Chapter Eleven
As the circus pulled onto a field on the outskirts of Appleby, a cheer went up.
The townsfolk looked forward to its visit every year.
Luca and the circus folk were exhausted after the long journey, but there was no time to rest just yet.
Their first priority would be getting the animals unloaded from the wagons and into suitable enclosures, and then they’d be erecting the big top.
It would need to be ready for the first performance the following day.
The day passed in a blur for Luca. He wanted to seek out their Gypsy friends and see if Charity had managed to escape, but that would have to wait until much later. If she had he would have to look surprised when he heard about it. It wouldn’t do if her family realised he already knew.
As he led the horses down a ramp from the wagon, Scarlet appeared. He sighed. At least he had had a break from her during the journey.
‘Why don’t you come and have dinner with us when you’ve settled the animals?’ She batted her eyelashes at him.
‘Thanks, but I’ll be fine,’ he told her shortly.
A flash of annoyance crossed her pretty face. None of her womanly wiles seemed to be working on him.
‘But you must eat,’ she persisted. ‘And mother is cooking a rabbit stew. You like that.’
Luca sighed. ‘Very well, could you perhaps save some for me? But I don’t know what time we’ll be finished.’
Satisfied, she nodded before suggesting, ‘Could I help you?’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t think you’d be much good at erecting the big top, do you?’
‘Probably not.’ She giggled. ‘Just come to our trailer when you’re finished.’ And with that she floated away.
It was late evening before the work was finished. By bedtime all the fairground rides had been erected, the big top was standing proud against a starry sky and the coconut shy and the other stalls were ready to receive their first visitors. The animals had also been fed and bedded down.
Luca stretched wearily as he wiped sweat from his brow.
It had been a long, hard day and he ached everywhere.
He briefly thought of going straight to his own trailer to sleep, but he realised that if he did Scarlet would only come looking for him.
Anyway, Charity had told him that she would get word to him of where she was through Scarlet so he didn’t want to risk upsetting her.
So, with a sigh he headed to her parents’ trailer.
She was sitting on the steps with the stew pot keeping warm on a fire in front of it.
‘There you are!’ She jumped up, setting her bright skirt swirling about her slim legs. ‘I was just about to come and find you.’ She quickly ladled some curry into a dish and handed it to him with a spoon.
He could hear her parents and siblings in the trailer behind her but they didn’t join them.
‘Would you like some more?’ she offered sweetly when he had finished.
‘No thanks. I’m off to bed.’ He handed the dish back and turned to leave. ‘But thanks for the supper.’
She pouted. ‘Couldn’t you stay a while longer? My father has some ale in the barrel under the trailer. You must be thirsty after all your hard work.’
He shook his head and without another word strode away. Once back in his own trailer, he quickly undressed and fell into bed, but sleep eluded him, despite how tired he was. He longed to head for the Gypsy camp, but he would have to be patient.
Late the following evening, when the last of the fair visitors had left, Luca, his father and some of the circus men set off for the camp. The Gypsy men were sitting around the fire drinking ale. Jethro, Charity’s father, instantly rose to clap Rory on the back when he saw him.
‘Welcome, my friend, how are you?’ His loud voice carried around the camp.
‘I am well, Jethro, and yourself?’
Jethro sank back onto the grass with a shake of his head. ‘We are very worried,’ he admitted. ‘Our daughter Charity has disappeared.’
Luca was glad of the darkness as it hid the colour that rose in his cheeks. So, she had done it. Charity had made her escape.
‘What do you mean – she’s disappeared?’ Rory was horrified.
Jethro shrugged. ‘Just that my friend. We all went to bed and when we woke the next morning she was gone.’
‘But why would she do that? Have you tried to find her?’
‘She left a note saying that she had formed an attachment with a young man not of our choosing so felt she must leave. I do not know why she would do such a thing,’ Jethro told him.
‘And yes, we have tried to find her but with no luck. Her mother is distraught. It is as if she has vanished into thin air. Her mother thinks it may be because I was about to announce her engagement to her cousin. She did not seem keen on him, but that is the way we do things – a girl will always marry a man of her parents’ choosing.
It is a great disgrace for a Gypsy girl to run away.
I fear she might be with another young man.
And if that’s the case, when I find them, he will wish for death. ’
Luca gulped. Jethro didn’t sound like he was joking.
Rory began to pour some tankards of ale and passed them around.
Very soon they were getting merry, but Luca needed to keep his wits about him.
After all, it would be here that Charity would seek Scarlet out to tell him where she was and when she did he would have to move quickly to get away. He could hardly wait.