A British Heiress in America (Revolutionary Women Book 1)

by Becky Lower

  “It’s not the rough and tumble element I’m concerned with, Simmons. It’s my own men. Already, Lieutenant Benson appears to be quite taken with her. Of course, he usually trips over his tongue for no good reason.” The major grimaced. “It will be my responsibility to wave off the horde of men who will figure out ways to invade my house. It’s not a distraction I need.”

  Daniel’s grip tightened on the empty leather pouch and his jaw flexed. He raised his gaze to the major. “I must get back to the docks, to oversee the unloading of the ship, sir. My top priority was to deliver your niece, and that’s done.”

  The major stood and waved a hand. “Of course, Simmons. Thank you for your care with her. We’ll share a cheroot on your next visit.”

  Daniel rose and shook the major’s hand. “I’m counting on it, sir.”

  He hoped the major’s supply of cheroots was sufficient for Lady Pippa to imbibe, as well.

  • ♥ •

  Well, that had gone swimmingly. Pippa sipped the cup of hot tea from the cart the maid had been wheeled into the room. Aunt Bernice poured for her, as if they were at high tea in Westminster Abbey. Her aunt had bought the story about the trunks of clothing being washed into the sea. She even bought the idea short hair had become the rage in London. And then, to top things off, she invented a rational reason why Pippa’s father would deem it a good idea for her to spend time with her aunt.

  The only unpleasant part of the ordeal was the way Daniel’s eyes had narrowed when Aunt Bernice referred to Pippa’s gown as ugly. He was uneasy in the presence of her aunt even before the pronouncement about her attire, but her comment certainly hadn’t helped the issue. Pippa would have to keep an eye on the gown and return it to him as soon as she could.

  Of course, she had no idea where to return it, except to the ship in the harbor. She had no clue where he lived in this sprawling city. His daughter was being cared for by someone in town. She’d probably be able to find him there, if she could ferret out from her aunt exactly where that might be. If her aunt even knew. She shifted her focus from the bottom of the dainty porcelain teacup to her rotund aunt.

  “Father didn’t send me here without resources, Aunt Bernice. I have some money. May we have the dressmaker come here and take my measurements tomorrow?”

  Bernice glanced at her, and Pippa smoothed the skirt of Daniel’s wife's dress.

  “The sooner we can get you out of that dress, the better. My servants are more appropriately attired. I’ll send word around to the dressmaker this afternoon.” Aunt Bernice waved a hand, dismissing the matter. “Now, we must talk about your entrance into Boston society, such that it is.”

  Pippa’s interest in the conversation became more animated. “Tell me what type of events I can expect. Will we be able to dance?”

  Bernice laughed. “Yes, we haven’t forgotten how to dance, even though the men have to be pried away from their war talk. There is a dance scheduled for Saturday, as a matter of fact.” Bernice tapped her cheek with a finger. “Perhaps we can use that event to introduce you.” She glanced at Pippa. “This will be a most exciting summer!”

  “Will the guests be just the military, or will some of Boston’s finest be in attendance?” Pippa would work her way around to getting the information she most needed.

  “The military would be helpless without the aid of the British Loyalists. Some of Boston’s finest families are still loyal to the crown.” Bernice blew out a breath. “It’s those upstarts, calling themselves the ‘Sons of Liberty’ who keep the flames of treason high.”

  Pippa’s interest was no longer feigned. Her heart rate ticked up. “And who might these ‘Sons of Liberty’ be? They sound exciting.”

  Bernice poured herself a second cup of tea, spilling a bit as her hands shook. “They are the precise reason why Walter and I must stay in this wretched city, in this wretched excuse for a house. We can’t return to England until these rebels are forced to their knees.”

  Pippa sensed her aunt becoming agitated. Best to change the subject, even though she was nowhere near ready to. “So, would you consider the ship captain a Loyalist? Will he be in attendance at Saturday’s dance?” Might as well cut to the chase.

  Bernice’s glance bounced back to Pippa. “Captain Simmons is a handsome man, and a Loyalist, but you can certainly set your cap for someone better than he. Someone not of the working class.”

  Pippa finally had a last name for him. Daniel Simmons. It suited him. “I agree, Aunt Bernice, on all accounts. Captain Simmons is indeed a handsome man, and he acted as a perfect gentleman during the voyage. But, you’re correct. I can do better. What of Lieutenant Benson?”

  “He does appear quite smitten already, doesn’t he? Even in your terrible gown, he was interested. Just wait until he sees you in one of the fetching creations my dressmaker can come up with.” Bernice clapped her hands together.

  Pippa ran her thumb over her lips, recalling how they’d been on fire when Daniel kissed her. No, not kissed. That was too polite of a word for what he’d done. Pummeled her. Nipped and sucked her. Stole her breath and left her longing for more. Lieutenant Benson paled in comparison to the rugged man who had made her sizzle and burn. But evidently Daniel Simmons was not part of Aunt Bernice’s circle.

  He and the upstarts called the Sons of Liberty were too lowly for Pippa to consider, according to Bernice. The two most exciting things she’d encountered thus far were forbidden to her, at least according to her aunt. Pippa sighed and brushed her hand over Daniel’s wife’s gown again. She pondered Lieutenant Benson. There were a thousand like him in the ballrooms of London, and she’d wearied of them all. The one her father had chosen for her was the worst of the group, which was why she had disappeared. They would all fall over in a dead faint if they witnessed her lighting up a cheroot. Daniel hadn’t even batted an eye at her behavior, even after he discovered she was not a boy, but a grown woman.

  She yawned and glanced at her aunt. “If the dressmaker’s coming this afternoon, I’ll retire to my room and nap for a bit. It’s been a most eventful couple of weeks.”

  Aunt Bernice rose. “Of course, Pippa, darling. The trip must have exhausted you. I’ll show you to your room.”

  Pippa settled into the small room at the top of the stairs, bouncing on the bed. It certainly was better than the floor of the ship’s captain’s quarters. She tugged out from her sack of belongings a cheroot she had pilfered from the captain before leaving the cabin. The sack seemed heavier than it had been when she placed the cheroot in it. She turned it upside down and shook her belongings onto the bed. The book she’d so enjoyed while on her voyage, Gulliver’s Travels, stared up at her. She picked up the book and opened the cover. Daniel had inscribed it with a message. “This will remind you of your voyage every time you read it.” Tears threatened, and she held the book to her chest.

  She lit up, opened a window, and hung out the opening while she tried to settle herself. The pungent tobacco did its trick once again and calmed her. It had taken seven weeks to make the voyage across the Atlantic instead of the six predicted at the outset. Forty-nine days. She had only another nine months before she could consider returning to England to claim her fortune. Precisely two hundred and seventy-nine days until her birthday. But instead of counting the days she’d spent with Daniel, she now had to count the days since she’d last seen him. Somehow, the future in Boston wasn’t so exciting anymore. She glanced at the bed again. And wished it was a cabin floor instead.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Daniel’s nerves were strung as tightly as a coil when he delivered Pippa to her aunt and uncle. The crack Bernice made about Gladys’s dress cut him to the quick, even though it was unintentional. His hand had curled into a fist. The audacity, the gall. He couldn’t leave quickly enough.

  Now, his nerves were once again on high alert, as he made his way down the side street. It had rained in the afternoon, as he was overseeing the last of the freight off his ship, and the streetlights shone brightly
on the brick and cobbled streets. The air was clear from the rain and he took several deep breaths as he strode down the street. He glanced at the newspaper office on the street level. All was dark there. A glimpse up to the second floor revealed a candle in the window. The Sons of Liberty were meeting tonight.

  Another quick glance up and down the street and, with his heart beating fast, Daniel slipped into the shadows at the side of the street, and then opened the door, scurrying up the stairs. He nodded at the skinny man standing guard, Johnny Chisholm.

  “Is Sam here?” Johnny returned the nod, and Daniel grabbed the doorknob.

  Samuel Adams broke away from the small group of men surrounding him and clasped a large hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Daniel, good to see you. Welcome home. I hope your voyage was uneventful.”

  Daniel’s lips quirked upward. “Not exactly uneventful. I had a stowaway on board, who turned out to be related to Major Longfellow.”

  Sam’s eyebrows rose. “Did you keep him on board, or toss him to the fishes?”

  “Wasn’t a him, but a her.”

  Sam’s brows rose even higher. “A girl?”

  “No, a woman. Very much a woman. I delivered her to her aunt and uncle this afternoon.” Daniel shrugged.

  Sam eyed his friend. “Did you leave on good terms? Or was her presence what made the trip eventful?” His eyes narrowed.

  “Nothing happened. She masqueraded as a boy, and I kept her secret from the crew.”

  “So she owes you.” Sam brushed his chin. “Then, we might be able to use her.”

  Daniel rolled his shoulders. “No, Sam, that’s not a good idea. There’s big trouble brewing. The British are shipping over a thousand more troops. They’ll be arriving here within a week or so. I just gave the missive to Major Longfellow today.” Daniel forced Sam’s thoughts to head anywhere other than Pippa.

  “You’re right about big trouble brewing.” Sam spread his hands wide. “Even without the additional forces, the British are planning to take control of the harbor. They’re sending troops out to the surrounding hills and plan to mount an attack within days.”

  Daniel raked his fingers through his hair. “Can your men meet me in the harbor tonight then? I’ve pilfered a box of rifles and two kegs of powder.” He gave a wry smile to his friend. “Somehow, they didn’t make it onto the manifest I delivered to Major Longfellow today.”

  “We’ll need the supplies, so yes, I can have some men row out to your boat within the hour.” Sam barked out an order to two men who were on the other side of the room and they quickly left the room. “It’s a pity you couldn’t pinch some bullets. That’s what we really need.”

  “Maybe next time.” Daniel headed toward the door.

  “Just a second, Daniel.” Sam latched onto his arm. “We haven’t finished our conversation about Longfellow’s niece. I see an opportunity. Use the woman to gain knowledge. She’s so new here, she won’t have a clue what’s to be secret and what she can share.”

  “No, Sam. I won’t take advantage of her. I got her here in one piece. I can do no more.” Daniel faced Sam, his hands clenching.

  “She’s probably sleeping in Emma’s bedroom. Doesn’t that bother you?” Sam's eyes flashed.

  “Of course it bothers me. But that’s no reason to take advantage of her. She’s an innocent victim.” Daniel’s voice rose.

  “What about your daughter? Isn’t she an innocent victim, as well? Didn’t she have to leave the only home she’s known, because that pig Longfellow decided he wanted your home? Doesn’t it piss you off?” Sam's voice shook with anger.

  Daniel wiped a hand over his eyes. “Yes, Sam. Emma has suffered mightily.”

  “So, if you have to pretend to enjoy this woman’s company in order to shorten this rebellion, isn’t it worthwhile?” Sam peered into Daniel’s eyes. “Isn’t it?”

  Daniel took several breaths to even out his heart rate. He had hoped to never see Pippa again. It was too dangerous. She was too dangerous. But Sam made a good point. Pippa didn't have enough knowledge about the rebellion yet to be able to tell what should be kept secret. He might glean new intelligence from her that would help the cause. Perhaps he should ask her uncle for permission to court her. He’d have to act as though rubbing shoulders with the English was something he enjoyed. He’d have to act as though he was as smitten with her as he was certain all the single British soldiers would soon be. And he’d have to act as though having her sleeping in his daughter’s bedroom, in his daughter’s bed, didn’t bother him.

  The image of Pippa in any bed tore through him. He’d gotten used to hearing her gentle sighs as she slept, her soft breaths, seeing the slight rise and fall of her chest. He’d made her sleep on the floor during the entire voyage. But he took no pleasure in it, even before he was privy to her true identity. Pleasure in her was a different matter, especially after he gained the knowledge of who she really was.

  Could he do this? Could he put country in front of ardor? Could he use her for his own gain? For his country’s gain? Keep his feelings toward her caged as he sought information the colonists could use? He groaned.

  “Yes, Sam. It is worthwhile. But I won’t enjoy it.”

  Sam slapped him on the back. “You don’t have to like it, but it’s better duty than, say, robbing the British magazine of their ammunition in the dead of night, which we accomplished last week. We all have our part to play in this. My men will meet you in the harbor in an hour. Then you can get on home and say hello to your little girl. She resembles her mother more every day.”

  Daniel slipped out the door to the street and stayed in the shadows until he was well away from the headquarters of the Sons of Liberty. The light of his life, his darling daughter, Emma, waited at his in-laws’ home. She’d seen more in her six years than any child should have witnessed. Sam was right. This revolution would result in a better life for her, if they could beat back the British. It was because of Emma he had one toe in both camps. He’d do whatever he could to help the revolution. He’d meet Sam’s men in the harbor and hand over the pilfered goods. With any luck, they would go unnoticed in the inky blackness. Fortunately, there was no moon tonight, but if the British were spreading around to the hills, he’d need to be extra careful. And get his ship out of the harbor tomorrow. Then, he’d call on Pippa sometime in the next few weeks.

  He groaned again at the thought of spending more time with her, and his heart thumped against his rib cage. Sam was right. Daniel had a better job than the men who were robbing ammunition.

  Even if it meant seducing Pippa. Especially if it meant seducing Pippa.

  • ♥ •

  Dawn was breaking when Daniel let himself into Gladys’s parents’ home, a modest cottage on the outskirts of Boston. He could barely keep his eyes open, but before he sank into his bed, he had to see Emma. He cracked open the door to the room and, as always, his heart melted. Sam was right. Emma resembled her mother more and more with each passing month. Her face had lost its chubby baby look and she had taken on the appearance of a miniature Gladys, with flaxen curls and unusual brown eyes. When had that transformation taken place? Between his work running back and forth across the Atlantic and his work with the Sons of Liberty, there was little enough time left for him to be a father. And now, he’d just pledged to Samuel Adams he would endeavor to spend time with Pippa, to court her for at least a while, to see if she could be of use to the cause. It would involve more time apart from his daughter.

  He tiptoed into the room and knelt by her bed. She’d flung her arms wide and her blankets were a tangled mess. Strands of her golden hair lay across her face and Daniel brushed them back with a light touch.

  Emma’s eyes popped open at his touch. “Papa!” She lifted her hands and wrapped her warm arms around his neck. “I thought you’d never come home.”

  He dropped a kiss on her cheek and inhaled her sleepy scent. “I was away a long time, wasn’t I?”

  Emma tightened her grip on him. “Don’t leave agai
n until after my birthday. Plee-ze?”

  Daniel buried his nose in Emma’s sweet-smelling hair. “That’s right. You’re about to be six years old. I guess the gift I got for you can wait a week before I give it to you.”

  Emma threw back the covers and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his torso. “I won’t mind if you give it to me early, Papa.”

  Daniel smiled and tugged the doll out from his bag. “If you insist. This made the journey all the way from England.”

  Emma held the doll as if she were a baby and ran a thumb over the doll’s hair. “She has golden locks, just like me.”

  Daniel placed a hand on the doll’s face. “And see her eyes? They’re brown, just like yours. I had to search through a lot of dolls to find the only one with brown eyes.”

  Emma stared at the doll for a long moment. “So you couldn’t leave her behind in England. She belongs here, in America.”

  Daniel held Emma and her doll to his chest. “Exactly. Now what good American name shall we give her?” He rose and sat on the edge of the bed, holding Emma and her doll.

  Emma ran her finger down the doll’s face, and again over her hair. She checked out the gown the doll wore and lifted the skirt. “Oh, look, Papa. The doll is wearing trousers under her skirt!”

  Daniel’s mind immediately circled around to the other woman who had worn trousers. He salivated and gulped for air. “They’re not called trousers, Emma. They’re pantaloons. Fashionable ladies in England wear pantaloons under their skirts.”

  “Whatever for?” Emma tugged the skirt of the gown down over the bloomers.

  “Probably to keep warm. Have you come up with a name yet?”

  Emma nodded. “I’ll call her Georgia, in honor of George Washington.”

  Daniel deposited Emma back on the bed. “That’s an excellent name, Emma. Now, your Papa is going to sleep for a bit. Do you and Georgia want to snuggle with me?”