Anne of the Fens Read Online Free Page A

Your father feels that is impossible, and we might as well hang them or expel them. Or go somewhere we could leave them all behind.”
    â€œThe New World?” I asked, feeling anxiety in my stomach.
    â€œPerhaps,” he said. “Or Holland.”
    I did not want to think about leaving my country. “I believe that this person is a good person.”
    Simon’s dark eyebrows rose, and his eyes seemed bigger than ever, as he stopped pacing and looked into mine.
    â€œYou must tell me who it is.”
    â€œI shall not.” I rose to my feet as well. “You don’t trust me enough. I know what is good and bad in people.” As I said it, I knew it was true. “You tutor me, but only to Puritan ideas. I want to read other things. I want to read Shakespeare.” My voice was loud and shrill. I had meant to persuade Simon to help me find Shakespeare, not to challenge him like this.
    â€œIf you are so adult, then see if you can find Shakespeare. You will need the luck of the rabbit to do so.” He looked at me hard, and I thought there was something significant about the rabbit. I knew that the servants said, “White rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit,” the first day of each month for luck. Did he mean that?
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œI have said too much already.” He was still angry, and so was I.
    I LEFT THE room, breathing hard and a little red in the face myself. A silly, sentimental girl. Ha! Just because I was interested in men did not mean that I was silly or stupid. I climbed the circular stairs in the corner of the castle, up three flights to the roof. I thought of it as my place. Unless the Earl posted a guard because of some kind of danger, which hardly ever happened, I could be alone there.
    The fens stretched away for miles in all directions. I could see the reeds and grasses close by, with the channels cut through them by men and nature. The distant view was flat as a rich green pancake, with some pieces of forest and farm lands sticking out. Watery places glimmered in the sun, and flocks of birds settled and rose from them. It was a fair day, with clouds scuttling across the sky. The steeple of the church in Boston shimmered faintly, far in the distance. The argument and the three flights had taken their toll, and it took a while for the peace of the setting to still my pounding heart.
    I thought about what Simon might have meant, and how I could search for the book. I watched a small puff of dust move toward the castle along the Boston Way.
    The road curved along the Witham River in several places, and trees lined it, so it was hard to make out who was coming. The puff grew larger. It had to be horses or a carriage to raise that much dust. It could be one of the castle villagers coming back from the market, but it was moving too quickly. As far as I knew, the Earl and his family were in the castle. There was also another little puff of dust further behind.
    As I watched, I could make out fast-moving horses and red jackets. I knew what they were. I ran down the stairs as fast as I could, slipping on the turns of the stone stairs, to the second floor and Father’s office.
    â€œFather, the Sheriff’s men are coming,” I gasped.

C HAPTER F IVE
    F ATHER WAS ALWAYS organized, which he related to the military background he was always telling us about.
    â€œQuick, run to the guard house and tell Erik to raise the drawbridge. Then hurry to Simon and tell him to burn any of our papers that could cause trouble. Then go to your mother and tell her to slow them down at the moat. I’ll find the Earl.”
    I ran down the stairs and out the door and across the castle grounds to the moat.
    â€œRaise the drawbridge,” I said, my voice hoarse to my own ears. Erik, the fat guardsman, lounging, a smell of ale on his breath, looked at me as though I had lost my senses. The moat had not been closed for months, and I was not a person to give him