Ada grinned over her shoulder as they approached. "Don’t freeze yet! We’re nearly there."
Maggie pulled the collar of her coat a little tighter and took stock of her situation. She wasn’t exactly a prisoner on the march, but she had limited options to exploit. The second they got to that building, she would have nowhere to run…but where would she run, even if she could?
Snowy hills blocked her view of Lowertown; she could faintly see landmarks that seemed familiar to the west, toward the canal, but it was hard to judge the distance in the winter. And regardless, that was Irish territory…not the best option, either.
So east, then, into the forest, and up to the Rideau River. In these temperatures, with daylight fading fast, there was no way that would end well. South was more of the same, and a long way to any kind of civilization.
She couldn’t run, but she had to run. Somehow.
She caught sight of horses waiting outside the house, stomping their feet in the cold. Unattended. If she could find a way to—
“Quickly now!” Ada called, hurrying her pace. “No time for patience when the men are on the hunt!”