Ring of Secrets (49 page)

Praise the Lord, they had not been too late. She motioned Bennet to join her and gripped his hand, resting her forehead against his arm. Not too late.

Father laughed at something and then said, “Thank you, Free, for watching over our girl.”

“No thanks needed, as you well know. Though this young man here would like to take over the task.”

“What?” Perhaps he hadn't even noticed Bennet's presence, for Father looked startled when he noted him by Winter's side. “And who is this?”

Winter tugged him forward a step. “Father, this is Bennet Lane. Originally of Manhattan, though he is now a professor at Yale. We plan to marry.”

When Father straightened, his eyes glinting steel, she feared for a moment that Bennet would shrink. Perhaps if it had been her mother he would have—terrifying as females apparently were. But now he squared his shoulders and bowed his head in respect. “With your permission, of course, Colonel Reeves.”

“My permission.” Father folded his arms over his chest. “Are you a God-fearing man, Mr. Lane?”

Bennet smiled, at peace. “I am, sir.”

“And a Patriot?”

The smile turned to a grin. “Much to my family's dismay.”

The steel softened a bit. “You love my daughter?”

Bennet looked down at her and held her hand the tighter. “With all my being.”

“Hmm.” Father's lips began to twitch. He glanced at Freeman. “You obviously have Free's blessing, otherwise he would not have brought you here. And my Winnie's heart—which is good enough for me.”

He held out a hand, and Bennet released hers so he might shake it. Father grinned. “A professor, you say? Of what?”

“Philosophy and chemistry, sir.”

As she had known they would, Father's eyes lit up. “Chemistry? Have you ever read any of the papers by a Frenchman named Lavoisier?”

Oh, dear. Words to guarantee a long, animated conversation. Winter slid over to Freeman as she smiled at them. “They will be fast friends.”

He chuckled and rested a hand on her shoulder. “That they will. And it's glad I am to be back where we belong. But I believe Colonel Tallmadge would like another word with you, Winter.”

“Oh.” She turned and saw that Tallmadge made a motion with his head. She moved over to where he stood by his desk, removed from the reunion. “Colonel?”

He held her gaze, measuring her not as he should the daughter of a fellow officer, but as he might a colleague. “You are really the one who provided Townsend with that information?”

“That which I mentioned, yes, and smaller details besides, though of course he had other sources.”

He glanced beyond her. “Your Mr. Lane?”

“Nay.” She looked his way too and smiled at the way he gestured as he spoke, completely at home in the conversation with her father. “But he is the one who realized I had been found out. His brother is in the British army and let slip their plot to undermine us. Bennet was determined not to let it happen, so he came on his own to the city to seek us out and prevent it.”

Tallmadge's eyes went hard. “And he found you?”

“By the grace of God.”

He sighed as he clasped his hands behind his back. “Praise the Lord for that, then. Dare I guess you are not returning to the City of New York?”

The very thought made her shudder. “'Tisn't possible, thanks to Benedict Arnold.”

“And Townsend and Woodhull refuse to put quill to paper.” The colonel shook his head. “I fear the Culpers may have run their course. Yet we owe so much to them. To you.”

She drew in a long breath and slowly let it out. Praise had certainly never been a part of why she did what she did, but it was nevertheless a blessing to be thanked. “It was our honor, sir. The Lord did not put us in a position to help so that we might shy away from it.”

“If only everyone thought that way.” He held out a hand. Not palm up, as a gentleman usually did when seeking to greet a lady, but sideways, as if to shake the hand of an equal.

Forcing a swallow, Winter put hers against his and tamped down a smile at the strangeness of it when he clasped her hand and then shook it firmly. “I am glad I was able to meet you, sir.”

“And I you, Miss Reeves.”

“Winnie!” Father waved her over, and she nodded again to Tallmadge before rejoining her family.

“Father?”

He put an arm around her, and the other around Bennet as he led
them out into the brilliant sunshine. “Come. We have a wedding to
plan.”

Epilogue

The City of Washington

1811, 31 years later

B
en put a hand on the small of Winter's back and guided her into the office, looking around with interest. It was his first time in their nation's capital, certainly his first time visiting the domain of a congressman. From what he could tell, the city was little more than a town, rather eclipsed by nearby Baltimore. But they had enjoyed strolling past the White House, and Winter had even exchanged a few words with the First Lady.

She drew in a deep breath now and glanced over her shoulder at him. He nodded and approached the desk of the secretary. “Excuse me, sir.”

The man looked up with a distracted smile. “May I help you?”

“Could you please see if the congressman has time for a brief audience? We are Mr. and Mrs. Lane, formerly of New Haven.”

“Ah.” The man's smile brightened in sincerity. He stood. “The congressman is always happy to speak with his constituents. One moment, please.”

While the secretary slipped through another door, Winter tucked her hand into its place in the crook of Ben's elbow. “I can hardly believe it has been five years since we have last seen him.”

“I know. We need to plan another trip home to Connecticut soon. Before…”

She nodded and rubbed a hand over the soft fabric of his new greatcoat's sleeve, the only indication she gave of her anxiousness.

The door to the inner office opened again, and the secretary smiled and waved them in.

Benjamin Tallmadge stood to greet them, his smile large and bright. “The Lanes! What a pleasant surprise. I had hoped to make my way to Annapolis at some point, but it seems there is never enough time. And since you are no longer within forty miles of me in Connecticut…”

Ben grinned and held out a hand to be shaken. “We are as guilty as you, never making the trip here. I blame it on how busy they keep me at the college. How have you been, Ben?”

“Quite well, Ben.”

Winter rolled her eyes at the long-standing joke, though she grinned. “Will you two never tire of that?”

Tallmadge laughed and motioned them into plush chairs. “Please, have a seat, Winnie. How are the children?”

“As undauntable as ever.” Her emerald eyes gleamed as she sat. “Philly is bound and determined to achieve the same education at her home that she was denied through a college—an ambition her husband supports, thankfully. Amelia and Jacob are in raptures over their twins.”

Tallmadge grinned and perched on the edge of his desk. “And Thad? Is he still based in Baltimore and getting his fill of adventure on the high seas?”

Ben cleared his throat. “That is why we are here, indirectly.”

His tone must have spoken far more than his words, for Tallmadge straightened again, concern lining his mouth. “Tell me he has not been impressed by the British.”

“No, praise the Lord. But the tales he tells us when he comes home…” Ben sighed and shook his head. “We are headed to war again, Tallmadge. I trust you realize that. The British have never accepted our independence.”

Tallmadge echoed his sigh and pinched at the bridge of his nose. “I would be a fool not to know it. Though there are fools aplenty in this city who refuse to acknowledge its coming.”

Winter scooted to the edge of her chair. “Do you also know that they never ceased in their intelligence gathering? While we have all focused on growing our country and establishing a government, they have been perfecting what we abandoned.”

For a moment, the congressman was silent. He just stood there, toying with a button. “I have suspected as much. Have, in fact, urged the president to dedicate more funds and manpower to establishing an organization to gather intelligence. But no one listens.”

“They don't have to. Not if you will.” Winter looked at Ben and gave him a worried smile.

He put encouragement into the one he returned. So long they had talked of this eventuality. They had even tried to speak with Townsend about it, but the man never wanted to be reminded of those days in New York, and he refused to speak of the business except to say that Washington had never given him a bit of the acknowledgment he had been promised. No position in the government. No thanks.

Ben suspected it was more than that. More that he had never quite resigned himself to losing Winter and so shunned any reminder of the days when he worked with her. But that was supposition.

This was fact. He faced Tallmadge again and drew in a deep breath. “We think it is time for the Culpers to get to work again.”

Tallmadge looked first at Winter, undoubtedly noting that she was still so beautiful, still so sure of what she must do. Then to him. Would he think of all the talks they had had over the years in Connecticut on everything from science to politics to banking? Conversations that may have never brought up the old business, but which had proven him of sound mind. Of solid loyalty. Of dutiful determination.

The congressman leaned against his desk once more, arms folded
and eyes shrewd. A smile tugged up half his mouth. “What exactly do
you propose?

Discussion Questions
 

1. In a time when intelligence work was considered filthy as well as dangerous, Winter risked working with the Culper Ring out of obedience to the Lord and to help her father's cause. Has the Lord or your family ever asked you to do something dangerous or questionable?

2. One of the primary themes in
Ring of Secrets
is truth—man's version versus God's version. How do you see these playing out in the book, and what are your thoughts on “truth” and truth? Are there ever times when we must hide something from others in order to obey the Lord?

3. Who is your favorite character and why?

4. Bennet and his brother have a complicated relationship—loving but not always friendly. How would you react to a brother like Archie? How do you feel about how Ben treats him?

5. When Winter meets Viney in the ironically named Holy Ground, she comes to a realization about innocence. What are your thoughts on this?

6. Do you feel Winter behaves fairly regarding Colonel Fairchild? What would you have done the same or differently?

7. In a society where appearance is very important and style very extravagant, both Winter and Bennet have a fondness for simplicity that sets them apart. What similarities do you see between society in 1780 and society today? Where do you fall in the spectrum and why?

8. As George Knight observes, many Americans during the Revolution based their loyalties not on what cause they believed in, but on which side they believed would be victorious. What do you think you would have done if you were alive at the time? Would you risk your life or livelihood for a cause that seemed destined for failure?

9. By the end of the book, Bennet can review the events of the year and see the Lord's guidance. Do you have a story from your life of when all seemed confusion or coincidence at the time, but upon looking back you could discern God's hand?

10. At the end, Fairchild says that “nothing means what it once did.” How has he changed through the book, and how do you feel about him by the conclusion?

Author's Note

When I decided to explore the world of American's first spy ring, I had the expected visions of cloaks and daggers, grand adventure and cutthroat suspense. Invisible ink and drop locations, cover stories and daring men. As I sat down with my sources, especially
Washington's Spies
by Alexander Rose, I instead learned about the reality of a group of people determined to do what they could in spite of a common hatred for the work, getting little thanks and no money for their efforts. America's first spies were just people. Untrained, common people who wanted to do the right thing, who rose to the challenge. And who went through each day afraid their next letter to Washington might be their last.

I love little more than redefining history through fictional characters who interact with historical figures, which is what I did in this story. Winter, Bennet, Fairchild, and all their family members live only in our imaginations. But Robert Townsend and Austin Roe, Benjamin Tallmadge, Abraham Woodhull, and Caleb Brewster were real members of the Culper Ring. Tallmadge moved from espionage to banking, and then to politics in the years leading up to and during the War of 1812. Woodhull hung up his spy cloak for family life on his Long Island farm. Austin Roe owned an inn and joined a militia after the
Revolutionary War, where he had the privilege of continuing to serve with his friends.