“Have you run away?”
“No. My . . . my mistress cast me off.” The poor young woman’s eyes filled with tears. “The baby is her husband’s and she sent me away, me and my baby.” A tear dripped from her eye.
Evangeline was already digging in her bag for the coin purse. She pulled out several coins and put them in the woman’s bony hand. She also gave her three of the buns she had just bought.
More tears ran down her thin cheeks. “Thank you. May God bless you for your mercy.” She dropped the buns in her lap and tucked the coins into a tiny bag that hung from her belt. Her hand shook as she brought a bun to her mouth and took a bite.
Tears welled in Evangeline’s own eyes as she nodded and walked away.
“This is what I warned you about,” Muriel whispered in Evangeline’s ear, holding on to her arm. “You should not have given her so much money. She will lose it, or someone will take it from her.”
O God, please don’t allow that to happen. But Evangeline refused to let Muriel ruin the good feeling of having helped the poor woman. She wiped away the tear from her eye and sighed. Thank You, God, that I could help her. Please save her from starvation.
Inside she felt a peace that God indeed would save the woman and would use Evangeline’s offering to do so. She couldn’t help smiling and looking up at the sky to share her smile with God.
A commotion came from the other side of the marketplace, sounding like several horses galloping their way. A woman screamed, and a man’s deep voice came from the same direction, too far away to make out what he was saying. Dogs barked, a child bawled, and a horse neighed.
Evangeline’s stomach clenched. Could it be Lord Shiveley? She and Muriel were only a few steps from the gate where Westley’s men and the others were waiting.
The horses’ hooves clopped on the packed earth. Several men on horseback approached them, some wearing the livery of the king and some of Lord Shiveley.
Evangeline’s heart stumbled and she lost her breath. They were coming for her.
Chapter Five
Westley noted the way Eva’s face transformed. All the color drained from her cheeks and her eyes went wide as the men on horseback drew close.
The men wore the livery of noble guardsmen. Five were dressed in one set of colors, and the other five guards were dressed in another. He was not certain, but he believed they were the guards of the Earl of Shiveley and King Richard.
Eva threw the scarf she had bought over her head, stuffed her distinctive red hair inside it, and tied it under her chin. Then she clung to Mildred’s forearms and seemed to be staring into her eyes. They huddled together just a few feet from the group by the gate.
The guards headed toward Westley’s men. “We are searching for two women. One of them is very tall and has red hair.”
Westley hurried forward, but before he could reach them, Roger spoke up.
“Is the woman mute?”
“No, she’s not mute.” The guard’s tone was sneering. He glanced around, then his gaze lingered on Eva and Mildred. Eva must have been squatting, because she appeared even shorter than Mildred and she kept her face toward the ground.
The guard stared at her a few moments, then said, “Move on, men.” He motioned forward with his arm, and the ten guards rode out the gate and away from the town.
Westley made his way to the two women. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh yes, very well,” Mildred said.
“Eva seems frightened. Does she know who those men are?”
“Oh, she was only startled. She thought they might have been sent by her master. She still has difficulty believing he is dead.” Mildred turned to Eva. “He is dead, Eva. We saw him with our own eyes. Dead and cold, and that is the end of his tyranny.”
“But did you not say it was her master’s wife who beat her and made her lose her voice?”
“Yes, well, they both beat her, and they are both dead now.”
Her manner made him wonder if she was lying. It seemed too great a coincidence that King Richard and Lord Shiveley were looking for two women, one of whom was tall with red hair.
Was Mildred lying about their masters being dead? The Peasants’ Uprising had ended three years before, but tensions existed between villeins and their lords ever since, and even between servants and their masters. But though he was suspicious of Mildred’s story, he hoped it was not Eva and Mildred the king was searching for.
Evangeline’s hands were still shaking as she and Muriel walked along the road with Westley and his men. Richard would have been smart enough to send guards who had seen her before and therefore could recognize her. If they had seen her face and her hair, they would have known it was her.