Read Online THE CRY FOR FREEDOM (Winds of Betrayal) by Jerri Hines - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jerri Hines
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head at Hannah, “Don’t try. We don’t know what they are going into. You will have to wait with the rest of us.”
Frowning, Hannah bemoaned the fact. “How am I to wait?”
“We’ll get out the embroidery. You haven’t much progress on your last piece. It will make the time go by faster for all of us. It will be a long night,” Mother Agnes reached into her sewing basket by the couch. Jinnie stepped into the parlor.
“Mr. Corbett tole ma if there was trouble to send Malcolm for him. Malcolm is sittin’ on the porch watchin’.”
Hannah frowned, but she had no choice but to stay. She lit a lamp and made her way into the kitchen. “I’ll help make some tea, Jinnie. Where is Mary?”
“Hidin’ und’r ‘em covers, Miss Hannah. She ain’t the braves’,” Jinnie responded.
“If you have checked on her, it is enough,” Hannah said walking back with Jinnie. Jinnie stopped her.
“Donna worry, Miss Hannah, ‘bout the tea. Ah make ya’ll a pot,” Jinnie smiled. Hannah nodded and sighed. She started pacing.
“Sit down, Hannah. You are making me nervous,” Mother Agnes said, pulling the needle through the material, calmly.
The drums continued, wearing on all their nerves. Hannah went once more to the window. She could make out a crowd and from the noise they didn’t seem happy.
“I can’t abide this waiting,” she exclaimed after a while.
“You aren’t going anywhere without your father’s permission, Hannah,” Mother Agnes replied without looking up.
“Mother!” Hannah uttered, stopping upon looking into Mother Agnes’s stern face. She turned and stomped from the parlor. Resentment took hold of her, once again left out for being a girl.
Stomping into the foyer, a flicker caught her eye, a sliver of light from beneath the door of her father’s study. Easing over to the door, she rested her hand upon the doorknob. Listening closely, she heard a rustling noise.
Without another thought, Hannah whipped open the door to find a dark figure of a man rummaging through her father’s desk. She screamed, frozen to her spot. Wheeling around, the intruder knocked the lamp down and with it the light was extinguished.
Trying desperately to focus her eyes in the new found darkness, she could only make out movement toward the opened window. Then stillness other than the curtain fluttering against the wind. Mother Agnes raced in with a lamp in hand. Hannah was hanging out the window.
“What happened?” Mother Agnes cried.
“Someone has broken into Father’s study!” Hannah cried, crawling out the window.
“Hannah! What do you think you are doing?”
Mother Agnes’ question faded behind Hannah as she rushed into the darkness. Running down the back of their garden, she caught a glimpse of someone darting behind the Miller’s house. Then suddenly, she heard a mob cry in unison Death to Dunmore coming from the Square. She thought a moment of going to ask for help, but the thief would escape. She hesitated a moment more, then ran toward the movement.
She stopped and caught her breath. Her eyes desperately searched the darkness for any signs of the intruder. She could see none. Suddenly without warning, she felt a hand reached around her waist. Hannah shrieked.
Whipping around, her breathing eased upon the sight of a familiar face. “Gabriel, you scared me to death.”
“I scared you? What do you think you are doing?”
“Someone broke into Father’s study. He’s getting away. Come on. He has to be—”
“He is long gone, Hannah. Look at yourself. What were you going to do if you caught up to him? Hannah, do you ever think?” he questioned more as a statement than a question. Hannah stared defiantly back at him. Gabriel grabbed hold of her again. “Look!”
Angrily, she turned to Gabriel to find his eyes fixed on her. She looked down. Suddenly aware she stood defiantly before him dressed in only her night robe and bare feet.
“You aren’t going anywhere. Do you know
Frowning, Hannah bemoaned the fact. “How am I to wait?”
“We’ll get out the embroidery. You haven’t much progress on your last piece. It will make the time go by faster for all of us. It will be a long night,” Mother Agnes reached into her sewing basket by the couch. Jinnie stepped into the parlor.
“Mr. Corbett tole ma if there was trouble to send Malcolm for him. Malcolm is sittin’ on the porch watchin’.”
Hannah frowned, but she had no choice but to stay. She lit a lamp and made her way into the kitchen. “I’ll help make some tea, Jinnie. Where is Mary?”
“Hidin’ und’r ‘em covers, Miss Hannah. She ain’t the braves’,” Jinnie responded.
“If you have checked on her, it is enough,” Hannah said walking back with Jinnie. Jinnie stopped her.
“Donna worry, Miss Hannah, ‘bout the tea. Ah make ya’ll a pot,” Jinnie smiled. Hannah nodded and sighed. She started pacing.
“Sit down, Hannah. You are making me nervous,” Mother Agnes said, pulling the needle through the material, calmly.
The drums continued, wearing on all their nerves. Hannah went once more to the window. She could make out a crowd and from the noise they didn’t seem happy.
“I can’t abide this waiting,” she exclaimed after a while.
“You aren’t going anywhere without your father’s permission, Hannah,” Mother Agnes replied without looking up.
“Mother!” Hannah uttered, stopping upon looking into Mother Agnes’s stern face. She turned and stomped from the parlor. Resentment took hold of her, once again left out for being a girl.
Stomping into the foyer, a flicker caught her eye, a sliver of light from beneath the door of her father’s study. Easing over to the door, she rested her hand upon the doorknob. Listening closely, she heard a rustling noise.
Without another thought, Hannah whipped open the door to find a dark figure of a man rummaging through her father’s desk. She screamed, frozen to her spot. Wheeling around, the intruder knocked the lamp down and with it the light was extinguished.
Trying desperately to focus her eyes in the new found darkness, she could only make out movement toward the opened window. Then stillness other than the curtain fluttering against the wind. Mother Agnes raced in with a lamp in hand. Hannah was hanging out the window.
“What happened?” Mother Agnes cried.
“Someone has broken into Father’s study!” Hannah cried, crawling out the window.
“Hannah! What do you think you are doing?”
Mother Agnes’ question faded behind Hannah as she rushed into the darkness. Running down the back of their garden, she caught a glimpse of someone darting behind the Miller’s house. Then suddenly, she heard a mob cry in unison Death to Dunmore coming from the Square. She thought a moment of going to ask for help, but the thief would escape. She hesitated a moment more, then ran toward the movement.
She stopped and caught her breath. Her eyes desperately searched the darkness for any signs of the intruder. She could see none. Suddenly without warning, she felt a hand reached around her waist. Hannah shrieked.
Whipping around, her breathing eased upon the sight of a familiar face. “Gabriel, you scared me to death.”
“I scared you? What do you think you are doing?”
“Someone broke into Father’s study. He’s getting away. Come on. He has to be—”
“He is long gone, Hannah. Look at yourself. What were you going to do if you caught up to him? Hannah, do you ever think?” he questioned more as a statement than a question. Hannah stared defiantly back at him. Gabriel grabbed hold of her again. “Look!”
Angrily, she turned to Gabriel to find his eyes fixed on her. She looked down. Suddenly aware she stood defiantly before him dressed in only her night robe and bare feet.
“You aren’t going anywhere. Do you know
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