Annalise took another step down the banister. Then another.
Lord, please keep me safe.
She held her breath all the while her heart raced. Where was Aunt Lavinia? Would she emerge at any moment and catch Annalise attempting to eavesdrop?
“Now that’s an idea and a half,” Uncle Phineas thundered.
What idea?
She must move closer.
“Annalise!”
Annalise straightened her posture and scurried up the stairs to her room.
“Annalise!”
“Yes, Aunt Lavinia?”
“Oh, there you are.” Aunt Lavinia patted her curly gray hair.
Annalise willed her heart to be still. What if Aunt Lavinia had found her on the stairs? What if…
“You look bedraggled, Annalise.”
The statement was more of a chastisement than a concern. Just like most of Aunt Lavinia’s comments.
“I was just preparing to retire for the night.”
Lord, forgive me for that bold untruth.
“I see. Well, I thought I heard some clamor. Is everything quite all right?”
“Quite all right, Aunt Lavinia.”
“Very well. It must have been your uncle and his unruly cronies.”
“Indeed.”
Aunt Lavinia eyed Annalise with suspicion. “Good night, then.”
“Good night, Aunt Lavinia.”
Please hurry and retire to your room so I can return to hear the men’s plans.
Taking one more glance back at Annalise, Aunt Lavinia proceeded to her bedroom. A few moments later, Annalise heard the door close and lock.
Perhaps, Annalise hoped, the men would be drunk and would repeat their plans. She waited a few more minutes, anxiety permeating every ounce of her being. Lord, grant me the wisdom to know when it is safe to eavesdrop again.
With the utmost prudence, Annalise skulked down the long hall and to the top of the stairs, all the while keeping a close watch on Aunt Lavinia’s door. The men’s rowdy voices carried up the stairs, although Annalise was unable to discern their words. For the third time in as many days, she continued carefully down the stairs and toward the library until she could distinguish their words.
“It’s a task that must be undertaken.”
How much had she missed due to Aunt Lavinia’s “concern”?
“I agree. Who we gonna use as the bait?”
Bait?
“How about my slave Horace? The reverend doesn’t know him, from what I recollect.”
“This might just work. Yes, Dale, let’s use Horace. Give him the details tomorrow. Tell him if he errs, he’ll be hung immediately with no questions asked. After a good beating,” Uncle Phineas added.
“I’ll tell Horace to act as if he wants his freedom. He’ll seek the good reverend out and ask how he can be assisted in his escape endeavor. Horace will do his best to convince Reverend Sorenson that he needs his freedom. Isn’t that how it all works?” Dale Hiram snarled. “Horace is a good-for-nothing slave as it is, so if he gets himself hung, he’ll rightly deserve it.”
“And,” added Percy Hiram, “Reverend Sorenson is a good-for-nothing preacher, so it’s the perfect match for a perfect plan.”
Annalise gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. This plan mustn’t succeed.
“Good. Then he’s perfect for the job. Sheriff Bleyer, be at the ready to bring Reverend Sorenson to the Ridge Gap town square after he decides to help our decoy. Percy and Edgar, you start the crowds rioting about the injustice of one of our own—a reverend of all things—breaking the law. It won’t take much to bring the reverend to justice. Folks won’t stand for a criminal on the streets of Ridge Gap, preacher or not. As Lavinia would say, ‘It’s absolutely scandalous.’”
The men chuckled at Uncle Phineas’s comment.
Anger rose within Annalise. How dare they make unkind comments about Matthias. And how dare they plot the murder of an innocent man.
She had every mind to barge into the library and rebuke them in the harshest way possible.
Much as the idea held appeal, it would do no good. They would likely throw her in jail for being a sympathizer. Then where would Matthias be? How could she assist the man she was growing to love?
And how could she aid in the escape of more slaves?
Instead of giving in to the temptation, Annalise retreated to her room.
She had a big day tomorrow.