Ring of Secrets

by Roseanna M. White

  “Reeves, you say.” Tallmadge looked beyond her and nodded to the soldiers. “Certainly I will grant an audience to the daughter of Colonel Reeves, though I wonder why you seek me rather than him.”

  “Oh, I hope to find him next.” Winter motioned to Bennet. “This is my betrothed, Mr. Bennet Lane of New Haven.”

  “New Haven—Yale, perhaps?” Tallmadge brightened as he smiled at Bennet. “I went there myself.”

  Bennet inclined his head. “I am aware, sir. You were a couple years ahead of me, I believe, but I was acquainted with Nathan Hale, who I understand was a particular friend of yours.”

  “Yes. Yes, he was.” Tallmadge’s voice went quiet. As the other men filed out, he motioned them to a few chairs. “How may I assist you today?”

  Winter checked to make sure the others had all gone and caught Freeman’s fortifying nod as she looked back to Tallmadge. Another deep breath was in order. “I must speak with you about the latest Culper letter, sir.”

  Tallmadge only blinked, though she thought she detected a twitch in his fingers. “I am very sorry, Miss Reeves, but I am unaware of what you reference.”

  Of course he would say so. She leaned forward. “Sir, are you aware that we Reeves are from Oyster Bay, neighbors with the Townsends?”

  Tallmadge’s brows lifted, and his finger twitched again. Then he folded his hands in his lap when he sat, out of her view. “I cannot say as I recall from where your father hails, no. But should your acquaintance with said family have special meaning to me?”

  “You know well it does.” She kept her voice calm, she hoped, though she wanted to shout at him to abandon the pretense. She had had enough of pretense. “What you probably do not know is that I have spent these last two years in the City of the New York with my grandparents, where I was in regular communication with Robbie Townsend. And where I learned of the Culpers.”

  He gave her a tight, empty smile. “And who are the Culpers? Friends of the Townsends?”

  Her eyes slid shut long enough for her heart to cry to the Lord. “Please, Colonel. I know he never mentioned me. He swore he would not, did not, for my protection, but it was I who gave him the news of the paper stolen from the mint in Philadelphia. I who, more recently, let him know that the British were aware of Rochambeau’s arrival in Rhode Island. I who foolishly sent that letter on your desk when Robbie fled to Long Island to avoid General Arnold.”

  Tallmadge folded his arms and blinked. “I apologize, miss, but we seem to be speaking different languages.”

  How exasperating! What must she do, recite verbatim the words she had penned? She hoped not, for with all that had happened since, she could hardly recall the exact words she had used. But otherwise, how could she convince him she was on his side and not merely a spy who had learned too much?

  Bennet made a motion that caught her eyes. His lips hinted at a grin as he splayed both hands over his chest, right hand above his left, moved them out. Then put his palms together and opened them as if they were pages. Interesting book.

  What in the world…? She followed his gaze toward Tallmadge’s desk. Papers abounded, but only one book sat upon it. The code book.

  Father above, send Your whisper. Be my truth and buckler.

  She looked again at the letter. “I pray you have not sent the information in that letter to seven-one-one, Mr. Bolton. For it was fed to me by General Arnold, who recognized my father in me and suspected that I was involved in the Culper Ring. If seven-one-one goes in search of the three-seven-one supposedly captured and taken to the one-nine-two on seven-two-eight, he will be ambushed.”

  Tallmadge cleared his throat and reached for the letter. “Who supposedly captured this three-seven-one?”

  A bit of calm edged out the desperation. “Whaleboaters. You haven’t that in the code, and it isn’t pronounceable in the coded alphabet, but it would be spelled out y-b-e—”

  “All right, all right.” He held up a hand, contemplation thinning his lips. “You obviously know much. The question is, are you an enemy who knows too much or a friend of whom I have been unaware?”

  Running footsteps interrupted before she could form an answer, and Winter spun on her seat as a tall form entered, one with a face more lined, hair more gray, but so blessedly familiar. Father’s eyes went wide. “Freeman? Winter!”

  She flew from her chair and threw herself into his arms, tears tangling with laughter in her throat when he caught her and spun her in a circle as he had done when she was a child. “Father! Oh, how I missed you. I prayed for you every day. Every single day.”

  “And I for you, Winnie girl.” He put her down and framed her face in his hands. His green eyes gleamed, and his smile shone brighter than the sun. “Look at you. All grown up and so beautiful. You are the very image of your mother.”

  “Am I?” Her smile wobbled. “General Arnold thought rather that I looked like you.”

  Sobriety dimmed his eyes. “Is that why you are here? I wanted to think you safe in the city. I told myself you were well cared for with the Hamptons. I tried to write you but received a curt note from your grandfather saying no letters would be shared with you.” He sucked in a breath and shook his head. “I am so sorry I was not there, Winnie, when your mother died. By the time I received word of it, you were already gone.”

  She could only manage a tremulous smile that she prayed had some encouragement in it, and a soft “I know.”

  Tallmadge cleared his throat and stepped out from behind his desk. Bennet and Freeman had risen as well. The colonel motioned toward her. “This obviously is your daughter, then, Reeves? And can you verify that your family is familiar with the Townsends of Oyster Bay?”

  “Acquainted?” Father grinned and tucked her into his side. “Of course we are. My Winnie played with the Townsend girls since they were in their cradles, and young Robert was the one who let her know I was still alive and well while they were both in the city.”

  ’Twas relief, if she weren’t mistaken, that overtook Tallmadge’s eyes. “Well, then. I am sorry to have doubted your word, Miss Reeves.”

  “You need not apologize, sir. ’Tis a wise man who doubts such things.”

  Father cocked a brow. “I have missed something.”

  “Nothing to worry about, Hez.” Freeman stepped forward, his smile bright and sure. “Just news we brought with us from New York.”

  Father released her to clap his friend in an embrace. Winter smiled over it, but more so over the fact that Tallmadge slid over to his desk, picked up her letter, and ripped it in two. Then he ripped it again and again, until it was nothing but shreds. Once finished, he held up the paper he had been writing upon when they came in and repeated the process—presumably his letter to Washington.

  Praise the Lord, they had not been too late. She motioned Bennet to join her and gripped his hand, resting her forehead against his arm. Not too late.

  Father laughed at something and then said, “Thank you, Free, for watching over our girl.”

  “No thanks needed, as you well know. Though this young man here would like to take over the task.”

  “What?” Perhaps he hadn’t even noticed Bennet’s presence, for Father looked startled when he noted him by Winter’s side. “And who is this?”

  Winter tugged him forward a step. “Father, this is Bennet Lane. Originally of Manhattan, though he is now a professor at Yale. We plan to marry.”

  When Father straightened, his eyes glinting steel, she feared for a moment that Bennet would shrink. Perhaps if it had been her mother he would have—terrifying as females apparently were. But now he squared his shoulders and bowed his head in respect. “With your permission, of course, Colonel Reeves.”

  “My permission.” Father folded his arms over his chest. “Are you a God-fearing man, Mr. Lane?”

  Bennet smiled, at peace. “I am, sir.”

  “And a Patriot?”

  The smile turned to a grin. “Much to my family’s dismay.”

  The steel soften
ed a bit. “You love my daughter?”

  Bennet looked down at her and held her hand the tighter. “With all my being.”

  “Hmm.” Father’s lips began to twitch. He glanced at Freeman. “You obviously have Free’s blessing, otherwise he would not have brought you here. And my Winnie’s heart—which is good enough for me.”

  He held out a hand, and Bennet released hers so he might shake it. Father grinned. “A professor, you say? Of what?”

  “Philosophy and chemistry, sir.”

  As she had known they would, Father’s eyes lit up. “Chemistry? Have you ever read any of the papers by a Frenchman named Lavoisier?”

  Oh, dear. Words to guarantee a long, animated conversation. Winter slid over to Freeman as she smiled at them. “They will be fast friends.”

  He chuckled and rested a hand on her shoulder. “That they will. And it’s glad I am to be back where we belong. But I believe Colonel Tallmadge would like another word with you, Winter.”

  “Oh.” She turned and saw that Tallmadge made a motion with his head. She moved over to where he stood by his desk, removed from the reunion. “Colonel?”

  He held her gaze, measuring her not as he should the daughter of a fellow officer, but as he might a colleague. “You are really the one who provided Townsend with that information?”

  “That which I mentioned, yes, and smaller details besides, though of course he had other sources.”

  He glanced beyond her. “Your Mr. Lane?”

  “Nay.” She looked his way too and smiled at the way he gestured as he spoke, completely at home in the conversation with her father. “But he is the one who realized I had been found out. His brother is in the British army and let slip their plot to undermine us. Bennet was determined not to let it happen, so he came on his own to the city to seek us out and prevent it.”

  Tallmadge’s eyes went hard. “And he found you?”

  “By the grace of God.”

  He sighed as he clasped his hands behind his back. “Praise the Lord for that, then. Dare I guess you are not returning to the City of New York?”

  The very thought made her shudder. “’Tisn’t possible, thanks to Benedict Arnold.”

  “And Townsend and Woodhull refuse to put quill to paper.” The colonel shook his head. “I fear the Culpers may have run their course. Yet we owe so much to them. To you.”

  She drew in a long breath and slowly let it out. Praise had certainly never been a part of why she did what she did, but it was nevertheless a blessing to be thanked. “It was our honor, sir. The Lord did not put us in a position to help so that we might shy away from it.”

  “If only everyone thought that way.” He held out a hand. Not palm up, as a gentleman usually did when seeking to greet a lady, but sideways, as if to shake the hand of an equal.

  Forcing a swallow, Winter put hers against his and tamped down a smile at the strangeness of it when he clasped her hand and then shook it firmly. “I am glad I was able to meet you, sir.”

  “And I you, Miss Reeves.”

  “Winnie!” Father waved her over, and she nodded again to Tallmadge before rejoining her family.

  “Father?”

  He put an arm around her, and the other around Bennet as he led them out into the brilliant sunshine. “Come. We have a wedding to plan.”

  Epilogue

  The City of Washington

  1811, 31 years later

  Ben put a hand on the small of Winter’s back and guided her into the office, looking around with interest. It was his first time in their nation’s capital, certainly his first time visiting the domain of a congressman. From what he could tell, the city was little more than a town, rather eclipsed by nearby Baltimore. But they had enjoyed strolling past the White House, and Winter had even exchanged a few words with the First Lady.

  She drew in a deep breath now and glanced over her shoulder at him. He nodded and approached the desk of the secretary. “Excuse me, sir.”

  The man looked up with a distracted smile. “May I help you?”

  “Could you please see if the congressman has time for a brief audience? We are Mr. and Mrs. Lane, formerly of New Haven.”

  “Ah.” The man’s smile brightened in sincerity. He stood. “The congressman is always happy to speak with his constituents. One moment, please.”

  While the secretary slipped through another door, Winter tucked her hand into its place in the crook of Ben’s elbow. “I can hardly believe it has been five years since we have last seen him.”

  “I know. We need to plan another trip home to Connecticut soon. Before…”

  She nodded and rubbed a hand over the soft fabric of his new greatcoat’s sleeve, the only indication she gave of her anxiousness.

  The door to the inner office opened again, and the secretary smiled and waved them in.

  Benjamin Tallmadge stood to greet them, his smile large and bright. “The Lanes! What a pleasant surprise. I had hoped to make my way to Annapolis at some point, but it seems there is never enough time. And since you are no longer within forty miles of me in Connecticut…”

  Ben grinned and held out a hand to be shaken. “We are as guilty as you, never making the trip here. I blame it on how busy they keep me at the college. How have you been, Ben?”

  “Quite well, Ben.”

  Winter rolled her eyes at the long-standing joke, though she grinned. “Will you two never tire of that?”

  Tallmadge laughed and motioned them into plush chairs. “Please, have a seat, Winnie. How are the children?”

  “As undauntable as ever.” Her emerald eyes gleamed as she sat. “Philly is bound and determined to achieve the same education at her home that she was denied through a college—an ambition her husband supports, thankfully. Amelia and Jacob are in raptures over their twins.”

  Tallmadge grinned and perched on the edge of his desk. “And Thad? Is he still based in Baltimore and getting his fill of adventure on the high seas?”

  Ben cleared his throat. “That is why we are here, indirectly.”

  His tone must have spoken far more than his words, for Tallmadge straightened again, concern lining his mouth. “Tell me he has not been impressed by the British.”

  “No, praise the Lord. But the tales he tells us when he comes home…” Ben sighed and shook his head. “We are headed to war again, Tallmadge. I trust you realize that. The British have never accepted our independence.”

  Tallmadge echoed his sigh and pinched at the bridge of his nose. “I would be a fool not to know it. Though there are fools aplenty in this city who refuse to acknowledge its coming.”

  Winter scooted to the edge of her chair. “Do you also know that they never ceased in their intelligence gathering? While we have all focused on growing our country and establishing a government, they have been perfecting what we abandoned.”

  For a moment, the congressman was silent. He just stood there, toying with a button. “I have suspected as much. Have, in fact, urged the president to dedicate more funds and manpower to establishing an organization to gather intelligence. But no one listens.”

  “They don’t have to. Not if you will.” Winter looked at Ben and gave him a worried smile.

  He put encouragement into the one he returned. So long they had talked of this eventuality. They had even tried to speak with Townsend about it, but the man never wanted to be reminded of those days in New York, and he refused to speak of the business except to say that Washington had never given him a bit of the acknowledgment he had been promised. No position in the government. No thanks.

  Ben suspected it was more than that. More that he had never quite resigned himself to losing Winter and so shunned any reminder of the days when he worked with her. But that was supposition.

  This was fact. He faced Tallmadge again and drew in a deep breath. “We think it is time for the Culpers to get to work again.”

  Tallmadge looked first at Winter, undoubtedly noting that she was still so beautiful, still so sure of what she must do
. Then to him. Would he think of all the talks they had had over the years in Connecticut on everything from science to politics to banking? Conversations that may have never brought up the old business, but which had proven him of sound mind. Of solid loyalty. Of dutiful determination.

  The congressman leaned against his desk once more, arms folded and eyes shrewd. A smile tugged up half his mouth. “What exactly do you propose?

  Discussion Questions

  1. In a time when intelligence work was considered filthy as well as dangerous, Winter risked working with the Culper Ring out of obedience to the Lord and to help her father’s cause. Has the Lord or your family ever asked you to do something dangerous or questionable?

  2. One of the primary themes in Ring of Secrets is truth—man’s version versus God’s version. How do you see these playing out in the book, and what are your thoughts on “truth” and truth? Are there ever times when we must hide something from others in order to obey the Lord?

  3. Who is your favorite character and why?

  4. Bennet and his brother have a complicated relationship—loving but not always friendly. How would you react to a brother like Archie? How do you feel about how Ben treats him?

  5. When Winter meets Viney in the ironically named Holy Ground, she comes to a realization about innocence. What are your thoughts on this?

  6. Do you feel Winter behaves fairly regarding Colonel Fairchild? What would you have done the same or differently?

  7. In a society where appearance is very important and style very extravagant, both Winter and Bennet have a fondness for simplicity that sets them apart. What similarities do you see between society in 1780 and society today? Where do you fall in the spectrum and why?

  8. As George Knight observes, many Americans during the Revolution based their loyalties not on what cause they believed in, but on which side they believed would be victorious. What do you think you would have done if you were alive at the time? Would you risk your life or livelihood for a cause that seemed destined for failure?