Shadows in the Night

Chapter Twenty Two

  ‘You’ll be given a dainty doll,

  all the way from France’

  The next morning, Julia felt no wiser. She had had a restless night with sleep eluding her, and as a result felt more out of sorts than before. Her interview with Isabella Furnbridge had left her drained and tired. Again the day was dull and humid with the threat of thunder in the air, and a gloomy feeling of depression seemed to be present. With her head beginning to pound, Julia decided not to go riding or visit Lenore. Instead, after her mid-day meal, she retired to her room to rest and fell instantly asleep.

  When she awoke it was already late in the afternoon, but she felt much more refreshed and decided that she would call on Lenore the following day.

  That night when she went up to her room to retire, Julia became aware that the wind had picked up considerably and was now howling around the house. Going to the window, she pulled back the curtain to see the trees bending in the wind. Suddenly, there was a loud bang and a large branch snapped off one of the trees. As the moon came out from a break in the clouds, she saw a small figure outlined in the moonlight.

  Jimmy! What on earth could he be doing out there on a night like this? He could be killed if one of the heavy branches was to land on him. Feeling both agitated and annoyed, for she had grown fond of the boy, on a sudden impulse Julia went to the closet and took out her old grey travelling cloak. Fastening it, she went quickly down the back stairs, unlocked the door and stepped outside where the force of the wind almost toppled her over.

  After her eyes adjusted to the dark, she hurried off in Jimmy’s direction. She carefully skirted along the driveway avoiding the debris already fallen. Every now and then, glimpses of the moon appeared between the scudding clouds. Julia endeavoured to hold her cloak tightly about her even as the wind whipped her hair around her face.

  When she reached the broken tree, she looked in vain for Jimmy. Then a flicker of light away in the distance caught her eye. Julia crept forward, keeping in the shadows, cautiously stepping over fallen debris until she saw the glimmer of a second light. As she got closer, the light became larger and she could tell it was a lantern that seemed to be making some sort of signal.

  Without warning, powerful arms grabbed her, a hard callused hand came across her face, a cloth was stuffed into her mouth followed by a gag. A rough sack was thrown over her head and her hands and ankles tied so tight that the rope cut viciously into her flesh.

  Then she was unceremoniously passed like a sack of wheat from man to man, thrown across the back of a pony and sent rocking and swaying down some path.

  Terror filled every nerve of her body, but with the sickening feeling of her stuffed and gagged mouth, plus the smell of wheat and dirt from the sack which was almost smothering her, Julia’s main effort was to keep breathing while being tossed about by the trotting pony. Though it was on grass, there was virtually no sound and she realised its hooves were muffled to keep it silent.

  The run! It had to be tonight and she, stupid fool that she was, had blundered right into it!