's all right. There's been a dreadful mistake, is all."

  "But I 'eard as they buried you..."

  I shook my head, assuming an air of exasperation. "Very obviously they did not, Mr. Farr. Now, please get that drink and have one for yourself as well." I left him goggling and shut the door in his face.

  Elizabeth had placed her candle on a table and was facing me as 1 walked in. The flame settled and the shadows stopped dancing. Nash now turned around, his expression one of expectation. It sagged into openmouthed shock as he recognized me.

  Elizabeth closely echoed my words to the landlord. "It's all right. There's nothing to fear."

  Nash appeared not to heed her. He fell away until his back was pressed to a wall. I could hear his heart thundering so haul that it seemed likely to burst from his chest. His eyes, with the whites showing in abundance, tore from me to Elizabeth and returned.

  "Sweet Jesus," he whispered as though in agony from a mortal wound.

  And then the fatigue swept over me as I realized this was yet another in what promised to be an exhausting series of difficult confrontations. I could go all through it, as I had with Elizabeth, or... I might try an alternative. It might serve to at least abrogate his fear.<
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  I stepped closer and looked at him straight. "Nash, you must listen to me..."

  In this, I was repeating as nearly as I could the tone and manner that Nora had used often enough on me. I was not at all sure that it would have the same soothing effect on this terrified man until I realized that I'd already had some small practice at it with Roily. It had worked then, it would work now.

  I focused upon his eyes and spoke softly, as one might to a lull a child toward sleep. Elizabeth's close presence, the room around us, the voices of the men outside, all retreated from my mind. I was aware of myself and Nash and nothing else.

  His breathing slowed, as well as the laboring of his heart.

  "You must listen to me..."

  His eyes ceased to be so large, then clouded over.

  "There's no need to be afraid," I droned on.

  His whole face and posture went slack.

  "Do you understand?"

  "Yes...," he whispered back.

  That was all I wanted to hear. I stepped away from him. My head cleared and piece by piece the rest of the world returned to its proper place in the universe.

  Elizabeth stood rooted to her allotted portion. Even as I'd taken the fear out of Nash, she seemed to have embraced it once more herself. "Jonathan, what have you done?"

  "It's just a way of calming him. Nothing to worry about."

  "Did... she do this to you?"

  "Yes."

  "I'm not sure I like it."

  I shrugged. What mattered to me was that it had been successful. Nash wasn't fainting with fear or screaming the house down. He was, in fact, looking quite normal under the circumstances. His eyes had cleared and he was regarding me with no little puzzlement.

  "Mr. Barrett?"

  "Please sit down, Lieutenant." I indicated to Elizabeth that she should take a place at the table. She did so and we joined her. I was feeling light-headed from all the activity. When Mr. Farr came in with a generous tray, I welcomed the interruption as a chance to order my thoughts.

  Farr was very nervous and clumsy for he could not look away from me. I smiled reassuringly and told him to be of good cheer, that everything would soon be explained. He left the room in haste, shutting the door with more force than necessary. Beyond it, I'd glimpsed a dozen faces eaten up by curiosity trying to peer inside.

  "An explanation, Mr. Barrett?" prompted Nash.

  Elizabeth had recovered somewhat from her apprehension, and both her brow and lips were puckered as she waited to hear what I was going to tell him. I suddenly wished someone else, someone quicker and more knowledgeable about such matters, was with us to do it in my stead. But Nora was very much elsewhere. It was up to me, but I wasn't sure I was up to it.

  Absurd, I suddenly thought. For the next hour or more I might be delayed here trying to explain the inexplicable to this man and was it really any of his business? It was not. There were more important things for me to do while the night lasted than revealing my whole life to this stranger.

  I reached for Elizabeth's hand to give her a reassuring squeeze, then once more fastened my eyes upon Lieutenant Nash.

  It was easier this time.

  Picking up the brandy bottle, I poured some into a cup, then tilted it toward Elizabeth questioningly. She shook her head. I had sore need of its bracing effect myself, but knew better than to try. The once appealing smell drifting in the air around us was now making my stomach churn. I passed the cup to Nash, who seemed willing enough to drain it.

  Elizabeth looked more than a little dubious over what I had just done to him. She still did not approve, but saw that necessity

  outweighed any moral objections. Nash was different from the landlord in that he'd witnessed my death and burial, but under my influence he'd been able to accept an unlikely but more convenient story about my return from the dead. The truth, being so implausible, simply would not do this time. Besides, I knew that if a lie is repeated often enough it will become truth and the best person to begin the repetition was Nash.

  "I hope everything is clear, Lieutenant," I said, sitting back. My head pained me a little.

  He sounded absolutely normal. "Yes, Mr. Barrett." "Now I suggest that you take yourself out there and offer some assurances to your men about this situation. Then I would very much appreciate it if you could arrange for a safe escort for my sister and myself."

  "It will be a pleasure, Mr. Barrett," he said with a courteous and sincere smile. So saying, he rose, bowed to each of us, and went into the common room. The rumbling conversation there ceased upon his appearance, then started up as he was bombarded with eager questions. Pale faces once more peered in at us, eyes wide, wearing the same foolish expressions usually found on sheep.

  I smiled and waved back at them until the door shut, then lowered my head into my arms with a weary sigh. "I hope it works," said Elizabeth. "It will have to. I'm too tired to think up anything else." "You didn't anyway," she pointed out. Very, very true. I'd taken her improbable story about a cousin having the same name and influenced Nash into thinking that that was the man who had been killed. It was hardly perfect, but would do, at least for those few in the army who were concerned with what had happened. Our immediate family and circle of friends would have to hear the facts, or something close to them, but that could wait until later.

  "Are you up to the journey back?" she asked. "Yes, of course I am." I straightened and put some starch into my spine. "I was just resting my eyes." "It was... most strange to watch." "What did it look like?"

  "Like two men talking, but there was something more going on beneath the talk. As though you both understood one another but everyone else would miss the meaning."

  "You didn't, though."

  "No. I knew, but that poor man..."

  "Is now going to do his best to help us," I told her gently.

  "Well and good, but please don't mind if I choose to worry."

  "What is there to worry about?"

  She dropped her eyes, then raised them. "I last felt this way when you went off to England. I was afraid that you'd change so much that none of us would know you anymore. As it was, you did change, but you were still the same. I don't know if that has any sense for you."

  "I think so."

  "You were all grown up, of course, more polished, but still yourself. Now this night I've seen and heard things that would drive anyone to madness. I know that you are here, but some part of me cannot believe it. Are you my brother come back from the grave or have I gone mad after all and just don't know it yet?"

  "You're the sanest person in the world, Elizabeth. Don't ever doubt yourself."

  "It's just... I'm frightened. And I'm not used to being frightened. The worst part is that I've been frightened of you."

  Oh, but it hurt to hear her say that. First shock, then joy, and shock again once she'd had time to think things over. All the unnatural aspects of my return were probably battering at her like hailstones. That's how I was feeling.

  "You wonder if I'm a miracle or a monstrosity?"

  Her eyes dropped once more.

  "I've no answer to that. It could be both, for all I know. There have been tremendous changes within me. I'm able to do things that I can scarce comprehend, but I am yet the same brother you had before. Though I could dispel your fears as I did with Nash..."

  She did not look up, but gave a small start.

  "... I will do no such thing. Not to you and not to Father. I swear upon my honor."

  She raised her head now and the taut lines altering her expression eased as bit by bit she shed her fear. "And what about others?" She indicated the door. Nash's authoritative voice came through it as he repeated my own words to the men there.

  "It's rather out of my hands now. If they wish to be afraid, they will be, so I suppose I can't help that. As for myself, I wish

  with all my heart that someone could take away my fears."

  "Oh, Jonathan."

  "As for the rest..." I shrugged.

  The rest in
cluded Jericho, Mrs. Nooth, all the servants, Mrs. Hardinbrook, Beldon, Mother. So many... so many... so many...

  "I want to see Father," I whispered, dropping my head down on my arms again.

  Elizabeth's hand rested lightly on my shoulder a moment, then she rose and opened the door. "Lieutenant Nash? My brother would like to leave as quickly as possible."

  Whether because of my influence or his desire to oblige my sister, Nash swiftly completed arrangements for our escort. We privately informed him of our destination and the need for discretion. Though Father's friendship with Mrs. Montagu was close to common knowledge in the area, they were each so well respected in their circles that everyone was content to overlook it. Nash had been in the world long enough to understand and do likewise.