Three
The scent of roses drifted on the evening breeze, tantalizing Branch Barton’s nose. For a man who’d spent a lot of time on horseback in the heat, or stuck in a tent with men who hadn’t bathed in a good long while, the fragrance was entirely welcome.
He drew in a deep breath as he waited in the shadows across the street from the manor house where his commander’s wife had taken up temporary residence.
Since a musket ball had grazed Branch’s side a month ago, he had been given the supposedly less strenuous duty of keeping an eye on Mrs. Washington.
That woman rarely sat still. Keeping abreast of her whereabouts had turned into a relentless, unending task.
Not that Branch had minded.
He admired Martha Washington for her strength and loyalty to the Patriots, not to mention how much she adored her husband.
In fact, Branch had been among those traveling with her from New York to Philadelphia at the end of June, when General Washington had concluded she would be safer away from New York and the upcoming battles he was sure would soon take place there.
Branch thought the general also wanted her present in Philadelphia for the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
There was something about reading the words Thomas Jefferson had written that stirred Branch’s heart and reminded him of all the reasons he had been a supporter of the pursuit of liberty and freedom from the start.
He dragged in another breath, watching from the shadows as Miss Lucy Carlson, escorted by her little brother, stepped inside the house.
Earlier that afternoon, Branch had been trailing behind Mrs. Washington, fully aware she intended to meet with a courier and give him the locket she wore.
He had offered to make the exchange for her, but she had insisted on doing it herself.
Before the locket could be handed off, though, two Loyalist ruffians had appeared out of seemingly nowhere.
One had held her shoulders, while the other had attempted to yank off the locket.
Thankfully, the clasp had held. Martha’s faithful servant, Jack, had shoved the men away.
Branch had bellowed for her to run, then melted back into the shadows.
It was important for people in Philadelphia to think he was a Loyalist and speculate if he was a spy for the Redcoats.
He had invested time, blood, and pieces of himself in creating the identity, and he couldn’t allow one incident with a locket to upend things now.
Not when the information he could gather would continue to prove to be so vital to the Continental Army.
The two men had chased after Mrs. Washington, but Jack had managed to trip them both, then shoved a cart full of cabbages into them, giving the woman time to slip away.
Branch had darted down a side street and watched as Mrs. Washington was beckoned into the goldsmith’s shop by Ward Carlson’s lovely daughter.
After taking a post in the shadows across the street, Branch had observed the ruffians race by, followed by Jack, who had chased them to the far end of town before he doubled back and waited around the corner to escort Mrs. Washington home when she left the shop filled with sparkling jewels.
Mrs. Washington had only taken a few steps when she had paused, turned to Jack, and spoke quietly to him. Jack had subtly motioned to Branch as he and Mrs. Washington stood looking in the window of a print shop.
Branch had hustled across the street and started past her when Mrs. Washington turned and intentionally bumped into him, relaying the detail that she had left her gloves in the shop and to see if Lucy would give them to him.
Lucy’s reactions had been her first test of loyalty, which the girl had passed with ease.
Although Branch had seen Lucy from a distance on any number of occasions, when she had bustled into the shop and greeted him with a smile that had quickly disappeared, he had been momentarily dumbfounded by her beauty.
Clear creamy skin. Beautifully formed face with a slightly stubborn chin. Nicely rounded curves in all the right places, even if she was taller than most females he knew.
When she’d marched over to the workbench and slammed shut the ledger book that he had studied as soon as he had walked into the shop, she had glared at him with eyes such a dark, deep blue that at first he thought they were black.
Then he had seen a spark in them, like lightning mirrored on a stormy midnight sea, and realized they were an intense shade of blue unlike any he had seen.
With a long slender neck and hands, she had appeared feminine and graceful. A white cap had covered her hair, but tendrils of brown tresses had waved and curled around her face.
Admittedly, Branch had found her quite enchanting.
But in the middle of the war was not a time for romance or letting pretty girls turn his head.
Instead of giving in to his desire to get to know all there was to learn about Lucy Carlson, Branch had instead plied her with charm and tried to convince her the woman who’d gone by the name Patsy was his aunt and had sent him to retrieve her gloves.
In ways, he considered Mrs. Washington that way, but there was no blood tie between them.
At any rate, Lucy had looked at him like he was the village idiot and refused to hand over the gloves. He could tell when he had glanced at them that she had found the locket and removed it. What remained to be seen was what she would do with it.
Mrs. Washington had been quite exhausted and in need of a rest after being chased through town, so while she remained at the house, Branch had lingered near the goldsmith’s shop, catching glimpses of Lucy at work beside her father.
She had disappeared about the time Ward Carlson had put the closed sign in the window and locked the front door.
Half an hour had passed before Lucy emerged with Theo, her brother, in tow.
The boy’s hair had been slicked down and didn’t stick up at odd angles around his head as it had nearly every time Branch had previously seen the child.
Theo seemed to have been forced into his best clothes, although he had managed to get away without wearing a hat.
Lucy had changed gowns and styled her hair to fit under a fashionable straw hat tied with a jaunty bow.
Branch had been careful to keep out of sight as they had walked to Society Hill, but he had followed just close enough to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation.
Evidently, Lucy had discovered the coded note in the locket because she and Theo had spent the entire walk trying to decipher it.
Branch hadn’t seen it either, nor did he know what it contained, but he assumed the two Carlson siblings were probably close to accurate in what they had deduced about transport ships bearing ammunition.
While Lucy and Theo were escorted through the house to the garden out back, Branch dashed across the street, jumped over the fence, and silently swung up into the leafy branches of a tree close enough to hear the women talk, but far enough away Lucy and Theo wouldn’t grow suspicious.
When Lucy proclaimed her desire to help the Patriots and her support of those fighting for liberty, it hadn’t surprised Branch in the least. She possessed that special something every Patriot would need in the days ahead if they were to win the war and finally break free from the king’s rule.
Branch was starving, having missed the midday meal, and willed his stomach to silence as Lucy and Theo savored the food Mrs. Washington had instructed the house staff to serve her guests.
As soon as they all returned inside the house, Branch climbed out of the tree, perused the food left on the table, and secured what he could carry into a napkin.
As he stuffed slices of cheese and tender pork between two pieces of bread, he kept to the shadows and made his way around the side of the house to the front, where he could watch and listen as the Carlson siblings departed.
Shoulder braced against the side of the house, Branch observed as Lucy and Theo stepped outside.
Lucy had a large basket he knew was full of delicacies her family would enjoy in one hand, and held her brother’s small fingers in her other.
She looked down at the boy, as though something momentous had occurred, then the two of them started off down the brick walk, heading back toward High Street and her father’s shop.
Branch followed them until they reached the heart of town, which was far less crowded than usual with the night’s approach.
Assured Lucy and Theo were safe when they walked around the back of the buildings where the goldsmith shop was located, he returned to Mrs. Washington’s house, eating his pilfered meal as he went.
Once again going around to the back of the house, he cleared the garden fence in one easy leap and made his way to a tree in the back corner. Earlier, Jack had relayed a message from Mrs. Washington to wait there after he had made sure Lucy was safely home.
Branch leaned with his back braced against the tree, boots crossed at the ankle and arms crossed over his chest, and closed his eyes as he waited.
He breathed in the heady scent of roses mingled with some of the other fragrant flowers in the garden.
A more pungent aroma drifted around him, and he realized he must have inadvertently stepped on one of the sage plants. Too late to worry about it now.
Ears attuned to every sound, he could hear boats on the water, people walking by, and a horse’s hooves clip-clopping on the street.
One thing Philadelphia was not was quiet.
Even in the midst of the night, it seemed there was always someone awake doing something, making noise, likely plotting trouble.
He grinned.
Often, he was one of those doing the plotting—against the Redcoats.
Branch released a long breath, his ears attuned to the sound of soft footsteps, the swish of petticoats, and caught the light scent of lavender and clove that he associated with Mrs. Washington.
He opened his eyes and watched as she approached him from the footpath that meandered through the garden. The shadows were deep and long, easing any concern about anyone in the house witnessing their conversation.
Although Jack was a faithful servant who had accompanied Mrs. Washington from Mount Vernon, not all the servants in the house were from the Washingtons’ home; therefore, Branch and Mrs. Washington had no idea whom they could trust. Jack would keep Mrs. Washington safe, but conversations that required privacy were best discussed away from listening ears.
Branch had already checked to make sure they were completely alone in the garden, except for Jack, before he leaned against the tree.
Now he pushed himself away from it and motioned for Mrs. Washington to take a seat on the small wooden bench he had moved farther into the twilight cover of the tree’s branches.
“Well, what did you think of her?” Mrs. Washington asked without preamble, settling primly on the bench.
Branch could have played dumb or offered a teasing comment, but there wasn’t time for tomfoolery.
“I think she might be one in whom we can place our trust. She seems earnest and ready to do her part for the valiant cause of liberation.” He grinned.
“I think Theo could win the war if your husband decided to let a youngster his age enlist. He is a clever one, isn’t he? ”
Martha smiled. “He certainly is. As you heard, I warned Lucy not to involve him if she does step into a vital role in this war, but I don’t know how she will endeavor to keep Theo out of it. Despite his tender age, I think he’ll be a strong ally for her.”
“I agree.”
They discussed his plans for the following day. Mrs. Washington shared the code word she and Lucy had settled upon for the courier to use when meeting her.
“If she passes the tests you put her through tomorrow, I think we can absolutely count on her in the future. She has no idea about what goes on in the shop, though, does she?”
Branch shook his head. “None at all that I can see. In the time I’ve observed Carlson’s business, it appears no one knows. All I’ve heard around town is that Ward Carlson’s shop is a friendly place for anyone to purchase jewelry.”
“Well, I suppose that’s something,” Martha said, then lifted a basket she had carried with her and handed it to Branch. “I hardly think the food you found on the table will be enough to sustain you, dear boy. Eat up, and get a good night’s rest.”
“Yes, ma’am, and thank you.” He nodded politely to the woman, then watched as she stood and made her way into the house.
Branch jumped over the fence and made his way to a carriage house just down the street.
The residents of the fine home had left for the summer.
With no one around, it was the perfect place for Branch to hide away.
Since he had been working in Philadelphia, he didn’t stay in the same place too long in case he was being watched.
The carriage house was tucked behind the main house and situated on a path that gave him the advantage of hearing footsteps if anyone did try to sneak up on him.
As he sat in the loft of the carriage house, enjoying every bite of the meal Mrs. Washington had packed into the basket, he smiled.
Although ruffling Lucy’s feathers was part of the assignment, he greatly anticipated the task.