Rebellious Heart (31 page)

For a moment, he held himself rigid.

She was afraid maybe he’d push her away, that she’d hurt him too many times and now he didn’t want her anymore.

Finally, he groaned and slid his hands around her waist. “Susanna,” he murmured, drawing her closer, “I can’t resist you, no matter how hard I try.”

She pressed her face into his shirt and breathed the earthy scent that permeated the fabric. Then, closing her eyes, she relished the soft warmth of his lips.

“After all the recent danger, I know I should put you far away from me to keep you safe.” His lips grazed her temple. “I have the premonition Lieutenant Wolfe will only be the first of many enemies I’ll make in my life. And I don’t want to subject you to that kind of life—”

Again she lifted her lips to his, cutting off his words and silencing him the same way he’d silenced her at the trial. She leaned into him with a boldness that contained all the love she had for him. She let her mouth possess his, and he met her with all the heat and force of his passion—his passion for life, for those he chose to defend, for the causes he believed in.

He was a passionate man, just the kind of man she needed.

If only she could convince him of the same . . .

“I see what you’re attempting to do,” he said in a ragged voice, dragging his lips away from hers and making a warm trail across her jaw to the tender spot below her ear.

She gasped and arched to give him admission to more of her.

His hand splayed across the small of her back, urging her closer. “You’re trying to make me forget all the reasons why we shouldn’t be together,” he murmured against her skin.

“Is it working?” she whispered.

He stopped then and pulled back. A gentle smile played at his lips, and his eyes shone with the clarity of his love. “Yes. It’s working very well.”

She smiled.

His eyes softened even more. “And every time you give me one of your smiles, I’m helpless to do anything but what you wish.”

“Then I shall have to smile often.”

“But will I be able to give you enough to smile about?” He caressed the line of her cheekbone. “I don’t want you to come to regret all that you gave up to be with me.”

“I can only think of all I will sacrifice if I do not have you by my side the rest of my life.”

“But what about the danger I could possibly bring to you? You know I’ve not exactly chosen the safest course of life.”

“Old Tom once told me that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and a sound mind.” She grazed the scratchy stubble on his cheeks that he’d neglected to shave. “I think with the two of us together we’ll be unstoppable, don’t you think?”

“Is that a proposal, Miss Smith?”

“Why, Mr. Ross.” She tilted her head coyly. “I’d like to think of it as an extension of our friendship.”

He bent and placed a kiss in the crook of her neck.

Warmth spread through her belly, tightening it with anticipation.

As if sensing his effect on her, he lifted his head and grinned again. “I’ll only agree to a friendship if it involves a great deal of kissing.”

“Very well.” She brushed her lips against his cheek. “Only the utmost of kissing.”

His eyes brimmed with adoration. “Then you shall be my dearest of friends.”

“And you shall also be my dearest of friends.”

“Forever. Until I draw my dying breath.”

She nodded, her heart swelling with joy. “Shall we seal our agreement with a kiss, then?”

“Most certainly.”

She leaned in and let her mouth linger against the lips of the man she loved.

Rebellious Heart
is inspired by one of history’s most famous couples, John and Abigail Adams, the second President of the United States and his First Lady. They are often admired for their loving marriage, which spanned a length of over fifty years, the travails of at least two wars, including the Revolutionary War, as well as thousands of miles and long years of separation.

This book is my attempt to loosely recreate the early years of their courtship. While there are countless biographies that bring to life their marriage and all the great things they accomplished during their years of service to the young American nation, there is very little recorded about their early love affair. Only eight of their letters before April of 1764 survived among the hundreds they wrote to each other.

As I studied the information available in biographies and original letters, I tried to piece together John and Abigail’s personalities, beliefs, interests, homes, and family backgrounds, along with the assortment of incidents and facts that we know about their early years together. Then as with
any work of fiction, I allowed my imagination to invent and weave together the rest of their courtship the way it
could
have happened.

Thus
Rebellious Heart
is truly a work of fiction. I make no claims at being an expert on the lives of John and Abigail Adams. There are those who have devoted their life’s work to studying these famous Americans and know far more than I ever could.

While my book is not a perfect or complete representation of the Adamses, I do hope this story will give you a glimpse into their lives and their love, and perhaps a new appreciation for this famous couple. Perhaps you may even go on to do more reading and research about them on your own. If so, I highly recommend three biographies:
Abigail Adams
by Woody Holton;
Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams
by Lynne Withey; and
John Adams
by David McCullough.

As with my other books that are inspired by real couples from history, you might be wondering what events within the story really happened and what I invented for the sake of telling a riveting story.

Abigail Adams really did have a passion for helping women. She assisted her mother in delivering food and supplies to the poor widows in their parish. Abigail had a charitable instinct and began to argue for the improved legal rights and education of women during a time when women were denied equality.

She was largely self-taught, loved to read, and became known for her brilliant mind. One of her deepest regrets was that as a woman she’d been denied a formal education equal to that of her brother. Later, in a letter she wrote to John during the First Congress, when the founding fathers were developing the Constitution, she said: “I desire you would
remember the ladies and be more favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of husbands.”

While I found no record of Abigail helping indentured servants (like Dotty), she felt passionate about liberty for those in bondage and had a heart for the unfortunate. In another letter she wrote to John, she said, “I wish most sincerely there was not a slave in the province. . . . We are daily robbing and plundering from those who have as good a right to freedom as we have.”

As portrayed in
Rebellious Heart
, Abigail did have a somewhat tense relationship with her mother, who is said to have initially objected to her affection toward John due to his social standing and being a lawyer. Abigail was disappointed in the dearth of suitors who sought after something other than wealth. She’s quoted as saying, “Wealth, wealth is the only thing that is looked after now.” Even so, she herself knew she must make an advantageous match by marrying up.

When John walked into her life, at first he wasn’t impressed by the Smith girls. Essentially he thought they were too proud. Since one of his best friends, Richard Cranch, spent time courting Mary, John was thrust more and more into the company of Abigail. And eventually he grew to admire her qualities, in particular what he called her “sauciness.”

It was during this time that they began their lifelong pattern of penning letters to each other. At that time, it was customary for letter writers to adopt classical pen names. And one of the names among many they took were Diana (the goddess of the moon) and Lysander (the Spartan statesman). And while I made up the circumstances of Dotty’s plight to initiate their letter writing, they eventually became
good friends, prompting Abigail at one point to address him as “My Dearest Friend.”

John and Abigail’s courtship lasted over the span of approximately four years. Thus I had to condense some of the real events into a shorter time frame for the sake of the story flow, including: the foiled plans to propose to Hannah Quincy; the influence of his friend Parson Wibird; the influenza epidemic; his father’s resulting death; his inheriting of the farm; and the wedding of Mary and Cranch. All of these events really happened, but over the span of several years versus the several months in the story.

History also mentions a trip John and Abigail took together in the fall of 1763, apparently alone. No one is certain where they went or why. So I used this fact, along with the disappearance of so many of their early letters, to signify that perhaps they were involved in something secretive—such as I portrayed with harboring Dotty. Whatever the case, the times were not favorable to indentured servants. Many ran away, seeking a better life. Most were recaptured and punished, some severely.

The 1760s and the years leading up to the Revolutionary War were indeed setting the stage for the conflict that was yet to come. The years of 1763–1764 saw the beginning grumblings about new taxes as well as the crackdown by the British on the illegal smuggling that was widespread among the colonies. While I invented Lieutenant Wolfe, the British parliament did attempt to suppress the smuggling by sending out officers to enforce the Acts of Trade.

It was during these prewar years that many like John and Abigail began to resent the control of the British. Although I found no indication that John was involved in one of the Caucus Clubs during this time period, we know that later
he supported the Sons of Liberty, a group pivotal in the rebellion.

During the course of their courtship, John and Abigail formed a beautiful friendship, overcame the barriers standing between them, and agreed to get married. They planned a wedding for the spring of 1764. But due to a smallpox outbreak in Boston, they postponed their wedding plans until the fall of 1764. They were married on October 25, 1764. Afterward they moved to John’s cottage in Braintree, where they would live the rest of their lives together as the dearest of friends. John said, “Friendship is one of the distinguishing glories of man. . . . From this I expect to receive the chief happiness of my future.”

And in her last letter to John before the wedding, Abigail asked him to take all her belongings in a cart to her new home in Braintree: “And then, Sir, if you please, you may take me.”

It’s my hope, dear reader, that as you close the pages of this book, you will walk away encouraged by the sweet relationship of this famous couple. Even more than that, I hope you will take courage from their compassion, bravery, and willingness to stand against tyranny for God’s higher laws of justice and mercy.

First, I need to thank my dear husband for
his
friendship. Without his ongoing support, unswerving help with our large family, and constant belief in me, I would be lost. I could not accomplish all that I do without his ever-willing, never-complaining spirit.

I want to thank my wonderful mother for pitching in and helping whenever and wherever possible—including cooking a couple of big meals for my family each week. In addition to her help, I’m grateful for her willingness to listen to me ramble on about my stories and characters as if they were real people.

I can’t neglect to thank my Bethany House editors, Dave Long and Luke Hinrichs, for their incredible wisdom, insights, and abilities. I’m also appreciative of the many other people at Bethany House who work so diligently and strive so hard to make each book a success.

I also would like to express my deepest gratitude to my agent, Rachelle Gardner, for her helpful critique on this novel and for brainstorming with me. The additional feedback was invaluable.

As with any historical novel, I also had to consult many resources. Since I’m not an expert on the Colonial or Revolutionary War eras, I’m grateful for the original documents, diaries, and biographies that are so readily available.

I especially appreciate Colonial novelist Carla Olson Gade’s generosity in beta-reading for me and providing additional ideas and details to strengthen the Colonial aura of this story. Any historical inaccuracies are completely my own fault.

Finally, I must thank the Lord for giving me the gift of writing, which I enjoy so immensely. I’m deeply grateful I’m able to do something every day that I love so much!

Jody Hedlund
is an award-winning historical romance novelist and author of the bestselling
A Noble Groom
,
Unending Devotion
, and
The Preacher’s Bride
. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, both in social work. Jody lives in Michigan with her husband and five busy children. Learn more at JodyHedlund.com.

The Preacher’s Bride

The Doctor’s Lady

Unending Devotion

A Noble Groom

Rebellious Heart

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