Merry Read online

  Chapter two

  That night sleep evaded me.  Lord Fitch contained an evil inside of him, of that much I felt sure. I could not get out of my mind the bloody sight I had seen behind the mansion. I crept out from under the covers to go on a walk to calm my nerves.  I started down a staircase and heard voices.  I froze.

  “…And if you do it again I will send you to the back of the house and feed you to the birds.”

  I peeked down to see that the speaker was Lord Fitch, and he threatened a servant.  I knew that his threat was not idle, for I had seen the proof for myself.

  “Yes sir.”

  I hid behind drapery at the top of the stairs until I heard footsteps leaving.  I hurried up to my room and leaned against the door, breathing hard.  I went to my trunk in the corner and started packing a bag.  Once I made up my mind to run, I found that I knew exactly what to do.  I ventured downstairs on silent feet, hoping no one would prevent my escape.  Two servants stood in front of the door leading outside and made no move to let me pass when I approached.

  “We have orders not to let anyone leave after dark,” one said.

  “I just need to get some air,” I said, my heart pounding.

  They looked at each other dubiously, but hesitantly moved to open the door.  I nodded in thanks, and passed through.  The door closed, and the light disappeared.  I walked briskly through the gates with little trouble, surprised at how easy I found it to leave, considering Lord Fitch’s mansion was built like a fortress. Having not thought about what to do after leaving the home of my betrothed, I found myself at a loss.  I thought the hard part was over when I escaped, but clearly I erred; I possessed little money, and no way to acquire more, short of stealing.

  I trekked to the closest town, Hangman’s Harbor, arriving in the early hours of the morning. As I entered the city I wondered if the stories I heard about it were true.  Unfortunately, I found that they were.  The inhabitants of Hangman’s Harbor hanged their criminals beside the city gates to serve as a warning to those passing through. Lord Fitch would surely come after me, for I served as the pawn with which his deal with my father was to be sealed.  I wondered to what lengths I would go to get away from him.

   Under the docks I found a place where the water failed to reach even at high tide.  I hid my few possessions there and went out to buy some food.  By the time I made it to the marketplace, horsemen wearing Lord Fitch’s crest swarmed the city, asking questions and searching any place I might hide.  I retreated back under the dock, and there I stayed for another day until forced by hunger to leave.  Before I departed, I took some precautions.  I cut my hair with some shears I had brought along, and bound my chest with a length of cloth.  With my gown I made a shirt and trousers in the boy’s fashion. Now maybe I would not be noticed.

  At an inn I ordered a bowl of soup and reluctantly placed my coin on the table for the serving woman to take.  I ate hungrily and listened to the conversation of some men at the table next to me.

  “Lord Fitch’s bride ran off, I hear,” a barrel-chested man said.

  “Everyone has,” a long-nosed man said.  “His men have been asking everybody all day.  He only lives a few miles up the road.”

  “Why would they just let ‘er go?” Barrel-chest asked.

  The long-nosed man shrugged.  “Fitch is angry, and he’s threatened to put the girl’s father away for good.  It won’t take too long for him to find her.”

  “She must be a real catch for him to care at all.  She certainly wasn’t rich.  Her father offered her to pay a gamblin’ debt, though why Fitch would take her instead of wringin’ the life outta her father, I don’t know.”

  I choked upon hearing this and started coughing, accidentally drawing unwanted attention.  Rage built up inside me.  Father sold me off for a debt and then had the nerve to act like it was all for me?

  “But it don’t make sense; he could have any girl in the country and he goes for a poor girl just to collect on a debt.  He’s spendin’ a lot more tryin’ to get her back than she’s worth.  Why do you think that is?” the last one asked.

  “Embarrassment.  He invited half the kingdom and now he done gotta tell them that the girl’s run off,” Long Nose said.

  “What are you doing here?” a new voice--my brother’s--said in front of me.  I jumped.

  “Joseph!  What are you doing here?!” I hissed.

  “You first,” he said.

  “Obviously I’m eating.”

  “Besides that,” he pursued.  “You ran away in the night, and suddenly you’ve lost all your hair and are dressed like a boy.”

  “Joseph, I refuse to marry him.”

  “Why?” he demanded.  “Father may go to prison, and if you do not pay off his debt by marrying Fitch, I will have to work on a ship the rest of my life to pay it off!”

  “So you want to put that burden on me instead?”

  “No.  Just give me one good reason, Merry.  One.”

  “He’s a bad man,” I stammered.

  “Define bad.”

  I told him first about what Lord Fitch told me about his ideas of pain and death, and then I relayed to him the conversation I heard the night I left.

  “Couldn’t it be possible he was threatening with no intention of carrying out the threat?”

  I did not want to tell him what I had seen behind Lord Fitch’s house.  I just wanted to forget about it, but I had failed to convince him that I stood in the right by leaving Lord Fitch, so I pulled out my last card.

  “Joseph…I saw people.”

  “Okay,” he paused.  “Would you care to elaborate?”

  “I was exploring the house because—well it doesn’t really matter why.  But I came to a door going outside, and Joseph, he had torture equipment everywhere.  Dead people were in these cages, there for the birds to eat.”

  Joseph’s eyes grew large.  “Oh,” he said soberly.  He sat back and surveyed the room, musing over this development.  “What do you plan to do?”

  “I decided I wanted to leave just last night.  I don’t have any plans.”

  Joseph scanned the faces of those in the room.  “Fitch’s men are searching everywhere for you—you won’t last long.”

  “Do you have any suggestions or more cynicism?”

  “More cynicism.”

  “Come on, Joseph!  I need some help!”

  “Merry, I really don’t know what to tell you.  I’ve never even imagined someone would be in this situation, much less my--my sister,” he finished quietly.

  Joseph saw something behind me.  “Head down,” he said.

  I obeyed.  “What is it?” I whispered.

  “Fitch’s men just came in.  Here, put this on.”

  “You want me to put on your smelly old cap?”

  “Just do it.”

  I put it on with a sigh.  Lord Fitch’s men ordered some ale at the bar.  I noticed their master’s crest tattooed into their necks.  After finishing their drinks, they stood around for a little while and then left.  Joseph leaned over the table.  “I have to go back to meet the others.  I won’t be able to come back to help you.”  He handed me a purse under the table.  I heard the faint clink of coins.  “Be careful,” he said.