“Yes?”
“I have been smuggling brandy and other tax-heavy items in my cart for a number of years. There is a long, shallow box at one end of the cart, much like an oversized coffin. Once I have it full of goods, I usually hide it under a pile of hay. It is not a sophisticated piece of deception, but it works.”
Gus could see where this was leading. Hiding in a box was not something he had ever considered doing. One because he wasn’t great with enclosed spaces, and two because he knew it was fraught with danger. It would be all too easy for someone to open the box and shoot whoever was hiding inside. “I am not sure about this, Alain.”
I really don’t want to spend any time in a box. Not while I am still alive.
Evangeline came to sit beside him. They exchanged a smile. She slipped her hand into his and gave a reassuring squeeze.
Gus began to struggle with his breathing, a sense of panic and fear slowing rising within him.
“If Vincent has gone on to Saint-Brieuc, we cannot openly travel on the road. The sea is not an option. This seems the best way,” she said.
Alain took a deep drag on his pipe then blew the gray smoke into the air. “They are expecting Madame Rufus and I to be travelling on the road today. If we meet them, the Lamballe gang won’t be suspicious.”
Evangeline nodded. “They are heading up to Tréguidel with milk for the cheese makers at the abbey. The village is past Saint-Brieuc, not far from Binic.”
While it was encouraging to hear them making plans, Gus still wasn’t sold on the idea. So many things could go wrong.
And that box. Can I make it all that way?
“The brass milk pots do make a bit of noise as they clang together, but they will be full. The journey home is much worse. It’s like riding with a cart full of bells,” added Alain.
It all made sense. Hide in the cart. Get past the Lamballe gang. Make it to Binic and then escape. But the mere thought of being in the box had the broth churning in Gus’s stomach.
Alain pointed at Gus’s head. His brow was heavy with sweat.
“Is there a problem?”
Gus closed his eyes. Admitting his fear of small spaces wasn’t something he was keen to do, but if he panicked in the box, it could well mean revealing Evangeline and his hiding place. His fear could kill them all. “I was stuck in one of my father’s sea chests as a young boy. I spent over an hour in it. The air was stale, and I was on the verge of passing out when they found me.” He was a grown man, had faced many dangers both during and since the war, yet nothing had come close to leaving the same mark on his psyche as being trapped in that metal box had done.
The gathering fell silent. He was weak. Shame crawled all over him.
“I can imagine how that would affect a young boy. Our minds are strange things. We experience something bad in our lives, and it never lets us go. Vincent’s second in command, Claude, the one with the scarred face, he won’t go near an open flame,” replied Alain.
“I noticed he gave the torch a wide berth when he and Vincent were in the foyer of the château,” said Evangeline.
“Claude is not a wicked man like his boss. I have offered him work here at the farm. I’m certain that it is only the fear of what Marec would do to him that stops Claude from walking away from the Lamballe gang.”
Gus withdrew his hand from Evangeline’s and got to his feet. With his wig gone, he had the luxury to run his fingers through his short hair. “Could we at least have the lid of the box partly off while we travel? If you see anyone up ahead, one of you could hum or whistle in warning.”
“We would need something louder to be heard over the clanging of the pots. How aboutLa Marseillaise? If we see anyone on the road, we can strike up the song,” offered Madame Rufus.
Her husband clapped his hands together. “You are a clever woman.”
The French national anthem was not something Gus had ever heard. And he could only hope that today wouldn’t be the first time he did. “If it is the only option, then we can but try. Rather than stand here and worry about it, we should get on the road.”
Evangeline got to her feet. “We appreciate the risk that the two of you are taking. If I don’t get the opportunity to speak to you later, thank you. Alain, I hope you get a good price when you sell our horses. Madame Rufus, make sure he uses some of the proceeds to buy you a new gown and some fancy boots.”
Madame Rufus grinned at her husband. “And a pretty bonnet to wear to church on Sunday.”
Alain headed for the door. “The cart is almost loaded. We should be ready to leave soon.”
Evangeline followed Gus out to the yard. When she touched him on the arm, he visibly flinched. Heat raced to his cheeks. “I feel such a fool over the worry of being in a box.”
“We all have things we cannot control. Just remember, I will be with you the whole way,” she said.
He swallowed down a lump of dread. “How far is it to Binic from here?”
