Chapter 25.

Sally slid into the booth across from them.

“Nora! Oh, you are safe! We have been so worried! My house is being watched by British soldiers. I had to sneak out the back way.”

“We are well,” Nora assured. “Have you heard from your father? Is he unharmed?”

“Yes, he is fine. He was worried about the two of you, though,” Sally replied. She turned to Jack. “You are Mr. Justice, I presume.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jack nodded.

“I’m glad you came to Philadelphia. I’ve been looking all over for you. Father has a message for you.”

“I’m sick over the way we left, Sally. No soldiers went back? What happened after we left?” Nora asked.

“Father went to the British commander to report the illegal raid and brought the bodies of the British soldiers with him. There are warrants out for your arrests. Father fought it but was unsuccessful. You should not linger in the city overly long.”

“I am sorry to have caused so much trouble,” Nora said. “You are sure he is well?”

“Yes, Nora, of course,” Sally assured. “Father absorbs any situation and moves on to what comes next without batting an eye. He wrote out detailed instructions for you and sent them with Jacob. Jacob is waiting outside to return to him with news of your good health.”

“He has done so much for me and to leave so abruptly—”

“Hush, Nora. It couldn’t be helped. Eat, both of you, please. I don’t mind. You will need your strength.”

Jack dove into the food while Nora drank her coffee. “You mentioned he had instructions,” Jack said to Sally. “Do you know what they are?”

“Yes. They have been relayed to me,” Sally said quietly.

“Sally, you sound so serious,” Nora noted.

“Nora, you know that I know little of my father’s and your work, right?” Sally began.

“I apologize, I do, but it is for the better that you know so little,” Nora replied.

“Yes, I see that now,” Sally agreed. “It appears you are in grave danger, and I would not wish that to be brought upon my family. But that is why you must be careful. Please promise that you will follow my father’s instructions.”

“I cannot promise that, Sally.” Nora said. She laid a hand over Sally’s on the table to soften the blow of her words. “I would like nothing more than to put your worrying mind at ease, but we must do what is best now. It may not be the safest course. For now, we need to leave the area immediately.”

“Yes, that is what father wants,” Sally said hurriedly. “He says that when you arrive in Boston, find a man by the name of John Hancock. He can take you to Europe. His ship, The Independence, sails in three weeks. Perhaps Mr. Justice can accompany you.”

“I don’t know anything about Europe. How would I pro-tect you in an unknown land? Several unknown lands, in fact. My job is to get you to Boston, not over an ocean. I don’t even know what the entire problem is, you might recall. You’ve told me very little, my lady.”

“I know Europe, Jack,” Nora said. “I have traveled it extensively. You are intelligent. You could learn quickly.”

“Has it occurred to you, my lady, that I might have busi-ness in the Colonies?” Jack countered.

“Yes, of course, it has,” Nora replied. “But you readily agreed to escort me to Boston. I didn’t think it was anything pressing.”

“What about the mysterious man you are looking for?” Jack countered. “Is he not to be your escort?”

“I cannot say,” Nora said softly. “I might not find him in the Colonies. He may be in England.”

“What if he is in the Colonies and you leave him behind?”

Nora paused. It was evident from the look on her face that she had considered that. “I can only go with my intuition, sir, and pray it does not lead me astray. If I don’t find him here, I have to believe I will find him abroad.”

Faith, Jack thought. Nora had it in spades, while he had none.

Jack studied her in the candlelight of the restaurant. She seemed earnest in her argument. What was more, no one had ever called him intelligent before. He wasn’t educated in the privileged, tutored way that he suspected her to be, but he did learn quickly.

Jack sighed and turned his attention back to Sally. “Who is this John Hancock?”

“He is…a privateer,” Sally began.

“A pirate?” Jack asked.

“He is many things,” Sally replied with a slight wince. “But he is a good friend of my father’s and a valued contributor to the Colonists’ cause. He has been able to outrun almost all British patrols.”

“Almost all?” Jack raised his eyebrow in suspicion.

“His previous ship, The Liberty, was seized by the British and set afire,” Sally said. “But in retaliation, Captain Hancock was able to seize a British ship and rechristen her The Independence. She is said to be faster and better armed than The Liberty was. Still, the loss of the ship was a bit of a sting to Mr. Hancock.”

“Is he known for inviting trouble on the open sea?” Jack asked.

“He does not look for a fight, but he will not run from one,” Sally replied.

“A pirate.” Jack sighed and then turned to Nora. “Well, at least now we’re talking about people I can understand.”
Nora smiled brilliantly and clutched his hand. His breath caught a bit at the unexpected contact. Her skin was warm and smooth, and he began to wonder what her soft hands would feel like running over his chest. He cleared his throat.

“This is a good thing, sir.”

“Have you gone mad?” Jack retorted with a glare that belied the internal lust he was beginning to feel. Nora removed her hand. “You are not what I would call stealthy, my lady,” Jack said dryly, recalling how horribly her attempt to sneak across Ben’s property had failed.

“You will teach me to be,” Nora replied with absolute conviction. “You will teach me everything I need to know. I have skills, you said so yourself, but I will not deny that there is more you can teach me.”

Jack grabbed her hands, applying pressure to them, his calloused hands a rough contrast to her gentle ones. “That I will, my lady. And you will not complain once when I do. You will learn everything I teach you, and you will not give me one ounce of grief. Not. One.”

“Not at all,” she agreed a bit too enthusiastically for Jack’s mind. She turned back to Ben’s daughter. “Sally, go now. Send Jacob with the message that we will meet The Independence.”

“God go with you, Nora,” Sally said. She leaned over and gave Nora a hug and a quick peck on the cheek for Jack. “And you, sir, you are the answer to my prayers.” Then she was gone, moving quickly out of the restaurant and out of view of the windows.

“This is good,” Nora nodded.

“I haven’t said I would go to Europe, my lady. I have on-ly committed to taking you to Boston,” Jack said firmly. “That’s a lot to ask of a man you barely know. My existence here may be meager to you, but it’s my life, as well.”

“Jack—”

“I promise you nothing more than to get you to Boston.”

Silence fell between them. Jack was sorry for his harsh words but refused to apologize. Her assumption that he would just hop a ship with her was unfair, especially when she was looking for the Warrior to replace him with. Did she intend to dump him in Europe when she found this man? He didn’t see how that was possible since he knew the three of them to be connected in some way. Perhaps the dream was only about get-ting her safely out of the Colonies. That he could do, though he didn’t see why the vision of the past battle had anything to do with a mere escort.

The lack of conversation allowed him to pay attention to what was happening in the room and outside with little distrac-tion. Just then, he spotted Redcoats outside and his stomach clenched uncomfortably. They must have followed Sally. Quickly he dropped some money on the table and took Nora’s hand. Nodding his head to the side, he indicated that they needed to leave. Nora took one last gulp of coffee before rising, grabbing their packages, and following him, no questions asked. Slipping into the stairwell behind him, he thought they could hide up-stairs, perhaps in one of the rooms.

“The Redcoats are here. They must have our descriptions and followed Sally,” Jack explained quietly, tiptoeing down the second-floor hallway. He pressed his ear to the closest door, frowned, and moved to the next, then the next. When he came to a door, he heard silence behind, he quietly opened it, checked to ensure it was unoccupied, and pulled Nora inside. He scanned the room for anything they could use to barricade the door, then moved to the window and looked down. There was a haystack beneath the window sizeable enough to break their fall. This was their best exit.