Page 96 of The Uprising
‘None, as usual. It’s out of our control anyway. I bet we’re breaking him out as we speak,’ said Cara.
After the call ended, George said, ‘Living in the moment with all this stuff going on hundreds of years ago, isn’t quite as easy as it sounds, is it?’
‘It’s a bloody nightmare,’ said Cara, moving her head from side to side. ‘I’m terrified we’re going to mess everything up again.’ She drew closer to the fire, still shaking.
George poured them both a drink. ‘Here,’ he said, pressing a crystal glass filled with a generous shot of golden-brown whisky into her hand. ‘You’re in shock, drink that; it’ll do you good.’
Chapter 28
St. Mary’s Abbey, York, 1536 - Tudorville
Cara saw the astonished, pale-faced monk with a ring of hair encircling his smooth, gleaming bald head.
My God: it’s a real-life Tudor Benedictine monk.
Her historian’s fascination took over and she gaped at him.
‘What’s going on?’ The monk whispered as he scanned the faces of George’s rescue team, his vow of silence forgotten as he closed the door behind him.
George stepped forwards as he spoke. ‘You treated me well in my short time here, and I’d like to thank you.’
‘You’re a good man, my lord; I was sorry to see you imprisoned like a common criminal. But if you are to escape you must hurry.’
‘Thank you,’ said Cara, finding her voice.
The monk smiled at her and she thought he had the kindest eyes she’d ever seen. The man was a good soul, that much was evident.
She took a deep breath and tried to steady her racing heart. ‘Brother Grayson is there another way out of here?’
A look of surprise at the sound of his name played over the monk’s plain features.
‘I saw one of the ringleaders arrive on horseback, you must avoid him at all cost, I don’t want blood on my hands. Come, follow me...we must hurry before he comes to look for Lord Cavendish. On his last visit, he said he was planning on moving him today.’
They hurried, silently and in single file after Brother Grayson who opened the door to one of the rooms on the opposite side of the building. He signalled them to follow him into the room and then to close the door. Once inside, they watched him expertly move a section of the carpet aside and tap on the floor, looking for a certain spot. After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for and the wooden floorboard swung open, revealing a black hole.
They heard conversation and movement, and Cara’s heart skipped from a fast, dull thud back into a rapid staccato beat which shook her chest as thoughts of what would happen if they were caught by the blue-eyed rebel, flooded her mind. ‘Hurry, hurry,’ she said. ‘Someone’s coming,’ the words sounded strangled in her fear-constricted throat.
‘This is a secret passage we dug out a few years ago. Hurry now—all of you—jump down as quickly as you can. He mustn’t see you or we’ll all hang for it.’
‘Where will we come out?’ asked Edward.
‘Follow the path, and when you reach the end, look for a small tunnel—you’ll have to crawl through and it will take you to the outskirts of the abbey and into the forest. You should be able to see enough with the light from above ground to be able to find your way. Be careful when you come out in case they realise you escaped.’
Swifty’s sturdy frame flitted into the hole and his head disappeared down the ladder. Cara went next, looking anxiously at George and Edward as the black hole swallowed her up, and then Edward followed.
George turned to Brother Grayson and grasped his hand, ‘Thank you, Brother. I know the risks you are taking by helping us like this. I’m forever in your debt. If there’s ever anything you need you will always be welcome at Willow Manor,’ he whispered.
‘Thank you, my lord. Please hurry before we are caught, I will try and distract them from discovering your absence.’ Brother Grayson blessed him with the sign of the cross, before George slipped into the hole to join the others. George moved his feet slowly down the rungs of the narrow ladder and saw the slit of light from above vanish as the monk concealed the hole. He reached the others waiting for him at the bottom. He could make out Cara’s form in the thin shard of pale morning light and he reached for her and pulled her gently towards him.
There was a lump in her throat as she clung to him. ‘Thank God we found you. I’ve been going out of my mind since we lost contact. Are you all right? How badly are you hurt?’
‘Hush, my love, I’m all right now you’re here,’ he said, holding her tightly against him and smoothing her hair away from her eyes and kissing her forehead. ‘We must make haste,’ he said in a louder voice so that Edward and Swifty would hear.
They set off through the freezing underground passage, and Cara felt George shiver. ‘You are weak and cold, here take your cloak.’
‘My cloak?’
‘Yes, I had to disguise myself for the journey. It’s a long story. I wore it to keep me warm on my journey from Windsor to Willow Manor.’
