Chapter 2 Escape (2)
Hearing this, Irene froze up little by little, and felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her whole body shivering. She knew that she might be married off soon, but she didn't expect it to be so soon.
Maps, money, enough food, shoes for long journeys... one by one, the necessities for escape flashed through my mind.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcing herself to calm down. The more times like this, the less she could be anxious. She only had one chance, and if she failed, she would die.
"Irene, my good girl," John's voice sounded like a curse, "after you get married, you must listen to Joe, have more children, take care of the housework, and don't bring shame to our family."
Give birth to a baby! If you love having children so much, why don’t you have one? Your belly is so big, you can probably have three at a time.
Irene had a smile on her face, but she wanted to push John down the stairs!
"Ha, but it doesn't matter if you don't work hard. When the little Englishman dies, our family will be the richest and most powerful in this area. Even Joe's father will have to obey my wishes."
"Is the person in the cage so useful?" Irene asked with pretended curiosity. A woman's sixth sense told her that this was definitely useful information.
"Of course," John forced a disdainful expression on the lower half of his hairy face.
You know, if you can see the expression on the face of a person with extremely thick hair, it means that he is in a very high spirit.
"He's the illegitimate child of a noble family. It's said that he was a bastard secretly born by a gypsy prostitute. Now that his brother has inherited the title, of course he has to crush the annoying ant to death."
"All British people are like this, pretending to be polite and gentlemanly, but in fact they are narrow-minded and selfish."
John waved his arms excitedly and snorted like a horse exhaling, to show his contempt for the British from the bottom of his heart. A look of arrogance appeared on his purple face.
So the people in the carriage this morning were British?
Why didn't he have the guts to say such things when he met that man in the morning? Irene pouted in her heart.
"Killing his brother quietly under the pretext of sending him to our place to recuperate is like getting rid of a thorn in the eye without damaging your own reputation."
His tone was contemptuous and full of mockery. "But what does it have to do with us? As long as he buys my cotton at a high price, I can kill him no matter how many little bastards he is."
Isn't this just hiring a killer?
Irene licked her lips, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
As the saying goes, things will work out when the time comes. This is the ally God sent her!
Besides, which one is more important, the hundred thousand dollars or his worthless second daughter?
You can guess what the original owner’s parents would do with your toes.
She helped Leo escape from her home, and Leo helped her attract his parents' attention. It was a mutually beneficial situation no matter how you looked at it.
Moreover, John probably didn't dare to launch a large-scale search. If he did, it would be equivalent to telling the British that Leo had escaped. He would not be willing to give up the $100,000 in his hands, so he would probably look for someone secretly, which would make it easier for the two of them to escape.
When the war broke out half a year later, she had already arrived in Rochester. Who would have known that she was the daughter of a Southern farmer?
It's the perfect way to get out.
Irene's heart was pounding and even her breathing became more rapid.
The most urgent task is to persuade One Hundred Thousand Dollars to run away with her.
This is obviously not a difficult task.
Who doesn’t want to live when he is dying?
Secondly, she needed a detailed map and money to escape.
It is best to have some emergency medicines in case of emergency.
Moreover, judging from the blood dripping from the cage, One Hundred Thousand Dollars was seriously injured. She couldn't let One Hundred Thousand Dollars die so soon.
So a new question arises, where do these things come from?
She still had some ideas about the map and medicine, but how to get the money?
John collapsed on the bed and soon began to snore.
Irene glanced at John's bulging trouser pocket with a sly look, and after struggling for a long time, she finally did not do anything against her conscience.
Oh, there is another way. Irene’s eyes lit up.
There should have been dowries in this era.
Compared to the lunchtime banquet, the dinner was much simpler, with bacon, butter-roasted sweet potatoes, smoked ham, and not even a toasted muffin.
When the young black maid Hannah was serving the food, Irene's older brother, John's eldest son Booker, patted Hannah's waist and hips in a very frivolous manner.
Hannah's body stiffened and her face looked extremely ugly. After serving the dishes, she stayed as far away from Booker as possible.
Lily, who was sitting opposite Booker, had a slightly gloomy expression. She glared at Booker as a warning, and the latter barely calmed down.
"Come here, Hannah," Irene said in a brisk voice, "help me cut a piece of this roast. I can't eat so much by myself."
Hannah walked over quickly, her dress rustling, tears of gratitude in her big eyes. She took the knife and fork from Irene and cut the meat quickly and steadily.
Lily looked at Irene in surprise, while Booker laughed oddly.
Neither of the two siblings is normal, Erin complained silently, but Lily is still much better than Booker.
Judging from her expression, she probably wanted to protect Hannah.
When she heard Booker's voice, Hannah's hand holding the knife almost couldn't hold it steady, and Irene clearly saw the girl's fingertips trembling.
God damn it, the knife should have cut something else.
Irene's dark eyes, with thick black eyelashes, were dancing with anger.
Before she left, she made sure to tell Hannah that outside of here in the North, abolitionism was rife, and even more so, equal rights were advocated.
Even if Hannah couldn't use it, at least she had to have hope. Irene picked up a piece of beef, stared at Booker, and bit it hard.
When Booker saw his usually shy and introverted sister showing an almost provocative expression on her face, he was a little confused. He scratched his head and could only think that she was suffering from pre-marital anxiety.
Everyone at the table ate with gusto, except Irene.
The people here eat either grilled meat or ham for three meals a day, and their staple food is baked potatoes with butter, butter pies, and buckwheat cakes. She almost vomited after eating so much!
Irene scooped a large spoonful of roasted sweet potato with hatred. Anyone at the table who had eaten hot pot or snail noodles would feel as miserable as she did.
But she had no choice. She didn't know what the original owner liked to eat, so she could only eat whatever the nanny put on the plate for her.
Even so, she was always careful when eating, observing other people's eating habits so that she wouldn't look so strange.
"Miss Irene, you need to eat less recently. Your wedding is next week. Look how fat you are. Your waistline is as thick as a tree trunk. I don't want to hear Joe say that you are as fat as a piglet."
Mammy grumbled as she took away the barbecue plate in front of Irene and placed a small plate for her. "This is enough for you to eat."
On the plate were two small, underdeveloped potatoes and a piece of smoked sausage half the size of a palm.
You don't feed birds like this.
The veins on Irene's forehead were bulging, and she looked extremely irritable. No one would be in a good mood if they didn't have enough to eat for seven or eight days in a row.
She picked up the plate and silently took a large piece of beef from the bacon plate in the middle of the table, which made the nanny frown in anger.
"Anyway, the wedding date has been set, so what if I'm a little fatter? Even if I don't get married, my father is such a capable man, can he not afford to support me?"
Irene tried to lower her voice as much as possible, making herself sound like a dissatisfied little girl, "Joe was still complaining about me at the banquet at noon today. Instead of marrying him, I'd rather be an old maid for my dad for the rest of my life."
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes and she looked extremely pitiful, as if she was deeply hurt by her fiancé.
Anyone would think that it was disgraceful for Joe to bully his fiancée.
But even so, Lily, who was standing next to her, was so shocked that the meat on the fork fell off after hearing these words, and she looked at Irene as if she were a stranger.
John first raised his eyebrows in surprise, perhaps shocked that a child who had no opinion of his own since childhood would actually talk back to others today, and then he felt relieved by Irene's flattering words.
The host waved his hand, his thick lips parted, "We're getting married soon, eat, it's nothing, it's not a banquet, family members don't need to think too much about eating."
He avoided Irene's remarks about not wanting to get married and just thought that the child was anxious before marriage. After all, these days, there is no man who doesn't scold his wife.
He picked up the glass and took a big sip of rye whiskey, his dark eyes filled with joy at having become rich.
Mammy reluctantly retreated, and Irene, like a victorious little rooster, held her head high and picked up the bacon on her plate.
Since the matter of marriage was brought up, John asked casually, "Tina, is Irene's dowry ready?"
"Almost everything is ready. I'm sure Irene will have a grand wedding," Tina replied with a smile, looking like a good mother who is devoted to her children.
"Thank you, Mom. Do you have pearl earrings? Can I see them?" The girl's voice was brisk, and her excitement could not be concealed.
Logically speaking, this thing can only be given to the bride on the wedding day. Tina frowned and was about to refuse her.
Unexpectedly, as the alcohol took over, John spoke without thinking:
"It's originally for you. You can wear it to sleep tonight if you want."
"Thank you, Dad!" The girl cheered, not even bothering to eat. "Where is it, Mom? I swear I'll only wear it for a little while, and it will be as good as new before the wedding."
Tina had a forced smile on her face and glanced at Irene, whose face was flushed with excitement.
Irene must not know the exact amount of her dowry, lest John discover that she has secretly embezzled some of her daughter's dowry.
But she didn't want to spoil her husband's interest, so Tina had to force herself to say, "In the two wicker boxes in the warehouse, Mammy, go with Irene to have a look."
The master and servant exchanged glances, and the nanny instantly understood what Tina meant.
As soon as the box was opened, the nanny took out a piece of red cloth from her pocket like a magician and wrapped the cash up, saying:
"Thank God, my lady told me to wrap the money up last time, but I forgot. Now I finally have the chance."
After saying this, he pretended to have breathed a sigh of relief.
Irene had no idea of their little thoughts. All she could see was the stack of money, the total amount was definitely more than one thousand dollars!
There were also pearl necklaces, gold rings, brooches, and a whole box of hand-embroidery.
Irene's heart was beating wildly with excitement. Her start-up capital had arrived!
She doesn't want anything else but this thousand dollars. No, she only wants five hundred dollars!
After she settles down in the north and makes money, she will return the money to her original parents, including the principal and interest.
As for unlocking the box, Irene glanced at the lock on the box.
She could just use a hairpin to cut it open; it wasn't difficult.
The girl looked at the pearl earrings and wrung her hands together in excitement, as if she didn't even care about the amount of the dowry.
Only then did Mammy breathe a sigh of relief.
"Mammy, I have one more thing..."
The girl clenched her slender white hands tightly together and her face turned a little red.
The nanny glanced at her suspiciously, then calmly locked the money wrapped in red cloth back into the box, "What's wrong, my lovely little lamb?"
Irene quickly glanced at the nanny, and suddenly pinched the soft flesh on her arm. Two red clouds instantly flew across her face. She stammered:
"Today I saw a large piece of white cloth wrapped around Joe's wrist. I heard that he accidentally fell into a thorn bush while riding a horse, and his arm was cut in many places. I want to take some medicine to see him tomorrow."
As she spoke, her voice became softer and softer, her head drooped, and her neck turned red with embarrassment.
It's not that I'm shy, I'm just embarrassed by pretending to be an innocent girl at my age.
The nanny was stunned and asked mischievously, "You're already thinking about Qiao before you even get married?"
"Mammy!"
By pretending to be good and pitiful, Irene got a bottle of iodine, a roll of bandage, half a bottle of alum and resin ointment.
She took a roll of silver thread while the nanny's back was turned. Although she didn't know if she could use it, she still tried to keep it on hand.
Although it was very simple, it was the only medicine she could get at this time.
It was almost ten o'clock after the prayer. Irene returned to her room, holding her pocket watch, and dozed off and on until the house was completely silent. She opened her eyes quietly.
It was two o'clock in the morning and everyone was fast asleep.
She put on two pairs of wool socks, not daring to put on shoes, grabbed the medicine bag, tiptoed, and pushed the door open very quietly.
“Squeak—”
The door to the maid's room on the first floor was also slightly open.
In the moonlight, Leo watched Irene trot into the warehouse.
What was she going to do? To get something from the attic?
He frowned and locked himself back in the cage, carefully hung the black cloth, and curled up in the dark, waiting for Irene to take the things and leave.
The dilapidated wooden door of the attic was pushed open, and the next second, the black cloth covering his cage was lifted, and the breeze caused by the movement raised dust all over the ground.
A pair of lively black eyes met his, dancing with a cunning, wanton and vibrant brilliance, like a little lioness running on the prairie - proud, intelligent and reckless.
The lock clicked open.
Erin barged into his gloomy cage recklessly and forcefully.
Leo froze. He clearly saw the surprise on the girl's face when she saw him. Her lips opened and closed as if she was saying something.
But he couldn't hear clearly.
There was a sharp tinnitus in his ears, and he had long been accustomed to this body's self-protection mechanism.
But when Irene looked at him, the bright light flashing in her eyes made him subconsciously lower his head and his body shudder.
But this is not England, and there is no Will and his riding whip.
He was like a sewer rat that had nowhere to hide under the scorching sun. He felt ashamed of himself after being burned, and subconsciously turned his head away, not daring to look at her.
But fearing that he would be at a disadvantage in this game, the boy raised his tense jaw again, only to be met with a pair of black eyes full of pity.
Clean, clear, soft and warm, like a hot spring, wrapping around his disheveled figure.
Leo hastily avoided Irene's sight.
Astonishment, anger, shame... followed by an obscure emotion that was so strong that it could not be dissolved, corroding his heart like a strong acid, and his flesh and blood rose into foam and surged into his throat.
Who allowed her to look at him like this——
Who allowed her to sympathize?
Leo could almost imagine his own miserable state reflected in Irene's eyes.
What would she think of him?
A British slave in a cage?
A lowly person who reeks of blood and is covered in stains?
Leo moved his fingers, and only when he touched the familiar wooden handle of the gun did he regain some reason and sense of security.
The movement caused the flesh to be torn, causing a burning pain and stimulating the nerves.
The pain prompted him to shoot the man in front of him.
Just kill him. Anyone who sees his miserable appearance should die.
Leo's grip on the gun tightened.
*
Good thing he's not dead yet, Irene breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, Leo, interested in running away with me?"
The girl invited him sincerely, but the boy was stunned, as if he didn't hear Irene's words.
Irene took advantage of this gap to look at Leo carefully.
The black trousers were torn all over and were even a bit too short, revealing their blood-stained calves.
He sat curled up in the cage, looking at her solemnly through the wooden cage.
The attic was dark, with only a small open French window letting in a little moonlight, which was reflected on the boy sitting in the cage. He was wearing a tattered pleated shirt, his skin was fair, and his light blue pupils were like the clear cross-section of ice crystals, refracting cold light.
Irene's eyes suddenly lit up when she looked at him, and a look that Leo had never seen before but made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable flashed in her eyes.
It’s like when guests see dancers in the theater dancing with their skirts lifted, their eyes are filled with admiration for the exquisite skills.
Hiss, this is the authentic battle-damaged, ascetic Western handsome guy.
Irene glanced at the thick black chains buckled around Leo's bare feet, her eyes welling up and tears threatening to burst from her mouth.
It’s delicious rice, let her take a big bite first!
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