by C. Fennessy
“Thanks, Mr. Roberts,” said Sarah.
“Excuse my appearance, young lady, I wasn’t expecting company.”
“That’s all right, Mr. Roberts,” Sarah said.
“You must be cold. Put on a fire and we’ll make some coffee.”
Mr. Roberts lit two more candles and went to fetch his dressing gown while Jamie and Sarah started the fire. Soon, everyone was sitting beside a roaring blaze and drinking steaming cups of hot coffee.
“Now tell me, why are you here?” asked Mr. Roberts.
“I must ask you a favor, sir,” Jamie said, “We would like to stay here tonight. We won’t mind sleeping on the floor.”
Mr. Roberts gave him a half smile, “Well, you may have to, Jamie, but I think Sarah can have the spare bed in the other bedroom. It’s small, but comfortable.”
“Thank you, sir!” Jamie smiled, “I don’t mind the floor. I’ll bed down here in front of the fire and I’ll be fine.”
Jamie and Sarah quickly explained why they had come.
Mr. Roberts shook his head sadly, “What a shame about your father. I hope Mrs. Gates will help you. Even though she’s married to a British general, I think her heart is sympathetic to the Americans, though she may never admit it. I’m going there tomorrow morning to begin a portrait of her. You may go with me as my assistant, then you may speak to her.”
Mr. Roberts showed Sarah the guest room, and brought Jamie a pillow and blanket. Jamie said 'goodnight' and settled down on the wooden floor in front of the hearth. Once it was quiet, he stared into the glowing embers of the fire and thought about what he would do the next day. Despite his problems, weariness overcame him, and he fell asleep.
In the morning, as soon as breakfast was over, they all went to the general's house. Mrs. Gates was pleasantly surprised to see them again and complimented Jamie on his work on the mural.
“Thank you, Mrs. Gates. I can scratch out a sketch or two, but I’m no painter like Mr. Roberts.”
She smiled, “I’m sure that under his guidance someday you will become as good as he.”
“No!” Mr. Roberts waved a hand, protesting, “This lad will be better than me! Mark my word!”
They entered the parlor and Mrs. Gates sat in the chair by the window. Tthey chatted while Mr. Roberts set up his easel and painting supplies to do a portrait.
“Mrs. Gates. I wonder if I could ask you for a favor,” said Jamie.
She smiled at him, “Why certainly, if I can help.”
He cleared his throat and swallowed nervously, looking intently in her eyes.
“My friend Sarah’s father is missing. No one has seen him since the battle at Bunker Hill, and we’re quite worried. We’ve come to ask you if you could find out…if you could ask the general if he knows what’s happened to him. His name is Jonathan Harper.”
Mrs. Gates’ brows knitted together. “He fought in the battle?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Sarah nodded.
“In what regiment?” she asked.
Jamie paused, then said, “He was in the militia…on the American side.”
Mrs. Gates looked surprised, but not shocked.
“Oh, I see…” she replied, looking away, then asked, “But how would the general know what happened to him?”
“The military keeps records of prisoners,” Jamie explained, “And since we haven’t found him among the wounded or dead, we thought to try looking among those taken prisoner.”
“Oh, yes, I see,” she nodded, “But the general is not here. General Howe has taken over command in his absence. But I will ask Major Cane. As soon as I find out anything I'll send word to you. How will I reach you?"
"I can be reached through Mr. Roberts. He'll send word to me."
"Very well,” Mrs. Gates nodded.
Jamie and Sarah smiled with relief.
Sarah said, “Thank you, Mrs. Gates!”
Table of Contents
Chapter 24: On to Newport
That evening, Thomas Pulling was waiting in his boat to take them home. Again, the fog covered them through their journey back to Charleston.
The next morning, Jamie was pleasantly surprised to find that Sarah had a hot breakfast waiting for him.
“We still haven’t solved the problem of Dr. Church,” Sarah reminded him.
Jamie shrugged, “Perhaps we never will. No one will believe us.”
She replied, “In any case, we must go to Watertown and tell Mr. Revere what has happened, so that Mr. Roberts' message arrives, he will know what it’s about.”
Jamie agreed, and after cleaning up the breakfast dishes and feeding the animals, they drove to Watertown and called on Mr. Revere.
The Cook’s barn had become a center of busy commerce, with two armed guards standing on duty. When they arrived, Paul Revere was wearing his leather apron and inspecting a large sheet of printed currency from the press.
“This one has an ink spot,” he told Paul Junior., “Clean off the press and roll fresh ink on it before you print any more.”
Paul Junior nodded and went to work. When Revere turned and saw Jamie and Sarah, he broke into a broad smile.
“Ah! You’re back! I’m relieved to see that you made it safely out of Boston.”
“We’ve got lots to tell you,” Jamie said, “Is this a good time to speak?”
Paul Revere looked around then put his arms over their shoulders and nodded,
“I think Paul Junior can manage without my help for a bit. Let’s go outside and talk.”
He led them to a wooden bench under a large oak tree where they sat down. Revere asked,
“Have you heard that the Congress in Philadelphia has appointed General Washington as the new Commander in Chief? He is to command all the Provincial armies, which are now united into one American army!” He continued proudly, “And so now we have one big, strong army, and we can drive out the British once and for all!”
Sarah and Jamie were both pleased to hear it. Revere went on.
“But the Provincial Congress was not entirely wise in their actions. I was not pleased to hear that Dr. Benjamin Church has been named as Dr. Warren’s replacement as the head of the Committee of Safety.”
“What!” Sarah cried, “That traitor? No! He can’t be!”
“Yes, it’s true,” Paul nodded, “I don’t trust him anymore since he took the letter and the money that Rachel sent to me.”
Jamie smiled, “I’m glad you believe me, that he lied to you about that.”
Paul waved an arm, “Oh, I never liked him! Too damn arrogant for my taste. But there are men in both the Provincial and Continental Congresses who admire him.”
"He's went back to General Gates yesterday. I bet he's told them all of your plans here," said Jamie.
“And he’s been sending letters to General Gage on a regular basis since the beginning!” Sarah declared indignantly.
“That may well be,” admitted Revere.
“We still have to stop him somehow!” Jamie declared.
“I’m afraid that without proof, there’s little that anyone can do. He’ll simply deny everything and try to put the blame onto someone else,” Revere replied.
“Then we’ll have to catch him in the act,” Sarah said.
Revere shot them both a look of warning.
“You must be very careful! If he suspects that you two are spying on him, he may do something desperate. And since your father is missing, I would feel responsible if anything happened to you.”
“Please don’t worry, we’ll be careful,” Sarah assured him.
"One more thing, sir," Jamie interjected, "We were able to meet with Mrs. Gates and she promised to let us know through Mr. Roberts whether Jonathan has been taken prisoner or not. If Mr. Roberts contacts you, would you please let us know?"
Revere nodded earnestly, "You have my solemn word on that!"
They drove on to Cambridge, where they knew they would find Dr. Church conducting business in Dr. Warren’s place. But
when they approached the entrance of Hastings House, a guard stopped them. No one would be admitted without stating a reason. Without a valid excuse for going inside, they were turned away.
“We’ll have to wait until Dr. Church comes out and follow him,” Jamie told Sarah as they walked away.
“But that could take all day!” she whined, sharing his frustration.
Jamie sighed and asked, “Do you have a better idea?”
She shook her head and they sat down under a shady tree to wait. It wasn’t long before Jamie spotted Dr. Church leaving Hastings House with the red-headed teen. They climbed into his carriage and urged the horses onto the road.
Jamie and Sarah ran to their wagon and climbed in. Jamie gave a sharp whistle and they trotted off in the same direction. As they followed the carriage, the road became less crowded and the houses were spaced further apart. At last, the carriage turned right, into a lane lined heavily with shrubs. At the top of a hill stood a large two-story stone house which reminded Jamie of a large country home in England. It was surrounded by trees in the back and at both sides.
“Is this their house, too?” Sarah exclaimed, “He owns two houses? And this place must have cost a fortune!”
Jamie nodded in agreement, “Which means that Dr. Church has been paid pretty well for his spy services, wouldn’t you say? I'll park the wagon down the road and then we can cut through the woods so they won’t see us.”
They reached the woods behind the manor house just in time to see the young, red-headed man watering the horses, and then he went inside. Deciding to get closer, they ran up to the back of the house, crouching under the windows.
Jamie led Sarah around to the side of the house, keeping well below the windows and close to the wall. At the side of the house near the front, they could hear voices from inside. Jamie peeked around the corner and saw an open window behind a rose bush in full bloom, and they hid under it.
The voices inside grew louder as Dr. Church and the others came into the parlor where Jamie and Sarah could hear them clearly.
“I must send another letter,” said Dr. Church, “I have spent the entire afternoon with General Washington and General Ward, and I have all the details for their plan of strategy against the British. I’ll write letter, and you shall deliver it.”
A woman's voice replied, “I can’t go over the Neck! There are rebels guarding it and they would never let me through!”
“There are other ways of getting letters into Boston, my dear,” said Dr. Church, “So that is why I’m sending you to Captain Wallace. He commands the Rose, a ship in Newport harbor.”
“Newport!” exclaimed the woman, “That’s a long way!”
“I shall give you my coach, and Edward will drive you. This letter must get to Captain Wallace so that he can take it to Boston on his next run. Now let me work on this alone, if you please.”
Jamie and Sarah waited for another half hour, but could hear nothing from inside the house. Jamie waved away a mosquito and whispered, “Let’s go back to the woods.”
They hid behind a clump of bushes where they had a good view of the house and carriage. After an hour, a door creaked open and slammed shut. Jamie saw the red-headed teen walking to the carriage house.
Jamie whispered, “I want to make a stop at the camp to find Josh. I think we’ll need his help in getting that letter back.”
She frowned, “Do we have time? They could leave while we’re gone-“
“Possibly, but there’s only one way out of Cambridge to Newport, and they’ll be on that road. I think we can catch up to them.”
She looked wary. “I hope you’re right.”
The curling smoke from campfires and aromas of fried bacon filled the air at the army camp. Jamie searched the rows of tents and found Joshua cleaning his rifle. He quickly told him what was happening. Together, they went to find their old friend, Henry Knox, now a colonel, who granted Joshua permission to leave for one night.
As soon as they were all in the wagon, Sarah snapped the reins and they dashed off at a fast pace.
They quickly found the road to Newport. There was no sign of Dr. Church’s coach ahead of them, but Jamie insisted that this was the only way they would have gone. After half an hour of driving the team hard and seeing no sign of the coach, Sarah slowed the horses to save their strength.
Along the way, they stopped for food and let the horses rest and water at Travers’ Inn. Soon, they were back on the road and had been traveling about an hour when they heard a team of horses galloping swiftly behind them. Jamie pulled the wagon to the side of the road to allow the coach with four horses to pass. As they passed, Joshua noticed a boldly painted crest on the door.
“It’s them! And the driver! He’s the red-headed boy!” he exclaimed.
Jamie looked at him with astonishment on his face, “Are you sure?”
“Yes! And that coach! I saw it in the general’s carriage house! I remember the gold crest with the shield on it!”
Table of Contents
Chapter 25: Arrested!
The coach sped on ahead, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. In his haste to get to Newport, the driver hadn’t noticed them. Joshua asked Jamie what his plan was once they reached Newport.
“When the coach stops, you hold your musket on the driver while I get the woman from the inside.”
“And what shall I do?” asked Sarah.
Jamie stated, “You stay with the wagon.”
Her temper flared and she spoke angrily, “Stay with the wagon! Is that all? Why must I be the one to stay with the wagon?”
“Because this could be dangerous,” Jamie argued.
“Oh! So it may be dangerous, eh?” she demanded, “And haven’t I faced danger with you before?”
“But this is different,” he insisted, “They may be armed. Anything could happen, and Joshua and I are seasoned fighters, whereas you are-“
“Are what?” she demanded hotly.
“Well-” Jamie stumbled, seeing the temper she was in.
But Joshua blurted out, “You’re just a girl!”
This made Sarah even more furious, shouting, “As if that makes any difference!”
“It most certainly does!” Jamie argued.
“It does not!” she yelled, “I can do anything that you have ever done, or will do, for that matter! In fact, in case you haven’t noticed, I have two hands, which makes me even better equipped than you!”
As soon as she saw the horrified look on Jamie’s face, she regretted her angry words. His face wore hurt and betrayal.
“I- I didn’t mean that!” she stammered, “I- I’m sorry-“
“Forget it!” he shouted, cutting off her apology, turning away.
Joshua merely rolled his eyes at her, shaking his head with disapproval.
Sarah turned her face away and she could feel her cheeks getting red hot. Her heart was a boiling cauldron of anger, hurt, and shame. She knew Jamie was angry with her, and with good reason. But she had a right to be angry, too. Why did boys always act as if girls were weak and helpless? She knew she was as smart as they, but they always took charge; as if being males gave them a God-given right to make all the decisions. It just wasn’t fair!
Tears suddenly flooded her eyes and slid down her cheeks. She hung her head and let her hair hide her face, feeling angry at herself for crying. No wonder they thought her weak. Why did anger bring her to tears?
Sarah thought about her own mother, who died nearly two years ago. Had her mother ever felt angry at her father when he told her what to do and what not to do? Sarah remembered her mother as a gentle and loving person who always obeyed her husband, as she was expected to do. But Sarah believed she would never marry, if it meant being ordered around like a slave.
Both Jamie and Josh were doing their best to ignore her. Jamie was so angry with her, that he never wanted to speak to her again. He couldn’t believe that she had pointed out that she had two hands and he only one. Ha
dn’t he proved that he was just as capable as anyone else? Or was he was the only one who believed that?
As the pain of this realization seeped into his thoughts, Dr. Church’s coach suddenly turned right at the road leading to Newport Harbor. Jamie pushed his feelings aside and concentrated on the coach ahead of them.
They followed the winding road, soon bordered by large, stately homes, and then smaller ones closer together near the busy part of town. The coach turned down Dock Street and pulled up outside of a tall three-story wood-sided home facing the harbor.
Jamie asked Joshua, “Ready?”
Josh nodded, “I’m ready!”
“Let’s go! Sarah, take the reins and wait here,” Jamie ordered, jumping down from the wagon with Joshua.
The red-headed teen hopped down to open the door for his mother, and she emerged from the coach.
The boys ran forward. Joshua aimed his musket at the driver and Jamie shouted, “Stop right there and don’t move!
The red-headed woman stared at him, her mouth and eyes wide open with surprise.
“We know that you have a letter from him to deliver to Captain Wallace.”
“How did you-“ the woman began.
“Be quiet, Mother!” shouted her son, “Don’t tell them anything!”
“Hand it over!” Jamie shouted.
The woman cried, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“Yes you do! The letter is in your purse, no doubt. Give it here!”
Jamie snatched it off her arm.
“Help!” the woman screamed, looking around “Someone help! We’re being robbed!”
Joshua raised his musket, shouting, “Quiet, Ma’am!”
“Or what?” demanded her son, “Will you shoot her? Damn you!”
He made a grab for the barrel of the gun and it went off in Josh’s hands, splintering the coach door through the crest. The horses whinnied and pawed the air as they reared up on their hind legs. To keep them from bolting, the red-headed boy grabbed their harnesses.
The gun shot and rearing horses attracted the attention of everyone in sight. A man who had been strolling down the street came running towards them. A passing carriage slowed down and the driver pulled over to see what was happening. Two red-coated soldiers came running with rifles.
Sarah knew that she had to act. She backed up the wagon to put some distance between her and the crowd that was gathering. Then she waited and watched as the chaos unfolded before her.