At the top of the stairs, Cadan turned right as if he knew where he was going.With his head down, he shuffled forward, behaving like a servant who wished to be anywhere but here.She mimicked him, sinking her chin toward her chest lest anyone see her face.Oddly, none of the other servants took much note of them as Cadan slipped into a storeroom and picked up a crate from a table.He handed it to her and took another for himself before heading toward a door at the back of the room.
With difficulty Gabrielle hefted the crate and pressed it against her chest in an attempt to hide her curves.She had no idea what was in it, but the contents tumbled back and forth as she followed Cadan out the door onto a wide platform abuzz with servants carrying boxes, crates, and barrels into the mansion from several parked wagons.
The hint of a crescent moon shone through the fronds of two large palms, adding to the flickering light of several lanterns hung on posts.
She broke out in a cold sweat.Her mind buzzed in terror.They were but steps away from circling those wagons and slipping into the dark gardens beyond…mere steps.
Her vision blurred and she blinked.’Twas but a blink, but in that moment, she bumped into something massive and warm.Stumbling, she gripped her crate and lost her footing.
Down she went, landing on her knees.The crate slammed against the wooden platform with a loudSMACK.
The large black man Gabrielle had bumped into shouted at her in French, something about her being a stupid boy.She grabbed the crate and attempted to stand, all while keeping her head down and chest covered.
Halting, Cadan moved to stand between her and the man, uttering a flurry of French that surprised her with its eloquence.Then kneeling, he gave Gabrielle a look of reassurance and helped her lift the crate.
The man spit onto the ground and uttered another sentence about a worthless boy who couldn’t carry his own chamber pot.
“What’s the trouble here?Get back to work!”Bootsteps thundered over the platform toward them, shaking the wooden planks.The overseer no doubt.
Gabrielle stiffened.Her pulse roared in her ears.Her hands trembled as Cadan placed them onto the crate and stood, hoisting the bulk of the weight until she had a solid grip.
Turning toward the overseer, he avoided eye contact and once again, spoke fluent French to him in an apologetic tone.
The man snorted in disgust, but his gaze focused on Gabrielle.Only then did she notice a curl had escaped her hat and dangled about her neck.
“What’s this?”Before she could stop him, the man removed her hat, releasing her hair in a waterfall of golden waves.
???
Moses had memorized every word the traitorous servant had told him and Cadan, every door, every hallway, every stair and turn that would lead him to where Omphile was imprisoned.Yet everything looked different than he pictured in his mind.Shifting shadows leapt at him from each corner, while lanterns spread circles of eerie light over the polished wooden floor.Eyes from long-dead French noblemen followed him from paintings lining the walls.He wasn’t one to believe in such things, but he could sense the presence of restless ghosts in this place.
Footsteps echoed down the hallway.Glancing this way and that, Moses opened the closest door and eased inside just as two servants hurried past.Darkness permeated the bedchamber, cloaking it in shadows, except for a shaft of light piercing the window and landing on a small writing desk toward the back of the room.Curious, Moses moved toward it, examining the words written across the parchment.He wouldn’t have bothered to care except he saw the word Allard, so he read further, interested only because some of the words were in English.
A noise outside the door jarred him and drew him back to task.He must find Omphile!
Slipping out the door, he glanced both ways and continued on his way to the room the servant had said the women had been escorted to.He’d been paid well for the information, and Moses could only pray he’d been telling the truth.But he felt the good Lord with him, despite the evil sensations swirling around him.
Down the hall, up another set of stairs, he stopped at the second door on the left and breathed out a prayer.A padlock chained the door handle to a hook on the wall.This had to be the place.
Plucking his ax from his belt, Moses looked both ways and, after hearing no one coming, he slammed the ax blade against the lock.It split with a loudclank, but he caught it along with the chain before they fell to the floor and made more noise.Hopefully, the loud party below had muffled the sound.
Excitement buzzed through him as he opened the door.Omphile stared up at him from her seat by the bed, beautiful as always, eyes wide with shock, then twinkling with delight.
“Why, Moses, what on God’s green Earth are you doin’ here?”Pushing against the chair, she slowly rose, wobbling on her feet.
Dashing forward, he took her in his arms as he’d been longing to do ever since he’d first laid eyes on her.Heaven.Her soft curves and sweet scent was better than he’d imagined.He could stand there with her pressed so close to him for hours.But they didn’t have hours.Not if they were going to get out of this alive.
Chapter 28
Everyone on the platform stopped and gaped at Gabrielle.Whistles pierced her ears.An authoritative voice shouted in the distance.“Capture them at once!”
Cadan grabbed her hand and tore off so fast down the platform, she nearly fell.He leapt down the steps and dove toward a copse of trees.Pistol shots pummeled the night air behind them.The eeriewhineof a shot whizzed by Gabrielle’s head and struck a tree to her right.
She couldn’t think.Couldn’t breathe.All she could do was follow Cadan as he zigged and zagged through a web of trees, pushing aside branches and vines as he went.They emerged onto a large moonlit field of sugarcane standing nearly as tall as Cadan.
“Get them!This way!”Voices blared behind them.
Cadan yanked Gabrielle into the cane and hurried down a narrow row between stalks.Spindly arms reached out, scratching her skin as they dashed by.
