by Mark J Rose
“Textbooks?” Matt said excitedly. “Which ones?”
“AP American history, chemistry, biology, and calculus.”
“You were taking all AP classes?” Matt asked, impressed.
“I was applying to Princeton.”
“If you’re ever interested in selling the chemistry book, it could help me,” Matt proclaimed. “Either way, keep them safe.”
“That’s just it. That asshole took them when he left.”
“Does he know how valuable they are?”
“He had a degree in mechanical engineering. I expect he does. He’d sit in our bakery and write pages of plans like some evil movie villain.”
“All four books?”
“Five. My copy of Twilight was in there.”
“He has information on modern chemistry and biology,” Matt said, “and he’s a Brit who knows the entire future of the United States.”
“And vampires,” she added.
“I’m not joking,” Matt scolded.
She shrugged. “If I had it to do again, I’d have been more careful.”
“He might be on his way to becoming a king.”
“Anyway, I thought you should know.” She looked over at Franklin and stuck out her hand. “Dr. Franklin, it was an honor to meet you, but you’re in big trouble if you break my mother’s heart.”
“Somehow, young lady, I believe you,” Franklin replied. “I promise to use her with great respect.”
Sarah reached out her hand to Matt and said, “Good day, Mr. Miller.”
“Good day, Ms. Morris,” Matt said, kissing it lightly.
“It’s Miss,” she said. She turned and walked back into the store.
Franklin waited as Matt untied the dog and then they walked together onto the street. When they were finally out of earshot of the bakery, Franklin spoke. “You could have waited a day before spilling the beans.”
“My white teeth gave me away.”
“How much of the future is in these books that were stolen?”
“A lot. I’m not sure which could cause more trouble, the knowledge of chemistry and biology or knowing American history. Your name’s in that book as a signer of the Declaration of Independence.”
“Declaration of Independence?”
“It’s the document that you write with Thomas Jefferson and John Adams proclaiming that the American colonies are a sovereign nation independent of Great Britain.”
“I commit treason?” Franklin exclaimed.
“‘We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.’”
Franklin gave him a puzzled look.
“It’s what you said after you put your signature on the document.”
Franklin glared at him, still in shock. “How many men do you think signed this declaration?”
“I don’t have to think; it’s a matter of historical record. Fifty-six.”
“All these men are listed in this girl’s book?”
Matt nodded. “She wasn’t such a young girl, unfortunately.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Did you ask her to marry you?”
“Nothing will put me off my path.”
“Ah!” Franklin huffed. “Better for you to marry someone closer to home.”
“The point is that Sarah was taking university-level classes,” Matt explained. “Her schoolbooks will be very detailed.”
“So, not only will the fifty-six signers of this treasonous document be listed,” Franklin proclaimed, “but also their families, vocations, and possibly their addresses?”
Matt nodded his agreement.
The dog stopped to sniff a storefront, so both men stood waiting. Franklin was looking off in the distance down the street. “How would a British subject use such intelligence?” he said, thinking aloud.
“He could cause a lot of trouble,” Matt replied. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Franklin shrugged. “It would be hard to convince anyone that this book is real.”
“The print quality would be like nothing like you’ve ever seen.”
“Still, a commoner can’t get an audience with a man of consequence in Great Britain,” Franklin said, “let alone have an opportunity to convince him that he has knowledge of the future.”
“You were convinced.”
“How did this Patrick find these ladies?”
“Same way we did,” Matt said. “He used his phone.”
“So he could find you too?”
“They think he went to England.”
Franklin threw up his hands. “I’m too tired to worry about this. Let God sort it out.”
“Sounds good for now. But I can’t help thinking of something I once heard.”
“What’s that?”
“Trust in God, but lock your doors.”
40
Virginia
Nothing was going right, and Matt was on the verge of canceling his plans to travel to Virginia to attend Will’s wedding. Matt lost his supplier for sodium bicarbonate, and so he had to travel halfway to New York to find someone who even knew what it was. The new sodium bicarbonate wasn’t as dry, so the tablets were sticking in the mold and taking twice as long to make. He was caught in an endless loop of not having time to recruit more help to make tablets because he was too busy making tablets. Ward had been helping with the press, but only after Matt begged Jacob. This meant Jacob had to come in an hour early every day to stock shelves, so he wasn’t happy.
The good thing was that demand for the tablets was high, especially in the taverns. They’d moved Grace Apothecary into the new building. Customers filled the store for the entire time it was open. They were on pace to make sixty pounds this week in a store that was only partially stocked. Jacob was pumping most of his salary back into purchasing one half of the business. He had hired an additional man to work the store, which was fortunate because otherwise Ward wouldn’t have had time to help press tablets. They were barely meeting demand, sales were growing, and it felt like exactly the wrong time to leave for Virginia.
When Matt met Franklin for dinner that night, he said, “Ben, I don’t feel like I can go. I’ve too much to do.”
“You’re going to miss an important wedding in your future family so you can sell more mouth brushes and tooth soap?”
“They’re called toothbrushes and toothpaste, and that’s not all I sell.”
“Ladies’ toiletries are all the same.”
“Tooth care isn’t only for ladies. Tell me you’ve been taking care of your teeth.”
“Ah! I’ve more important things.”
“You won’t impress ladies with breath that smells like rot.”
“I know,” Franklin admitted. “I told you.” He waved Matt off in that way he did when he had no argument and wanted to change the subject. “Get your affairs in order,” Franklin ordered. “We repair soon to meet this lady of yours and all the other Anglican ninnies.”
“You really don’t like the English Church.”
“They all think they know the Creator better than everyone else.”
“You’re going to like them,” Matt replied. “If I can find the time to go.”
“I’ve already contacted John Foxcroft. He and another postmaster have plans to meet me in Richmond after the wedding. We’re going.”
“I can’t leave my store for a month.”
“Every time I’ve been there, you’re somewhere else, and Jacob has no idea where.”
“Making headache tablets,” Matt explained. “I’m not drunk on a park bench.”
“You’ll never be wealthy if you can’t delegate,” Franklin exclaimed. “Do you trust Jacob?”
“It doesn’t feel right to leave him while I go on a month-long holiday.”
“Don’t call it a holiday,” Franklin said.
“It is.”
“Take your bubbling tablets and give them to apothecaries and taverns along our route.”
Matt thought for a moment as the possibilities stream
ed through his head. “Hugh Mercer.”
Franklin waited for an explanation.
“A war hero and doctor down in Fredericksburg,” Matt replied. “I told him about the tablets.”
Franklin smiled knowingly. “Play your cards properly and you’ll have orders from here to Richmond,” he proclaimed. “Now you have every reason to travel to Virginia.”
“I’m taking the horse and the dog too. You’ll still have your walking buddy on the farm.”
Franklin had been taking Scout on long walks through the hills that overlooked Philadelphia. He’d worked out a schedule with James Baker so the dog could be back in time to ride on the wagon during deliveries. Between Matt, Franklin, and James, the dog didn’t have a moment’s rest, but based on his happy demeanor when any one of them showed up, Scout was perfectly fine with the schedule.
Later that day, Matt informed Jacob of his trip. The young man seemed relieved that Matt would be gone and was happy to learn that there were enough headache tablets to keep them stocked for the next couple of months. They watched their newest employee, Michael, as they talked. He was a good salesman, always polite and impeccably dressed. As Matt watched Michael greet new customers, he became satisfied that the business would run fine without him, and he grew more excited about going on his trip and developing a distribution network that extended all the way to Richmond.
Matt spent the rest of the day cleaning his synthesis laboratory and shutting it down. Unfortunately, even the front room had now taken on the state of controlled chaos that was the hallmark of most synthetic chemistry laboratories. Supplies and manufacturing equipment were stacked in almost every free space along the walls. The messy back room was no less than tragic in scope and smell. The current batch of cantaloupes had yielded about as much mold as they were able and would need to be replaced. Matt cleaned the nasty-smelling crocks and set them outside to dry in the sun. He washed the chemistry glassware and then stacked the boxes of headache tablets in the front room so Jacob could find them easily when the Market Street store needed to be restocked. Matt finished up by setting aside seven display boxes to put in Franklin’s wagon.
**********
Three days later, Franklin pulled up in his wagon to meet Matt, Thunder, and Scout in front of the lab. Matt loaded the boxes and his bag in the back and hopped up alongside Franklin. They began their journey with Thunder untied, walking behind the carriage with the dog. Matt saw early that Franklin was disturbed by the antics of the dog and horse trotting behind them and wasn’t surprised when he eventually asked, “Are you sure you don’t want him tied to the wagon?”
“Nah,” Matt replied. “Scout will be fine.”
Franklin frowned. “I wasn’t speaking about the dog.”
“We can tie them both when we get close to the cities. I usually worry more about Scout in the towns than Thunder.”
“How did they fare on your journey here?”
“The horse was fine. Scout didn’t arrive until the last day of the trip. He followed me all the way from Richmond.”
“You have a singular relationship with these animals,” Franklin observed.
“I never told you how Thunder saved my life,” Matt said. “I was attacked on my way to Philadelphia.”
“By savages?”
“No. A man from Richmond wants me dead. He sent someone to kill me.”
“This is why you’ve been visiting Solomon McCalla?”
“How’d you know about that?”
“I have friends,” Franklin said.
Matt took the next few hours of travel to tell his story and discuss options with Franklin. It was mostly uninterrupted except for the times when Matt would stop to call to the animals to keep closer to the wagon. At the end of the story, Matt said, “We’ll need to be on the lookout when we get to Richmond. I probably should’ve told you this before.”
“Nonsense,” Franklin replied. “Virginia laws are the strongest in the colonies, and anyway, if the sheriff isn’t available, I have Bessie.”
“Bessie?”
Franklin took one hand from the reins, reached down across Matt’s legs to a ledge on the side of the wagon and moved a tarp, uncovering the tip of a large musket along with two pistols. Franklin replaced the tarp and gave Matt a satisfied grin. Both men sat in silence as the road moved through a stretch of open valley that dropped off into the Delaware River. The grasses and wildflowers moved in unison as they picked up a cool breeze. The plants flowed in hypnotic waves of color across the valley floor.
Their conversation began again as they traveled up and out of the basin to reach the edge of Wilmington. “I should stop to speak to the postmaster here,” said Franklin.
“I have friends outside of town, right off the road,” Matt said. “Will you be okay without me for the night?”
“There are more than a few reputable beds for hire here.”
They arranged to meet on the other side of Wilmington in the morning. Matt saddled Thunder, and he and the dog went to visit the Boyds.
**********
Margaret Boyd came out of the house to watch them as they rode up. “Look who’s here!” she said.
“You remember,” Matt replied.
“You, your horse, and your dog.” Margaret smiled down at Scout and he gave a short bark in response. “I wagered he’d find you eventually.”
“You know Scout?”
“Didn’t know his name, but he’s been here before. John and I knew he was yours.” She stared for a moment at Matt. “You’re a handsome fellow when you’re not all scraped up, Mr. Miller. What can we do for you?”
“Just a social visit,” Matt said.
“Unsaddle your horse, then. Dinner’s in an hour. John’s over in the barn with the new foal.”
“Thunder’s foal?”
“Go see,” she said. “He’ll enjoy the surprise.”
**********
It was a wonderful night. Thunder met his son and Scout played with the new foal until they were both exhausted. Matt took the opportunity to relay his sincere thanks to the people who had helped him when he’d needed it most. The next morning, Matt hugged Margaret and shook the hands of John and all the Boyd sons and hired hands before he left.
Franklin was waiting for him in front of a tavern on the edge of town. “Have a good evening?”
“The best.” Matt told Franklin about the Boyds for the next hour.
Eventually Franklin said, “If there’s anything worse than Anglicans, it’s Quakers.”
“I beg to differ, Ben,” Matt said. “Both are wonderful as far as I can see.”
Franklin gave Matt a warm smile. “It’s no wonder that you decided to leave your own time.”
41
Homecoming
They made good time as they moved through Baltimore, Alexandria, and Fredericksburg. They were able to dine one night with Hugh Mercer. Franklin and Mercer became instant friends as Matt sat there in relative silence and listened to them talk politics. They would look over at him on occasion, making Matt wonder if the sensitive nature of their discussion was making them paranoid. Some of the topics raised by Mercer might indeed have been on the edge of treason. Franklin, Matt observed, was a pragmatic loyalist, while Mercer had no problem talking about how much he despised the English.
They spent the night as Mercer’s guest. In the morning, as had been his plan, Matt left Mercer with a display box of Miller Head and Stomach Tablets after a demonstration which included dissolving tablets in cups of water and having Mercer and Franklin drink them together. Franklin was silent for a time after they left Mercer’s home, but eventually he said, “Capital fellow.”
“Challenging fellow, I think,” Matt replied.
“Doesn’t like the Crown. Too much history.”
“Isn’t that why people come to the colonies? Aren’t they all trying to get away from England or wherever?”
“I can’t help thinking constantly of this new country you describe. Every conversation with my fello
ws is tainted with the suspicion that they will have a part in this treason.”
“I can imagine Mercer already has a plan.” Matt said.
Franklin wrinkled his face in an exaggerated motion and mouthed “uh-huh.”
Matt laughed. “I see more subtle signs in others.”
“Subtle signs?”
“Pride. The man I bought my shoes from in Richmond; I asked him if he imported his stuff and he was insulted. He told me his shoes were better than anything you could buy from across the sea.”
“They probably were,” Franklin affirmed.
“One of the first things Grace Taylor told me was that they did without English luxuries,” Matt said. “It didn’t mean anything to me at first, but I realize now that it speaks volumes about people wanting to build a culture. It’s not treason at all.”
“You’re not going to speak incessantly again about how perfect these Taylors are, are you?”
Matt ignored him. “Americans won’t consider independence as treason. It’ll feel like an obvious next step.”
“Like a son breaking away from his father,” Franklin observed. “He doesn’t exactly hate the old man, he just wants to do it by himself.” He looked up to see the outline of buildings where the road disappeared into the horizon. “We’re getting close to Richmond.”
“This is all looking very familiar,” Matt said.
“Anxious?”
“Of course,” Matt replied. He was silent while he pondered his situation. “What if there’s really nothing there?”
“Then we’ll skip this silly wedding and you can come to Williamsburg with me.”
Matt scolded him. “What I needed to hear was, ‘Don’t worry, Matthew, she probably misses you more than you can imagine.’”
“Then I’m not supposed to mention the rich and handsome tobacco farmer she’s courting?”
Matt could see how Franklin relished watching him cringe. He glared back.
“If nothing else,” Franklin went on, “I’m sure that there are a number of beautiful Richmond ladies who’ve always dreamed of marrying a Northerner who sells ladies’ soap.”
Matt gave him a dirty look. Grace had become larger than life in Matt’s mind. He wanted to think of something else, so he changed the subject to the only other topic that consumed him. “I’ve had dreams that I’ll meet Levi Payne. We’ll fight.”