Their situation seemed hopeless, but Hannah had a plan to save her sister from a life of suffering in the mills
BY DAWN KNOX
Hannah Cleveland slipped out of the back door of the Apprentice House and closed it silently behind her. She stood with her back to the wall in the darkness and held her breath, straining to hear above the thudding of her heart.
Nothing.
No one had noticed her leave.
Still, she waited, unable to believe she’d escaped so easily. But the hardest part of her plan was yet to come. Was she brave enough?
Hannah simply had to have the courage. There was no choice. She patted the letter in her pocket and her mouth set in a determined line.
Yes, she could do this.
Tying the ribbons of her bonnet tightly beneath her chin, she pulled the grey, woollen shawl closer around her shoulders and shivered. She’d waited until the full moon, and her prayers for a clear night had been answered.
Unfortunately, there’d probably be frost before morning.
The first Sunday after the paschal full moon would be Easter. St Gabriel’s Church in Brooksdale would be filled to capacity, and not only with the ordinary townsfolk, but with the richer citizens who usually made the effort to attend the Eastertide service.
This was Hannah’s chance.
Tiptoeing across the yard, she gently calmed the dogs who’d begun to growl. When they heard her whispers, they settled down once more.
She held her breath and crept on.
Hannah knew the way into town across the fields, having walked it many times, but it was harder by moonlight.
Although the moon was bright, it appeared to flatten everything into shades of grey. She fell, landing heavily on her knees, but she knew once she reached the stile, she’d be more than halfway there.
After that it would be downhill, and once past the woods, St Gabriel’s tower and the roofs of the houses in Brooksdale would be visible. Of course, it would be uphill on the way back, but she’d worry about that later.
As Hannah reached the graveyard, she hesitated. She’d never been among the dead in the dark of night before.
Yelping with shock, she leapt backwards as something brushed her leg and scampered into the undergrowth.
“Keep calm, Hannah,” she whispered, over and over, hoping the sound of her voice would drown out anything else.
A lone cloud sailed across the face of the moon, dimming its light. On the horizo
