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and stand on her own feet.
She dug a scone from her pocket and chewed on it. Her throat was dry
and coarse. Swallowing proved difficult. She finally managed to force the
pastry down, but her legs, at odds with her throat, felt watery. What was
wrong with her?
Stephen was assessing her agitation. "It s nerves. Try not to pay them any
attention."
She drew herself up in the seat. "I don t get nervous, Your Grace.
Cautious, yes, but not nervous."
"So you say. Forgive me if I don t believe you. It is not a sign of
weakness to admit anxiety."
"Dammit, I m not nervous."
"So you say."
"Chalmers, so help me--"
"Are you certain you will remember the way once we re inside?"
Audrey sat back and closed her eyes to visualize the passage. Her legs
still felt buttery. "Yes. We were housed next to those facing the noose.
It s just a short walk from there to . . Memories turned ugly, and she
gripped the homespun skirt.
He reached across and kneaded the muscles in her neck. "Is that why she
isn t under the Matron s guard?"
"Yes, we weren't held in the women's quarters. They were too nice for Tr-
. . . for our purposes."
"That s going to make our task more difficult. Only prison staff and the
Ordinary are allowed there. And neither of us is going to pass for a guard
or the chaplain. I will have to work around that. You just need to identify
the cell."
She cleared her throat. "I can do that."
"Good." He continued to rub her shoulder blades until the carriage pulled
up in front of the cold, imposing structure.
Audrey took a deep breath and securely grasped Stephen's hand. Stepping
onto the cobblestones confirmed that her legs were going to buckle. She
stumbled, and Stephen supported her until she found her footing.
He didn t look at her as they walked toward Debtor s Door. She was glad
he was with her. His reassuring presence and understanding was a
blessing, but for their plan to succeed, she needed to pull herself together
and concentrate on the task at hand.
She couldn t rely on him for everything. It was essential that she play her
part. Luckily her part was best played as a meek, weepy-eyed maid.
She averted her eyes from the scaffold and concentrated on placing one
foot in front of the other. She looked at the stone wall construction and
focused on the colors and grit, and not the imposing facade. Stephen
exchanged a few words with the guards, and they were admitted.
Audrey paid little attention to what he was saying. Her normally perfect
memory saw only flashes of faces and flares of light. Features wobbled in
her view, and she stumbled into Stephen s back. He ran an encouraging
hand down her arm. It was so quick that it looked like he was gesturing.
But it allowed her time to still her racing heart and regain her bearings.
The prison interior was much the same as she remembered. A dark, dank
place with neither light nor heat. A familiar face walked past and as a
matter of course, she ducked her head. She doubted she would be
recognized. She barely resembled the girl who had been imprisoned here.
The thought didn t stop her knees from knocking.
From a distance, cries of pain were audible. Everything around her was
growing dim. For once her fear was too strong for chastisement. She felt
an instinctive urge to flee. She looked up into Stephen s face and saw his
lips move. He gently shook her, and the rest of him became brighter.
"Diana, we are going to be admitted. We have very little time, however.
Are you ready?"
Something in his voice caused her to snap back, both mentally and
physically. She straightened. Faye was somewhere below, waiting for her.
"Yes, Your Grace. I am ready."
He nodded, and the man to whom Stephen had been talking pocketed
some coins. Stephen must have bribed him. In doing so, he too was
breaking the law. Why was he doing this for her?
They walked down the hall, and she hurried to keep up. Time was short,
that she understood. Stephen had mentioned that he hoped to arrive
during the guards' shift change, hence their early arrival.
They walked for what felt like forever down into the belly of the cold
beast. She shut out the sights and smells and focused on Stephen s back.
People wailed and called out, but she ignored their cries. She couldn t
afford to let them in and break the fragile grip she had on her panic. The
panic was throbbing beneath a layer so thin she felt every step she took
would shatter it.
"Up ahead is where ye will find the unforgivables. Ye have ten minutes
before the change of guards." The henchman shuffled off. As soon as he
was out of sight Stephen touched her hand.
"Quickly, Audrey. Which way?"
She allowed her senses to open. The shock reeled her back and he gripped
her hand.
"Audrey, I can t lose you now. Remember our role here. You aren t
nervous, remember?"
She looked into his eyes and nodded. "l remember."
Holding tightly to her lifeline, she looked around. Walls, bars, hands
gripping bars. That was familiar. Wailing, dirt and slop buckets, urine and
body odor. That was familiar too.
"I need another minute."
He nodded, but she noticed the tension etched in the corners of his eyes.
She looked at the floor and the walls. The pitched dirt and grime. The
stones inset in . . .
"Down that corridor," she said.
She walked to the right, and Stephen maintained her pace. She didn't
release his hand. Direction started to return, and she made a few more
turns before coming to a very familiar area.
She ran to the bars of a cell, nearly dragging Stephen in her frenzy.
"Faye! Where are you?"
She poked her head between two bars, straining to see. Then between two
more, not finding a familiar face in the grime.
"Faye?"
"She s not here."
Audrey looked toward the voice. A bedraggled man with long, matted
hair was shackled in the corner. Tension and panic threatened to choke
her.  Where is she?" Audrey croaked.
"She s been gone for several days now. Men came and took her away.
She was drugged something fierce."
Yes, she would have had to be for anyone to transport her feisty sister
without losing a limb in the process.
"Do you know where they took her?"
The man shrugged. The other prisoners were barely paying them any
attention. "No. Do you got any food?"
She started to shake her head before she remembered her other scone.
Fishing it from her pocket, she tossed it to the man in the corner. The
other prisoners perked up and looked at the small bit of food like
ravenous beasts. Tears pricked at her eyes. She remembered that feeling
very well.
Stephen tugged her hand. "We need to go."
"What if she is in another part of the prison?"
He squeezed her hand. "Do you believe that?"
She looked at her feet. "No. She s gone."
"I m sorry, Audrey." He said it softly. She nodded, and he tugged her
toward the exit.
Leaving Newgate proved faster, but it was as much a nerve-wracking
experience for her as entering. Faye was gone. Relief and terror vied for
prominence. At least Faye had been released and hadn t spent the last few
days in those evil cells. But if Faye had been housed there, they could
have freed her.
Travers could have her stashed anywhere. And with anyone. She could be
in a much worse situation for all Audrey knew.
Travers had lied. That wasn't a shock in and of itself, but if he had lied [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]