Lie by Moonlight Read Free

“Do not forget that we have a plan. The only thing that is necessary is to stick to it, and that is precisely what we are going to do.”
    Theodora, Edwina, Hannah and Phoebe took visible strength from her show of confidence. She had been drilling the importance of The Plan into them for days. It was their talisman in this hour of crisis, just as she had intended. She had learned long ago that as long as one had a plan, one could keep going against great obstacles.
    “Yes, Miss Glade.” Hannah appeared decidedly more optimistic. Her expressive dark eyes were still very wide but her voice had steadied. “We have all studied The Plan.”
    “Rest assured, it will work.” She reached the bottom of the stairwell and turned to face them once more. “Step One has already been accomplished successfully. We are now ready for Step Two. I will open the door and make certain that the way is clear. Does everyone remember what to do next?”
    “We will proceed together to the stables, keeping to the shadows of the old storage sheds along the south wall,” Phoebe recited dutifully.
    The others nodded in agreement. The hoods of their cloaks were thrown back, revealing the heart-wrenching mix of anxiety and determination in their solemn young faces.
    “Does everyone have her bundle?” Concordia asked.
    “Yes, Miss Glade,” Phoebe said. She clutched her small canvas bag in both hands. It bulged suspiciously in one or two odd places, betraying the scientific instruments stuffed inside.
    The apparatus had been part of the collection of books and supplies that Concordia had brought with her to the castle last month.
    Earlier that afternoon she had tried one last time to impress upon each girl that only absolute necessities should be packed for this venture. But she was well aware that when one was dealing with young persons, notions of what constituted a necessity varied widely.
    Hannah Radburn’s sack appeared heavier than it should have. Concordia suspected that she had disobeyed instructions and packed one of her precious novels inside.
    Theodora’s bag was bloated with some of the art supplies she had been told to leave behind.
    Edwina’s bundle was stuffed with one of the fashionable new gowns that had arrived from London earlier that week.
    It was the gift of the expensive dresses that had alerted Concordia to the fact that the situation had become critical.
    “Remember,” she said gently, “if anything goes wrong, I will give the emergency signal. If that occurs, you must all promise me that you will drop your sacks and run as fast as you can to the stables. Is that quite clear?”
    All four immediately tightened their grips protectively around the canvas bundles.
    There was a dutiful chorus of “Yes, Miss Glade” but Concordia got a sinking feeling. If disaster befell them, it was going to be difficult to persuade the girls to abandon their possessions. When one was alone in the world, there was a tendency to cling very tightly to whatever had personal meaning.
    She could hardly fault her students. She had certainly not set an exemplary example of emergency packing. She would confront the devil himself before she dropped her own canvas sack. It contained a mourning locket with a photograph of her dead parents and the book of philosophy that her father had written and published shortly before his death.
    She turned down the lantern. Hannah made a soft, frantic little sound when the stairwell was plunged into deep darkness.
    “Calm yourself, dear,” Concordia murmured. “We will be outside in a matter of seconds.”
    She slid the old bolt aside and tugged on the iron handle. It took more effort than she had anticipated to open the ancient oak door. A crack of fire-tinged light appeared. Cold air laced with smoke swept into the stairwell. The shouts of the alarmed men fighting to contain the fire grew much louder.
    She could see no one between the door and the first of the old sheds.
    “The way is clear,” she