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Back Cardinal Black Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Title Page
  2. One: Into the Storm
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Two: London Calling
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Three: The Malignant Seven
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-One
  26. Twenty-Two
  27. Twenty-Three
  28. Four: Squirrels and Cats
  29. Twenty-Four
  30. Twenty-Five
  31. Twenty-Six
  32. Twenty-Seven
  33. Twenty-Eight
  34. Twenty-Nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-One
  37. Thirty-Two
  38. Five: Revelation
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. About the Author

“Thank God!” said Firebaugh, snatching up the stockings, a blouse, a pair of the breeches and the boots. “I’ll try these on right here!” And without further decorum or regard to his hosts he stood before the hearth, threw off his banyan robe to expose his thin nakedness, sat on the floor and pulled on the stockings, which fit well enough. The breeches were problematic in being too large around the waist, and Firebaugh grimaced as he fought his feet into the boots. The blouse went on and fit reasonably well though it flagged around the shoulders, but when Firebaugh stood up the breeches fell to his knees.

“Hmmm,” said Autrey as he and his wife watched this display with amusement. “I’ve got a length of cord might do to hold those breeches up. Extra shillin’ buys it.”

Julian offered the coin with no comment, and Autrey handed it to Greta with the flourish of a triumphant businessman and went to the back to fetch the cord. Firebaugh was left securing his baggy breeches with both hands, causing Elizabeth to laugh at the sorry spectacle.

Matthew wandered over to one of the windows and moved the curtain aside.

“What is it?” Julian asked sharply, coming over beside him.

“Nothing. But you’re right, we ought to be going.” The tension in his voice surprised him and also worried him; had he seen something—or someone—out there, or not?

“We should’ve gotten out of here already. Autrey!” Julian called. “Hurry up, will you?” He too peered out the window, but the dark and the snow obscured vision beyond a very few yards.

Autrey returned with a length of cord and a small knife. As Julian stood guard to watch Firebaugh in case the knife intrigued him as much as had the musket, Autrey cut several holes in the waist of the offending breeches and threaded the cord through them to create a makeshift belt. “Cinch that in and give it a knot,” he directed, and when the doctor did as ordered and the breeches stayed up Autrey nodded with the satisfaction of a job well done. “There you go,” he said. “Handsome as a stag’s skin on a beaver’s butt.”

As Firebaugh was getting into the banyan robe again for extra warmth, Autrey suddenly stopped still in the middle of the room. “Hear that?” he asked.

Matthew only heard the whine of the wind and the noise of wood crackling in the hearth.

“There! Again! A horse screamin’!” Autrey strode past Matthew and Julian to a window, as obviously his hearing on such matters was acute from eight years of minding the coach teams.

He drew aside the curtain, and as he did an orange flicker of light licked his face.

“Oh my Christ!” he said, his eyes wide and his voice strained with true horror. “The barn’s on fire!”

Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Eight