AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Inside the clothing chest was incredibly cramped, stuffy, and warm. Taking in short, quick breaths, I tried not to use all my air. It wouldn’t be long before I ran out of it in here, and I knew fear would set in soon after. The morbid sensation of being buried alive.
I closed my eyes, talking to myself in my head—doing anything to distract me from the precarious position I’d put myself in.
The chest abruptly pitched to one side, then the other. I put my hands out to balance myself, and felt weightless for a moment.
“Almighty above, think this bird has packed enough clothes?” a muffled voice said. “This thing is heavier than a head of cattle.”
Outside near my feet, another guard spoke. “The baroness is bedridden, dolt. She didn’t pack a damn thing. It was the lord of the manor.”
“Why is he so paranoid someone’s going to rob his manor blind while he’s gone?”
Their voices became strained as they moved the chest. I rocked inside it like a whelp in a crib. It made me nauseous, not knowing which way I’d tumble.
“Wouldn’t you be? Especially with these bandits circulating around town these days. Wilford might be home of royalty, but it’s also close to the forest.”
With a thud, the chest landed on hardwood. The first guard scoffed. “Dark times we’re living in, when a man’s home isn’t even safe from scumlord vagrants.”
“Careful, Ty. We’re one bad month away from camping in the woods ourselves. Or working this lord’s property.”
The guard let out a snort of disdain. “Speak for yourself, Morris. I’m good with my money. I’ve saved.”
“Ha! How much of a shilling a week are you putting away, Ty? Don’t bullshit me now.”
“A shilling a week? I make more than that! I’m not a groom boy, you know.”
They ribbed each other as they wandered off, voices getting lower until it was quiet again.
I waited. And waited. Then I lifted the lid of the drawer. When I saw I was inside the carriage, surrounded by other boxes, knickknacks, and cases, I smiled.
Voices and thudding boots came from the manor, including my father and uncle’s voices. Gasping, I took a deep breath and lowered the lid, hiding myself.
“Hold her steady, boys,” Uncle Gregory grunted. “Drop her and it’ll be your head on a pike.”
They must be moving Mama. Poor thing.
“There. Good.” He answered a muffled voice I couldn’t hear. “Aye, put her in the first cart. She won’t fit with that mess of luggage in the second. Was all that really necessary, Sir Thomas?”
I could picture my father’s scowl. “Yes, Gregory, it was. You’ll see. Once we’re there, Joan will need a place to stay. She’ll want clothes if she starts to get better. You expect a purveyor of high fashion to dress in her sleeping gown for a fortnight?”
Gregory grunted. “Fair enough, mate. Let’s get going while the sun’s not blaring.”
“Agreed. Seen my wretch of a daughter?”
“Nay, Tom. Figured it hurt too bad to say bye to her mother.”
“Probably gallivanting in the woods like a witch, or stuck in an alley with guttersnipes. That girl, I swear.”
A few minutes later, the chest swayed. The carriage lurched to a start. The horses nickered and their hooves clopped on the cobblestones.
Trapped in complete darkness, I smiled as we made our way onto the road.
An hour later, I was getting desperate. Besides smelling musty and thick, I was starting to sweat in the tight confines of the clothing drawer. My breathing felt sickly and shallow. I couldn’t hold out much longer.
Gently lifting the lid, I cringed when the hinges groaned. I popped my head up to take a deep lungful of air—
And found Uncle Gregory sitting on a crate across from me in the carriage, chewing on a stick of meat.
I sucked in a sharp breath and smacked my head on the lid of the chest as I jolted in shock.
