“Do not get yourself killed,” she scolded, as had become her habit at moments like this.
“Keep telling me that so I will remember,” he said with a soft smile.
Their final parting kiss was filled with such bittersweet tenderness it nearly broke their hearts, but he had a job to do and she had to let him go so that he could.
“Take care of yourself,” he told her.
“I will.”
A few moments later he rode away. Waving, she watched him through her tears until he vanished from sight, but she had no idea that it would be summer before he held her again.
Time passed slowly for Faith. She devoted her time to getting her bakery up and running, and because Bekkah and the pregnant Charity needed a way to occupy their time, Faith hired them to help with the baking.
The days turned into weeks. Although Bekkah had gotten word that Arte and his regiment were still camped outside Boston, Faith heard nothing about or from her own husband.
At the beginning of June, Bekkah entered the inn with happiness filling her face.
“What’s happened?” Faith asked. “Is the war over?”
Charity had been to the blockade to sell bread to the rebels. “Arte sent this to you. It’s from Nick!”
Faith all but snatched it out of her hand.
Charity smiled. “Go sit outside and read it. Hopefully it’s good news.”
Faith did exactly that and as she excitedly unwrapped the twine, she saw that it had been dated on the tenth of May and it read:
My dearest Faith.
My apologies for not corresponding sooner but there was no time. As I pen this I am in the wilds of Canada under the leadership of patriot commanders Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold. We are only eighty-three men strong but have successfully taken the British stronghold Fort Ticonderoga. I am aware of how slow the posts are, and that I may already be back in Boston by the time this reaches your hand. If not, rest assured that I am on my way. I’ve missed you sorely and am eager to hold you in my arms and resume our adventure. I hope you are well. My heart beats with yours.
Your loving husband, Nick
Faith raised her eyes to the sunshine and whispered through her happy tears, “My heart beats with yours as well, my Nick.”
Chapter 25
On the last day of June, Faith was outside sweeping the porch when she looked up and saw a familiar man riding down the road in her direction.
“Nicholas!” she screamed. Throwing the broom aside, she launched herself to meet him.
Crying and waving she screamed again. “Nicholas!” Tears were streaming down her face and she was running as fast as a carrying woman could. When she reached him, he snatched her up onto Hades’ back and held her so tightly she thought her back would crack but she didn’t care. The kisses they shared went on forever as they laughed and wept and she ran her hands over his tired, bearded face to make certain it was really he.
He pulled her tightly against him again. “It’s so wonderful to see you,” he breathed. Nick felt like a thirsty a man finding an oasis. “So wonderful.” All the cold and death and terrible conditions he’d been forced to endure on the march to Canada and back melted under the heart-filling feel of having her in his arms again.
Hades skittered in response to all the activity on his back but Nick kept him under control. “How are you, my love?”
“I was so worried,” she breathed. “And then I got your letter.” She was so overwhelmed with joy. He was home! He was really and truly home! “We’re having a baby.”
He stilled and searched her face looking for the jest. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m due around the new year.”
With a laugh, he pulled her back into his arms and couldn’t have imagined happier news. “Are you well?”
“Yes, and our baby, too.”
Nick looked back into her tearstained face and grinned. “I want a daughter.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Nick and Faith rode the short distance back to the house and they both swore they were the happiest couple in the world.
Later, although Nick was so road weary he planned to sleep until autumn, he forced himself to stay awake long enough to bathe, eat, and make love to his wife. Afterwards as they lay sated and filled with their love, she asked, “How long can you stay?”
When he didn’t give a ready response, Faith turned so she could see his face. “Nick. What’s wrong?”
“From what I’ve been told, General Washington and the Congress are going to forbid men of color from participating in the rest of the fight.”
“No! Black men have died for this cause.”
He shrugged. “I know, but Washington and the rest are slave owners, so it isn’t as if we haven’t been expecting this.”
“Maybe saner minds will prevail.”
“Maybe.”
Faith now understood his mood. “Is it awful of me to be a bit glad to know you may be here to see your daughter born?”
He grinned and traced a finger down her cheek. “Not in the least. I’d like to be here for the big event, too.”
“Then Washington can change his mind anytime after that.”
He chuckled. “Come here.”
She snuggled close.
“Do you know how much I love you?”
“Yes, but I never tire of hearing you tell me or show me,” she added slyly.
“No more loving tonight, greedy woman, unless you wish to wake up with a corpse.”
She chuckled. “Can’t have that.”
Nick kissed the top of her head. “I think I’m going to sleep now.”
“You’re allowed.” She turned and gave him a kiss, whispering, “Sleep well and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Promise?”
“With all my heart.”
His lids fluttered closed and he drifted away.
Faith lay in the dark listening to the rise and fall of his breathing and knew that she would never lack love again. With her husband by her side and their baby on the way, life was perfect. Smiling with contentment, she drifted off to sleep as well.
Epilogue
Nick got his wish. On January 1, 1776, Morna Adeline Grey came into the world weighing a healthy eight pounds, three ounces, and yelling loud enough to be heard in Lexington. The slave owner generals and congressional representatives in charge of the rebellion realized they needed the men of color in order to chase the British from the American shores and rescinded the ban.
A month after his daughter was born, Nicholas Grey, former smuggler and now father, marched back to war with the hopes of making the new country a safe and secure place for the two women he loved. He’d found his peace.
Author Note
Dear Readers,
Writing Faith and Nick’s story was entertaining and educational. I knew very little about the true role played by people of African descent in the nation’s battle for freedom, and after my research I was blown away, not only by the facts, stories, and statistics, but by the knowledge of how strong and politically active the nation’s Black communities were in the eighteenth century. When the Revolutionary War began, there were five hundred thousand Blacks living in the thirteen original colonies. Most of them were slaves, but many of the larger cities like Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia were home to small free Black communities where men like Prince Hall led protests and presented petitions calling for equal rights and the abolishment of the slave trade. After the war ended in 1783, these communities would continue to grow in both numbers and influence, reaching their political zenith during the Abolitionist era of the 1850s.
Doing the research for Midnight also led me to the stories of men like William Lee, a slave who was General Washington’s valet and man servant before, during, and after the war. Lee can be seen in some of the paintings of the general, the most notable being the portrait done by John Trumbull. Others who caught my attention during this era were Peter Salem, Salem Poor, and the young Jam
es Forten. Search out these names as a way to increase your knowledge of American History.
Women also played a vital role in the conflict with the British. One of the most celebrated was a female patriot spy known only as 355. She is said to have supplied vital information to the rebel forces, but her true identity remains a mystery. Because of the accurate intelligence she passed along, it was assumed that she had access to the upper echelons of the British military. When I read about her, I said, why not, and the fictional Faith Kingston was born. If you would like to know more about the race’s role in the founding of our nation, here are some of the sources I consulted.
Eggerton, Douglas E. African Americans and the Revolutionary War. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
Fleming, Thomas. Liberty! The American Revolution. New York: Viking Press, 1997.
Greene, Lorenzo Johnston. The Negro in Colonial New England. New York: Athenum Books, 1968.
Lanning, Michael Lee. African Americans in the Revolutionary War. New York: Citadel Press, 2005.
Malcolm, Joyce Lee. Peter’s War: A New England Slave Boy and the American Revolution. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2009.
Knowledge is power but shared knowledge empowers us all.
In closing I’d like to thank my readers. For the past sixteen years you’ve followed me all over the literary landscape, whether it be historical, contemporary suspense, or faith-based women’s fiction, and I do appreciate your love and support.
Until next time,
B.
About the Author
BEVERLY JENKINS has received numerous awards, including three Waldenbooks Best Sellers Awards, two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times magazine, and a Golden Pen Award from the Black Writer’s Guild. In 1999, Ms. Jenkins was voted one of the Top Fifty Favorite African-American writers of the twentieth century by AABLC, the nation’s largest online African-American book club.
To read more about Beverly visit her website at www.beverlyjenkins.net.
Romances by Beverly Jenkins
Midnight
Captured
Jewel
Wild Sweet Love
Winds of the Storm
Something Like Love
Before the Dawn
Always and Forever
Taming of Jesse Rose
Through the Storm
Topaz
Indigo
Vivid
Night Song
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
MIDNIGHT. Copyright © 2010 by Beverly Jenkins. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition October 2010 ISBN: 9780062018571
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Beverly Jenkins, Midnight
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