River

Jake

It’s sometime in the afternoon. I can tell because the sun has gone over the top of the house and has started to shine into the west-facing window where I am sitting.

I’m almost out of candy, so I’ve decided to eat one of the apples. I have just taken my first bite, still staring at the hairy man hiding behind the tree, when another man appears next to him.

I didn’t see him walking on the street, so he must have snuck around the house from the back way. He is facing away from me, talking to the hairy man. I can see the side of his face, and I can tell that he also has a big beard. He seems very big and stocky. I wish I could hear what they are saying.

I watch for a long time, trying to see if I can tell what is happening. But it is just the two men, hiding behind the tree.

After a while, the newcomer steps back, and starts looking around. He peers past the tree at Gregor’s house, then looks up and down the street.

When his face turns in this direction, my heart stops.

It is him. The man that Rosy used to call “the beast”. The one who hurt her so bad, over and over again. The one who made her cry.

This is the bad man that Gregor said wants to hurt his family? Gregor probably doesn’t even know how bad he has already hurt her, since it happened while Gregor was out of town. I’ll bet Gregor has no idea what is actually going on here.

But I do. The beast has returned, and he wants to hurt Rosy some more.

Absolutely not.

I know that Gregor has something planned, but he isn’t here now, and Rosy is alone in the house except for the two servants, and these two men are probably making plans right now to go over there. There are two of them, they could easily beat the one man servant that Gregor has. They can get to Rosy.

I am going to stop it. I have to do this, to protect Rosy, because Gregor isn’t here to do it right now.

I look around the room, frantically, and see a fireplace poker. I grab it and rush out the door.

Gregor

It’s quite touching, really, Ben offering to help me if he can. I shouldn’t need it, though, Thomas has everything lined up. Wolk tells me that Mason is still planning to move in tonight after I have left the house to go to the club, so the militia members will be in place by evening. Jake is watching Stu, who is watching the house. Moses is also watching Stu, and generally is on alert. Rosy seems fine, Nadine is going about her duties. I think it’s all going to work out fine. I’m just anxious to get it over with. I want the whole Mason ordeal to be behind us.

I’m sure Ben wants the same. I know that he is practically frantic with worry about Samuel finding out about it. After Mason is gone, hopefully Ben will finally find a way to just confess to Samuel about their first meeting, and with any luck Samuel will be surprised but amused. I believe that they are very good for each other, and wish happiness for both of them. They’ll probably always need to keep their relationship discreet, but I’ve known couples in situations like theirs who have been able to lead long and happy lives together. I hope that is what is in store for them.

Geoffrey is relieved to have Ben and I back. The crew has shifted the driver over to start driving in the next pile, and he really needs all the hands on the ropes. He gets us all lined up, and we prepare to pull on his command.

“Heave!” he shouts, and we all start straining. It feels so good to just use my body in this way, this simple task, physically difficult but mentally restful. Wolk is keeping me updated about all the pieces on my game board. Mason, he tells me, is climbing the hill behind town, planning to meet up with Stu and begin making their plans for tonight. I know he will keep me constantly updated as everything progresses.

The huge hammer attached to the ropes we are tugging on begins lifting, inching towards the notch that will set it into position to be dropped.

“Heave!” Again.

Suddenly Wolk says, urgently, “Gregor! Mason has arrived at your street and Jake is leaving his hiding place to confront him!”

In a split second I have dropped my rope and am running towards the hill.

I hear the hammer crashing back down behind me as I abandon my post.

Ben

It leaves us all agape, when Gregor suddenly, with no explanation, drops his rope and starts tearing up the hill. The hammer wasn’t set, and we are all unsettled enough by his sudden departure that we allow the tension in the ropes to slacken, causing our progress to be lost and the hammer to plummet back down to the bottom of the frame. I hear some of the men yelling, probably getting rope burns on their hands as the hammer drags the ropes back down with it.

It takes me a few seconds, standing around as dumbfounded as everyone else, before I start running after him.

I don’t know what the problem is, but I’ll bet it has to do with Mason, and I am determined to help Gregor after everything he has done for me and David.

Rosy’s

Anxiety washes over me as I watch the man who had harmed her join his flunkie across the street. I have been monitoring the situation, and know that Mason is planning to move against my beloved tonight. Her husband is making plans of his own, but I cannot penetrate his thoughts and can only hope that whatever he is doing is sufficient to protect her.

I am afraid that I have been unable to whisper comforting words to her since this plot became known to me. I have no comfort to give, when I am full of apprehension myself. It seems that this is bringing a sense of unease to my dearest one. Guardians always whisper unheard words of encouragement and love, and although we know we are not being heard, apparently we are having an effect. Without my words, Rosalind feels a mild sense of foreboding. I must try to do better, bring myself to support her as usual. I do not wish for my failure to disrupt her peace of mind.

Rosy

I have been feeling strangely edgy all day. I don’t know if it is just because Gregor left before I woke up. I suppose that’s probably it.

I’m in the parlor, trying to concentrate on my embroidery. I’m planning to bring it to our dinner with the Postlethwaites later this week, so I can show Ann my progress. But I am not able to make myself focus. I scoot my chair closer to the front window, to take advantage of the sunlight. But rather than looking back down at my stitching, I find myself gazing out the window and daydreaming.

Some movement catches my eye. I look across the street a couple of doors down, and see a boy coming out of the vacant house there. I hadn’t known anybody was living there now. The boy is carrying something, some kind of stick, and he runs past the house next door to duck behind a tree at the side yard of the next house.

I am staring open-mouthed at the scene when the shouting starts.