barn. From there it was not far to the little wood. She gathered up her skirts in her free hand and ran the short distance. Once they were between the trees they had to move more slowly as the undergrowth tore at their hems and branches flicked into their faces.
Eloise stopped as a branch caught her hat and nearly pulled it off. She grabbed at it and her hold on the baby loosened. Marie-Claire began to slide towards the ground. Eloise stooped quickly to save the baby and sat down with a bump at the foot of one of the trees. She gathered her cloak around her, settling the baby on her lap. The air was cold, a white cloud billowed from her mouth and nose, and she could see Pascale because of the sharp puffs of vapour she was producing. Later in the night it might freeze in the air. She shuddered and tucked the baby close against her, to share her warmth with the tiny body. Pascale sat down beside her and they huddled together, tucking their feet up under their cloaks. Eloise put her arm around her sister, throwing her cloak around Pascale, so that they were sharing their heat.
“I am too upset to go further now,” Eloise said, tucking the cloaks together. “Tomorrow we will go to the village. We will be safe there with mother. Surely they will remember that I am one of them, when they are calm in the daylight.” The baby sighed and mumbled in her sleep. Eloise closed her eyes and let her head nod forward.
Daniel waited inside the door for a moment before he shot the bolts, picturing his beautiful wife running away to safety. He muttered a little prayer for her safety.
“Trynor is with her, and Pascale with her own guide. They will do their best. They are not in real danger, anyway. Go on, do what you have to do quickly,” said Jotin.
Daniel hurried through the house to the study and set his oil lamp down on the desk while he opened the drawers and took out the important papers. He stuffed them into his pockets and turned to the safe, putting the money into a leather purse. There was not much, he had sent most of it away yesterday with his mother and sisters, but it would maybe be enough to buy off the crowd and allow his safe passage. I wonder did Eloise take all her jewellery with her, he thought, or was she too hurried?
“Do not waste time on jewellery” Jotin was shimmering on the spot, trying to encourage Daniel to leave now. “They will prefer money. You can buy more pretty things later. Goodness, you could even make them, if you could only remember. You’d think you had handled enough gold back in Crete to last you several lifetimes. Listen, they are getting excited. Come ON!”
Daniel stopped and listened. The crowd were singing now, he could not make out the words but it sounded aggressive. He turned and ran for the stairs, Jotin at his heels shouting ‘No! No!’ taking them two at a time. He dashed into the main bedroom and stuffed the contents of Eloise’s jewel case into his pockets. Then he went to the window and opened it, leaning out to pull the shutters closed. The crowd roared and someone threw something, which hit the outside of the shutter with a dull thunk. Daniel rushed from room to room, closing the shutters. Under one window was a group of men he recognised from the farm.
“What are you doing here?”
“Come to tell you we need more pay, Seigneur!” The man swept off his cap and made an exaggerated bow.
“But I know that already, I am making changes, you have been told. The money must come from somewhere.” Daniel reached for one of the shutters.
“Out of your pockets then!” a shout came from behind the men he knew. “Down with the aristos!”
“Explain to your friends that I am not an aristo, would you?” Daniel sighed. “I just work the farm, organise things. I do not organise how society is run.”
“Death to the rich!”
“And I am not rich, either. Each year pays for itself.” Daniel pulled the second shutter in and fastened the two together. The jeering and catcalling outside continued.
“Quickly, now you are here, shut all the shutters. They are getting dangerous. Come on, the baby’s room . . .”
The baby, thought Daniel, smiling. He set the oil lamp down on a table.