She paled. “So close!”

“He’ll probably follow Three Notch Trail across the mountains later today. But as soon as he reaches the South River ford he’ll find out that we turned back. That will put him only a day and a half behind us. Weil have to abandon the wagon.”

“And all our supplies!”

“Most of them. We have three spare horses: we can take whatever they will carry.” Mack looked along the narrow trail leading south from the camp. “Instead of going back to Charlottesville we could try taking this track south. It probably cuts a corner and meets up with the Seminole Trail a few miles out of town. And it looks passable for horses.”

Lizzie was not the type to whine. Her mouth set in a determined line. “All right,” she said grimly. “Let’s start unloading.”

They had to abandon the plowshare, Lizzie’s trunk full of warm underwear, and some of the cornmeal, but they managed to keep the guns, the tools and the seed. They roped the pack horses together then mounted up.

By midmorning they were on their way.

38

FOR THREE DAYS THEY FOLLOWED THE PRIMEVAL SEMINOLE Trail southwest, through a majestic series of valleys and passes that wound between lush forested mountains. They passed isolated farms, but they saw few people and no towns. They rode three abreast, the pack horses following in a line. Mack became saddle-sore, but despite that he felt exhilarated. The mountains were magnificent, the sun was shining, and he was a free man.

On the morning of the fourth day they breasted a rise and saw, in the valley below, a wide brown river with a series of midstream islands. On the far bank was a cluster of wooden buildings. A broad flat-bottomed ferry boat was tied up at a jetty.

Mack reined in. “My guess is that this is the James River, and that settlement is a place called Lynch’s Ferry.”

Lizzie guessed what he was thinking. “You want to turn west again.”

He nodded. “We’ve seen almost nobody for three days—Jay will have trouble picking up our scent. But if we cross that ferry we’ll meet the ferryman, and it might be hard to avoid the tavern keeper, the storekeeper and all the local busybodies.”

“Good thinking,” Lizzie said. “If we get off the road here he won’t be able to figure out which way we’ve gone.”

Mack looked at his map. “The valley climbs to the northwest and leads to a pass. Beyond the pass we should be able to join the trail that runs southwest from Staunton.”

“Good.”

Mack smiled at Peg, who was silent and indifferent. “Are you in agreement?” he said, trying to bring her into the decision.

“Whatever you want,” she said.

She seemed unhappy, and Mack assumed it was because she was frightened of being caught. She must be tired, too: sometimes he forgot that she was so small. “Cheer up,” he said. “We’re escaping!” She looked away. He exchanged glances with Lizzie, who made a helpless gesture.

They turned off the trail at an angle and went down through sloping woodland to reach the river half a mile or so upstream from the settlement. Mack thought they probably had not been observed.

A flat track ran west along the bank for several miles. Then it turned away from the river, skirting a range of hills. The going was hard, and they frequently had to dismount and lead the horses up stony rises, but Mack never lost the intoxicating feeling of freedom.

They ended the day beside a fast-running mountain stream. Lizzie shot a small deer that came to drink from a rocky pool. Mack butchered it and made a spit to roast a haunch. Leaving Peg to watch the fire he went to wash his bloodstained hands.

He made his way downstream to where a small waterfall dropped into a deep pool. He knelt on a ledge and washed his hands in the falling water. Then he decided to bathe, and took off all his clothes. He stepped out of his breeches and looked up to see Lizzie.

“Every time I take off my clothes and jump in a river—”

“You find me watching!”

They both laughed.

“Come and bathe with me,” he said.

His heart beat faster as she stripped. He gazed lovingly at her body. She stood naked in front of him with a what-the-hell expression on her face. They embraced and kissed.

When they paused for breath he was struck by a foolish notion. He looked down at the deep pool ten feet below and said: “Let’s jump.”

“No!” she said. Then she said: “All right!”

They held hands, stood at the edge of the shelf, and jumped, laughing helplessly. They hit the water holding hands. Mack went under and let go of Lizzie. When he surfaced he saw her a few feet away, snorting and blowing and laughing at the same time. Together they swam toward the bank until they felt the riverbed below their feet, then they stopped to rest.

Mack drew her to him. With a thrill of excitement he felt her bare thighs against his. He did not want to kiss her now, he wanted to look at her face. He stroked her hips. Her hand closed around his stiff penis, and she looked into his eyes and smiled happily. He felt as if he would explode.

She put her arms around his neck and lifted her legs so that her thighs squeezed his waist. He settled his feet firmly on the riverbed and took her weight. He lifted her a fraction. She wriggled a little and settled on him. He slid inside her as easily as if they had been practicing for years.

After the cold water her flesh was like hot oil on his skin. Suddenly he felt as if he were in a dream. He was making love to Lady Hallim’s daughter in a waterfall in Virginia: how could it be real?

She put her tongue in his mouth and he sucked it. She giggled, then her face became serious again, and a look of concentration came over her. She pulled on his neck, lifting herself, then let her body sink down again, repeatedly. She groaned deep in her throat and half closed her eyes. He watched her face, mesmerized.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw something move on the bank. He turned his head and glimpsed a flash of color, then it was gone. Someone had been watching. Had Peg stumbled on them accidentally, or was it a stranger? He knew he should worry, but Lizzie moaned louder, and the thought left his mind. She began to cry out, her thighs squeezed him in a rhythm that went faster and faster, then she crushed her body to his and screamed, and he held her tight and shook with passion until he was drained.

When they returned to the campsite Peg was gone.

Mack had a bad feeling. “I thought I saw someone, down by the pool, when we were making love. It was just a glimpse, and I couldn’t even tell whether it was a man, woman or child.”

“I’m sure it was Peg,” Lizzie said. “I think she’s run off.”

Mack narrowed his eyes. “What makes you so sure?”

“She’s jealous of me because you love me.”

“What?”

“She loves you, Mack. She told me she was going to marry you. Of course it’s just a girlish fantasy, but she doesn’t know that. She’s been miserable for days, and I think she saw us making love and ran away.”

Mack had a dreadful feeling this was true. He imagined how Peg felt and the thought was agonizing. Now that poor child was wandering alone in the mountains at night. “Oh, God, what are we going to do?” he said.

“Look for her.”

“Aye.” Mack shook himself. “At least she hasn’t taken a horse. She can’t have gone far. We’ll search together. Let’s make torches. She’s probably gone back the way we came. Weil find her asleep under a bush, I’ll bet.”

They searched all night.

They backtracked for hours, shining their lights into the woods on either side of the winding trail. Then they returned to their camp, made new torches, and followed the stream up the mountainside, scrambling over rocks. There was no sign of her.