by Lora Thomas
“If I am going to die at my husband’s hands, Sarah, then I want direct involvement. I do not want to be an unknown agent. I want to know the people I am assisting.”
Sarah closed her eyes and nodded. “How will you leave your home undetected? You have guards posted outside your door.”
“Leave that to me. Now when and where do I meet you?”
“Ten o’clock tonight at The Dragon’s Lair.”
“Mrs. Stevenson?” Walters yelled.
Anna gave the door a disgusted look. “See you tonight,” she mouthed to Sarah and walked out the door. Anna handed Chris the bonnet. “Please hold this one for me. I must speak with my husband before I can purchase anything.”
Chris waved his hand. “Please, Mrs. Stevenson, take the bonnet as a gift from me.”
“I cannot accept it.”
Christopher waved away her denial. “Nonsense. I cannot have the wife of Major Stevenson strolling the streets looking like a pauper. I have bestowed gifts on the other officers’ wives. Consider this a welcoming gift.”
She smiled sweetly at the merchant. “Thank you, Mr. Christopher.”
“Allow me to get you a box.” Chris walked into his office. Upon seeing Sarah, a strange look crossed his face. In a fierce whisper, he asked, “What are you doing here?”
“She is the friend I was telling you about, Rooster.”
He straightened. “How did you figure out who I was?”
“It wasn’t that difficult.”
“Joseph told you.”
Sarah shrugged her shoulders. “We’ll discuss it later. Just have your brother at The Dragon’s Lair tonight.”
“Why?” Chris asked as he walked to a shelf to retrieve a hatbox.
“She will be bringing us information and will only give it to him.”
“You’re joking,” he asked as he turned to face her.
Sarah shook her head.
“He won’t agree. Secrecy is a must in our line of work.”
“I can’t help it. She spotted him,” Sarah said as she stomped her foot.
Chris took a deep breath. They needed that information—desperately. “I’ll have him there, but I will not tell him the reason.”
“What if he leaves?”
“I’ll think of something to keep him there.”
“A whore?” she asked in a derogatory tone.
“Perhaps. Now, if you will excuse me, I must give Mrs. Stevenson her box.” He turned to leave but stopped. “You owe me for a hat.”
“You owe me for the one I lost when you abducted me. So call it even.”
Chris walked out of the room shaking his head. How in the hell did he get involved in this mess—the major’s wife and her maid.
Chapter Ten
Anna closed the door to her room. Pressing her back to the door, she let out an anxious breath. She felt as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. She looked down at her hands and watched them tremble. Albert had just departed. Pushing away from the door, she walked to her bedroom window and looked out. He was walking to the stables. A few minutes later he rode out of the courtyard.
Anna crossed the room to the cherry wardrobe and pulled out the oldest gown she had. It was a deep purple. She ran her hand over the soft velvet material. She quickly changed out of the buttercup yellow gown she was wearing and into the one she chose to wear on her mission. Once dressed, she rummaged through the bottom of the wardrobe until she found a pair of soft brown shoes with sturdy soles.
She piled her yellow gown in the center of the bed and pulled the covers up. She worked for several minutes until she was satisfied the lump in her bed resembled a sleeping body.
Grabbing a black cape from the back of the chair, she walked to the window and looked out. No one was in the yard. She opened the window and climbed out onto the terrace. She tossed her cape to the ground and climbed down the rickety rose trellis. Once safely on the ground, she collected her cloak and slipped undetected away from her home.
She wrapped the cloak tightly around her body. An uneasy feeling invaded her. How she wished she had remembered to steal a pistol to take with her. Even a small pocket pistol. Something to make her feel more secure wandering the streets looking for this tavern. She wasn’t even sure which direction to go. She wandered for almost an hour before she decided it was time to ask for assistance. She spotted a man sitting on a stump. She watched him take a drink from the bottle he was holding. He then shook the bottle, held it up and eyed the inside as if that action would make a drink miraculously appear.
“Excuse me, sir. I was wondering if you could assist me?”
The man looked at her. She watched his head bobble like a cork in a stream. He opened and closed his eyes several times.
“Whoopty, whoopty. Look at all the…purrrrty women,” he slurred.
Anna looked around her. No one was present but her and the intoxicated man.
“Can I take ya home, pur-r-r-ty lady, and cook ya sum-m-m-m…b-r-r-r-reakfast?” he drew out his words as he tried to stand. Taking a step towards her, he stumbled.
She rushed forward and caught the man under the arm before he fell to the ground. Her face crinkled from the foul stench emanating from the man. He reeked of sweat and cheap liquor.
“No, thank you. I was wondering if you can direct me to The Dragon’s Lair.”
“I wuz jest headin’ thar maself.” Each word he spoke caused his head to bobble.
“I thought you were going home to cook some breakfast?” she asked with humor.
A befuddled look crossed the man’s face. “Hmmm. Breakfast does sound good.”
“How about this? You escort me to The Dragon’s Lair and I buy you a pint?”
“Make it two,” he slurred, spitting in her ear.
Anna crinkled her nose as she wiped his spittle out of her ear. “Two it is.”
“This way, purrrrty lady,” he said as he pointed behind him.
Anna shook her head and allowed the inebriated man to escort her to the tavern. It took twenty minutes for the man to make it the few short blocks to the location. His drunken state caused him to stumble multiple times. He turned himself in circles more than once and almost fell asleep while walking. But they finally made it to their destination. Once inside, Anna escorted her “escort” towards the bar.
Duke kept polishing his glass as he watched the drunkard and the beautiful woman approach the bar. He nudged the boy behind the bar and gestured his head towards her. The boy looked at Anna and smiled.
“Is she the new whore?” the boy asked.
“I certainly hope so,” Duke replied. “If she is, I’ll never have ta pour another pint again.”
Anna finally made it to the bar and assisted the drunkard to a seat. She looked to Duke. “Excuse me,” she said to the barkeep.
“You Bertha?”
“No,” Anna replied, shaking her head. “I am needing to purchase two pints for my companion.”
Duke looked at the man. “I don’t think he’s capable of drinkin’ anything presently.”
Anna looked at her escort. His forehead lay on the bar, a loud snore coming from his open mouth.
“Oh. Well, then, may I leave him here?”
“No.”
Anna pressed her lips together and put her hand into her pocket. She placed several of the coins she had stolen from Albert’s desk on the counter. “Would that allow him to sleep until I have conducted my business?”
Duke looked at the coins, then back at her. “That will hold his spot. But I don’t allow street whores ta work here. If ya ain’t employed by me, then ya must leave.”
Anna bristled. “I am not a street whore.”
“Are ya a whore?”
“No!” she snapped, red-faced. “I happen to be meeting a friend.”
“A friend, huh? Well, ya can’t cut in on my profits. So go meet yer friend—”
“There you are,” Sarah interrupted as she approached Anna.
“Ya know her, Miss Sarah?�
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“She’s with me, Duke.”
The tall bartender nodded his head, dismissing Anna, and returned to polishing his glass. Sarah took Anna’s hand and began pulling her to the back of the tavern.
“Sarah, what kind of establishment did you have me come to?” Just as soon as the question left Anna’s mouth, she stopped and turned Sarah to face her. With mortification she asked, “You haven’t taken to prostitution, have you?”
“No! I am not a whore. Now come on. The man you requested to meet is in the back. It took his brother and several others to keep him from leaving.”
“Why would he want to leave?”
“I’ll explain later.” Sarah took hold of Anna’s arm and dragged her to the back room. She pushed back the curtain.
As Anna entered, her eyes were instantly drawn to the man. Her heart fluttered as she took in his presence. He was standing by the fireplace, his right forearm resting on the mantle. He had an angry expression on his handsome face. There were two men standing on each side of him and one to the front. His eyes were on the men. They then landed on her, and she felt her knees grow weak. If Sarah did not have her arm, she had no doubt that she would have crumbled to the floor. This was a bad idea.
Cameron was angry. Chris was refusing to let him leave the tavern. He needed to leave. Actually, it was a desire to leave. The Widow Jones was in town visiting her sister. He had promised to pay her a visit before she left. But as he started to leave the tavern, Chris, Joseph and three of their friends decided that Cameron needed to stay. When he questioned them as to why, he was informed that he would find out soon enough.
And as his eyes went to the door he saw the “soon enough.” Mrs. Stevenson was standing in the doorway with Joseph’s latest fling. As he watched her, he could not tear his eyes away from her beauty. The deep purple of her gown suited her. Her cheeks had a rosy appearance, as if she had been outside in the sun too long. Her pink lips were parted as she breathed nervously, and her breasts heaved with each rapid breath.
“Good, you made it,” Joseph said as he left his post blocking Cameron. “Jeff, Austin, Clint…you can take your leave now.” The three men left the room, pulling the curtain closed behind them.
Joseph gestured towards the bench. “Please have a seat. Sarah tells us you have information for my friend.”
Cameron shot the guests in the room an irritated look. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You didn’t tell him?” Anna asked as she looked at Sarah.
“It’s complicated,” Sarah said as she walked to the bench.
“Un-complicate it,” Anna said as she crossed the room.
“Cameron would not have agreed to meet you in person,” Chris said.
“Cameron?” Anna’s eyes turned to the man who spoke. She sucked in her breath with recognition. “Mr. Christopher? What are you doing here?” Her eyes then flew back to the man at the mantel. She sucked in her breath with revelation. In disbelief, she whispered, “You’re brothers.”
“Yes,” Chris replied.
“Would someone please tell me what is going on?” Cameron asked with noticeable frustration.
Joseph looked at Cameron. “The information that Sarah acquired for us was from Mrs. Stevenson. She has agreed to supply us with more information.”
“That doesn’t explain why I had to be here,” Cameron snapped.
“Because she would only tell it to you,” Chris informed his brother.
Cameron’s eyes went back to Anna. She quickly diverted her eyes to the floor. Cameron mumbled a curse word under his breath, turning his head away. Looking back at the group his eyes were filled with rage. “You are all complete imbeciles! Do you know what you have done? You have jeopardized this entire outfit for—”
“Nothing has been compromised, sir,” Anna replied, finding her courage. “I can assure you that I have no love for Britain or my husband. I took a great risk in coming here this evening. If you do not want my information, please tell me in a rational manner rather than yelling at me like I am a child.”
“Cameron,” Chris interjected before Cameron lit into the sassy blond. “Let’s hear what she has to say. Her information was good in the past.”
Cameron pushed away from the fireplace. “You listen to it. I want no part of gathering information from The Enforcer’s wife.”
“You owe me,” Anna replied.
“What?”
“The other day. I could have notified my guards of your location, but I kept it to myself.”
“You did that to protect your own hide, not mine,” Cameron seethed as he pointed to his chest.
Anna’s eyes went back to the floor. She reminded herself that she was not in the presence of her husband and fearfully lifted her gaze. “True. But if I had told them your location, then you would now be sitting in one of those prison ships in the harbor, begging for death.”
“And you would have been beaten by your husband,” he retaliated.
Anna sucked in her breath. She fought the tears of frustration, embarrassment. Looking at Sarah, she spoke, “This was a bad idea. I am sorry if I have troubled you. Good luck to you and your cause. Good evening to you all.” She turned and headed to the curtain.
“Mrs. Stevenson, please wait,” Chris called after her.
She kept walking.
He turned to Cameron. “For God’s sake, Cameron! She has valuable information and you are allowing her to leave.” Cameron said nothing. “It could change the war, Cameron! Swallow that damn pride you have and listen to what she has to say.”
Cameron let out a reluctant sigh. Chris was right. “Mrs. Stevenson, wait,” he called after her.
Anna’s hand stopped from pushing the curtain back. She did not turn to face him.
“Mrs. Stevenson,” she heard him call again. She slowly turned to face the man she had dreamed about for the past week. “I apologize. Please sit and tell me what you know.”
She walked to the bench and sat down beside Sarah. She waited for the men to join her at the table. Sarah took her hand in a gesture of comfort. Anna squeezed Sarah’s hand and took a deep breath. “I will tell you what I know. Anytime I find out new information, I will tell you. But I have a condition to my help.”
“What?” Cameron asked with dread.
“I want you to kill my husband.”
A pin drop could have been heard echoing through the room at her confession. “Pardon me?” Cameron asked.
“Once I can gather no more information, I want you to have my husband killed.”
“That’s an interesting proposition,” Chris responded, coming to stand beside his brother.
“You heard him. My husband is not overly found of me. He is cruel and very unkind. There will be no love lost at his death. I will bring you information in exchange for my husband’s murder once this is all over. Those are my terms.”
Cameron ran his hand through his black hair. He looked back at the proud beautiful woman before him. He could see her fear etched across her face. Her actions indicated that she was abused in some fashion almost daily—her lack of eye contact, the nervous way she worked her hands, the unspoken fear she had of men, the slight tremble of her voice. He wanted nothing more than to kill her husband himself for causing her harm.
“If you get caught, your husband will kill you,” he warned.
“I’m dead anyway,” Anna whispered as she looked downward. Gathering her courage, she looked back at Cameron. “Do we have a deal?”
Her admission enraged Cameron. Women were to be treated like queens. Not once had he ever raised a hand to a woman—not even to the ones who reported his locations to the Redcoats. Granted, he would have loved to, but he was taught better. No woman deserved to be abused. As he studied Mrs. Stevenson, it occurred to him that her husband not only physically but verbally abused her.
“Agreed,” he said.
“Albert is having guns and ammunition delivered to guerillas that patrol the roadway between here and Hamps
tead. There is a hidden armory there.”
“Where is the armory located?”
“A man named Caldwell owns a farm there. They have converted one of his silos into a dry lock for gunpowder. The smokehouse has a hidden cellar where they hide the extra weapons. His root cellar contains extra blankets and medical supplies.” She nervously licked her lips. “I know this isn’t battle information—”
“No, this is great,” Cameron replied, in awe of the valuable information that she had just relayed. “Our troops are in great need of medical supplies as well as extra ammunition. Thank you.”
“I will not have any more information until my husband returns.” She stood. “I must get back now before my absence is noticed.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Stevenson,” Cameron said.
“You’re welcome.”
“She needs a code name,” Joseph spoke.
“What?” Cameron turned to face his fellow conspirator.
“A code name. Like Culper uses. Otherwise if they find out, then they will torture her until she reveals who we are.”
“Joseph—” Cameron’s protest was interrupted by Anna.
“That is a marvelous idea. What did you have in mind?”
“Since you are helping us achieve liberty, we shall call you Liberty. Any correspondences and face-to-face meetings you shall be addressed as such.”
“Very well.” A faint smile came to her face. “I shall be called Liberty. Now I must bid you adieu. I need to be getting back.” She headed to the door but stopped suddenly. “My home on the outskirts of Leland…please feel free to use it as a safe house. It has many hidden passageways to hide in as well as fresh fruit.”
“Thank you, Mrs.—Liberty.” Chris answered.
Anna hesitated at the doorway. “Is something wrong, Mrs. Stevenson?” Cameron asked.
“Remember, it is Liberty. And I need one more favor.”
“What?”
“I do not know my way home. Could you please have someone escort me there?”
Cameron watched the woman before him, her eyes diverting to the ground. “I’ll walk you back.”
“I cannot ask you to do that, Mr…”
“Just call me Cameron.”
She nodded her head. “I cannot ask you to do that, Cameron. You risk too much of yourself as it is. To be caught in my presence would not only cause hardship for me but for you as well.”
