Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (87 page)

He had paused to look at some farming
implements, admiring the craftsmanship when he suddenly felt a cold
prickling sensation on the back of his neck. It was not the icy
prickling that he would feel if being attacked, the kind that
plunged down his spine and into his gut. But it clearly was not
Cosette or Aimee, being cold and impersonal.

He picked up a shovel and appeared to be
examining it while trying to determine the location of the vampire
was that was watching him.

***

In their cobbler’s shop on Market Street in
Philadelphia both Yvonne and Jonathon worked steadily. She had been
able to buy the place and have money left over. It had an apartment
upstairs which was really quite comfortable with both an exterior
entrance in the rear of the building, and an interior entrance from
the center of their shop space, over to one side. There was a shed
roof that extended off of the back of the place and whoever lived
there could keep two horses comfortably enough, but there was not a
lot of room for hay storage.

She and Jonathon had been fortunate to have
been able to strike a deal where the seller taught them the leather
trade for three months because he didn’t want to return to England
until early summertime. In exchange he got to stay in the apartment
until he had departed, even though the name of the place was
changed immediately to avoid any anti-Tory sentiments. The two were
quite skilled at leather work of all kinds by now, learning rapidly
in typical vampire fashion and actually beginning to build a
growing client base.

On this day, Yvonne had been mending a dual
harness, made for Draft Horses. She had idly looked up and had seen
a tall dark man with a dark short-cropped beard some two hundred
feet distant. His clothing was typical for the era, being hosiery
nearly up to the knees, and black britches with a matching black
coat and white shirt, topped off by a black tri-corner hat. He had
walked up to some farm implements and tools and now was looking at
them. Her curiosity was beginning to be aroused and the thought
that it might be Ian McCloud had only just begun to move from her
subconscious to her conscious mind.

Right then a little girl with hair the color
of spun gold dashed up to the man who stooped and picked her up,
kissing her and putting her atop his shoulders as she smoothly
picked off his hat and slid her own wide-brimmed hat down to hang
by a ribbon. Being as it was a sunny day and the man had no
reaction whatsoever to his hat being removed automatically excluded
him from being a vampire to her subconscious mind as well as to her
reasoning. The little girl put on the man’s hat and he walked away
toward a woman who Yvonne couldn’t see well.

That thought of it possibly being Ian
McCloud never quite made it out of her subconscious to her
conscious thoughts and she shifted her gaze to a pair of children
walking with a large dog. The place outside of their shop literally
teemed with a constant parade of shoppers and was one way that
Yvonne relieved herself of the boredom of hers and Jonathon’s new
careers.

***

“Cosette, a vampire is watching me!”

“What!”

“Wait… it’s gone. I just felt it on my neck.
I knew it wasn’t either of you. I felt it right back there by those
farm tools. Let’s walk back through that place again and you two
help me look.”

They ambled back that way and reaching the
place Ian stopped and looked around slowly, feeling nothing. He
noticed that there was a clear path with no merchandise blocking
his view looking towards a row of some four shops, being a tailor,
a dry goods, a coppersmith, and one called ‘Deville Cobbler and
Leather Works’.

“It is gone.”

“Ian, our kind is bound to come to America.
Look at how many of us are in New York City and Philadelphia is
even bigger. Come. I want you to take us to Independence Hall.”

Looking about one last time, Ian said “You
are probably right. Let’s go to see Independence Hall. They are
debating the new constitution there even now according to the
newspapers. Maybe I will see someone there that I know.”

They turned and walked away even as Yvonne
returned to her bench with a freshly cut piece of leather to splice
in to the dual harness she was repairing. She idly looked up and
scanned the crowd as she worked, thinking
this is as boring as
listening to my hair grow. Life was better for me in New York City
when I didn’t have to work. Things could be worse though. At least
we have a good trade and can get by doing this for a good while. An
opportunity will present itself one day and we will be out of the
leather business for good. When we get into a really large house
someday, I can build another coven. I’ll put them all to work so
that I can devote my time for finding out where Ian McCloud has
gone. I’ll be seeing you one day, McCloud.

The three of them saw Independence Hall as
they rounded the corner onto Chestnut Street. As they approached
they saw throngs of people outside of the place milling about.
Entering the square, Ian saw a familiar face as they approached a
sizable group.

“John Hancock! By heaven man, it is good to
see you.”

Turning, Hancock grinned and said “Ian
McCloud. I heard you were at Yorktown at the end.”

“I was, and I saw Henry Knox too. I have
someone I want you to meet. John, this is my wife, Cosette, and
this lovely young lady is Aimee. Ladies, this is John Hancock, a
signer of our Declaration of Independence.”

Removing his hat, Hancock took Cosette’s
hand and kissed it and then smiling, he took Aimee’s hand and
kissed it too. The two curtseyed in the fashion of the time as
Hancock said “I am pleased and honored to meet you both. Ian,
pardon me for asking, but what happened to your wife, Monique?”

“Ah, Paul. No apologies necessary. She is
dead for some five or six years now.”

“I see. I am so sorry to hear that. She was
a lovely person.” Looking at Aimee he asked “And who might you be,
young lady?”

“Please tell him, Aimee.”

“I am Aimee Mr. Hancock. I was orphaned in
Paris. It was my great blessing that I was found and adopted by the
Laforges. I am visiting Ian and Cosette now.”

“My, what poise! I daresay there are no more
eloquent speakers inside that building yonder than you, young
lady.”

Aimee curtseyed again, saying “You are too
kind sir.”

“I have never met a more well-mannered,
courteous or intelligent child in all of my days! My
congratulations to the Laforges for doing such a wonderful job with
you.”

“Are you a delegate John?”

“No. I just came to see what I could glean
about the debate.”

“It is closed to everyone else then?”

“Yes. But the delegates will talk out here
in the square somewhat.”

Cosette said “You seem to be enjoying this
immensely, Mr. Hancock.”

“Oh I enjoy it well enough when they move
along, but it is deadly dull if they belabor a point for too
long.”

“So what is your take on it so far?”

“Well, the Virginia plan is taking over
pretty well. It is federalist of course, as is Washington himself.
James Madison has had a lot of influence but then he is a
federalist too. It is not addressing states’ rights well at all
right now. Washington himself had no end of problems getting things
done for lack of uniformity, for instance regarding the various
state militias and also the endless bickering in Congress when he
needed answers fast being commander in chief of the Army. So his
favoring a federalist approach is understandable; yet England is
very much federalist and look at their inflexibility toward us as
colonies.”

“That is surely true!”

“Everyone knows that the states will modify
the document when it is adopted and the new government meets. I
hope to see the states’ rights assured by the new congress. It
would be fair to say that the delegation is fleshing out the
procedures by which the new federal government will conduct
business from day to day and from year to year. In their defense,
the whole world is watching America now and we need to adopt a
constitution so as not to appear to our enemies to be floundering
over here.”

“Are there any particulars that will set it
apart from European constitutions?”

“Uhmmm… yes. One thing comes to mind. The
Judicial branch of government will be independent of the executive,
unlike European courts.”

“That is long overdue.”

“The three branches of government will be
separate but equal in power. Any two of them can neutralize the
third if that third branch tries to acquire too much power, so it
is a system of checks and balances.”

“Now there is something that is sorely
needed, Paul! Anything else you can think of?”

“Well, yes. The revenues needed to run the
federal government will come entirely from tariffs imposed on all
imports.”

“Why that is a marvelous conception! The
middlemen trading with America will finance all of the expenses of
our national government.”

“That is the idea.” And they’ll pass along
that cost to the exporters of the countries who trade with us.”

“So we people will be taxed only by our
state and county governments?”

“That is right, and it should result in a
vibrant economy for America.”

“That is exciting news. You said Washington
is here?”

“Yes. He is President of the assembly. Once
again it seems he has the one job that does not allow him to be
away. All of the other delegates can come and go, but not
Washington. I don’t know how they talked him into it, really. What
brings you here?”

“We want to open a new bank here. We are up
and running in New York and Boston is underway, due to start late
this year. Oh Cosette, before I forget, John here helped me get
those letters from Boston to France. So we all owe him for helping
in the effort to get France and Spain into the war on our
behalf.”

“Bah! You owe me nothing. I am amazed that
an army game hunter could have contacts in those two countries that
were that persuasive.”

“Don’t forget that Ian was a banker before
taking up hunting game for the army, and he can be persuasive,
sir.

“I’m beginning to understand that.” he said
while laughing. “Ian, I have a question that I have been meaning to
ask you. Have you ever heard any more regarding that British
payroll ship that was robbed in Boston Harbor in ’76?”

Rolling his eyes skyward Ian answered in his
best German accent, saying “Nein, Herr Hancock.”

Hancock threw back his head and laughed
uproariously while shaking his head, saying “I have had a pet
theory about that incident but it seems that will always remain a
mystery!”

“Ja wohl” he replied with a dazzling smile
as Hancock, Cosette, and Aimee all began to laugh.

Hancock nodded toward Independence Hall and
said “Look; there’s Ben Franklin. He is a delegate for
Pennsylvania. Come with me; I want for you two to meet him.”

As they approached they could hear people
asking him questions about the proceedings. Franklin himself saw
Hancock approaching and excused himself from the group of citizens
as they drew near.

“Dr. Franklin, may I introduce a friend of
mine and his family? This is Ian McCloud, his wife Cosette, and
their daughter Aimee. Everybody, this is Benjamin Franklin. He was
our ambassador to France during the war before becoming a delegate
here.”

Franklin inclined his head a bit, shaking
Ian’s hand while taking his measure with shrewd eyes, nodding while
saying “Pleased sir.” He then removed his hat and bowed, kissing
the back of Cosette’s hand and Aimee’s hand saying “Likewise
ladies.”

“Ben, Ian here wrote the letters contacting
those bankers in France who were helping you. He also wrote to the
king of Spain in our behalf.”

“Indeed! I am impressed, sir.”

“Will you all please excuse me? Ian, it was
nice seeing you again. Mrs. McCloud, Aimee, it was nice meeting
you. I see someone I need to talk with.” Hancock said with a smile
as he walked away toward a group of citizens.

“The lady who met Mr. Hancock’s man in
France and carried the letters to my friends in Spain now lives
with us in New York City.”

“A lady you say! Extraordinary! She carried
the letters to King Charles?”

“Yes sir, and to a banker friend of mine
over there and a government minister or two.”

“Outstanding! Had you met King Charles?”

“Yes. I met him in the course of some
banking business I conducted in Madrid for the Lafayettes.”

“You are quite young to know such people,
Ian.”

“Well, I am thirty five, sir.”

“My word! You do not look that old as all.
You know Henri Laforge and Henri Lafayette?”

Ian spoke then “Yes sir. I wrote to them
separately regarding helping you.”

“Well Mr. Laforge certainly helped me! What
do you do exactly, Ian?”

Ian thought
you mean besides kill rogue
vampires?
as he said “They employ me regarding the banks we
started here and in fact I am here to start one in
Philadelphia.”

“Those two have the exact same eyes. They
look as if they could be relatives. I don’t suppose you know if
they are.” he said as he looked narrowly at Ian.

“They never said so, sir.”

“Even you know them, Aimee?” he said when he
saw her smiling and nodding agreement. “Surely at your young age,
you have not had a lot of time to get to know those two.”

Smiling sweetly Aimee said “Au contraire’
Dr. Franklin.”

Raising his eyebrows in surprise he laughed
delightedly, saying “You are a wonder, Aimee. Do you speak much
French?”

“Oui Monsieur; und Deutsch, Española and
English too. Marie Lafayette taught me, and so did Marielle
Laforge.”

“Remarkable! And you spent time with their
husbands too?”