Read Online The Scarlet Kimono (Choc Lit) by Christina Courtenay - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christina Courtenay
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And now she had her chance. She set off to fetch the beeswax, as well as carry out her own errand.
Soon, all would be ready for her flight.
Late that evening, she set about crossing the next hurdle – to leave the house undetected. Since the ship was sailing on the morning tide, Hannah knew she had to somehow get onboard during the night. Escaping from the house after dark was, however, not an easy task. All the doors were locked and checked by her father each evening before bedtime, and there was a guard dog who was let loose to prowl the garden all night. The locked doors she could overcome by climbing out through a window, but the dog was a different matter. He was a vicious brute at the best of times.
‘A bone should do the trick,’ she muttered to herself and stole a half-eaten leg of lamb from the pantry just before bedtime. ‘If the stupid hound isn’t tempted by that, I’ll have to hit him over the head with something.’
There were several other problems to overcome though. For one thing, she shared a bed with Kate, who was a light sleeper, and for another, what if she fell asleep herself and didn’t wake up until morning when the ship had already left? The thought terrified Hannah, but as she lay in bed listening to the sounds of the night she realised she was far too agitated to fall asleep.
‘Oh, move over, do! You take up so much space,’ Kate grumbled and jabbed a sharp elbow into Hannah’s side. Hannah was about to retaliate as usual, but stopped herself just in time. The sooner Kate went to sleep, the better.
‘Very well.’ She scooted over to the far side of the bed and prayed that Kate was tired out from all the wedding preparations. Hannah’s heart was thumping so loudly she felt sure her sister would hear her, but Kate turned over and soon began to snore softly, leaving Hannah a prey to her emotions.
She pretended to be asleep herself, until she was sure her sister wouldn’t wake up. Then she waited a little while longer. Finally, Hannah was about to ease out from under the covers when, to her surprise, Kate stopped snoring and began to do just that. Hannah froze and tried to make her breathing sound deep and even. One limb at a time, Kate crawled slowly out of bed and tip-toed across the room. In the moonlight, Hannah saw her sister grab her shawl and some shoes before disappearing, and then all was quiet.
She became aware that she had been holding her breath and let it out with a whoosh before sitting up. She could hardly believe her luck and hoped Kate wouldn’t be back any time soon. Just in case, however, she grabbed a spare blanket and arranged it under the covers to look like a human shape. With any luck it would fool Kate at least until morning. Even then, she probably wouldn’t notice a thing since she barely spared Hannah a glance.
I bet she’s gone to dally with Captain Rydon , Hannah thought and a stab of misery tore through her. Well, let her. Soon she’ll be married to Henry Forrester and I hope he sees through her wiles right quickly , her mind added savagely. Somehow, the thought of an unforgiving Henry cheered her up, although she still felt sorry for him. She hoped he knew what he was doing.
She retrieved her bundle from the clothes chest and left the room. Several of the floorboards on the landing creaked, but Hannah knew from experience which ones to avoid. She managed to make her way downstairs in silence. She wondered which way Kate had gone and prayed that her sister had chosen the garden route. A sudden burst of barking confirmed this, and Hannah smiled to herself when the noise stopped abruptly. It would seem Kate had also been stealing bribes.
It took only a moment to climb out through one of the kitchen windows, which Kate had left conveniently open. Hannah sped along in the shelter of the wall over to the nearest foliage. The large, shaggy dog was lying in the middle of the lawn, contentedly gnawing on Kate’s offering. He barely lifted his head to
Soon, all would be ready for her flight.
Late that evening, she set about crossing the next hurdle – to leave the house undetected. Since the ship was sailing on the morning tide, Hannah knew she had to somehow get onboard during the night. Escaping from the house after dark was, however, not an easy task. All the doors were locked and checked by her father each evening before bedtime, and there was a guard dog who was let loose to prowl the garden all night. The locked doors she could overcome by climbing out through a window, but the dog was a different matter. He was a vicious brute at the best of times.
‘A bone should do the trick,’ she muttered to herself and stole a half-eaten leg of lamb from the pantry just before bedtime. ‘If the stupid hound isn’t tempted by that, I’ll have to hit him over the head with something.’
There were several other problems to overcome though. For one thing, she shared a bed with Kate, who was a light sleeper, and for another, what if she fell asleep herself and didn’t wake up until morning when the ship had already left? The thought terrified Hannah, but as she lay in bed listening to the sounds of the night she realised she was far too agitated to fall asleep.
‘Oh, move over, do! You take up so much space,’ Kate grumbled and jabbed a sharp elbow into Hannah’s side. Hannah was about to retaliate as usual, but stopped herself just in time. The sooner Kate went to sleep, the better.
‘Very well.’ She scooted over to the far side of the bed and prayed that Kate was tired out from all the wedding preparations. Hannah’s heart was thumping so loudly she felt sure her sister would hear her, but Kate turned over and soon began to snore softly, leaving Hannah a prey to her emotions.
She pretended to be asleep herself, until she was sure her sister wouldn’t wake up. Then she waited a little while longer. Finally, Hannah was about to ease out from under the covers when, to her surprise, Kate stopped snoring and began to do just that. Hannah froze and tried to make her breathing sound deep and even. One limb at a time, Kate crawled slowly out of bed and tip-toed across the room. In the moonlight, Hannah saw her sister grab her shawl and some shoes before disappearing, and then all was quiet.
She became aware that she had been holding her breath and let it out with a whoosh before sitting up. She could hardly believe her luck and hoped Kate wouldn’t be back any time soon. Just in case, however, she grabbed a spare blanket and arranged it under the covers to look like a human shape. With any luck it would fool Kate at least until morning. Even then, she probably wouldn’t notice a thing since she barely spared Hannah a glance.
I bet she’s gone to dally with Captain Rydon , Hannah thought and a stab of misery tore through her. Well, let her. Soon she’ll be married to Henry Forrester and I hope he sees through her wiles right quickly , her mind added savagely. Somehow, the thought of an unforgiving Henry cheered her up, although she still felt sorry for him. She hoped he knew what he was doing.
She retrieved her bundle from the clothes chest and left the room. Several of the floorboards on the landing creaked, but Hannah knew from experience which ones to avoid. She managed to make her way downstairs in silence. She wondered which way Kate had gone and prayed that her sister had chosen the garden route. A sudden burst of barking confirmed this, and Hannah smiled to herself when the noise stopped abruptly. It would seem Kate had also been stealing bribes.
It took only a moment to climb out through one of the kitchen windows, which Kate had left conveniently open. Hannah sped along in the shelter of the wall over to the nearest foliage. The large, shaggy dog was lying in the middle of the lawn, contentedly gnawing on Kate’s offering. He barely lifted his head to
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