house and stopped a short distance away. The footman jumped down from his seat and moved to open the carriage door for the occupants.
“Why are they stopping here?” muttered Will quietly to himself.
Will’s mother, Erisa Cartwright, made her living growing herbs, tending the sick, and acting as a midwife whenever one of the village women gave birth. Hers was a humble life, especially since she was a single mother with no husband. Will couldn’t imagine what a strange nobleman would want with her.
The man who stepped out of the carriage was a prime example of wealth and privilege. Slender and of medium build, the man had light brown hair and a sharp nose. He exuded pride and arrogance with every breath he took. His clothes were a rich burnt orange, heavily embroidered with gold thread; even in the dappled sunlight of Glenwood he seemed too bright to look upon.
A girl in a yellow dress tried to follow him out, but the man turned and stopped her. “No, Laina, stay in the coach. This place is filthy. You’ll ruin your dress.”
Laina had warm brown eyes and matching hair. She pouted unhappily. “But, Father, I’m bored. I can’t stand another minute in the coach!”
The man pressed her firmly back. “That’s why Selene came with us. Be a good girl and play a game with her inside.” He shut the door before she could protest further, then he turned and strode toward Will’s home.
Is he going to buy Mom’s herbs? wondered Will. That made no sense. A nobleman from the city could buy anything he wanted in the markets there. There was nothing special about his mother’s wares. Certainly nothing that would warrant a nobleman coming to buy them in person. He was torn by the desire to go in and discover what was really going on, but the stern looks on the faces of the driver and footman made him hesitate.
The driver left his seat and stood by the door to the carriage, while the footman followed his lord to Will’s house. The footman knocked, and then opened the door without waiting for an answer. He ducked inside for a moment and then stepped back out. “Only the woman is home, milord. It should be safe.”
“As if I need your protection,” said the nobleman dismissively. Going inside, he shut the door behind him. The footman took up a guard position by the door.
Fear touched Will’s heart and he worried for his mother. Erisa Cartwright was a strong woman, but strength mattered little when it came to men such as these. That lord could kill her and walk away, and no one could touch him, he thought.
What to do? At twelve years of age, Will didn’t have the size needed to protect his mother. Any one of the three men was more than a match for him, and the footman and driver looked exceptionally vigilant. Briefly, he considered circling around and trying to enter his house from the other side, but then movement from the window at the back of the carriage drew his attention.
The wood panel slid to one side, and a pair of slender legs appeared as the girl in the yellow dress eased herself through the opening. She hung from the edge for a brief second before dropping lightly to the ground and waving her hand at a second girl looking out.
Once again Will spotted the blue eyes he had seen before, framed this time by raven-black hair as a second girl poked her head out the window. This girl seemed older, somewhere closer to Will’s age, and she seemed unhappy with Laina’s escape plan, but she kept her silence.
Laina motioned to her friend again, and the second girl turned around and eased out the same way, feet first.
The two girls were hidden from the view of their guardians by the carriage itself, and they carefully snuck towards the bushes across from where Will watched. He couldn’t help but admire their craftiness, for both the driver and the footman seemed oblivious.
Backing away from his home, Will began stealthily circling through the woods, working his way around so he could watch the girls and see what they were up to. For a moment he thought he might have lost them, since he had to take a longer route to avoid being seen, but then he heard a rustling ahead.
He grinned. They were good, but it was nearly impossible to move without making some noise with so many leaves on the ground.