The Highwayman's Hostage

Chapter 4

The morning came and so was ended Bess' first night as the hostage of the highwaymen. Sunlight poured in from every crack and every chink in the armour of the cave, but it was still dark and unwelcoming. She awoke before everybody else and thought it the perfect opportunity to escape. They were all sleeping deeply and she could easily slip away and get a good headstart, but she couldn't. Lifting her meagre covers, she looked resentfully at her bandaged leg and gave a huff.

Dick was the next to rise from his slumber. Quickly, Bess dropped her head on the pillowless ground and pretended to be sleeping deeply. She didn't want to have to face him, if she could help it.

"I know you're not asleep." He called idly, as he began to stoke up a fire at the mouth of the cave.

"Oh," she said, not wishing to rouse his terrifying temper. Reluctantly getting up, she ambled over to where Dick sat, careful not to get too close. It wasn't just his manner that put her on edge, it was everything about him; his brooding gaze, his stature, his clothes. Why was that? She pondered the matter for quite some time, finally coming to the conclusion that he was too mysterious. She didn't know enough about him or his personality. He was so shady and secretive. She had never come across anybody like him, and it frightened her.

"Hungry?" He mumbled. He did not make eye contact. The enquiry went right over Bess' head, for she was still deep in thought. "Are you hungry?" He asked again, waving his overworked hands in her face. Immediately, she jumped backwards and looked straight at him with the frightened eyes of a doe. He cracked a tiny half-smile at her reaction and repeated once more, "Are you hungry?"

"Oh, erm," Bess stuttered as she embarassedly scooted back to her original position, "yes, yes, I am very hungry."

"Here," he said, fishing out a large hunk of rye bread. She took the bread without hesitation and began to hungrily bite into it, having only just realised that she hadn't eaten the sausages offered to her last night.

"Thank you," she added as an afterthought. For the first time in their short aquaintance, Dick made eye contact without looking angry or murderous. His black pupils mirrored hers, and finally he nodded and ate his breakfast in silence. Bess, uncomfortable with the situation, stood and fled back to where Felicity slept soundly.

"Floss," Bess said, "wake up." When Felicity made no move to open her eyes, Bess took hold of Felicity's cheeks and wobbled them. Felicity was famous in their town for having really squidgy cheeks.

"What is it?" She asked, swatting Bess' hand away.

"Richard has some bread for breakfast," Bess replied.

"I am sorry, Bess," blurted Felicity. Bess was surprised by this random outburst.

"Whatever are you sorry for?" She asked.

"Being so grumpy towards you last night. It really wasn't your fault we were kidnapped. At least we weren't killed. I just hope your coachman reports back to your father."

"As do I."

The day passed without much speech on Bess and Dick's part, but it seemed that Floss and Matt got along famously. Bess wondered how she could speak so easily with the man who held her prisoner. She did admit that Matt had an inviting manner about him, but to openly seek conversation with him was utterly shocking to her. For most of the day, Bess sat at the back of the tiny cave and sang hymns (the only type of song she knew) and sometimes prayed for freedom.

As night crept slowly towards the company and chased away the warm sun, the four of them sat in the cave. Matt and Dick talked together cheerily. It was strange for Bess to see Dick look so carefree and normal. Felicity periodically joined in the conversation, but she was not what one would call an active participant, Bess even less so. She was not sulky as she was last night, something which Dick and Matt were very thankful for. Evening air, with its fresh, almost enchanting fragrance, tousled her tangled her and sent a shiver down her spine as she sat tucked up in the cave. She was engrossed in her thoughts and thus did not notice how cold she was; it wasn't until Dick tossed his coat at her for the second time in two days that she realised she had massive goosebumps.

"Thank you," she said. "Do you happen to have something with which I can clean my teeth?" Without replying, Dick dug around in his pack and eventually pulled out some licorice root. It was a far cry from the boar bristle toothbrush and toothpaste she was used to back home, but it would have to do. "It tastes like candy," she commented.

"We've got some o' that too, if you want any," Matt offered. Just as Bess was about to accept, Dick intervened.

"Oi, Matt! We can't go wasting our fine food on these here morts." Bess raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, still chewing on the licorice.

"We can if your plan works. After we get 'em off our hands we can buy whatever we want. We'll have plenty o' recruits coming in," Matt argued. Dick, seeing the truth in this, handed over a handful of candy, no doubt robbed from some poor rich child.

The next day it was the twelfth of April, and it was the day Dick and Matt decided they would get back to their lowly jobs. Bess would have protested, for she was an incredibly moral and religious girl, but she knew that this would be her best chance for escape. The night before, she and Felicity had stayed up trying to plot an escape plan. They had decided that if they continously journeyed south they would soon escape the forest and reach cousin James' house soon. It would be difficult to escape, incredibly difficult. Bess' leg had not healed and although she could stand, she could not run, jog, or even speed-walk. This was the main reason Dick and Matt were confident Bess and Felicity would still be there when they returned.

The day was the physical incarnation of the saying 'april showers', for rain poured from the blue-grey skies and quickly turned to the forest floor to a treacherous puddle.

After Dick and Matt had finally gone off to rob some poor, innocent souls of their earthly belongings, Felicity and Bess hastily gathered as many of their belongings that had been taken by the highwaymen as they could and walked away. They made slow progress, for Bess' leg hindered them greatly. Though she tried, Felicity could do little to aid Bess' speed. After an hour, they had only walked a mile, and they began to fear that Dick and Matt would catch them up.

"I am going to miss Matt, that is, if he doesn't recapture us," Felicity confessed glumly as she waited for Bess to catch up.

"As will I. He's a lovely fellow, though I cannot say the same for his ghastly profession, nor for his friend." Suddenly, the peaceful silence of the forest was broken by thundering hooves. The girls sprung into action; grabbing a pistol that she had swiped from Dick and Matt's hideout, Bess crouched inside a hollow tree stump, and Felicity leapt up onto the lowest branch of the neighbooring tree. Together, they watched anxiously to see who approached. Bess desperately hoped that it was Matt, for he might possibly allow them to go free if he spotted them. A man wearing an incredibly expensive looking red coat with shining brass buttons cantered through the forest, his high powdered wig bouncing along on his head. Making a split decision, Felicity jumped down from the branch and gave a shrill whistle.

"Good Sir!" She called, "Will you not help us?" The foppish looking man pulled on the reins and halted his dappled grey horse. Bess' heart beat wildly, knowing that rescue was so near.

"Thank you, Lord," she whispered. She rose from the hollow stump and waited patiently for the man to turn around. As he slowly turned, Bess saw in his face something familiar. "Damn," she said bluntly. It was Dick. In her current state of dismay, she did not realise that she had said something blasphemous for the first time in her life.

"How does this coat look on me? I think I look quite dashing in it," Dick said cockily as he whistled with his uninjured hand for Matt, who stepped out of the shadows with a shrug at the girls.

"You are despicable," spat Bess. Dick laughed and hoisted her over his shoulder. At least he was in better spirits than he was the last time she attempted to escape.

"Why, thank you." In response to his annoyingly self-assured comment, Bess gave him a pinch on his wounded arm. "Damn strumpet!" He cried at her.

"What did I do?" She asked, feining innocence. He let out an exasperated sigh and carried on walking. Bess looked over to Felicity, who was walking alongside Matt and chatting casually. "If Floss can walk, why must I be carried?" Dick laughed.

"You honestly do not know?" She shook her head vigorously, making sure some of her hair got in his eyes.

"Every time we've left you on your own you've made an escape attempt, why should this time be any different?" Silently, she gave him another pinch.