The Witch Hunter's Tale(76)

“Did they?” he asked with a smile. “Well done, then. I thought I heard voices, but I didn’t know if it was a dream.”

“But now we must see you all out of the city,” I said. “And the first step is hiding you and Elizabeth.”

“Then I’ll need some clothes,” Stephen said.

Of course the only men’s clothes we had were Will’s, and while Will was hardly a small man, fitting them on Stephen was no easy task. I had to slit a doublet in the back in order to button it in the front—a cloak would have to cover my work—and we stretched Will’s hose to the tearing point. If he were stopped and searched, all but the dullest beadle would know something was amiss, but absent a close look he would be safe. Dressing Elizabeth was a far easier task, for I had a chest full of clothes I’d bought for Tree. Indeed, since he refused to wear the silks I’d bought for him—too fine for a boy, he’d insisted—Elizabeth looked like a proper gentleman by the time we finished.

My entire household joined in a dinner of ham, cheese, and bread, and then it was time for Elizabeth and Stephen to test their luck. My heart lurched and I fought back tears as I wrapped Elizabeth in a cloak and pulled one of Tree’s hats down over her ears. She was mercifully unaware of my state, having spent the afternoon peering out the windows in preparation for her work as a spy.

I hugged her tightly and prayed for her safety before letting her and Stephen out the door. I watched the two of them walk toward Stonegate, and I nearly cried out in horror as the sentry dashed from the alley, his sword drawn.

Stephen stopped and held up his hands in a gesture of supplication. The sentry shouted over his shoulder, and two more men—these in the uniform of the Town Watch—approached. The three men gathered around Stephen and looked him over. I could see him trying to explain himself, and I said a prayer that they would listen. One of the watchmen peered at Elizabeth and then looked up at Stephen.

“If they don’t know Will, or have a poor description of him, they might take Stephen by accident,” Martha murmured. “They are looking for a man and a boy, and we’ve provided them with both. Never mind that it’s the wrong man and a girl.”

“Aye,” I said. “I never thought I’d pray that Will’s pursuers would know their quarry, but I do now.” I could tell from the look on Stephen’s face and the increasingly violent gestures of the watchmen that things were not going well. When one of the watchmen poked Stephen in the chest, and Stephen nearly fell to the ground from the pain, I darted out the door and into the street. By the time I reached Stephen’s side, my skin had turned numb from the cold.

“What are you doing?” I demanded. I saw that one of the watchmen wore a sergeant’s stripes, and I turned my attention to him. “Explain yourself!”

The sergeant could not have been more surprised if the Queen herself had charged down the street and challenged him. It took him a moment, but he eventually found his voice.

“We are in search of an escaped prisoner,” he said. His eyes narrowed, and I knew that he recognized me. “But you know this, for it is your nephew. This man came out of your house.”

“Were you told how tall my nephew is?” I asked.

The sergeant nodded. “A bit under six foot.”

“And how tall is this man?” I demanded.

The sergeant looked up at Stephen. He frowned, and I knew that I had won the day.

“Any fool could see he is not my nephew,” I concluded. “Let him pass.”

The sergeant looked down at Elizabeth, and his brow furrowed. Before he could speak, I whipped off her hat, showing her newly shorn hair.

“And this is not the boy you seek, either. No doubt you were told he had brown hair, and as you can see, this boy’s is red.”

Elizabeth looked up at me and opened her mouth to object to my calling her a boy. I popped her hat back on before she could.

“Well and fine,” the sergeant growled at last. “Let them go.”

I held my breath until Stephen and Elizabeth were safely out of sight. To my relief, none of the guards followed them. It seemed that our plan had worked. I nodded to the sergeant and returned to my house, desperate for the warmth within. As soon I entered, Hannah wrapped me in a blanket and hurried me to the kitchen. It took nearly half an hour before the cold began to seep from my bones. As evening fell, I sat in my parlor and looked into the darkening street, wondering how we could escape the city. Martha joined me with the same question.

“I don’t know,” I said. “The Town Watch is minding the gates so closely, I don’t want to try sneaking Will, Tree, and Elizabeth out just yet. If they are caught, all will be lost.”