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He placed a hand in the small of Hetty’s back, and propelled her firmly toward the door.
Simon followed silently. When one of the jailers moved to stop him, he glared at them. “She is my sister. They are going to need witnesses.”
The jailer reluctantly stepped back and allowed the small party to go inside to meet the vicar.
CHAPTER FIVE
Two days later, Hetty jostled her way through the crowd in an attempt to get near to the front. People were jammed into the narrow cobbled streets, jostling to get a good view of the gallows. She knew that many of them had travelled from miles away to see the spectacle that was due to take place within the hour.
It was disgusting really. She had no hesitation in elbowing and pushing her way through them, because she hated each one for taking pleasure out of something that was so macabre.
She closed her eyes and willed herself to stay calm. For the millionth time in the last two days, her fingers ran over the narrow gold band that now encircled her finger. She was married - to Charlie. The ring she now wore had been his. He had worn it on his little finger, and had used it when they had been married in Gembleby’s office because there had been nothing else available. It was too big for her narrow finger really but she refused to remove it. Just having it against her skin made her feel a little closer to him.
In a desperate attempt to get her mind off what she was there for, she turned her thoughts to the day when she had committed her life to Charlie’s. The kiss he had given her when the vicar had announced to the small group of people that they were now man and wife, had seared her right down to her soul. She had still been trembling when Wally had led her out of the jail, and driven her home.
She was married. To one of the men who were about to be hung this morning.
The sheer frustration of being denied a future with her new husband almost overwhelmed her. She wanted to rant and rave at Meldrew for his callous disregard for human life but, of course, she couldn’t.
She sucked in a deep breath, and squared her shoulders defiantly.
Lives depended on her now. She couldn’t afford to let fear stand in her way.
Thankfully, the backs of several large people blocked her view of the scaffold and, at first she had to content herself with looking at the ground beneath her feet. However, when a raucous cheer went up, she instinctively glanced up and her eyes landed on the huge wooden structure, in spite of her best efforts not to do so.
The world began to swim alarmingly as she looked at the five macabre nooses swinging silently in the breeze, visible over everyone’s heads.
Not for the first time since she had left the house just before dawn, she sent a silent prayer heavenward, and asked for the fortitude to get through this morning. She had to remain strong, for Charlie and Simon’s sake.
Her thoughts reluctantly turned to the reason why she was there. Charlie’s handsome image loomed before her like a beacon of strength in a world full of horror and fear. She clung on to it while she tried to gather her wits about her. He had risked everything to keep her safe; and had even married her to ensure she was protected in the event that Meldrew hung him. It was humbling to think that someone like Charlie would go to such lengths just for her and, now that he was her husband, it was down to her to do what she could to help him in his last desperate hour.
“Keep calm, Hetty,” she whispered quietly. “Keep calm.”
“Eh?” an elderly man in front of her grunted as he peered over his shoulder.
Hetty threw him a blank look and didn’t bother to answer him. She hadn’t thought that anyone would be able to hear her over the noise of the exuberant crowd. A quick glance around her assured her that only the old man had because he was standing directly in front of her.
She began to push her way forward and to the left a little more, and shouldered her way around the old man in front of her. As she passed, he jostled her. Her apology locked in her throat when she looked at him. There was something deuced odd about him only she couldn’t quite make her mind up what it was. Before she could speak to him, he looked her square in the eye and ever so slowly winked. Hetty opened her mouth and closed it again with a snap when she realised that she was staring into eyes that were considerably younger than the seventy or so years the man purported to be.
Confusion warred with disbelief. Who was he? What did he want? Was he one of Meldrew’s men? He certainly wasn’t anyone she knew; was he? She wondered if he was something to do with Sir Hugo’s men, but then discounted that as ridiculous. There wasn’t enough time for anyone to get to Derby from London.
He certainly wasn’t one of the regulars from the Dog and Ferret who were in the crowd to help.
She studied him a little more closely but, before she could get any further than his rather mundane clothing, he moved. Her eyes snapped back up to his. She watched in amazement as he nodded slowly at her once, just once, as though he knew her. He then turned around and, far too agilely than was normal for someone in his late seventies, ambled off into the crowd. Surely she was mistaken; wasn’t she?
What on earth? She mused as she watched him go.
She knew that there was nothing so strange as folk, but really? Given what she was about to do, she studied the crowd suspiciously. As far as she could tell, there was nothing untoward about anyone else. Nobody paid her the slightest bit of attention. She began to wonder whether she was looking at shadows where there were none, but couldn’t discount the notion that the old man was strikingly unusual.
She tried to find him again in the sea of faces, but he had vanished.
Where had he come from? More importantly, where had he disappeared to?
Whoever it was, thinking about him had certainly helped calm her nerves because she was now more concerned about him rather than what was going to happen in the next few minutes.
Keep your mind on what you are here for. Simon and Charlie need you, she silently reminded her
self.
