Scarlet Destiny (The Hearts of Liberty Series, Book 5) by Conn Phoebe

Author:Conn, Phoebe [Conn, Phoebe]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: ePublishing Works!
Published: 2014-01-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Seated astride a shaggy-maned, dirty-coated stallion with a scruffy tail, Liberty nearly flew down the trail bordering the river and Sunny was eager to run. She intended to make the ferry crossing the James before it ceased operation for the night. Thank God her mother had reminded her to take some money along, or she would have arrived at the ferry without a cent.

When the ferry landing at last came into view, she dismounted and led her sweaty dirt-streaked mount up the boarding ramp. She kept her chin low to her chest to discourage conversation from the man crossing with a cow and calf. The instant they reached the opposite bank, she mounted Sunny and rode off at a gallop.

She planned to travel south until dark, sleep hidden hear the trail and continue making her way toward the Roanoke River in the morning. She would follow the river to the Appalachian Mountains and then the Kanawha River into the Ohio Valley. There was an abundance of spring grass to keep Sunny fed, and she was grateful he couldn't see how pitiful she had made him look.

She cared not at all how she might appear to others. She just wanted to escape Judge Mapleton's vile quest for revenge. If she met her father and brothers on the way, so much the better, but she wouldn't turn back if she couldn't locate them. She meant to hide in the Ohio Valley for as long as it took for the real murderer to be found, or for Mapleton to forget her. Her Uncle Falcon and Aunt Belle lived in the valley, and they'd hide her forever if she asked.

Eagle's map showed the rivers with wiggly lines, oak forests with tiny rectangles topped with circles, and the mountain range with a jagged, saw-toothed scrawl. The map was drawn with a childish simplicity that made it easy to read, and when she reached the first campsite, she was grateful the decision of where to stop for the night had already been made.

Well off of the trail, she slid off Sunny's back, removed his saddle, blanket and bridle. He shook himself as though he could feel every particle of dirt she'd dusted over him. He began to graze in the tall grass and would stay close to her as he always did. She unrolled her blanket and stretched out to nap before having the small portion of rations she'd allotted for supper. As soon as she closed her eyes, however, Stephan's image grew bright in her mind's eye.

She hoped he'd be angrier with Judge Mapleton for producing a lying witness than he'd be with her for running away. He'd keep fighting to clear her name, and she might be able to come home in a week or two before anyone knew she'd been gone. Maybe Rose Ellen Brewer had disclosed something vital to her defense. Now too anxious to rest, she sat up and unwrapped a hunk of bread, a small slice of ham and a piece of cheese.

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