These brief communications were deeply appreciated by Jane. But it was the letter from Robert that held her the longest.
In Charlestown, 28 July 1782
My dearest niece,
I take up my pen in the hope this finds you and your husband well, and to inform you of events here. All hope of recovering Rosewall has been lost—the rebels recently sold it at auction. Its new owner, a wealthy planter from Beaufort, plans to knock down the wall, and since the name Rosewall will then be meaningless, to discard it. Clarissa and I do not wish to know what its new name will be. Indeed, we try not to think about it.
Recently we returned to Charlestown, and to our house on Legare Street—though, of course, as soon as the rebels retake the city, that property will be seized as well. The British are no longer an effective force here, and everyone expects them to pull out soon. When that happens, we Loyalists will be like lambs left to the mercy of wolves. Hundreds are leaving every day. Arthur is convinced we’ll all eventually be allowed to return, perhaps even recover our property. But that is not for me. I am an Englishman, and if Englishmen are not welcome here, I will end my days in my native land. Clarissa and I sail for England in a few weeks. Clarissa is with me in this, and knowing that, I am content.
I am truly sorry for the grief I caused Arthur, and Hugh, and Simon. I acted as their enemy, and they repaid me only with kindness. From you, my dear, I especially beg forgiveness. I should not have tried to force you to remain a prim English girl. Believe me, it was only because I loved you too well.
Clarissa and I send you all our love, with fervent hopes for your happiness and good fortune in the new nation you and Simon will help to build. May the ocean we are about to cross never be so wide as to prevent English and American hands from being clasped in friendship, both now and through all generations.
Until we may meet again, I remain,
Your devoted servant and loving uncle,
Robert
Without a word, but with tears in her eyes, Jane handed the letter to Simon. He read it through quickly, then handed it back. His face was grim, and his voice dark with anger when he spoke.
“We’ll live to regret this insane fury being directed at Loyalists. America needs all the brains, energy, and ability it can muster to turn this sprawling, disorderly land into a unified nation. And like fools, we’re chasing away some of our best people.”
“Thank you, Simon,” Jane murmured. “I know it would mean everything to Uncle Robert to hear you say that. And when they send us word of where they are, I’ll write and tell him that you did.”
“So you don’t want to try to get back there once more before they leave? There may still be time.”
Jane shook her head. “There’s no need.” She held up Robert’s letter. “Everything’s already been said, right here.”
So it was that the girl who had been born Lady Jane Prentice, daughter of an English earl, became the young wife and mother called Jane Prentice Cordwyn of Pennsylvania. But she would never forget the land of her heritage, and the tiny gold locket around her neck remained an unbreakable link to the old world she had left far behind.
And in that same spirit of sad, sweet remembrance, she never forgot the people and places she had known and loved in South Carolina. Visitors to the Cordwyn home years later never failed to admire the splendid bright red roses that covered the picket fence running the length of their garden. But to Jane, these roses were much more than a fragrant delight. They were a daily reminder to her of those who survived the war, those who did not, those who stayed behind when it was over, those who moved on, and those who sailed away across the sea—all of them living on in her memory. Omar and Cuba, too, who had been loyal friends when she needed them most, she always remembered.
No one ever knew what became of Omar. But his parting wish for Jane did come true. Blessings fell down upon her, all the rest of her days.
Suggested Further Reading
Davis, Burke. Yorktown: The Winning of American Independence. New York: Harper & Row, 1969.
De Pauw, Linda Grant. Founding Mothers: Women in America in the Revolutionary Era. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1975.
Fradin, Dennis B. The South Carolina Colony. Chicago: Children’s Press, 1992.
Leckie, Robert. The World Turned Upside Down: The Story of the American Revolution. New York: Putnam, 1973.
McDowell, Bart. The Revolutionary War: America’s Fight for Freedom. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1967.
Miller, Lillian B. “The Dye Is Now Cast”: The Road to American Independence, 1774—1776. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1975.
Tunis, Edwin. Colonial Living. Cleveland, Ohio: The World Publishing Co., 1957.
About the Author
WILLIAM LAVENDER’s career has spanned the areas of music, film documentary, theater, and literature. He published six adult novels in the seventies and eighties that received accolades, were brought out in many languages, and even made the Publishers Weekly bestseller list. Just Jane was his first novel for young readers. William Lavender lives with his wife in Riverside, California.
Footnotes
* In colonial times, the name of Charleston, South Carolina, was usually spelled Charlestown, often Charles Town.
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