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She managed to keep it under control while Charlie went to catch a new horse for himself. By the time they left their horses behind, and closed the farmer’s gate behind them, Hetty was a bundle of nerves, and felt almost as jumpy as the horse was.
Her ears were tuned to any sound of movement around them but the hedges were just too high to see anything.
“Let’s try to get to into fields again so we can keep running and make sure that we don’t run into anyone. These horses have miles in them so we should have no problems covering the distance to the safe house, even if we have to go around in circles a bit to make sure that we aren’t followed.”
“How did you come to get involved with Meldrew in the first place?” Hetty cried suddenly. She had no idea where the cry came from, but raw anger suddenly welled up from deep within her and demanded to be released.
“I know you are upset, Hetty,” Charlie replied quietly as he looked at her. “I understand. He makes me angry too.”
“I am sorry,” Hetty whispered. “Meldrew just makes me so furious. Why does he do it? Why? How can one man get away with something so heinous as to set two people up for murders they didn’t commit; act
as judge at the trial, and then allow two innocent men to hang by the neck until they are dead for something they didn’t do? How does he sleep at night?”
“Men like Meldrew have no conscience, Hetty. You should know that. They will stop at nothing to get what they want, when they want, and will crush anyone who stands in their way. Unfortunately, someone like Meldrew is a little despot; a tyrant who has smarmed his way into a position of authority, which he uses to bully, abuse, and threaten anyone who challenges him.”
“What about the other magistrates though?” Hetty cried. “Why won’t they stand up to him?”
“From what I hear, the magistrate in Leicester is just as bad, and the one in Nottingham is Meldrew. He took over as acting magistrate for Nottingham when the previous incumbent there died,” Charlie replied in disgust.
“Killed by Meldrew, no doubt,” Hetty snapped in disgust.
Charlie froze and turned toward her. He thought about that for a moment and tucked it away to mention to Sir Hugo when he arrived. Did Meldrew plan to continue to spread his authority as wide as it would go until he was practically unstoppable?
He studied her for a moment. “Look, we have to get moving.”
Hetty allowed her horse to race after Charlie’s. As she rode she glanced around them, but could see little of the landscape because of the hills. Her hands began to shake, but it wasn’t from cold. Sheer guts and determination had kept her together over the past day or so but, now that the real danger was chasing them, panic had started to take hold and she seriously struggled to keep it at bay.
“Slow down a minute,” Charlie urged several miles later.
Hetty reluctantly complied.
“It will be alright, Hetty,” Charlie murmured. He leaned toward her and placed a comforting hand over hers. “I promise you, here and now, that everything will be alright. I shall not let him get hold of you.”
She nodded and wiped the tears from her cheeks but, before she could say anything, found her lips captured by the warmth of his. His breath brushed tenderly across her cheek and drew a sigh of longing from her. She leaned forward and returned the tender caress with all of the emotion that swirled deep inside her. This was what she needed. Him: his closeness. Just having him next to her steadied her world, and made her feel stronger.
“We will get out of this,” he promised.
When she smiled bravely at him, he nodded toward the empty fields ahead of them. “Shall we?”
“Yes, lets,” she whispered.
This time, they settled the horses into a steady canter. The gentler pace, and the rocking motion of the horse, seemed to soothe her. Charlie studied her, and was relieved to see that the tears had gone from her lashes. She still looked as though she was about to crumble into a thousand tiny pieces at any moment, and it unnerved him to see the terror in her eyes, but she was, at least for now, managing to keep her fear under control.
CHAPTER NINE
They arrived at a small group of houses an hour later. It was a seemingly nondescript little place. About fifty or so houses, of varying ages and sizes, were gathered together on either side of a small stream that ran straight into the hills.
At any other time, Hetty would have quite enjoyed its quaintness. However, this morning she was unnerved, on edge, and desperately searching for jailers.
She glanced at Charlie. Outwardly, he was calm, but couldn’t hide the wariness in his gaze as it flicked around them in search of danger. Hetty felt that she knew him well enough now to be certain that he was primed and ready for a fight.
“We need to ask someone where we are,” Charlie growled as he studied the road for any sign of a village shop, or parish church.
“There is a mile stone over there, look.” Hetty pointed to the small white stone at the side of the village green.
‘Derby 10 miles’, was written in black letters above a small black arrow pointing to the right.
“To the left it is then,” Charlie declared firmly.
