As he stood and shuffled toward his chair by the fire, Levi finally eased out a long breath. Would these hard conversations do any good, or would all the trouble be for naught?
Three days had passed since Chief Durand told Levi the council would meet soon, and Audrey was fairly certain today was that day. Tension seemed to hang thicker in the air the longer the morning progressed.
The few times she’d ventured out of their quarters, the people she met in the hallway or the courtyard seemed unable to meet her gaze. And she’d not been able to locate any of the council members. She tried to question Brielle, but her friend had been on her way out for a hunt, too occupied to answer.
All she could do was try to busy her hands until word came to them. She’d run out of things to do around the apartment—tasks she could accomplish with her mind in such a muddle, anyway—so she’d sat to finish the new coat for her father, since she’d given his old one to Levi for the escape.
Lord, give us favor with each person on the council. Give them wisdom to make the choice that aligns with your will.
Something shook inside her, and a full moment passed before she realized the tremor was outside her body, too. A glance at her pans hanging on the wall showed them swaying.
She tensed. “Is that . . . ?”
A look at Levi showed that he was waking from a doze. He wouldn’t be aware enough to know what was happening.
Papa met her gaze with his brows lifted. “An earth tremor.”
That’s what she’d suspected, but the shaking had stoppednow. It hadn’t been strong, more like a fluttering. She exhaled a breath to ease her insides. “We haven’t had anything like that happen in several years.”
A knock on their rear door cut off her father’s response, and she sprang from the chair, dropping her project to the floor beside her. “I’ll see who it is.” Maybe someone had been hurt during the shaking. Even a weak tremor like that could knock someone off balance.
Papa returned his focus to the project he was working on. One thing about her father, when he finally set his mind to a task, he was meticulous in its completion.
When she opened the door, Brielle’s younger brother, Andre, stood in the hallway. “Papa says for you to come to the council meeting as soon as you can.”
Not an injury, then. For a moment, she’d been distracted from this particular worry. Her insides clenched again, and as much as she wanted to question him, she didn’t. He likely wouldn’t know why they summoned her, and even if he did, it wasn’t his place to tell.
She brushed one hand over her hair and the other down her skirt. She looked like this most days, but maybe she should have dressed up in preparation to hear from the council. Too late to worry over that now.
She sent a glance behind her, first to her father, then to Levi. The latter caught her gaze and placed his hands together as if in prayer. The reminder eased a bit of tension from her shoulders. The Lord had control here. Nothing the council said would be a surprise to Him.
Turning back to Andre, she pulled the door open wider and stepped through. “I’m ready.”
26
As Audrey moved through the large double doors into the assembly room, it felt as though she were stepping into another world. How many times in her life had she entered this giant chamber? Usually, she was carrying baskets of food and eagerly anticipating special time with her neighbors.
That life seemed distant from the somber mood cloaking the room now as she strode forward to where the council members sat in a circle. Chief Durand stood and motioned for her to come beside him. His expression did nothing to relieve the knots coiling tighter throughout her body.Lord...
She made the mistake of sending her glance around the dozen or so faces in the circle. Not one encouraging smile, not even an understanding look. Just sober expressions.
“Audrey.” At Chief Durand’s voice, she turned to him and steeled herself for what would come. His gaze, usually so kind, held only seriousness now. “We’ve had much to discuss and have delayed this final meeting so we could spend time in prayer and full investigation of the situation. But the time has come where we must make a decision—both about whetherLevi Masters is welcome in our village, and regarding what should be done for your part in his escape.”
Her knees began to sway. This was really happening. The moment of judgment.
Maybe the chief saw her distress, for he motioned to a chair. “Sit.”
As she sank down, he also took a seat, then returned his full focus to her. “Regarding Monsieur Masters. As you know, the way he came to our village—secretly following Evan—did not make us think positively toward the man. We understand he was doing what he felt was in the best interest of Britain, but the fact that he was working for an enemy of the country that we’ve vowed to support is another concern.”
The chief hadn’t mentioned the history between Evan and Levi. Did that mean it hadn’t entered into the council’s decision? She couldn’t imagine that being the case.
But the chief continued, “His honesty during our questioning, both before and after his escape, has aided his cause. But the fact that he escaped before we’d even made a decision about his outcome is a strong mark against him.”
This concern she could refute, forshe’dbeen the one to initiate the escape and practically force him into it. But as she opened her mouth to say so, the chief raised a staying hand.
“Whether the escape was planned, and by whom, is not what I’m speaking of. He walked out of Laurent under his own power, knowing that our governing body intended for him to stay under guard until a decision was made. A decision, I’ll add, that we were very clear would be accompanied by prayer and fasting so we might understand God’s will in the situation.”
The intentional look he gave her with those last wordsmade her want to curl into a ball and cry. How wrong her rash actions had been. She should have trusted better, thought twice before doing something her conscience tried to warn her about.
