Far Enough

BANG! BUMP! Suddenly, riotous noises from downstairs were repeatedly heard.

“Oh my!” Anne, being interrupted from all her ramblings, tilted her head towards the door. Her eyebrows furrowed with concern. “What is all that ruckus about?”

I sat up in bed and gripped the sheets beneath my fingers tightly. I couldn’t shake this sense of uneasiness, as if the shadow of doom was creeping over me. I’ve been resting while Anne shared her stories for a very long time now, meanwhile, Joshua has still failed to come back. Now with these noises...Could something have happened to Joshua? Did the men sent by Mr. Brooks find us? But how?

“I better go and see what all this is about!” Anne stood from the bed when the noises continued. “Don’t worry, dear! There’s always the occasional unhappy customer. I’ll be back soon! You still need to hear how I freed the circus animals from that monster of a man!”

“What?” I asked.

“You know, the man who proposed and broke my heart. Freeing the animals was my greatest moment of revenge, I’d say. Haven’t you been listening?”

I had only partly listened to her story, while the rest of the time I worried about Joshua. Anne sure did have an interesting past, but even still I couldn't picture the animal thing.

“We will start all over when I get back!” Anne rushed out the door.

I sat in silence on the bed, my body growing weaker the longer I held myself up. I was still unwell, what would I do if there was trouble coming? My mind was racing with so many “what if” scenarios. Loud noises were still heard, but this time they were also accompanied by many voices.

Just then the room door burst open.

“YOU’RE RUNNING FROM THE BROOKS FAMILY?!” Anne shouted.

Hearing that awful name, I stiffened. My worst fear had been confirmed.

“Why, if I’d known that you were in this kind of trouble...I’d never have let you in here!” Anne was frantically waving her arms around.

“Anne, please, I never did anything wrong to these people…” Although come to think of it, I did try to poison them. It was my only way of escape. It was best not to tell Anne that though, she wouldn’t understand. I was surprised Joshua did.

“Well, the scene with your ‘husband’ downstairs proves different.”

“Joshua?!” I gasped.

“Aye, whatever you did, the two of you, it doesn’t look good.” Anne put her hands on her hips and shook her head disapprovingly. “It’s common knowledge around here not to get on that family’s bad side.”

I jumped to my feet, my body and vision swaying. Joshua was in danger because of me. I had to do something no matter how sick I was. But what good could I do if they recognized me and got me too? How can I make it downstairs to examine the situation safely? My gaze swept across the room, first the bottom of the bed where a pillow and blanket lay on the wooden floor. Joshua, the “gentleman”, kindly insisted on sleeping on the floor...Next up the small, brown dresser covered with wet clothes hung about to dry. All my clothes were still too wet to wear. Then my eyes fell on Joshua’s suitcase, open on the floor with clothes sprawled out... I crinkled my nose at my only option.

Quickly, I turned to face Anne. “Do they know I’m up here, yet?”

“The lad is pretending he can’t remember the room number...Making quite a scene, he is.” Anne huffed.

“Please, Anne, will you help me? I didn’t want to bring you trouble, honest. It’s all Mr. Brooks and his son! They want to force me to marry into their family for some strange reason. I had no choice but to run!”

Anne’s eyes widened. “You mean, they want to force you to marry his son…”

“Yes.”

“...And keep you from Joshua, your true love?!”

I went to protest but stopped myself. If this is what it took to get her help…”Sure.”

“Oh, dear!” Anne’s face softened, as she threw a hand to her mouth. “I can’t bear to watch that family destroy a love and break hearts like that! What do you need?” Anne looked fiercely determined.

My thoughts went back to the mention of Anne’s past lover who broke her heart. I wondered if her past experience is why love matters so much to her.

“I need to look like a boy.”

Quickly, I dressed in one of Joshua’s long-sleeved shirts and shoved my legs into his lanky pants. I took my hair ribbon and rigged a way to tie the pants tighter, while Anne shoved my knotted hair inside Joshua’s old hat. I completed the outfit with Joshua’s brown, oversized coat, and the only thing I had for shoes, mud-caked boots.

“Well?”

“It’ll do.” The uncertainty in Anne’s voice as she eyed me made my stomach swirl. It was an awkward fit on me for sure.

In a hurry, we rushed out and down the stairs where all the commotion continued to ensue.

The stairs ended in the main room, where the front door to the inn stood. I tried not to scream as I saw some men shoving Joshua about in the center of the main room. My hands shook and my breathing became uneasy. Suddenly, the man from the train incident grabbed a fistful of Joshua’s shirt and shook him.

“I’m tired of being patient with you, boy!” Practically spitting in Joshua’s face, the man spoke with much less eloquence to Joshua than he did to me on the train. Joshua didn’t answer with words but gave a look full of fiery emotion. I had never seen Joshua with hatred like this before. The man then shoved Joshua against the main counter and turned to order around more men.

To my right, was a large room full of dining tables. A few voices came from there with many sounds of clinking glass.

“My fine china!” Horrified, Anne shouted.

Next to the large room was a hall that continued down past the side of the stairs. It was filled with many rooms and a kitchen off the dining area. The men were already searching the first floor!

“Anne, I need to get close to Joshua,” I whispered.

“You’re right!” Anne nodded, giving me her full attention now. “Love is more important than fancy dishes. Walk with me.” Anne gently wrapped her arm behind me and slowly guided me around the small crowd of terrified people. I kept my head down, hoping it would hide my feminine features. Everything danced around in my vision, causing me to stumble a little. I was thankful for Anne’s arm around me to help keep me up.

As we got closer, I noticed Joshua had a sizable bruise forming around his right eye and some blood was flowing from the corner of his mouth. He was all scuffed up and it was my fault. Joshua’s eyes were darting around the room as if he was examining the situation around him and forming a plan. His eyes narrowed when his gaze fell on me. Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, he looked me up from my hat and all the way down to my boots. Finally, his eyes widened. He must have realized it was me! My cheeks warmed and I awkwardly shrugged my shoulders. The embarrassment made my heart race and my head throb harder. He recognized me wearing his clothes! I was wearing boy clothes in front of a guy! To make things worse, the edge of Joshua’s mouth curved up in a smirk before he turned his face away.

No one else seemed to notice my unusual small size for a male, my oversized clothes, or my feminine features. The men, from Mr. Brooks, were far too busy shouting and knocking furniture about to intimidate others. To them, I was just some young boy hardly worth noticing. Anne and I, slowly and silently, crept behind the counter and hid. On my knees, I peeped over the counter behind Joshua.

“Eleanor,” Joshua tilted his head in my direction and whispered. “They overtook me at the publishing company. They’re holding my Pa right now, I had no choice but to lead them here. I didn’t want to betray you like this. I was thinking if I caused enough of a scene down here it would give you time to know what’s coming. It worked, I see.” Joshua nodded his head, grinning.

I sharply sucked in air. If he was referring to the clothes I was wearing, I’ll be changing the subject now! “We have to get you out of this mess.”

Joshua shook his head. “You need to get out of here before they find you too.”

“Their eyes are on the front door. Won’t they still recognize me in these clothes? You sure did.”

“Oh, those blockheads are too stupid to notice! Please, go!”

“Joshua, I won’t abandon you like this. Not after all you’ve done for me. Besides, where else would I go?”

Joshua sighed. “Here.” He reached in his coat pocket. Holding something small in his hand, he drew it around his back. “Take this, please.”

I snatched it from his hand, reading an address on the top of the small envelope.

“It’s something from my correspondence with my brother. It’s his address for you. His wife’s family is semi-well-to-do and they inherited a pear tree farm together. I know they will certainly welcome you and take care of you. You’ll be safe. The Brooks family doesn’t have much power in that region.”

My bottom lip quivered as I let those words sink in. It would be so nice to finally feel safe, to finally be far enough from the Brooks family’s reach. But will that safety last? And what of Joshua? How can I leave him here in the hands of that family?

“But what about you?” I asked.

“I’ll be fine as soon as you’re gone.”

“Alright.” I barely whispered. His words stung deeply. It was my fault Joshua and his pa were in trouble. I should leave so they will both be safe again. Or maybe not. Until I know for sure, can I really leave? I was still unwell, is it possible for me to do anything? I recalled the memory with my ma, the last time someone was in danger and I was completely helpless. I couldn’t save my ma then, but maybe...Maybe this time I could save Joshua. They were after him because of me! All I needed was to clear Joshua’s name, to make him “uninvolved” in everyone’s mind somehow...Suddenly, the image of writing a note to run away while I was alone earlier came to mind. I had left it... I could use that to my advantage!

“Anne,” Dropping the envelope, I leaned close to her and whispered quietly. I couldn’t risk Joshua hearing. He would never approve of such a plan as this one. “I would like your help. If you’re willing.” Anne looked thoughtful as if deciding whether or not to assist me again.

I could’ve chosen to be far enough from the Brooks family’s grasp, but I firmly decided a different path. I was no longer going to helplessly watch someone else in trouble. I was determined to get Joshua out of this disaster, even if I risked my own safety. If we could clear his name, then he can go on with his life in peace as before, and maybe even become a writer. At least, I can’t leave until I know he’s alright.