CHAINS TO FREEDOM.✔

Chapter Sixty

They rode in silence away from the homestead. At first along the road and into the scrub. Open sweeping pastures became scattered bush land, and then tall majestic gum trees, which grew much closer together as they ventured deeper into the forest. The tree trunks were thick and wide. Brown and grey bark wrapped each one snugly. Patches hung in places as though a child had perhaps come and pulled frantically here and there leaving the bark ripped and falling. Jessica closed her eyes and imagined her hands touching it. Soft and velvety with strips of stringiness glued roughly to it.

She didn't know where Louis was taking her. He hadn't said and she hadn't asked.

Jessica watched a mother wallaby and her joey lift their heads. Ears pricked at the sound of the horses. They shot into thicket of trees and disappeared out of sight. She wished she could run as fast as they bounded. Louis halted suddenly, surprising her out of her reverie. He dismounted and tethered his horse to a nearby branch. Jessica wasn't sure why they had stopped or whether she was to wait on her horse. She sat rigid in her saddle as he came toward her. She was afraid of him, of his presence and his ability to make her feel lost and unsure of herself.

Louis sensed, after their last encounter, that she was unsure of him. She was in her rights. He had behaved badly and needed to explain why? He lifted his hands to her waist to pull her from the horse. She tensed, jerked away and pushed his hands down.

"I can do it myself, Master."

Jessica watched a flicker of emotion cross his face before he said, "I'd like to help you if you'll let me."

Without saying a word she nodded.

Louis put his large hands to her waist, lifted her from the saddle and set her on her feet. Taking the reins from her hand he tethered her horse beside his. He had to find a way to stop her from being uncomfortable in his presence. He grabbed the saddlebag from his horse, took Jessica by the hand and led her behind him along the track.

She stumbled, finding it hard to keep up. "Master. Please slow down or let go of my hand." He stopped and turned to look at her. She murmured, "I cannot keep up, sir."

"I'm sorry," he said. When he continued he walked slower and lessened the grasp on her hand. As his grip relaxed so did his tension. He hadn't realised how nervous he was. 

Jessica felt the essence of him seep into her sentience. She decided she liked the feel of his callused hand holding hers so she closed her fingers around his.

This act told Louis another brick had fallen. He kept his focus on the track as a small smile flicked across his face. He thought she would have been more hostile toward him, but she had not refused to follow him on the horse.

The track sloped gently downwards. Jessica heard the sound of running water. Leaves lay thick on the ground. The smell of the rotting foliage was strong in her nostrils. She liked the rich dank aroma as it mingled with the scent of the surrounding eucalyptus trees. The path got steeper, large boulders appeared here and there, sometimes encroaching on the track, making their way harder. Jessica's grip tightened on Louis's hand for support.

He liked the way she seemed to place her faith in him. Even if it was just to prevent from slipping. It comforted him to know he hadn't totally lost her trust.

When they reached an opening in the path Jessica was taken aback by the beauty of the falls. Her eyes followed the flow of the water as it cascaded over the rocks to the pool below. She was astounded by the huge gums that clung to the rocks by their intricate root systems. Jessica's eyes opened in awe trying to take in the view. She gasped, "It's so beautiful!"

"Yes." The sight of her face, lit up like a small child's opening a gift, made Louis so happy. He couldn't help staring at her as he smiled and added, "Stunning."