Theodora had her bag packed as she stood watching the coach approach. She had never imagined that she, a fish monger's daughter would ever travel in such a grand style. The coach was pulled by six huge horses. They were a rich brown with white markings on their lower legs. The coach was bright yellow with purple trim and the large wood wheels. The spokes were yellow with the wheel and hub purple. Theodora was dressed in her best, her red skirt and short coat. She wore her white blouse, kid gloves, straw hat and sandals. The coachman took her bag and flung it to the top of the carriage then unfolded the steps and taking her hand guided her into the coach. She smiled brightly at the coachman and said softly, "Thank you." The coachman nodded.
The seats were upholstered with soft brown leather. Thick carpeting covered the floor. The curtains were open but a small chain allowed their closure. Theodora took one of the forward facing seats. She removed her sandals placing them in her purse and folded her legs under her partially sitting on her legs and arranging her skirt to cover them with her feet just peeking out. The steady rocking of the well sprung coach on the very bumpy road caused her to fall asleep. They made their first stop at the inn of the next village and three additional passengers entered. One about the same age as Theodora sitting next to her, the other two, older brothers sitting across. The coach was underway after a change of horses.
Theodora became a little embarrassed as the young man sitting next to her kept staring at her feet. She adjusted her skirt to cover her feet and as the constant swaying of the coach kept exposing her feet she finally put her feet down finding that her feet did not reach the floor. They stopped at a station for another change of horses and were served a lunch of lamb stew. She put her sandals back on when they all boarded the coach, but the same young man sat next to her again, the way he was looking at her alarmed her so she closed the curtain and tried to sleep when she felt a hand on her knee slowly sliding up her thigh. She took hold of the hand with two fingers of her gloved hand and put it back in the lap of the young man next to her. A few minutes the later the hand was back on her and she again moved it off. She gave him a glare threatening bodily harm if he persisted. She was frightened knowing if it came to blows she would not prevail. One of the fellow traveler, a man in his fifties was watching and when the young man made his third move the older man tapped the roof and spoke quietly to the driver. The coach stopped and the young man was asked to get out of the coach and ride up top with the footman.
Theodora gave a huge sigh of relief, and smiled at her benefactor, "Thank you."
"I'm sorry I took so long to come to your aide, I thought you knew each other. Then it became apparent he was harassing you. It's unusual for a woman your age to travel alone."
"I have been separated from my brothers. We will be meeting up very soon," she lied.
"That's good. Traveling is not safe for a woman traveling alone. I have daughters your age and the thought of them traveling alone frightens me.
"You have been very kind, thank you."
They arrived at an inn late in the day, the coach would continue all night but Theodora was tired and wanted to sleep in a bed and take a bath. She was in no hurry to return so spending a couple of days to await the next coach no burden. The other passengers continued on. That night there was singing in the tavern attached to the inn. This was a much bigger town and the tavern the place to gather socially, Theodora loved the singing and with encouragement sang some of her own work. Her song 'Pip's Lament' was very popular and requested three times. She had written a silly love song when she was fourteen and was shocked to hear it sung so far from home. As the night progressed there was dancing and Theodora danced with several patrons. Everyone wanted a dance with the barefoot girl in red. When she finally retired she was exuberant and exhausted falling to sleep immediately.
The village had a bookstore and Theodora spent much of the day in the store finally choosing three books to purchase. In her home book buying was deemed a frivolous spending by her father. She had always loved to read and much of the initial attraction that brought her to Mathilda's home was her book collection. Now she had three of her own books. She spent much of the day light hours reading but the evening was devoted to singing with patrons at the tavern. The next day she was joined by three young women traveling with their father. He was a wealthy merchant and had hired outriders to accompany the coach. Theodora was grateful for the added security and eager for the company of women her age. They had a splendid time in the coach singing and talking about their home life. Theodora got a surprising response when she mentioned she had a fiancé and a boyfriend. The other girls were awed by her revelation.
"I have no intention of marrying my fiancé," Theodora stated bluntly. "I plan to marry for love, or not at all."
"But you can't break the engagement," the oldest girl stated.
"I don't see why not, I've already ran away once, been gone nearly two years."
"It's the law," their father replied. "It's a contract and legally binding as a marriage. It is a marriage in essence. It can only be broken with cause."
"What cause?" Theodora asked.
"Infidelity on the part of the woman."
"What about the man," his youngest daughter asked. He responded with a head shake. "That's not very fair!" she added.
The next topic of discussion was the rumor circulating that a woman was kept hidden in an imperial mine for almost two years. She had lived with a man while in the mine and was only discovered after turning up missing. The rumor lead to a lot of speculation.
"What would happen to the woman if she had escaped and was discovered later?" Theodora asked.
"It's highly unlikely to be true."
"Theoretically I mean." Theodora added.
"Nothing. They can never admit it happened. The public outcry against the press gangs would be enormous. And since no body has been found they can deny the rumor."
That night Theodora had much to be happy about. She would have the company of the young women for a second day of travel before they separated, and her fear of being caught and returned to the mine was dispelled. Just a little bit longer and she and David would be together even if it meant they needed to run again. Theodora's travels continued as she followed the pattern of staying at each inn she reached in the evening for a day or two. She stopped in Newbury and purchased a marker stone for William's grave. She thanked the village mayor for caring enough to bury her brother and stopped to put a flower wreath on the grave. She wept silently at the grave site. "Good by Billy, I'll always love you."
If she had simply traveled straight she would have arrived home in about sixty hours, but as she chose to make extended stops each evening it took a fortnight of travel. Tomorrow she would arrive in Taylor Village, not a happy prospect.
The letter reached David in ten days. He sat in Molly's office reading it for at least the tenth time. He had some lingering doubted that she was still alive. Now he had proof positive that she was indeed alive and on the road. His heart was beating double time as he pocked the letter and thanked Molly for her help and support. In just eight weeks he would be free. They would be together just after her eighteenth birthday. Nothing else mattered.
YOU ARE READING
Theodora's Dragon
Fantasy"What does it mean?" Theodora asked. "It means you're a witch," Mathilda said softly gently putting a hand on her shoulder, "like me." Theodora just sat looking at her companion in surprise. "It's a good thing Teddie." "I didn't believe in witches."...
