by Jerri Hines
“Father,” Caleb asked seriously, “you aren’t helping the British?”
“No,” Sumner stated firmly. “It is of a matter that has no bearing to the war or what side we are on. It is of a matter righting a wrong, but one you don’t have to worry about.”
“Good, ’cause I want ya to win, you know.”
“Caleb, you have heard, have you not, that I’m sending you to your aunt’s in England?” He glanced at his son for his response. “She has known you since your birth and has wanted you to come for a long time. You have cousins you haven’t seen since you were a baby. Now seems a good time. I tell you this, you need to care for your mother while I’m not there.”
“You want me to protect her again?”
“Yes, Caleb. That means being on your best behavior,” he added.
Caleb nodded, but his attention was more intent on his ride.
Sumner mounted his horse, nudged it gently to go a slow pace as they exited the stable. They trotted down the road. Looking up at Jane’s window, he saw her watching.
* * * *
Sumner looked down at his son, who had pushed back his shoulders as he had seen his father do. Sumner smiled broadly.
“Can we race?” Caleb asked.
“Go! I will see if I can catch up.”
Sumner watched his son click his heels into the pony’s side, urging it to go as fast as it could. Sumner realized his mistake as soon as he uttered the words. His son had no fear, but Caleb’s riding skills had not formed as quickly as the thoughts in his young mind. He bobbed back and forth. Still, he urged the pony onward.
Luckily, Sumner’s horse easily overtook the small lad. Sumner leaned down and brought in the reins.
“It seems he is as his father, daring and fearless.”
Sumner looked up at the rider. Durham had made his appearance.
Chapter 22
Sumner found it strange. He watched Durham take the seat behind his father’s desk in the study. The man directed one of the house servants to open the window and bring in refreshments. Then, he gestured for Sumner to sit in the high back chair across from him.
With the greatest of all restraint, Sumner said nothing. For a brief moment, he considered standing, but reluctantly, he sat.
“Shortly, Colonel Leckie will join us, but for the moment, I wanted it only to be the two of us. I’m looking for your assistance, Sumner Meador.”
“Please continue, General. Enlighten me as to why I would do so. I am here at the moment only to ensure my wife and child are safe. I will admit I’m not overly enthusiastic in this quest of yours since you wanted to hang my wife, my innocent woman who has done no damage to you ever. Your treatment of Jane, I found detestable.”
“I accept your anger. I could say I would have never let the hanging commence, but in that you wouldn’t believe,” Durham said with a keen look. “As to the reality, we will never know, for my entire unit stood without arms and a whole unit defected to the other side. In all my years, I have never seen such disobedience.”
“It may well be that it was nothing more than they weren’t aggressive in their pursuit, for they had no stomach for the inhumane treatment of Jane.”
“Come, Sumner, with all the violence that has occurred in this land on both sides, you are trying to convince me that my men took exception to putting a Patriot on trial?” Durham smiled wryly. “No, there was more. I underestimated a few people. To be honest, I never wanted it to go as far as it did, but it had a purpose. I wanted you.”
“With no reason,” Sumner said forcibly. “I have never committed any atrocities!”
“But I thought you had,” Durham fired back at Sumner. “The information I had obtained pointed to you. And if I’m truthful…it’s personal, very personal to me. As it turned out, the information I had was only wrong in the person behind the scheme. As it has been discovered, it was William Peyton who tainted your name as he used it to commit horrible crimes.”
“He is responsible for my first wife’s death as well as my mother’s,” Sumner replied in a somber tone. “He is a coward and has run from me.”
“With good reason, I can well imagine.” Durham said and then cleared his throat. “I will explain the best I can the situation. It is a complicated tale.
“We have been searching for a man, George Wicks, known as Georgie Boy, for years. Georgie Boy is a mad man. He has plundered the British upon every turn he can manage, but it is the fashion he does so that has caused the outrage. He gains pleasure in torturing the poor souls he captures until they welcome death, the more vulnerable and innocent, the more pleasure he gains.
“In New York, he worked for his grandfather, Alexander Clay. When it was discovered they were stealing from the British government, he went underground, but not before Georgie Boy was horribly disfigured during a struggle to capture him. He escaped and emerged worse than before. Now he has set his sights upon all he holds responsible for his misfortune. One of which is your friend, Dr. Jonathan Corbett.”
“How do you know Jonathan?”
“I’m the one that arranged the prisoner exchange when he was captured during the occupation,” Durham acknowledged. He stared at Sumner for a moment as if prepared to say more, then thought better about it. He sighed deeply. “Rebekah knew of the connection I held to Jonathan. Jonathan hasn’t made many friends on the British side, even though he is a mere physician. He has been annoying. He, too, was sentenced to hang. Instead, I allowed a prisoner exchange and Jonathan was released in New York. He would concur with me, I assure you, with my assessment of Georgie Boy. It isn’t necessary for you to understand all that has occurred, but for you to understand that this menace is a concern to both sides.”
“Although I will admit we both know Jonathan, you have me confused.”
“I want to find Georgie Boy. I believe you can help,” Durham said plainly. “Back last year, a ship, The Prolusion, sailed out of Plymouth harbor bound for the islands. Upon its return trip, full to capacity with all the riches that the islands hold, it had only one scheduled stop, Savannah.
“The merchant vessel was attacked and overtaken near the Georgia coastline, which in itself isn’t an uncommon occurrence, but with most piracies, they don’t maliciously torture and kill the passengers on board.”
Durham paused and withdrew a paper from his coat. “Here describes in detail the tortures the crew endured. To ensure it was understood the magnitude of everything that happened, one survivor was left alive to tell the tale. His name is Harry Rush. He is in Charles Town at this time, Sumner, if you have any doubts of the words I speak.”
Durham rose and walked over to the window. Quiet for a time, he finally turned around and continued. “Georgie Boy and I go way back before the war. I arrested him once, but his grandfather got him off. He knows me and my family. My brother and his daughter were on board The Prolusion.
“As you can read, as soon as he discovered my brother on board, my brother’s fate was sealed. He had sailed over to retrieve my niece who had lost her husband serving in Antigua. Don’t miss the part of what Georgie Boy did to her…she was heavy with child.”
Durham passed the paper to Sumner. Sumner glanced over the writings. He became nauseated. Sumner put them down. He could read no more. “What do you want from me? To tell you that you were justified in your actions against Jane?”
“No.” Durham shook his head. “I want you to understand what your name is attached to. Peyton financed the undertaking and did so in your name.”
Comprehension of the depth of revenge William Peyton had inflicted slowly sank into Sumner. Peyton not only wanted to destroy Sumner, he wanted to take from Sumner what he had not, a good name.
“I am aghast at what has happened. More so even that my name has been mentioned in these actions, but, General, I know nothing. My attention has been upon the fight at hand.”
“True, I have discovered that William Peyton knew all the details of your finances, intimate details that we thought on
ly you would know. I am now in possession of papers which exonerate you, but how will everyone know you are innocent?”
Anger spewed forth from Sumner. Pushing back his chair, he stood and stepped toward the general. “Are you trying to blackmail me? To what end?”
“Hold your anger and I will tell you,” Durham said, holding up his hand against Sumner’s advance. “Sit back down.”
Sumner sat, only because his anger grew against William Peyton…who he once considered a good friend. William…who had been responsible for Mary’s death and his mother’s in his attempt to get at Cathryn. There was little doubt William would have eventually killed Cathryn if he had ever gotten hold of her. His mind had warped.
Sumner looked back at Durham, who sat stoically studying him.
“In these papers, William doesn’t mention his partners by the given names, only in code, but it was given to us that it was the same group that he hired to raid your plantation a few years ago. Colonel Leckie told me that the leader was killed during the raid, but the others escaped. Since I have faith that you did some semblance of investigating further, you might have the names we seek. We want them all, but it is Georgie Boy we must find for all concerned.”
Sumner slightly shook his head. “The names? I kept all within this house, if it hasn’t been destroyed. I don’t know where anything has been kept, if at all. I could remember some, but I had written in detail everything that happened.”
“It is understandable,” Durham answered. “The colonel might be able to help us. I believe he has been here since the occupation.”
Sumner thought for a moment and eyed the General solicitously. “William may know me well, but I also know him. If William worked closely with this man you seek, he holds the information you need. Let me talk with William.”
* * * *
Sumner’s last visit into Charles Town had caused a stir…a nightmare for the British. This time, the darkness of night covered his presence. He walked side-by-side with General Durham into the jail where William Peyton was being held.
“His trial is to begin in the morning. I doubt he will be expecting a visit from any this evening. I have been told he has had no visitors except for his lawyer,” Durham stated gruffly.
The news was not shocking. Sumner would be surprised if Randa was still in Charles Town. The two men made their way down the corridor.
The house, now used as a prison, had at one time been the main residence of the Wadsworths. Sumner heard that all of the personal possessions had been confiscated. Richard Wadsworth served in the Patriot militia, but had been captured in the siege of Charles Town. He had been pardoned on the pledge to remain loyal to King George and never take up arms again against the King.
He was allowed to return to his estate outside of Charles Town. Everyone knew he had taken the pledge only because his wife had been severely ill with the fever—shortly after, she passed away. It wasn’t long before he could stand it no longer and took again to the cause. Unfortunately, the poor man once more was captured. He was hanged three days after.
Sumner wondered if Jane had been kept within these walls. From Joseph’s accounts, she must have been. He thought of what Durham said, that William had no visitors—Jane hadn’t any either for she hadn’t been allowed visitors. He had to push the frustration from his mind.
He was here because of William. He couldn’t allow his anger to control his reason. He may have an intense dislike for General Durham, but Durham was offering an opportunity Sumner couldn’t turn away. How long had he waited to come face to face with William Peyton?
General Durham had talked of his family, but he hadn’t seen them lying dead. Never would Sumner be able to erase the memory of finding his mother lay sprawled out in a manner no son should ever witness, or Mary’s face frozen in godforsaken terror.
No, he remembered it well and his heart held within it the hatred toward the man responsible…the one he was finally going to face. How long had he planned this moment! To see the last of William’s life sucked out of him by Sumner’s own hands.
Sumner walked slowly behind General Durham. His thoughts raced. The images once more ran through his mind. He saw William sitting so smugly upon the chair testifying against Jane, who had never harmed a soul. Then there was a flash of the past, William sitting on the veranda at Elm Bluff with his mother serving him tea.
Rage burned within Sumner. Death and destruction followed this miserable excuse for a human being! Though, General Durham stated that this Georgie Boy he was after was worse. Sumner couldn’t imagine it to be true.
Sumner walked into a room where a quarter of the soldiers sat around a table playing cards. Immediately, everyone was at attention. One knocked his chair over in haste, scattering the cards upon the ground.
A sentry at the door ran up to the general in a protective manner. Sumner felt their eyes upon him, their confusion as to why he would have come in unshackled.
“General, we weren’t expecting you.”
“We have come to talk to the prisoner, William Peyton. Bring him into the interrogation room,” General Durham ordered.
Sumner glanced over at the general. A sudden thought struck him—he was being used to threaten William. What was the general going to do…offer William a pardon if he gave up the information the general wanted and needed?
Sumner would never allow that to happen. He tallied the number of guards in his head—seven in all, besides General Durham. He would be on his own, but Sumner had made up his mind. He wasn’t going to leave William Peyton alive.
Waiting is always the hardest part when one prepares for a battle. It plays upon one’s nerves. Sumner’s nerves were being played upon greatly at this moment.
After being shown into the interrogation room, Sumner waited with General Durham, taking a chair at the lone table. The general leaned against the front wall. Sumner studied him from his chair. He was in wait also.
The man angered Sumner with his arrogance, it rubbed upon him, but it was what happened to Jane that bothered Sumner the most. He had tried to push back the ire he felt aside, but how could the general treat Jane so horribly and then deal respectfully with this creature that would soon be coming through the door?
The door swung wide. As if cast against a blackened sky, William Peyton walked like a ghostly image where once stood a man. Lank hair, slack lips, his head hung downward while he walked in apprehensively.
William’s head lifted slightly. His eyes sparked, lit with recognition. He glanced at the tall, silent figure in the corner and back at Sumner. His lips drew upward slightly in a cocky fashion. His gait modified to a saunter. He eased into the chair across from Sumner.
“Well, well, well! To say I wasn’t expecting you would be such an understatement. What has happened? Have you sold your soul to witness my demise? A little quick upon the fact, though, don’t you think? Can you not see Randa rescuing me in the fashion you did for your poor wife?”
Sumner ignored his remarks. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the bastard. Glaring, he simply said, “Hello, William.”
William leaned his chair back. “It is good for you to visit. I would offer you refreshments,” he said, waving his hand around the room, “but as you can see, the accommodations are somewhat lacking.” He turned his head to Durham. “Not that I’m complaining, you understand.” He looked back over at Sumner, tilting his head. “Really, Sumner, to what lengths have you gone to accomplish such?”
William brought his chair back down and leaned across the table toward Sumner. “Don’t tell me you have turned coat, Sumner Meador! Cooperating with the damn enemy?”
“It is a far cry from dealing with hideous murderers!”
“Ah, now, now, my friend.” William egged Sumner on. “I am but a simple man. I have never committed such an offense. I have not the stomach. You know, the blood, the guts—no, it’s not my style. I’m a coward, yes! Fully admit such…but never admit to what I have been charged. I am being framed for a crime I didn’
t commit, but then you know that since I believe they have me confused with you!”
Sumner stared at William. He said nothing. William wasn’t anything if not smart. Sumner saw in his eyes he was contemplating the situation, which Sumner surmised William thought had considerably brightened upon his appearance.
Sumner sighed heavily. “William, I couldn’t leave things as they were. Not when the last look I had upon you was testifying against my wife. What words exactly did you use? What did you accuse her of doing?”
Sumner dared him…challenged him. His eyes narrowed toward William. In that moment, William betrayed the fear that lived within him, only momentarily, but it was all that Sumner needed.
William forced a laugh. “You didn’t really believe me! It was all in jest to make the English look foolish.”
Sumner leaned over the space between them, face-to-face with his nemesis. “Do you feel like jesting now? Talk to me, dear friend,” Sumner snarled, “of old times! Times when you were welcomed within my home. Treated as family and in the next breath, you struck down those who had only shown you love and kindness, William!” Sumner’s voice rose. “Why, William? Why the hell did you have to kill them?”
Sumner gave him no chance to reply. With one swift movement he thrust the table over on its side. William instinctively drew back to the wall. Sumner pounced upon him in a heartbeat. His hands held tight to William’s collar.
“Answer me, you sniveling coward! In all…why?”
White-lipped, William couldn’t immediately answer. His lips quivered. “It wasn’t I! I wanted only to talk with Cathryn. She wouldn’t listen to me! She ran from the damn British…she hid from them. I helped her with everything! I got her money back, free it for her…you! What payment did I get? Nothing!
“She runs back to that damn officer without one thought for me! Me, who stood by her, comforted her. Would she let me touch her? Oh, no. One wouldn’t want to taint her good name! But she had no problem letting him sweep in and make love to her! She didn’t think I knew but I could tell. I could see it in her eyes. The one she had sworn she hated!”
