Lark (Sally Watson Family Tree Series) by Sally Watson

Author:Sally Watson [Watson, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781930009653
Publisher: Image Cascade Publishing
Published: 2014-05-19T00:00:00+00:00

12

The Prisoner

“It’s idiotic not to have another key!” said James. “Any inn has got to have extra keys!”

Doll shrugged and went on kneading dough in what James considered a heartless manner. He sat down at the white-scrubbed table and regarded her with disfavor. Why on earth had she permitted Lark to be locked in that room if it only had one key? It was hard to believe that she could be so careless. Surely she couldn’t be a Roundhead spy? No, that was quite impossible. But why was she so unconcerned about Lark?

“Well, what are we going to do?” he demanded hotly. “How are we going to get her out? What if the inn should burn down?” (He had also asked this of Will-of-God, who had merely looked blank and pointed out that it never had burned down, so why should it now?) “Do something, Doll!”

Doll punched the dough vigorously and looked calm. “Don’t be such a hothead, James Trelawney. Your little friend is safe enough for the time being, and how safe do you think anyone would be if her Roundhead relations find her gone? For that matter, where do you think you could take her?”

“I—” began James, and paused, because he hadn’t got quite that far yet in his plans.

“Why not leave well enough alone for a few days?” Doll went on. “Don’t forget, King Charles and his army may be passing by here any day now, and you’ll need to be free to join him; and then there’s bound to be a battle soon, and everything may settle itself.”

James’s mind had to admit that there was some sense in this, but again his feelings were stronger. Besides, he was getting a very irritating feeling that everyone was trying to run his life and make his decisions for him. As a result, he didn’t feel like taking anyone’s advice, however sensible.

Not being able to say all this to Doll, he scowled. “It’s a terrible idea,” he told her perversely. “Besides, you can’t keep a little girl locked up like that; it isn’t decent.”

Doll looked at him oddly and hardened her face. “Well, she is locked in,” she pointed out unanswerably. “Besides, even if we could let her out, she’d probably just run away again, and—” Doll wisely broke off her sentence just there and let James complete it in his mind for himself.

James was silent, having no difficulty at all in completing the thought. It was quite true that Lark was not exactly the hapless angel-in-distress of romantic tales, but a lively and independent girl, to say the least of it. Still, he couldn’t just abandon her, although Doll seemed almost to think he should.

He looked at her stolid face, single-purposed and stern. Doll never was tormented by divided loyalties, choices of wrongs. She gave her loyalty simply and unquestioningly, would sacrifice herself or anyone else for the king’s cause. James had never met a person of such iron purpose, and it shook him. He covered his eyes with his hand.

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