Kill The President's Women (Joe The Magic Man Series Book 2) (10 page)

“Well I have to go up to Richmond next week and join Lord Rupert Davenport’s regiment, or I could go down to Marlborough and join up with Lord Seth Bedford’s regiment; they’re camped in a field in the village of Manton.”

“I’ve never heard of it,” Jean said with interest, for she liked to hear about other towns and villages.

“Me neither,” Joe said, shrugging. “I asked the sergeant and he said to take the west road and I could easily be there in a couple of days. Lord Davenport is going up the east coast and Lord Bedford is going up the west coast; they’re both recruiting men as they go. So I’ve chosen Richmond because it’s closer but the sooner I get there, the better, just as the sergeant said. The more training I get before we set of on the march, the better it will be for me.”

“I wish I was a boy, I’d join up with you.” Those were Jean’s true feelings, and she said it a little sadly.

“Don’t be daft,” Steve said as he tried not to laugh, “you’re just a girl.”

“Don’t you want to go with Joe on an adventure?” Jean asked, placing her hand on her hips. “Joe is going up to Richmond, that’s nearly London and then he’ll be going all the way up to York City to sort out those rebels. He’ll pass through village after village, town after town. None of us have ever been out of this valley.”

“I’m a farmer’s boy and I’d like to keep it that way. Besides, if I went off with Joe then I wouldn’t be able to marry you...” – he smiled shyly – “and that’s what I want most in the world: for you to be my wife.”

Jean had to smile back. A thought popped into her mind and she voiced it, “But you could marry me, join up and I could come with you. Lots of soldiers take the wives with them.”

Steve only laughed dismissively.

By now, they had gotten to the road where Joe would leave them and so he said, “Friends, I’m off. I’ll leave you two to it and I’ll see you both tomorrow. Try not to do anything naughty; I’d keep that for tomorrow night, if I were you two,” Joe said with a wave.

“Too late for that, I’ve already had my hand in the honey pot.”

Jean gave him a sharp poke in the ribs with her elbow. “Any more talk like that and I’ll wash your mouth out with a bar of soap.”

“She’s sounding more like a mother than a wife to be,” Joe said with a laugh. “Perhaps you should come with me, Steve? It may be safer than marriage.”

Jean and Steve laughed heartily at the remark.

“I’ll see you in the morning. Now go.” Steve said, throwing a stone lightly at Joe. “And don’t be late.”

Joe had been in Jean’s mind just before she settled down to go to sleep and so he had had a glimpse of the book she had been reading. She was halfway through the book and it was written by C.J. Sansom and titled, “Sovereign.” It portrayed the events that transpired as the King’s Army marched from London and surrounding areas, all the way up to York and the difficulties in feeding them for the two months it took them to march there.

Between the book’s plot and Jean’s thoughts of the best time to get married to Steve, it was pretty easy for Joe to come up with an adventure.

“He better not be late again, I’ll brain him,” Jean said, sternly.

Jean was rocking sideways; she was riding in a wagon pulled by two horses and driven by Steve.

“We got plenty of time,” Steve said, as he went around the bend.

Sitting in plain sight was Joe, and Steve brought the horses to a halt.

“You are late, I thought you seen sense, joined the Kingsmen and set out early for Richmond,” Joe said as he climbed up onto the wagon.

“That will be enough of that kind of talk, unless you want a thick ear,” Jean said, and wagged her finger at him. Jean was happy at the thought of getting married but at the same time, she was sad that Joe was joining the army.

“I was talking to you, not him.” Joe said. He wouldn’t run away to join up, not when he’s got his first wedding night to look forward too.” The three of them giggled as they rocked their way down the valley.

A few minutes of the wagon’s rocking and Joe sighed.

“I don’t know why you couldn’t get married at the village chapel, instead of dragging us all the way down to Brent,” Joe moaned.

“My mother is from Brent and she was married there. My grandma still lives there and will be expecting us.”

Jean’s head was rocking back and forth with the motion of the wagon and she smiled slightly as Steve said, “My mother won’t be there because my father’s ill and there’s no one to look after him and the kids.

“All the more reason to get married here. Not in Brent…” Joe said.

Joe was about to complain some more when two women stepped out from behind some bushes and stood right in the middle of the road.

Steve stopped the horses abruptly and Joe demanded, “What in God’s name is going on?”

The older woman said, “We heard you were getting married, Steve Bateman and we’re sure glad we didn’t miss you. You can chuck those two off the wagon and help me and poor Emily up.”

“Go to hell, woman!” Steve bellowed back at her just as her two sons came riding double out of the trees on an old horse.

“You got our Emily in the family way, so you can dam well marry her,” one of the boys said, with menace in his eyes.

Emily’s mother got hold of the reins of the horses and said, “Now tell that bitch to piss off, your duty is to our Emily.”

Steve was furious and he stared wildly at her. “I haven’t seen Emily for the last eight months, and so if she’s with child, it isn’t mine.”

Steve jumped down and yanked the woman’s hands off the reins. “Now get out of my way, woman.”

“Get your hands off our Ma,” the oldest son shouted, as both sons quickly dismounted the old horse, one after another.

Steve glared at Emily’s brothers. “You two don’t frighten me; one of you more than likely got your sister pregnant.”

“You can’t talk about our Emily like that,” the old woman said, raising her hand to hit Steve.

Steve fended off the blow quite easily and gave her a good push. “Get out of our way, I’m going to marry Jean and you lot can’t stop me.”

The old woman made to hit Steve again and again he countered and shoved her harder this time. She toppled over backwards and there was a sickening crack as her head smashed into a stone lying innocently on the road.

There was a short moment of silence as everyone saw the stone turn red almost immediately and then multiple sounds erupted. Emily screamed wildly, her brothers groaned in pain, saying, “Mother, Mother!” and Jean’s hands went to her mouth as she silently mouthed, “Oh my God!”

The boys shook their mother in an attempt to wake her up but their attempts only bloodied her hands; the old woman didn’t budge.

Joe, who up until this moment had been still and silent, suddenly leapt into action and grabbed of the reins.

“Hold tight,” he advised Jean and with a flick of the reins he had the horses moving. With a second flick, he had them going at a trot past the unpleasant scene.

“Steve, are you coming?” Joe shouted at Steve as they passed by.

It took a few seconds for Steve to regain his composure and realize that he had to be out of there. Willing his feet into running, he chased after the wagon and jumped onto its back.

“Oh Steve, what are we going to do? That woman is dead,” Jean said, mortified.

“I only just pushed her!” Steve said defensively as he clambered over to get closer to his friends and hold on tight; the horses were going at a steady gallop.

“She dead alright, accident or no,” Joe said matter-of-factly “And those sons of hers are sure going to kill you as sure as it’s Sunday tomorrow.”

“Steve, what are we going to do?” Jean asked, as tears began to run down her pretty face.

“I don’t know, run I suppose.” Steve looked behind and his sharp eyes saw the brothers wave their fists angrily, then jump on their horse and give chase. “By God, they’re coming!”

“I think we should go with Joe up to Richmond,” Jean suggested in a fit of panic as they bounced along. “And the three of us can join up.”

“Don’t be daft, Jean. We’re not married yet and they won’t take you unless you’re with your husband.” Suddenly a plan popped into Steve’s head. “Right, this is what we’re going to do.” He took a deep breath. “There’s a junction up ahead, Joe you stop the wagon there and you and Jean go on to Brent while I go on to Richmond.”

“I reckon it’d be better if we stick together,” Joe said, looking over his shoulder. “Me and you might be able to take them.”

Steve looked at Joe like he had gone mad. “What?! You know how good they are in fight, and they’re not afraid to use knives. No, just follow my plan; I’ll go up ahead to Richmond and join up under your name; I’m going to be Joe Wiggins. And if those brothers follow me and ask for Steve Bateman up there, then they won’t find me.”

Joe and Jean said nothing. It hit them at once that the plan could actually work for even if Emily’s brothers didn’t succeed in killing him, they’d make sure he was brought to justice and the normal practice was to hang murderers.

Steve looked at his friend and whispered, “Joe, I want you to do me a big favour.”

“Of course anything, if you want to use my name to get away, you do it, what are friends...?”

“I want you to look after Jean until this war is over. I believe we’ll meet again.”

“Of course I’ll look after her, but you can’t come back to the village, that family will want you hanged for murder.”

“I know. That’s why I want you to take Jean to Brent and marry her under my name.”

“What?!” Joe gave him a startled look, “Are you off your head?”

Jean said nothing. She was just as shocked as Joe, and she didn’t know if their horses would give in before the old horse the two brothers were riding. She wasn’t sure but they seemed to be gaining on them slightly and that was not a good thing. She was afraid of losing Steve on her wedding day but now his life was in grave danger so she listened to the two of them make plans, ready to agree to whatever they came up with.

“It can be done, Joe,” Steve said, trying to convince his friend. “Jean’s grandma is the only one in the church that knows Jean and she’s never seen me, so you marry Jean and get all the papers signed. And then you make your way down to Hampshire and join up under the name of Steve Bateman. Show them your marriage papers and tell them that you want to take your wife with you.”

Joe looked at Jean to see if she understood. She didn’t utter a word of protest; she simply bowed her head and cried.

Steve said, “Look here, you can’t ask me to marry Jean and pretend I’m her husband! That would be torture for any man.”

“It wouldn’t be torture for you Joe because you’d be bedding my wife; I’ll be the one going through torture waiting to meet back up with you.”

Jean looked up, unsure if she had heard Steve correctly. Joe slowed the horses down and Steve called to her over the noise of their galloping feet.

“Jean girl, you know how much I love you and want to be with you, but right now I’m a wanted man. If I’m caught, I’ll be hung for sure. So I want you to be a wife to Joe just as you would to me, and when we meet up again the three of us will find a nice village to settle down, and then I can be your husband Steve, and Joe can go back to being our friend.”

“And how in God’s name do you think that will work?” Jean asked with raised eyebrows.

“You both have my blessing to live as husband and wife, until this war is over. I know if you join the march, Joe won’t be able to look after you all the time, and there’ll be men that’ll do anything to get you into bed. So you do whatever you’ve got to do to survive, even if it means bedding half the army. All I ask is that you think of me when they make love to you and I promise I won’t think the worst of you. I’ll know you did it all only to be reunited with me.”

After a steep bend, Joe finally pulled the horses to a stop at a fork in the road. There was a sign with two arrows on the road. The arrow on the right was inscribed with the words, “Brent Town”, while the sign on the left simply said, “London”.

Steve quickly took the reins and watched as Joe and Jean jumped down.

“Run and hide in the woods until they pass,” Steve said urgently. “They’ll follow the wagon tracks. I love you, Jean!” He whipped the horses.

“I love you, Steve,” Jean said, almost choking with tears.

Joe shouted after Steve as he rode away. “Are you sure it’s all right for us to sleep together?”

“What are friends for?” came the echoing reply.

Joe firmly held Jean’s hand in a firm, protective grip and ran with her through the woods. Jean was out of breath and she closed her eyes as she fought air. When she opened them, they were standing in front of an inn, still holding hands.

Steve looked down at the marriage papers in his other hands and said, “Thank God the wedding went off without a hitch. Well, Steve told us to act like we’re married so let’s get us a room.”

Jean only had a blurred memory of getting married, and the next thing she knew they were in a bedroom, with both of them staring at the bed like they had never seen one before. Jean looked at Joe and he had a big grin on his face. She was too weary to smile though for all through the ceremony, she had been half-expecting Emily’s brothers to storm into the church, looking for Steve and ruining everything.

“I guess you’ve got to start calling me Steve.” Joe said as he folded the marriage certificate and put it in his pocket.

“I think I’ll call you Steve-e-Joe from now on, just in case this war is a long one and Steve can’t find us for a long time... and just in case I slip up and call you Joe.”

“Steve-e-Joe is a strange name, but okay.”

They stood there looking at each other waiting to see who would make the first move. Joe gave a nervous cough.

“This is my first time, you know? I never done it before.” He gave a shy smile. “I know you and Steve was at it every chance you had.”

“Is that what he told you?” Jean shook her head. “Boys and they boasting talk.”

“Yeah, he told me you were great at it, that after he had shagged you he couldn’t wait for the next time, and he couldn’t sleep, thinking about your tits.”