Spirit of the Revolution (9 page)

“As a result, our eleven men subdued thirty-eight grenadiers, despite their light infantry, which was camped a short distance away,” added Jedediah.

“Well, that thunderous ‘war dance’ you conjured while we did the subduing surely helped our cause. You couldn’t see the ground for all the dust you stirred. I’ve not seen smoke any thicker.” Alexander chortled as the memory of that event set off another round of laughter and elbow jabs.

“But, not long after that incident, Howe’s infantry attacked and a pretty serious battle commenced,” William said. “They forced our army back and subsequently, Lord Stirling ordered a retreat to Middlebrook. Nevertheless, because of Lord Stirling’s efforts that day, General Howe feared the strength of our forces. He didn’t want to engage us and thus backed off.”

“Nonetheless, the old coot boasted a victory,” Alex reminded them. “His posturing didn’t matter a whit to any of us though. How could we lose a battle that Howe retreated from, as well?”

“Still,” Jedediah said, “along with some of Washington’s guard, we fought them off long enough to escape with all thirty-eight prisoners still in tow. We made it back to Morgan’s field headquarters without a single loss of life or limb on either side. That’s quite a feat, all things considered.”

“That it is, and I think we need mention here, we made our escape straight through the swamp,” Sam said, as his eyes twinkled with mirth. “Mathias, our brave, stalwart leader, led us through the thickest, muddiest swamp I’ve ever had the displeasure of traipsing through, and why? Not because we needed to, or even because the route proved the safest. No, we trudged through it because Mathias McGregor believed it downright entertaining to get the pretty uniforms of Washington’s elite guard, a
little
bit dirty.”

“A little bit dirty, you say?” Alexander let loose a snort. “As I remember it, they marched into camp covered in mud from head to foot and that’s the truth of it, Jolena. No one could differentiate us from them once we entered the camp at Middlebrook.”

“They were none the worse for wear,” Mathias said, coming to his own defense. “Besides, Colonel Morgan got a good laugh out of it, did he not?”

“That he did, Mathias,” Sam replied, bobbing his head. “That he did. I don’t think I ever remember a time before or since, when the man laughed so long or so hard. I’m certain you caused him a moment of cheer on an otherwise trying day.”

Jo joined in the laughter as her imagination played the entire scenario out in her mind. She pictured Jedediah playing Indian, while relishing and embellishing the role. Her mind envisioned Mathias, without an outward trace of humor giving away his intentions, leading Washington’s elite through the mud. Most certainly, his sportive actions gave him just as much pleasure as it did Morgan. Still, since they were in a talkative mood, she had a few remaining questions.

“I have a few more questions if you don’t mind.” Jo picked up the volume on Major John Clark and held it up for their inspection. She had devoured this library book after she exhausted all of the ghostly Web sites Carolyn e-mailed. Many of those sites presented some fascinating theories on all the whys and wherefores of spiritual manifestation. Yet, nothing concerning ghostly abilities fed her imagination quite the way this book did when she imagined her boys taking part.

“Mathias, you told me when we first met that Colonel Morgan assigned you all to work under Major John Clark. However, you failed to mention George Washington assigned
him
to gather
intelligence
about the British. This means you all participated in the very dangerous activity of
spying
for and on behalf of your country, right?”

Before Mathias could answer, her recently installed doorbell chimed out a random melody. Dakota jumped to his feet and barked while he raced down the stairs to confront the intruders. Jo abandoned the book to her desk and followed. Her ghostly companions remained a single step behind. Sam swore under his breath as they vacated the stairs and approached the foyer.

“Well if isn’t those infuriating neighbors, again,” he muttered in irritation. “After you invited them to leave the first time around, Mathias, you think they’d know enough not to return.”

Jo took in a sharp breath, halted her steps, and whirled around as she met Mathias’s way too innocent gaze. “
You
caused the ruckus my first night here?”

Mathias merely shrugged as if his actions didn’t warrant a mention.

She shook her head slightly while she continued her journey toward the door. Just before she opened it, she said, “Then, I’d like to thank you for your timely assistance. I really appreciated it more than you know. But this time, please behave? They already think I’ve lost my mind.”

Douglas and Gloria Parker greeted her with tight lips and furtive glances. A slightly built young man, probably in his early twenties, bearing a bit of resemblance to Douglas, stood beside them.

“Good morning,” she sang out in just as pleasant a tone as she could manage.

“Hello, Jolena. How are—how are things going for you, now that you’ve had the chance to settle in?” Gloria twisted her face into something resembling a smile. “I mean, I truly hope all is going well for you, dear. You
are
all right, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I’m fine, thanks and truly, I don’t think things could possibly get any better.” Jo opened the door a little wider to allow them entrance, even though they clearly wished to stay put. “Please, won’t you come in?”

“Oh. No, no, we can’t stay, I—” Gloria stammered as she placed a hand over her heart and gulped. “I—we only stopped by to, uh— Oh dear, where are my manners? Jo, I would like to introduce you to my nephew, Owen Parker. He has come down to help us with the harvest, so he’ll be living with us for the next three or four months. And, Owen, this is Jolena Michaelsson. She’s our master violinist that plays for the Philadelphia Orchestra.”

“Hello, Owen, it’s nice to meet you.” She made brief eye contact with the young man and gave him a smile. In turn, he twisted his head to the side, dropped his gaze, and simply bobbed his head.

Gloria took a deep breath, and said, “I don’t know if we mentioned it during our last visit, but as a community we often rally together to help those who are victims of natural disasters. I’m sure you already know the recent earthquake in South America has left thousands of people homeless. So, what we’re doing today is gathering any extra blankets you may have, as well as hygiene items you might want to donate to the victims of this disaster.

“Or if you’d like, we’re also collecting monetary donations, so we can buy the needed items. There’s a cargo plane leaving at the end of the week. If possible, we’d like to make sure it’s filled to capacity with the things these people so desperately need to survive and—” Gloria stopped short as she stared passed Jo with a sudden look of horror on her face.

From the direction of her gaze, it seemed she focused on the hall tree. Jo turned and looked at the piece herself, yet didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh…n-no…I just thought I saw—” Gloria waved a hand and shook her head. “Probably just a shadow.”

“There is a slight breeze today,” Jo said as she glanced over at the boys, who shrugged. “The limbs of the trees can create shadows through the windows from time to time. Anyway, I do have some extra blankets I could donate to the cause. Would you like to come in while I gather them? They’re in my storage closet, so it might take me a few minutes to get everything together.”

“Oh, it’s such a lovely day, with the light breeze and all—” Gloria smiled tightly and took a half step backward. “We’ll just stand right here and take in the sunshine, if you don’t mind?”

“I don’t mind at all. Come on, Dak. Let’s put you outside for a bit,” Jo replied.

“No never mind, Miss Jolena, I’ll take him out for you,” Jedediah whispered. “Come on, buddy. You’re making the neighbors a bit nervous.”

Jo dipped her head downward and suppressed a smile by rubbing her lips together. After all, the dog had nothing to do with Gloria’s uneasiness.

Mathias elected to stay put as Jo set about her errand. He didn’t want to leave the Parkers unattended with the door wide open. Sam stepped forward then and blocked the entryway, just in case they developed a little collective backbone.

“Oh, I hope she hurries,” Gloria whispered as she leaned toward her husband’s ear. “I don’t know why I ever agreed to come to this place. This house is simply horrid.”

“Because it’s our civic duty,” Douglas replied between clenched teeth. “And because if we didn’t come, we would chance her finding out about the community effort through other sources. We don’t want her to take offense. Ellen would never forgive us, if that happened. After all, she’s the
darling
of our community.”

“Yes, be that as it may, I’m not going to do this again,” snapped Gloria. “They can get someone else to come to this creepy old house or better yet, Ellen can do it herself.”

Mathias glanced over at Sam who rolled his eyes in annoyance.

“Bunch of sniveling cowards. And I especially don’t like the looks of that sullen young doodle. Just look at him. The boy has a major chip on his shoulder, and his twitchy eyes are all but defiling the place. That’s two things that don’t bode well,” Sam muttered.

“You got that right,” Alexander said.

Sam spared them each a mischievous glance, bounced his eyebrows, and then turned toward the offending party. He leaned forward and conjured a lengthy hiss. Catching the spirit of his game, William and Alexander whispered words unintelligible and
almost
inaudible. Mathias stepped back, allowing them greater access.

The startled group turned frightened gazes toward the sounds and peered into the entryway, seeking the place of origin. The boys inched forward. They could hear the erratic thumping of each mortal heart. Just as Gloria dropped her mouth and drew in a deep breath, Jo bounded down the stairs with a box full of blankets. Sam stepped to the side, cast his gaze to the ground, and sighed in disappointment.

Jo gazed briefly at the boys as they stood off to the left allowing her passage. She handed the box to Douglas. His hands trembled as he accepted it and stepped back. In all likelihood, the reason or reasons for that display, stood right beside her.

She tossed the hair away from her face and said, “The bag on top has a check inside to go toward any supplies you may want to buy. I also found some extra hand soap, toothpaste, combs, and brushes, still in their packages. I’m sure they could use those as well. Anytime you need my help with something like this, just give me a call. I’m happy to help.”

She tilted her head to the side as Gloria swallowed past the obvious knot in her throat. Yet, the woman said nothing in return. She placed her hand in front of her husband as if to protect, nodded and backed away from the porch. Then, at what she might consider a safe enough distance, Gloria turned, grabbed hold of her husband’s elbow, and the three visitors fled to the safety of their car.

Jo leaned against the doorjamb, biding her time until the car disappeared from view. She turned toward her boys then. All of them returned the round-eyed gaze of an innocent child. They overdid it just a little bit. She assumed a stern expression, but failed miserably to carry off the persona when she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upward. “Come on now, I believe I asked you all to behave?”

“As I recall,” Sam protested, “you told Mathias to behave. And I can testify, on my honor, he complied with your request.”

A full-fledged smile burst forth as she replied, “Which means, of course, the rest of you ruffled the feathers of our neighbors, and in broad daylight, no less. All right, but I need you to promise you’ll remain on your best behavior during my family’s visit. I have a beautiful little niece, and you can’t subject her to any of your crazy antics. I wouldn’t want her having nightmares on my account.”

“Come now, Jolena,” Mathias chided. “You should know by now we would never cause undue stress to any member of your family and least of all a little child. I assure you it’s not in our nature to trouble a small babe.”

“Yes well—” Jo cleared her throat as she walked back inside and shut the door. “If you need to indulge in any ‘ghostly activities’ you can get them out of your system while I’m gone.” The minute the words left her mouth, she held her breath and waited for their response.

Mathias stopped in his tracks and whirled around to face her. “Gone?”

“Yes.” She chewed a bit on her bottom lip. A wave of guilt washed over her. “I uh—probably should’ve mentioned this earlier and really, I have no excuse for the delay, except to tell you that I made every effort to avoid this trip and failed. They just couldn’t find anyone to replace me. Anyway, I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon. The entire orchestra is going on our annual summer tour, so we’ll—”

“You’re leaving
tomorrow
?” Mathias fused his gaze to hers. “For how long?”

“Several weeks, at least through the end of June.” She scrunched her shoulders in apology. “A precise date is hard to pinpoint because the publicity and momentum builds. Therefore, sometimes the demand in the final city will hold us over for a day or two. So I can’t tell you the exact date of my return.”

“What about Dakota?” asked Jedediah.

“Well, I guess that’s up to you. I usually let Carolyn watch over him whenever I need to leave, but if you want him to stay here—” Jo allowed her voice trail off. Jed enjoyed having Dakota around, and the dog had developed a genuine affection for Jed in return.

“Don’t worry, I can look after him for you,” Jed replied.

“Okay.” She had trouble meeting Mathias’s gaze. He looked so—hurt? She briefly closed her eyes and let out a sigh of self-recrimination. None of the boys seemed happy about her abrupt announcement. She should’ve given them more notice. Yet, for the life of her, she just couldn’t force the announcement passed her lips.