Lady Osbourne was sitting on the front porch pretending to be knitting when Anthony and Mary arrived back at the plantation. As the carriage came to a stop in front of the house, a huge grin swept across the Englishwoman’s face. Both of the young lovers’ faces flushed the instant they saw her grin.
“A proper gentleman would not keep a lady out all day,” stated Lady Osbourne in a voice that was both playful and stern. Then looking sternly at Mary she said, “A proper lady would not be out by herself with a man all day.”
“She would if she loved the man, and they were talking marriage,” returned Mary.
Lady Osbourne’s eyes doubled in size as she dropped what she was pretending to do and made a mad rush towards the carriage so she could hug the seamstress. At the same time, a shocked Anthony shouted, “Mary you weren’t supposed to tell that!”
“Hush,” said Lady Osbourne. “Can’t you see how excited she is?”
The Irish lass jumped down from the carriage, and the two women met with an embrace that lasted several seconds. Their voices cackled like two old hens as they hugged.
“I’m so excited and happy for you!” squealed the noblewoman. “We must have the wedding here, and of course, we’ll plan it down to the last detail.”
“Of course,” returned the Irish lass.
“Oh brother,” injected Anthony. “I’ll go put up the carriage.” His intent was to speak to Mary, but she wasn’t paying attention to him. The two women were too caught up in the moment to have heard him. Therefore, he shrugged his shoulders and with a slap of the reigns started the wagon towards the barn.
“Good evening, Mary” Anthony said as the wagon began to move, but the Irish beauty had become so enraptured with the moment that she had completely forgotten about her man.
“How did I get myself into this mess?” he asked himself as he made his way towards the barn. “I’d planned on a long engagement. I’m not ready to get married. I feel like a beaver caught in a trap. I never meant for it to go this far this soon. I’ll have to put my foot down or I’ll lose all sense of control.
“I’ll just walk up to her and say, ‘Look, I love you, but we’re moving way too fast for my liking.’ I’m sure she’ll understand, after all she is a sensible girl. Besides, we have our whole futures ahead of us; there is no sense in rushing it.”
A smile danced on his face as he played this scenario over again in his head.
“That’s it; I know she’ll be pleased with that once I explain it to her.”
“Anthony,” called a voice but he didn’t hear it. The second time a louder voice was use and this time he heard it. Shaken from his thoughts, the Scotsman looked around to see from where the voice was coming.
“You all right?” asked one of the two men standing near the front of the barn.
“I’m fine,” returned the Highlander. “Why do you ask?”
“I heard you talking to yourself, so I thought something must be wrong.”
“I wasn’t talking to myself,” lied Anthony. His voice was full of anger but it wasn’t directed towards the speaker, it was directed towards him for being caught. Still, that didn’t keep him from directing his frustrations towards the other man.
“Yes, you were,” stated the first man with confidence. “You were definitely carrying on about something.” The man tapped his partner on the shoulder and they both began to laugh.
“I was not!” shouted Anthony in a voice even less convincing than that of his first denial.
“You’re right,” said the second man. “I wouldn’t call what you were doing ‘talking to yourself.’”
“See,” stated Anthony as he gave the first man a dirty look.
“No,” said the second man. “You were having a full fledged conversation with yourself.” The two men laughed at the second man’s comments. Anthony started to say something but thought better of it. Even though the two probably deserved a good thrashing, Anthony wasn’t about to get in a fight over something as stupid as this. In addition, he feared that this might stir up a rumor about Mary and him, and right now that was the last thing he wanted.
“You believe what you want to believe,” Anthony said. “Far be it from me to keep a man from making a complete fool of himself.”
“Especially when he’s the fool,” input the second man. The two laughed even harder this time. Again, Anthony had to struggle within himself to keep from retaliating. These two were no match for him when it came to fists or wits, but, he couldn’t let them see him like this; therefore, he shut up and kept heading towards the barn.
Once he got the rig in the building, he cursed himself for letting Mary get to him this way. Anger boiled in his veins but it was not directed at the two jokesters or even at Mary. No, he was angry with himself. How could he have let himself get fenced in like this? Several dozen times he played these scenarios through his mind, but he still could not come up with an answer.
“I see why men warned me against marriage,” he thought to himself. “One minute you’re happy and everything is going well, the next you’re hog-tied and trapped. The strange thing is how quickly it happens. One-second life is sweet, and then, bam! You’re trapped life a rabbit is a noose. How did I ever let it get this far?”
He sat there on the carriage seat staring at the back of the barn, but never saw it. All he saw was his future and at this point in time that scared the life out of him. Secretly his fear was that from here on out he’d never be in control of his life again. To Anthony, there was no greater fear than the loss of control.
Only a few years ago he was in line to be the next head of his clan, but that was ended after a fight in a pub. He never wanted to kill those men and had even tried to avoid it, but fate had another destiny in store for him. Even though he had the makings to be the finest leader his clan had ever seen, fate conspired with the British to make him a fugitive.
His clansmen urged him to run off to America. There they stated he would be free from English persecution. They also urged him to change his name until he got to the Colonies. Once there he could start a new life and be free from the threat of a hangman’s noose.
The clan put together their resources but could not come up with enough money to pay for the boat trip to America. That was when Anthony decided to sell himself into indenturehood to pay for his trip. Once he was there, he would learn as much as he could and perhaps eventually he could return home. It was never his intent to stay in the Colonies forever.
The original plan did not call for Thomas to go with him. He was to go alone, but the second Thomas heard about it, he had to go with his friend. He had been Anthony’s closest companion since they were children. Anthony was the only one in the whole clan that never made sport of or picked on him. In addition, he had always been Thomas’s biggest supporter and defender and Thomas was well aware of this.
From the instant, he found out that Anthony was leaving; Thomas told the clan leaders in his own simple way that his cousin needed him that he would not let his best friend go alone. Thomas’s argument was that he would keep his clansman out of trouble. Every elder of the clan was against this idea, but Thomas wouldn’t hear of it. Once he got an idea in his head, it stayed there.
Anthony was the only member of the clan that could talk Thomas into changing his mind. It took less than three weeks from the time Anthony killed the soldiers until he left Scotland. Every hour of everyday during this time, he tried to talk Thomas out of going with him, but the big man wouldn’t hear of it.
As far as the gentle giant was concerned, he had made up his mind and that was it. Though a half-wit by most standards, Thomas could focus on a single object or thought forever if need be and in this situation he was determined to go with his friend.
In the end, the clan had to relent. There was no one strong enough to stop Thomas if he were determined to go with Anthony and the last thing the clan needed at this time was more attention focused on it. Since the night of the killings, British soldiers and Scottish loyalist had made daily trips to see the elders of the clan.
The head of the clan, a small man with a gray beard named, Robert, had been arrested and beaten in order to force him to reveal where Anthony was located. He denied knowing where the man was and after several days of torture, the British set him free.
The truth was that he didn’t know where Anthony was hiding. Another elder of the clan named Roderick took Anthony and hid him in a remote spot in the Highlands. The clan then told the British army that Roderick and two of his sons had gone to another village to purchase cattle. This also was the truth. They had gone to another village in order to purchase cattle. They took Anthony along with them and made a slight detour to take him to the place of hiding.
When they returned they feigned ignorance of the whole situation and even offered to lead the British on an expedition of the Highlands. This they said was to prove their loyalty to the crown. They spent two weeks combing the surrounding area and they found not even a trace of Anthony. Of course, they had allies that kept the young fugitive always one step ahead of the British army.
While the army was out looking for Anthony, Robert sent a messenger to the head of the Williams clan. The Williams clan was one of Anthony’s clan’s most bitter rivals, but they hated the British worse than they hated anybody. Therefore, the messenger asked a favor of the Williams clan which was to claim that they had pursued Anthony and that he was heading north towards the coast. That was exactly what the head of the rival clan did. Though they were bitter rivals, the men of the Williams clan were men of their word.
Knowing the bitter blood between the two families, the captain in charge of the expedition looking for Anthony made haste to head north in order to cut the Highlander off before he reached the northern coast. When word reached Anthony that the British were heading north, he headed southeast to the coast. He guessed that by the time the British found out he hadn’t gone north, he would be in the Colonies and safe from their terror.
That’s where Thomas appeared. He never left Anthony’s side during the entire ordeal. They hid out together, made cold camps together, and would have died together if necessary. During the last couple of days of their running, Anthony decided that he would take Thomas along with him. He understood that he could never get away from his cousin and the companionship would make the dark days ahead just a little brighter.
As he was planning their escape, Anthony convinced himself that the only contract he would sign would be one where he and his cousin would have to be sold as a package deal. It was said that families often did this. If that were true, then surely some type of an arrangement could be made where he and Thomas would be part of the same package. If he couldn’t negotiate a two-for-one deal, then he wouldn’t go at all.
Once they got to the coast Anthony and Thomas met up with a man named Edward Riley. They had known him from the Highlands. He was an odd fellow who had left the region to become a sailor. Although the man had been sailing for over ten years, but he occasionally returned to the hills. When he did, the local tavern would brim with people coming to hear his tales of the high seas.
Anthony had been informed before leaving the Highlands that the man had taken a Lowland wife and that they had a small cottage located near the waterfront of town. Once they arrived in the city, Anthony went to a pub called the Rusty Anchor, which was located near the docks.
After a couple of inquiries and some suspicious looks, Anthony managed to talk a sailor into taking him and Thomas to Riley’s house. The sailor insisted that they buy him a drink before they left. This led to a second and then a third drink. When the man asked for a fourth, Anthony refused. Realizing he wouldn’t get anything else from the two, the sailor reluctantly led them to Riley’s cottage.
When they arrived, they found that no one was home. The sailor told them to stay put because Mrs. Riley worked in town and wouldn’t be getting home about dark. He said as far as he knew Riley was not away sailing and that he should be along directly. There was a bench sitting on the left-hand side of the door, therefore, they decided to sit and wait for one of the Riley’s to return.
During their wait, the two companions decided to take a closer look at Riley’s house. The cottage was a small two-story building. Its door was facing away from the sea. As Anthony walked around it, two things stuck him. The first was the size of the building. It was much smaller than Riley described. Anthony was expecting a mansion, but this was merely a shack.
The second thing that he noticed was the number of windows. It had only three, one on the first floor and two on the second. All three of the windows faced the same direction as the door, which was east. Anthony rightly assumed that for most of the day the house was gloomy and probably cold.
There was a purpose for the windows facing away from the sea. Anthony would learn this during his brief stay with Riley. The purpose was to help preserve heat during the cold Scottish winters. When asked about the afternoon gloominess, Riley said it was a small price to pay for staying a little warmer in the winter.
The sun was setting when a dark-haired woman and three small children approached the cottage. The children, all boys, looked to between the ages of two and five. The woman Anthony noticed was in either her eighth or ninth month of a pregnancy. She moved very slowly and deliberately which meant that she couldn’t keep pace with the two oldest boys and as a result, she was constantly scolding them by telling them to slowdown. This, of course, was a futile effort on her part, but she persisted in doing it.
The first thing Anthony noticed about her was her face. She had once been a very beautiful woman, but the years had not been kind to her. There was still a sense of confidence and attractiveness about her that Anthony guessed would never fade. As he studied her, the Highlander didn’t know what to think about the woman approaching the cottage. Part of him felt sorry for her; she must have had dozens of suitors and to have chosen Riley, there was the makings a great yarn in that romance, of that he was sure. Still, another part of him admired the woman. She carried herself with a demeanor that was so dignified it seemed almost regal to him. He was looking forward to meeting this woman, and he was dying to hear about how she and Riley ever courted let a lone married.
When she was a few feet from the house, she looked at the two strangers and asked, “Can I help you men with something?”
Anthony noticed the suspicious look upon her face. He was going to have a hard time convincing her of who he and Thomas were.
“We are friends of Riley’s,” he said. Thomas shook his head to indicate he agreed.
“You mean you’re Highlanders,” she returned. Her tone was both an inquiry and a challenge. Anthony was impressed with her tone and her intellect.
“Yes. How did you know?”
The woman laughed aloud, and her face began to glow. “Look at you,” she said. “Your clothes scream Highlander. I could even guess your clan. Your tartan is strewn all over your body. Even a fool would guess from where you two hail.”
Anthony, now self-conscious about his appearance, looked at himself and laughed. “I guess you have a point.”
“Riley’s gone,” she said sternly. “I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
“We need to speak to him,” returned Anthony. “It’s urgent.”
“It always is with you Highlanders. Where are you staying?”
“We don’t know,” whispered Anthony. “I guess we hadn’t thought about it.”
“I assumed as much. You can have supper with us. When Riley gets home, you can discuss whatever is so urgent with him. My bet is that you boys are in some kind of trouble and are needing to hide out until it blows over, but that’ just my opinion. She smiled a sly grin and Anthony knew she had figured out what had happened. She waved him in and said, “Come on in, the British are not friends of ours either.”
Anthony’s mouth dropped as he realized his initial estimate of this woman’s intelligence had sold her short. She was what he had thought and more. She smiled and then laughed. “Everybody knows that some British soldiers were killed by a couple of Highlanders. I have half a mind to turn you in and collect the reward. Lord, knows we could use it.”
Anthony was impressed. She had told him that she was both a loyal ally and a fierce opponent. He was sure that Riley had married his better, but he was still puzzled over why such a woman as this would marry Riley. He quickly dismissed his thoughts knowing that try as he might, he would never be able to figure out women and love. Neither, of which, made any sense to him.
“Thank you,” he said. “We’ll be out of your hair in no time.”
“I’m sure you will.” She laughed, and motioned for them to enter and be welcome.
The inside of the cottage was dark as expected, but it was also clean and orderly. Anthony smiled as he surveyed the first floor. The first floor was a single room with a small fireplace on the left. Next to the small fireplace was a set of stairs that ran up to the second floor. The stairs looked rickety and Anthony wondered how they supported the weight of a man.
The far right wall contained the kitchen area. It had a large fireplace and a Dutch oven for cooking. A table with four chairs around it stood in the center of the room. There were three other chairs and two benches lining the front and back walls of the cottage. Anthony also noticed three bedrolls placed neatly at the center of the back wall, which he rightly assumed belonged to the children.
Lastly, Anthony noticed that a large ham hung on each side of the large kitchen fireplace. In the Highlands, this was a sign of success. Truly, Riley had to be doing well to put on such a display. Even well to do families in the Highlands would not be so bold as to hang two large hams up in their kitchen. That would be considered bragging or showing off and would not serve to make a good impression. Still, things were different in the Lowlands. Maybe this was their custom.
“May I offer you something to eat or drink?” asked Mrs. Riley.
Thomas grinned at her words, but Anthony showed no emotion. “We do not want to inconvenience you,” stated Anthony in the most humble voice he could muster.
“’Tis too late for that,” interjected Mrs. Riley. “In my husband’s name, I offer you our hospitality. Our home is your home.”
Anthony had never expected that. He was stunned that this woman knew Highland customs. In the Highlands, this was one of the highest forms of invitation. To refuse her offer would be disrespectful and insulting, but he could not possibly stay here because he knew what would happen to the Rileys were he and Thomas captured while staying at their house. Riley would be imprisoned, and Mrs. Riley and the boys would be sold into slavery or else shipped off to the Colonies. Anthony did not want that on his conscience.
“You don’t know what you are asking,” said Anthony. “You may be bargaining for trouble with us. I don’t want to live with that on my mind.”
“I have a mind of my own,” she snapped. I am fully aware of what is going on with you two. Do you think we don’t get news of goings on in the Highlands? I assure you that we do. I know who you are. You are Anthony and that is your companion. I think his name is Thomas. We’ve heard all about what happened. We know why you’re here and how you’ve managed to stay one step a head of the British Army.” She spit out the last two words.
“We’ve no love for swine like that here. Still we must be cautious; they’ve ears and eyes everywhere. One never knows whom to trust and of whom to beware around this town.
“As for you two, it is no secret why you’re here. A fool would be able to guess it. You’re looking for passage to either Europe or the Colonies. You look like fighting men, so my guess would be Europe. You’d probably like to join up with some exiled Scotsmen and then try to one day reclaim Scotland from the British, but that would be foolhardy, and you don’t strike me as a fool.
“Now, that I think about it, I guess you are actually heading to the Colonies. I’d say Virginia or the Carolinas or even possibly Georgia. If the Colonies are your goal, Maryland is your best bet; there are quite a number of loyal Scotsmen living in Maryland, or so I have heard.
“Now which is it? I don’t doubt that is your plan. Even if you try to deny it, I won’t believe it. You two have the look of desperate men, and that’s a dangerous thing in my opinion. So tell me, am I not right?”
Thomas stared at her. His mouth was hanging low awestruck at how much she knew. Anthony on the other had smiled. He was now convinced that his initial impression of this woman was correct. She was very intelligent and that would make her a formidable ally or enemy. He was hoping for an ally. “You’ve pretty much nailed it on the head,” he laughed. “My hat’s off to you.”
“Don’t worry you’re among friends,” she said. Without waiting for a response, she turned and said, “Grab a seat while I make supper.”
An hour later, they were sitting down to a meal of dried fish and onions. Anthony had never eaten dried fish before, and at first, he was a bit hesitant about trying it, but once he took a bite, he found that he enjoyed it. She served it with a thin dried salty bread she called a cracker. Anthony ate much more than he should have and he felt guilty as a result.
The Highlander was afraid of imposing on the Rileys, and he didn’t want to be a burden on them, but he was deeply grateful for her hospitality. Growing up in the Highlands, he had heard rumors about all the murders, robberies and other crimes that took place in cities, and he wanted to avoid that at all cost. Therefore, he decided that it was best to stay right were he was.
After they had eaten, Mrs. Riley began to gather up the plates. She took the empty dishes over to a large basin and gently set them in it. Then she took a rag and wrapped it around the handle on a pot she had boiling over the fire. She removed the pot from the fire and poured scalding hot water into the basin containing the dishes.
Once she had finished, she turned to the two men and said, “I’ll have to let that sit and cool just a bit. Were I to stick my hand in it right now, that water would boil the flesh off of my skin.”
Anthony didn’t say a word, but he smiled in agreement. Thomas shook his head to indicate he understood as well.
Two of the children were playing in a corner near the stairs. The third had taken up his bedroll and laid it in front of the small fireplace. Within seconds, he had fallen into a deep sleep, which had not been disturbed by the noise created by his siblings.
“I declare,” said Mrs. Riley as she noticed the child curled up by the fire. “That child could sleep through a cannon volley. I’ve never seen anything like it before in my life.” She laughed and then walked over to where the child was sleep and then gently pulled him away from the fireplace.
Anthony watched with great interest and began to reflect on his own mother. Mrs. Riley reminded him a great deal of her. It wasn’t so much that their looks were similar, because they weren’t, but it was their personalities. Like Mrs. Riley, his mother was a strong, yet gentle woman who would do everything she could to protect her children. His mother had made sure they knew right from wrong and that they chose right over wrong. She had taught them early in life that nothing was as important as one’s relationship with God and she imparted that belief onto all her children. It would be the driving force in all of their lives. Mrs. Riley seemed to be that type of woman and that made Anthony feel at ease around her. It also increased his admiration for her.
As he watched the woman tidy up her home, Anthony was sure that these three children were in good hands. They would turn out just fine. God had away of giving strong wonderful women the wisdom to see that their children grew up to make decent folk. Anthony had no doubt that the Riley children would one day make their family proud. God would use their mother to see to that.
Mrs. Riley tucked the covers in on the child and then she turned to see what the other two were doing. She watched them play for a few seconds and then she turned to face the two Highlanders. “I don’t know where that no account husband of mine has gotten, to,” she said. “He’ll show up when he gets hungry. He always does.”
Anthony invited her to sit at the table with them and soon they were talking like old friends. Anthony learned that Edward was Mrs. Riley’s second husband. Her first husband, John Shelby, had been a law clerk that was studying to be a barrister. He was born in northeastern England, but his parents were Scottish.
John Shelby provided very well for his family, but he liked to gamble because he usually won. He was murdered one night after he was returning home from a night of gambling. During a marathon session that night, John had won several hundred pounds from the local British lord, and he was carrying this money on him when he was killed. Unfortunately, the killer also robbed him. Rumor had it, that the local lord, named Byron Singletary, killed him, but that was never proven. To this, day no one had been tried for his murder.
It was rumored that one of Lord Singletary’s servants, a pretty young lass named Sally Brown, had told authorities that she had over heard her master instructing two soldiers to kill the young clerk. Unfortunately, Sally and her family were sent a way to the colonies before the nobleman was to go to trial.
There were tales that she was pregnant when she left, but no one could say for sure. It was whispered that the father of her unborn child was her master. The whole town was abuzz with the news for months. There had been numerous questions raised and no answers had as of yet had been forthcoming.
Some of the questions were never answered. The most spoken one was where did the Browns get the money to pay for passage to the Colonies? They were dirt poor and there were six of them. There was no way they could afford that. Secondly, why would a property owner like the Browns leave their inheritance? That didn’t make sense. Rumor had it that the nobleman bought it for several times its worth.
There were too many unanswered questions for Mrs. Riley’s liking. She stated that she was convinced that either Lord Singletary or his henchmen had murdered her first husband. Either way, his death created in her a deep and abiding hatred for the British.
Just as she was finishing her tale, the door to the cottage opened up and in walked Edward. He looked around the room and noticed the two Highlanders. Although, Edward didn’t recognize Thomas, but he did Anthony. With a nod of his head to his guests, the sailor walked over to his wife, scooped her up in his arms and planted a kiss on her.
“I’ve not been away a single day and you are already bringing men in on me,” he joked.
“Quit your foolishness,” countered his wife as she pretended to be offended by his word. She motioned to the two sitting at the table. “These two claim they know you. They’re definitely Highlanders.”
Riley smiled and put forth his hand as he walked towards them. “I know this one,” he said. “His name is Anthony; he’s the little brother of my dear friend Richard Rueben.” The two met with a warm a friendly handshake.
“How is that no account brother of yours?” asked Riley.
“Getting fatter by the day.”
They both laughed.
“And who is this?” inquired Riley as he reached his hand toward Thomas.
“Do you remember my cousin Walter?” inquired Anthony.
“Red-headed and a bit flighty?” questioned the sailor as he tried to recall what Walter looked like.
Anthony shook his head in agreement. “This is his little brother, Thomas.”
“This is little Walter’s brother? He’s three times the size of Walt.”
“And twice as good-looking,” injected Anthony.
Again, they all laughed.
“Welcome, and make yourselves to home,” squealed a delighted Rile who was obviously thrilled to have some one from home visiting even if it were only for a little while.
He motioned for them to take a seat at the table. Once they were seated, he walked over, picked up his sleeping child, and carried him up stairs. A few minutes later as the sailor was descending the stairs, he asked the other two children to come upstairs. They hesitated at first, but relented when their mother began to press them as well. Within a few minutes, the three children were in the upstairs bedroom behind a closed door.
The four adults spent the next several hours discussing the previous few weeks and making plans to help the two Highlanders escape to the Colonies. Riley stated that he knew a couple of captains that for a price would not ask too many questions. He said he’d ask around and find out which ship would be leaving the earliest. He said he’d need some money to help “alleviate suspicion,” but he was sure he could have them on a ship headed for the Colonies within a week.
Riley explained that the great thing about living at a shipping town was that everybody minded their own business. When asked by Anthony if they would arouse suspicion, the sailor laughed and said everybody did in a port town, therefore, they would be safer here than anywhere else in Scotland.
Eight days later the two fugitives were on a ship called the “Sea Hag” that was bound for the Virginia Colony via the West Coast of Africa. The captain was an Englishman, but his loyalty was to himself, and that made him trustworthy said Riley. He didn’t deny that the captain would turn the two over if it came to that, but he liked the money smuggling brought. The man was a slave trader, but was also a person known to keep his word. Rumor was that the captain had a sense of honor about him the suggested that he once belonged to a noble family. Even though the captain claimed to be a religious man, but there were rumors about him. Still, he had a reputation that he could get things done and to a sailor reputation was all that mattered. That would be their guarantee stated Riley. A man who couldn’t keep a bargain was doomed as a smuggler and a slave trader.
“Anthony. Anthony! Can you hear me?” The voice called as if it was coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. “Anthony! Are you well?” The Scotsman shook his head and noticed that it was the wall of a barn he was staring at and not a vast ocean.
“What?” he asked as he was shaken from his dream. He heard the voice again and this time looked around and noticed Lord Osbourne standing in the middle of the double doors that was the entrance to the barn.
“Are you well,” asked William. “I have called to you for the last five minutes. I was told that you were in here, but you never answered my call. I began to worry and decided to come and check on you.
“I’ve watched you the last five minutes. You had something of great importance on your mind. I did not want to interrupt, but I feared you might be at it all day and I need to talk to you. Do you have a few minutes?’
“Sure,” said Anthony as he nodded his head. “What do you want to talk about?”
The Englishman smiled and motioned for him to come closer. As the Highlander approached, the nobleman turned and began to walk away from the barn. The younger man walked up beside him and the two headed towards the forest.
“I’ve been thinking about your future, my future, and our future,” said Lord Osbourne. “As you already know, my wife wants to purchase Mary’s contract from Mr. and Mrs. Banks. She’s already approached Mrs. Banks about it, but the seamstress was not responsive to my wife’s offer.
“I’m not sure how things are going to work out with them. That family is a collection of some of the vilest people I have ever met. It’s as if their whole lives are wrapped up in outdoing everyone around them. And the methods they will implore,” Lord Osbourne paused and rolled his eyes, “are straight out of the Devil’s own guide book.
“Honestly Anthony, I don’t know how this community tolerates them. They make me want to vomit just thinking about them, but that’s not why I wanted to talk to you. Mary is what I want to talk to you about.”
Lord Osbourne stopped and turned to look straight at the Scotsman. Anthony got the distinct impression that the Englishman was sizing him up for something. It was almost as if the aristocrat was trying to guess what the Highlander’s reaction would be prior to him being told the big secret. Several scenarios ran through Anthony’s head, but the one involving him marrying Mary was the one he dwelled on the most. The Scotsman smiled out of reflex and that seemed to be the reaction William had been waiting on, because he turned and began walking again.
“As I was saying, I know that you love Mary and she loves you. I also know it is the wish of both of you to eventually marry.” Anthony stopped walking and stared awkwardly at the Englishman. Lord Osbourne smiled and said,” There’s no use denying it. Everybody’s aware of it. That was probably the worst kept secret of all times.”
They both laughed, but they were nervous forced laughs.
“Anyway, I was thinking about the whole thing. Once we purchase Mary’s contract you’ll probably want to marry rather quickly. That wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Anthony nearly hugged the Englishman. Although, he wanted to marry Mary, he was in no hurry to do it, and here was his chance to delay the ceremony. He was thrilled that the nobleman saw things his way.
“What would the other landowners say if I where to let two indentured servants marry?” Anthony was shaking his head in agreement. He was relieved by the man’s words. Now he could delay the marriage by almost a year. He was about to thank his boss, but Lord Osbourne dashed Anthony’s hopes with his next statement. “Since I don’t want the neighbors thinking badly of me, I am giving you your freedom.”
That was the last thing Anthony wanted to hear. The last few years had not been bad to him, but the one thing that chafed him was the fact that someone else owned him. He was not free to come and go as he pleased. From the time he sold himself into indentured servitude, he had been looking forward to the day he earned his freedom. Now, his freedom was coming earlier than expected, but he didn’t want it at this time because freedom would mean marriage and that terrified him more than anything else did.
“I don’t know what to say,” whispered a dumbstruck Anthony. His voice cracked with nervousness.
Lord Osbourne mistook the nervousness from excitement. He smiled and said, “I told my wife you’d be excited about this. I didn’t think you’d get this excited.”
Anthony didn’t know whether to thank his owner or whether to renounce his freedom. Unable to convey either thought, He stammered through several unrecognizable phrases.
Lord Osbourne smiled and slapped Anthony on the back. “There is no need to thank me,” he said. “You’ve earned your freedom. I’ll have the papers drawn up tomorrow. This time tomorrow you’ll be a free man.”