by Lora Thomas
Peggy glowered. “The major will hear of this,” she hissed and left.
Sarah looked at the note, then around the home. She went to the kitchen, grabbed her cloak and headed towards Joseph’s.
When she arrived, she yelled, “Joseph!”
He emerged from the stables. “Sarah!” he said with surprised delight. “You’re home early or did you decide to surprise me with noontime entertainment?” His eyes scanned her body as a lascivious grin crossed his face.
“I have a message from Anna,” she said, walking past him into the stables.
“So?”
“She rode out with the major this morning to go to the encampment near Old Town. She must have found out something vital in order for her to write me,” Sarah responded as she shook the letter.
“Well, don’t just stand there flapping your jaws, woman. Open it up!” Joseph said as he entered the stables.
Sarah tore into the letter. Her eyes gave away her confusion. “It makes no sense. She’s just rambling on about her bonnet and Mr. Christopher.”
Joseph pulled the note from her hand and read it. “Let’s take this to Chris. Maybe he can figure it out. Austin! Mind the shop.”
Sarah and Joseph rushed to Chris’s store. A note was tacked to the front door stating it was closed due to lack of supplies.
“Damned Brits,” Joseph mumbled. “Keeping all supplies in port until they can be inspected and the officers’ take their choice free of charge. Come on. He must be home.”
Once at Chris’s home, Joseph and Sarah made their way to the back and slipped inside. They entered the study only to find Chris was on the coucdivanh—asleep.
Joseph took his booted foot and kicked Christopher’s feet that were propped on the arm of the sofa. Chris bolted upright and had a pistol cocked and ready to fire before his feet touched the floor.
“Damn it, Joseph. You should know better than to disturb a man while he is napping,” Christopher complained, uncocking his weapon.
“And you should not be napping.”
Sarah ignored the men and sat down beside Christopher. She thrust the note in his face.
“What’s this?” Chris asked as he pulled the note far enough from his eyes for him to see.
“It’s a note I received from Anna today. She is at Old Town with Stevenson.”
Chris looked at Sarah and began reading the note. He read it three times before he caught the meaning of her message with the strange wording and capitalizations as it read:
my dearest sarah, Please Inform Mr. Christopher
That the bonnet He had taken LIBERTY to order
he Needs To help me Retrieve from the roof of that
shed at the park, i Cam about it. i Found it This
Morning. Please Do not order another one. since
all supplies Come are inspected At Once by the
Army, I fear that Three Hundred days is too long
to wait for one. i hope this letter reaches you by
Tomorrow’s DEADline before your Order is Given.
your friend, anna. p.s. please Watch out For the Tall
Tree Next To your Tent, for it looks weak.
“Damn it!”
“What?!” Joseph and Sarah asked together.
“Cameron has been captured. He is being held prisoner there with over three hundred soldiers present.”
Sarah snatched the message from his hands. “How did you gather that from a message about a bonnet?”
“It was simple,” Chris said.
“Oh.” Her eyes scanned the note. Her tone was derogatory as she spoke, “Not once does she mention any of those things. It’s just terribly written. And she used capital letters in the oddest places, too.”
“That’s the message. She is sending it as her alias of Liberty. If you read only the capital words, it reads, “Please inform Mr. Christopher that he needs to retrieve Cam. Found this morning. Please do come at once. Army of three hundred. Tomorrow deadline, order given. Watch for Tall Tree next to Tent’. Which I took as meaning that—Cameron has been captured and will hang tomorrow. There are three hundred soldiers in the camp and that Cameron is being held in a prison of tree pikes.”
“Clever woman,” Joseph whispered as he pulled the note out of Sarah’s hand.
“Gather the men. We leave at dusk to retrieve my brother.”
“I’m coming, too,” Sarah said.
“No, you must return to your home,” Chris said. “If you are found missing, all eyes would then turn to Anna. Keep watch, stay close and inform us of any information that is needed.”
“But—”
Joseph pulled Sarah to him, interrupting her protests. He kissed her deeply.
“Stay here and stay safe, my love.”
Sarah placed her hand to her chest as she watched the men leave. A feeling of hopelessness invaded her. What would she do if anything happened to Joseph? Her hand unintentionally traveled to her abdomen. She loved him and his child she was carrying. As she walked out the door, her world began to spin. He had to stay safe. But moreover she had to keep up her ruse or all their lives would be in jeopardy. As she made her way back to Anna’s house, she prayed that God would watch over all her new friends.
Chapter Fifteen
Christopher, Joseph, Duke, three other men, and two prostitutes made their way around the encampment. A female giggle caused Duke to smile. Nothing like several busty barmaids to keep lonely soldiers preoccupied. The amount of money Chris had promised him for supplying whores to the British this evening was substantial, but Duke would have arranged to have it done for free. Cameron was his friend, and if having his girls work for free to acquire Cameron’s freedom was the price he had to pay, so be it.
“Do you think your girls can keep all those men occupied until we release Cameron?” Joseph asked.
“There are over thirty girls in that encampment. Many are willing to take on two men at a time. I would be more concerned that there are not enough men.”
Chris shook his head. “Answer the question, Duke.”
“They will do their job. And for those who do not partake in their free gifts, the special brew will take care of them.” A twinkle entered Duke’s eyes.
The girls had arrived an hour earlier and informed the British that they were a gift from the king for all their hard work and loyalty. The king also arranged to have several cases of his special brew whiskey delivered to the pride of England. But what they weren’t told was that the special brew whiskey was well laced with laudanum, although “well laced” was an understatement. They just poured whatever amount they wanted into each bottle of liquor. It wouldn’t surprise Duke if some of the men never woke up.
“Where did you find that many women? You only have what ten, eleven working at your place?” Joseph asked.
“I have twelve. But I called in a few favors with the other tavern owners. Only five here are mine. I borrowed three or four from each place. Didn’t want to draw suspicion to my place, so I had to leave enough girls there to entertain the patrons this evening while we are here.”
“Daphne, Opal,” Chris said as his eyes latched onto the guards by the spiked prison. “Do your thing.”
The buxom doxies nodded and emerged from their hiding spots. Dropping their cloaks, the women approached the two men taking watch—completely naked.
“Are you certain this will work?” Chris asked with worry in his voice.
“Relax, my friend. Daphne and Opal are two of my best. Those guards will have their eyes rolled to the back of their head in no time.”
“You, sir, are very crude with your words,” Chris scolded.
Duke smacked Chris on the back. “Aren’t ya glad ya know me?”
“But they’re out in the open.”
“So? Haven’t ya ever had a good poke in the woods?” Duke gave a toothy grin. “Looky there, the guards are gone. Told ya those two are my best. Let’s hurry before those Brits’ cannons explode before the girls are finished.”
> “But they just left,” Chris said.
“Yeah. But if ya had been around nothing but men for the past two months an then suddenly two naked, very large-breasted, extremely attractive women approached you, how long could you hold off? They’re probably so backed up, I’m amazed they didn’t shoot our eyes out before Daphne and Opal made it to ‘em.”
“Just shut up,” Christopher said.
The men made their way out of the woods and kept to the shadows. As they approached the makeshift prison, a man emerged from the Captain’s tent.
“Damn,” Chris said. He looked to Joseph. “You’re on.”
Joseph stood up straight and adjusted his borrowed uniform. The feel of the Redcoat uniform on his flesh made his skin crawl as if covered in biting insects. Earlier this evening when they were approaching the campsite, a lone guard spotted them. Duke quickly disposed of the man and removed his clothing. The only one of the group of five men that the uniform would fit just happened to be Joseph.
Joseph quickly took his position beside the prison door. The Captain looked his way and then turned. A relieved breath escaped Joseph. He watched the captain place a bottle of the special whiskey to his lips and take a drink. The captain turned and walked back into his tent.
“He’s gone,” Joseph said, keeping his present position.
Duke made his way behind Joseph. “Stand in front of the door to block me from others.”
Joseph did as instructed. Duke quickly picked the lock to the door. He eased the door opened and motioned for the others to follow him. The sight of Cameron caused a gasp to escape the men.
Curled in a fetal position in the center of the prison was a naked Cameron. The moonlight shown through the opening, and Duke noticed Cameron’s body was covered in several deep lacerations and concluded that his clothing was apparently cut from his body. There were several wounds running the length of his back and legs. Cameron’s body was bruised and bloodied. They would not know the extent of his injuries until he was home.
Chris striped out of his coat and covered his brother’s body. Cameron did not move—didn’t make a sound—causing Chris to worry that this might be the last time he ever saw his brother alive.
“Let’s get him out of here,” Chris commanded.
“Put yer coat on him,” Duke said.
“He’s in no shap—”
“Unless you want me to pack him out of here bare-assed naked, put your blasted coat on him. We have to hurry. I’ll toss him over my shoulder.”
“His injuries are too grave for such treatment.”
“They’ll be worse if we’re caught. Now quit arguing with me, and do as I say,” Duke gruffly ordered.
Chris knew the burly barkeep was right. He did as ordered and watched as Duke hefted Cameron over his shoulder like a barrel.
“Is it clear, Joseph?”
“Yes.”
The men slipped out of the encampment with their injured friend. Once at a safe distance away, Joseph stripped out of his disguise and placed the white knee breeches on Cameron.
Cameron’s weight was distributed between the men as they packed him to the whiskey wagon. Once in the wagon, they covered him with several blankets and then straw. The group made their way undetected to the outskirts of Wilmington. There, they placed Cameron in a small dinghy, and he was smuggled to the lower levels of The Dragon’s Lair.
A fury like no other entered Christopher as he viewed his brother’s injuries. Cameron had been severely beaten. Any other injuries were hidden by the dried blood covering his body.
Duke rushed in with several buckets of warm water. The men cleaned their friend’s wounds as best as they could. Once the dried blood was removed, the extent of Cameron’s injuries could be evaluated. He had a gunshot wound to his left shoulder, several cuts on his back and legs, the soles of his feet were cut and full of splinters. His eyes were blackened and swollen. The twisted angle of his nose told the men it was broken.
Duke grabbed Cameron’s nose and twisted. The sound of the bone being set turned Chris’s stomach. He looked at Duke.
“At least he wasn’t awake when I set it,” Duke said. Duke turned to Joseph. “Better go get yer woman and see if she can patch him up.”
Joseph nodded and left. He returned shortly with Sarah. The sight of Cameron caused her to gasp with horror. Her hand traveled to her mouth. When she looked at Christopher, the hairs on the back of her neck prickled with fear. She had never seen such an ominous expression on another person in her life. Turning back to Cameron, she proceeded to tend his wounds. Throughout the night she worked placing sutures in Cameron’s wounds and removing the splinters from his feet. The bullet wound took the longest to tend. The mud had caked and dried, forming a sticky paste on his shoulder. Yellow pus was coming from the opening. Sarah cleaned the wound and expelled the discharge. Once the arm was cleaned, it began to profusely bleed again.
Spying the whiskey Duke was downing, she snatched the bottle from his hand.
“Hey!” the barkeep protested.
She ignored his complaint and poured the remainder of the liquor on the wound.
“Hold him,” she instructed as she walked to the fireplace and removed the poker. “I need to stop the bleeding.”
“But he’s out,” Joseph said.
“True. But I have seen men come alive when fire is put to their flesh.”
Duke and Joseph held Cameron’s shoulders while Chris held his legs. Sarah pressed the hot poker into the hole in his shoulder. Cameron’s body protested the pain as he tensed and then began to move.
“Hold him!” she instructed. “I have to get this sealed off.”
The men struggled to hold their thrashing companion as the smell of burning flesh invaded the room, causing one of the other men to vomit. The hissing sound being emitted from the hot iron sounded like snakes fighting. Sarah pulled the poker out of the wound. A swirl of smoke emitted from the cauterized area.
“That should stop the bleeding. When he wakes, give him oil of lilac to help ease the pain. Place some tree moss over the wound.”
“What?” Chris asked.
“My grandmother said tree moss helps tae prevent the wound from producing the yellow discharge. Reduces the risk of gangrene. Place the moss on his arm and keep his wounds clean. If a fever should set in, bathe him in cool water. Don’t allow him tae remove the moss. It will itch like the devil, but he must keep it on. Now I must go. ‘Tis time for me tae report tae Anna.”
“But you’ve been up all night,” Joseph protested.
“Ah ken. But if ah dae nae report fur work, then ah will be dismissed…again. Ah will let Anna ken Cameron has escaped.”
“How? Isn’t Stevenson’s lover constantly with her?”
“Aye. But I will manage.”
“Remember your brogue, Wife,” Joseph called to Sarah’s departing figure.
“Wife?” Chris asked, turning to Joseph.
“I’ll explain later.”
Sarah left and headed to Anna’s home. As she walked in the back entrance, she could hear Stevenson call Anna’s name. Why couldn’t he have been at the encampment last night? She would have gone to personally hold him down and then poured the entire bottle of laudanum down his throat.
Sarah grabbed a feather duster and headed up the stairs to Anna’s room. As she entered, she was surprised to find Anna still there. Her eyes traveled to Peggy. That lazy bitch was lounging in Anna’s bed as though it belonged to her.
“Mrs. Stevenson? I’m sorry. I thought you were in the study,” Sarah said.
Anna turned from her seat at her dressing table and smiled weakly at Sarah. Sarah could see the pain in her friend’s eyes. Anna’s eyes were red, puffy and brimming with tears. “I don’t feel well today.”
“So sorry to hear that, Mistress. But I must say that I am thrilled that your bonnet has been safely found.”
The meaning of Sarah’s words caused Anna’s eyes to smile. “Indeed. Can you please retrieve it for me, and let
me know if any repairs need to be made.”
“I’ll get it for you, Mistress,” Peggy said and gave a heated look at Sarah.
Peggy pulled the purple bonnet from its box. “It appears no harm has come to it.”
“Hand it to Sarah for her to inspect.” At Peggy’s questioning look, Anna elaborated. “Two eyes are better than one, you know.”
Peggy reluctantly handed Sarah the bonnet.
Sarah smiled hatefully at Peggy and took the tri-fold hat. “It appears that there are several small scuffs and a larger one to the left that are in need of repair. It will take some time for it to be the same again, but Mr. Christopher should know of someone who can have it repaired for you in a week or two. He has taken the liberty to contact them for you.”
“So some damage but nothing vital?” Anna asked with relief at the meaning.
“As of right now, yes.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the hat,” Peggy angrily replied, as she attempted to pull the article from Sarah’s hands.
“Oh, Peggy,” Anna spoke, distracting the spy. “Please lay out my blue dress. The one with the tan petticoat.”
“Get it yourself,” Peggy snapped, turning from the pair.
A relieved sigh escaped Anna. Peggy noticed the action but said nothing.
“Wonderful,” Anna whispered, focusing her conversation back to Sarah. “When do you think I can have my bonnet back?”
“I don’t know, Mrs. Stevenson. That is a question for Mr. Christopher.”
“Thank you, Sarah,” Anna said. Elation like no other entered her. Cameron was home and safe. She could not wait to see him. But she knew he needed to recover first. She stood up from her dressing table and walked to the window.
“Oh, dear!” Peggy exclaimed as she viewed the bloody spot on the back of Anna’s shift.
“What?” Anna asked.
“You’re bleeding!” Peggy said. A quick breath escaped her. “The baby.”
Anna’s eyes flew to Sarah. Her worry over Cameron caused her to lose track of time. How could she have been so careless? What was she to do now? Women who were miscarrying were in pain, weren’t they? They showed signs beforehand, didn’t they?