Chapter twenty-seven- Beatrice

Beatrice shivered with cold. She wished she still wore Sissy's warm blue cloak. The night air had taken a distinctly chilly turn and her thin cotton blouse wasn't meant for warmth. At least she could be thankful she still had Gilbert's shirt tied around her waist. Her legs were covered even if only in light linen. Not that it made her predicament any more bearable.

She wriggled in place and once more cursed her own stupidity. If only she hadn't slipped away from her warm, comfortable bed at Gilbert's side to tend to nature's call, she wouldn't be in this situation. Sitting here in this burned-out building, trussed up like a poultry ready for the pot. The bindings were so tight she could barely move. Her jaw ached already from the gag tied round her head and her hands and feet were going numb. All because she'd been so focused on relieving herself she hadn't noticed the rotund Narwhal hiding in the shadows. Not until he grabbed her from behind, gagged her with a piece of cloth and dragged her away. How the portly shopkeeper had escaped the Sheriff and his deputies, she had no idea. She could only pray someone noticed, and soon. Not that it made much difference to her present situation.

At least Narwhal hadn't thought to blind her and for that, she could be thankful. But it was so dark she could barely see anything anyway. If only morning would break. She knew it was close. The sky was beginning to lighten but it was still very dark. How Mr. Narwhal could manage to see what he was doing, she had no clue. But she could hear him moving around, huffing and puffing like a steam locomotive, softly cursing as he shifted charred rubble in search of something. She had no idea what he was looking for and she was certain she didn't want to know. She was only thankful he left her alone. Other than trussing her up and dragging her here to this part of town, he'd pretty much ignored her. Almost as if he'd forgotten her. She prayed he had.

Beatrice sat pretty much where he had placed her in the corner of this burned-out wreck that looked like was on the verge of collapse. The only solid thing in the place was the cold stone floor. Everything else creaked and groaned with the faintest stirring of the air. Every now and then dirt would rain down and she had to close her eyes against the grit, hoping and praying whatever structure remained over her head, stayed there. She feared the slightest breeze could knock it all over.

Again, she glanced around, noticing more details as the sky slowly continued to lighten. Surely there was something she could use to cut these bindings. If only she could loosen the twine around her wrists, she might untie herself and escape. Determined to do just that she lifted her bound hands as far as the bindings would allow, stretching the twine until she felt it digging into her flesh. Then, with a gasp of pain, she lowered her arms and attempted to wriggle her hands free. There was a small amount of give but not enough so she tried again and again until she felt the bite of the twine digging into her skin and blood trickling down her arms. But the cord was too strong and panic was eating away at her confidence. She had to get away from here and she couldn't depend on anyone else to do it for her.

No doubt Gilbert would waken soon and realize she was missing. But he had been so ill and was sleeping so deeply when she snuck away, that it was highly unlikely he would be coming to her rescue. There had even been several men awake and watching over the sleeping villagers. She had noticed them when she snuck away to relieve herself. But she couldn't count on any assistance from them. They didn't even know she was in any danger. If only she could have raised the alarm before Narwhal had managed to drag her off. But she hadn't. She couldn't count on being rescued. There was no sense dwelling on what she could have done or should have done. She had to focus on the here and now. And why should she have to depend on anyone else? Better to focus on rescuing herself.

With renewed determination, she wriggled and shifted, trying to find some give in the cords. She gasped and flinched when something sharp poked her in the hip. A glance over her shoulder and she spotted something sparkling. She stared hard at the shadows until the shapes came into focus and she discovered a broken shard of glass sticking out of an old frame. It must have once been a large window, smashed either by the heat of the fire or the collapse of the wall it had hung on.

A glimmer of hope sparked as an idea began to form. Immediately, she brought her wrists down and sawed the twine against the makeshift blade. She stabbed herself several times but persistence paid well and after a few strokes the twine snapped. She wanted to shout with triumph but managed to keep the celebration to a happy sigh. Wasting no time, Beatrice freed herself from the rest of her bindings and gratefully removed the gag. She paused to listen and was reassured when she heard Narwhal still shifting rubbish and cursing.

Praying he would remain occupied she cautiously rose to her feet, gathered her skirts and stepped around the scattered debris. Carefully placing her feet to avoid making any noise, she slunk along in the shadows, scanning the area for a clear avenue of escape. Her only option however was an opening in the wall that must have once been the entrance. Now it was little more than a doorframe through which the faint morning light was flowing. The moment she stepped out of the shadows and into the open doorway, she would be exposed. She hesitated, wavering with indecision. But it really was her only option.

Just then a sharp crack split the air and a shower of debris rained down near her hiding place. Narwhal gave an angry shout and, fearing she'd been spotted, Beatrice bolted. She raced headlong through the open doorway and down the narrow track that must have once been an alleyway between the buildings. Behind her came a horrendous crash but she didn't dare look back. Her whole focus had to be on dodging ruts and avoiding the scattered debris. The last thing she needed now was to trip and fall or even worse, twist an ankle over some unseen obstacle. She feared Narwhal would be on her in an instant, despite his corpulent size. Just the thought of his sweaty hands on her skin made her shudder in revulsion.

Finally the path widened into a broad, well trampled roadway. A quick glance around told her she had reached a main thoroughfare. All about were skeleton-like structures and rubble. She had no clue where she was. All the familiar landmarks were gone or turned unrecognizable by the destruction. Should she turn right or left? Which way would take her to the stone bridge north of town? The sunlight was growing in the eastern sky. Surely she should turn left, shouldn't she?

Rapid footsteps echoed through the darkness behind her and she simply turned and ran. Panic gave wings to her feet as she sprinted down the street, her eyes darting everywhere. She had no idea how long she ran, nor how far. She had no idea where she was or where she was going. She didn't even know if it was actually Narwhal who pursued her. She only knew that if she stopped, he would catch her and make her pay for having the audacity to make her own escape.

She was panting for breath, a stitch paining her side, but she dare not stop. It felt like that madman was right on her heels. A stone scattered across behind her and she whipped her head around to glance back over her shoulder. Suddenly she ran full-on into a solid wall of muscle. Her first instinct was to scream but the impact knocked the wind out of her and she couldn't utter a sound. Strong arms enclosed around her and she was hauled off her feet.

She opened her mouth to suck in a deep gasp of air in preparation to scream and caught a familiar scent. Her struggles ceased and Beatrice tilted her head back, intending to look into the man's face only to have him swoop down and capture her lips in a desperate kiss. But she didn't need to see his features to recognize her giant of a husband. He held her so tightly she had trouble catching her breath and yet, Beatrice found she didn't mind at all. She was safe in his arms again and could think of nowhere else she would rather have been.

It was heavenly to just languish in his massive arms again. To let all her cares and troubles evaporate away and just relax in his loving embrace. Nothing could touch her so long as Gilbert held her close. She was safe at last.

"Gilbert." She whispered as she tilted her head back to gaze up into his beloved features. "I'm so glad you are here."

"There was no stopping him from coming after you, My Lady." Came a familiar voice from just off to the right.

Beatrice peered around her husband's bulging arm muscles to see Mr. Sumter grinning happily back at her.

"We couldn't find you, Aunt Bea."

She started in surprise when Teddy moved around the friendly clerk and hurried to her side.

"Teddy?"

"Yes, it's me." The boy nodded. "I had to come. You are just as much my responsibility as Uncle Bear's."

Beatrice smiled, unable to argue with such logic. He was right. The boy was growing into a man. He needed to feel he was contributing his share.

"We are relieved to see you safe, My Lady." Sheriff Daimler stepped around the other two, his wrinkled face set in a stern frown. "Where is Narwhal?"

"He was searching for something in one of the buildings." Beatrice indicated the path behind her with a tilt of her head. "I have no idea which one. Once I managed to free myself, I simply ran."

"I can tell you where he is." Mr Sumter volunteered. "And what he's searching for."

They all glanced at the skinny clerk in surprise.

"Well?" Sheriff Daimler prompted impatiently.

"Narwhal is searching for a treasure chest which he hid beneath the floor of the old Hostelry."

"Treasure chest?" Sheriff Daimler frowned in confusion.

"Yup," Sumter chuckled heartily. "But he won't find it."

"Why not?" Teddy asked curiously.

"Because it's not there anymore." The skinny clerk beamed with delight.

"I will definitely want to hear more about this later. Right now we have to find Narwhal." Sheriff Daimler strode off purposely.

"Yes, sir." Sumter answered. He tossed them a jaunty salute before hurrying after.

Teddy made to follow but just as Beatrice opened her mouth to protest his involvement, Gilbert reached over and grasped the boy by the collar.

"No." He rasped firmly, surprising them both.

"But I want to help." Teddy argued.

Gilbert shook his head and turned them back toward the bridge. Teddy slumped with disappointment and Beatrice couldn't help but smile. Her husband was determined to keep their little family together and she couldn't have been more pleased.