by C.P. Murphy
Chapter Nine
Patrick walked through Millersport on his way to the loading docks to make purchases from the merchants. This was his first time since he arrived in the village but knew that Amelia often made purchases there and he wondered if he would run into her. He wondered how the picnic went with her fiancé. Perhaps she needed to spend time with the young man so she could come to terms with marrying him. She was special to him though, a fondness he wouldn’t tell her. As much as Patrick disagreed with prearranged marriages, he also knew it was right to be respectful of her father’s wishes. The right thing for her to do was to listen. She had told him she would fight it every step of the way hoping someday soon her father would stop the wedding. If that day ever came, he told himself, then maybe he would open to her about his feelings.
He was thinking about her so much that he didn’t realize that he was only feet away from the loading dock. Patrick looked around at the turn out of shoppers. Along the side the docks, the merchants set up their booths. They were selling everything from spices to furniture, and he didn’t know where to look for what he was after. He wished that he knew someone other than Amelia, someone that could show him the way around but knew no one. Patrick decided that the only way to learn was to walk around and watch the others.
He was being friendly to all the people who turned their necks to look at him. He smiled and nodded his head to all who passed his way. Being the stranger made him feel uneasy. Perhaps he should have gone to church and introduced himself to some of the other men in the village. He remembered his conversation with Amelia about not going to church. He thought he should have explained to her his reasons. He didn’t want her or anyone else to think that he didn’t believe in God because he did. He also wanted no one to think that he blamed God for losing his wife and son because he knew the blame was his own. Patrick continued these thoughts as he received blank stare after blank stare and decided that the following week he would attend the service.
Again, he let his thoughts carry him away and he didn’t realize that he must have walked into a private area. Patrick saw two men with their backs turned towards him. He wanted to introduce himself and ask for a little help but then he realized that they were having a serious conversation and didn’t want to interrupt. He didn’t intend to eavesdrop but he couldn’t help but overhear the conversation.
Henry stood by the merchant and pulled an envelope out of his jacket. He knew they were away from all the other merchants and shoppers but still felt the urge to be careful. As he pulled it out, he said to the merchant, “We have to be more careful than usual. I’m afraid that someone has found out what I’ve been doing.”
The merchant looked frightened. He made a lot of money for the secret job he was doing, more money than he could ever make selling coffee and tea, but not enough to end his life. If the authorities ever caught him that is exactly what would have happened to him. “What do you mean? Someone knows?”
“Yes, and trust me, I’m paying for it.” Henry remembered the day that Daniel Van Martin discovered his secret and blackmailed him. He knew that he shouldn’t continue but had promised the funds and he wasn’t a man to break a promise. “My daughter would hate me if she found out.
“Are there authorities around?” the concerned merchant asked. Henry shook his head. He didn’t tell the merchant he was being blackmailed nor did he tell him who knew what was going on. Henry made sure that Daniel wasn’t around the loading docks and thought of this new meeting place. He had to let Van Martin believe that he stopped the funding. “No,” he answered, “We are safe as long as we stay away where nobody can see us.”
Patrick stood behind a stack of crates and wondered what was going on. He knew that he could be in danger if one of those men spotted him. He turned around to walk back where he had come from but before he did, he heard a little more of the conversation that set off an alarm in his head.
The merchant put the envelope in his own jacket and patted his chest to confirm that it was safe inside. “All right then,” he started. “I will see the Brit’s soldier in about one week and then I’ll be back this way in about two. Can I tell him to expect more from you?”
Patrick high tailed it out of there before he had the chance to hear the answer. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was so overwhelmed that he went straight home and didn’t even bother with the other merchants. Patrick had heard that there were men in the northeast who were funding the British but he never imagined that there would be someone right there in Millersport. He had witnessed treason first hand and was shocked. He wondered what he should do and thought about it on his walk back to his house.
After Amelia cleaned her father’s house she wondered what she should do with her free time. Mondays were merchant days but her father had made it quite clear she didn’t need to go to the loading docks. She wondered if he ran short on coins because it he insisted that they needed nothing and he offered her no money. Amelia shook her head while she thought and realized that it had nothing to do with how much money he had. She remembered a couple of times he told her he would make the purchases himself. She thought he was planning on making all the family purchases once she was married to Thomas and then continued to think about what to do with her time. Amelia wouldn’t be picking berries with Emma because she knew that her friend was preoccupied with her new beau. She didn’t feel like calling on Minnie in fear that her sister would only ask about Thomas. Anna left for the day doing whatever Anna got herself into. Then for a brief second she thought she should see how Beth was feeling but seeing Patrick suddenly filled her head.
Although she wasn’t crazy about using the carriage, it was a long walk to his house and in her opinion; she had more than then enough exercise during the past few days. Amelia was feeling lazy and decided to ride out to Patrick’s house instead. She walked up to the stables but just before she arrived, she noticed Thomas inside returning his families carriage and horse. There was no way she wanted to see him, not even to be friendly, after the way he had treated her. The thought of being his wife had disgusted her. If things went like she planned, she would spend little time with him before their wedding day. She leaned against the side of the building and did her best to stay out of his sight and waited for him to leave. It worked, and he left in the opposite direction. When he was out of sight she asked the stable boy for her father’s carriage and then was off to visit the one person who she enjoyed spending time with.
Patrick wasn’t home for over ten minutes when he heard a knock on his door. He was still feeling nervous and his mind played games with him and thought that the conversing men had spotted him traced him back to his house. He wondered if they were there to make sure that he kept quiet about what was going on. Patrick felt better seeing Amelia standing at the door when he opened it. “Oh, Amelia it’s you.”
Amelia could sense that something was wrong. “Patrick, you look as if you saw a ghost. What on Earth is wrong?”
He opened the door wider and gestured her to come inside then glanced around the outside to make sure nobody was watching him before he shut it. “Tell me, how do the people of Millersport feel about the war?”
“I don’t think about the war as much as I should,” Amelia started. “If President Madison says it’s right then it must,” She started but her male friend didn’t seem to care how she felt.
Patrick cut her off because she wasn’t telling him what he wanted to hear. “No, no,” he exclaimed. “The others, what do the others think?”
She wanted to think about his question. From what she knew there were mixed feelings in the village. He was urging her to answer him. “I don’t know, Patrick, why are you pushing me so?”
Patrick took a deep breath and realized that she was right. He was anxious but knew that he couldn’t take it out on her. He took another deep breath and asked, “Okay, think about it if you have to. Are there men who oppose the war?”
Amelia was happy to see that Patrick calming down but still
worried about him. “There are some who agree with the war but many who oppose it.” She put her hands on his arm and encouraged him to sit down. “You’re all a mess. If you would like, I will get you some water.”
Patrick felt his heart rate slowing down. He had a great deal of pride for his country and supported Madison’s war. Someone from the area was funding the British, and he felt obligated to let the government know. He looked over at Amelia and could see the concern on her face. He kept her out of it, knowing that things could get dangerous and he never wanted to see her hurt. “I’m fine,” he told her and then changed the subject. “I’m glad to see you. What brings you by?”
She sat next to him, happy to see he was relaxing again. “Usually on Mondays I go to the merchants but my father didn’t want me to today. I suppose we needed nothing. So anyway, I didn’t know what to do with my spare time. I hope it’s okay to call upon you.”
Patrick smiled, “Of course it’s okay. I came home from going to the merchants myself.”
Suddenly she knew why he had so many questions about the war. He probably needed supplies that were not available. It must have been his first time down at the docks which would explain his frustrations. “Oh, what did you purchase?”
“I bought nothing,” he told her as he remembered the crowds and his sense of being lost.
“It can be overwhelming. Perhaps next week we can go together and I’ll show you around.” Amelia was wishing she could spend more time with him in public places. She hoped that he would meet her father soon and then it would be socially all right for her to befriend him.
Patrick wasn’t as optimistic as she was. He knew that she couldn’t escort him. “I don’t think that your father or fiancé would approve.” He had hoped that she would tell him that her engagement was off but could tell by the look on her face she was still to be married soon.
Amelia didn’t want to think of her engagement and all the bad things that had happened because of it. She stood up and said, “It’s such a lovely day. Would you like to walk to that creek of yours?”
Patrick agreed, and they started their walk. Along the way he watched her pick a couple of berries and watched as she put them in her mouth. It reminded him of the past weekend and wondered how it went. “You never told me how the picnic went on Saturday. Are you and Thomas getting along better?”
They reached the creek and Amelia sat down in the grass. “I’d rather not talk about it.” She avoided looking at him in fear he would see the light bruise left by her father’s hand. Explaining that to him would lead to her explaining Thomas’ lies and the way he treated her. It was something she never wanted Patrick to know about.
Patrick could tell that she didn’t want to talk about Thomas. He felt ashamed of the emotions he felt when he was next to her. She became more beautiful every time he saw her and more knowledgeable every time she spoke. He wondered what it would be like if he could lean over and kiss her. He couldn’t because he knew that once he tasted her lips, he would never have enough of their sweetness.
They spent the next two hours together and were both happy to relax and felt as if they were in their own world. Amelia knew that it was time to go back home. She hated leaving the creek where everything was so peaceful, to return home, where the tension grew stronger every day. She told Patrick that she must go and the two of them walked back to his house.
Along the way, Patrick realized that he couldn’t just ignore what he had discovered earlier that day. Being the stranger in the village, he didn’t know who he could or couldn’t trust. He didn’t even know the name of the man committing such serious crimes or point him out since he had only seen the man’s back. He looked over at Amelia and spoke, “I’m going on a trip and will away for two or three days.”
Alarmed by his sudden departure, she asked, “Where are you going? How will I know when you are back?”
“I need to speak to someone in Albany,” he answered.
“But,” she continued to ask, “What for?” She couldn’t understand why it bothered her to know that he was leaving. Amelia wondered if the feelings that were growing inside her were sincere. She didn’t need to second guess if she would miss him or not, she knew she would.
Patrick wanted to tell her everything. He didn’t like to keep secrets from her but; he also wanted no harm to come by her way. “I can’t tell you.” He looked at her concerned face. “I will be okay. I have something I need to take care of. As far as when I come back, somehow I will let you know.” When they reached his house, she told him to be careful and then headed back to her father’s house.
“I will be,” he whispered to himself and then packed up to leave.
That night after their dinner, the Samuels house was quiet like it had been for the past week. Henry said that he was off to visit a friend and told the girls not to wait up for him. By eight o’clock, Amelia had the boys tucked into their beds. It was just herself and Anna sitting alone in the sitting-room. As she worked on her needlepoint, she offered to show Anna how it to do it. As she sat there, she tried to take her mind off of Patrick but it was of no use. She wondered who he had to see in Albany and why he was leaving so soon. Her concern must have been obvious because she could hear her sister call her name several times. “Oh, I’m sorry Anna. What did you say?”
“I said nothing,” Anna stated. “I just called your name. Your mind must be somewhere else. You look so distracted.” Anna had looked at her older sister and noticed that she wasn’t even looking at her needlepoint as she done it. Anna wondered if Amelia was feeling all right.
Amelia sighed and sat back on the sofa. She had never remembered a time in her life when she felt so much stress. These days it was all she knew. “I’m fine,” she answered, “Just a little tired I suppose.”
Anna didn’t want her sister to think that she was meddling but also knew that her sister was running out of people whom she could talk to. She wanted to be there for her sibling. “Are you thinking about that man you were with today?”
Amelia’s jaw dropped and at first didn’t know what to say. She wondered how Anna knew of Patrick and how she knew that she was thinking of him. She decided it was in her best interest to deny everything. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“I saw you today; you were with that stranger by the creek just west of here.” Anna knew that it wasn’t proper for any girl to be alone with a man, especially since she was engaged to another, but had seen Amelia with this man long enough to know that her sister wasn’t doing anything wrong. Anna wanted to prove she could trust her.
Still in disbelief, Amelia thought it best to avoid Patrick in their conversation. She decided not to deny that she was near the creek but hoped that they wouldn’t discuss who she was with. She tried to change the conversation a little. “What were you doing by that creek, Anna? You should have been closer to home.”
Anna lowered her head and blushed. In the past week she had learned to prepare meals, clean the house, and mend socks but she was still the same girl she always was. Amelia had asked her a question though, and she would not hide the truth. “Catching frogs,” she answered.
“What was that? I hardly heard you.” Amelia asked.
“I said I was catching frogs,” Anna answered this time louder. She thought that her sister would lecture her about being lady- like and less of a tom boy, but to Anna’s surprise, she didn’t.
Amelia laughed out loud. “Oh Anna, you will never change will you? That still doesn’t answer why you were so far from home. What about the creek up the road?”
It appeared to Anna that Amelia was interested in what she was doing. She liked the attention and was glad she could be herself. “Yuck,” she started, “That water is so dirty.”
“Well, I agree with you there. You wouldn’t catch me dead at that creek.” Amelia looked over at her sister who was open enough to tell her the truth about what she was doing. It occurred to her that her younger sister was trying to be a friend. “Will you tell Father th
at I was talking to Patrick?”
“So you were with someone today. I told you. Who is he, were is he come from?” Anna was full of questions about the strange man in the village.
“You didn’t answer me, Anna.” Amelia was feeling a little relieved that she could talk about Patrick but yet worried that her father would find out and punish her. “Are you going to tell Father?”
Anna could sense Amelia’s anxiety. She recalled the past several days and knew how unhappy her sister was. She didn’t in any way want to bring more unhappiness to her. “No, I promise. Now will you tell me about him?”
Feeling relieved, Amelia was glad to tell her sister about her friendship with Patrick. She told Anna how she met Patrick, about the day she walked so far and saw him; she even told her about how she was trapped in the rain and found warmth in his house.
“You lied to Father,” Anna gasped. Her sister was changing and was no longer the perfect girl everyone thought she was.
“Please don’t say a word about what I tell you. Father wouldn’t understand and he would strap me again for sure.” Amelia now wished that she said nothing.
“Oh Amelia, please believe me, I won’t say a word to anyone. I want you to trust me.” Anna reached over and hugged her sister. Amelia was opening to her and Anna didn’t want to ruin that. She didn’t want to be treated like a little girl that nobody could depend on.
Feeling her sister hug her, Amelia lost the tension building up inside her. She wrapped her arms around Anna, thrilled to have someone she could talk to. “I don’t want to marry Thomas,” she said with a cry in her voice. Then she told her sister about how her fiancé had been treating her.
Tears swelled up in Anna’s eyes. A week ago she didn’t want her sister to marry for her own selfish reasons but now she could tell how unloved Amelia felt. It was then she was bold to find out how Amelia felt. “You love him, don’t you?”
Amelia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Love Thomas, she wondered how on Earth her sister could think such a thing after what she had just told her. “Oh Anna, don’t you understand, I can’t stand Thomas.”
Anna shook her head; that wasn’t what she meant. “Not Thomas. You love that stranger, don’t you?” She saw her sister’s expression when she talked of the man; it was the same way Minnie looked whenever she spoke of her husband Phillip.
Amelia blushed. She had never thought she loved Patrick. He was a friend, a friend she so desperately needed. He was a shoulder for her to cry on and vice versa. They needed each other. Hearing her sister ask if she loved him made her think of him more. “First of all his name is Patrick, he isn’t a stranger. Second,” she was about to tell Anna how she felt about him but the sound of the front door stopped their conversation.
Within seconds Henry entered the sitting-room. It surprised him to see both of his daughters still awake. It had been dark for several hours and he had expected them to be in bed. “You two are still awake? I had thought you would have retired by now.”
Amelia stood up. “We were just catching up.” She looked over at her sister who had a look of agreement on her face. Amelia reluctantly gave her father a hug and said that she was heading for bed. Anna did the same and the two girls went up to the room they shared and changed into their night garments.
Anna lied on her bed and was thankful that Amelia confided in her. She wished that she could help her sister out of her troubles. She looked over toward Amelia, who had her back turned towards her. “You never told me. Do you love Patrick?” Her question would go unanswered because she could tell by Amelia’s breathing she was fast asleep.
