A Woman in Peril, A Hero in Waiting

Posted on Sep 01, 2016 Topic : Fiction

Virginia, 1704

Celeste Talbot has fallen in love with Jonathan Gray, a dashing English soldier reassigned to the colonies. When Celeste sets sail for America to follow her betrothed, she soon finds herself in a New World filled with hardship, danger, and betrayal. Celeste finds an unlikely ally in Spenser Rawlings, a carpenter and fellow passenger on the ship that brought her to Virginia.

In this scene from My Sister's Prayer, Celeste has been accused of a crime she didn't commit and is locked in the public stocks by the corrupt Constable Jones. Who will come to her rescue?

***

Jones didn’t take her to the jail this time—he took her straight to the stocks and pillory, located in front of the courthouse. He forced her head and burned hands into the half holes of the pillory and then secured the upper piece over the back of her neck, pushing down until he could lock it. She wiggled as best she could to release the pressure on the back of her neck, but it was pointless. She could neither stand nor kneel. She had to bend forward awkwardly, and she had to keep her head pointed down. She couldn’t see her feet, but she could feel her boots settling into the mud. She hoped she wouldn’t sink too far.

She’d never felt so humiliated in her entire life, not even when Jonathan had rejected her. This was public. The entire village could see her.

“I’ll be back.” Jones stomped off, probably angry that his meals would be further interrupted.

Strands of hair fell from her bun and tickled her face, but she was helpless to move them. A couple of soldiers walked by—Celeste could only see their legs. A woman with two small girls passed next. One of the children pointed at Celeste and asked, “What did that lady do?”

Her mother hushed her and hurried along.

Celeste’s hands burned and her back and neck began to ache. Other villagers passed by, but Celeste tried to ignore them as best she could. By mid-afternoon, someone stopped in front of her.

She knew it was Spenser by his boots.

He dropped to his knees and looked up at her. “Oh, Celeste.” His voice was tender. “How much more can they expect you to take?”

She couldn’t answer—tears clogged the back of her throat, preventing her from speaking.

He shook his head. He pulled a small jar from his leather satchel. “I brought salve for your hands. It’s from back home and has seaberry oil in it.”

Tears began flowing down Celeste’s face and dripping off her chin as he carefully applied the salve to the back of her hands. For a moment he didn’t seem to know what to do, but then he dabbed at her tears with the sleeve of his shirt. “There, there. We’ll get through this.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course.”

But as he started to go, she called him back…

***

Will Celeste ever find the love and security she set sail to discover?