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a good woman!”
    Jonas grabbed the triceps of her arm closest to him, half lifting, half pushing her from the cart. Llew made herself as heavy as possible and dug in her heels, but it made little difference.
    “You’re heading for the Postmaster’s, right?”
    “So?”
    “Well, if I’m going to leave Cheer, then I need to start at the Postmaster’s anyway. Maybe he’ll let me earn my ticket. At least take me that far.”
    “You’re a thief and we ain’t got time to decide whether or not you’re a murderer. You can walk.”
    She knew he wasn’t going to change his mind. Still, it didn’t mean she had to take his attitude. He turned his back on her and returned to his seat at the front of the cart.
    “Sorry,” said Al, coming to the same conclusion. “Good luck.” He resumed his seat at the front of the cart and Jonas flicked the horse back into life, then with another flick called up a trot.
    Llew stood for a time, watching her brighter future disappear into the distance. “Fuck.”
    “I knew I seen you come this way.”
    She turned to the voice, then darted away, the law hot on her heels once more. Unfortunately, this time there were two of them, and one was young, tall, and fit. He had her on her belly in less than a minute.
    “I knew we’d get yer.” The older officer knelt in front of her while the younger pulled her hands behind her and cuffed them. “No point running from the law, ya scoundrel. We always get our man.”
    The younger officer wrenched her to her feet, one arm over her shoulder, cupping the opposite armpit. His hand slipped and he took an experimental squeeze.
    “Or woman.” He tugged at her shirt, pulling several buttons free. “As the case may be.”
    Llew felt the dry Cheer air on her exposed breast.
    “Well, course she is,” the older officer said as though he’d known all along, eyeing her appreciatively and firing up goosebumps all over Llew’s skin. “A female hangin’ . . .  that’ll draw a crowd.”

CHAPTER FOUR
    Llew spent three days in a cell, with Kynas in the cell next to her; long enough to make sure everyone knew there would be a hanging. She refused to talk to him, no matter how much he apologised, and determinedly looked everywhere but through the bars at him. He knew her better than anyone, and the betrayal was all the worse for that.
    There would be no trial for either of them: the accusation was enough. ‘Cleaning up the streets’ they called it. In any case, since Kynas’ accusation someone had come forward about the body in the alleyway and had positively identified Llew as the killer. Or Kynas, maybe. They hadn’t quite been sure which of the two they had seen, but they had definitely seen one of them. Maybe. It didn’t matter. The gallows were going up before they’d even walked into the gaol.
    As the sun cleared the tops of Cheer’s roofs on the morning of the fourth day, Llew and Kynas were dragged and pushed through a crowd of excited locals only too eager to spit at the filthy killer-urchins as they passed. The two were forced up the steps on to the stage of the gallows where they stood trembling in the cold air while the charges against them were solemnly read out.
    The Farries had dressed Llew in a long, heavy skirt a couple of sizes too big for her, and a thin, floaty blouse, which they had tied in at the back to emphasise what femininity she possessed. A girl being hanged drew a larger crowd than a boy. Rarity, she supposed, and some kind of thrill.
    The charge of theft was fair – they had both been carrying stolen purses at the time of their captures – but Llew took offence at being accused of stealing and killing livestock. She had a good relationship with a local farmer, and she caught fish which she regularly swapped for a little beef. She didn’t need to steal the beasts themselves.
    Looking out over the crowd, she saw that very farmer watching from a few rows back. He looked less angry than the rest of the crowd;