When Fate Dictates (8 page)

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There was no mention of our kiss or
explanation of his sudden departure the next morning when I
followed him to the docks. The docks were a bustle of noise and
activity. Ships with their tall empty masts swayed patiently on the
water. The smell of rotting seaweed and fish hung heavily in the
damp morning air. Simon pointed toward a large vessel with three
masts, bobbing teasingly in the water, some way from the dock. “Can
you see out there? That’s our ship.”

Squinting against the early sun, I nodded as
the great vessel came into view. It was a magnificent, sleek ship
with high sides and an even higher stern.

“It looks very big.”

“It is a very big ship, and it’s owned by
some very wealthy people.”

“What is so special about the cargo?” I
asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“It’s gold and jewels, stolen from the great
wealth of Europe.”

My mouth dropped open in shocked surprise as
I stood staring at him. “Simon, what about pirates?”

“What about them?”

“Well, if we have a cargo that is as valuable
as you say it is, surely we will be a target for pirates?”

“I can’t say that they won’t be a problem to
us, but that ship has seventy-odd guns. Thirty or so are mounted on
each side of the ship and countless swing guns are mounted along
the rail, along with archers on fighting platforms to prevent
anyone wanting to board us. I should think we will have a better
chance than most.”

Regardless of how impressive it all sounded,
a knot of terror tightened in my stomach. “How many people will be
on the ship?” I asked, hoping that I had not betrayed my
terror.

“I expect around two hundred and fifty men.
Why do you ask?”

“I was just thinking that it is a long time
to spend with strangers,” I replied.

“I won’t lie to you, Corran; cabins are not
part of the structure of the ship. The walls are designed so that
they can be taken down, in case you need to run the guns for
battle, or to fit in more merchandise. Even the captain’s cabin can
be taken apart if needs be. It won’t be fancy.”

We stood in silence, watching the smaller
boats in dock, each of us with our own thoughts, expectations and
fears. Eventually, Simon took my arm and we made to leave the
docks, pushing our way through the crowds of beggars, cripples,
sailors and merchants and headed back toward the city.

“We should get you some clothes to travel
in,” he said as we cleared the mass of bodies around the docks.

“That is very kind, but we don’t have the
money to spend,” I argued.

“Oh Corran, trust me will you,” he said
laughing, “right now that is one thing we have plenty of.”

I raised my eyebrows in question. “We have?”
He smiled down at me, a look of contented triumph in his eyes.
“Tell me then, where have we got all this money from?” I asked.

His smile broadened and he took my hand,
giving it a gentle squeeze. “Well apart from the money we acquired
from the military riders and a few coins for the horse, I made a
fair sum gambling in the tavern a day or so back.”

I screwed up my nose and shook my head. “We
must have spent most of the money we got from the transport riders
on the room by now,” I paused thoughtfully. “So you must have made
a very good sum gambling then?”

Simon frowned disapprovingly at me. “You
think too much,” he paused, rubbing his forehead in consideration.
“Well if you really must know,” he said, drawing a long breath.
“Mr. Marshall has paid me a very fair sum in advance for services
yet to be rendered.” He slid his hand into his coat pocket and
removed a tightly clenched fist. Discreetly he opened his hand to
display a rough yellow lump of gold.

“Oh my, Simon, is that what I think it is?” I
gasped in surprise.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, “Aye, if
you are thinking its gold then you would be right.”

I stopped walking and turned to him, my look
deadly serious. “Mr. Marshall never gave you that? Simon you have
done nothing for him yet.”

He sighed heavily, slipping the nugget back
into its hiding place. “Aye, you are right, he didn’t exactly give
it to me. However, he won’t miss it either.”

“But what if he does, Simon?”

“I told you, he won’t miss it. And besides,
there is plenty more where this came from,” he said, clearly
becoming frustrated with me.

“Please don’t take risks, Simon?”

“Trust me, will you woman?” he said.

We drifted down the cobbled streets, taking
delight in everything we saw, every tiny detail of each small
wonder of this new and exciting world. He bought me a heavy long
woolen cloak and the daintiest pair of shoes I had ever seen. My
eyes twinkled with pleasure and I sighed deeply, intoxicated with
the sheer opulence of the city. As the afternoon began to fade we
headed back through the crowded city toward the inn. On arrival at
our room Simon paused with his hand hovering over the door handle.
“I have to meet with Mr. Marshall this evening. Will you be alright
alone for an hour or so?”

I smiled up at him, my eyes still gleaming
with the excitement of the day. “Of course I will be fine
Simon.”

“I won’t be long,” he said, opening the door
and depositing our acquisitions on the table. He turned and stood
looking at me for a moment, as if he meant to say something, but he
didn’t. At last he picked up his hat and went to the door.

Several hours later he had still not
returned. Exhausted, I slid in between the cold sheets of the bed.
I was awakened sometime just before dawn by the sound of the
bedroom door opening. My first reaction was delight as I sat up
quickly, wiping my eyes and trying to focus in the dim light of the
room. He walked slowly into the room and across to the jug. Filling
the bowl with water he wet his face, picked up a towel and wiped it
dry. Fear swept over me as I watched him. “Simon, whatever is the
matter?” I said, throwing the covers off the bed and moving toward
him.

He turned slowly to face me. “It’s a damn
mess.”

“What Simon? What is a mess, what has
happened?”

He put his hands around my waist and drew me
toward him, lowering his head, his mouth pressed against the top of
my head. “It’s the ship; it cannot be docked for at least two
weeks. They’ve got the plague on board.”

“Sorry, Simon, I don’t understand,” I said,
confused.

“It’s the sickness. Ships are a breeding
ground for it. Many sailors get ill in ports, and then in close
quarters the sickness spreads through the ship. They can’t dock
here for fear of bringing it to the city.”

I moved away from him, to look at his face.
His eyes were dark, drawn and troubled. I smiled up at him. “Why
not just wait till the sickness has passed?” I asked naively.

He shook his head. “No.”

“Why? I don’t understand,” I said.

“Because,” he said, and then paused, meeting
my eyes, “the Red Coats are here in force.”

I stared at him, paralyzed with shock. “What
are we to do?” I asked eventually, allowing him to wrap his arms
around me. I felt warm and safe, pressed against him, his arms
solid and strong around me.

“We have to leave and we have to do it now.”
he said simply. “I have the gold and twenty pounds. That’s more
than enough to get us away from here.” He let go of me and moved to
stand in front of the dying fire.

“Simon, how will we get out of the city?” I
asked, my mind swimming with fear.

“We will travel by horse.” He raised his arm
and massaged the tight muscles of the back of his neck. “The Red
Coats are all over the city. Our escape won’t be an easy one. If we
are captured, remember that no matter what happens, you must never
mention that you are from Glencoe. You must say that I have taken
you against your will.” He turned to face me, his eyes meeting
mine. “Do you understand me? If you don’t listen to me then they
will hang you for sure.”

“I understand Simon.” I choked, fighting
desperately to hold back the tears. “Simon, where did you get
twenty pounds from?” I stammered.

Clearing his throat he put his hands on my
shoulders.

“That doesn’t matter; the important thing is
that we have it.” He slid his hand into his coat pocket. “Put out
your hand.” I did as he said. He took his hand from his pocket and
opened it over my palm. Turning it toward me, he dropped the gold
nugget into the palm of my hand.

“Keep that, you may have need of it.”

My hands were shaking as I closed my fingers
over its weight. “I am frightened, Simon,” I whispered, so quietly
that I could hardly even hear my own voice.

He covered my fist with his hand and smiled
down at me. “It will be alright, we will get out of here. You have
just got to trust me.”

I nodded, lifting my eyes to his. “I do trust
you Simon,” I said simply.

“Good, then we need to leave.” He threw a
pair of trousers and shirt at me.

“I am sorry, but they are so much more
practical for travel. Put them on.” I did as he said without
complaint; my hands shaking so much I couldn’t do up the ties of
the shirt. Silently he moved toward me and tenderly took hold of my
arms, moving them gently away; he tied the shirt for me. “Tie up
your hair and put this bonnet on,” he said, tossing a black bonnet
onto the bed. I watched him as he hurriedly squeezed as much as he
could into saddlebags. “Right lass, I’m done. Are you ready?” I
nodded nervously, moving to take hold of his arm. “We will need to
leave separately; you don’t want the innkeeper to recognize you
dressed like that. He is sure to smell a rat if he does. I will go
down first. You watch the window for my signal, then come down, but
try not to be noticed. If you are seen, don’t speak; just pull the
bonnet down over your eyes.”

He grabbed the bags and pushed a roll top
pistol into the belt of his trousers before putting his long black
coat on. He left the room. I stood, frozen, watching the closed
shutters of the window, praying that we would not get caught. I
moved slowly toward the shutters, opening them as cautiously as if
they were about to explode in my face. My eyes scanned the street
frantically for him, but he was not there.

A flurry of activity burst on the street in
the form of a group of men who ran, shouting and chanting down the
street toward the inn. I knew with the instincts of a hunted animal
that they were coming for me. Then I saw the Red Coats behind the
group of men, their polished bayonets shining in the light of the
moon. I slammed the shutters closed and pressed my back against
them, breathing shallowly, shaking with fear. I tried to move my
feet but they were frozen to the floor. My heart pounded. The room
was swaying and I knew that I had to run. My feet felt like lead
weights, but with desperate concentration and effort they moved,
slowly at first, then with the fear and panic of utter desperation
I felt myself running toward the door then out on to the narrow
landing. I stopped still, hardly daring to breath at the top of the
stairs. I could hear voices heading my way.

“Oh dear God, where do I go?” I whispered.
The stairs were my only way out, so I took a deep breath and ran
down them, reaching the bottom just in time to see the mob burst
through the door of the inn. I ducked around a corner, my back
pressed hard against the wall. I could hear them shouting at the
innkeeper.

“Quick, they are up there,” said one of
them.

I turned toward my left to see the door to
the kitchen, and slid through it. The room was in darkness, no one
was around. I grabbed at a door that lead into a courtyard at the
back of the inn, slipping through it into the night air.

“They’ve gone out the back!” I heard someone
shout and the pounding of the men’s boots on the wooden floorboards
headed in my direction as the mob turned. I ran out of the
courtyard and into the street, heading toward the darkness of the
docks. The sounds grew fainter the more ground I covered but I did
not pause or look back. The ground blurred beneath me as I ran
blindly into someone, bouncing backwards to land hard on the
ground. I looked up, struggling to breath and trembling, to see an
arm extended. I took the hand, only realizing once I was standing
that it was Simon.

“Oh dear God, Simon, what has happened?”I
asked, as he put his fingers to his lips.

“Shhh, Corran,” he whispered, “We must
go.”

“Where is the horse Simon?”

“We can’t use it now, it’s too
dangerous.”

“How are we going to get out of the city
then?” I whispered, trying to hold my voice steady.

“We will do it in a boat but we haven’t time
to spare, we must go now.”

Obediently, I followed him away from the
docks and onto the lonely sandy shore of the beach. Clinging to the
coastline we headed east of the city, stopping eventually by a
deserted castle at the mouth of the River Tay. Simon led us to the
entrance of a cave below the castle in the side of the hill. My
eyes fought to adjust in the pitch darkness. I put my hand out to
feel my way, recoiling in revulsion as I touched the slimy rocks
from which water oozed. The cave led to an underground passageway
that ran along the coast and under the castle. I stumbled on a rock
and Simon tightened his hold on my hand.

“Almost there,” he said encouragingly.

“Where are we going?” I panted.

“To catch a boat,” he said. I found this
answer most unsatisfactory but decided not to pursue the matter,
mostly due to the fact that I found running and talking more effort
than it seemed worth.

“This is the meeting point,” he said,
eventually halting our sprint through the passageway. I had no idea
how he could distinguish any signal or reference point to suggest
that this place was any different to where we had been ten minutes
ago. I found it impossible to respond, still gasping for breath and
shivering with cold.