Jane Feather - Charade by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

"Y'know, don't mean to be discouraging, Danny, but it seems to methere's a better way of managing

this affair." Philip coughedapologetically. "I don't like this notion of stealing ... I mean tosay, why can't we just

buy

two carts? Bound to be somewhere around herewhere we can do so. Then, if they belong

to us quite legitimately, ifyou take my point, we can do what we like with 'em."

"That, if I may say so, is about the first word of sense I've heard ina week," Jules declared. "No, don't rip up at me, Danny," he begged asshe sat up indignantly. "I have no argument with the basic plan, butthere's no reason to make it any more complicated than it has to be.Stands to reason. All this about sneaking into stableyards and stealingcarts full of cabbages while every dog in the village goes berserk

is abit too fantastical to my mind. You stay here with Westmore and Tony.Philip and I will go off in search of carts. We'll fill 'em withturnips or something."

"Well, why can't I come?" Danny demanded.

"Because two of us can do it just as easily as five and we'll be a lotless noticeable. Besides, it's high time someone else had a say aroundhere. I ain't denying you have it right most of the time, coz, but youdo

let your imagination run away with you on occasion." So saying,Julian chucked her beneath the chin in an avuncular fashion which leftDanny gobbling with indignation and remounted. "Ready, Philip?"

"Well of all the . . .!" Danny stared, for once speechless.

"Now don't get on your high ropes, Danny," Westmore advised, leaningcomfortably against the trunk

of an enormous oak. "They have the rightof it and Jules is not the one to accept a petticoat rule for too long."

"I'm not wearing petticoats," she said crossly.

"What difference does that make?" Tony inquired with some interest.

"I'm going for a walk." Danny stomped off into the woods but herannoyance faded rapidly. She

had

been ruling the roost and she had become so involved in the adventurethat her plans were becomingunnecessarily convoluted. This was not just her adventure, it belongedto them all and if they couldn't work inharmony then they may as well give up immediately. The only hope theyhad of scraping by in safety was by relying absolutely on each other.

Danielle sat down on the bank of a small stream, pulled off her bootsand stockings, and dabbled her

toes in the cool water. It had been sixweeks since Justin had left. He should be in St. Petersburg now. Whatwould he say if he could see her here? With her hair cropped tight toher head beneath the woolen cap, her body sweaty after six days oftravel and inadequate water, her britches and shirt rumpled. She peereddisgustedly at her fingernails—the skin beneath was black with dirt andher feet even worse.

Justin would not be best pleased, she decided ashis face hovered in her mind's eye. She glanced behind her, listenedcarefully. There was no sound but the droning of insects, the chirp ofbirds, the rat-a-tat of

a woodpecker; nothing to see but trees and theground dappled with the evening sun filtering through the leaves.

With sudden determination, Danny stood up and stripped off her clothes.She could at least take a bath for her husband. The water wasgloriously cold, too shallow for complete immersion but she splashedevery nook and cranny, prised the grime from beneath nails of fingersand toes and dipped her head, emerging with a luxurious shake of curls.

"Danny? Danny? Where have you got to?" It was Tony's voice, his feetsnapping twigs as he plunged through the wood in search of her.Danielle sat on the bed of the stream where the water barely coveredher thighs and quite ridiculously wanted to laugh. At any moment Tonywould appear and discover her sitting here like some guilty freshwatermermaid! She daren't run for her clothes, he was too close and would bebound to break through the trees just as she was streaking across thegrass.

"Tony, I'm in the stream," she called softly. "Just go away. I won't belong."

"What the devil do you mean, you're in the . . . Odd's blood!" He stoodgaping. "A thousand pardons

 . . ." Stammering, he turned away.

"It's all right, Tony," she said to his back. "Would you bring me mybag? I wish to change my shirt, you see, and can use the old one to drymyself."

Muttering something that sounded vaguely like an affirmative, Tonydisappeared the way he had come and Danny sprang from the water, dryingherself vigorously with her old shirt and dragging on the

britches andthin camisole.

"Danielle?" It was Tony's voice coming cautiously from behind a bush.

"I am relatively decent," she called back, "but if you leave the bagthere, I will fetch it myself." She washed the wet shirt in the stream.It would dry in the warm night air and would at least be fresh, ifcrumpled, when she needed it again.

Tony had some difficulty meeting her eyes when she rejoined them, butDanny chattered cheerfully about the pleasures of her bath, making noreference to his inadvertent intrusion and suggesting that they mightcare to follow her example while she watched the horses. They wentreadily and she unpacked their supper from the picnic hamper that theyhad stocked in a small market town that morning. This night would betheir last of comparative safety until they left Paris far behind themon their return to Brittany. They could afford to spend no more thantwo days in the city, and Danielle, at this point, wanted only to findthe chevalier in whatever prison he was held. She would leave theothers to locate St. Estephe, to gather together those who would maketheir flight this time, and prepare others for the next time. Theyshould be able to manage at least one more trip before Justin's returnand then, if he