The Crimson Ribbon Read Free Page B

betters.
    Christopher bundles Old Bess into the house.
    The men have hold of Isaac. He fights against them but they are too many. They force him to the ground and Samuel holds a knife to his neck until he is forced to submit.
    ‘Not this time, then!’ Isaac shouts, and I know he is talking to me. ‘But I can wait! I will not rest until I have justice! I will see you dead!’
    I watch, letting go of a breath I do not even know I’m holding, as they drag him off into the night.
    The floor beneath my feet shudders as the door slams and the bolts slide across. Then comes a child’s cry I recognise as that of Frances. She is the littlest, only seven years old, and my favourite. Her tears usually make my heart falter, but fear has purged all other feelings.
    Isaac’s threats echo. He meant what he said. He means to see me hang.
    The mistress sends both girls upstairs and Christopher tries to soothe them as he leads the way. I crouch in my hiding place beneath the lintel. I do not want them to see me like this, wretched and desperate, for they will read the story in my eyes.
    How I wish the master were at home, for none of these Ely men would dare go against him. He has the power of Parliament’s army and the righteousness of God on his side. It is his good name, and his good heart, that has kept us safe until now. But instead I must beg the protection of my mistress. The Cromwell house has been my cradle all these years; now it must be my sanctuary.
    I need the kindness of Old Bess too. She will understand. She will hold me close and tell me I am not alone. She is the only one I can trust in the master’s absence.
    My legs shake as I stand and try to still my breath. I creep down the stairs and pad to the door of the parlour. What I hear makes me freeze.
    ‘She must go tonight.’
    ‘Calm yourself, my dear. You are upset,’ Old Bess says.
    ‘I always knew Annie Flowers would bring shame upon this house and I was right.’
    ‘We cannot turn Ruth out into the street. She would not last the night. Do you want her to meet the same fate as Annie?’
    ‘It is not my concern.’ I hear the scrape of a chair as the mistress sits.
    ‘It is very much your concern when you’ve already lost one servant. Would you lose another?’
    ‘I would have my children safe in their beds.’
    I hear footsteps pacing and the swish of Old Bess’s skirts. ‘I will send word to Oliver by first light. He will know what to do.’
    ‘No!’ The mistress is adamant. ‘I have charge of this household and I say that she must go. I will not have her here for one more day. You saw those men. You heard what they said. If they dare to trespass so far, nothing will stop them. Men like that think nothing of the law, nothing of sin. They will attack us as we sleep. They will burn the place down!’
    ‘I cannot send her away. Oliver will want to take this to the law . . .’
    ‘Oh – Oliver! I have never understood why he insists upon housing and feeding the pair of them. He knows my thoughts and disregards them. Well, now I shall have my way.’
    ‘You are mistress of this house, my dear, but are you sure this is the Christian thing to do? Do you feel no responsibility for the girl?’
    ‘You heard those men. They will come back. And what then? Are we to live in fear, night after night? Are we to be hounded and mocked in the streets? We are a respected family and I will not have the taint of witchcraft upon us. I will not have the Cromwell name dragged through the dirt along with that of Annie Flowers or her bastard.’
    Old Bess hushes her. ‘Have compassion. Annie served us well these fifteen years. Ruth has lived with us all her life. She is a friend and companion to your little ones. We cannot abandon her when she needs us most.’
    ‘She is a servant, nothing more. Oliver would agree. His position is precarious and any hint of scandal would damage us. There is too much at stake. And you, Mother, are forgetting your place, as well as