Cotton on Trial

"You're going to put it on?" She sounded pleased. "All right, lean over. Hold on a minute. It's hard to get the catch to put it on someone else..." She laughed at the akwardness of his bent neck with her arms around it. "Hold still, you!"

"I am holdin' still, lass. Least, as much as I can do." He felt her pull away and reached up a hand to find the locket hanging round his neck. He tucked it inside his shirt, out of sight. "Thank'ee, Maggie," he said, and turned slightly towards where she was sitting.

He carefully leaned towards her and placed a gentle kiss on her mouth.

She pulled back with a startled laughing gasp. "Gabriel Cotton, steady on, now!" She was trying to peer at his face in the dark, her eyes as wide open as she could make them. All she could see was the vague shape of his head close to hers, but impulsively she grabbed it with her hands and pressed a small kiss on his cheek. "Goodbye now. Oh, and Annie - she's awful sorry, really and truly. It was her who arranged for me to get in - don't ask how. She's a stupid cow really sometimes, doesn't think, but she's not all bad and she never meant for this to happen. But I'd better go. Good night, Gabe."

"I know she never meant it to go this far, but tell her what I said, all right? And... good night, Maggie, lass. Thank you for comin' to see me."

Maybe... maybe he could kiss her again. But not now. They both had too much to think about right now to add to it.

"All right. Good night." And she slipped out through the tent flap, announcing in a whisper "It's me" to someone on the other side. He was able to hear a couple of voices talking quietly - someone was probably chiding her for taking so long - and then footsteps away into the quiet night.


Next: Day of the flogging.