Free Lovers Forever by Shirlee Busbee

increasingly ugly weather, she hurried forward, only to stop not ten feet from the main door. Her mouth drooped. She had no money. She had no name. How was she to pay for food or a room?
    The distant, ominous boom of thunder decided her. Moving forward, she slipped around to the back of the building. Confronted by the stout rear door of the tavern, she stood there a moment, shivering in the rain. What was she to say? She could hardly expect an utter stranger to believe that she had just woken up with no memory. But what if they recognized her? Hope flowed through her, and she started forward eagerly, only to stop as she recalled her strong feeling that she was running away from someone. What if they did recognize her and sent word to her unknown nemesis?
    A sudden flash of lightning lit the area, and she hesitated no more. She would just have to pray that she wasn’t doing the wrong thing by pretending she was some poor wretched lost creature in need of help—which wasn’t much of a pretense! She would simply have to throw herself on the mercy of the innkeeper and hope for the best....
    Tess didn’t think very highly of her plan, but she didn’t have any choice. Taking a deep breath, she pounded on the rear door of the tavern.
    It flew open almost as if someone had been waiting for her knock. Tess stood there uncertainly, trying frantically to think of something to say as a heavyset older woman appeared in the opened doorway, peering out into the rain. Wisps of gray hair straggled out from beneath the ruffle-edge cap she wore, and a white apron was tied around her ample waist. Her full face set in lines of displeasure as she caught sight of Tess and she said in scolding tones, “Well, I must say that you took your time getting here! You’re late, and I’ll let you know right now that this is not behavior that we tolerate! From now on, your time is ours. We’re not a charity house—even if my husband did agree to take you on for a few weeks while that rascally pimp of a brother of his is in Newgate. If you’re going to work for us, my girl, you’ll be here when you’re supposed to be or it’ll be back to London for you!”
    Tess opened her mouth to explain the mistake, but before she could speak, the woman jerked her into the warmth and light of the kitchen.
    The tavern kitchen was a comfortable room with smoke-blackened beams overhead and a scrupulously clean stone floor. Over the woman’s shoulder Tess caught sight of a young girl and a small boy hard at work at the far end of the room near an open fire where a large haunch of beef turned on a spit. The heavenly smell of spices, of roasting chicken and beef, assailed her nostrils, and Tess nearly fainted from the pangs of hunger that beset her.
    Eyeing Tess’s slender, bedraggled form, the heavyset woman frowned. “I always thought Tom’s fancy piece was a big, strapping woman. Don’t know how much work we’re going to get out of you!” A nasty gleam lit the pale blue eyes. “I’ll wager most of your work was done on your back!”
    Tess stared at her openmouthed, not quite able to credit her ears. “I’m afraid that there has been a mistake.... I’m not—”
    â€œNow don’t start that! It don’t matter to me—all I care is that there is work to be done and you were expected to be here hours ago. Now what’s your name, girl? Tom didn’t write much in that scribbled note he sent my husband—only that you’d be arriving tonight and we could make good use of you until he got out.” Her round face split into an unpleasant smile. “ If he gets out—it’s my opinion that Tom Darley was born to hang—unlike my Henry, who’s as honest and hardworking as his brother is crooked!”
    Once more Tess opened her mouth to explain, but cravenly she hesitated. Looking at the innkeeper’s wife, at the coarse, unfriendly