Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain Page B

medieval walls had a fortressed look to them. The fields and lanes were a mazework of stone walls and fences that would impede a quick and facile escape. In the distance they could see dim silhouettes of the massive chimneys of isolated houses and groves of twisted elder and crab tree blown grotesquely out of shape by the winds dotted the hillsides.
    "I don't like it at all," Will spoke softly, his voice sounding like a clap of thunder in Sabrina's ears.
    She looked at his big bulk in the dark, its familiarity comforting her nervousness as her horse shied at a scuffling noise from the hidden underbrush.
    "It's too late now," Sabrina answered as she saw the triple chimneys of the house ahead. The gossiping servant had mentioned its odd appearance and the avenue of sycamores lining the drive when he'd been drinking in the tavern.
    "It seems too quiet." Will frowned as he tried to see into the darkness enveloping the grounds.
    "It appears normal to me. See, there are lights coming from those windows, and anyway it's not a full household. It's just a small party, and they're still in the process of moving in," Sabrina reasoned aloud. "It's in our favor, Will. He and his friends, and a couple of servants. Mere child's play, eh, Will?"
    They made their way closer to the house, moving silently into the shadows, and, tethering their horses, crept close. Sabrina examined the house thoughtfully before whispering to Will, "You go to the window and stand ready to step in when I call. I'll slip around the side. I saw a window above, partially open, and I'll climb up the trellis and come down from upstairs. This way we'll have them between us. This window is locked, so you'll have to break it."
    "I don't like it. We shouldn't separate. I'll come up with you. We don't know the plans of the house, Charlie, or who's upstairs. No, I'll come with you," Will said adamantly.
    Sabrina shook her head. "And have the whole lot of them alerted as you crash down from the side of the house? You don't think that flimsy trellis will carry your weight? I'm light as a feather, but you're as big as an ox, Will, and about as noisy as one. No, this is our best plan. From the stairs I'll get an idea of the situation and be able to act."
    Leaving Will stationed at the lighted window, Sabrina crept silently to the side and climbed swiftly and noiselessly up the clinging trellis. Entering the darkened room through the open window she cast a quick glance about her, taking in her surroundings. It was an unused bedchamber. She could make out the cumbersome shape of a fourposter and chest of drawers. Moving across the room where a small ribbon of light seeped beneath the closed door, Sabrina opened it and carefully peered out into the wide gallery that was lighted by several wall sconces.
    Walking down its length, her footsteps echoing faintly, Sabrina suddenly shivered. It was so quiet. Like a tomb. Certainly too quiet for a rollicking midnight card party. But then gambling was the only thing these dandies and fops took seriously—and indeed, showed any competence at, Sabrina thought scornfully, unless it was in their own elaborate appearances; prancing peacocks, the whole lot of them.
    Sabrina grinned beneath the concealment of her mask as she thought of her own finely-cut velvet breeches and coat and the strip of bright tartan. She had a part to play, a reputation to live up to, and these popinjays would be sorely disappointed if her appearance fell short of their rather fanciful expectations of what the infamous Bonnie-Charlie, the impudent, gentlemanly Scots highwayman, should look like.
    Sabrina felt the hilt of her sword riding comfortably at her hip—a necessary tool of the trade. She drew her pistol, primed and ready to answer, just in case one of the gentlemen had a sudden urge to play the hero.
    Most of the furnishings of the upstairs were still shrouded in protective dust covers. That army of servants Will had spoken of hadn't been too busy, Sabrina