Will You Love Me in September

I tried to struggle free, but it was useless. My strength was puny beside that of the one who held me, and I was carried off under someone's arm as though I were a bundle of hay. I was aware that I was slung across a horse, and then we were galloping away.

I was bewildered and very frightened. I was not sure who had captured me, but I feared it had something to do with Frenshaw. They had followed me to the Rising Sun and in the morning must have discovered that we had left. This was the road to the south, and they knew I was going that way, so it had not been very difficult to find me.

I did not know what I could do. To attempt to wrest myself from the arms of my captor would be folly while we were galloping at this speed. There was only one thing I could do and that was wait and see what they wanted of me.

After what seemed like hours we began to slow down and I gathered that we had arrived at our destination. We clattered into a courtyard.

"Bravo!" said a voice which I recognized as Frenshaw's.

I was lifted from the horse and the hood was taken off. I could see nothing for a few moments, then I was aware of a house. Two flaming torches were on either side of the door and a man was standing there. It was Frenshaw.

"Bring her in," he said. My arm was seized and I was propelled into the house after him. We were in a hall, not large by Enderby standards but paneled, with heavy beams across the roof, and a fire blazing in a large fireplace.

I was dizzy and my legs felt stiff. I swayed a little.

"Give her a stool," said Frenshaw.

They did so and I sat down.

"Now," he said, "I want you to tell us without delay what you have discovered at Hessenfield and to whom you have sent your discoveries.”

I was numb with the shock of having been kidnapped and brought here in this fashion.

I had been afraid of this man from the moment I had seen him at the castle, but even before that he had filled me with some eerie premonition that I should come to no good in his hands.

I stammered, "You are mistaken. I know nothing. I have not sent anything to anyone.

I am ignorant of these matters. They have nothing to do with me. I am not interested ...”

"Your uncle was misguided to send you away," said Frenshaw. "He will have to answer for that. I myself discovered you listening at the door. Quite clearly you were sent to spy on us. General Eversleigh primed you on what you must do. He thought it ingenious to send a young girl into the enemy's camp. It was a God-sent opportunity for him that Hessenfield happened to be related to you.”

"You are quite wrong. There was no question of my finding out anything. This attempt to put another King on the throne only came about after I arrived at the castle.”

"Don't think to fool us with infantile babblings. You know and we know that we have been trying for years to bring the rightful King back to the throne.”

"I didn't think of it.”

"Oh, come, come ... and you in a hotbed of Hanoverian supporters! We all know that General Eversleigh is one of George's greatest commanders. Tell us what you have discovered. We know that you sent your findings to the General in York.”

"I did nothing of the sort. I have had no communication with him since I left him in York.”

"Do you think we are going to believe that?”

"I have no idea.”

One of the guards slapped me hard on the side of my face. I cried out and Frenshaw said, "There is no need for that ... yet.”

"She was insolent to you, sir.”

"She will tell us in time.”

"How much time is there?" asked one of the men whom I had just noticed.

I was so tired and it was only my terrible apprehension which was keeping me awake.

I had had no sleep the previous night and all I had was the hour I had snatched in the woods just before my capture. I was hungry, but what I wanted most was sleep.

"We will get what we want from her," said Frenshaw. "She seems dazed just now.”

"She could have had no sleep last night, leaving the Rising Sun in the dead of the night. Look, she's exhausted.”

I realized that the best thing I could do was to pretend to fall asleep. That would give me a little time to think of what I could do and to discover if there was some means of escape.

As Frenshaw rose and came over to the stool on which I was sitting, I closed my eyes and let my head fall to one side. He leaned over me and shook me. I opened my eyes sleepily.

"Where ... am I?" I said, and shut my eyes again.

"You're right," he said. "Shut her up for the night. We'll deal with her in the morning.

There's time.”

I was shaken and made to stand up. I did so, yawning.