Always: You'll Never Walk Alone Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the Fox Sarah slipped in the snow and I caught her arm. “Why thank you kind sir.” She smiled and slipped her hand in mine.
    As we reached the corner, a carriage pulled up in front of the Fox. It was completely black except for a coat of arms on the door. The curtains were drawn across the windows, the driver had his collar pulled up against the cold and his hat pulled down low over his eyes. The horses, which were also black, snorted and stamped their hooves on the hard snow.
    We turned right onto Brinks Street and almost collided with Ron. “Well hello, if it isn’t the young lovers. What are you doing out so early? Eloping?”
    “No, we’re off to Johnston’s to get a new skillet. What are you doing in this part of town?”
    “I’m just on my way to visit John and Sylvie. After seeing you two yesterday I realized I hadn’t seen them in over a year so I thought I’d come over for a new year’s drink.”
    “Well they’ve just finished breakfast. They’ll be really pleased to see you. We’ll be back in about an hour. If you’re still there we’ll see you then.”
    He went on towards the Fox and we continued towards Johnston’s. It started to snow again and by the time we picked up the skillet and returned to the Fox, another two inches had fallen and we could hardly keep upright.
    The carriage we saw arriving when we left was still there but now covered in a blanket of white. The driver looked like he hadn’t moved since he arrived and was covered in snow from his hat to his boots. Just as I opened the door to the Fox a voice called out for Sarah and a man stepped out of the carriage. Before I realized what was happening he grabbed her and pulled her inside. I ran towards them but slipped in the snow. Before I could regain my footing the driver whipped the horses and they took off at a gallop down the street. I heard Sarah screaming and ran after them, but the snow was too deep the horses too fast and within minutes, they disappeared. I kept running and falling and running, but they were gone. I shouted out her name again and again, my voice echoing into the street and off the buildings, before getting lost in the snow.
    I wandered the streets for hours in the desperate hope of seeing the carriage, but it was gone, its tracks lost in the freshly fallen snow. Finally with night falling, cold, wet and exhausted I returned to the Fox.
    “Where the hell have you been? You should have been here hours ago. Where’s Sarah?”
    My mouth wouldn’t work and I stood there speechless.
    “What is it boy?”
    I opened my mouth but couldn’t get the words out. A frown of concern came over John’s face. “What’s happened? Vicky get him some tea.”
    She brought a mug of hot sweet tea and as I felt the warm liquid hit my stomach my body started to tremble. The warmth of the tavern melted the snow on my head and it ran down my neck. Sylvie having heard the commotion came out from the kitchen to find out what was going on. Grabbing a towel, she dried my hair and put her arms around me until the trembling stopped. Choking back tears and sipping on the tea I finally managed to tell them what had happened.
    Ron, who had stayed for the day, said he remembered seeing the carriage when he’d come in that morning. He’d noted it because of the coat of arms on the door, it was an eagle and a lion entwined around the letters H.B. He’d seen it in the city a number of times over the last few days but didn’t know who it belonged to.
    Sylvie told me to go upstairs, get out of my wet clothes, then come down and have some dinner and then take the rest of the night off. I climbed the stairs, my feet squelching in my wet shoes. Taking my clothes off I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling. Why had this happened? What could anyone possibly want with Sarah? I started shivering again and pulled the blankets around me. What did H.B. stand for? Was there something about Sarah that I didn’t know? I got up and paced the room,