“No,” replied Simon amazed. “It’s brilliant.”
“What’s brilliant?”
“Be right back,” said the old man excitedly.
“What is brilliant?” demanded Jane, as the old man hobbled away.
“I’m not convinced it is brilliant,” I confessed. “It could be the most incredibly stupid thing I’ll ever do; but it looks as if there is little choice.”
She surveyed me with wide eyes, and then her jaw dropped, and she gasped, “You’re not!”
I nodded. “I am.”
“If you get caught, they will kill you!”
“Like I said…it could be the most incredibly stupid thing I’ve ever done, which is saying something. But if it works, selling them will eliminate one big problem.” I didn’t bother mentioning that Lyman already wanted to kill me.
She eyed me sternly. “That is indeed a very big if. They are bound to figure it out sometime.”
“Perhaps, which is why you will not be seen anywhere near me when I do it. Regardless, by the time they do find out, I will be gone—or dead in the attempt.”
She grimaced at my casual tone. “Well, if you insist on risking your life, then at least do it right.”
She stripped the uniform off the older soldier and tossed it to me. “Be quick and put this on.”
I did as she commanded, while she undressed the other.
A clattering noise drew our attention to the sight of Simon returning with a handcart.
“Makes em a bit easier to carry, eh?” He wore a mischievous grin.
“Can you take care of this?” I asked, referring to the other uniform.
“Oh yes, we can make good use of that. Wish you hadn’t cut the shirt up, though….Still, I suppose it couldn’t be helped.”
I gave my clothes to Jane for safekeeping. Taking the remaining bands, I bound their wrists and tossed their nearly naked bodies into the cart.
“Right, what else should I know? How is selling a slave done?”
They both looked at each other questioningly.
“This is not encouraging,” I stated dryly.
Jane shifted uneasily. “It’s just that we’ve never done it….But we’ve seen it,” she added quickly.
“And we know the basics,” added Simon encouragingly. “Can’t be much to it.”
“Wonderful,” I muttered in a tone that suggested that it was anything but. “Well, explain what you do know.”
What they knew turned out to be very little. The minister, or one of his assistants, handled the trades to ensure that both parties fulfill their agreements. In turn, the minister received a fee for his troubles. The buyers could negotiate with the seller, or the seller could let the minister handle it for a percentage of the sale. That was the extent of their knowledge. They didn’t know the protocol on arranging things with the minister, or his usual cuts. Paperwork and regulations were also a bit ambiguous, if indeed there were such things.
With their limited knowledge imparted, I ordered Jane to stay with Simon. After she returned a stern look, I changed the demand to a heartfelt plea. I couldn’t bear putting her in any more danger than she may already be in, and I hadn’t forgotten my promise to Mr. Wolfe to keep her safe. Reluctantly, she agreed.
I wheeled the cart, now laden with soldiers, down the cobblestone alley to the market.
On the stand stood a new group of slaves, two of them were women. Unlike the men, they were clothed in plain white smocks. All of them looked miserable and mistreated. I took a moment to steel myself, mustering the most vicious look I could.
The older soldier in the cart stirred, and I now wished I would have tied up their feet. Having one of them escape was a scary thought; one that ended with my plan being discovered, and me taking their place on the stand.
Searching the crowd, I spotted the minister of slaves in a discussion with a noble; which suited me just fine, as I was about to throw Sarah’s caution of not reading souls to the wind. I decided to try someone a tad lower down—an assistant. I found a man that resembled what I imagined an aide to the minister would look like. I was wrong. After poking briefly into his soul, I discovered he was more intent on buying than selling. Although I pitied all the slaves, I felt particularly sorry for the poor individual who would end up with him.
Moving along, on my third attempt, I finally found an assistant. After a moment of digging, I discovered that going to him would be a mistake. He was naturally distrustful and inquisitive; the type of person who would ask too many questions—questions that I doubted I had the answers to.
I scanned a few more men and finally found the minister’s second aide. He was more to my liking: a bit slothful and not too particular about anything, though I’m sure anyone could have guessed that from his appearance. He was in his mid-thirties, with long, unkempt hair—at least where there was hair. He had a bit of a belly, though it was not terribly large. His clothing was ill fitting, and he looked a bit disheveled. At first glance, one may wonder why anyone would choose him as an assistant. However, I could see that he was greedy and would do anything to make as much money as he possibly could. That greed could be useful, not only in making the minister a healthy profit, but I surmised it could be used in my favor to overlook a few minor details for the right price.
The older soldier in the cart awoke and looked dazed, if not a bit confused. His companion also began to stir. Taking a deep breath, I lifted the cart handles and wheeled up to the second assistant.
He eyed me suspiciously, “What you got there?”
“Two for auction, courtesy of General Wright,” I growled gruffly, trying to convey an intimidating presence that would discourage anything but cooperation.
Comprehension dawned on the soldier who was now fully awake. He let out a muffled cry through his gag, and attempted to scramble out of the cart.
“Quiet you!” I barked and persuaded him back down with a powerful fist to his gut. “You know why you’re here.”
He collapsed back gasping for breath, which I suppose would have been easier to do without the gag.
The assistant’s eyes narrowed. The younger soldier’s eyes blinked open, confused. I fought the panic welling inside me.
He’s not buying it, I thought. My heart raced—the instinct to run was overwhelming. I shifted my stance slightly, preparing for a quick dash. I sprang into his soul and dove for his thoughts. It was a bit too forcefully, and he winced and instinctively rubbed his temples. I was partially right. He wasn’t about to scream for help, but he did find it strange that I didn’t go to the minister himself.
“I would have gone to the minister himself,” I quickly explained. “But as you can see, he is busy, and so am I.”
The assistant grunted, “What’d they do?”
I smiled wryly. “Nothing! Or at least that is what they’ll try to tell you.”
He smiled and nodded understandingly, while touching the tip if his nose knowingly. “Ah, of course not! Innocent is what they all say. Eh?” He poked the soldier who, through his gag, frantically tried explaining that he really was guiltless. Thankfully, it all came out garbled and muffled. The assistant withdrew a short whip from under his coat and struck the soldier hard across his naked chest a few times. The soldier bit on the gag, and screamed a muted scream.
The color drained from the younger soldier, who was now fully awake; and his face turned a pale white from fear and realization at what was happening. His bound hands trembled.
Pangs of guilt ripped through my soul. I hadn’t forgotten what they had done, and at the time it seemed like a good idea; but here I was doing exactly what I’d condemned others for doing not moments ago. Although I realized the circumstances were indeed different, it was a very small comfort.
“Got a bit of fight left in them, eh?” He shuffled close to my side and tapped his fingers together. Then, as if in some sort of scheme, suggested, “For a small fee, we could take the fight out of them, get them in proper shape for selling. Got just the place—a nice cell wher
e they can soften up some and learn proper respect for their new masters. If that doesn’t do it, we have other ways…”
I certainly needed time to figure out my escape before the soldiers could convince anyone of their innocence. I nodded weakly and felt worse. I looked away and my eyes fell on Jane far off in the crowd, who had ignored my request to stay away, watching our exchange.
The assistant followed my eyes and caught sight of Jane. “Ah, got a bit of business to attend to while on duty, have we?” With a wink, he nudged me conspiratorially. “Not to worry, this won’t take long.”
“No, it won’t,” I snapped. “I believe you can take care of this transaction for me. Give the money to General Wright.”
I turned to leave. “Wait!” he called. “I didn’t get your name for the records.”
“I didn’t give it,” I growled menacingly. “Nor did I give you a price. I trust that point won’t be lost on you.”
It wasn’t. His nose twitched, and you could almost see the greed consume him as he thought about the amount of money these two could make him. And since there was no price given, he could easily report them as selling for much less than they really would. Falsifying any paperwork would be easy for him. He appeared suddenly anxious for me to leave, before I changed my mind. I wondered if he would cut the minister in on the scam or just keep it all to himself. I suppose there was a good chance they wouldn’t get to keep anything. A commanding officer may go looking for his lost men, or they might succeed in convincing someone of their innocence…then again, perhaps not.
Without saying another word, I turned and walked away to the sound of the assistant savagely whipping the soldiers, while ordering them to keep quiet.
I met up with Jane and Simon. They could read the expression on my face and neither one bothered with questions. Simon quickly led us to a nearby vacant house where I changed back out of the uniform. I handed it to Simon, along with the knife. “Can you take care of these?”
He nodded. “Indeed I can.”
With nothing left to say, or nothing left I cared to say, we exchanged brief goodbyes and Simon set off in one direction while we set off in another.
“Come,” said Jane. “We need to get you back.”
“We do?”
“Yes, we do. You look tired, worn down, and you haven’t had good sleep in days. You will need to be alert tonight…” Her voice trailed off, and she turned pale. Some dark thought had just entered her mind and, for the first time ever, I didn’t want to read her.
“I don’t think I can go to sleep,” I said.
“I can help.”
“Really? How?” I asked, now intrigued and wondering what she had in mind. A part of me was afraid to find out.
Chapter Sixteen: Betrayal
AS it turned out, nothing sinister was involved—no bitter concoctions to drink, or blunt objects to the head. When we returned, Mr. Wolfe had gone. Hannah could be heard somewhere in the house, but was making herself scarce.
Jane spread out a blanket on the floor and immediately gave orders for me to lie down, so I did.
I eyed her dubiously.
She ignored my look and sat on the floor beside me.
“Close your eyes,” she said.
I obeyed.
She then began to softly stroke my face and hair.
It felt relaxing, but also made it difficult to fall asleep. Her touch felt too wonderful, and I didn’t want to miss a moment of it slumbering. This is not going to work, I thought, and I opened my eyes, ready to explain that point to her. Without missing a stroke, she passed her hand over my face, gently closing my eyelids, and proceeded to hum a quiet melody.
Her clear voice was beautiful. I didn’t recognize the tune, but it sounded Irish. It was probably a good thing she wasn’t singing the words, because it also sounded a little sad. For a while, I listened to the entrancing song.
“I’m afraid it is nearly time, John,” she whispered, while gently shaking me.
“Already?” I asked, finding myself a little disoriented and surprised to discover that sleep had indeed overcome me. I yawned and stretched. A few more hours of sleep would have been nice, but the short rest worked wonders. Even in that half-awake state, my mind was sharpened, and strength ebbed back into my overworked muscles.
“Yes,” she replied sadly.
The tone in her voice pulled me fully awake. “What’s wrong?” I asked instinctively, while sitting up.
She still sat in the same spot by my side, and I wondered if she had remained there the whole time.
“Nothing…you’d better get ready. They will be here any time, and it’s best if you don’t make them wait.”
“Yes, that probably is a good idea,” I agreed. “But something else is bothering you. What is it?”
She sighed, “I don’t like you’re going up there. I’m worried and can’t help feeling that something bad is going to happen.”
I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Even though I wholeheartedly agreed with her, I didn’t want her to feel my apprehension.
“Try not to worry. The thought of sending me off without a proper kiss can be quite disturbing, I realize. I’ve been told I have that effect on women. It’s a burden I must bear. But somehow I’ll manage if you can.”
Her mouth dropped in mock disgust, and she shoved me over.
“How can you joke? You may never come back.”
“What else can I do?” I replied. “It does no good worrying about things I can’t change.”
“No, I suppose not.” And then, looking down, she started to fiddle with her gown. Suddenly, she looked up. Her expression had changed and, as if by magic, her green eyes beckoned me closer. I obeyed by leaning in just a little. Subconsciously, she bit her lower lip and almost indiscernibly drew closer. My heart raced as our eyes locked, and…
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was in here,” said Hannah, gushing into the room, once again with impeccable timing.
I sighed, and we fell apart. Some feeling told me that Hannah did know we were in here and most likely had listened to part of our conversation; perhaps even grew a little worried when our voices died down. Her face dropped in a sudden, pretend realization.
Shaking a finger at us, she said, “Oh no. You two weren’t about to kiss again, were you?” And she sensuously half closed her eyes and puckered her lips. With her hand, she grasped the back of an imaginary head and commenced kissing the air in a somewhat dramatic manner.
More from reflex than a conscious effort, my leg shot out and swept across the backs of her feet. The imaginary kiss disintegrated, as her arms flew wide and she fell on her rump with an “oomph”.
“Ouch!” she exclaimed.
Jane broke into laughter. Hannah tried desperately to look angry and wounded, which only inflamed matters, until it bubbled over and all three of us laughed at the silliness of it all.
Mr. Wolfe, who had apparently returned during my nap, made his way down the stairs. The floorboards creaked as he moved through the house. A moment later, he appeared in the doorway and leaned against it. Even though he had no idea what was funny, the sight of us all sitting on the ground laughing infected him, and a grin spread across his face.
It took a moment for us to regain our composure. When we had, Jane got up and offered me a hand. I took it, and then did the same for Hannah.
The moment didn’t last long. Mr. Wolfe brought us sharply back to reality. “You best get ready, John. They will be here any time now.”
The smile faded from Jane’s face, as did a little color, though not as badly as before.
“Don’t look so glum,” he said to Jane. “I’m sure that everything will be fine—just wait and see.”
“I don’t know how you can be so sure,” said Hannah. “It doesn’t work out for very many of us who get called up there.”
“That’s not entirely true. There have been many young men drafted into the soldier core. They have a good life.” Then, as if it would ma
ke us feel better, he added, “Officers can marry and have families.”
Jane didn’t bother to reply; she simply retrieved my boots for me. Embarrassed by his comment, I busied myself with putting them on. Jane proceeded to tuck and pull on my clothes until they were straight and everything was again in its proper place.
I looked at her curiously. I was perfectly capable of getting myself ready; but for some reason, she was intent on doing it herself.
Her only comment was, “I’ve seen you dress before.”
She moved on to my hair which, again, I found enjoyable. So instead of complaining about it, I let her finish in silence, while the other two simply watched. Mr. Wolfe’s face was unreadable. Hannah, on the other hand, wore an expression of horror, and she clearly had a hard time understanding why Jane fussed so.
Jane finished and turned me around. “Now, let me have a look,” she said. Then, with a slight smile, added, “Well, you’re not much to look at; but since we can’t send anyone else, you’ll have to do.”
Hannah giggled and it made me feel better that they both still had some humor. Perhaps Mr. Wolfe was right; maybe it would all work out.
That delusion, however, instantly faded the moment someone pounded on the door.
Mr. Wolfe went briskly over and opened it. “Ah, welcome,” he said, and gestured into the small room.
His graciousness did not go unrewarded. Four men bustled into the room and shoved him harshly aside. As he stumbled back, he fell to the ground. Hannah hurried to his aid just as Lyman, wearing a wicked smirk on his face, sauntered in. More soldiers waited outside with a shiny, black carriage and horses.
“My, my, I can see I was right—the bath made no difference at all,” said Lyman mockingly. “I can still smell the stink on you.” Turning to the soldiers, he smirked, “There are some rats you simply cannot clean.”
His cronies laughed. I recognized three of them as the officers that had been with him the first time we met.
He looked at Mr. Wolfe, who struggled to his feet.
“Will you please get up, you pathetic old man,” growled Lyman angrily. “Some of us do not have the luxury of lying around all day.”
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