As Constance ran she could feel her heart pounding, leaping from her breast up into her mouth with every long fast stride she took. The shouts from the village were receding behind her, but she knew it was only a matter of minutes before men on horses would follow her down the woodland road. She rounded a bend and stopped to catch her breath, the hems of her long skirts were soaked and muddy, she tried to wring them out but they were too heavy. Like all women of her time Constance wore several skirts and underskirts and petticoats, four in total, and each was sodden up to the knees. The rain came down, running off her face and down her shoulders, she wished she'd had time to grab something to keep the rain off. She was wet to the skin and shivering, though whether from the cold, or panic, or both she knew not.
Sure enough, not a minute had passed before Constance was brought back to her senses by the sound of hooves, how many she could not tell. She picked up her heavy skirts and ran on, the blood drumming in her ears, or perhaps it was the drumming of the horses, she could no longer tell. Tears were running down her face already soaked by the rain, but still she ran, never daring to glance behind her at her pursuers.
If she could get off the path she could perhaps lose her pursuers in the woods, but she herself could never get far into the trees with her skirts pulling her down. She could not weave in and out of the undergrowth with the wet and muddy hems slapping and sticking against her legs, nor could she stop and remove her skirts for before the first had been unbuttoned the riders would have made good the distance between them and been upon her. Wearily, half stumbling then she ran on, one foot in front of the other, each pace a strain at her tired limbs. She had been working all day and was tired, and though she was young and healthy the cold and wet made her muscles ache.
Once she stumbled, nearly fell, she grazed her hands on the ground as she pushed herself back up again. As she ran she tore at her skirts, she had to get them off, she pulled at the buttons which held them up, tearing the thread, the buttons flew off the first and it dropped like a ring of lead to the road. Without breaking her stride Constance stepped out of it and began to pull at the second. As it fell it caught around her legs, she lost her footing and fell, but she did not notice as she hit the ground with a thump. As she had stumbled the riders had caught up with her, the first leaning out of his saddle had brought a cudgel down upon the back of her head, sending her into unconscious oblivion. Her tiredness was gone, her aching limbs pained her no more and all was black.
•••••••••••••••••••••••
When she came to Constance found herself in a wood panelled room. The only furniture was the low cot she was lying on. All was silent. Constance had no notion of where she was or how long she had lain there. The sunlight coming through the window was low. She was hungry, her head was throbbing, her hands stung bitterly, as did her face. Her clothes, still damp and filthy clung to her body, and the room was chilly despite the sunlight. Looking around the room Constance noticed the fireplace had been bricked up and the window was barred. Getting up she crossed to the window and looking out could see the back of the church, so familiar to her. She was still in her own village, and it seemed was in the magistrate's house. In a village without no more than a lock-up for vagrants and drunks it didn't surprise Constance that she had been taken to the magistrate's home for incarceration.
Constance's footsteps must have been heard downstairs, for as she stood looking from the window the door opened quietly. Constance turned to see two men she knew: Raynald, the magistrate's man, and Richard Brewer, a young man, near her own age whom she had known since childhood.
"You know why you're here?" asked Brewer.
Constance just stared dumbly. The night she had been caught she was returning from the orchard, and nearing her home saw her mother and sisters being dragged from their house by men carrying torches, sticks, swords and pistols.
"Where are my mother and my sisters?" she replied.
"Your mother and youngest sister are in the lock-up. There was no room for you there so you and your other sister are here. You know why you're here?" repeated Brewer.
Constance could not answer him so Brewer went on: