Phantoms In Philadelphia (7 page)

“What?” Jack demanded from his place beside the
door.

Her shoulders sagged in defeat. “I am in debt.”

“That is your reason for marrying Richard?”

“In two months, possibly less, I will be without a
cent to my name. With the house and our way of life, we exceed our
monies.”

The Phantoms do not pay much, not nearly enough for
the way our mother spent money, but I knew that our father left her
well provided for. Jack asked her about the money.

“Look around you, Jack. This mode of living is
costly. Add to that the clothes we wear, the loss of certain
assets, and the bad harvest last year. All has worked together to
run us dry.”

Oh no.
“My
dowry?” I asked, unable to keep a note of despair from my
voice.

“Safe. At least I shall see you properly wed.”
Relief washed over me; then I felt ashamed. My mother was near to
destitute, and I was thinking of myself.

“Why did you not tell us?” I asked softly.

“Mr. Hobbs paid me a call in January to inform me of
the situation. I went to Savannah to attain what I could through
the sale of the plantation.”

“You sold the plantation?” Jack demanded, but Mother
shook her head.

“I could not do it. I did sell most of the
furnishings which will get us through the next few months, and we
still have the crops. Provided this is a good year, the money from
the harvest will last a year but not more. The only course open to
me is marriage.”

“Does Richard know that you are marrying him for his
money?” Jack asked.

Mother winced at his words. I threw him a look of
reproach, but he ignored me.

“What Jack means to ask is if you love Richard or is
it a marriage of convenience?” I asked, my eyes daring him to say a
word. He smiled at me, but it was his devilish smile. There was too
much anger in his blue eyes.

“Of course it is, Bess. A man of diamonds he may be,
but a heart of gold? We shall see,” Jack interposed
sarcastically.

“Richard is a good man, and I will hear naught
against him,” Mother said with a stern voice.

Jack bowed his head in mock surrender, but I knew he
would not accede so easily. “So this party is to throw Bess to the
wolves?”

“It is to help her find a suitable match. The time
has come.” With that said, my mother swept me out of the
library.

When we reached my bedchamber,
Mariah and Mrs. Beaumont were there along with a woman I recognized
as my mother’s modiste. There were dresses everywhere—all across my
bed, hanging from the front of my wardrobe, over the chair by the
window, all in whites, pale blues, pinks, yellows, purple, and pale
green.

Shoved behind my dressing screen, Mariah helped me
to remove my travel gown. When I was down to my undergarments, I
turned and pointed to my throat. Mariah inspected it then shook her
head. The marks were hardly visible. I pointed to my hair. Mariah
straitened the wig I wore then stepped back.

When I was sixteen, I cut off all my hair in a
moment of extreme annoyance. When my mother saw what I had done she
scooped up the long strands, handing them to Mrs. Beaumont, who had
them made into a wig. My mother demanded that I wear that wig at
all times when not on a mission. My hair had grown out, but I kept
it cut short, falling to my shoulders. Mother was still adamant
about my wearing the wig.

Gown after gown was tried on, and
each time, before stepping out from behind the screen, I raised the
skirt to see how accessible my weapons would be. I never went
anywhere without my weapons strapped to my legs or wherever else I
could place them. When my mother and I finally agreed upon white
muslin over a slip of pale blue with tiny seed pearls, they left
the room, leaving me leaning against the wall in
exhaustion.

Mariah was frowning.

“What is amiss?” I asked.

She went to gather all the gowns that my mother had
chosen for me. “Have you heard the rumors?”

I pushed against the wall and walked over to help
her pick up the discarded gowns. “No.”

“From what Mrs. Beaumont says, people have been
disappearing for the last month.” Mariah looked at me across the
bed, her blue eyes wary. “From all the reports, a black carriage
arrives without warning and four men dressed in black capture
people, and then the carriage takes them away. As of yet, no one
has been able to discover where they come from or why they take
whom they do.”

Memory of Pierre being taken flashed in my mind.
There were four men, and they were dressed in black. “How many have
been taken?”

Mariah looked down at the gowns over her arm.
“Seven.”

Seven bodies with the brand. Seven
people were taken by carriage. Surely there was a connection. If
the carriage were taking people for Levitas, then that could only
mean one thing—Levitas was in or near Philadelphia.

Jack

W
hen Bess
and Mother left me, I sat on the sofa burying my head in my hands.
Peace was the last emotion that I was feeling. The homecoming that
I expected had quickly turned into a nightmare with my mother’s
confession and meeting the man whom she hoped would solve all her
problems. I had not believed her story about Richard until she
spoke of her debt. Then, it all fell into place. The way she went
through funds, it was inevitable.

Richard appeared a pleasant enough man, but with our
secret at stake, I could not afford to grant my approval without
great consideration. I knew I would have to do some digging and see
what I could discover about Richard Hamilton. Add that to my full
plate, and I was feeling tired beyond my eighteen years.

A loud knock echoed through the room making me raise
my head. Levi came in, silently closing the door behind him.
Apprehension surged through me. Levi knew not to come to the house
unless I signaled him. He advanced toward me with his dark hair all
askew and his nose red from being out in the chilly air.

His smile nearly stretched its length, “I have found
him. I have found the giant!”

I leapt to my feet; all my problems forgotten.
“Where?”

“I rode to the apothecary shop, to see how it went
during my absence, and while I was there, the giant entered. A
seven foot tall man is impossible to mistake. I hid in the back
room, but had the chance to observe him, and when he left the shop,
I followed.” Levi’s impish grin and air of excitement were
contagious.

“To where did he go?” I asked anxiously.

“I followed him to a house near the shipyard.”

“Was he there to conduct some business?”

Levi rocked back on his heels. “Nay, I paid a street
urchin to tell me who lived in the houses. He described the giant
in detail. His name is Dimitri, and he frightens the children.”

My excitement matched that of Levi. “Good work.
Tonight you, Leo, and I will pay a visit to the giant and see what
we can discover.” Walking over to my desk near the window, I
stopped, remembering something important. “Do not say a word of
this to Bess.”

Levi contemplated that for a moment before
shrugging. “She would only insist upon going and well, after what
happened the last time, we must do what we can to protect her.”

I unlocked my desk and pulled out a pair of matching
pistols.

“Meet us at the waterside tavern at two, and we will
go from there.” Levi touched his forelock in salute and moved to
the door. He looked into the foyer first, then disappeared from my
sight.

Even though I felt like my father had done Bess a
disservice naming her his successor, trapping her forever into a
life of danger, I was glad that he had not laid such a burden at my
feet.

Bess had done a remarkable job over the last two
years. Losing not one agent was a great accomplishment; better than
the other two leaders could say. Frederick had lost no less than
three agents within the last year, and Samuel Mason, the leader of
the Charleston Phantoms and George’s nephew, had lost one. Thinking
about Sam brought thoughts of George and his capture.

George liked to say that even in a time of peace
there are threats at work. Never had he uttered truer words.

***

It was past two in the morning when Leo, Levi, and I
were standing in the shadows of some trees across the street from
Dimitri’s house. There were no lights shining from any of the
windows, but I knew better than to put my trust in a dark house. I
was on edge about venturing into the house of the giant. I had seen
what he did to those temple men, and I had no desire to join the
ranks of those he had killed. I turned to Leo and Levi.

“You both guard the alley. If you see anyone trying
to enter it, stop them. I will go into the house myself. I will
fire one shot if I need you.” I looked back toward the alley,
swallowed down a rising lump in my throat, and darted across the
street.

The moon offered enough light to see my way, as I
hopped over puddles of a foul-smelling sewage. The houses in this
part of town were known as bandbox houses, and most were between
two and three stories in size. I knew the layout of such a house.
There was one room per floor with a narrow staircase that connected
each floor. Dimitri’s house was two stories. The lock on the wooden
door was rickety. I pulled out a small metal tool, and within
seconds, I had the door unlocked. If there were bolts, then I would
have to find another way into the house. I sucked in a breath as I
turned the handle.

Please open. Please open,
I kept repeating in my mind as my black-gloved
hand turned the brass handle. There was a click, so I slowly pushed
the door open. As it creaked on its hinges, I paused, listening for
any sounds of movement.

The house was dark and silent, so I pushed the door
open enough to slip through. I left it open, so I could fit through
in case of a hasty exit and the extra light from the moon would
help me see my way.

Four walls, all close together made the room boxy.
There was one small, square window on the front wall and a wood
table with two wooden chairs, but that was all the furniture in the
room. I ran a hand along the wall as I bounced and wriggled a foot
on each floor board, hoping for a loose board or a crack in the
wall; anything that could contain a secret compartment. I made it
all the way around each wall stepping on each board through the
center of the room, but there were no loose boards, and the black
stove was empty.

After as thorough a search as I could do in the
dark, I removed my black boots at the bottom of the stairs, and
carefully put my foot on the first stair. Testing my weight on the
stair cautiously to avoid creaking, no sounds met my ears, so I
stepped onto the second and then the third. I was halfway up the
stairs, when a board creaked under my weight. My teeth
instinctively clenched while my back tensed as I listened. No
sounds came from above; I blew out a silent, relieved breath.

At the top of the stairs, something ran across my
foot. My body tensed. My first reaction to kick at whatever had
touched my foot, but I refrained. I imagined it was a mouse from
the size, but still an unpleasant experience. A sound like a
grizzly bear rumbled from the room, and I jerked, nearly tumbling
down the stairs. Another sound like a shrill whistle followed. Not
only was someone sleeping here, but they were not alone.

You have fought in a war; you can
surely face a sleeping giant.
Telling
myself that did little to help the feelings of anxiety as I thought
that the giant could probably take on a small troop
alone.

There was a stench of unwashed bodies, rotting
straw, and stale onions. My stomach tightened against the sickening
smell. I made my mind focus on searching the room, trying to ignore
everything else. Moonlight was shining in through a small window
near the ceiling so I could see the large frame of Dimitri, his
long limbs hanging over the sides of a bed. His grizzly, rumbling
snore echoed through the room then came the shrill sound from
another man who was sleeping on a cot. There was a second cot, but
it was empty.

With my eyes accustomed to the darkness, I could
make out a desk in the far corner. The only problem was that I
would have to pass both sleeping men to get to it.

You have not come this far to turn coward.

My little mind talk had the desired effect. Squaring
my shoulders, I stepped past the bed and cots. A cold draft swirled
around my stocking clad feet making them feel numb. With each step,
shards of pain burst in my feet, but I kept on to the desk in the
corner. As I reached it, I felt along the sides and back, then
knelt before it, feeling underneath for any latch or lever. There
was nothing, but inside the desk, there was a single sheet of paper
so after snatching it and stuffing it in my pocket, I turned toward
the bed. Dimitri would keep it under his guard. My eyes scanned the
room, but the only clothing was that which the two men were
wearing. I stepped next to the bed and felt around the bed. The bed
was made of four small posters that held a pallet in the center and
straw was thrown down for padding. Dimitri was far too large for
the bed, so his arms and legs hung off the sides. As he snored, his
breath blew on me. There were the onions. I closed my eyes,
pressing my lips tightly together. I shook my head, trying to focus
on something else other than the sickness that threatened to come
up.

There is something that I am
overlooking.
Even as I thought it, I had a
strange feeling. What I was looking for was not on the second
floor. If I were Dimitri, where would I hide something I did not
want anyone to find? I considered that he could keep the box on his
person, but I immediately struck that down. He was a big man; he
exuded a grim confidence, so he would not need to keep it on him to
know that it was safe. I needed a different tactic. We would watch
his house in the light of day and wait for him to depart then
search the house.