The seagulls
shrieked. The waves crashed against the dock. The bells tolled. A
cold wind whipped my hair. I rocked little Susan, as she laughed
playfully at the birds flying overhead. We had finally reached Lyon
Quay. I looked over where Catherine was talking to the owner of a
barge, trying to get him to take us to Leigh, a small town at the
mouth of the Thames River.
“It’s not that far,” I could
hear her say.
“But it’s so foggy,” the man
said. “And that’s not enough money.”
“Will you take this instead of more
money?” Catherine reached and unclasped a gold chain that hung
around her neck.
“Oh no, not your necklace!” I
rushed over to her.
“Helen, I must,” she said,
dropping it in the man’s rough hands.
“But it was your mother’s,” I
sighed.
“I know. But we must get to Leigh,”
she said, taking Susan from my arms.
We walked
cautiously aboard the barge. There were boxes, and bags, and crates.
Large pieces of furniture sat tied to the floor of the flat boat. We
zigzagged around the huge load cargo and into the tiny cabin. Agnes
plopped down on the floor, exhausted. Edith took Susan, while
Catherine rested on the cot. The boat started to move, and I laid
down on a soft blanket on the floor. I took my bag, and out of it, I
pulled my diary. It was small and red. Inside the booklet, the pages
were crinkled and torn. I didn’t mind. I took a small ink pen from
the desk in the room and began to write.
January
1st,
1555
Dearest
diary,
I
am writing here on a barge. You might be wondering what I am doing on
such a boat. Catherine is escaping from England, and I am going with
her. It’s been a frightening experience so far. We barely made it
out of her house without the guards spotting us. Then, we wandered
around London for a whole day, without any food. A kind lady gave us
some bread, however, and I’m quite full. Right now, we are on the
Thames River, heading towards Leigh. I’m very tired, so I guess I
should stop writing. Hopefully I can get in some sleep before we
reach the small town.
I put the pen down
and closed my diary. I looked around. Catherine slept, and Edith
gently sang to Susan. Agnes was at Edith’s feet, slowly drifting
off as she sang the lullaby. I laid down on my blanket. I listened as
Edith’s sweet voice carried throughout the room. My eyelids grew
heavy, and soon, I was fast asleep.
“Helen, wake up!
Helen!” I opened my eyes. Edith was in my face.
“We’re here!
We’re at Leigh!” she exclaimed. I sat up. Catherine was gathering
her blankets, and Agnes held Susan.
“Oh!” I stood
up. We followed Catherine out the cabin door and across the long,
flat boat. She thanked the man who owned the barge, and we
disembarked. We walked down the dock and onto the street. When we
reached the center of town, we realized how much smaller Leigh was
than London. A few people strolled down the cobblestone street,
unlike the large crowds in London. Catherine spotted a sign that
read:
Blackstone
Inn
Rooms
and food
We
walked in and an older gentleman greeted us.
“Welcome to Blackstone Inn,” he
smiled. Catherine handed him the last of our money.
“I’d like a room please,” she
said. The man led us up a stairwell and down a hallway. He stopped at
a door, and gave us the key.
“Here’s your room,” he said.
Agnes opened the door and we walked in. It was tiny, but cozy. There
was a large bed and a window that looked out into the street.
“Oh, how pretty!” Edith exclaimed.
“Yes,” Catherine agreed. She took
off her blue cloak and laid it on the bed.
“Helen, would you run downstairs and
ask the man if he has any milk for Susan?” Catherine asked. I
nodded my head and walked out the door. The stairs creaked loudly as
I walked down. When I reached the bottom, I stopped. The owner was
whispering to another man.
“Did you hear about the Duchess of
Suffolk? She and some of her servants escaped yesterday,” the
innkeeper said. The other man let out a low whistle.
“She could be anywhere,” he said.
My heart pounded in my chest. They had already heard about Catherine!
I turned and bounded up the steps. They creaked loudly.
“Who’s there?” the innkeeper
yelled. I kept on running. I raced down the hall and into our room.
“Helen! What’s the matter?”
Agnes asked.
“They know about the escape! News
has already traveled this far!” I cried. Catherine’s eyes grew
big.
“We need to leave,” she exclaimed,
grabbing Susan. “And fast.” Edith slowly opened the door. I hoped
the innkeeper hadn’t followed me up here.
“I wonder if there are any other
exits,” Catherine whispered. We slowly made our way down the hall.
Downstairs, I could hear voices. We could never get out that way!
“Maybe there’s a back staircase,”
I suggested.
“Good idea,” Catherine said. We
went past our door and down to the end of the hallway. A small door
led down the kitchen staircase. We opened it and heard the busy cooks
talking and laughing.
“How will we get past them?” Agnes
asked. Catherine took a deep breath.
“One at a time,” she whispered.
So, one by one, we sneaked past the busy cooks and out the back door.
To Be Continued!
