A Change of Plan

Bruised

 Miss Walker set down her embroidery and stretched her arms. The day was warm, and her sitting room felt stuffy. She longed to walk outside, but wouldn't do it alone. She needed Anne beside her, in stride, to tell her all of the interesting things they were seeing. Her own imagination did not run as wild as Miss Lister's.

The last she'd heard, Miss Lister was occupied with her business ventures, though she could have sent anyone else to do her bidding. Miss Walker wished she had; she was bored and missed what they did together. Four days, it had been. Four long, vacant days.

"Gabrielle," she called. Her lady's maid rushed into the room. "Will you tell John to take this letter to Shibden?" Gabrielle nodded and left with the letter. It wasn't anything special, just a question of when Anne might be done and might be free to see her. She had also enclosed an embroidery of the sapphire earrings with the deepest blue thread she could find. She hoped Anne would like the reminder as much as she loved tugging on the earrings.

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"Ma'am, she asked me to give you this," John said to Miss Walker, who was still in her sitting room an hour later. He handed her a small note and waited as she opened it.

"You may go," Miss Walker said.

"Very good. But, ehrm--"

"Yes?"

"Ma'am, there's more. She said I shouldn't say because it might shock you, but Miss Lister is not well. I thought you would like to know."

"Not well? What do you mean?"

"She's all torn up on her face. Word is she got beaten by a hired man."

"Who would do that?" Miss Walker stood and let the letter fall to the floor, unopened. "Who would do that, John?"

He started to shrink against the wall. "I shouldn't have said."

Miss Walker walked over to him. "Tell me everything you know."

"I'd be out of place, ma'am."

She rarely raised her voice, but she couldn't help it. "John, tell me now."

"Okay, okay. There's rumors about her and what she gets up to with ladies."

"Yes, is that all?"

"I don't have any opinion of it myself, but some say it's unnatural. I think someone was trying to get her to stay away from you. At least that's what I heard." John had slowly slinked his way to the doorway, and he stood positioned to run as soon as he could.

"Me? Who would do that on my behalf? Is she hurt? Is Miss Lister hurt?"

John nodded vigorously. "Looks like she's taken a few punches. She looked pale when she came to the door."

"You must take me there at once."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll have the carriage ready in a moment."

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Miss Lister looked as bad as John had said, worse if Miss Walker factored in her guilt over being somewhat connected to the act.

"Anne, please tell me what happened," Miss Walker pleaded. Anne hadn't spoken much since she'd arrived, which was very unusual for her.

"Look, I don't want to scare you. I'm afraid if I tell you, you'll not want to be with me." Miss Lister sat on the bed in not much more than her dressing gown.

"You know it would take quite the scandal about you to scare me away." Miss Walker sat down beside her and studied her face, brushing a piece of hair behind Anne's ear. Anne winced and Miss Walker withdrew.

Anne took a deep breath. "It's not wrong, what you and I do together. It's not, and I would go to the ends of the Earth to prove it. But others aren't so tolerant."

"You were attacked because of our peculiar relationship." Miss Walker had not thought of this. She thought that maybe Anne had got herself into some trouble with one of the other landowners in town.

"Yes. Because I love you, Annie, and I won't apologize for it. This is the price we pay. The scoundrel who did this has no idea who he's dealing with. I won't back down." Anne finished her speech and looked at Miss Walker, who was wide-eyed with fear. "Annie?"

"I don't want to be attacked," Miss Walker said. She'd suddenly realized it was a very real possibility.

"I know, darling. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

Miss Walker shook her head. "How can you promise when you've been hurt? And you've kept it from me for four days. Four days, I had no idea what happened. You could have died, Anne. I can't be the reason you die." A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it furiously. "Perhaps it will be better for both of us if we don't see each other for a while."

"Annie, no, please don't say that. We have to stand up to them, show them who we are and why they're wrong about us."

"But they're not. They're not wrong. I do love you, but it's not like a man and his wife. No two ladies live like we would. It's not in the Bible, is it?" Miss Walker paced the room discontentedly.

"There are other ladies who live like we would. They're just very private about it, as we would need to be."

"No. I can't be the reason you lose your life, and I can't withstand an attack myself, not with my disposition. It's not fair to you, Miss Lister." Miss Walker assumed a more formal tone and began to collect herself. "No, it will be best if we don't see each other. Perhaps once the talk dies down, we might call on each other again."

Anne's face was devastating, with its bruised marks and the beginnings of tears. Miss Walker could hardly look. She left before she fell back into Anne's arms. It would be better this way, for both of them.