Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jack watched the female prepare the morning meal. He sat to the side of the stove, convinced he hadn’t slept at all, glaring at her with his mouth turned down.

His unfriendly gaze traversed the kitchen. The level stone floor, cold during the night, hadn’t taken long to warm up once the female had lit the fire in the oven. The stove and oven nestled between the fireplace and the outer wall. Pots hung from beams on the ceiling while others were stacked, along with bowls and plates, on the table against the wall. The pantry, situated on the opposite wall, appeared to be well stocked from what Jack could see. The slightly open door at the end of the kitchen looked out into the garden, and he could see sunlight creeping closer as the sun rose.

The aroma of whatever the female had burbling in the pot on the stove made Jack’s mouth water, and the scent of the bread she had warming in the oven caused his belly to grumble.

The male walked into the kitchen, and Jack pressed himself further into the corner, wanting to disappear into the wall. Although still aggrieved at his harsh treatment the night before, Jack didn’t want to chance drawing any attention to himself, so sat as still as he could, but the male barely glanced at him.

The female ladled the contents of the pot into bowls and placed the smallest one on the floor by Jack along with a thick slice of bread. Surprised, he stared at it but said nothing.

Seemingly unperturbed by his silence, she joined her husband at the large table that dominated the kitchen. They spoke quietly as they ate.

Grudgingly admitting the thin stew tasted good, he devoured it along with the bread. He wondered if they were talking about him, but, again, didn’t want to draw attention to himself. His mind replayed the male’s words about eating Jack, and that almost cost him his appetite.

Once they’d finished their meal, as the female gathered the plates and bowls, the male walked out the back door. He soon returned, holding a cage, and placed it near Jack. Ignoring Jack’s whimpers, he unchained him then shoved him into the cage, at which point Jack’s whimpers turned to loud protests.

The female watched, head tilted slightly, arms crossed before her, and voiced a question.

As her husband replied, he locked the cage with a padlock.

Although Jack could sit up, the cage proved too small for him to stand or stretch his limbs. “This is too cruel–”

“No,” said the male. “Cruel is you stealing our cat and interfering in matters you cannot begin to understand. This is no less than you deserve.”

Putting her arms around him, his wife drew him away, speaking in a soothing voice. She took the key from him and secreted it in the concealed pocket of her skirt as she accompanied him to the back door.

Frowning heavily, Jack hoped the male was leaving. If he only had the female to contend with, Jack believed he stood a better chance of escaping.

Moments later, she returned and began cleaning around the kitchen.

Jack strained to hear the hoped-for sound of a horse being ridden away, but he knew the male must still be in the vicinity for he hadn’t taken a coat, and the female had come back in too soon. His shoulders drooped as he hung his head.

The female left the kitchen, but he could hear her singing, her voice sometimes sounding close, other times further away, and he guessed she must be seeing to chores around the house. If it wasn’t for his desperate situation, he would have sat back and taken delight in her beauteous voice. Instead, he wracked his brain, trying to come up with a plan of escape. But first, he’d have to persuade her to open the cage.

Convinced hours had passed already, Jack gripped the bars of the cage. “Where is she?” he muttered under his breath.

Moments later, she walked back in, humming softly.

Jack had decided on the direct approach and could only pray the male stayed wherever he’d gone. “Mistress, please let me out, my legs are cramping. I promise I won’t cause any trouble.”

About to push the flaming wood into the stove, she turned her dark-eyed gaze on him. “Why should I believe you? You have proven yourself a thief, which means you cannot be trusted.” Her attention back on the oven, she peered into it then opened the window beside the stove as smoke began to swirl out of the oven.

Lips set in a hard line, Jack forced himself to breathe deeply to control his annoyance. “You are right, I am a thief.” He grimaced as if the words tasted sour. “But I had good reason–”

“Good reason?” Pausing in her work, she raised her brows. “Stealing is not a good way to live your life.”

He mentally fumbled for what might be considered a ‘good reason’. Blinking rapidly, he almost gasped as sudden inspiration struck him. “My mother, she’s poorly. My father lost his business; it was taken from him. We have no money. My master, he told me if I did this, if I stole for him, he would pay for my mother’s care.”

The female’s movements gradually slowed, and she inclined her head slightly in his direction.

Jack ploughed on. “Please, Mistress, I did a foolish thing, I admit that, but I was only thinking of my mother. She means the world to me. Please. Please, do not eat me,” he finished softly.

“We do not eat humans,” she said, shaking her head.

“But–”

“My husband only said that in the hopes it would make you talk.”

Although she showed her back to him, Jack could see her hand slip into the pocket of her skirt. Long moments of silence slid past before she finally spoke. “I will let you out of the cage. I cannot do any more than that. My husband is sending a message to his brother in Aiqos, and your fate is for them to decide. You must promise–”

“I promise. I promise I will sit quiet and not be a bother.”

Still, she hesitated.

“You won’t regret your kindness, I promise. Please.”

She stared at the key in her hand as if waiting for its opinion then bent forward and undid the padlock. Stepping back, she waited for Jack to step out.

He tried to stand but his leg gave way, and he fell. To his embarrassment, she helped him up then lifted him to set him on a stool by the table.

Sitting quietly, hands clamped on either side of the stool, he carefully stretched his legs to regain feeling in them. He waited until certain they were strong enough to support him then began to weigh his options.

Recalling her words about her husband sending a message to his brother in Aiqos, he frowned, puzzled as to what method the male could possibly be using. Narrowing his eyes, he wondered if the tower had anything to do with it, and, if so, might the male be there? He wished the female had mentioned her husband’s whereabouts, but he knew he couldn’t wait around. When the male returned, Jack knew he’d either be chained or put back in the cage.

He couldn’t simply run out of the house, he had to get the harp first. He could only hope the harp was still in the study, and that the window proved easy to open. Glancing at the female, still busy at the stove, he knew he had to find a way to stop her coming after him.

Jack’s gaze fell on the skillet at the end of the table, and his eyes brightened. Battling to ignore his pounding heart, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers, he eased himself off the stool and haltingly edged towards it.

“What are you doing?” The female had turned from the stove. She tried to grab him, but he ducked under the table.

Appearing on the other side, he seized the skillet, but she planted both hands on it, dragging it away from him.

He swivelled his body one way then the other, looking for something he could use to somehow stop her. Darting to the side, he grabbed a couple of plates and flung them at her.

Gasping, she raised her arm to block them.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Jack rushed forward, crashing shoulder-first into the female.

With a cry, she fell back, hit the edge of the table before falling to the ground, landing awkwardly on her arm. An inaudible breathless sound escaped her; her eyes widened then seemed to lose focus.

Blinking rapidly, it took a moment for Jack to react. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean, I’m sorry.” He started to reach for her yet knew he couldn’t waste this opportunity to escape. Forcing himself to step past her, he ran to the study.

A cry of relief escaped him when he saw the covered harp on the table. But the moment he grabbed it, the harp shouted. Exclaiming, Jack almost dropped it then clutched it to his chest.

He darted to the window and managed to push it open. The moment his feet touched the ground outside, he took off at a run, the harp still calling out. He didn’t pause or turn when he heard the male’s shout, but continued running down the path, hoping Quentin was still waiting for him.