I felt my throat tighten and my tongue quickly grew parched. Without any thinking, I found myself practically glaring at him. How much audacity could he hold? A criminal on the run was bound to be caught in the midst of a party of soldiers and certainly generals.
The instruments began their orchestra before I was able to investigate into any further details. My eyes had most certainly fooled me, Mark was just a figment of imagination then and there. I had little water to drink recently and that could play tricks on one's mind.
As Well Hall struck up, Charles seemed concerned at my sudden distraction. His eyes followed my direction as I desperately searched for Mark through the shuffle of bodies. It was part of a relief to know that he was not there, but also a fright. My mind was uncontrollable in a terrifying way. First it was suffocating myself and now here I am wondering how I conjured up an imaginary man in the ballroom. I knew Mark was real, but he would not have the courage to waltz into a ballroom filled with men who are out to arrest him.
Charles seemed fascinated by my eyes. His pupils constantly locked on mine as we shuffled diagonally to meet each other, only to turn away at the last second. Shaking off the Mark occurrence, I gently offered my hand to Charles as we paired with two other partners to dance clockwise. The dance repeated itself continually and I felt myself growing tired for no particular reason. Thumping of the wooden floor seemed to be my lullaby, my gown swishing with each step. The merry country dance ended with a bow and curtsy and I felt Charles set his hand on my back, leaving a burning sensation upon my spine. He guided me towards his father, removing his hand from my back. It felt strange to feel his touch, but I felt no desire to ask for it again as most women would. Respectfully, his father kissed my hand lightly before greeting me.
"Miss Wills, it's always a pleasure to be in your presence. How was your trip to Boston?"
I felt interested in Mr. Poppenburg's sudden change of heart and light mood. At my abode, he had appeared almost grumpy and judgemental. Without thinking too deeper into him, I returned his greeting with a smile.
"I'm feeling grand. Although, our carriage axle has been broken in half today. I suppose we're all in a tussle over that. It's our neighbor's carriage anyways," I replied, adding a sweet tone to my voice in hopes of good and respectful impression.
"Oh dear. Surely it can be fixed soon before your neighbor discovers it?" Charles inquired gently.
"That information is known by our coachmen only. We're unsure." With no further discussion, I dismissed myself courteously as the desperate want and need for entertainment posed a threat. Charles seemed in want to follow after me, but I made no effort in allowing him to do so. I waved him off with a grin and stalked off quietly, checking to make sure no one pursued after me. The historical mystery of this building made me interested and curious. Venturing around was a need for me. The want to unlock all it's gothic hallways and passages increased. My shoes seemed to clash against the polished marble floor, creating a loud clicking sound. It was quite annoying and I felt like I'd easily be caught snooping through the halls.
On the right side of the ballroom doors, I leaned against the smooth and cold surface of the white walls. Grasping the white slippers, I pulled them off gently and held them in the two holds of my fingers. My feet slapped against the floors in a small whisper of noise, raising me to my tiptoes as I pattered off down the right side of the ballroom. Turning down the darkened hallway, I looked back one last time for any evidence of a servant or the host. My heart began pounding slightly harder than it should as I continued onwards, feeling slightly criminal.
Above my head hung immense portraits of previous citizens and house owners. All the men portrayed seemed to be focused and professional, showing no sign of joy or contentment. It bother me in a way. As that bothered me, so did the figure that there were no portraits of women. Surely these men had to have had daughters, wives, or even nieces to love and pride over. Without a woman's picture, the hallway seemed empty. An intricate styled window pooled in with moonlight every ten steps or so. IT gave me an eerie feeling to saunter down these halls, a part of me knowing that I wasn't welcome to see its hidden secrets. A locked door suddenly appeared as I turned another dark corner. A small candle lit up the floor before it, nearly luring me towards its flickering flame. The oak door seemed ancient, it's black metal frame appearing gothic and protective. Without thought, I found my hand seeking the door knob and turning as hard as I can. With no luck, the door remained in it's place; locked. Muffled voices floated within my ears, turning my wheels of utmost confusion. I patted my head firmly to rid of the odd voices, hopeful that I wasn't insane. They remained where they were, growing louder and nearly angrier as I stood by the door.
With sudden realization, I pressed my ear gently to the door and was relieved it wasn't all in my head. The voices I had heard were raised higher than ever now, talking hurriedly and with frustration at eachother. I could not make out as to what they were saying, but it frightened me to be discovered by their party. The muffled voices silenced and I panicked, realizing I had been breathing far too loudly than I should've. Had they heard me? Quickly observing the hallway surroundings, my eyes caught on a dark shadow hanging in the corner where I had turned down this hallway. It took shape, gradually rising before he threw his cloak upon the ground and took after me with great speed.
Without a word or a scream, I gathered my dress and ran in an unknown direction. My slippers fell from my fingers with a small thud and everything erupted into a chase. Adrenaline pumped heavily into my body and I felt my knees shake with each stride. Heart racing and head ringing in alarm, I didn't dare look backward in fear of the chaser's closing pace.
Heavy footsteps followed me down another turn of a hallway and I felt my hair come undone in the back. Panting, I felt the beads of perspiration run down my neck as I took random turns and indecisive changes of direction. My pursuer soon grew weary as well, his breath panting heavily behind me. As much as it relieved me, it frightened me to know how close he was. I felt a hand grasp the back of my white dress, trying to drag me backwards. I stumbled forward and my leg muscles groaned in pain. This much exercise had never been known to me. His grasp loosened and I was freed, sprinting off in hopes of help. The shadows grew darker as no lamps were lit. Suddenly, without warning, I felt a hand clasp around my arm and pull me downward, my body slamming into the hard floor. The man's other hand was clamped around my mouth to muffle my screams. My lungs felt crushed and gasped for breath, my chest heaving in attempts of air flow. The hand removed itself, but no air entered my lungs. The fall had knocked up my chest quite badly.
No air flowed into my chest and it terrorized me. Was I dying from a small fall? Black dots danced in my vision, darkening the shadows in the hallway, blocking out the light providing windows. Fighting hard to keep my eyes open, I felt a hand wrap around my shoulders and lift me upwards. I stumbled forwards and a set of arms embraced me before descent, my eyes shut and my conscious awareness drifted away.
* * * * * *
Voices whispered hastily above me, opening a curtain to the scene before me. Four men huddled above me, looks of curiosity and pity plastered to their faces. One man seemed gleeful I had awakened as my eyes snapped open. In shock, I shot upwards and scrambled to get out of the cot I was placed upon.
"Look! She's awoke! Oh thank God, we didn't kill 'er," one man jeered triumphantly, a disgusting Scottish hint added to his voice.
I felt my chest heave again, the previous events that placed me here not recollecting in my mind. I searched my brain for how I had gotten in front of four different men. I panicked at my location. Had they raped me? Did they murder my family members to get me? My dress was still fastened in its same place, blue ribbon tied neatly around my waist as it had been before. Suddenly, all the memories rushed forward and I had to sit down for horrid reminiscence. I had been snatched from the ball. How did they do this to me without being caught? Was I still in the safe embrace of the brick building? I could still escape, there was a small door in the far corner of the room, closest to the hearth of the room. In front of the fiery flames sat a familiar man, tall and with a muscular build. He slurped his meal in a ladle, causing me to contort my face in disgust.
"Uh, don' panic! Waever ya do, we didn't hurt ya lass," a Scottish man rushed, seeming to act polite towards my stance. My back stuck to the cold brick wall, sending shivers down my back. It was cold and I craved for the stew that cooked over the fire. My head throbbed and sent shocks down my spine. A groan escaped from my lips as I rubbed my temple, utter ache and pain filling my body. My chest screamed with each intake of breath.
"Leave her be, Denholm. She'll calm down once we give her space." The voice seemed to command the others and they parted, giving me a clear view of the room I was trapped in. A man seemed to guard the door, reading my mind of the plans of flight. He seemed to glare at me, daring me to sprint towards the door. Not a single window was seen, giving me the uneasy feel of a dungeon. Brick wall surrounded me, an occasional shelf would sit crookedly upon it.
"Where the hell am I?" I spat towards the man sitting by the fire. I would've excused my language at the moment, for it was not of my speech. At that moment, it was necessary to prove my anger.
"Give yourself a moment to breathe, Rebekah. You had a hard fall back there, we're lucky to have stopped your bleeding head."
How did this man know my name, and how hard of a fall did I take?! Had they been planning to kidnap me all along? Certainly not, for they never would've known of my curiosity in exploring hallways. Maybe if I hadn't bothered to stop for a listen at the door, I would be safe back at the ballroom, dancing merrily with other girls of my age. It saddened me to realize that I'd missed most of it at that point.
Without objection, I sat down upon the creaky cot and took deep breaths. My chest screamed again and I bent over in pain, groaning. Pounding head and throbbing chest, I laid upon the cot in agony. The shocks of pain only made my head flare in heat and black dots continued to dance in my vision, my head spinning in a blur.
"I-I think I need a doctor," I begged, my voice muffled against the filthy sheets of the cot.
"You'll get one once we've explained all we need you to know," the door guard explained. Uncomfortable silence drifted over the room as we awaited my calm presence. Breathing in and out heavily, I felt my body relax slightly, its tense composure refusing complete removal.
"Good. Now, if you can listen without interruption we'll get through this quickly and hopefully you can do what we ask," the ladle-slurping man said. His figure was silhouetted against the orange flicker of the fire, making his full appearance unseen to me. I remained on the cot, cheek pressed against the cotton sheet. Uneasy nerves crept upon me as he finished his sentence. What did they want me to do? Certainly I wouldn't return home alive without completing their request.
A man slowly dragged a sharp dagger out of his belt loop, making sure that the flames made it glisten in my direction. He turned it gently in his hand, making it known to me of its power and murderous edges. Without control, I gulped loudly, picturing the blade's merciless victims.
The man at the hearth gestured to the man to cease his show and he immediately stopped, sliding the dagger into his trousers. Again, I was disgusted at how these men appeared. They were filthy and reeked of various farm animals. Rubbing my nose to rid of the smell did no good to my part. It merely opened my airway further to allow the stench to waft into my nostrils.
"Rebekah, I honestly was planning on commencing this meeting in a much cleanlier place than where we are. I apologize for any injury we inflicted and know that it was all accidental," the man spoke. His voice sounded vaguely familiar and my stomach twisted in anger at realization.
Mark turned towards me, allowing the orange flames to lighten his face. I spat on the ground towards him, my hair plastered to my face as sweat beaded down my forehead. As cold as I was, it felt sickly to have perspiration; I needed a doctor immediately. A cool trickle felt present in my hair, as if a bug was dragging itself along. I scratched my head and to my horror felt a sticky substance. Dark blood pooled onto my index finger, sickening my stomach.
"You most likely despise me, but we need your help." His plea was pathetic and I felt venomous and angry at him. Any hatred I had filled my eyes and I threw darts of rage at Mark. Whatever "help" he needed would not be received from me, certainly not after this experience I was trapped in. His face seemed to wince at my death glare, but he pressed on without my response.
"I knew that you wouldn't listen to my proposal in a public place without leaving. This meeting between us was meant to be held next week, in better conditions. It just had to happen because of your spying upon our meeting."
"Whatever secrets you held should not have been spoken of at such a place!" I exclaimed in frustration. Why was I being held captive when Mark was the man who had been doing wrong? If his secret meeting didn't want to hold suspicion, he should not have barged into the privacy of a governor's ball. My stomach plunged into a fit of nerves at what he could be suggesting.
"Yes, but if I would've known these idiots," Mark gestured towards two baldheaded men with shrugged shoulders, "were planning on speaking with me I wouldn't have been at the ball. The only reason I attended was to speak with you. Thank goodness you wore that blue ribbon, I wouldn't have been able to find you. I got distracted when these two signaled to me for an urgent meeting."
"An urgent meeting? How did they signal you? How did you know I would be wearing a blue ribbon, and I still haven't been told as to why you need my help!" I cried with vexed breathing. Everything was so confusing and mysterious. I felt left out as what he was saying was puzzling.
My hands ruffled my hair, causing a shock of pain to flurry through my head. The air suddenly got thicker and Mark was flying in and out of my vision. Everything swarmed in my eyes and the ground suddenly was closer to my face than before. Without warning, I felt my eyes shutting for the second time that night.