Chapter 1

She walked to his cell, all cold dark stone, wet and dank smelling of urine and mold. A small barred window from up above, letting in a little light on this dark and dreary day. She took out her wad of heavy keys and unlocked his cell door. He jumped back and looked up at her with big soulful gray eyes. Scared about what was to come but excited too in a strange way. He was glad it was her and not the big fat hairy bloke that usually came in with his piece of bread and water.

His eyes took in her dark beauty as she walked toward him. She always wore tight fitting black breeches, tall black leather boots and a white gentle men's poet shirt with long flowing sleeves. Very much like his own clothes he thought. But his were filthy from all the days he had spent in this hellhole. He wore an ecru colored poet shirt with long flowing sleeves. Black leather pants and tall black boots. He had a tattoo on each arm, one being a snake entwined around a sword. He wore a small gold earring in one ear. His brown hair longish and needing a good trim.

He had been thrown in this stinking dungeon 3 weeks ago on a suspicion of murder and then charged with it. It had seemed more like 3 years instead of 3 weeks. His sentencing had been 2 days ago, death by hanging. His heart was heavy, he knew he was innocent of all charges but he could not convince them otherwise. It was a case of mistaken identity and of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wasn't an angel by any means and had done some bad things in his life but he wasn't the devil they made him out to be. His fate seemed to be etched in stone now, nothing to do but wait. Wait till they placed the rough, course rope around his neck and tighten the noose.

She walked over to him and he looked her over. Today she was wearing something different.A feminine looking low cut black blouse with long black see thru sleeves with ruffled wrists and a long, slim skirt with a side slit and tall heels.Her long black hair falling loosely around her shoulders. A black eye mask covered her beautiful green eyes. Her lips painted a dark red against her pale complexion. Long crystal earrings danced from her ears.

"I don't want to do this to such a handsome man."

"So young, too. " she said.

"But you see it's my job," she added.

He looked frightened, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Yes, I know... sigh... what do I have to do?" he asked.

"You have to come with me," she answered.

She undid his shackles but tied his hands behind his back to lead him out... He was sobbing lightly, his wrists, in re-strains. He pulled back a little. She gently brushed his tears away with her soft white hand.

"I want to kiss you, "she said "I owe you that much."

She had found him so attractive since the first day he arrived.

"But you'll still hang me? " he asked, sobbing.

"I don't want to hang you, "she answered him.

She had fallen in love with him and she knew he had fallen in love with her also. She reached over and took his face in her hands and they kissed passionately. It was the first kiss ever between them. Then she put on her leather gloves and pulled her mask down over her eyes and walked him out to the cart that would take him to the gallows. In he went shaking in his boots. And she got up on top near the driver and they drove off heading to Gallows Hill.

It was a very dark and dreary day. A crowd had gathered along both sides of the road, most of them, women, murmuring as they approached in excitement. They were worked up for it. Some were even eating hot crossed buns! It was an amusement for them. Something out of the ordinary." It wasn't every day you got to see a man swing," they all said.

She shot them dirty looks as they drove by. "Filthy cows." she thought.He was sitting, shackled in the back of the cart hating the thought that they'd enjoy watching him swing but he was helpless to prevent it!

Her mind was racing a mile a minute. She loved this man and didn't want to hang him. But what could she do? She was deep in her thoughts when all of a sudden she spotted her brother in the crowd. 'What's he doing here?' she wondered He was a wonderful marksman and was sitting astride his horse. He knew how she felt about this man as she had told him in the past couple of weeks.

They stopped the carriage and she took him out in his shackles. He clanked out looking in fear at the gallows steps. He didn't turn around to look at the mob, instead staring into her eyes as he walked up the wooden steps. He saw the rope hanging with his name on it. The crowd cheered wildly now. It was a mob scene. He tried to pull away, his wrists restrained behind him, sobbing lightly as she placed the noose around his neck.

The magistrates, the preacher, all were there and all was ready.

"Please... nooo! " he quietly begged.

"I love you, "she whispered to him and he whispered back that he loved her, too. Then she placed the black hood over his head. She didn't want to do this. She wanted him to be able to see things before life left his body but she had no choice. Rules were rules. So she had to abide by them.

All was set. The hood was over his head now and there was a drum roll. The crowd quieted down now.

A shot rang out. It stunned everyone. Then all of a sudden there was a commotion! "It's my brother!" she exclaimed under her breath. "What on earth?"

She quickly released him from the noose. And he yanked his hood off. Her brother galloped up on his horse very fast and the prisoner jumped on behind him! It all happened so fast.

The crowd was stunned to silence! The magistrates and preacher were left standing there with their mouths open and their tongues hanging out! She stood there, too looking surprised. They all looked at her not knowing what had just happened. They hadn't seen her release his neck from the rope.

"Don't worry! We will find him," she said to them. But she knew he was on his way to safety now with her brother and he would make contact with her later. She was sure he had found a safe hiding place for him and her heart was filled with joy at this thought.

The crowd started talking and sighing and began to disburse. The officials all left and after an evening of questioning, she was free to go home. No suspicion was placed upon her. "Thank God." she thought.

Night fell with a light rain and she awaited word of him and his safety. She bathed in a hot tub after the long day and dressed herself in a long black lace see thru nightgown. She studied herself in the floor length mirror as she smoked a cigarette. She looked good for her age.Her full milky white breasts spilled out of the top of her bodice and her big pink nipples could be seen thru the lace. Her skin looked pale and creamy white. She rubbed her hands down over her belly and paused for a moment between her thighs thinking of him. Her hair fell loosely about her shoulders and down to her waist but tonight she looked tired and felt very drained. It had been a long day. "Eh, maybe I'm getting too old for this job." she thought.

She took one last drag on her cigarette, put it out and poured herself a small sherry and sat on her old brass bed staring into the fire, sipping it slowly. The dark liquid soothed her frazzled nerves and warmed her tired body. She picked up the brass candlestick holder on her bedside table and blew the candle out. She then slipped into bed under the warm blankets with dreams of being in her lover's arms soon.

Chapter 2

The next day she got word from her brother to where they were hiding. She dressed quickly and rode out to where they were. It was a small cottage in the woods way out from the city that her brother used as a hunting lodge. She rode out with excitement and anticipation in her heart.

When she arrived, she found them sitting at the small wooden kitchen table. They were drinking pints of ale. Her brother's terrier, Dudley got up and ran to greet her, wagging his wiry little tail. She bent down and patted the dog on the head. "Go lay down boy," she said.

Then she looked up and noticed that he was all cleaned up now, apparently washed and scrubbed clean from all the filth that gathered from being locked in that dungeon for all those horrible weeks. It looked like her brother had given him a new set of clothes to wear. He was wearing a pair of dark colored breeches and a clean, white shirt and was polishing his black boots when she walked in.