Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (10 page)

“That is a bonny fine idea, Cosette. If Ian
agrees to that, what good news that will be to take home to Mary
and Elsie!”

Stuart then began to tell Cosette about a
farm near Edinburg that was owned by an elderly widow which likely
could be available in a few years. She looked toward the horizon
with longing in her eyes, while listening raptly.

***

Laura Millhouse sat in the home of her
friend, Rebecca Davis. She had been away in New Jersey for a while
and wanted to catch up on events. The two were talking about the
objects of their affection as young ladies will do. Laura had just
finished telling Rebecca of all of the time she had spent in the
company of James Barrows and of his many virtues, not the least of
which was how handsome she found him to be. Now concluding her
account, she asked Rebecca about the duel she had witnessed and
about how things were developing between her and Ian.

Rebecca related the details of the duel to
Laura who sat wide-eyed, listening to the account.

“I tell you Laura, Ian could have easily
killed Colonel Grundy in just seconds. He is that much a better
swordsman. You would have had to see it to have believed it. He
didn’t want for it to happen, but felt that he couldn’t back away
without the bank suffering for his loss of reputation.”

“Surely that will be the end of it now.”

“Ian thinks not. He is convinced that Grundy
will retaliate and use his position in the British High Command to
exact revenge. Already they were evicted from the boarding house
they were living in. Suddenly the British High Command felt they
needed to house British soldiers there.”

“I tell you, Rebecca, it feels like New York
is as much an occupied city as Boston is, even though we are not,
or at least not officially. I see more and more lobsterbacks
everywhere I look.”

“Lobsterbacks?”

“Yes. That is the name given them by many
colonists.” The two giggled a bit at that.

“Well Rebecca, has he kissed you yet?”

“Oh my yes! I had to coerce him though, but
it was heavenly! He is such a gentle man, so caring and
kind-hearted and also broken from what has happened in his past. He
is a man of great contrasts. If you could have seen his eyes when
he was fighting with Colonel Grundy! Oh my! And then moments
afterward, he was joking with me and suggesting that we all go to
an inn and eat lunch. His eyes twinkled with laughter then. I feel
all tingly when he takes my hand, and when he kisses me, my head
swims!”

“I wish that James would kiss me. He has
such a delicious looking mouth, and the rest of him looks
delectable too!”

“And you said I talked like a hussy?” The
two friends then laughed at their recollection of Rebecca asking
Ian to take her to the gala. About then they both heard someone
walk in the front door. As Rebecca rose to see who it was, her
father walked into the room.

“Hello, ‘Becca. Hello Miss Davis.”

“Hello father. You look as if you have
something on your mind.”

Looking at his daughter he said “You can
read me like a book, just as your dear mother could, ‘Becca.” He
paused to go to the dining room and came back with a small snifter
of Brandy. Sitting down opposite the sofa the two had been sharing
he took a drink and then said “General Gage is resigning his
commission effective immediately.”

Both ladies gasped, and then Rebecca said
“Who will succeed him then father?”

“General William Howe. The king sees him as
a hero what with the victories at Bunker Hill and Breeds Hill as
well as Lexington-Concord. The rebels have been engaging us in the
southern colonies, using hit and run tactics. They are making life
miserable for loyalists and the army down there; not to mention
that they have besieged Boston, and control all of the land near
it. Were it not for our navy, we should have to abandon Boston.” He
sat then, sipping his drink as the clock in the foyer chimed the
hour.

“What do you think General Howe will do
differently than Gage?”

“I have not taken time to think about that.
Oh, I almost forgot but Colonel Grundy is evicting Ian and James
from the bank as early as tomorrow. He says we need the space for
incoming troops, but I just do not see it, unless the rebels try to
evict us from Manhattan. Most of our forces go to Boston or to the
south where the war is raging the most. I am pretty certain that it
is just his way at retaliating against Ian for humiliating him.
That must have been some sight to see! I hear that he had to sleep
on his stomach for some ten days!”

***

At the Milliken Merchants’ Bank of New York,
Ian and James organized their hastily improvised quarters. They
figured to hunt after dark and then to scout for more hiding places
for the bank’s funds. Ian had by now convinced James that they
should delay opening the bank for a while until Grundy cooled off.
They left by way of the alleyway and made sure no one was following
them. Taking the horse and wagon to look at more cemeteries, they
figured to buy suitable outdoor clothing as well while they were
out. Ian had a nagging suspicion that they might soon be mobile no
matter what else happened.

Late in the day they returned and stowed
their outdoor wear with their weapons. They had seen two cemeteries
that would bear investigating tonight for fresh hiding places for
more of the funds. Ian heard someone knocking loudly at the main
door downstairs. When he unlocked and opened the door, there stood
Rebecca, a worried look on her pretty features. “Rebecca! What
brings you here this late in the day? Please come in.”

“Ian, where is James?”

“Upstairs.”

“Please call him. I have something to tell
both of you.”

Ian called to James and as they heard him
respond and begin to come down, Ian gently took Rebecca by the
shoulders and peered at her narrowly, saying “You look
worried.”

As James joined them Rebecca looked at the
two wide-eyed and said “I have bad news. General Gage has resigned
his command.”

She saw Ian’s eyebrows raise then as he
turned to look at James. Looking back at her he said “Do you know
who is replacing him?”

“Yes. It is General Sir William Howe.”

Looking back at James he said “You are right
about it being bad news. James; Grundy will move against me now,
and maybe even tonight. It is a good thing that we did not take
that horse and wagon back yet.” James nodded as Ian turned to
Rebecca.

“Rebecca, you must return home and never
admit you were here. When you are asked, the last time you saw
either of us was the day of the duel at Grover’s park. You must go
now. We have things to do here and we have little time.”

“Ian, there is more. Grundy has drawn orders
to evict you two in order that he quarter British troops in the
bank building.”

Ian nodded and said “I suspected as much.
Likely they will be here in the morning. Grundy will relish a
public spectacle involving us being tossed out of our own
building.”

“I will help now. What shall I do?”

“No Rebecca. You can’t be caught up in this
anymore than you are now. You will be accused of aiding and
abetting a seditionist.” Looking at James then he said “Worse yet,
you could be accused of helping two seditionists. That could
reflect badly on your father too.”

She stared wide-eyed as that sunk in.
“What….what will you do?”

“What we will not do is allow Grundy to
imprison us. We leave tonight. You have to go now Rebecca. They
might even now be on their way here. Please, for my sake.”

“Oh Ian! Are you going back to England
then?”

“Hardly. We have legitimate business here in
America and we will see to it. It is best if you know nothing. That
way you can be truthful when they come asking. James, please send
Rebecca’s driver around to the east end of our alley. Come along
now please.” he said as he took her elbow to steer her to the back
entrance.

They walked out the back and into the closed
alleyway, turning east to where they would come out on another
street. Rebecca turned to Ian as they walked “Why are we going this
way?”

“Grundy might even now have a man watching
the front entrance of the bank. Better this than to risk being seen
here.” Rebecca turned and threw herself into his arms, pressing her
lips to his passionately. Ian felt some desire then, the first
since the death of Alandra. She drew back then, wide-eyed saying “I
am afraid.”

He smiled a dazzling smile at her then
saying “You have nothing to be fearful about. I…look, I would love
to be able to tell you more, but Grundy would need a whole lot more
help than he can get from the High Command to take me. I cannot say
more about that, but you can take that as the truth. I am not
talking just to calm you either. There are things about me….things
that I cannot tell, but…well they are things that if you knew
them….you would never worry a bit about this. Just please do trust
me. Go home and remember your story. And remember that Grundy does
not have near enough of an army to take me. We are moving quickly
now only to protect the funds that we were trusted with. We are
leaving the bank tonight so that we do not have to hurt any
soldiers that they send against us”

“What? I….I don’t understand. Ian, I am so
afraid that… that I will never see you again.”

The carriage arrived then, clattering to a
halt on the cobblestone street. “That is not so. Please do go now
and do not concern yourself over this. We have already been making
plans against this day and we have already taken steps. I do need
to know that you are safe so for now good bye.” He took her in his
arms and kissed her tenderly and then he ran swiftly back toward
the bank. She thought she had never seen a man run so fast. As she
entered the carriage and moved away, she puzzled over him saying
that they did not want to harm the soldiers when they came to take
them. As the carriage clattered it’s way north toward her home she
thought
what can that possibly mean…not wanting to harm the
soldiers?
Then she recollected Ian’s promise that he would not
kill Grundy in their duel. He had said it so matter-of-factly and
now she put it together with his desire not to harm the soldiers
sent to take him. She thought
what does all of that mean? This
is a mystery with no answer.

“James is everything loaded?”

“Everything but us” he said with his
characteristic grin. James was nothing if not an adventurer at
heart. He headed the horse and wagon down the alley to the west,
turning south then. Ian said “I looked up and down the street real
well. I do not think we are being watched just yet, but someone
will be sent soon enough to watch until they come for us.”

“It looks like we will become
fugitives.”

Ian looked at James then saying “You can
stay, James. They are not after you. I can’t guarantee that he
wouldn’t throw you in the stockade for a while though.”

“Better a fugitive than a prisoner” James
said as he drove toward the docks in the gathering dusk. “I’ve
wanted to see more of the colonies for a while now anyway.”

Private investigator Terrence Dalton
approached the North London home of Robert Milliken, steering his
mount into the driveway leading to the carriage house alongside of
the mansion. A young muscular attendant met him, taking the horse
to a watering trough as Dalton made his way to the front entrance.
A butler answered the door, also young and muscular, and showed him
in. Shortly he was seated in a spacious office overlooking a lovely
terraced garden. He heard the door open and stood just in time to
see Milliken approaching him with an outstretched hand. They
exchanged greetings and then he showed him to a pair of facing
wingback chairs by a hearth and sat down across from him, looking
expectantly at the investigator.

“Sir I have found that the two who are
paying Constable Connors are looking for information regarding the
kidnapping of a child last year. It seems they are trying to locate
her and they think that she is French. They now have a name to go
with that information.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. It seems that the little girl may have
been with a party from France and the name ‘Henri’ has been added
to their investigation.”

“I see. Anything else of interest?”

“Yes sir. Their partner, Miles Edwards has
met more than once with a man who we think is named ‘Moreau’. I
have a sense that the four are or will be working together on all
of this, whatever it is.”

“Very well, Mr. Dalton.” He stood then,
signifying that the conversation was at an end. I still want daily
briefs and you may add two more men to watch this Moreau character.
As always, do not use my name with any of these other
investigators. The less they know the better. And be careful with
this Moreau character too. Do not follow him at night. He is as
dangerous as the others and you are to be certain that your cohorts
know that and follow that rule; understood?”

“Yes sir. Will that be all?”

“Yes Mr. Dalton. Good day.”

“Good day to you, sir.”

As the man left, Margaret Milliken walked
into the office then with her eyebrows raised questioningly. Robert
said “I have to get a dispatch off to Henri immediately. This may
come to involve him and his family. That bunch I am having followed
is looking for Aimee, Ian, and Henri.”

“No! Really?”

“I didn’t tell you this, but Aimee bit a
piece out of Edward’s ear the night he tried to molest her.”

Margaret laughed then “Good for her. I love
that child more each time I hear something about her. But how does
that connect to this?”

“Well, I did not think to go look for it,
but likely she just spat it out at the time.”

“Ah! So you think that it was left at the
scene and that maybe Edwards found it?”