Anna’s clothes felt like linen and wool, and he wondered which cycle he should use. Then he looked closer and shrugged. Her dress was already badly torn. Beth’s dress was good cotton, so he just threw them all in together and pressed start.
Anna and Elizabeth were sitting in the living room when he came back. Elizabeth was brushing her hair and looking smug. Anna was pouting and looked as angry as a wet kitten. George wisely kept his mouth shut.
He looked at the TV and the satellite receiver and shrugged. No sports tonight. Or maybe ever again, for that matter. He sighed and looked at the video collection on the shelves to his left. He looked at Anna and Elizabeth, then back to the tapes, and nodded to himself. They needed a distraction, and so did he. And he knew just what he wanted to see.
Anna sat up straight when the TV came on and looked startled and frightened when the pictures started flickering across its face, and then mesmerized when the movie began. The Sound of Music rang through the house, and Anna seemed to be fascinated by it in spite of the language difference. She listened to the singing and hummed along, much to George’s annoyance. She gasped when the wonders of another world were displayed for her. And fell asleep on the couch before the second tape.
George and Elizabeth noticed and shared a smile. When the washing machine buzzed, Elizabeth went to put the clothes in the dryer. And when the dryer buzzed near the end of the second tape, she smiled and waited until the end before getting up. “That was nice, George,” she said as she went to get her clothes.
George nodded and turned off the TV and VCR and put the tapes away. Anna was curled up like a kitten on the couch, and was showing far more leg than he could ignore. She was a pretty little thing, and just thinking of what had almost happened to her made his blood boil. There was a quilt over the back of the couch, and he gently pulled it over her, tucking her in carefully to avoid waking her.
Elizabeth said good night and headed to the guest room while George made sure the doors were locked and the generator had plenty of fuel. Then he went to his room, propping the M-14 beside his bed.
* * *
Morning was heralded by the arrival of Jim Reardon and his family. All seven of them. Anna stared as the group of lunatics swarmed around her asking questions, clearly not understanding what was happening. Elizabeth’s bellow was rewarded by total silence.
“Marge, Lizzy, Melody, fix something to eat. Jimmy, sit down. You boys go perch somewhere. Honestly, you have no manners.”
George was standing by the stairs, watching with wide eyes as Elizabeth corralled her herd. Once things had settled down, he went to the kitchen. The tattletale on his incoming line was on, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Going to the porch, he shut down the generator, then switched on the main breaker. The lights flickered a little, but hardly anyone noticed. They were all focused on Anna, who was still seated on the couch, wrapped in the quilt.
“Beth, I think the boys and I ought to excuse ourselves while you women see to Anna. If I’m not mistaken, that’s her towel there on the floor.”
Elizabeth looked startled for a moment, then embarrassed. “Boys, outside. Right now.”
There wasn’t even one objection to her order and George was soon out at the barn with Jimmy, Jim III, Bill and Alex.
Jimmy looked at him as he leaned against the truck. “George, what have you heard?”
“Only what you and Beth have told me.”
Jimmy nodded and propped himself against the door. “That’s about all anyone knows right now. Dad’s history books hardly mention this era. It wasn’t one of his interests. The encyclopedia says that we’re smack-dab in the center of the Thirty Years War.” He paused when Melody ran out of the house, opened the trunk of the car, then ran back inside. “Mom said that Anna’s dress was torn, so we brought some of the girls’ stuff with us. She looks to be about Mel’s size. Anyway, the teachers are researching what they can. All we know is that there are a bunch of mercenaries led by someone called Count Tilly raping and pillaging their way across Europe. And we are in their path.” Jimmy paused for a moment, then cleared his throat. “Uh, George, do you still have Dave’s stash?”