Her next destination was the creek that flowed through Primus’s property. When he was alive he hadn’t minded her fishing there. She doubted Nicholas would mind, either, but in a way, she was hoping he wasn’t at home. She had no idea how to handle a man like him, not that she had experience handling any man, but something about him made her very aware of how much she didn’t know about the games men and women played. The few suitors she’d had in her life had run screaming for the door once they took her measure, and as she told Nicholas the night on the road, many men didn’t appreciate a woman of intelligence. They wanted to do her thinking for her and very few acknowledged that a woman had a mind at all. It was one of the reasons she couldn’t abide Will Case. He was pompous enough to believe himself capable of thinking circles around anyone, especially a woman, and had grumbled on numerous occasions that her father had wasted his money by educating her. But Faith knew he was wrong. She didn’t have much fun or happiness or variety in her life, but without her precious books, she would just be existing. At least the Bard offered her stories of lives filled with adventure, pathos, and comedy; stories she could lose herself in and forget about having to work each day from dawn to dark in the service of her father and his needs. Many mothers of eligible daughters thought Will Case quite the catch. Faith would rather catch fish.
Chapter 6
When she reached Primus’s land, she turned on to the property. Straight ahead, the big, white, two-story house with its welcoming porch sat like a queen in the sunlight. The drive was a muddy quagmire of melted snow, dirt, and gravel. Although there were a number of other wheel marks and hoof prints in the drive she didn’t see any other vehicles or horses tied up at the post near the house. She knew Nicholas had just moved back so maybe the tracks were from recent visitors or deliveries.
Her bad luck held. No one answered her knock. Slogging through the mud with her hems held above the muck, she went around to the back and saw nothing but the barns, the open fields, and the thick stand of trees that encircled the open land. As a matter of courtesy she’d wanted to make certain he had no objections to her being on his land, but seeing as he wasn’t at home, she shrugged. Walking back to the wagon, she climbed up and guided Susie over to the tether post. After retrieving the bucket that held her fishing gear, she got down again, secured the horse’s reins, and began the long trek to the creek.
A large stand of pines flanked the open fields, and the creek lay behind them. Once inside the cover of the trees, she could hear birds alerting their neighbors to her presence and she had to watch her step to keep from tripping over the roots and boulders hidden beneath the snow. The sound of voices made her stop and look around. For a moment she thought she might have imagined it, but then it came again, a lone voice, shouting. Confused and concerned, she stealthily made her way in that direction, carefully placing her steps so as to not give away her presence. What she saw was surprising. Prince Hall and a small group of men were drilling back and forth and Nicholas Grey appeared to be in command. This certainly wasn’t what she’d expected to see, but more importantly, when had he become involved with the rebels? She also saw his neighbor Mr. Clegg among the men. Were they to be seen by a passing British patrol, they’d all be arrested and questioned, which was why most of the rebel drilling and preparations were done in secret. It came to her then that she needed to leave before they spotted her. She was member of a Tory family, and with Tories spying on rebels, she doubted they’d believe she’d just come to fish.
Nicholas looked out at Prince’s untrained minutemen and had to agree; they were untrained. They didn’t know how to march in formation, had little experience with firearms, and a few were in such bad physical condition that after an hour of marching and drilling they were on the ground wheezing. What impressed him, though, was that they were aware of their shortcomings, eager to improve, and to a man filled with the spirit of freedom. When he talked to them earlier about their reasons for wanting to fight, they gave him much the same reasons Prince had. It was their hope that the freedom the Sons of Liberty were espousing would be applied to all citizens equally, and the men of African descent, both slave and free, were willing to give their lives to add their weight to the scales.
But in order for them to be even moderately successful on a battlefield they had a lot to learn. In addition to the fifty commands they needed to be familiar with in order to fight together as a unit, they had to be taught to fire in three ranks; one line of kneeling men and two rows of standing men behind them, reloading and firing as swiftly as they could. Nicholas was just about to make them practice the lines again when a movement in the trees caught his attention. He called Prince over and while keeping an eye on the spot in the trees, he said. “Have the men rest for a moment. I believe we have a visitor.”
Prince froze.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.” He could see the worry on Prince’s face. The last thing any of them needed was for their activities to be reported to the British authorities.
When Faith saw Nicholas Grey heading straight for her position she knew she’d been seen, and her first instinct was to flee like a child in trouble, but running away would only add to the appearance of guilt, so she stepped out of the trees, fully exposing herself.
The move seemed to catch him by surprise. He stopped, looked at her, and she looked back. Her chin rose defiantly because she had nothing to hide.
To say that Nicholas was surprised to see Faith Kingston was an understatement. He had no idea what the raven-eyed beauty with her gorgeous mouth was doing out here. Spying on them perhaps. She did have the pedigree for it. And why was she carrying a bucket?
Nicholas left her fearless glance for a moment to look around the trees for anyone that might have accompanied her, but saw no one else. Only then did he begin to close the distance between them, giving himself ample time as he walked to view the band of shining hair above the flat, dun brown hat on her head, the gray cloak shrouding her small frame, and then the face. She was beautiful enough to have stepped out of an African legend. The aforementioned dark eyes and well-shaped mouth accented the flawless skin. Were he in another time and place he would have already swept her up and stolen her away. Reminding himself that these were not the thoughts of a supposedly civilized man, he stopped before her, took in the coolness in her gaze, and asked, “Are you paying me back for lurking in your trees?”
“I came to fish.” She held up the bucket so he could see the net and fishing lines inside.
He scanned the bucket, then slid his gaze back to hers. “Why here?”
“Because it’s where I always come. Your father never minded.”
“Then I shan’t, either.” Yes, he thought, steal her away, but there were other more pressing matters at stake. No one was supposed to know what he and Hall’s men were doing. “How much have you seen?”
“Enough,” she told him plainly.
“And you’ll tell your father?”
“Nothing. What you do on your land is none of my business, Mr. Grey.”
“Interesting answer.”
“Why?”
“Your father is a loyalist. I’d think he’d want to know about rebel activity so close to his home.”
“So he can tell General Gage?”
“That does come to mind.”
“You still believe my father played a role in your father’s arrest.”
“I do.”
“What do I have to do to convince you how misguided that is?”
“Find Lady Midnight so that I might speak with her.”
Faith went cold inside but hid it well. “Who is Lady Midnight?”
“Supposedly the woman who brought Primus the warning about his arrest.”
“I know no one of that name.” She met his eyes and hoped her gaze was as bland as she thought. “I’ll fish another time.”
“I appreciate that. I’ll stop in later to go over the food selections.”
“That will be fine.” She turned and wa
lked determinedly back towards the house.
As Nick watched her leave he pondered this latest encounter. First he’d seen her climbing out windows in the middle of the night, and now today she’d shown up lurking in his trees claiming to want to fish, of all things. The male in him enjoyed sparring with her even as he wondered if the visit by Faith Kingston had been just an innocent coincidence, or something more.
Driving home, Faith realized she was shaking. She applauded herself for not fainting when he mentioned Lady Midnight, but she had to wonder if he was on to her. As far as she knew, she was the last person to see Primus, but how had Nicholas come to know that? Surely he didn’t think she was responsible for the arrest. The way he’d asked about her alter ego made her believe he was very interested in locating her, but for what purpose? She had enough to worry about, and now this. She’d planned to leave a message for John Hancock tonight about Gage’s intentions but now she wasn’t sure if she should risk it. What if Nicholas learned she was the woman he was after, and what might he do with the information?
Blythe stopped at the inn late that evening. Faith was in the kitchen gathering the ingredients and the Dutch ovens she’d need for the week’s baking she’d planned on doing the next day. Blythe removed her cloak and said quietly, “I saw your rock, so I came as quickly as I could.”
Faith took the rock from Blythe’s hand and slipped it back into the pocket of her skirt. Keeping her voice down so that her father and the two guests in the main room wouldn’t hear, she said, “Gage is talking of moving against the rebels.”
“When?”
Faith told her what she’d heard, adding, “Too bad he wasn’t more specific about the date, but mid April is precise enough for our purposes.”
“I agree. This will mean war.”
Faith nodded solemnly. “The Sons in Boston need to be alerted. Has someone taken Primus’s place?”
“Yes. His son, Nicholas.”
Faith went still. That was not what she wanted to hear.
“What’s wrong? He can be trusted.”
“We had an encounter today. He’s looking for Lady Midnight.”
“I know.”
Faith stared.
Blythe told her about her conversation with Nicholas and his desire to find Lady Midnight.
Faith replied, “But I don’t know who the betrayer is, or how Gage found out. Father said Primus was going to be arrested and I went to him as soon as I could.”
“How’d your father know?”
“I assumed Gage mentioned it in passing.”
Blythe then looked into Faith’s eyes and said earnestly, “Faith, you need to know that your father’s name has come up quite a bit in all the speculation swirling around the arrest.”
“You’re jesting.”
“No, and I don’t want you to be caught off guard if you hear the talk.”
“But he wasn’t involved. We both know that.”
Blythe responded quietly, “The only certainty I know is that sometimes certainty is not what we think.”
“Blythe, you can’t believe he would do something so dastardly.”
“It doesn’t matter what I believe. What matters most to me is that you be very careful.”
“I will but—” Faith was all but speechless. Her father wasn’t the nicest or politest person to her or anyone else, but she believed him to be an ethical man. Until she heard it from the general’s own lips, she’d never believe he had anything to do with Primus’s arrest. “I still say my father was not involved.”
Blythe didn’t respond.
Piqued, Faith asked, “What do we really know about Nicholas? He shows up here virtually out of nowhere, tossing coin around and ingratiating himself into the community. Suppose he’s a British spy. Are the Sons convinced he can be trusted?”
“I spoke with Prince Hall this afternoon, and he is as certain as anyone can be, considering the times, that Nicholas can be.”
“Hall doesn’t know I’m Lady Midnight does he?”
Blythe showed a soft smile. “No dear. Only you and I know her true identity. I made my pledge to you and to Primus to keep the secret and I will.”
“But how will I manage to get news to Nicholas? Primus and I had a prearranged signal that let him know when I needed to speak with him.”
“That’s something you will have to work out with Nicholas, I suppose. Maybe you should disguise yourself as you did the first few times you worked with his father.”
Faith mulled that over. Maybe a disguise would be the answer. Presently she couldn’t think of any other method that didn’t involve her revealing her true identity to him, so she let the dilemma go for now, in hopes of having an epiphany sometime soon.
Blythe said, “While you chew on that, Nicholas says he’s contracted with you for his reception. Have you told your father?”
“Not yet.”
“If it will help, the reception will be at my house and not his. Maybe your father won’t object if he knows that.”
“That will certainly be in my favor.”
“Nicholas wants me to invite some of the eligible ladies and their families. He may be in the market for a wife.”
Faith wondered why that bothered her. “Does that mean he’ll be settling here permanently?”
“I’m not certain, but he asked that I not include any insipid women though. His words.”
“That should narrow the field,” Faith replied sarcastically.
Blythe chuckled. “True, but either way, he doesn’t have much to choose from. I thought I’d ask Hazel Carstairs, Winnie Potts, and Elizabeth Sutter.”
The names were familiar to Faith, as were the personalities. She thought it might be nice to be a fly on the wall and watch the play unfold. “What time should I arrive?”
Blythe gave her the time, then said, “The Sons leadership should be told of Gage’s plans as soon as possible.”
“I’d planned on getting a message to John Hancock tonight.”
“What about Nicholas?”
Faith didn’t know. “I figure if I let Hancock know, everyone else with a need to know will be informed, including Nicholas and his contacts.”
“But there is no guarantee the men of color will be included.”
Faith knew she was right. With all the controversy swirling about whether Blacks would really be allowed to fight, who knew what Prince and the others might or might not be told. “Nicholas will have to be told.”
“Yes, he will. Do you want me to pass this news along to him?”
“I would.”
“All right, but remember, come next week I’ll be visiting my daughter in New York, and will be away until after she has her baby. If anything important arises, you will have to go to Nicholas on your own.”
Faith blew out a breath. “I’ll try and devise a suitable solution while you’re gone.”
“That’s my girl. Now, I’m going home. I’ll see you Saturday if not before.”
They shared a hug, and Blythe left Faith alone to deal with her problems.
Later, Faith pored over the inn’s ledgers. According to the numbers, she and her father were very close to being in the black. Due to the tensions between the British and the colonists, people weren’t traveling as much and the Kingston Inn hadn’t had a steady number of guests seeking a room in weeks. Most of the coin flowing into the coffers came from the occasional diner stopping by.
As she added up the numbers from the small pile of receipts, her father came in. She was surprised to see him all dressed up.
“How do I look?” he asked.
“Very prosperous. May I ask the occasion?”
“I’m courting.”
Faith stared. “Courting.”
“Decided I need sons.”
Confused but wearing a false smile she asked, “And do I know the lucky woman?”
“Yes, but for now I’m keeping her name to myself. Her parents and I haven’t finalized a satisfactory contract as of yet.”
&nb
sp; “I see.” That meant the woman was young enough to still be in her parents’ home. A widow or a spinster living on her own wouldn’t need parental involvement. Faith knew her opinion wouldn’t matter but she wasn’t sure how she felt about this new surprising news. “Why sons?”
“So that I can pass the inn on to them, of course.”
“Ah,” she replied, hiding her disappointment. She’d hoped to be the one to inherit. After all, the inn had belonged to her mother originally. It had passed to him after her death, but she supposed he’d conveniently forgotten that fact. He did look nice in his new clothes, however, even though she was wearing drawers with patched bottoms.
“I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Have a good time.”
“I plan to.”
Once he was gone, Faith wondered who the woman might be. He’d been out in the evenings quite often lately, always professing to be visiting friends, but now she could only assume he’d been out courting, but who? He’d said the woman was someone known to Faith, but she couldn’t for the life of her think of who it might be. She also assumed the new wife would be living at the inn, so did he expect Faith to remain the worker bee while he and the new queen lapped up all the honey? Faith looked down at her hands. They were red and raw from the lye soap she used to keep everything clean, from the linens on the beds to the wood floors. Would the new wife help with the cleaning, make the trips to the creamery, take the grain to the miller in the summer, and draw water every morning at dawn? If she was young enough to still need a parental contract, she probably had a mother to do all the things that Faith did every day. Faith had a bad feeling about this, but knew that there was nothing she could do about it. Her father would do what he felt best for him, and Faith would have to go along with the ride.
Shaking her head, she went back to her ledgers.