Furmidable Foes by Rita Mae Brown

Author:Rita Mae Brown
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2020-05-18T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

Reaching Leesburg, Martin and Shank looked for any kind of lodging with a decent stable.

Sulli and William, propped up against the back of the wagon, leaning under the backrest, felt the cold. One blanket wrapped each of them; the straw was piled up around them to hide the bindings but also for warmth. Both of their heads shone white with snow, now falling faster as sundown approached. Long, slanting rays turned the main street houses golden.

An inn appeared. Martin pulled up while Shank dashed inside. Maybe five minutes later he reemerged, smiling.

“Room in the back for the horse and cart. I paid in advance. There’s pallets there, some old horse blankets. I also rented a room inside. Figured we could take turns as we go sleeping in the barns with our catch. So I’ll take the first night, then the next night it’s yours.”

“Fine.” Martin hopped out of the seat, grabbing the bridle to lead the horse inside the well-organized stable.

A few other horses stood in stalls.

The two men helped Sulli and William down. Shank watched them as Martin unhitched the mare, wiped her down, and threw a heavy rug over her, leading her into a stall with hay and water.

“Let’s check the pallets.” Shank walked to the end of the wide stable aisle. “You’d think they’d put the tack room or a heat stove in the middle. Ah.” He opened a door at the end of the aisle.

“Ah, what?”

“There’s a little stove. Maybe it is better on the end. Safer. I’ll fire it up.” A neatly stacked woodpile rested outside the room, which was fourteen by fourteen.

It took him a while to get a spark, but finally he did and the straw under the wood caught. The innkeeper had thoughtfully stacked kindling as well as hardwood. The room would warm up in no time.

“Bring them in here,” Shank advised.

Martin, behind them, flintlock in hand, glanced around to see if anything could be used as a weapon against him or Shank. “How many pallets?”

“Six. Grooms must sleep in here all the time. Who can afford a room for a groom? Washbasin over there. We’ll get by.”

“I’ll bring you all some food.” He looked for beams or anything sturdy so they could tie Sulli and William. “We could tie their feet on this center beam. Keep their hands tied. Untie them in the morning so they can eat.

“That ought to work. Untie them tonight for dinner. You two pick your pallet,” Shank ordered.

Both, chilled to the bone, selected packed straw pallets halfway to the stove. They couldn’t be far from the center beam, but the room was already warming. Sulli stopped shaking.

“If you two sit down and behave, I won’t tie you to the beam until after you eat.”

“Yes, sir.” William spoke.

Sulli kept quiet, sinking onto the pallet, raising her tied hands toward the heat.

The horses’ munching sounded soothing. The odor of cleaned leather tack also added to what little pleasure there was.

Twenty minutes later, Martin appeared, carrying two baskets.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.