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“They’re getting closer,” Frances revealed as she climbed off her horse and tied him to the post they’d built long ago.

“How much closer?” Agnes asked.

Frances walked over to her and kissed her hello after having been gone for a full day and night, checking on the encroaching villagers, which she did a few times a year to be safe.

“Two-day ride from here at the east. Four days from the west, last I checked, but I need to go back that way. Nothing from the north, and they’re still at least ten days away from the south. Since the last ride I went on was only a month ago, they couldn’t have gotten any closer than that.”

“We’ve had this place to ourselves for so long now,” Agnes said, looking around the woods surrounding the property and the field that they’d partly turned into a farm for their crops.

“We should be all right for another year or so, but they might start trying to take a path through the woods behind us, now that there are villages all around here. If they do that, we’re at risk. All it takes is one group of merchants realizing there are two women living alone in our house for something to happen to us.” Frances pulled her wife in close. “My love, it might be time for us to make that plan we’ve been putting off.”

“I don’t want to leave here, Frances,” Agnes replied.

“I don’t want to leave, either, but if they make that road to the other villages to expand their trade, we’re in danger. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“And I don’t want anything to happen toyou. I already worry when you’re gone longer than you said you’d be.”

“I know. I’m sorry I was gone longer this time. I wanted to learn as much as I could before I returned to you. Agnes, what was the name of the man you were to marry?”

“Knight. George Knight. Why?”

“I thought so,” she said and pulled out of the embrace. “It seems he’s made quite a name for himself, and he’s been expanding his trade in this direction. I… saw your brother, Edward, with him. He appears to be working for the man. I only ever really saw your mother outside of Edward, so I don’t know if anyone else is with him, but I didn’t see anyone else who looked like you, at least.”

“You saw Edward?”

Frances nodded. Edward had been several years older, but she’d recognize him anywhere. She’d first seen the back of his head, and that was the side of him she’d seen all those years ago now, when she’d pulled Agnes from his grasp and that barn. When he’d turned, she’d been certain that it was him. She had also heard the name Knight and remembered Agnes telling her that she was to marry a man called Knight before they’d run off together instead.

“He seems to be all right, but he’s working for Knight, which makes me wonder why. He should be working for your father, running the farm. The only thing I can think is that your father did something when you left; promised one of his sons to Knight instead of his daughter in marriage.”

“He might have. He needed the money for the farm. Things were getting bad when I left. Edward…”

“Looked good, Agnes,” Frances said and cupped her wife’s cheek. “They’re only two, maybe three days from here, though, and while Knight wouldn’t recognize you because you never met him, your brother certainly would. I’m afraid that it might be time for us to push north or south. To the north would be best, from what I could gather on my last trip. There’s a pasture where cows graze. We might be able to turn that into a new farm and build a home like this one there. If not, there are other places for us to go.”

Frances watched Agnes look around again before thewoman gave her one solemn nod in reluctant agreement.

“You’re right. We should begin packing what we can, just in case we have to go quickly. I’ll start on the food.”

Frances kissed her forehead and said, “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Agnes replied.

Later that night, Agnes and Frances made love in their bed for what would be the final time, without knowing that that would be the case. They touched one another slowly at first, then hurriedly, and then slowly once more before finally, sated, they fell asleep. The next morning, Frances awoke first and dressed quietly, kissing her wife on the nose before she made her way outside to fetch more wood for the fire that Agnes would need to cook with. She was met with a man on horseback. He had parked his horse just off their house and was glaring down at her.

“I was right,” he said.

“What do you want? You can–”

“I saw you at the market. I remember you,” Edward replied. “I took off not long after you left. You were easy to track. My father taught me, and he was the best tracker in our village.”

“Was?”

Frances turned to see Agnes standing just inside the door, still wearing her nightshirt.

“Agnes, get inside. Lock the door,” Frances said.

“Agnes?” Edward checked. “Is that really you?”

“Yes, Brother,” she answered.