Forever Young Birth Of A Nation (19 page)

“My, what an ordeal, Cosette! You then
stayed with this couple for what; six years?”

“Yes, a bit over six years and my memory
returned to me over just a few days.”

“But hadn’t everyone moved away by
then?”

“They were only staying somewhere else for
that season. They returned and found me living there waiting for
them. My husband had remarried and had lost his wife in a carriage
accident around the time my memories returned.”

Rebecca said “Ian had decided to come here
to start a new bank for Mr. Milliken. He hoped to be able to stay
busy so as to not dwell on his losses. As I told Cosette the day we
met, Ian had told me about her and Alandra both. He was somewhat
upset when I asked about you two, but he tried to hide it and put
me at ease.”

“That is so very like Ian.”

Laura spoke then saying “He is a man of
sterling qualities, Cosette. I would cross an ocean to find him
were he mine.”

“As would I” said Rebecca. As she stood she
thought
would to God he was mine, but that can never be now.
Raising her glass she said “To Ian and James, wherever they are.”
Everyone present said “Hear-hear” about the same time the brass
door knocker sounded loudly. The butler answered it, and came to
the dining room with a British officer following close behind.

“Captain Jonathan Siebert Ma’am. My
apologies for interrupting your dinner, but I am here on official
business of His Majesty. Mrs. August Millhouse?” he said, looking
at everyone, eyebrows raised.

Thelma stood stony faced, saying “Speak
young man.”

“Mrs. Millhouse, I am here to inform you
that your home has been designated to quarter His Majesty’s troops.
Beginning tomorrow, you will have fourteen soldiers living here.
You may retain two of your staff. They, you, one Merriam Millhouse,
and one Laura Millhouse may remain. All others living or staying
here must leave effective tomorrow.”

“That is an outrage, sir. It is now
wintertime and you expect us to throw our guests out? Who else is
quartering British troops?”

“Mrs. Millhouse, I am only carrying out the
orders given me by my commanding officer.”

“Might that be one Colonel Harold
Grundy?”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“Is New York City now under occupation?”

“Well….no Ma’am, not to my knowledge.”

“I see. So my house is under occupation, but
not New York City?”

“Ma’am, I am only following…”

“That is quite enough, Captain. We will
carry out your orders to the letter. Now please leave us in peace
this night.”

“Yes Ma’am. For what it is worth, I am very
sorry this has happened.”

“Not as sorry as someone will be, I assure
you. Good night, Captain Siebert.”

“Goodnight, Ma’am.”

Rebecca then spoke “This is all my fault
Aunt Thelma. Had I not forced Ian to take me to the gala, none of
this would have happened.”

Thelma smiled mysteriously and said “Don’t
fret, child. I now have Harold Grundy right where I want him. He
will be leaving New York.”

Rebecca spoke then, saying “Both of you will
move in with me in our home tomorrow. Grundy will never dare to do
this to another officer of equal rank. Father is away in New Jersey
now anyway and I could use the company. Please say yes!”

Cosette looked at Stuart, her eyebrows
raised and seeing him nod, she smiled sweetly and nodded to
Rebecca, saying “Thank you Rebecca. Ian has chosen his friends well
it seems.”

“Land ho!” Yvonne peered into the distance.
It was a cloudy day, and there were snow squalls drifting along
toward the south. They had just exited one and her vampire eyes
finally saw the barest spit of land off to their right quarter.

Stefan joined her then, saying “I thought
this day might never come. Never have I been as miserable as on
this cursed ship.”

“Our confinement will soon be at an end.
Let’s hunt deer tonight. I have missed that taste.”

“We can each take a human in celebration
tonight, Yvonne.”

“No, Stefan. We know nothing about this
place. That would be stupid. We must learn what we can for now.
Besides, we need to find lodging first and then tomorrow we must
present our papers at Wellington’s bank. We need an address to deal
with a bank. Be patient, love.”

“You are right. I’m at the end of my
patience what with this voyage. How could any vampire stand
it?”

“Two just did, and now we are on the same
side of the ocean as Ian McCloud is.” Turning to him she allowed
her eyes to glow briefly and he then allowed his to glow as
well.

“That is enough for me.”

***

Colonel Grundy looked up as a young
lieutenant burst into his office and then knocked on the already
opened door. “What is the meaning of this, lieutenant?”

“Sir; you are summoned to come immediately
to General Howe’s office.”

Following the lieutenant he was in front of
Howe’s offices in only a minute. Knocking he heard an angry voice
say “Enter.”

Stepping through the door he saw immediately
how angry General Howe was as he said “Close it, Grundy!”

The door closed, Grundy stood at attention
rigidly. Howe spoke then, saying “I have just been informed that
the Thelma Millhouse care center for His Majesty’s Armed forces
will be closed effective in three days. All two hundred thirty four
patients there are to be moved by then. Furthermore this letter
from Thelma Millhouse’s barrister says that effective immediately
there will be no further funding for the care of British soldiers
wounded in the fighting here in North America. Furthermore her
barrister says that she will no more be funding any galas or
dinners in honor of His Majesty’s officers effective immediately.
What do you know about this, Grundy?”

“Sir, I didn’t know that she was going to do
something like this. Surely you can countermand that.”

Oh, really? And can I countermand that she
has the full support of Lord Edwin Trumbull and the Earl of
Mountbatten of the House of Lords?”

“Sir?”

Lord Trumbull says that he and Lord
Mountbatten support this because of our, and I quote him here
“callous disregard of the Millhouse family’s long record of
charitable contributions in the cause of supporting His Majesty’s
interests in the colonies for over twenty years.”

“But sir, Mrs. Millhouse is housing…”

Howe rose and his face turned red as he
shouted “She was housing the wife and brother of a man who
humiliated you in a duel which you were asked by General Gage not
to pursue you idiot!”

He swept everything from the surface of his
desk angrily and then stalked around it to stand face to face with
Grundy. “I have only recently assumed command of all of His
Majesty’s armed forces here, just relocating in New York only to
find this debacle waiting for me!”

“Sir, if you will allow me to explain. Ian
McCloud and James Barrows could not be found when we went to the
bank.”

Shouting now, Howe said “Don’t you suppose
that when they saw the senior military commander of the British
garrison completely out of control that they left in fear of their
lives? Don’t you suppose that when they learned that only the
places where they lived were chosen to house His Majesty’s soldiers
that they realized that you were after them and not following the
policies of the Crown?”

“But sir, they took all of the funds
too!”

By now, Howe’s face was beet red and spittle
flew from his mouth as he shouted “Is it any wonder? Where is the
complaint and accusation of theft from London? I will tell you now
that Lord Trumbull has been personally assured by Mr. Milliken
himself that he has no complaints whatsoever against Ian McCloud
and James Barrow. Indeed they are following his orders in
protecting his startup funds according to Trumbull.”

“Sir, I…”

“Who would not do what they did given your
misconduct in using the assets of the Crown for revenge to satisfy
your ego? I would hide my money and myself from such a one too was
I to be in their place.

And what do I have to look forward to this
fine cold day? I have a war to oversee on behalf of His Majesty but
instead I have to go hat in hand, begging the widow Millhouse not
to close her private hospital and her purse strings. I have to
write to His Majesty that we still only have two banks in New York
City and try to explain how that has been hindered when he has put
his very seal on those letters of intent that Ian McCloud presented
to you the day he arrived! Shall I tell the king that my senior
staff officer kicked them out after kicking them out of their
boarding house and put His Majesty’s soldiers there when we already
have all of the room we need for them? Shall I tell him that all of
this happened because my senior staff officer was angry because a
young lady asked a banker to take her to a dance, angering that
same officer? And topping all of these fine surprises I have the
Mayor and his retinue demanding to know where all of the displaced
patients will be placed when Mrs. Millhouse closes her institution.
They even now think that I will close City Hall and commandeer it!
May I remind you that we are still operating here with full
civilian cooperation? How long do you suppose it will be before New
York City becomes the battle zone that Boston is with you running
amok?”

“Sir, I…I…”

“I still have a war to fight and look at
what you have set in motion here! You are hereby demoted in rank to
captain, and you are hereby ordered to report to Boston to General
Cornwallis, where you will be in charge of the payroll for His
Majesty’s forces there. Here are your orders! Now take your leave
from my presence Captain Grundy and let me hear your name no
more!”

It was nearing year’s end and thus far the
time had passed in a routine way. Either James or Ian alternated
being near Boston or out in the back country with Henry Knox’s
column. Progress had been slow but steady and with the New England
Militia and Washington’s forces in control of the entire
countryside, the artillery so vital to the Continental Army was
moving slowly but stealthily toward its goal.

James had told Moon Owl and Ian that a gala
the week of Christmas was scheduled for Faneuil Hall, and it wasn’t
an affair sponsored by Tory Loyalists. Ian knew that it would be
attended by Tory spies, but doubted that the High Command was
looking for him in Boston, being as Grundy’s efforts had all been
for personal animosity against Ian. He figured that it was safe for
them to go and after all, he had promised Moon Owl that he would
take her to a dance.

Secretly he had bought her a new dress for
the affair and had hidden it in the barn at their house, figuring
to give it to her the evening of the dance. The three were in high
spirits and had been making excursions into town. Both Ian and
James had bought themselves new deerskin pants, boots, shirts, and
broad brimmed hats, putting them away for the night of the Gala.
They had decided that they would be well advised to maintain their
guise as frontiersmen that night so they only wore their city
clothing for occasional excursions to town.

The afternoon of the Gala, Ian surprised
Moon Owl with her new dress, taking it out of its wrapping and
hanging it in plain sight in the parlor while she was out in the
barn, looking after their horses. She had come back in and when she
saw it there, she stopped as her mouth dropped open in surprise,
and then laughing she ran to it, taking it down and looking it
over.

She hung it up and turned to him, eyes
shining and threw herself into his arms, covering his face with
kisses. Laughing Ian said “Well, go and put it on. Run along now.”
He had also bought a medium size mirror secretly and had hung it on
the wall of her room.

She ran to her room laughing and closed the
door, but in seconds it opened and she ran laughing to him again
and kissed him, holding him tightly saying “Oh, thank you, Ian.
Thank you!” Then she ran laughing to the room again, closing the
door.

James said “That was surely a popular gift.
I confess that I bought a new dress for Melissa, and I am leaving
now to take it to her. I’ll return here and we’ll all go
together.”

“No; we had better keep our location secret
from Melissa. She could be arrested and made to talk. We’ll take
the farmer’s wagon and meet you there.”

James had no sooner gone than Moon Owl came
back out the door, smiling radiantly, her eyes sparkling. She
walked to Ian and turned slowly, curtseying to him correctly, and
struck a pose as if ready to dance a minuet with a dazzling smile
on her face.

Ian applauded and smiled warmly saying “It
was just an empty thing until now. You have given that dress life,
Moon Owl. You look beautiful in it” he said as he stepped to her
and took her in his arms. They kissed several times then and she
drew back from him and pulled him toward her room saying “I need
help to get it off. Quickly Ian come along now!”

Laughing he followed her to her room and as
quickly as she was out of it, she impishly turned to him and turned
down her bed covers, beckoning with a saucy smile on her face.
“Come now love, we have a dance to attend later, but now we have
better things to do.”

Chuckling he sat down and took off his boots
as she jumped from bed and began to help him undress. They made
love then and afterward Ian held her close as she snuggled in his
arms, one hand held to her lips as always. Ian spoke then saying
“No nap for you, Lassie. We must soon be up and about or James will
walk in on us!” Laughing happily she bounded out of bed and began
to dress again as Ian laughingly began to dress too.

Later that evening they entered the Hall and
found James and Melissa some two hours after dark to find that it
was indeed crowded. Ian was one of only a few men who looked like
frontiersmen, but there were around six others similarly dressed
not counting him and James. Ian had shaved his beard off, leaving
only a medium handlebar moustache and sideburns. Neither he nor
James looked anywhere like the two polished bankers that they had
always appeared to be when in New York City. A few redcoats were in
attendance, likely on duty, but were mostly concentrated in three
groups and were not bothering anyone.