Chapter NineteenThe grim image of the Female Factory rose up in my mind, filling me with terror. My heart ticked far too loudly in the small space, and it seemed impossible that Officer Dry could fail to hear me and catch all three of us. My brief moment of freedom would cost us dearly.
‘If my son had been here,’ said Mr O’Connell from his hut, ‘he’d be long gone by now. But do feel free to search the … er … cellar, if you can spare the time from your very important pursuit of that bushranger.’
The three of us held our breath.
‘I don’t care to ruin my uniform on a whim,’ said Officer Dry. ‘William, you go.’
A soft voice answered him, but we were already scrambling farther back in the tunnel, stepping on our skirts and bumping into the walls. I considered dropping the unlit candle so I
