The Heavens Shall Fall (20 page)

She looked back at Rory, who
scowled darkly. “He kept you from me. Now you will keep his son from him. You want Daniel to succeed.”

A smile emerged on his lips.
“Now you are beginning to understand. You are in the midst of a hornet’s nest in Charles Town. Your general would have done nothing to stand between you and Colonel Banastre Tarleton. Oh, do not give me that wide-eyed innocent look!

“
The man is an animal. He brags about the women he has had—or has raped more likely—over the whole of the colonies. He thinks little of us colonists. We are beneath him. So would it surprise you to know that he had plans to have you?”

“
No,” she scoffed in disbelief. “I would have never…”

“
It would have mattered little what your wants would have been. He wanted to humiliate your husband, my love. He talked of what he was going to do to you until I threatened to skin him alive if he touched you.”

Her eyes widened with reflection as she shifted her gaze. She did not doubt his words, but found no solace within them, only a deepening fear. Whatever was she going to do? She swallowed hard.

“Are you losing your courage?”

“
Courage?” she questioned, certain her eyes betrayed the panic that welled within her.

“
Let me assure you, Tarleton will do you no harm. He knows
I
do not make idle threats.” Rory stepped closer. “So
you
understand that I do not make idle threats.”

“
You are threatening me, Rory?”

“
Yes, my love,” he agreed, his voice deep. “Do not use my daughter against me again. Do you understand? She is the only thing of mine that is untainted.”

He gripped her wrist so tightly that tears spr
ang into her eyes. She nodded.

“
Now, listen to my words. You will come back to Charles Town and stay. You will not run again. I will take you back to your friends. I believe you will allow me to become a business partner in your shipping business…payback from the theft of your uncle against me.”

“
Yes, Rory.”

“
You understand I have my ways of knowing what you are intending. So do not try to trick me, Rebekah. You will regret it.”

“
Yes, Rory.”

“
Moreover, never threaten me again.”

“
Yes, Rory.”

He tightened his grip.
“This is your only warning. Do you understand?”

She nodded. His eye locked to hers. She felt his arms tighten across her back. He leaned down and kissed her. She was too frightened to fight against him. His arms molded her body to him as he deepened his kiss. Her breath caught in her throat.

Abruptly, he released her. “Put your hat back on. We ride.”

Rebekah rode back in the midst of torrential rain. Rory never said another word. They rode straight into Charles Town. No one stopped the unit. She rode as one of them. No one questioned Black Rory or his unit.

He escorted her back to Katy
’s home. She changed back into her dress and no one seemed the wiser…except Rory. She had no doubt he would try to make her pay for her betrayal, but he didn’t know her as well as he thought. She would never submit to him…never.

More than a week passed before Jasper reemerged. Relie
f flooded her on his appearance for more than one reason. Daniel had left in his attempt to divert General Durham from his intent to find his son. But also a change was coming to Charles Town.

Jasper returned with a plan, one that he had suggested before she had met with Daniel. He had talked of it in detail with Colonel Marion.
The Reed and Sandler business would be infiltrated with Patriots, as had been the plan when the ships returned to port.

Ralph Deane
had long been a true Patriot, having his beliefs borne from the fire lit in Boston, his home. The Trojan horse had landed in the midst of the Redcoats. Information now could be relayed in many fashions through the ships and land headed by—Jasper.

Rebekah would serve as a diversion. In that, she accepted her part. She had no problem keeping the British eyes focused on her. She would do as the British wished and keep up the façade.

So she waited…on news she did not know when or if it would come. She prayed that Daniel would find Hannah before General Durham. She prayed Jonathan was safe…she prayed he would forgive her.

The battle, Sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. ~ Patrick Henry

New York, 1780

A dark cloud loomed over the cry for freedom. The last few disastrous months had not gone well for the Americans. Rupert Arnett looked over the headline of his paper and frowned.
Glorious Victory!

The South had fallen. His paper printed the British propaganda; moreover
, Rupert feared the propaganda held to be true. The British once more occupied Charles Town, much like they occupied New York. The war had gone on too long. The people were too tired. The tide had turned to the Mother Country.

Money for the war for the Americans had been exhausted; the British pledged that the
Continental paper money would soon be useless. News filtering in from his British contacts exclaimed that the Americans were on the brink—their darkest hour.

Ill-paid, ill-fed, ill-clad, the American army suffered greatly
, to the point it became a cry for mutiny. Washington had been forced to impose the rules and regulations in the most harsh of terms to halt the discontent. Court-martials and floggings demoralized an already downhearted military.

Pressure mounted on Rupert.
Tallmadge wanted results from his spies. Washington had questioned the money spent on the network. Since Clinton departed New York, nothing of importance had been discovered…only bits and pieces of an underlining current that something festered on the horizon.

Tallmadge
fumed that his network was floundering. Giles married their most notorious spy, leaving him vulnerable; Judge Beckett had been exiled across the Sound to Connecticut. Tallmadge reminded him that when Hannah had been in New York, information came fast and furious.

Rupert wanted to retort that since Hannah had done her damage
, the British had taken precautions and silenced most of their loose-tongued officers. It had become harder to decipher information and more dangerous.

He worried also about the British
’s own network of spies. The information Rupert had been supplied to plaster in his paper was extensive and detailed. It seemed that there was a mole within the ranks of the American forces. It had been the only thing of value to have come out of New York these last few months…and the news displeased Washington greatly.

The knowledge of a ruse Washington planned with the French Lieutenant General Rochambeau to make the British believe
there was a pending invasion of Canada had been exposed. Clinton had knowledge of the ruse before Congress.

Rupert understood
Tallmadge’s frustration. It was his own. Rupert also comprehended the British spy network was a powerful behind-the-scenes force within the British army. Durham had laid the foundation. Andre followed his mentor and had developed into a clever and manipulative spymaster.

For so long, Rupert had cautiously handled his network,
and ensured his spies’ safety. But the time had come to push the limits. Chances had to be taken, as it was this morning.

The rain had stopped before the sun rose, but clouds still littered the sky
and gave way to a gloomy fog. He walked silently along the footpath up to the graveyard. She waited.

Susanna
looked as a figure in a painting; she stared down at a headstone in the midst of a gray haze…hauntingly alone. She lifted her head and her large expressionless eyes met his.

He had not seen her for a while. Five months had passed since her husband had become ill and died. She had been in mourning.

“It is good to see you, Susanna.”

“
I did not expect to hear from you, Rupert,” she said in a direct manner. “I have nothing for you.”

Rupert took a deep breath. He had forgotten the
effect she had on him…he had wanted to forget. She looked lovely, tall, genteel, and delicate, with eyes…eyes that spoke of sadness.

“
I did not expect you to have any. Perhaps I wanted to make sure of your welfare.”

She scoffed at the idea.
“After five months, you now decided to care?”

He deserved her rebuke, but he had known of her circumstance. Oswyn Millbury had left his wife comfortable. The bulk of his estate went to his eldest son, Peter, but from Rupert
’s information, Susanna had a substantial income along with the use of the house until her death or remarriage.

Ignoring her question, he said simply,
“Times are bleak, my dear. I need your help once more.”

Her eyes narrowed; her voice was stiff.
“I don’t believe I can. I am contemplating going to England. Camilla wants me to come live there with Mother and my niece, away from this war.”

“
Don’t,” Rupert urged. “Not yet.”

“
Why? There is nothing more I can do here. There is only one British officer who quarters with us at the moment. He monitors the prison ships. Do you want to know of prisoners?”

“
I am serious, Susanna. Clinton is returning. I have word that Andre arrived last evening. If he…”

She eyed him suspiciously, but he understood she comprehended what he wanted. She shook her head.

“I haven’t heard from him since his departure. Nor do I suspect I will.”

“
I believe you underestimate your charms.”

“
Do I, Rupert?”

Her question hung in the air. He grasped her wrist and pulled her face to his.
“If you question why our affair ended, it was not I, but you. Once you took Andre to your bed, I could not…would not jeopardize our mission. No matter the cost to me.”

“
To you?” She sneered and jerked back her hand. “Do not play me, Rupert. You wanted me to become lovers with Andre. No matter your words, you pawned me into a situation for your betterment. Does nothing come before your
mission
?”

“
No,” he uttered under his breath harshly. “Nothing comes before our 
cause
. Nothing. Not you. Not me. Nothing! I’m a son-of-a-bitch. I don’t do nice. Coldhearted. It is something we both have in common.”

She stiffened even as her blue eyes flashed with anger.
“Then what is it that you want?”

He stepped back.
“As I said before, we fear there is a mole within our ranks. We need to discover who it is. Andre will know.”

Susanna
was silent for a moment. He could tell she thought about it. He waited for her answer.

“
Andre is clever, Rupert, but he also has a ruthlessness about him. He covers it with his charm. If he is behind turning one of ours, he will not give up the information easily.”

Rupert lowered his gaze.
“I know what I ask, Susanna. It will be dangerous and if caught…”

He said nothing more. He didn
’t need to because Susanna understood the magnitude of this mission.

She sighed.
“I cannot promise anything, Rupert, but if he presents himself to me once more, I will try. It is all I can do.”

She said nothing more. She walked away,
and left Rupert with his thoughts and a conscience that gnawed a hole in his soul.

He turned to leave. His eyes caught sight of the headstone
Susanna had stood beside.
Walter Montgomery.
He had no recognition of who the dead could have been. It mattered little. He shrugged. He had to return to his office and finish writing about the grand exploits of the British.

Susanna climbed the steep marble stairs back into her home. She had made an effort. She would do no more.

She was exquisitely gowned
, in a brilliant gold cloth with a lavish bodice of silk and golden thread embroidery, hooped with a white petticoat and ruffled sleeves. Her high-piled hair, she had upswept in a fashionable style. Curls framed her face, trailing off in the back. Her neck was adorned with a cameo choker; her ears dangled diamond earrings Oswyn had given her.

She had taken such care with her appearance, but t
he night had been a disaster. The first time since Oswyn’s death she had dispensed with her weeds. She felt like a fool, but no more. She had quite made up her mind. She was leaving New York.

“
Mistress Susanna,” Sheffield, the butler, greeted her at the door. “Master Peter and Mistress Anne haven’t returned…”

Susanna
forced a smile. “I had a headache and left early. If you could have tea sent into the drawing room, I will take a cup before I retire.”

“
Yes, Mistress Susanna.”

She sat down on the sofa. Her head pounded
as she thought of tonight’s affair. Rupert had been correct that Andre had returned. As she had suspected, he had attended the Sparks’ dinner.

Handsome as ever dressed in his
scarlet royal uniform, he commanded attention, flocked on both sides by women…lovely women who laughed and flirted with the striking commander and he seemed to enjoy every moment of the attention.

The servant girl brought in the tray and sat it on the table.

“Thank you, Molly,” Susanna said. “Could you draw the curtains?”

The girl nodded and did as she was told.
Susanna sat back with a cup in her hand. All the room had darkened and her heart sank. Inexpressible sadness weighed upon her. It always had on this day, the anniversary of Walter’s death.

After all this time, she had thought the sentiment of deep ire would have lessened. It hadn
’t, not observing the haughty British this night. No, it had only grown: they bragged about the victory, poked fun at the ragtag army, proclaimed the war would end soon enough with generals such as Benjamin Lincoln leading the Americans…

But it had been the conversation about the prisoner exchange that had fueled her indignation.
They laughed and jested about the officers, one in particular, Dr. Jonathan Corbett. It struck a core in her heart. She recognized her cousin’s name instantly. Moreover, to discover Andre had given a grandiose speech on the necessity…justification…of his hanging!

Revulsion was too mild a word for the emotion that suffused her. No, she needed to leave…had to leave. A knot in her stomach tightened on the revelation.

The door flung open. Susanna bolted upright, startled at the intensity of the entrance. She rose and turned toward the commotion. Andre!

His arms flared to his side for having burst through the door with such force. In the pool of candlelight, he looked magnificent. His brilliant eyes shone with emotion; his muscles flexed.
She felt his glance sweep over her, but it was his expression that insinuated more than words. He was perturbed…at her.

“
Pray, do not be so dramatic. Shut the door if you are going to make some sort of spectacle. I’m in no mood,” she snapped before she could stop herself. “If it’s an audience for one of your poem renditions, I fear I won’t be as entertained as your gaggle of geese you left at the dinner party.”

He gave no response, but shut the door soundly. She heard a click. He had
locked it. Her temper swelled.
The nerve!

“
Why are you here, Major?” She made no effort to hide her bitterness.

“
To make amends,” he said with absolute steel beneath his tone.

She looked at him and he looked right back with flaring eyes that raked her from head to toe.
 
The very devil of the man!
 He thought he could treat her in such a foul manner and walk back in as if nothing had happened! She did not care if it bettered her mission. She would not be treated in this fashion.

“
Please. Show me some respect. I accepted your lies as truths before you left. I won’t do so again,” she said, careful to keep her voice sensible.

He scowled.
“They were not meant to be lies. Circumstances changed.”

“
Don’t.” She held up her hand to halt his words. “It is best left as it was. A nice diversion, but it’s over. I’m leaving. There is nothing to hold me to this place anymore. I’m going to England to live with my sister and mother.”

“
England,” he said, surprised. “I did not realize that was your intent.”

“
It seems you do not know me at all, Major. What did you think I would do? I’m a widow. I have a freedom I have never had before to make decisions on my own. I am tied to no man.”

“
No man?” he questioned and moved to stand before her. “I had thought we had an understanding, Susanna.”

He reached out
. His touch ignited a warmth within her, a remembrance of passion shared. A smile emerged on his lips, a most wickedly, enticing smile. She lowered her gaze and shook her head.

“
You don’t want a relationship, only a convenience.”

“
You don’t know what I want.”

The tone of his voice forced her to look up. His eyes stared into hers
, as if penetrating into her private thoughts. She recognized she had made a dire mistake in angering him. He caught her elbow before she could escape his presence.