by C.P. Murphy
Chapter Seventeen
Wednesday, August 25, 1813
The day started off like any other day since the dreadful announcement of Amelia and Thomas’ engagement. Amelia still hadn’t talked to her father. As far as she was concerned, he could have stood up for her when Thomas insisted that they marry sooner than expected. After all, he was her father and has said from the start they wouldn’t marry until after her twenty-first birthday. When the Van Martins defied his only request, he stood there and went along with them. Coward; was the only thing she could think of to describe him. He had tried to communicate with her but she ignored him and no longer cared if he would punish her for it or not. When he left for work Amelia mocked, “Don’t you damage my reputation, Amelia. Do what I tell you to do, Amelia.” Anna had glanced at her but said nothing. She helped clean up and then went up to her bedroom to straighten herself out. Her mood changed as she brushed her hair knowing she was off to spend the day with Patrick.
Walking the dusty road to his house, Amelia’s imagination toyed with her mind. Patrick told her he would let her know, somehow, when he was back from his trip. He hadn’t. She wondered if she was traveling for nothing, perhaps she wouldn’t find him there. She hoped that nothing bad happened to him on the way. As she neared his home, she could see smoke circling out of his chimney and she felt relief. Maybe his attempts to contact her were useless, she pondered. Right away, she knocked on his door.
After several knocks, Patrick opened the door. “What do you want,” his sour voice had said and then he shut the door in her face.
Amelia didn’t know what had come over him. He was acting completely different than she had known him to be. Even when they didn’t know each other well, he didn’t behave that way. He was displeased with her, but she wondered why. “Patrick,” she cried out. “What is the matter?”
Patrick stood on the other side of the door with so many mixed emotions going through him. Part of him wanted to pull her inside his house so he could kiss her again the way he had done before his trip. He loved her and just wanted to hold her but the more sensible side of him wanted her to go away and never to return. “I’m not your toy,” he said and tried to shut the door again.
She pushed the door and forced it to remain open. If she didn’t know better, she would think that she was at the wrong house. “Patrick, please,” she now begged. “Tell me what this is all about.”
He realized she would not leave without an explanation but then again, he thought, he was the one who deserved an explanation. He allowed her into his house so they could talk. He waved his hand, motioning for her to enter, and she brushed passed him. She stood there with her hands on her hips as if he had done something wrong and she would scorn him. “Why don’t you start,” he snipped at her. He could see she didn’t know what he was talking about. “Why don’t you tell me about your plan to find someone to love so you could talk your father out of your marriage to Van Martin?”
“That was before I met you,” she told him not realizing that her statement made her look guilty.
“So you admit it,” he snarled. He couldn’t believe that Emma was right. How he wished that Amelia would have said that she didn’t know what he was talking about. “You were just trying to use me,” he reminded her.
“No,” she replied. Amelia was baffled. She refused to use him in that silly plan of hers. The feelings she felt for him were very much real. At the moment she couldn’t remember if she told him what she originally wanted to do or not but she didn’t think that she had. “Where did you hear that from,” she questioned him.
Patrick smirked. He wondered how she would feel to know that her best friend had betrayed her. “Your friend Emma cared enough to prevent me from getting hurt by you. Something you couldn’t care less,” he was saying to her when she interrupted him.
“Emma?” She thought back to the conversation she had with Emma about her feelings for Patrick. Her friend was convinced that Patrick would hurt her but Amelia never would’ve thought that Emma could do anything as harsh as to confront Patrick and make him believe that she was out to break his heart. Why would she do it? She wondered. Amelia realized that she had to make him understand that her stupid plan had nothing to do with him and she disregarded it as fast as she had thought of it. If she didn’t prove to him how much she loved him, she would lose him. “Patrick, what did she tell you? I stopped that conception as soon as I realized how immature it was. It had nothing to do with you.”
“And my wife, you told her about my wife,” he shouted at her. How dare her to spread his intimate thoughts to her friends?
Still confused, Amelia stated, “No I didn’t. She must’ve manipulated you to think I did. You have to believe me.”
Patrick was skeptical. He wanted to believe her but since her engagement wasn’t yet called off, he was still afraid that she wanted him back into her clutches until it was. The tears in her eyes made him feel the pain she was in at this sudden change. He didn’t want her to be hurt more than she already was with her life. He leaned in to kiss her but before his lips reached hers he had to ask again, “Are you sure?”
She stood there and shook. At last she found true love, and it was being torn apart by her best friend of all people. She cried for all she has lost; her father and now Emma. The thought of losing Patrick too was more than she could handle and she couldn’t control her bottom lip as it trembled. She knew that she had to assure him she loved him enough to be with him forever. “Honestly; it had nothing to do with you. I love you so much. Please don’t disregard me the way they do. If I behaved that way, don’t you think that I would have told my father about you already?”
With his lips less than an inch away from her mouth he whispered, “How do I know you haven’t told him?”
“Oh for goodness sake,” she cried as she pulled herself away from him. “For starters I haven’t introduced the two of you yet. If I was up to no good like you claim, he wouldn’t call off my engagement with just my word. I would have to bring you to him so he knew you weren’t just my imagination.”
He stood there and thought about what she was trying to say. She had a point, a good point, she could have taken him back into the Meeting house the night of the social to introduce him, but she didn’t. Amelia stood in front of him with tears rolling down the side of her nose and her body shivered. She didn’t look like a girl who was playing head games. All he wanted to do was to hold her and feel her heartbeat. Her heart couldn’t lie to him. He gave in to his temptation and wrapped his arms around her by the waist. She hesitated moving closer to him at first but once she felt his embrace she too leaned in to feel him next to her. He felt her heartbeat; it was pounding fast and hard and as he rubbed his hand up to the small of her back, he could have sworn that it skipped a beat. “Don’t break my heart,” he said just before he kissed her lips. “I love you too much.”
Amelia was relieved that he was holding her close and not accusing her of awful things. She closed her eyes as she rested her head and listened to him say he loved her. Nothing else mattered at that point; not Thomas or her father, not even Emma. All she cared about was being with him and any cost. She tilted her head up as he kissed her. Amelia took her hands and cupped his face. She wanted to let him know that she was more than eager to respond to his kisses.
It occurred to Amelia that neither her words nor her kisses were enough to prove her love to him. There was just one other way that would confirm her love and devotion; she would make love with him. She said a silent prayer to ask for forgiveness for the acts she had in mind. “Patrick,” she said to him, "Make love to me, right here and now.”
Patrick was breathless and had no idea how to respond to her request. He wanted her, that was a fact he couldn’t deny, but he hesitated. “Just because we love each other doesn’t give us the right,” he informed her. “We’re not married.”
Amelia pulled away but still held onto his hand. If she has learned anything it was that the proper way of d
oing things wasn’t necessary the right way. “It’s my commitment to you. I’m your wife, if not by law by the heart.”
Unable and unwilling to let go of the grip she had on him, Patrick followed her to where she was leading. Amelia stepped into his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Her heart fluttered and her head felt as if it were spinning as nervousness overcame her. This is what she wanted, what she needed, to feel his loving arms around her and know that she was returning his love. She wrapped her left arm around his neck and kissed him more passionately than she ever had before. Her right hand fumbled for the buttons on his shirt and then slid inside to feel his warm skin. She wouldn’t let him stop the desires she knew they both felt. Copying everything he had done to her, Amelia left his lips and brushed her mouth over the lobes of his ear and down his neck while the hand wrapped around him combed the back of his hair. “Take me,” she whispered.
Patrick lost control of his senses and gave her what she asked for. He knew her heart was with him and somehow, someway, she would be his bride. He flexed his head backwards as she kissed his neck and now bare shoulders. For every breath of hers he felt on him, he felt more excitement building up inside. Amelia had undressed him and without second thought, he reached over and helped her disrobe. Looking over at her naked body, he couldn’t get over how beautiful she was. Patrick pulled her close to his cloth-less body and slid his hand under the heaviness of her breast. He looked her in the eyes as he caressed every inch of her upper body. When she reached up and unpinned her hair, allowing it to flow down her backside, he knew that he could hold off no longer. He picked her up and laid her across his bed and without hesitation, he entered her inviting body.
For a few moments, as Patrick made love to her, Amelia didn’t give a second thought to Thomas, her father, or Emma. They were all problems that disappeared and she hoped that it would remain that way forever. Perfect. She felt Patrick move her hands up towards the headboard and then move his hands back down their long lengths, stopping at the curves over her midsection. She felt his release inside of her and knew that their first act of love was over.
Patrick kissed her again and then rolled to his side. “I love you,” he told her as Amelia’s heart burst with joy.
They remained in Patrick’s bed for hours, talking about their dreams and loving each other more. Patrick knew that she wouldn’t want to discuss the real problems in their lives but it had to be talked about. “I know what we have to do,” he started.
Amelia frowned. She would like to forget everything and remained in the perfect world they created but knew that she couldn’t ignore the situation either. “Tell me,” she answered.
“We can run away and get married and nobody can stop us.”
“Elope?” Amelia questioned. There had to be another way. As much as she felt a strain from her father, she still couldn’t imagine getting married without him. Amelia noticed Patrick nodding his head, and she cried. “Oh no Patrick, I want my family with me when I become your wife.”
Patrick leaned over and wiped the tears off of her face. “Don’t cry. You know your father doesn’t want that for you. If we don’t elope than he will make you Van Martin’s wife.”
Amelia knew he was right. Her father had destroyed so many of her dreams but she refused to let him interfere in this one. She took a deep breath and agreed.
They put their clothes back on and discussed what they needed to do. They wanted to leave right away and head up to Albany but both of them had something on their minds. For Amelia, it was her mother’s dress. She wanted to wear it more than ever. Hearing Patrick say what he was thinking, made her realize that she would get that chance.
“It isn’t a good idea for us to leave this late,” he begun. “The sun will go down soon.” He explained that it would be best if she returned home and pretended that nothing has changed. They would meet in the morning and would ride out of Millersport then. “Come,” he said to her, “I will walk you as far as I can without us being seen together.”
They were strolling in a secluded area outside of the village when they heard unexpected voices. Amelia just about threw herself down to the ground and hid behind a bush. She pulled on Patrick’s hand and motioned for him to do the same. “Who is it,” he whispered.
Her heart raced. She thought they would be alone this far away from the village but then when she least expected it; she heard the voices of her father and her aunt. “It’s my father and Aunt Ruth,” she answered him. “I don’t think they know we are here.” Her eyes focused on the couple she saw through the branches and she wondered what they were doing out there. She was there with Patrick because they didn’t want to be seen by others and wondered if that was the case for the older couple. It wasn’t long before her thoughts were answered as she saw her father kiss her aunt with more passion than she’d ever seen him give her mother. She gasped and couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Patrick had seen the couple that Amelia referred to but wasn’t bothered by their coupling. What bothered him was the identity of the man. “That is your father?” He quizzed her. The sun was shining bright, but he still recognized him as the man he had overheard on the loading docks. This couldn’t be, he insisted to himself.
“Yes,” she whispered, “But this isn’t a good time to meet him.” She hung her head down and thought that she was just like him, sneaking around. As she watched her father’s display of affection for her aunt, she realized that Ruth was the one he was torn away from years ago. How painful it must have been for him to see her marry his own brother. For a moment her heart reached out for him. She wished that he would have told her instead of hiding his relationship with her. Did he think that she wouldn’t understand?
“Oh my God,” Patrick gasped and Amelia looked at him. “There is something I must tell you.”
Still peeking through the bush, Amelia questioned what Patrick was talking about. “What do you mean? Did you know they were lovers?”
Grabbing her arm, he told her they had to get out of there but she had shown him that there was no other way to go without being seen by her father. She urged him to talk to her right there. “Is his name Henry?” He whispered and Amelia nodded her head as he continued, “I saw him one day, the day I went to see the merchants. How can I tell you this?” He cleared his throat, but she was looking very impatient so he finished, knowing that what he was about to say would hurt her. “Your father has been funding the British.”
Amelia was speechless for a few seconds. She didn’t know why Patrick was turning on her. “That is absurd, why are you telling me such horrible things?”
“I’m sorry. It’s true,” Patrick said to her, but she was persistent to argue back.
“How dare you,” she snipped. Her father had been doing things that she wished that he hadn’t but a crime such as Patrick spoke of was just unheard of. “You are only saying this to get back at me for what Emma had told you.”
Patrick knelt with his head in his hand. He knew that she would be upset but didn’t know that she would be so defiant. “Please,” he whispered so not to be heard by the unexpected couple, “Amelia, listen to me.”
They both became extra quiet as they heard Henry say he heard something and walked their way. He was only inches away from the bush they hid behind when Ruth suggested that someone was watching them. Amelia’s heart raced again but to her surprise Henry had agreed with Ruth and they split before being caught together. As soon as they were out of sight, Amelia jumped up and shouted, “I can’t believe you are doing this. Even after I assured you I loved you. Why?”
Patrick stood and tried to put his arm around her but she wouldn’t allow him to. He wasn’t trying to hurt her the way she accused him and he needed to make her understand. “I know you love me, it’s not about us.” She still looked skeptical as he went on, “It’s about what I saw at the loading docks. Don’t you remember the day you came to my house, and I was upset?”
Amelia recalled that day he talked about
and remembered how upset he was. She knew that something was bothering him and if what he said now was true, it had to be someone else and not her father. She calmed down, but it was hard to do with seeing with her own eyes the intimacy between the elders and what he was telling her. “Are you sure it was him?”
Patrick knew there was no easy way to discuss this with her. “Yes,” he started but then became very distraught. He thought of his trip to Albany but didn’t want to upset her more than she was.
She turned towards him and grilled him for more information. “Why did you ask me his name? Did the man you saw on the docks say his name?” She knew her father well enough to know that if he was involved in some heinous crime, he wouldn’t be stupid enough to use his real name. This all had to be a misunderstanding.
Patrick recalled how he knew the man’s name, “No, I spotted him at the social and I heard him talking to someone else. They were discussing the funding but the other man didn’t approve either. The other man called him by his name and that is why I asked you if his name was Henry.” She was still quiet, and he added, “Amelia, I know that the man who funded the Red Coats was named Henry.” He took her by the hand and was glad to see she wasn’t so quick to pull it away.
Amelia became even more concerned to think that if what Patrick had claimed was true and if someone else knew about it, her father could be in a lot of trouble. Patrick described the man that Henry was speaking with at the dance and almost immediately she spoke the name of the one person who matched the description, “Daniel Van Martin?”
“Van Martin?” Patrick inquired. “Isn’t that the father of,” he began but then other memories came flooding back to him. He paced back and forth trying to put the pieces together when it all made sense to him. Amelia looked concerned about what was going on in his head. “The first day I overheard the man on the dock giving an envelope to the merchant, he said that someone knew and that they had to be careful.” Amelia listened. “Oh no,” he said but wasn’t sure if he should tell her what he heard next but he went on after seeing her face searching for more answers. “The guy I know now as Henry said that his daughter would hate him if she found out.”
Amelia shook her head, “Well I found out, if what you say is true, and I don’t hate him. It’s not like that is the reason he is forcing me into,” she choked as the thought entered her head. It was as if they were both putting the puzzle together.
“Into marriage?” Patrick suggested.
Tears filled her eyes as she discovered why her life had been turned upside down. She could never imagine her father committing such crimes and wanted it all to be just a lie. It was a definite explanation why he sided with Thomas. It explained why he would never listen to her pleas and why he said nothing when Thomas had announced the engagement. That was why he behaved, in her mind, so cowardly. After seeing her father with Ruth, it made sense why he wouldn’t want her to think that love won in time. She thought, after all this time, that her initial thought was correct. She was his pawn, he had to choose whether to marry her off to Thomas or be turned in to the authorities. He used her.
“I’m sorry,” Patrick told her. “But now you know why he is forcing you into this marriage. All you have to do is tell him what you know and he must let you out of your engagement.”
Amelia thought for a while. Her father had let her down in the worst way but her true spirit had showed. She was a very compassionate person and wasn’t about to let anything happen to her father. She looked at Patrick, the man she fell in love with on her own, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with but couldn’t. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt him but the need to protect her father was over powering. “No, I’m the one who should apologize. You will always be the man I love but I need to marry Thomas, with no more arguing.”
Patrick felt as if Amelia just ripped his heart out with her bare hands. She couldn’t have meant what she said but seeing the look of sincerity on her face confirmed her statement. Hurt and jealousy made him angry. “No, you won’t,” he screamed. “You will marry me. You’ve already given yourself.”
Guilt flooded her mind. She should have known better to rush into pre-marital sex but dwelling on it wasn’t helping her right now. She prayed that Thomas wouldn’t find out she lost her virginity before their wedding night. “Patrick, I have to. It’s the only way to protect my father.” He didn’t respond to her right away but instead grabbed her arm and pulled her in for a kiss. It wasn’t the loving kisses he always gave her, this time his lips pressed hard on hers until she felt a tingle of blood spill from her bottom lip. In that one instance he reminded her of Thomas. Amelia moved her mouth away from his but Patrick still had his grip on her arm.
“Your father has wronged you. Why do you care?”
Tears rolled down her face as Amelia tried her hardest to control her emotions. It didn’t matter to her what her father had done, she needed to be there for him. If he would have been honest with her from the beginning, this whole mess could have been avoided. She pulled herself away from him and answered, “If I don’t marry Thomas, they’ll turn him in to the government.”
Anger exploded inside of Patrick. He loved her too much to lose her but if he didn’t bring her back to her senses, losing her was what he would do. With his hands to his sides, he formed tight fists and shouted, “I already done that.”
“No,” she screamed in devastation as she fell to her knees. “Why would you do that?”
“I think Madison’s war is just and am disturbed to think that our own citizens are supporting the enemy,” he tried to explain to her but he could tell that she didn’t want to hear that. “I had no idea he was your father.” He told her about both of his trips and their purposes. She knelt on the ground and sobbed as he told her, “Amelia I will correct it. I will tell them I was wrong if you will stay with me. Be my wife, I love you.”
Amelia jumped up and ran. She realized that it no longer mattered if she married Thomas since both the Van Martins and Patrick knew of the funding. She wanted to tell him she loved him too, and that he was the one she wanted to marry but she was still to upset with him to let him know that. Amelia could only focus on finding her father to warn him. She would go to Patrick in the morning, like they planned, she told herself as she rushed away.
“Amelia, get back here,” Patrick yelled as she hurried away from him. “We need to talk about this,” he hollered. She didn’t respond, but he knew that she could hear him. When she was out of sight, he turned to return to his house. She would be his, he assured himself, and there was no way he would let the Van Martins win.
Emma and Jacob were walking towards the Coopers’ house when they spotted Amelia rushing their way. “She looks different,” Emma had stated to Jacob but she couldn’t figure out what had changed. Amelia had a face of satisfaction and content, yet, she was sending out signals of anger. Anger that seemed to grow as the three stepped closer to each other. Emma looked over at Jacob who also had a puzzled look about him. She wondered what the urgency was and decided to find out. Facing Amelia, she asked, “Amelia, what is going on?”
Amelia replied to Emma’s question with one hard open-handed slap across Emma’s face. She had slapped so hard that the echo could be heard several houses away and her own ears where ringing from the sound of the impact. Removing her fingers, Amelia could feel them tingle from the sudden rush of blood that raced through them on their way to their destination. Amelia looked and could instantly see her hand print on the cheek of her betrayer.
Emma felt a stinging sensation after receiving the uncalled for slap. She put both of her hands over the area which she felt swelling and tears raced down her face. The tears came so fast that the angry girl standing in front of her became a blur. Her face hurt but not as much as her heart. She didn’t know what had come over her best friend and her mind couldn’t think of one thing she had done to deserve such treatment. She was about to ask Amelia what she had done but before she could get the words out,
she could see Amelia’s hand coming at her through her blurry eyes. Without hesitation, Emma cried and hid her face in Jacob’s chest.
“Stop,” Jacob insisted as his one arm wrapped around Emma to protect her and his other hand reached out to grab Amelia’s hand that was coming back for another whack. “What has come over you? You’re leaving me no choice but to tell Thomas about your behavior.”
Through with being polite, Amelia snapped back, “Go right ahead and while you are there, tell him it’s over. I know what is going on and I don’t have to marry him.” She felt horrible for speaking in such a tone to Jacob but she wasn’t about to back down. This little incident had nothing to do with him at all, it was all aimed at Emma; she was the one who had tried to ruin her life more than it already was.
Amelia realized that Jacob would not allow her to hit his little girlfriend so Amelia stepped closer until she was just inches away from Emma. She could see how scared Emma looked but she no longer cared. Amelia thought she couldn’t get away with what she had said to Patrick to split them apart. “I thought you were my friend. How could you do that to me?”
Still hanging onto Jacob with all her might, Emma didn’t know what Amelia was taking about. She had talked to both of the men in Amelia’s life but didn’t think that those conversations would have thrown Amelia over the edge as she appeared to be at the moment. She thought she did nothing wrong and wasn’t ready to apologize. Amelia must have been talking about something else. “I don’t know what you mean,” she spoke between sobs.
Amelia stood with one hand on her hip and the other hand holding onto her forehead. She didn’t have time to play these games with Emma. “You know exactly what you’ve done,” she screamed in rage.
“Stop it now, Amelia,” Jacob demanded. He wished that there was someone else around that could grab the girl and take her away from them. He thought for sure she would attack Emma again. “You two are best friends. What is this all about?”
Amelia laughed. True, they used to be best friends. They used to be closer than sisters but that all changed when Emma accepted Amelia’s marriage to Thomas. They hadn’t been close in weeks. “Oh no,” she corrected him, “She isn’t a friend of mine, not now, never.”
Emma cried even harder. Her heart was broke by Amelia’s harsh words. If she was referring to the talks that Emma had with the two men, didn’t Amelia know that she only did it for her sake and protection? To have a quarrel was one thing but to hear Amelia say they would never be friends again was more than Emma could tolerate. “Amelia, we are best of friends. Why are you so upset with me?”
“You tried to come between me and the man I love. How could you?” Amelia asked; hurt herself that her friend could do such a thing to her.
Jacob thought about how suspicious the conversation that Emma had with Thomas was to him. He didn’t know what they said to each other but knew it had to do with Amelia. Then he was confused because he knew that she didn’t love Thomas. He listened to the two girls argue and then Amelia mentioned someone named Patrick. The stranger, he wondered? Then it made more sense to him; Amelia was in love with this stranger and Emma must have stood in between. “Emma,” he looked at her “What have you said to this Patrick guy?”
Still feeling the sting on her face, she answered. “Nothing wrong, but protect Amelia from him.”
Amelia’s hands were aching to strike Emma again. Protection from Patrick was the last thing she needed. Emma had no right to intervene the way she had done. Then she heard Emma explain to Jacob that she had also told Thomas about what was going on and fear came over her. He would soon hear that their so called engagement was over but the thought of him hearing about Patrick before- hand was enough to make Amelia panic. Who knew what Thomas would do knowing that his fiancée was sneaking around to be with someone else. She no longer cared about Emma’s explanation, though she still wanted it clear that their friendship was over. “I don’t even care anymore, Emma. Keep your distance from me because you and I are no longer friends,” she warned just before taking off. Not only did she have to find her father to warn him that the authorities knew of his treason but she also had to do her best to avoid a run in with Thomas.
Emma could barely stand. Everything she had done for Amelia’s sake had backfired onto her and now Amelia wanted nothing to do with her. She almost fell over but Jacob caught her and held her in his arms. “You told Thomas about all of this?” Emma nodded her throbbing head in agreement and Jacob finished, “Well don’t fret, she’ll get over this and you two will be the best of friends again.”
When Patrick returned home, he realized that he wasn’t alone. As he stepped closer to his home, he knew that his visitor was Major General Downy. Knowing that Amelia had run off to be with Thomas, he had a good mind to keep his mouth shut. However, no matter what she chose to do, he loved Amelia with all of his heart and would risk lying to the Major General to save Henry for her sake. “Major General Downy,” he greeted his visitor, “I’m surprised to see you but am glad you’re here. I need to talk to you.”
Downy couldn’t understand why Buchanan was surprised. He must’ve known that sooner or later he would come to Millersport to investigate the British funding. That wasn’t the only business he set out to do though. That is why he located Buchanan’s house; there was something he needed to speak to him about. “I think you know why I’m in Millersport.”
Patrick was nervous. Downy still intimidated him and to tell him lies made his stomach twist in knots. He decided to just come out and say it, “I’ve made a horrible mistake. I was wrong, there was nobody here funding the Red Coats.”
The Major General chuckled; did Buchanan take him as a fool? Patrick had given him too much information for it all to be a mistake. “On the contrary, Mr. Buchanan; Henry Samuels is the culprit we are looking for.”
“Samuels? I never gave you a last name.”
Again Downy laughed. “Come on, did you think that I wouldn’t look into this myself? His name is Henry Samuels, he has six children, his wife is deceased, and he is the village apothecary. I’m very thorough.”
Patrick lowered his head and took a deep breath. He wanted to avoid an execution for Amelia’s father but he thought it was too late. “Well yes that is Henry Samuels, but I was wrong about him. I over heard him say something about the Indians but that was for his remedies.”
“Bull shit,” Downy snapped. He wondered what had got into Buchanan to have him change his story but didn’t dwell on it. Henry Samuels would pay for his treason, he’d see to that. Shaking his head, he returned his thoughts to why he was there. “Never mind that,” he said. “Can we go inside? There is something I would like to speak to you about.”
Patrick agreed. He wanted no one to see him converse with the Major General because when Henry was caught, he didn’t want people to know he was the one who turned him in. They sat down at the table. “What could you possibly want to talk about?” He quizzed.
“The war,” Downy answered. He could see how devoted the man was to his country and now the country needed him. “I’m asking you to help defend America. Come with me and be a soldier.”
Patrick was speechless. What did he know about fighting in the war? “You want me to join the militia?”
“My thoughts exactly,” the Major General replied.
“But I know nothing about fighting in a war. I’m an apple farmer for goodness sake.”
Downy interrupted him. He knew of what Buchanan did for a living but Madison needed more men. “That is fine, providing you will commit to the cause. Besides, there are many like you, untrained.”
Patrick looked around the room as he thought about what to say. He had been pro war but he had never even considered joining the military. Besides, he continued to think, there was just too much going on right in Millersport. If there was the slightest chance that Amelia would return to him, he would want to be there. He finally answered, “No, I’m very sorry but I can’t help you. I have matters here that I have to
tend to.”
The Major General was sorry to hear the refusal, but he hadn’t given up. He knew what matters Buchanan wanted to tend to, clearing Samuels. The treason culprit would be apprehended and then Buchanan might join the militia. “I think that you might change your mind. I’ll give you some time to think it over but I’ll be back this way soon. You can answer me then.”
Patrick didn’t think that he would change his mind, but he nodded in agreement, anyway. He saw his visitor out and then put his mind back to where it was, on Amelia. He then left his house and set out to find her.
Amelia kept running towards her father’s house to confront him. She didn’t want the thought of Emma’s lies to get in the way of what she had to do. She entered the front door to the house and there was nobody home. Amelia wondered where Anna and her brothers were but knew that her father was at Ruth’s. Maybe they were all there, she thought as she walked through the house searching for someone. Making her way back towards the front door, she paused for a moment at her father’s desk. Perhaps she should leave him a note explaining that she was looking for him. Then she decided against it and left the house still looking for the man who would rid her of her unwanted fiancé.
Amelia ran about a half of a mile before she found herself near Minnie’s house. She intended to just keep going, not having time to chit chat with her sister who hadn’t bothered to visit her for weeks. She passed the house and was several feet away when she heard someone calling her name. It was Minnie. Feeling frustrated to have to stop and be polite, Amelia turned around and greeted her sister.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Minnie wanted to know. She was just about to sit on her front porch and work on a blanket she had been knitting for her soon- to- be nephew or niece when she saw Amelia rush past the house.
Taking a deep breath, Amelia answered, “I’m searching for Father, have you seen him?”
Minnie wasn’t in a hurry to answer her sister. Instead she preferred to sit down and think about the question. She gestured for Amelia to join her and although she didn’t look like she wanted to, Amelia sat beside her. Minnie ignored the question and asked her own. “Why are you looking for him? Isn’t he home?”
“Minnie,” she shrieked more than just a little annoyed. “I need to find him. Do you know where he is?”
“Haven’t seen him,” she replied with her head hung low. Minnie had missed her sister and hadn’t seen her in a while, not even at the social. All she wanted right now was for Amelia to sit and talk. She wondered why everything with Amelia was always more important than anyone’s feelings.
Seeing the way her sister’s face had frowned, Amelia felt bad for disregarding her. Not that she didn’t love her or want to be with her, it was just that she felt everyone was against her and she didn’t stop to think about who was sincere with their friendly conversation and who wasn’t. “I’m sorry,” she stated. “I was just in such a hurry I; well there is no excuse for my behavior.”
Minnie lifted her head to look at Amelia who was still very distracted by something. She wished that her sister would come to her with her problems; she would love to talk to her. Minnie wasn’t sure what to say in fear she would upset the older girl. “I heard that Father gave you Mother’s wedding dress,” she started but then realized that it was a topic related to her wedding.
Amelia surprised Minnie by not being angry by what she had just said. It was, after all, her mother’s dress and she still hoped to wear it when she married Patrick. Thinking back on when he gave her that dress, she remembered what he said about his first true love, Ruth. Amelia wondered if Minnie also knew of his relationship with their Aunt. “Minnie,” she began, “Did you know about our parent’s marriage?”
“Yes,” Minnie answered. She had overheard her father speaking with Ruth once before; talking about how they were separated as lovers. It was a shock to Minnie at the time but since then she had learned to accept that they were once in love and if they were to rekindle that love, it would all be the same to her. She didn’t wish to reveal that to her sister who didn’t seem to be so sympathetic. She heard Amelia asking her how she knew and thought of something to cover up, “Mother told me once.”
Amelia cocked her head to the side. “You were only ten when she passed away. Why would she talk about marriage to someone so young?”
Minnie couldn’t look her sister in the eyes and she bit her bottom lip as she thought of something else to say. “I was a very curious child, you know that,” she continued making things up. “One day I was asking tons of questions and I think she told me that to keep me from asking anymore.”
“Then how did you know it was true,” Amelia quizzed her sister. She thought it was comical the way Minnie was squirming in her seat.
“Oh Amelia,” Minnie shouted. “Does that really matter?”
Amelia supposed that it didn’t. She knew the truth, saw it with her own two eyes. She wanted to see how much her sister knew but it sounded to her she was innocent of the whole situation and Amelia thought that was how she should be. “Anyway, I should get going. It will be dark soon and I want to find Father. I have to tell him something rather important.”
“Does it concern your engagement? You know it upsets Father when you argue with him on the matter.”
Amelia didn’t know what to say. In her mind the engagement was over but knew by telling that to her sister, Minnie would be full of questions. “Indirectly,” she answered.
Minnie looked up at the sky and could tell that it had to be near eight o’clock and it would get dark soon. “Then why don’t you go home?” She more or less told her than asked her. “He is bound to be there sooner or later.”
Her sister had a superb point. She was tiring of running all over the village trying to find him. She was better off going home where she could confront him the minute he arrived. “You are right,” she said and then hugged her sister as she finished, “Good night.”
She stormed off before Minnie could ask her to calm down. The whole time that Amelia sat on her porch she seemed impatient and upset about something. Minnie sat and picked up the blanket she intended to work on and told herself that whatever her sister was huffing and puffing about, it would soon pass.
As Amelia passed the general store she saw two ladies walking in the same direction as her. She had known them well and hadn’t talked to them in quite a while. They noticed her walking behind them and they slowed down for her to catch up. Her conversation with Minnie eased her mind a little, and she was no longer in such an angry mood. Conversing with these ladies would do her some good, she thought to herself. “Hello,” she said to them as she met them in the street. They were being friendly to her even though they had many questions about her marriage to Thomas. Amelia wanted to laugh and tell them that the wedding wouldn’t take place but she knew that they were not the ones who should know first. They would find out in due time. Until then, she humored them and told them whatever they wanted to hear. The sun had set and darkness fell. They were turning onto another road but Amelia still had a good twenty rods to go before she reached her destination.
“Goodness,” one of them remarked. “It’s getting dark already. Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
Amelia smiled. She could see her father’s house in the distance. She saw no reason she couldn’t walk herself home. “Oh of course,” she told them. “I can see the house from here.” Then she continued on and the little old ladies went their own way. Amelia walked only about ten or fifteen feet before she turned to look at the ladies behind her. She was young and full of life but they were up in age and she wondered if perhaps she should have walked them home. She spun back around to continue home when out of nowhere she felt a hand covering her mouth. Amelia tried to scream but someone was blocking the sound. She tried to run but whoever it was who had her mouth, had a hold of her upper body too and she couldn’t get free. “Let me go,” she muffled but there was no answer. She turned to see who it was and then tried to break
away but was unsuccessful. The more she attempted to wiggle free, the tighter the perpetrator squeezed her. It was then she realized that she was in trouble and she tried to scream again but with no avail. The offender dragged her and as much as she tried to dig her feet into the ground to stay put, it was of no use. Before anyone could see what was going on, she was out of sight and in dangers way.
Part Two