Lone Pine Bride (The Brides of Lone Pine #1)(33)

“I can let you down,” Wilfred said.

“No,” his wife replied. “I’ll hang on the edge.”

Two legs appeared and the woman above paused to push down her skirt. Hannah smiled. “It’s only me here. You needn’t worry. Just let go and drop. What’s your name?”

“Monica, and yours?”

“Hannah.”

“One of the new ladies from New York?”

“Yes. Drop and I’ll guide you.”

“I’m dropping.” Monica dropped, Hannah caught her and she rolled off the straw, a slim woman, Hannah was relieved to see, because a big one would never get through the slit of a window. Monica looked up to call to the children above who were peering through the hole.

“Lucille, Lucas, Aaron. Put your hands on the edge like I did, drop and we’ll catch you. It’s a little way down but you’ll be alright. Let Lucille come first, boys.”

“Must we?” said a boy’s voice from above. Hannah grinned as Monica muttered.

“Little pests.” She called up. “Yes, you must. Come on, Lucille. Show the men how to do it.”

“They’ll never be gentlemen,” said a female voice and a girl Hannah judged to be about nine or ten lowered herself gracefully through the opening. She dropped, the two women caught her and two smaller boys pushed their way down to drop behind her. Hannah caught one, Monica the other and Hannah pointed to the window.

“Squeeze through there and Seth will catch you,” she said. “Go now. We’ll follow you in a minute.” She looked up to where Wilfred was peering through the opening. “Come on. I don’t trust this place.”

He pushed through his injured leg, dropped and landed on one leg with the other foot totally out of place where it had turned sideways. Much like Esmé’s, Hannah thought, and there was no doctor to deal with it. The two women held him from either side and guided him onto the hay as the children went through the little opening.

“Now hop to the window,” Hannah said. “But you go through first, Monica.”

“You should,” Monica replied.

“We haven’t time to argue. Please go.”

Monica squeezed through and Hannah turned to Wilfred. “Now you.”

“I cannot leave a lady,” he said, swaying precariously.

“Go,” she said. “Because I’m not going until you do. Put your hand on my shoulder and hop.”

He hopped beside her and there was creaking above them. A few pieces of wood fell and the floor began to sag. Hannah pushed Wilfred forward for his head to go down. “Go,” she said. “Or we may both be flattened. Seth, can you pull him?”

“I’m here,” Seth called back.

“I can’t get my shoulders through,” Wilfred said.

Hannah went back to the straw and pushed it under the window. It was for Wilfred to lie on his back on it, she told him. “Go legs first,” she said. “Seth, pull him from outside.” Wilfred’s body began to go through the window. “Now put your hands above your head and don’t try to help yourself. Seth will pull you. Scrunch your shoulders a bit because that’s what is the widest. It’s all very well men having broad shoulders but they can be a problem.”

Seth pulled but Wilfred still could not get through. Hannah took his shoulders and squeezed. “Pull again,” she said and with great relief saw Wilfred disappear. She virtually dived through the window after him as she heard a roar from above and raced after Seth who was carrying Wilfred to where Monica and the children stood some way away. As she reached them the part of the house where they had been collapsed.

Seth looked at her and wanted desperately to put his arms round her and never let her go. It was a natural reaction because she so easily could have been killed. They all could have been killed. Instead he put his arm round Wilfred to support him as he swayed.

“Can you hop to the barn?” he asked.

“Yes.” Wilfred looked ahead of him. “It looks as if it’s undamaged.”

“It does but I’ll check it over before we go in and we’ll stay near the door when we reach it. Are the horses in there?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe we could take everyone to my farm though I don’t know what it’s like. The house is made of wood so hopefully it will still be upright. The ones in Lone Pine and Middle Pine made of wood did and, as you know, those in Lower Pine are wood.”

“It’s not a very good start for your marriage,” Monica said. “We’re imposing on you.”

“We’re not....” Seth paused. “No, it isn’t, but at least we’re together and you’re certainly not imposing.”

“That’s a lovely ring you’ve given Hannah.”

“She gave me one too,” Seth said without thinking, holding out his hand. They just had to keep pretending they were married because they could not explain in front of the children. Monica opened the door to the barn and the horses whinnied from where they stood a little way in.

“I’ll hitch the wagon,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t mind us coming? It’s your first night together.”

“The marriage can go on hold for the moment,” Seth said.

“It definitely can,” Hannah added and tried not to think of the future. Not married. Not even with the right partner. What would everyone think when they found out? They could take Monica and Wilfred into their confidence but only after the children slept and maybe not even then for a while. If they had difficulty in reaching Seth’s farm so would everyone else so they might not see anyone for a while. How far the other way to Lower Pine was Seth had not said.