phantom knights 04 - deceit in delaware (19 page)

The newly freed men, women, and children were given the choice of staying on at Sam’s plantation to work for a wage, or to receive some money to help them start over somewhere else. Most chose to move on, but many stayed behind. Betsy and Abe, being Sam’s cousins by blood, were told that they need never work again if they so chose. Sam tried to give them their inheritance, left behind after George’s death, for he had no other children, but they refused. They agreed to live with Sam, Bess, and Charlotte, but they would not accept any of George’s money.

After my mother and Rose rescued Betsy from her captor, an angry, vicious plantation owner who had taken a liking to her, they wanted to get her away from Charleston, but dear, sweet Betsy refused to run away in fear. It was only when my mother was to take Charlotte to Washington that Betsy agreed to leave Charleston and travel with them.

I had thought she would be bitter about all that had transpired in her short life, and rightly so, but as Betsy told Guinevere that not all plantation owners were driven by hate and evilness. She said that she had met many who were kind, like Sam. She said that they were raised to their way of life, and though we knew slavery was wrong they did not. She told Guinevere that all she could do was try to make society better, safer, in whatever capacity that was available to her.

Her words humbled both Guinevere and myself, so when Betsy asked Guinevere to do something, she did it without a complaint. It was not often that Betsy asked for anything.

Kissing my wife, and then tossing a grateful smile to Betsy, I followed the constables through the back door of the mercantile. We went down the stairs and into the cellar. After moving aside a shelf that revealed a second, concealed staircase, we made our way down to the antechamber. I remembered well the last time I had been to the throne room, and what Leo and I had found.

The door to the throne room was open and we could hear men speaking as we neared the room.

Glancing into the throne room, it had not changed. It was a large square room with a vaulted ceiling rising two stories above. Twelve golden thrones lined the walls facing a large golden chair on a raised dais in the center of the room. Candles were aglow on gold wall sconces, illuminating a mural painted on the far wall of a battle scene between angels and demons. That mural still gave me pause, but nothing that the Holy Order or Levitas did made much sense to me, even though I knew more about them now.

I knew what their original goal had been, but, according to my father, they had veered far from that goal when Richard got involved with Levitas. Not that I wholly believed him. How one man could change a course that my father had set without incurring my father’s wrath was still a mystery to me.

They were just concluding their meeting when I gave the signal for the constables to enter the throne room. With muskets and pistols raised, they ordered that all of the occupants of the room did not make any hasty movements.

When they announced that those nine men seated on the thrones were under arrest, one of them rose.

“What is the meaning of this villainous abuse of power?”

“By the order given by President Monroe, the secret society known as the Holy Order of Levitas is hereby disbanded and its members are under arrest for treason against the president and these great United States,” announced Tristan, one of the Baltimore constables.

“We have rights,” called one of the Levitas members.

“We have freedom to gather, by the constitution laid down by the founders of this great country. We are no more traitors than you,” called another.

“You deny that you were meeting in secret to plot treasonous acts against the president, the government, and this country?” Tristan demanded, and left no doubt that he did not believe them.

“We do,” a few of them shouted.

Tristan unfolded a letter and began to read. “I do hereby swear my allegiance to the Holy Order of Levitas. I swear to uphold the foundation upon which the Holy Order was created. I offer my assistance in whatever capacity that his majesty, Lord Richard Hamilton, should require of me.” Tristan lowered the letter, allowing his gaze to roam over the men before him. “I have the copies of the same oath signed by each of you. As you know, Richard Hamilton sought to murder President Monroe, and replace him with an actor under his control. That places every person who swore fealty to Richard under suspicion of treason. That includes Alexander Foley, James Lacey, Marcus Rittenhouse, George Montgomery, Harry Hollis, Philip Montgomery, Robert Smith, Robert Attison, and Michael Mickleby.”

They all were on their feet shouting, but the constables moved forward, placing them in irons. Finding that letter had been a stroke of luck. Jeanne had unearthed it while cleaning Richard’s house and had brought it to me earlier in the day. We were able to go in knowing exactly who we were facing.

Tristan was shouting over the melee. “If you are innocent, it will be proven and you will be released. If you are guilty, your crimes are punishable under the laws that govern our great nation.”

Leo and I stood aside as the men were forced from the throne room, still shouting about their rights and innocence. When they were up the stairs, Leo and I were left in silence. Leo was looking around the room as if remembering something.

I moved forward and began blowing out the candles.

“Was this the last of Levitas?” Leo asked once all of the candles except the one I was holding had been blown out.

We moved toward the stairs and then up. “According to our information.”

“Then it truly is coming to an end,” Leo said calmly as we replaced the shelf over the hole in the stones that revealed the secret stairs.

“Have you thought about what you will do when we defeat Luther? Propose to Rose?” We all knew that Leo had loved Rose for a long time, but for some reason known only to the two of them he would do nothing about it. Guinevere was sure that her sister loved Leo in return, but Guinevere said that though she had chosen where her heart led, Rose was determined to act according to the laws of their land. Rose’s husband was supposed to be chosen by her father. As he had been killed when Rose was a child, her husband would have to be approved by the council.

Guinevere thought that Leo could gain their approval, for his own father was on the council, but Rose did not believe it to be so. She kept saying that she had to marry advantageously. She owed it to their home to make a match that would benefit their country with strong connections. An alliance that would offer protection to their small province.

Leo’s breathing remained even, though I could feel his distress. It was like a thick fog.

“No,” Leo said in his strong, confident way that brooked no retort. “I serve my future queen and her family as my father and grandfather have before me. I know my place, Jack. Even if the ways and customs are different in America, I am not American.”

“What will you do? Return Rose and Mary Edith to Lutania and then stand back as Rose marries some pompous court puppy from another country?”

Leo touched my shoulder, and when I turned to face him, his face was hard, fierce. “Do not try to guilt me into actions that would only harm Arabella.” It was the first time that I had heard him say her true name. “I know that you and Constance want only my happiness, but admitting my love for Arabella would cause great harm.”

It was the first time that Leo had ever spoken of his love for her. I knew then that Leo did not need anyone meddling in his affairs. I apologized to him and then we left the mercantile and met with the others behind the building. When Arthur joined us, he was holding a letter in his hand.

“I received word from Hades,” he said, speaking of my brother Levi. “It was unable to be passed along the channels to Washington. He says that he has located the package for which you have been searching, Jack. In Delaware. He sends the direction.”

Everyone turned their eyes on me, and I began to smile … until I read the letter. Levi had come through far swifter than I anticipated, with more information than I had suspected. Information about Mother.

“Well, it seems that we are not yet done with this task,” I murmured as I read the direction.

“What is this package, Jack?” Guinevere asked.

“Your uncle. Pack your trunks, friends, for we leave for Delaware with the morning tide.”

Everyone moved off, except my wife, who took my hand, saying, “Jack, about your brother…”

CHAPTER 15

GUINEVERE

J
ack and Sam split everyone between the two ships, and it was only when we were boarding his father’s ship that I thought to ask about his father. His face was grave when he told me that Monroe’s guards had arrested William. I would not tell Jack, but the news relieved my mind. Until I remembered that it was William Martin we were speaking of. No cell could hold that man when he wanted to be free.

The voyage to Delaware was smooth, with no rain, and only one disagreement to mar the pleasance of the journey.

On our final day aboard the ship, Dudley proved too much for the cook. For the last two meals Dudley had been giving his input to the cook on the proper way to prepare certain dishes. Jack had warned him that he should leave the cook to know his own work, but Dudley assured us all that he was only giving suggestions, and that the cook appreciated them. The cook’s patience lasted longer than I expected.

On the final morning of our voyage, not long after Dudley had gone below to aid the cook, Jack, Freddy, Arthur, and I were standing on the deck discussing what would be done once we reached the town of New Castle in Delaware. The hatch door to the stairs flew open and landed with a crash as Dudley fell flat on his stomach. He scampered up so quickly that I thought the ship was under attack. Dudley ran toward us, glancing with fear over his shoulder. He ran past us, looking around frantically, until he found one of the empty rain barrels.

Placing his hands together, he dove into the barrel head first. He made it in to his waist and then got stuck. The barrel was not wide enough to welcome his girth. Dudley’s legs flailed in the air as he tried to shake his way into the barrel.

When we heard curses coming from the hatch, we turned to see the cook run onto the deck, with a meat cleaver in his hand. He slid to a halt, his greasy gray hair flapping in the wind, and his bean-like eyes scanning the deck. He saw Dudley’s legs flailing, and tilted his head. Suddenly, Dudley’s legs stopped their flapping movements.

“Uh, Jack?” called Dudley in a queer voice.

Jack moved to the side of the barrel. “Yes?”

“I seem to be stuck,” Dudley said.

A snort of laughter came from Jack. “Yes, I believe you are.”

“Is everyone watching?” Dudley’s voice sounded breathless, though loud.

Turning to look around the deck, people were laughing everywhere. The cook went to the hatch and shouted down for others to come and see.

“No,” Jack lied.

“Could you perhaps…”

“Assist you?”

“Yes.”

Grabbing Dudley’s legs, Jack tried to pull him out.

Dudley’s grunts were emphasized by kicks. Jack had to duck to avoid flying boots as they swung for his head.

Gripping his feet, Jack called out to him. “Dud, cease your kicking!”

By this time, most of the ship and all of the sailors were on deck watching with a mixture of guffaws, loud cackles, and bets being laid on Dudley’s ability to extricate himself.

“Freddy, assist me, will you?” Jack called over his shoulder.

Freddy stripped off his coat and handed it to me before ambling over and taking one of Dudley’s legs. They each jerked his legs, but all they accomplished was lifting the barrel off the deck.

“I say, steady on, men,” Dudley remonstrated.

A man seated on one of the closed barrels guffawed. “Why, he’s wedged tighter than a babe on his mother’s—” The first mate struck the speaking sailor, knocking his back to the deck before looking apologetically at me.

Dudley was wedged like a cork in a bottle, and in the end nothing Freddy or Jack did would free him.

Hannah appeared on the deck, drawn from her nap by the commotion. After yawning, Hannah asked what was afoot. She got one look at Dudley and began screeching like a hen as she ran toward the barrel. She flitted around the barrel for quite two minutes, trying to find a way to break Dudley free. She tried to tear the barrel apart with her hands, and when that did not work she ran over to one of the sailors and took an axe from him. When she approached the barrel she pulled back the axe, prepared to strike.

“Do not worry, Duddy, I shall have you free in a trice.”

“Jack, stop her!” Dudley howled. He could not see what she was about to do, but he knew her well enough not to trust her when she was in a fit.

Freddy grabbed the axe around the neck and pulled it from Hannah’s grasp. “You could hurt your husband.”

“I would never hurt Duddy,” Hannah retorted, as she tried to take back the axe. Freddy lifted it well over Hannah’s head.

She kicked him in the shin before stomping away, searching for another weapon.

In the end, it took five sailors with picks and axes to break Dudley free from his prison.

By the time he was free, the captain and first mate had sent the sailors about their tasks as we were sailing near to New Castle.

New Castle was a small town outside of the city of Wilmington.

After an hour of watching the crew sail to the wharf and the first mate go ashore to declare intent with the harbor master, we were finally able to disembark.

We walked past a building called Bond’s which appeared to be a store, and at Stage Tavern a carriage and a wagon were procured. After speaking with the harbor master, Jack and I discovered that there was a hotel that could house our group. Jack gave the direction to Arthur who was seeing to our luggage being loaded onto the wagon and waiting for Sam’s ship to dock.

Dudley was helping Hannah inside the carriage as Jack and I approached.

“Take us to the Delaware Hotel,” Jack called up to the driver of the open carriage. The man touched his forelock in response.