A Time for Honour

Chapter 15

When Cassie slowly opened her eyes, she found herself in a warm, comfortable bed, dressed in a white cotton shift and carefully covered by clean sheets and a thick woollen blanket. The room she was in was small and dimly lit. A single candle on a wooden mantelpiece and a small fire in the grate were the only sources of light. The flame of the candle danced merrily, as it gave out enough flickering orange light for Cassie to examine her surroundings.

The room was sparsely furnished and contained only a few pieces of simple wooden furniture. Next to the bed, was an old-fashioned wooden high-backed chair, with a basket, full of worn socks, by its side. Hung on the back of the door, was a red military jacket. Cassie guessed, from its style and the insignia emblazoned on the sleeves, that it must belong to an officer. Everything in the room, except for the basket, told Cassie that the room belonged to a gentleman.

She closed her eyes and tried her best to recall any memories she had, of how she ended up in this strange room when the door slowly opened. As she reopened her eyes, she saw a plump woman, bustle quietly into the room. The woman came over to the bed, look down at her and smiled warmly. 'Hello dearie,' she said brightly. Cassie could not help but notice that she spoke with a soft West Country burr, 'it's good to see that you're awake at last. I was worried about you.'

The woman touched her gently on the forehead, with the back of her hand, and then said, 'can you sit up for me, dearie. I've brought you some nice hot milk with a little honey mixed in. It's important to build up your strength.'

Cassie tried to speak, but no words came out of her mouth. She did, however, manage to lift her head a little. The woman smiled, and said, 'good girl, just a little higher.' Then she put her hand behind Cassie's head and gently tilted her towards the glass of sweetened warm milk.

'Where am I? Cassie said, after taking a few sips. There was a slightly bitter taste to the milk, and Cassie recognised it as laudanum.

'You're safe, dearie, that's all you need to know,' the woman said softly, 'get some rest and I'll answer your questions later when you've had a little more milk.'

Cassie took a few more sips, and then looked at the stranger. 'Where am I? Please tell me.'

The woman put the glass down and reached for a large handkerchief and dabbed the corners of her mouth. 'Don't you worry yourself, dearie,' she said, putting her hand gently on her shoulder, 'no one is going to hurt you here.'

'Please,' Cassie said, in anguish, 'I must know.'

The woman sat on the wooden chair, next to the bed, and took her hand. 'My name is Betsy,' she said, with a smile, 'and I have been looking after you for the last two days.'

'Am I still at the club?' Cassie asked, still looking anguished and trying her best to sit up.

'Dear me, no, Miss Stanford,' Betsy said emphatically, 'you are not in that dreadful place.'

'You know my real name,' Cassie said, turning her head around to look at Betsy. After everything she had experienced, over the past two and a half years, she did not feel as though she had the right to be formally addressed as Miss Stanford. 'Please, call me Cassie. Miss Stanford is the name of my sister. I'm not good enough to use the same name as her.'

'Hush,' Betsy said gently, seeing the distress that the name was causing her, 'I will call you Miss Cassie. I can't go around calling you by your first name. What would the Captain say if he heard me?'

'Who is the Captain?' Cassie asked, again looking distressed.

'Captain Laws,' Betsy said, squeezing her hand reassuringly, 'was the gentleman that rescued you from that awful place. This is his room.'