“The poor little thing must be terrified,” he said.
“Yes.” And she had got it totally wrong and felt resultantly guilty. He did care and he was a nice man. He was obviously caring for both people and animals and he had proved himself over and over again where people were concerned. She circled the remains of the house and found a window which hadn’t totally collapsed. As she went to call through it a furry little head appeared.
She lifted the cat out and cuddled it. Rex walked across and gave it a stroke. “I’ll get the Reverend to take it,” he said. “The family have gone to the vicarage. Thank you.”
Hannah looked back at Seth who was just straightening. “It would have got out,” she said. “But it’s better that it goes to its family.”
“It is.” Seth stretched before walking on, lowered his arms and frowned. “Sorry.”
“For what?” she asked.
“Putting my arms up. We’ve been working for hours in the heat and I shouldn’t have done that.”
She smiled and reached into her pocket. Taking out a little jar she opened the lid and held it out. “Rub under your arms with that,” she said. “Do you have a handkerchief?”
“Yes.”
He took a clean one from his pocket and she dipped it in the cream. “Rub hard,” she said and reached for a hankie to do the same. She took out another tiny container. “Now rub a bit of that on you. It may smell a bit feminine for a few minutes but the aroma will pass.”
“I’d rather smell feminine than horrible,” he said, thinking of Rachel. He had to be sweet smelling for her and he always was careful about cleanliness, even to showering two or three times a day. But here there was no water, not even a lake. He rubbed on the ointment, took off his shirt and smelt it.
“That’s alright,” he said and she wished she could do the same. But she had been surreptitiously making sure she was clean and her sleeves were fortunately loose. She also did not wear a dress with the fashionable bustle, which she didn’t like, anyway. Now she was glad because she did not need to be hampered in any way.
The gown she had chosen to wear when she arrived was a pretty blue. It wasn’t too pale which she was pleased about now because she had to keep kneeling on the ground and sometimes lying on it. The dress was now grubby, as were Seth’s pants and shirt. But he still looked handsome, she thought, and she hoped her Seth would be fussy about cleanliness. Which he was, of course, because he mentioned that.
They worked all day and when evening came nobody wanted to stop. Pulling people out of debris took a long time and was dangerous as pieces of brick kept falling. If the house was not totally flattened the danger of the walls coming down and roof tiles falling was very real.
Lamps were brought by Reverend Barnsley, hundreds of lamps which he obtained from the residents of Lower Pine, he said. He kept taking people out of the village, some of them injured though many of them miraculously unhurt. How any of those who were buried survived, Hannah was not sure.
“You must be tired,” Seth said when they paused for a few minutes at three in the morning to have a drink and a piece of cheese the Reverend had brought to give everyone. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back with the Reverend? He only has a few people to take in the wagon this time.”
She looked at him with a frown creasing her forehead and her tone was a bit sharp as she replied. “I don’t keep asking you that. A woman is as capable as a man to keep going.”
His reply was apologetic. “I’m sorry. It’s just that you have only just arrived and it seems unfair for you to work so hard.”
“It makes no difference whether I just arrived or not,” she replied. “I’m not leaving until we’re sure everyone is safe. And don’t tell me I’m a wonderful woman,” as he opened his mouth to speak. “We’re all doing what we should be doing, whether we’re male or female.”
“I wasn’t going to say that,” he said, perfectly aware that he would have said something at least similar.
She raised her eyebrows. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt though I’m not sure you’re being truthful.” She downed the last few drops of her drink and took it over to where there was a box in which the drinks had been brought to them. “Shall we carry on now?”
“Yes, of course.” She was an outspoken woman, Seth thought, but then so was his mother though maybe she was a bit more tactful. Rachel would be tactful, he was sure, and would she be asleep now? She would because she had the sense to go back to Lower Pine when asked, which was more sense than this lady had.
But Hannah was more than kind, was his next thought, because she couldn’t bear to think of anyone being trapped, which Rachel was too. She was just obviously more delicate and he couldn’t wait to meet her.
But there was still a lot more to do and they had to get on with doing it. Hannah made for the next house and called down. The last of five houses and other people were dealing with the rest.
She called loudly but there was no reply, much to Seth’s relief. That meant there was no-one here. But was that the case because the man who lived here was not taken off his list? He lay on the ground near to a tiny opening in a flattened window and shouted loudly.
“Is anyone in there?”
Hannah lay beside him, her head very close to his as she listened carefully. Her hair smelt nice, he thought irrelevantly, and immediately felt guilty. He shouldn’t be thinking that and Rachel would also smell nice. Inside he heard a faint sound.
“It’s a dog whining,” Hannah said. “How many people live in this house?”
Seth looked at his list. “One man. He’s over eighty. He and Esmé have been friends since their husband and wife died and they spoke of marrying. It seems rather old to marry but if it makes them happy it’s a good thing.”
“And he’s not accounted for?”
“No.”
“What’s his name?”
“Antony Lanford.”
“Antony!” Hannah shouted through the window and once again Seth thought how musical was her voice. If she sang as well as she spoke she and Rachel could get together because Rachel would be able to accompany her on the organ at church. The organist wanted to retire so it was a good thing Rachel had come.
There was no reply and Hannah put her head closer. “I think he’s in there,” she said. “I’m going to slide through the opening to see.”
Seth frowned. “You can’t do that. It’s too narrow and it might collapse.”
“Get someone to bring something to hold the wall up above it and ask them to bring the horses to pull the bricks away above.”
“I can go in,” he said.
“You’re wasting time and you’re too big. I’m long but I’m slim.”
“But....”
“Please go,” she said and all he could do was obey. He turned, ran and Rex began to organise what should be done. But by the time Seth returned Hannah had disappeared.
Seth threw himself on the ground in desperation. She’d gone in and now she would be killed. Surely it was better for an eighty year old to go rather than her. He felt guilt as the thought shot through his mind. Whatever the age, he didn’t want anyone to die.
“He’s unconscious and the dog has broken a leg or something. I’m pushing the dog out first.” Hannah’s voice came from inside.
A head appeared and Seth pulled the animal out gently. “I can only get the man near to the window but he’s too big to push through. The opening has to be widened.”
“You need to come out first,” Seth said.
“No. I’m not doing that.”
“Please come out.” Seth’s tone was rather desperate and the feeling which came over him he could not quite understand. Because she was so young, he decided, and she just couldn’t die. “If you can pull him near the window you can come out and we’ll pull him together.”
“He’s too big,” she said.
“Please, Hannah. Do as I say.”
He could hear sliding and the ground beneath him began to t
remble. The house was going to collapse, he was sure, and both of them would be killed. He pushed his legs in, went to go further and she grabbed his foot.
“Get out. I’m coming.”
Seth shot out again, Hannah pushed her way through the opening and turned to begin pulling the man. Seth lay right next to her, pulled as well and Antony’s head appeared. Behind them Rex and a couple of other men inserted a large crowbar and pushed it up with all their might.
Antony groaned, Hannah and Seth pulled harder and he started to slide through. Seth rolled away from Hannah, the men bent to help them and the man slid through the window. They lifted him, all of them ran and the house behind them crashed to the ground, bricks, tiles and glass flying everywhere as it went.
Seth put his arms round Hannah without thinking and held her tightly. “I thought you were going to be killed,” he said. He moved back abruptly. That was really disloyal to Rachel but he had been so frightened. “Sorry.”
She looked at him briefly and tried not to verbalise in her mind that she liked the hug. The Reverend, who had been helping across the road, tore over holding a stretcher which he had been bringing backwards and forwards into the village. The men lifted Antony onto it and carried him to the wagon.
“I need someone to come with me to keep an eye on him,” the Reverend said, looking at Hannah.
Hannah didn’t reply as she just stood looking at the house and one of the men followed the stretcher. “I’ll come,” he said and within minutes the wagon was on its way to Lower Pine.
“What you did, ma’am, was the bravest thing I have seen today,” Rex said.
“No braver than anyone else,” Hannah replied. “Everyone is doing their bit.”
“We have just heard from Lone Pine,” he continued. “They have finished searching all the houses and twenty seven people have died. This is the last house here and everyone else has been accounted for.”
“Who died?” Seth asked.
“Twenty seven!” They spoke at the same time, Hannah’s tone horrified.
She put her hand out towards Seth involuntarily. He screwed his face as Rex told him the names and Hannah felt a pang of sadness. She didn’t know these people but Seth obviously did and he was upset. She also felt she had an affinity with the place, despite only arriving the day before. She had helped rescue people. She had seen the Reverend, also his wife though only briefly. She had communicated with the rescuers and those who were rescued. To her it felt more like home than she had ever felt at her own home.
Which was silly, she knew, because her parents loved her deeply and had always shown her their love. They would have sorted out her problems, even those connected with her father’s associates, if she had confided in them. He had always been there for her, whatever the situation. He worked hard to give them everything they needed.
But she took it lightly, so lightly that now they wouldn’t be at her wedding and didn’t know where she was. She had lied to them and it wasn’t fair on them. But she mustn’t think of that because she had a marriage to embark on and a man to meet she hadn’t met before.
“The ladies have gone to the minister’s house,” Rex said.
“Then we had better go there too,” Seth said after Rex walked away.
“I could do with cleaning up first,” Hannah replied. “I must look a total mess.”
“You look....” Seth paused.
“I won’t be offended,” Hannah smiled.
“Considerably better than me.”
“I doubt it. Is there anywhere I could clean up a bit? I feel really filthy.”
“I could take you to my house,” he said, though why he said it he did not know. They should go to Lower Pine but suddenly he was loathe to do so. Because he wanted Rachel to see him at his best, of course, but for that he didn’t need Hannah. However, she had been more than helpful and without her people would have died. It was the least he could do for her.
“I think I’d like to clean up also,” he continued. He called after Rex. “Could you tell the Reverend we’ve just gone to clean up at my house?”
“Yes, of course I can, but it’s a bit far to walk.”
“It’s three miles,” Seth told Hannah. “Six from Lower Pine. Is that too far?”
“I can manage three miles,” she said, pleased that she wore hardy and comfortable shoes. The pretty pairs she had in her trunk and she could put them on before she met the other Seth.
“We’ll come back on horses. Do you ride?”
“Yes.”
Seth called after Rex once again. “If they want to carry on with the wedding ceremony ours can be a bit later today or else tomorrow. Is that alright, Hannah?”
More than alright, Hannah thought. As long as possible and maybe a walk would help her jumbled thoughts, because this day and night had been a shock and she didn’t feel she was psychologically prepared to face anything or anyone else. Out loud she replied. “Fine.”
“We’ll go then.” Seth looked round. “There’s going to be a lot of clearing up here but we’ll start on that tomorrow though maybe families will want to be doing something.” He called after Rex again who was already quite a distance from them. “Tell everyone they’re welcome to come to my place. I could accommodate them in my barn. I’ve got plenty of room.”
“I’ll do that,” Rex called back.
He continued to walk and Seth turned to Hannah. “Shall we go then? I just want to check the carriage though because I hired it and so I’m responsible for it.”
Rex turned. “I’ll deal with the carriage,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about it. You got it from Leonard, didn’t you? It seems to be undamaged and he’s not going to complain about it after what you’ve done.”
“Thank you.”
“Nearly everyone has gone to Lower Pine where the Reverend and his good lady have sorted out accommodation. He’s a good man.”
“He is.” Seth turned to Hannah. “Apart from anything else I need to check if my house is still standing. It’s made mostly of wood so hopefully it will be alright. Are you sure you don’t mind walking?”
“I like walking,” she said and wasn’t at all sure about anything. But she had agreed to go and it was too late to back out. What she really wanted to do was rush back to her childhood home and forget these last hours. She wanted to get back to normality.
But she couldn’t do that, anyway, because everything would probably be disrupted, which would include stagecoaches. All she could do was follow Seth out of the village.
She looked back when they reached the edge of Middle Pine and the scene was one she had never seen before, nor did she ever want to see such a thing again. Most of the houses down. Rubble everywhere. A few carts which had been in front of houses in splinters. Trees across some of the houses with others on the edge of the village either tipping precariously or on the ground.
Nobody could prepare anyone for such a thing, which included those who lived here who were the ones who were the most affected. Nobody could have foretold how near to death many of them had been. Those twenty seven who died in Lone Pine had no warning of such a thing.
But there had also been miracles and she had to concentrate on them or else maybe go a little mad. They started to walk towards the end of the village, the mountains ahead of them though the road flat where they walked.
It was so different to her home, Hannah thought. No high buildings as there were there. No grand houses. In fact, only a couple of dwellings were left standing. There was no river with sailing ships in it.
Really there was nothing because Middle Pine had been reduced to nothing and obviously Lone Pine was the same. What would where she came from look like if there was an earthquake? The damage would be more widespread, of course, but then it was a large place and Lone Pine and Middle Pine very small.
“It must be difficult for you,” Seth said, breaking into her thoughts. “I really am sorry.”
“You didn’t cause the earthquake,” she replied, pushing b
ack a wisp of hair and feeling a bit self conscious without a hat. Would the sun give her a headache when it came up? She had been alright yesterday and had not given it much thought.
Seth looked at her sideways while they walked. “Would you like me to ask Seth if he wants to come with us?” he asked.
“No!” She realised how explosive her reply was and added hastily. “I’d rather clean up first.”
“You’re a beautiful woman,” he replied.
“Thank you.”
She really wanted to tell him all the reasons she wasn’t beautiful but her mother had taught her not to do that. If he was just being polite it really didn’t matter and she didn’t feel self conscious with him the way she knew she probably would with the other Seth. But this Seth still looked alright, despite being a bit grubby from their activities.
“You look alright yourself,” she said.
“I’m no great beauty,” he replied.
“You’re very good looking. Is Seth good looking?”
“Far better looking than me.” And maybe to a woman he would be, Seth thought, so he wasn’t lying. But definitely not good looking enough for this lady because she was outstanding. Except that he mustn’t be thinking that because it wasn’t seemly and particularly in view of his bride to be. It hadn’t been seemly to hug her and he still didn’t know why he did it.
But he and Hannah had been together for about eighteen hours and he felt they had some affinity. She wouldn’t feel that, of course, because she didn’t like the way they wanted her to return to Lower Pine. But she hadn’t returned and somehow he was glad she hadn’t.
“Was the journey a good one?” he asked.
“The scenery was very pretty. It changes as you cross America so it never gets boring.”
Hannah frowned as the earth began to shake. “Are we going to have another earthquake? That’s happened a few times.”
“It’s what they call aftershocks, I think.” He grabbed her as the shaking became more violent and they both ran a few feet. Putting his arm round her he held her tightly. She put her arm round him and clutched onto him.
Lone Pine Bride (The Brides Of Lone Pine Book 1) Page 5
