Chapter 4
892 Words
Dallin climbed in through his bedroom window, quietly moving across the room and slipping into bed.
Unlike Esther, whose room had four walls and a door. Dallin’s room was more of a stall. A single wall divided his room from the living area, and the outer two walls from the corner of the house also made up the corner walls in his room. The front was open, with only a large, shabby quilt strung from one wall to the other, providing a small measure of privacy.
He could hear his father snoring in the next room, the sound loud enough to disguise any noises Dallin made as he crept to his bed and reached up under the mattress. In a small box was every last cent he’d earned.
He counted the coins as quietly as he could, happy with what he found. When he added to that the money he would make turning out every wheel that the wainwright had ordered for this week, he and Esther could run away within a fortnight.
Excitement built in him. They were so close he could almost see their future together. Images of long rides, with him in his chaise, his single chestnut horse pulling the small wagon through the woods on adventure after adventure, made his heart swell to bursting.
He didn’t care where they went, as long as Esther was by his side.
He closed his eyes, imagining her beneath him as he made love to her for the first time, and drifted off to sleep. With only a few hours before the sun rose, he needed all the sleep he could get.
He dreamt of Esther. Her smile, her tender, untouched body, trembling beneath his touch. In his sleep, he smiled softly. Dallin had never loved another soul the way he loved sweet Esther, and society's feelings on class and love weren’t about to change that.
He would have Esther, no matter what.
***
Across the hills, on the other side of the village, Esther stopped quickly when she saw her home lit up like daylight.
Her stomach sank when she realized her mother had awoken and most likely discovered that Esther was missing. She was going to have a lot of explaining to do, so she’d best think quickly.
She altered her course, heading for the entry door rather than her window at the back of the house. Better to acknowledge that she’d been caught out than to try to sneak through the window like some criminal filled with guilt.
As expected, Hannah was waiting in the living room for Esther, her face set in anger and her arms crossed over her chest.
“Where have you been?” She asked without preamble, her voice low and angry.
“I had a bad dream and I needed some air.”
“You’ve been gone quite a while. Where did you go?”
“Around the village. I’m sorry, Mother. I was lost in thought and must have forgotten myself. When I looked around, I found that I had walked clear into the square. It took me some time to return.”
She lowered her head in measured sorrow, hoping her mother would believe that she felt bad about worrying her. “When I realized my mistake, I was hoping that you wouldn’t awaken in a fright. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
Hannah’s face softened, and she regarded her daughter gently, though she still wondered about her motivations.
“Good heavens, child. Why on earth would you walk alone in the middle of the night after a nightmare?”
“I felt I couldn’t breathe, and the only action that brought me relief was to be outside. I only intended to walk a short distance, but the more I walked, the better I felt. I found myself daydreaming and simply lost track of time. Forgive me?”
Her eyes were imploring, and she was hoping that her mother would find her sincere. She was sorry that her mother had woken up, but only because she’d been caught.
She loved her mother dearly, but after the way she’d tried to justify selling her only daughter off to the highest bidder, Esther wasn’t about to tell her mother the truth about where she’d been.
Hannah stepped forward and pulled Esther into a warm embrace, hugging her tightly.
Hannah was not one for emotional outbursts, and Esther immediately felt bad for frightening her mother.
Hannah pulled away and pushed down an imaginary wrinkle in her skirt.
“I was so worried,” Hannah said, smiling for the first time since Esther had arrived home.
“I had no idea what I was going to tell your suitors if you never returned. Imagine having to explain to them that you simply vanished. Our family’s reputation would be ruined.”
Esther lowered her eyes to the floor, but the gesture had nothing to do with feeling ashamed. Had her mother really just stated the thing that scared her most about Esther’s absence, was the effect on their family’s status?
Esther whispered good night to her mother and forced herself to walk calmly to her room.
Whatever guilt she’d felt had left the moment her mother had spoken those words. For the first time in her life, she understood her worth, and her heart was broken
- Writer
