The Loyal Heart by Merry Farmer Page A

footing first and scooped the woman off her feet, hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. She kicked and screamed, “Let me down! Let me down!” but he clamped her in place. She was light and thin but her fists packed a wallop.
    “Oy! Stop it! I’m never gonna hurt you or anything.”
    Aubrey held the other nun at sword-point. She was an older woman and she knew when she was beat. She stood regally in the rain, her hands clasped in front of her and a look of immovable serenity on her lined face. She didn’t even blink when the rain splashed across her cheeks. Aubrey lowered her sword, convinced that the woman wouldn’t try anything. She glanced further up the road and could just make out the form of the other carriage, stopped about fifty yards ahead.
    “Will you stop already?” Jack was demanding of the nun over his shoulder. She kept hitting him and he kept turning to tell her to stop, which accomplished nothing but spinning them on the spot.
    “Sister Mary Peter!” the serene nun ordered in a strained voice. “Desist!”
    The nun over Jack’s shoulder gave him one more thump before going limp with a frustrated whimper.
    “Oy! That’s more like it.” Jack let out a breath of relief. “I’m gonna put you down now.” He walked over to the other nun. “Promise me you’ll behave.” She was silent. “Well?”
    “I’ll behave,” a small, strangled voice promised behind his back.
    “That’s better.” He shrugged her off his shoulder and stood her on her feet. Her habit was soaked and clumped around her, damp wimple hiding her face. The serene nun took her hand to calm her. When he was convinced neither of them would do anything Jack turned to see what Aubrey was up to.
    Aubrey had climbed into the carriage. The merchant still cowered in a corner. “Don’t hurt me!” he whined. “Don’t hurt me! I’m no one! I have nothing!”
    “You don’t look like you have nothin’,” Jack said as he leaned into the carriage. Aubrey whipped around to face him, hoping he could see her frown through the mask. Jack nodded to her and reached across the floor of the carriage to retrieve his daggers.
    “Here!” the merchant gasped. He began wrenching the rings off of his fingers and thrusting them at Aubrey. She fumbled and tried not to take them, but he kept pushing them at her and she couldn’t say a word in protest.
    “Oy, over here!” Jack held out his hand and wiggled his fingers. The merchant switched to shoving his rings at Jack, who pocketed them all.
    Aubrey stamped her foot and stepped between Jack and the merchant. The merchant pulled his hands back with a shudder and squeezed his eyes shut. “Don’t kill me!”
    “We’re not gonna kill you!” Jack shouted at the man. “Want me to tie him up or somethin’?”
    Aubrey hesitated before nodding, then leaned to the side while Jack hopped into the carriage. Once he was in she jumped out. She glanced up the road to see Ethan and Tom rushing towards them, a man held between them. Relief surged through her. They had done it. She glanced over to the nuns. The serene one stood with her back straight but wore a faint grimace. Aubrey worried she’d injured her after all. The other one was wet and shaking like a leaf. There was something familiar about her face….
    “Where’s Jack?” Ethan jogged the last few feet of muddy road.
    Aubrey nodded towards the carriage. The young man with Ethan and Tom was dressed in nothing but a tattered shirt and chausses, no shoes on his feet. He was hardly more than a boy but tough with stringy hair and beady eyes. He wore a bitter scowl for the rain and tried to shake out of Tom’s grip when they came to a stop. The spite he shot Aubrey made her stomach knot. He didn’t look like an innocent man.
    “What’ve you got here?” Jack asked as he hopped out of the carriage and strolled over to the others.
    “Prisoner,” Tom answered him.
    “We got two nuns and a merchant,” Jack replied. “A very