of my heart, and without you I am lost.”
She put up no
more protests, and we went back to Warren Square to find Hannah and Leo
partaking of a light meal in the dining parlor. While Guinevere ran up to
change her clothing, I explained about our mission and what we had found.
“What is our
next step? Wait until we hear word?” Leo asked.
“I thought we
might ride out to my mother’s plantation on the morrow,” I told him, and he
nodded his approval.
“Would George be
hiding there?” Hannah asked with interest as she stabbed a piece of fruit.
“No. I want
Guinevere to see it, and I thought it would be best to call upon my mother’s
steward before he comes here in search of me.” For as soon as Mrs. Short told
her brother that I was here, he would search me out.
“Aye, when word
spreads that you have taken a wife all of them will descend upon you with their
well wishes,” Leo said, understanding what I needed to protect.
“I am not Mrs.
Martin yet,” Guinevere said as she came into the room.
“Not yet, my
dear, but you are well on your way.”
òòò
Hannah, Leo,
Guinevere, and I set out mid-morning on horses that Leo had procured somewhere
in the city. I had presented Guinevere with a lovely horse that was much like
her stallion from when she had chased me in Washington. There was a secret
smile on her face as she acquainted herself with the horse.
Guinevere and I
rode ahead of Leo and Hannah as I told her about my family’s rice plantation.
It was small compared to the thousands of acres of land that made up
plantations. My father never had much interest in the keeping of the land,
leaving the running of the estate to his steward, but I had loved it here. When
not in training, I had followed the steward around, learning all I could about
the land. It had been six years since I had last been in Savannah, but my
mother made an annual trip to see the plantation and her holdings.
We were nearing
the lane to my plantation when we came upon a man whose horse had thrown a
shoe. He was a finely dressed man, and his horse looked to be from good stock.
A neighboring plantation owner or steward I would guess.
“Good day to ye ,” he called out to us as we halted our progress. “Might ye be from these parts an’ can tell me where I can find a
smithy?”
Not a neighbor
then, but a gentleman. “You may follow us down this lane here to my plantation
where we have a forge,” I said. When last I was here, ours was the nearest
forge unless he wanted to lead the horse back into Savannah.
“This here lane?”
He looked down it, shielding his eyes against the sun. “Aye.” He let out a
whistle.
Understanding
strummed through me too late. I grabbed for my pistol.
From the trees
on both sides of the road came men on horseback with guns raised toward us.
They surrounded us, and I removed my hand from my holster. These men were too
well-dressed to belong to Harvey or George, nor did they wear the serpent rings
of the royal guards. That left me with one question, if not them, then who?
CHAPTER
11
Guinevere
“Y e will follow us, and if ye try anythin ’ we have orders to shoot ya .”
The well-dressed man mounted a spare horse, and the rest of the men fell into
flank us on all sides.
The cavalcade
moved down the road at a trot, passing the lane to Jack’s plantation, and when
we reached a bend in the road, we were led off the road and into the trees. The
path and the attack shouted of Harvey, but these men were none that I had met
before.
From my
experience, anyone could be waiting for us at the end of the trail, and all we
could do was be prepared to fight.
We rode for a
quarter of a mile until we reached the end of a small lane that began in the
trees and ended at the steps of a large round building.
Hannah cast me
an incredulous look, but Jack and Leo were impassive as we were ordered to
dismount. When we were on the ground, the leader turned to us,
She put up no
more protests, and we went back to Warren Square to find Hannah and Leo
partaking of a light meal in the dining parlor. While Guinevere ran up to
change her clothing, I explained about our mission and what we had found.
“What is our
next step? Wait until we hear word?” Leo asked.
“I thought we
might ride out to my mother’s plantation on the morrow,” I told him, and he
nodded his approval.
“Would George be
hiding there?” Hannah asked with interest as she stabbed a piece of fruit.
“No. I want
Guinevere to see it, and I thought it would be best to call upon my mother’s
steward before he comes here in search of me.” For as soon as Mrs. Short told
her brother that I was here, he would search me out.
“Aye, when word
spreads that you have taken a wife all of them will descend upon you with their
well wishes,” Leo said, understanding what I needed to protect.
“I am not Mrs.
Martin yet,” Guinevere said as she came into the room.
“Not yet, my
dear, but you are well on your way.”
òòò
Hannah, Leo,
Guinevere, and I set out mid-morning on horses that Leo had procured somewhere
in the city. I had presented Guinevere with a lovely horse that was much like
her stallion from when she had chased me in Washington. There was a secret
smile on her face as she acquainted herself with the horse.
Guinevere and I
rode ahead of Leo and Hannah as I told her about my family’s rice plantation.
It was small compared to the thousands of acres of land that made up
plantations. My father never had much interest in the keeping of the land,
leaving the running of the estate to his steward, but I had loved it here. When
not in training, I had followed the steward around, learning all I could about
the land. It had been six years since I had last been in Savannah, but my
mother made an annual trip to see the plantation and her holdings.
We were nearing
the lane to my plantation when we came upon a man whose horse had thrown a
shoe. He was a finely dressed man, and his horse looked to be from good stock.
A neighboring plantation owner or steward I would guess.
“Good day to ye ,” he called out to us as we halted our progress. “Might ye be from these parts an’ can tell me where I can find a
smithy?”
Not a neighbor
then, but a gentleman. “You may follow us down this lane here to my plantation
where we have a forge,” I said. When last I was here, ours was the nearest
forge unless he wanted to lead the horse back into Savannah.
“This here lane?”
He looked down it, shielding his eyes against the sun. “Aye.” He let out a
whistle.
Understanding
strummed through me too late. I grabbed for my pistol.
From the trees
on both sides of the road came men on horseback with guns raised toward us.
They surrounded us, and I removed my hand from my holster. These men were too
well-dressed to belong to Harvey or George, nor did they wear the serpent rings
of the royal guards. That left me with one question, if not them, then who?
CHAPTER
11
Guinevere
“Y e will follow us, and if ye try anythin ’ we have orders to shoot ya .”
The well-dressed man mounted a spare horse, and the rest of the men fell into
flank us on all sides.
The cavalcade
moved down the road at a trot, passing the lane to Jack’s plantation, and when
we reached a bend in the road, we were led off the road and into the trees. The
path and the attack shouted of Harvey, but these men were none that I had met
before.
From my
experience, anyone could be waiting for us at the end of the trail, and all we
could do was be prepared to fight.
We rode for a
quarter of a mile until we reached the end of a small lane that began in the
trees and ended at the steps of a large round building.
Hannah cast me
an incredulous look, but Jack and Leo were impassive as we were ordered to
dismount. When we were on the ground, the leader turned to us,