I said stiffly, "And suppose I can't get the plans tonight?"
Garth dug into his pocket for a small twist of paper, which he tossed into my lap. "Here's a powder. He'll sleep like a baby and awake feeling rested and refreshed. Of course he'll have your skills in bed to thank for that. And the wine you'll drink together before you—sleep. If he suspects anything, Elise, you'll be to blame. So use all your wiles, lady, as an actress and a whore."
My breast heaved. I bowed my head and bit my tongue to keep from lashing out at him again. I believed him. I believed that he really would kill Joseph if I failed him in this.
"And—and when it's all over?" I asked. "What will become of me then?"
"I don't give a damn what you do then, Elise. You can go where you please, with whom you please."
He stood. I looked up at him. His blue eyes shone brightly through the thickening dusk. He was handsomer than ever, bronzed like a classical Adonis, with his fair hair flowing away from his forehead like strands of golden thread. He wore tightly-fitted breeches and knee-high boots, and his billowing white shirt was open to the waist. His sleeves were rolled up above the elbows, and his forearms were smooth and muscular. Even though I loathed and despised him, he still had the power to make me tremble.
I dropped my eyes. He was too awful, too god-like. He had passed judgment on me without knowing any of the facts. He was headstrong. He was stubborn, arrogant, arbitrary, and—impossible! And he held Joseph's life in his hands.
"I have no choice, it seems," I said dully.
He grunted. "Don't make it sound so distasteful, Elise. I'm not asking you to do anything that goes against your character. I'll be here tomorrow morning at eleven. Don't be late. And don't try any tricks. If Ross takes me prisoner or kills me, Joseph will die anyway. Just do your job. I am primarily interested in their plans for the Delta region and New Orleans. If you're running short of time and have too much information to take down, concentrate on that. If there are maps, note down key points and place names, and if you don't understand certain designations just sketch them down and I'll figure them out later. If you don't let your lovemaking get out of hand you should have plenty of time. Ross gets up at six. But you know that."
I hadn't known it, but it was pointless to argue with him. I nodded wearily. -
He studied me for a moment. "Whoring is ruining your looks, Elise. You're too pale and thin. I know it's a strenuous life, but—"
"Elise, where are you?" Ross's voice came from the garden.
I scrambled to my feet. "Here I am, Robert." I walked quickly to meet him at the end of the path. Garth melted into the shadows, but I could feel him there, listening to every word we said. "Oh, I'm so silly, Robert," I said, taking his arm, "I thought I would explore the woods a little and I got lost! I walked in circles, around and around, and I might have been walking still if you hadn't called to me."
"Poor darling, you've soiled your gown." We started back towards the house.
"I know," I said disgustedly. "I tripped over a root and I shall have to change. Is Admiral Cochrane staying to dinner?"
"No, thank God. What an infernal bore that man is."
"You only think so because he is a sailor and you are a confirmed landlubber," I said lightly. "I don't know how you two manage to communicate at all."
We went into the house. I went upstairs to my room to change for dinner. The shock of meeting Garth again made me shake so violently that I had to sit down. I was strongly tempted to give way to tears, but I stopped myself. He wasn't worth it, and besides, I was supposed to seduce a man that night and I didn't want to spoil my looks.
I tore off my dress and slipped on a flimsy peignoir. Then I sat at my dressing table and ran a brush through my hair. I looked at myself critically as I began the age-old woman's ritual of making myself beautiful for my lover. Yes, the torments I had endured had stripped away some of my youthful glow and exuberance, but as for losing my looks—no, Garth was wrong about that. A few more weeks of good food and rest and I would be as beautiful as ever. I liked the new maturity in my face. But I would have to get the bitter sadness out of my smile, and the glimmer of fear out of my eyes. I smiled coyly at the reflection in the mirror, and suddenly my vision was fogged by tears.
I hated this stupid charade! And Garth must hate me to make me do it. He really believed I was capable of prostitution and murder. What was I doing, letting him use me like this? How could I demean myself like this?
I heard a soft knock on the door. I mopped my eyes and splashed my temples and neck with eau de cologne. "Come in, please," I called.
General Ross poked his head in. "Are you ready—? Oh, forgive me, Elise. I thought you would have finished dressing by now." He started to leave.
"Don't go, Robert," I said quickly. "Please, come in and close the door."
He obeyed and sat down on a chair not far from the dressing table. I smiled at him. "I've been rather silly," I confessed with a wan smile. "I started to dress, and then I began to think about many things, and some of them made me sad. I even started to cry! Now my face is ruined and my appetite is gone, and I must beg your forgiveness. I cannot dine with you tonight."
"Forgiveness?" At once his face was filled with concern. He stood next to me. "Oh, no, Elise, please don't apologize. Tell me what has made you unhappy. Is it something I've done?"
"Oh, no, Robert," I cried, "of course not! You have been so good and kind to me. I'm just being childish. I wanted to tell you first that I have decided to go back to England with you. I would be honored to accompany you."
"But that's wonderful!" His face creased into a smile. "I hinted to Cochrane that you might be traveling with us. He was delighted."
"Oh, Robert, he wasn't. I don't believe you."
"He was," Ross insisted. "Said you were a damned pretty wench, or some such thing. But he did hint that I was a trifle old for you." I laughed. "It's good to hear you laugh, Elise. But surely the thought of coming to England with me didn't make you sad. What else, my dear?" He knelt in front of me and held my hands.
"I don't have any suitable clothing. England is very cold, even in the summer."
"I'll buy you a boatload of dresses before we go. What else?"
"I thought I had lost all my beauty."
"Lost it!" he cried. "Great Heavens, girl, you're the most beautiful woman I've seen on three continents. No, I take that back. Five. Five continents!"
"But you didn't know me before—before—" I faltered.
"Nonsense! I know you now, don't I? Believe me, Elise, a soldier's eye can be trusted in these matters."
"You're not too jaded, then?" I teased.
"Certainly not. But is there anything else? Come now, out with it. I'm getting hungry."
I touched his face with my fingertips and said softly, "Yes, there was one more thing. I was thinking about how difficult it would be to seduce you."
He sat back on his heels. His mouth hung open. "Well, I'm damned," he said at last.
I toyed with a few objects on my dressing table. "Do you think I'm terrible? I suppose I am, talking like that. But I felt lonely and sad. And I did rather hate the idea of forcing myself on you."
Suddenly his arms were around me and he was kissing me passionately, saying my name over and over again between kisses. "Silly, silly darling," he murmured warmly.
I managed to endure his embrace without flinching. I had been so downtrodden, so badly used for so long that I wanted no part of men and their lovemaking. What Lafitte had cured long ago had been fear, terror of what men like Josiah Fowler could do to me. But I felt no fear now, only a dead coldness, anger, and revulsion. Brutes like Jake and Edward Hennessy had finally succeeded in killing the part of me that desired a man's caresses, a man's warmth. But Joseph's life might depend on the success of my deception, and I thanked God that I was experienced enough in genuine enjoyment that I would have no trouble feigning pleasure I did not feel.
"You're not angry with me?" I asked slyly.
I began to unbutton his uniform jacket. I saw the small key dangling from the watch chain, right where Garth had said it would be.
"Well, Monsieur," I said with a plaintive little sigh, "you know what they say about French girls. We are very brazen. Do you need help with your boots?"
"I do indeed, little witch."
His rough soldier's hands traveled over my naked body. I sighed ecstatically and wriggled around the way any normal woman would have under the circumstances. I gave a thousand times more pleasure than I got, but I did not care. He never suspected that inwardly I was seething and managing only with the most stupendous force of will not to scream out my disgust and throw him out of bed.
We dozed briefly, then had our supper in my room. When we had dined and drunk our fill of wine we made love again. Before we slept I told Robert that I wanted to toast him with champagne, and so he had a bottle chilled and brought up to us. We toasted each other lovingly. I watched him drain his glass of wine and sleeping powder, then I drained mine and refilled them both. Later I blew out the candles and lay beside him. He groaned happily and gathered me into his arms. Soon he drifted into a sound sleep.
He did not stir when I squirmed out of his grasp and fumbled around in the darkness for the key that I had seen on the chain. I slipped out of the room and went downstairs to the library. I knew where the dispatch case was; I had been with him on two occasions when he had opened it. He kept it in the bottom drawer of the desk, and the drawer had no lock.
I moved as quietly as I could, for Ross's batman, Perkins, slept on the first floor in a room off the kitchens. Creeping soundlessly through hallways and rooms in a house with which I was still unfamiliar, I finally reached the library. I went to the desk and felt the inside of the drawer. It was empty. I sat frozen with despair on the floor in front of the desk and pondered what to do next. The house seemed alive with creaking sounds and noises that sounded like footsteps. I forced myself to keep calm, to think about where the case might be. Had Cochrane taken it with him? No, that wasn't sensible. It was Ross's case. No one else would use it.
Perhaps he kept it in a different place at night. In his bedroom, in his trunk or chest of drawers. I crept upstairs again and went into the bedroom across the hall from mine. I saw that a small fire had been burning in the grate, and that a few embers were still glowing. I found a candle and lit it from an ember, then methodically searched the room. I found the case at last, on top of the armoire. I set it down on top of a small table near the window and fitted the key into the lock. The lid sprung open and I lifted the documents and papers out slowly so that I would remember how they were placed inside.
I found several messages from an Admiral Bush regarding possible American defenses of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay, an outline of a plan to capture Baltimore signed by F.C.—Forrester Cochrane, several letters from England signed "your loving wife, Ruth," and finally, at the bottom of the case, a fistful of maps, directives, letters and plans, all referring to the invasion of New Orleans and the capture of the Mississippi Delta region.
I made one more foray into the library for pen, ink, paper and more candles. Then I began to copy all the information about the Delta operation. One sentence in particular caught my eye: "If possible communicate with smuggler Jean Lafitte. Good potential ally." Potential ally! They didn't know Jean Lafitte as I did, I thought. He would never join forces with the British to conquer New Orleans, never.
Much of the material seemed meaningless to me and perhaps even trivial, such as names of ships and the numbers of guns they carried, but I copied it anyway. The hours slipped away. I worked feverishly until I heard the clock in the room below striking five. Then I returned the papers to their box and restored the case to its rightful place on top of the armoire. I took my pen and ink back to the library and finally tiptoed back to my room. Robert Ross was snoring softly. After I concealed my copies behind the washstand, I slid into bed beside him and lay waiting for the dawn.
I was still awake at six o'clock when Ross moaned and sat up. "God, I haven't slept so well in years. You have remarkable powers, Elise."
"Who is Ruth?" I asked him.
He stared dumbly. "Where did you hear about Ruth?"
"You said her name in your sleep," I said smoothly.
"Did I? Hmm. Ruth is my wife, Elise. I meant to tell you about her—sometime."
"Is she still alive?"
"Oh, yes. This won't change anything, Elise. It can't. Well, I have to go now. I'm reviewing the troops at eight o'clock. I should be home at eleven." He climbed out of bed and started to pull on his clothes. "We can talk then."
And Garth had been certain that Ross would be gone at eleven. "But I thought—" I sat up and raked my fingers through my hair.
"What, darling?"
"Oh, I thought you—you never told me you had a wife, Robert," I said.
He seemed embarrassed. "I know I didn't. I suppose I should have said something. I'm very sorry, Elise. I love Ruth, after a fashion, but I'm in love with you. Please try to believe that. You—you aren't sorry about last night, are you?"
We looked at each other. I felt nothing for him. Not even gratitude. I forced myself to smile. "No, I have no regrets, Robert. Come and kiss me before you go."
He leaned over the bed and I kissed him tenderly. "You won't let this change your mind," he said. "About coming with me? I should have told you. I imagined it wouldn't have mattered—to a girl like you."
I was stung. "I don't know," I said honestly. "It wouldn't be fair to her, to your wife, if I came with you. I'll have to think about it."
He smiled humorlessly, kissed me again, and left the room. I heard him cross the hall to his own room and I hoped fervently that everything was as he would expect to find it.
I couldn't go with him. I didn't want any part of his "love" or his lovemaking. Love brought pain, and I had had enough pain to last me a lifetime. I had to find Joseph, had to go to Parson Hedley in Philadelphia. He would help me return to France, I was sure of it.
I washed and dressed myself, and after the maidservant had brought my breakfast I stuffed my dresses and lingerie and the gifts Ross had given me into a carpetbag. I was sorely tempted to leave them all behind, but I told myself that this was not the time to be proud if I didn't want to wear rags. I took everything, and the things that didn't fit in the satchel I threw into a large square shawl that I knotted into a bundle. I fastened the packet of plans under my bodice and arranged a ruffled fichu over my bosom to hide the lumps. At ten o'clock I left the house by the side door. I took my things to the woods and hid them behind some rocks.
I had left a note on General Ross's bed, expressing my thanks for his kindness and wishing him well. I thought ruefully that my career as a camp follower had been a remarkably short one.
Chapter 17
Patriot's Navy
I waited anxiously for Garth to appear. He had promised to meet me at eleven o'clock, and Ross expected to be home by eleven. When he found me gone and read my note he might search for me, perhaps even call out his soldiers. Garth might be captured as well, and I would never find Joseph, never see France again. I stood on the spot where Garth and I had argued the previous evening. I felt tense and nervous. I had to tell him that he would have to take me with him. He would refuse and we would argue, and I hated arguing with him because he always bested me. And this was one argument I had to win.
Suddenly he was beside me. I jumped. "Where did you come from?"
He grinned boyishly. "I spent half my boyhood practicing to be an Indian. I never dreamed that my skills might come in handy, but then well-learned skills usually do. I hope your skills served you well last night? May I see the papers?"
"You're very sure of yourself, aren't you?" I said coldly. "Unfortunately your information was wrong about one thing: General Ross expects to be back here by eleven. You said
he would be gone."
He shrugged. "So? Hand over the papers and you can run home to your lover."
"He's not my lover and I'm not going back to him," I said. "I'm going with you. I want to see for myself that Joseph is all right."
He looked grim. "No. Joseph is in good health and he will remain that way, unless you continue to play your little game and waste my valuable time. Is this a trick to get me captured?"
"Of course not. I've written Ross a note, telling him that I've left him for good," I said. "But he might look for me. Oh, God, there he is now."
We heard a door slam. "Elise! Elise, where are you?"
"Goddamn you, Elise," Garth muttered. "Give me the papers, now."
"Damn yourself," I said boldly. I knew I had the upper hand. "You'll have the papers when I see Joseph. Not before."
Steps crunched on the gravel path. Garth put his hand on my shoulder and shoved me down behind a thicket. Ross called again plaintively, "Elise, come back, I—I want you," he added in a forlorn voice. We heard his steps turn again towards the house.
"Damn you," said Garth through his teeth. "Come on, let's get out of here."
I retrieved my possessions and followed him through the woods. A fine black horse was grazing deep in a grove.
I climbed into the saddle without Garth's assistance, even though the horse was so tall that I could hardly lift my leg high enough to reach the stirrup. Garth handed up my carpetbag and bundle and mounted behind me. As he put his arms around me to catch the reins I could feel from the tension in his forearms that he was stiff with fury. I didn't care. I had won this small skirmish and I felt jubilant and rather proud of myself.
We crossed the Potomac River at a place called Little Falls and then rode south. We traveled for hours without speaking a word. Once or twice I felt myself dozing off. My head dropped back on his chest and I would jerk it up and pinch myself to stay awake. It was nearly dark by the time we reached our destination, a little cottage near the mouth of the river. The area was thick with tall grass and a few scrubby pines. A good-sized boat lay beached on the riverbank above the tide line.
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