Savage Surrender

by Natasha Peters

  We hadn't stopped for food or rest all day, and I felt hungry, cold, and stiff. We dismounted and Garth asked again for my papers. I snapped at him, "Not until I see for myself that Joseph is all right."

  He glowered at me. "Joseph!" he bellowed.

  The cottage door flew open and the voice I knew so well said, "Oh, you're back at last, Garth. Did the beautiful Elise cooperate?"

  "Why don't you ask her yourself," Garth said, amused.

  With a cry of delight Joseph came towards me, his arms outstretched. "Oh, 'Lise, you look so much better! That general's doctor did a fine job, I can see that—"

  "Don't you come near me, you black bastard," I said angrily.

  He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

  "You heard me. You don't look any more like a prisoner than—than he looks like a saint! Traitors! Liars!"

  "Now, Missy," said Joseph calmly, "you just settle down. There ain't nobody here that's a prisoner. Nobody here at all, except us."

  "I am all too aware of that," I said. I didn't even try to control the rage I felt. I fumbled in my bodice for the packet of papers I had laboriously copied, thinking all the while that with them I was buying Joseph's life.

  "So that's where they were," Garth said. "I thought you looked even more ample than usual, my dear."

  I threw them in his face. "Take them and be damned, both of you!" I strode to the beach and glared at the calm water. I was quivering with anger. They had used me, tricked me, betrayed me. I could have murdered them both.

  I heard them conversing in low tones, then Joseph came up behind me and said, "Don't take on so, Missy. He didn't mean any harm, and neither did I. I didn't know Garth was telling you lies about me."

  "Oh, don't play the injured innocent with me, Joseph! You knew all the time that he was in Washington, and it was part of your divine plan to bring me here, wasn't it? Just so he could see me and gloat over me. You must have been delighted with Ross's offer to take me in. You let him take me away and you never came to see if I was all right. You—you didn't care if I lived or died! I hope you feel very proud of yourself."

  Joseph said, "'Lise, it was my intention from the first to take you to Philadelphia. You know we came to Washington only because you were so sick and I couldn't care for you any more. I didn't even know Garth was here until I saw him one day in the forest near the American camp."

  "And he didn't lose any time, did he, in taking advantage of where Fortune had so conveniently placed me? I suppose he told you what I had to do to get those papers? If I wasn't a whore before, I'm certainly one now, because of what he made me do! And all because I thought he was going to kill you! Did he tell you that? He's a bloody, heartless bastard, and so are you! I wish he had killed you!" I sobbed wretchedly for some minutes. "And I suppose you told him all about where you found me and what I had been?" I said accusingly between sobs.

  "I didn't tell him anything," Joseph said quietly. "Only that you were sick and being cared for in General Ross's house. Everything else was his idea. Your life is your business, 'Lise. You can tell him the truth about yourself, or you can keep it secret. I think it would be a good thing if you told him, myself."

  "No!" I said vehemently. "I'll never tell him a thing, ever! I—I want him to go right on thinking I am the kind of woman he believes me to be. I certainly don't want to spoil any of his precious illusions. And don't you say a word, Joseph. Not a word! I just want to get away from him, back to France—"

  "I won't say anything," Joseph promised. "Come on inside now and I'll get you something to eat. If I know Garth he didn't stop to feed you, did he?"

  "Ha. The bloody bastard has more regard for his horse than he does for me. God, how I hate him!"

  Joseph led me towards the cabin. The interior was crudely furnished with a cot, a table and a lantern, and a few rough benches. Garth was seated at the table, poring over my copies in the dim light.

  He didn't look up when we came in, but said, "It's a good thing you came along, Elise. Your handwriting is abysmally bad. I thought French girls were supposed to be well-educated?"

  I tossed my shoulders and growled, "Only in the arts of whoring and seduction, Monsieur. Although some of us actually do learn to read and write—in our spare time. I hope you go blind reading those things. I nearly did in writing them. And you'll get no help from me in deciphering them, either."

  "Tut, tut, Elise," Garth said pompously. "Do you want Joseph to see how ill-tempered you really are? He thinks you're an angel, you know. But then he hasn't known you as long as I have."

  "We're all entitled to our illusions," I retorted.

  Joseph laughed, a low, rolling rumble. "She looks like an angel and she fights like a devil," he said happily. "When I marry it will be the other way around."

  "Yes, by all means don't marry for looks, Joseph," Garth advised sagely. "You'll only regret it later. She'll get uglier and mean-spirited as the years pass. Marry for money and you can't go wrong."

  "Joseph," I said coldly, "I thought you brought me here for food, not insults."

  "Oh, yes," he chuckled. "Fine rabbit stew, coming right up. And Garth even laid in some fine wine. We patriots don't have to starve in the service of our country, do we? Here we go now." He set a plate of stew in front of me, on the table across from Garth. "Eat up. You'll feel better."

  I took my plate and my spoon and sat on the edge of the cot. "You know, Joseph, food is not the only solution to problems," I said.

  "No, it's not," he admitted, "but it sure helps you see your problems in a better light."

  The stew was delicious—Joseph was a much better cook than I was—and I ate two heaping plates full and drank half a bottle of wine. My spirits improved. When I had finished eating I felt extremely sleepy, for I had had no rest the night before and had endured a particularly difficult day on the road with Garth. I thanked Joseph for the food and stretched out on the cot. Within minutes I was fast asleep.

  When I awoke a few hours later I lay still, enjoying the warmth and comfort of my bed. I saw that someone—I'm sure it was Joseph—had covered me with a blanket. I could hear Joseph and Garth at the table a few feet away, talking in low voices.

  "But if this information is correct," Garth was saying, "they may try to invade New Orleans from the sea and not from land. We don't know when they'll strike, but my guess is they won't get down there before November if they're planning any more activity in this area. We could warn Claiborne now. He'd have plenty of time to prepare defenses. We have to get a message out. Right now. Tonight."

  "They've got us surrounded," Joseph said. "It might take a rider two months to get down to New Orleans—if he don't get caught first."

  "We'll take the boat. It's much faster, and we'd only have to go as far as Naval Headquarters down on the Virginia coast, and they'll take the plans the rest of the way. Claiborne must be expecting an invasion, but detailed plans like this would be invaluable to him. Look at this, Joseph: the name and strength in guns of every ship in the fleet, manpower, numbers of infantrymen they'll be carrying. Elise was very efficient last night."

  I thought I detected a bitter note in his voice. I continued to feign sleep.

  "The whole river's blockaded, Garth," Joseph protested. "And the bay, too. We'll never be able to get past them tonight with this full moon."

  "We've got to try, Joseph," Garth insisted. "It's vitally important."

  "I know that. But there's going to be a good, thick fog tomorrow night if the cold from the north settles in. I don't know if you can navigate through it, but if you can, they'll never see us."

  "If you can produce fog, Joseph, I can navigate through it." I heard the rustle of papers. "Excellent. We'll leave tomorrow night. The trip to Norfolk shouldn't take more than three or four days. The hardest part will be getting through that line of warships at the mouth of the river. We can probably avoid scouting vessels in the bay if we keep our eyes open."

  Joseph dropped his voice to a whisper. "What about—'Lise—t
rip—"

  "—just have to leave her behind," Garth murmured.

  I strained my ears to catch every word. Joseph was silent for a minute, then he said more vehemently, "No, I won't let you do that to her. You've hurt her enough already, Garth."

  "Me? I didn't do a damn thing to her. For the love of God, Joseph, you know better than to listen to what a woman tells you—"

  "If she stays behind, I stay."

  "You don't understand women like Elise, Joseph," Garth argued. "They land on their feet every time. They're—"

  "She's a fine lady, and she's been through a lot that no woman should have to go through." Garth made a disparaging noise, but Joseph went on. "I'm not going to add to her troubles. She's coming with us, or I'm staying. Besides, I owe her my life."

  "She was just a child then," Garth said peevishly, "a crazy, impulsive girl who would have helped anybody just so she could tell herself that she was being a glorious martyr to humanity."

  "She helped me," Joseph said, "and risked that Captain's anger. I'll never forget it, and it's my turn to help her. I promised her."

  Garth tried to reason with him. "She can take care of herself, Joseph. Look, I'll take her back to Washington tomorrow while you're working on the boat. She'll be all right there. She'll find someone to latch on to. But we cannot take her with us. She'd only be underfoot."

  Joseph stood firm. I had never been so grateful for anyone's friendship. And I had never disliked Garth McClelland more. He finally agreed to take me along. They extinguished the lantern and Garth left the cabin. Joseph lay down on the floor near the cot. I wanted to thank him for what he had done, but I didn't.

  Joseph started working early in the morning, getting the boat into shape. When I saw Garth at breakfast I asked him if he was planning a journey. He narrowed his eyes at me.

  "We're going to do a little blockade running tonight, that's all. It could be dangerous."

  "Oh, Garth," I said slyly, "you know how women like me thrive on danger. May I come along?"

  He scowled deeply and said curtly, "I don't care what you do, Elise. I told you that. Of course, if you're frightened of the British—"

  "Frightened!" I laughed. "Why, Admiral Cochrane is my favorite lover—next to General Ross, of course. The British are my friends, remember?" I leered seductively. "They have never shown me anything but—kindness."

  I smiled coolly at him and strolled over to the water's edge to visit Joseph. "I hear we're going on a trip tonight," I said, kicking off my shoes and sitting down on the bank. The warm water licked around my ankles.

  Joseph applied a paddleful of sticky tar to the bottom of the boat. "You hear right, 'Lise. I hope you like sailing."

  "I like it very much. Garth doesn't seem particularly pleased that I'm going along. I'm surprised that he's letting me come at all. I don't suppose that's any of your doing, Joseph?"

  "Might be. He'll get used to it, I expect."

  I tilted my face up to the warm September sun. "Joseph, why does Garth have to be such a—a monster? He wouldn't treat his worst enemy the way he treats me. If I were his rival in politics or war, he would be gallant and cunning and very polite. But I'm only a woman, and therefore lower than dirt in his eyes. He's never shown me a moment's tenderness or consideration. He uses me and then he drops me. I hate him. I'll never forgive him for exploiting me the way he did. Camp follower, indeed!"

  Joseph's face split into a wide grin. "A man does funny things when he's jealous—or in love," he said.

  "In love! Listen, Joseph, where I come from a man in love doesn't abuse, bully, tyrannize, and insult his woman."

  "He might, if he was afraid."

  I squinted at him. "You certainly have caught on quickly to American ways, Joseph," I remarked. "Your thinking is becoming remarkable subtle."

  "Oh, we Africans can be subtle, too, 'Lise. We fall in and out of love, just like white folks."

  "Were you ever in love, Joseph?" I asked.

  "I was married."

  I felt embarrassed. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Joseph. I didn't know."

  "How could you know? My wife and son died when they burned our village and took us all for slaves. Someday maybe I'll go back to that village. I'll carry the Lord's word to Africa, right, 'Lise?" Joseph worked silently for some minutes, then he said, "I had a brother, older than me. He always had to run faster and shoot his arrows straighter and walk taller than anyone else. He didn't have any close friends. He didn't need them. He always liked to go out hunting alone. And he liked danger. Said he liked to feel the heat of the lion's breath on his face before he killed him."

  "What happened to your brother?"

  Joseph laughed. "Oh, he married a little woman from a distant tribe. She showed him a whole new way of living. He stopped going out alone so much, and when my father died he became chief of the tribe. He was a good ruler and a wise man. We lived at peace with our neighbors and with each other."

  I sighed deeply and lay back on the soft grass. "Why does everything always have to be so difficult?" I mumbled crossly.

  "It only seems that way because you're older," Joseph said. "You're doing more thinking. Come on, 'Lise, want to help me sew up some of the holes in these sails?"

  Joseph and I worked and talked together for the rest of the day. Garth stalked around the cottage and the beach, making preparations for our voyage. He didn't speak to me and I made a point of ignoring him.

  We sailed a little before sundown that evening. I took my things on board and looked around for a place to stow them. Garth had stocked the cabin of the schooner with food, blankets, lamps, some weapons—mostly rifles, pistols, and knives, and huge rolled charts of the river mouth and Chesapeake Bay. Our boat was a chunky two-masted schooner which had been used for fishing and carrying light cargo on the bay. Somewhat wishfully named the Sea Demon, it made up in strength what it lacked in speed and grace. One man might have difficulty handling her in rough weather, but a two man crew would certainly be adequate. I had no intention of volunteering my services to Garth as a crewman, even though by experiences with Lafitte's ships made me well qualified. If Garth wanted me to help he would have to ask, and even then I would probably refuse him.

  Joseph's prediction of fog came true. We skimmed down the Potomac to the bay without being challenged by a single unfriendly vessel. When the time came to pass through the line of warships that made up the blockade at the mouth of the river, Joseph pulled in our sails to cut our velocity and we crept through. I could see lanterns winking on the decks of the great ships, and we came so close to the Royal Oak that when I raised my head I could see the black cannons poking like snouts through the gunwales on her sides.

  Garth warned me—quite unnecessarily—to be quiet, and after favoring him with an icy stare I retired to the prow of the schooner where I would be out of his way. I would have liked to hide from him completely, but the boat was too small. The cabin had two narrow bunks, but the air below deck was close and hot, and the room was barely large enough for me to turn around in.

  We spent the night anchored in a marshy cove where we could wait safely until the fog lifted and we could head out to the open sea. I lay on deck with a single blanket covering me. I fell asleep to the strange night sounds of the creatures that lived on the shoreline, and when I awoke before dawn, when the tide was high and Joseph and Garth were setting sail, I saw a gathering of snowy egrets feeding on tiny fishes in the shallows not twenty feet from where our boat lay. High grasses concealed us perfectly from any roving ships that might have been scouting the bay. The world was still and peaceful, and I hated to leave the place.

  The rising sun quickly burned away the fog and a brisk wind carried us towards the naval station at Norfolk. I lifted my face into the wind and salt spray. The sun blazed down, warming my body, salving my hurts, searing away the ugly memories of Edward Hennessy, the men on the Mississippi cargo boats, the agonizing journey to Washington, the humiliating encounter with Garth in the woods near General Ross's comma
ndeered house. I took the pins out of my hair and let it whip freely around my head. I thought that if only Garth weren't there I would feel really free and happy. I didn't know what would happen after we delivered our messages to the navy. I supposed that we would sail north to Washington again and that Joseph and I would proceed to Philadelphia while Garth resumed his duties as a senator and a patriot.

  Whenever I swung around to speak to Joseph I saw Garth watching me. His face was taut, hard and expressionless. And when I turned my back on him I could feel his cold eyes boring into me. I tried to ignore him, but I was constantly aware of his hard strength and beauty, of the power he used to have over me.

  Over our midday meal Garth and Joseph discussed the war, the weather, British strategy in the south. I didn't particularly want to be close to Garth and I remained aloof from them, returning to my place in the prow as soon as I had finished eating. Towards evening we anchored in a natural harbor not far from a fishing settlement called Sandy Bottom, near the mouth of the Rappahannock River. I fished from the schooner and caught several fine sea trout. Garth decided to visit the village to ask about recent British naval activity in the area. Joseph and I stayed with the Sea Demon. We built a fire on the shore and roasted our fish and a few potatoes in the coals and boiled water for tea.

  After an hour Garth returned. He had bought some flour and whiskey, and the storekeeper had told him that British naval vessels had been thick along the coast a month ago, raiding villages and settlements for supplies. Sandy Bottom had been spared. He crouched near the fire and warmed his hands, for the September evenings were growing chilly. Then he reached into his pocket and brought out a small parcel. He tossed it at my feet.