Liberty Calling

Chapter 33

Not a day passed before I was summoned to the backroom of the press. For hours, we discussed what had to be done. If the British knew spies were present in New York, we had to tread very carefully. The slightest misstep and we could all be found out. Plans were made for capture. If Richard or Levi were captured, they were to say absolutely nothing. Nothing in defense, nor in admittance of their involvement with the ring. And if I were captured, Richard assured me no mercy would be shown to me on account of my being a woman. And so I was to weep and scream, and do my best to appear distraught and confused. The more pathetic I appeared, the best, for although soldiers do as told, they are still men with souls. We discussed the way in which we could operate without Seth's link in our chain. Richard would take his place, leaving me letters and watching for my candle. But our drop location would need to change on a weekly basis, and would have to be much more concealed. Richard would decide upon the location, and inform me through codes in every Monday's newspaper. Of course, the added benefit of having a man so far behind enemy lines was no longer possible, but we would manage. And, more than ever, it was imperative we were inseparable from our little seal stamps.

My steps were heavy that evening. My head pounded, as it had since I'd woken up, and my stomach churned and twisted. I missed Seth more than words could say. There were days I almost wished I'd never loved for the pain was so acute. I ached for James, and carried a guilt that was thick and confining. I wanted only to speak with Elias, to find peace in his advice and companionship. And I wanted to be enveloped in my father's arms, shielded from all the world. Instead, I was left feeling terribly lonely. 

As I drew nearer to the house, I noticed a dark crouched figure sat upon the ground and leaning on the garden bench. His hair was loose, and hung around his shoulders, and in an instant I knew it was Zachariah.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, though I'd been tempted to pass by him and retire immediately to my bed.

"Sitting," he replied sharply. A flask lay on the ground, reflecting the light of the street lamps, and I knelt to retrieve it. "What are you doing, Emmeline?" His tone was thick with exasperation, and I raised the flask to my nose to smell.

"It's strong tonight," I commented, turning the lid shut once more. He said nothing, so I placed the flask back on the ground and turned to sit with my back against the bench beside him. We remained in silence, for I was so tired I could hardly think of words to say. At last, I said, "Do you remember Cousin William, Riah? He proposed marriage to me while we were in England. He was a pig of a man. You should've seen the way Levi yelled at him."

My brother sat a bit taller, and watched me curiously. "Levi? He does not yell."

"No, and that is exactly why I reveled in it. William had thought we were alone, that none could hear him, and as he insulted me, Levi heard. Oh it was wonderful. He called William a rat."

Zachariah snorted, and then broke into a plain laugh. "Would that I had been there."

"He's married now. William, I mean. So clearly he made a recovery."

"I received a proposal of my own, you know."

I laughed, and watched him. Those calico cat eyes of his were distant, and perhaps a bit hazy. But they were still the ones I'd known all my life, and that provided some measure of comfort. "Oh did you?"

"Yes, though she was hardly 17 years old, and had been drinking enough wine to put me to shame. So I'm afraid she likely does not remember her offer at all. Besides, I am fairly convinced she proposed to a man in uniform, nothing more. I'd only known her a handful of days."

I laughed softly. My fingers brushed the cold metal of the flask, and I thought over my next words carefully. I hated to ask and still...I needed to know.