His Spoilt Lady (22 page)

Linnett awoke
in the morning with the sun warm on her face, curled up on the
sun-warmed rock. It took her a while to realise where she was, and
she was surprised to find that she was alone, finding no sign of
the two trappers. After scrambling back down the rock’s side, which
proved much easier in daylight than the climb up the previous
night, Linnett decided she would pay a call of nature and then
bathe quickly in the river. She needed to wash away all the grime
the last couple of days had covered her in. She was drying herself
with the blanket in a secluded spot surrounded by low shrubbery,
her clothes placed on a low flattish rock beside her, when Linnett
heard the crack of twigs and the sound of stealthy footsteps.
Linnett froze, holding the blanket high up under her chin. Ned
appeared, his eyes narrowed lustfully at the sight of her near
nakedness. His thin lips slackened and his feral gaze boldly raked
Linnett’s body.

“We-ell, what
d’ we ‘ave ‘ere then?” drawled Ned.

He placed his
musket carefully against a bush, his eyes not once leaving her
body. Linnett glanced across at her clothes nervously. Could she
reach them?

“Why, Ned, you
startled me. Is Will with you?” Linnett looked beyond Ned to try to
find Will.

“He’s off
tracking that old bear, determined ter get it, he is. Damn thing
killed all the horses last night.”

Linnett wished
Will was with Ned, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the way
Ned was looking at her. “Could you hand me my clothes, please?”

Ned ambled over
to the rock and scooped up Linnett’s things, holding them in one
hand and grinning at her. “These, d’yer mean? Come and get them,
girly,” he said, swinging his arm so the clothes swayed slowly to
and fro.

“Please, Ned,
this isn’t funny. Give me my clothes.”

“Yer won’t need
these fer a while,” Ned said, flinging the clothes so that they
disappeared far among the shrubbery.

Linnett spun
around and ran, stumbling over the blanket as she went. Linnett
gathered it up higher, trying to wrap it around herself as she
fled. Running as fast as she could away from the river’s edge, the
low branches of Aspen bushes stung her face as she blundered
head-first through the undergrowth. Her pounding heart raced
painfully in her chest, and she ran until agonising pain tore at
her ribs. She glanced behind her and tripped over a tree root,
falling face downwards in the dirt, her breath knocked painfully
from her lungs.

Immediately,
she felt rough hands on her body, turning her over onto her back. A
heavy weight landed on top of her, crushing what little air she had
left out of her chest. Ned was kissing her, his foul breath making
her gag. His filthy hands mauled her, digging painfully into her
most tender parts. He grunted and muttered thickly as Linnett
struggled helplessly under him. Finally, she managed to twist her
head free of his slobbering mouth and screamed. She tried to bring
her leg up and knee him in the groin, but he grabbed hold of her
thigh and forced her legs apart, inserting a knee between. Linnett
screamed again louder this time, then bit his ear hard, hanging
onto it with her teeth. Ned bellowed in agonised rage, pulling
back, splattering Linnet’s face with his blood, and then he raised
his arm, ready to hit her across the face. Linnett flinched,
screwing her eyes shut, tensed for the blow.

When the blow
failed to fall, she opened her eyes and stared into his face, it
had contorted, twisted into a horrible grimace; slowly he slumped
forward falling inert on top of her. Linnett screamed, scrabbling
and pushing at sudden dead weight that crushed her. When all at
once the burden was lifted off her, she squinted upwards shielding
her eyes from the sun, and found she was looking into the stark
face of her furious husband, who was standing glowering down at
her.

“John! Oh
darling, you saved me! Oh thank God!” Linnett flung her arms around
her husband’s neck. John helped his wife to her feet, disentangled
her arms and picked up the blanket, wrapping it swiftly around her
nakedness.

“Goddamn it,
Linnett, what the hell are you playing at!” John yelled, grabbing
hold of her, his fingers biting hard into her shoulders. Linnett
looked at Ned, and trembling with shock, she realised that he was
dead. A dagger protruded from his back. Linnett pointed a shaking
finger at his body. “John, he’s dead! My God, John, you’ve
killed
him!”

John shook her
so hard that Linnett’s teeth rattled. Her head snapped back and
forth, her hair flinging forwards, stinging her eyes. “Of course I
killed him, you little fool! He was about to rape you!” John
suddenly groaned and yanked her hard against him, coiling his arms
around her tightly. “Linnett, Linnett, thank God I found you, you
are safe now! Are you hurt my sweet?”

John tipped up
her chin and studied her face, which was covered in spots of blood
and any number of tiny scratches. He traced his thumb across her
cheek, which was smeared with leaf mould. “Linnett, you look
terrible, such a mess....god-dammit where the
hell
are your
clothes?”

Linnett gazed
up at him numbly. “My clothes are by the river. I was bathing when
Ned…” Linnett turned to walk slowly back towards the river edge,
and John followed her.

John tenderly
washed his wife’s scratches in the cool river water, his emotions
swinging between compassion for his wife one moment and searing
rage with her the next. He then built a fire and brewed coffee from
the supply provided by Sarah for the journey. John had watched
Linnett as she had recounted her adventures to him, excitedly
waving her hands about to express herself, just like a child. John
sighed to himself; his wife had absolutely no sense of
responsibility at all. She was and is oblivious to the worry she
has caused, he pondered, bemused.

“What became of
the horse?” he asked when she finished her tale. Linnett’s hand
flew to her mouth. “Oh, how dreadful of me! I had forgotten all
about her! Penny’s tethered in a clearing over that way. John, she
will be so thirsty! Shall I go and find her?” Linnett jumped to her
feet, agitated and guilty. John immediately got to his feet. “No
Linnett, stay by the fire. I will go and find the horse.”

John turned to
walk away and then hesitated. He stopped and faced her, saying
sternly, “Do not move from this spot, Linnett. I mean it, for I
have no wish to hunt for you again. Do you understand me?”

Linnett looked
at John, surprised by his tone, and said, “Of course.”

“I mean it,
madam; if I return to find you gone this time…. I swear I’ll take
my belt to you.
Now
do you understand me?” John waited. When
she failed to reply he snapped, “Linnett!” Linnett scowled at him.
“Yes, I have said I will remain here. Now go and find poor Penny,
she will be so thirsty!”

John strode
away. He was not happy letting Linnett out of his sight, but from
her tale about the bear attack the previous night, John suspected
that Penny was a casualty, and if he was right, he didn’t want
Linnett to see what was left of the poor animal. John replayed the
scene he had come upon by the river. He had heard Linnett’s scream
and was thankful that he had been nearby to hear her. He couldn’t
begin to think what would have happened to her if he had arrived a
few minutes later than he had. When John thought about that man
with his filthy paws on his wife, John ground his teeth and wished
he could kill the bastard all over again. However, he was
absolutely furious with his wife; she had brought all this trouble
on herself.

John had run
out of patience with her. This time, she would learn her lesson and
he was going to teach it to her!

When Hans had rode up in the grey light of pre-dawn
carrying Peter’s small body, John had thought the boy dead. The
relief that he felt when he realised Peter was actually alive had
been immense, even though he knew a broken leg was a serious injury
for such a small boy. Linnett had caused all this trouble, and she
still seemed to be totally oblivious of the fact. Hans told John he
was going straight back to the homestead with Peter; he turned his
horse around and left without even acknowledging Linnett.

John had found
Penny, or rather, what was left of the poor animal. There was no
point in him going any closer; the wolves would finish the remains.
He swatted at a cloud of flies that had risen from the carcass and
buzzed around him. Walking back to where he had left Linnett, John
remembered that he had still to bury the trapper. His expression
grew grim as he recalled the man astride his wife’s nude body. By
God, she would have some explaining to do before he was through
with her. She was just too damn wilful. He would bury the man’s
body now, and then they could be on their way back to the farm and
he would take Linnett in hand.

John arrived
back at the small camp and glanced around. The fire was burning
merrily, and his horse stood nearby, contentedly grazing on the
patchy grass, but of Linnett, there was no sign. Where the devil
was she now? Twenty minutes he’d been gone, just twenty short
minutes! John stood stock still, a nerve twitching in his clenched
cheek.

“Linnett!” he
barked. He listened hard, but there was no answering call, not a
sound. John slapped his leg, extremely agitated now. Perhaps the
second trapper, Will, had taken her. Anxiously, John hurried
towards the river looking for signs of his errant wife.

Linnett had sat
patiently waiting for John. They would need to get started on their
journey as soon as he returned, and she wanted to get away as soon
as possible. Linnett folded the blanket and added it to the pack on
John’s saddle. She noticed his water bag was hanging limp and empty
and decided that she would fill it with the fresh water they would
need on their journey. Linnett built up the fire and set off with
the leather water bag swinging at her side.

It was only
when she had reached the water’s edge that Linnett recalled John’s
instruction not to leave the camp. Well, she hadn’t really left the
camp area; after all, she was just fetching water for their
journey. Linnett knelt and filled the bag until it was full to
overflowing. As she straightened up, Linnett caught sight of
something on the opposite side of the river. She put up her hand
and shaded her eyes from the bright sunlight, but even squinting,
she couldn’t tell what it was. If she moved slightly farther down
river, there were overhanging trees that created shade. Perhaps it
would be easier to see from there. Linnett made her way along the
river bank towards the trees.

Suddenly from
across the water, there was a roaring and crashing in the
undergrowth, and then a man’s high-pitched scream rent the air.
Linnett froze in her tracks, staring at the place the commotion was
coming from. Suddenly, a man burst out from the foliage, and he
flung himself into the river. Linnett gasped as she recognised
Will. From behind him came another deafening roar, and a huge brown
bear crashed out from the trees. The bear stood up on hind legs,
and its enormous shaggy arms pawed the air.

Terrified,
Linnett drew back under the deep shade of the tree. She saw Will
frantically trying to swim across the fast flowing water, but the
bear dropped to all four paws and waded in after him. Linnett
moaned in fear for Will, pressing her hand to her mouth to stifle
the sound. The bear walked easily against the swirling currant, the
fast flowing waters parting either side of the huge body, its sheer
size anchoring it to the river floor. The bear reached out one huge
paw and scooped Will up into its arms, bending its massive head and
jaws towards him. Linnett fainted.

John heard the
horrible noise and made his way carefully towards it, watching in
helpless horror as Will was attacked by the bear. There was nothing
he could do to save the man; he was just too far away across the
river. John’s fearful concern was focused on finding Linnett, but
where on earth was she? He made his way along the riverside, trying
to keep himself hidden from the bear, who was, however, occupied
enough with catching hold of Will. John was careful all the
same.

Finally, John
stumbled across Linnett folded in a heap under a tree, and for one
devastating second, he thought she was dead. As quietly as
possible, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the
clearing and his horse. Cradling Linnett, he found mounting up was
difficult, but finally, he was astride the horse with Linnett
secured to him. Ned would have to remain unburied; they had to
leave now. Linnett came to, feeling groggy and nauseated. Quietly,
she turned her face to John’s shoulder and wept.

They stopped to
rest briefly, mainly so that John’s horse could recover from
carrying them both. Linnett clung to John, weeping piteously for
much of the time. As darkness began to fall, John reined in and
handed Linnett down to the ground. They silently searched for wood
to make a fire, and John saw to the horse’s needs. John rolled out
the blankets and put water on the fire to boil for coffee. They ate
the last of the bread that John was carrying.

Linnett,
exhausted, fell asleep rolled up in a blanket within seconds of
lying down. John watched his young wife sleeping and then he
contemplated the dark, star-lit sky. Sleep seemed a remote
possibility; his stomach was knotted with a deep, burning anger at
his wife’s repeated foolishness. At last he fell into a fretful
sleep, punctuated by horrific nightmares, all involving Linnett
facing some terrible danger from which he failed to rescue her.

Exhausted and
hungry, they rode into the farm late the following day. Hans was
outside the barn when he noticed the tired trio riding towards him,
the gallant horse’s head hanging low with thirst and exhaustion.
When they drew level with him, John lowered Linnett to the ground,
but Hans made no move towards her. He stood regarding her from
under a stern brow. Linnett was unsure of how to approach him; it
was obvious that he was very upset with her. Linnett stood still,
chewing her bottom lip indecisively. John dismounted and went over
to Hans.