To Eppie's relief, some of the men swung themselves into their saddles and followed.

As the drumming of hooves faded into the distance, Jaggery headed back to the church.

Thurstan was nowhere to be seen.

Tiptoeing steadily forwards, she stared cautiously about and was passing the stone pillars at the gateway when someone thudded into her from behind and a hand clapped over her mouth.

*Don't make a sound!' the man warned.

Pressed against his body, she was dragged to the rear of the carriage.

It was with a sense of solace that she stared into Dick Pebbleton's face.

*What you doing here?' he whispered. *If Jag catches you, he'll slit your gizzards.'

The coachman shifted in his box. *Who ya talking to?'

*Only Pryce. Finish your ale.'

*Wretched job this,' Fulke grumbled. *I need me bed.'

Dick led Eppie further away from the coach so that they might talk without being overheard.

She knew she could trust Dick. *I've come to rescue Gabriel.'

*Du Quesne? Thurstan said he was dead.'

Quickly she explained what had happened.

He glanced in the direction taken by the wagon. *He might've been on that one.'

She wrung her hands in misery. *I must look, anyway, else there's a chance they'll take him with the next lot.'

The honeycomb moon sailed behind bruised clouds, providing her with the perfect opportunity to dart to the pit.

Staring down, she trembled at the thought of what must be done. She never imagined there would be so many bodies and felt loath to search amongst them.

Figures emerged from the church, their lanterns stabbing into the darkness. She could delay no longer.

The worst thing, she found, was losing her footing. Stumbling upon the bodies she instinctively threw out her hands to steady herself, only to fall to her knees. Hunched over, she pushed herself upright, aware that she was touching legs or arms. *Gabriel!' she whispered desperately, longing to find him and be away from this abysmal place. *Where are you? It's me.'

A slight movement at the far side of the pit caught her attention. Though she could not see his face, she sensed that the man was glaring at her. He slunk away. She panicked, wondering whether he had heard her and gone to tell the others.

Cartwheels rumbled. The gravediggers were back! Her anticipation that the bodysnatchers would be scared off was thwarted once again, realising they were in conspiracy with the gravediggers. *Is that the last load for the night, Flynn?' Jaggery asked, pacing past the pit. *We'll take *em straight off the cart.'

Wheezing, so low that it was scarcely audible, came from a sack nearby. Eppie's relief in locating the sack in which Gabriel was sewn was immense. In haste, revolted at having to crawl over the bodies of men, women, and children, she slunk towards the sound. To her utter dismay, she discovered that the sack was sewn tight. Bitterly annoyed with herself for not thinking to bring a knife, she clawed at the rough cloth. *I'm gonna rip you open.'

With a final wrench the hessian fell apart.

Before she had time to react, a hand shot up through the darkness like some gruesome slug. Realising her mistake, she desperately wrenched at the man's knotted fingers. Harder and harder they tightened around her throat. She felt her cheeks flush with an alarming pulse of blood, her body twitch uncontrollably. She had not the strength to fight the man off.

Leaping beside her, someone punched the prisoner on the nose.

Uttering a guttural roar, the prisoner released his grip and Eppie was flung onto her back.

Jaggery stepped towards the crater. *What's going on down there?'

Her liberator positioned his body so that he screened her. *There were some scum in a sack trying to escape. I've given him a stinger to quieten *im.'

*We've done in there anyway.' Jaggery headed off. *The last wagon was bursting.'

The flames of the fire cast upon the face of Eppie's rescuer as he stared down at her. He looked even more dishevelled than usual, his hair as rough as the coat of a wintering horse.

Though overjoyed to see him, she was filled with doubts. *Wakelin!' she croaked, rubbing her throat. *Why are you here?' Drawing herself into a crouching position, she tried to shut out thoughts about the bodies lying beneath her.

He took a swig from his pocket pistol. *The night air suits me.'

*I mean, doing this wicked work.'

*I can't help that. Some rat let on to Thurstan that I was gonna smash the mills. Jag fetched me outta the slash house and said he'd hide me.'

*It was Jaggery who encouraged you to lead the wreckers. It must've been he who told Thurstan.'

*Jag's me friend, *e wun't do that.'

*Jaggery's beastly; he threw Twiss into the pool at Shivering Falls.'

*You're only saying that cos' ya hate Jag. *sides, ma would've let on if he had.'

*Thurstan's the leader of the bodysnatchers.'

*Yur, very funny. That scum couldn't lead a worn-out horse to the knacker's yard. I gorra go, else Jag will be back and find ya.' He made to leave.

She struggled to her feet and clutched the rope around his jerkin. *No! Help me!'

*'elp ya what? Come to that what are you doing down *ere? I know you like wandering, but you surely an't got some kind of macabre fascination about going to watch gravediggers in the middle of the night?'

*Don't be ridiculous. I've come to find Gabriel. He's alive, somewhere in this pit. Thurstan accused him of killing Lord du Quesne when he didn't.'

*I'd heard about du Quesne. And Gabriel's in one of these *ere sacks?' He was silent, trying to take everything in.

*Have you got your jack-knife?'

*Me knife?' he repeated, as though slow-witted.

*The bags are stitched.'

Having made his decision he snatched at the nearest sack. *Where is he? Which one?'

She grabbed his arm. Too easily she had read his mind. *Killing Gabriel won't make you free. I've found out. Worse, Thurstan has.'

The blade of his knife glinted in the dying firelight. He drew close, in his eyes a wild look. *Yuv found out what?'

Fear froze every muscle in her body. He was seriously drunk and, down here, he might as easily murder her as Gabriel.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves, not knowing what his reaction might be. *That I am Genevieve du Quesne.'

*So,' he drawled, *ma told ya, the blabbermouth.'

*I overheard you, that time you shredded our cellar. After that I figured everything out.'

*Why did you never let on?'

*Why would I want things to change? You, me, mam and Lottie, we're a family. That's what you said at Dank Cottage, remember? That rainy night we left for Malstowe. And you were right, we are a family.'

He was staggered, realising the depth of her love for him.

A bond of misery and hopelessness drew them together. Both saw the righteousness of acting together as a means to release their torment.

Working rapidly, he slashed sack after sack.

*Why doesn't he answer?' she said. *You don't think he's caught the sickness and died?'

*It wouldn't surprise me. What's more, we might. There's all this stuff oozing around me boots, an' I don't reckon its water.' He stopped and stared at a mother with a baby.

*Emily Standfield!' Eppie said, grief-stricken. *I paid the governor for her discharge.'

He stroked the baby's fist. *This feels like our Eppie's hand, before I laid her in the cradle at the manor.' He gazed at Eppie's sad expression, her eyes glittering with tears. *You was born to be a lady and I've ruined all that.'

Stones skittered onto sacks. Dick swiftly stepped into the pit.

Wakelin wielded his knife.

*It's all right,' Eppie said. *I've told Dick about Gabriel.'

*Gabriel was taken from the last cartload,' Dick said hastily. *Before Jaggery went to the church to check on the men he told me to help the gravediggers throw the bodies onto the wagon. Luckily I'm the only one not wearing gloves; I felt the warmth of Gabriel's body. When the diggers left, I knifed the sack open and helped him to hide in the carriage. He's in a bad way and can hardly walk. I didn't know what else to do with him. Now I'm thinking that was the dumbest place to hide him as he'll be lugged off anyway.'

One by one they scrambled over the edge of the pit and ran for cover behind a yew.

Peering around the trunk, Eppie saw Jaggery and Fulke standing beside the open door of the coach, talking. *Now what do we do?' she asked bleakly.

*I'll lure *em away,' Wakelin answered.

*But you have to escape. Thurstan mustn't find you.'

*Yur, yur.' He shoved their backs. *Go!'

Stooped over, Eppie and Dick dived behind gravestones, gradually getting closer to the gates. Hearing thudding footsteps, she glanced around to see Wakelin racing straight at one of the two men who were approaching the carriage with Lord Wexcombe's shrouded body slung between them. *What's he up to?' she whispered.

Seeing Wakelin charging at him like a mad bull, the man at the rear cried out in astonishment at this curious attack from one of their own men. He lost his grip on the corpse and it thudded to the ground.

Jaggery made towards the commotion. *Hey, what's going on, Pryce?'

Huffing with irritation at the further delay, Fulke remounted and swilled from his bottle. The horses stamped and shook their heads impatiently.

Dick scurried to the coach, to check it was safe for Eppie to follow, and waved her on.

Her heart in her mouth, terrified that Fulke might glance down and see her, she ran as fleetingly and as quietly as she could. It reminded her of the time she raced across the stock-yard when her father was raging with Fulke about her and Martha for trespassing in his house. This time, though, she raised the hem of her frock so that she would not trip over it.

Calming her breathing, she stepped into the carriage as gently as possible so that Fulke would not know she was inside. Though it was shadowy within, she made out planks that spanned the seats. She knew she ought to whisper Gabriel's name, but knew Fulke was bound to hear.

*Wake, stop it ya stupid limmack!' Jaggery cried.

Eppie looked around. Men sprang back as Wakelin attempted to punch any face within striking distance. It was quite a dizzying spectacle to witness.

Clambering on top of the planks, she frantically shifted a couple of the boards apart.

*What's got into you?' Jaggery asked. *Stop shovin'.'

*It ain't right we should be stealing Wexcombe's body,' Wakelin said hotly. *Judge Baulke will have the yeomanry on us.'

His caution was greeted by guffaws amongst the men.

*Quiet, Kenelm!' Jaggery warned. *Wake, take yer hands off Wexcombe.'

Eppie dropped beside Gabriel. Though she could scarcely see his face in the gloom, she felt the clammy warmth of his sturdy body. *We have to go.'

He did not answer.

*At The Barrel you led me on to lead the wreckers,' Wakelin said. *Then ya went and snitched to Thurstan du Quesne.'

*What rot are you talking?' Jaggery asked. *I don't even know the man.'

Eppie tugged on Gabriel's elbow. *What's the matter?'

*I'm stuck,' he whimpered.

*You can't mean it! They'll be here at any moment.'

*I think it is time that Dung Heap is enlightened.'

Eppie glanced through the small gap beneath the planks, into the graveyard.

Thurstan rode stealthily through the curtain of darkness. *Get Wexcombe on board. Although he is not likely to be recognised in London, I don't want to take the risk. Before you crate him mislay his head, like you did after I killed Bulwar.'

*So, it was Thurstan,' Eppie said under her breath, utterly relieved that Dawkin was proven innocent of the crime.

Humming to drown out his warning, Dick rapped gently on the carriage, hurrying Eppie.