Freedom • Lord Tewksbury

SIX

Catherine and Enola sat exhausted in their lodging house, both of them filthy and sore from their encounter with the bowler hat man.

"I hope that wherever Tewksbury is, he knows that I almost died for him, and he's grateful," Catherine grumbled as she stripped out of her now ruined, green dress.

Catherine realized that one of her knees was split open and bleeding and she hissed in pain as her skirt brushed against the wound.

"I'm sure any thought that Tewksbury has of you, has to do with how he will flirt with you if he ever sees you again," Enola commented. "Perhaps he'll compliment your hair, maybe your eyes, maybe your beauty as a whole. My bet is your hair."

"Oh hush," Catherine responded, chucking her pillow at her cousin. The two girls burst into a fit of laughter at the banter.

They soon quieted down, and Catherine began to clean the cut on her knee with a wet washcloth.

"Catherine, is it just me, or do you feel responsible for Tewksbury?" Enola asked. Catherine glanced up at her cousin and sighed.

"It's not just you Enola."

"My mother would have us leave him," Enola commented. "He is foolish, and proud, and utterly ridiculous."

"He's also kind, and resourceful," Catherine added.

"Oh hush Catherine, you're only saying such because you're in love with him."

"That is absolutely preposterous, I am not in love with him! How dare you say such a thing."

Enola raised an eyebrow at her, and Catherine just glared indignantly at her in response.

"Mother will have to wait."

***

In theory, their plan was simple. Enola was going to dress as a widow in order to get into Basilwether Hall, and gain an audience with Tewksbury's family. Catherine was going to hide under the carriage and once they got to Basilwether, she was to sneak off and explore the grounds to find anything that may be important to finding the Viscount.

Catherine wasn't fond of riding under the carriage. It was a particularly precarious position to be in. One slip of her hand, and she would fall onto the pavement below, and potentially be crushed by the carriage wheels. It was also very uncomfortable.

Catherine was glad when she felt the carriage come to a stop. She saw the coachman help her disguised cousin out of the carriage, before closing the door and walking off. This was her moment.

The second she was sure that nobody would see her, Catherine got down from her spot under the carriage and took off in the direction of the trees. She ducked behind a bush when she saw the coachman return to the carriage, emerging from her spot when he drove off. She then made her way into the woods.

For some reason she had a feeling that if she was going to find anything to help them find Tewksbury, it would be in the woods. He seemed to be the kind of boy to spend time in the woods, with all his herbal knowledge and whatnot.

Catherine made her way into the woods, the new purple dress that she was wearing gently brushing the ground.

The woods surrounding Basilwether truly were beautiful. She understood why Tewksbury enjoyed spending so much time outdoors.

Catherine spotted a large branch laying on the ground, and she remembered the Viscount's words. A tree branch fell when he was collecting mushrooms. She knelt to examine the branch, and frowned when she saw that a portion of the branch was cleanly cut. This was no accidental occurrence.