Chapter 36

When they entered the upstairs room, there were not as many men as Jack might have expected. Given how Nora had described Ben’s network of associates, he supposed he expected a room full of raucous debate with scores of dignitaries. But this was a gathering of a mere handful of men in various states of finery, sitting in a dimly lit, smoke-filled room.

“Let me introduce you to the room,” Mr. Hamilton said. “We are a small but distinguished group this evening. This is Mr. Thomas Paine, Mr. Nathan Hale, Mr. Henry Knox, and Colonel George Washington. Gentlemen, this is Mr. Jack Justice and Lady Nora Justice. They are newly married and just arrived from Philadelphia tonight.”

“Congratulations on your marriage, Mr. Justice,” the man identified as George Washington bowed to Jack. “Or should I say Lord Justice?”

“No,” Jack quickly corrected. “The title mister was correct. I am no lord.”

“You have married a lady,” Mr. Washington pointed out.

“She is that whether she has a noble title or not, sir,” Jack said. He slipped an arm around Nora’s waist and could see a smile spread across her face. He felt a softening inside and quickly fixed a scowl on his face as he looked back at Washington.

“She is, indeed,” Washington murmured before turning to the lady in question. “My dear, we have met before, though you may not remember an old man such as myself.”

“I do, Colonel Washington. I’m glad to see you are well.”

“Come sit!” Mr. Hamilton said, pulling a chair out for Nora. “The tavern maids are bringing up more food. You must be famished from your journey. You are headed to Boston, I understand? I warn you, sir, I was not the first to open Mr. Frank-lin’s missive.”

“It is as we expected, Mr. Hamilton,” Nora replied, look-ing at Jack.

“We will proceed with caution, sir,” Jack said, but he watched Nora and gave her a slight nod. It was impossible to tell who would have read the message—Ben’s correspondence was likely being monitored by the crown. The British would have found nothing of great import in the letter to Mr. Hamilton, but Jack planned to proceed as if Rogan or his agent had intercepted the courier, as it seemed just as likely as the British authorities. If Rogan now knew of Nora’s travel plans, she would not be safe traveling to Boston without him, no matter who might have been selected to escort her in his absence.

Nora and Jack looked around the room, taking note of the tension amongst the other members of the group. Only Washington and Hamilton seemed to be able to curtail any feeling of previous unrest.

“I apologize, sir,” Nora said to Hamilton. “Are we interrupting?”

“Not at all, my dear!” Hamilton said. “We were just dis-cussing the current political unrest. That does tend to lead to heated conversation. Are you sure you want to head to Boston? It is unstable up there these days.”

“I have secured passage on The Independence to travel to England. I am afraid the captain of that vessel only sails out of Boston’s harbor,” Nora explained.

“Really? The Independence, you say?” Hamilton’s inter-est was piqued, and he exchanged a look with Washington. “Perhaps we will send you with papers to the captain, if you do not have cause for objection.”

“I will carry them for you,” Jack nodded.

When Nora jumped as Mr. Paine slammed his fist down on the table, Jack casually laid his hand on hers in reassurance. The strength of his presence immediately seemed to set her nerves to rights.

“Dammit, men!” Paine said. “The time for action is now. We sit and talk and debate, but we need to gather our men to fight.”

“We would be labeled in history as the aggressors,” Washington said mildly. “We have made our grievances known, and we will defend ourselves against the British if the time comes. I need not point out that you are as British as they come, sir.”

“I cast my lot with the Colonists,” Paine said tersely. “Just because I speak like the British does not mean I think like them. The lady’s patron will vouch for that.”

“Yes, Mr. Franklin thinks highly of you, sir,” Washing-ton agreed. “Armies need to be organized, and we are not. We are farmers and blacksmiths and printers and grocers and merchants and teachers. We have the voices in the Continental Congress, but where are the men to back them up? The pen may be mightier than the sword, but not when the sword has numbers on its side.”

“I have said this before—the New York militia is mobilizing. A good leader would ensure their success.” Paine looked to Hamilton as he spoke. “The right man can lead them to victo-ry at Ticonderoga. We sit here and talk and talk and talk when these are times that are trying men’s souls!”

“That was eloquent, Thomas. You should write that down,” Hamilton said jovially. “But I think we are finished for this evening. The food has arrived, and Mr. and Lady Justice must be famished by now. We will table this topic for another evening.”

Mr. Paine rose and shrugged into his cloak. He turned to the room at large when he spoke as he donned his hat and gloves. “It has been a long winter, and it’s not over yet. Mark my words, gentlemen, spring will bring us hostilities from the British. If we are not ready, they will crush us, and we will all hang. There is but one way to end the British tyranny, and it is with war. Good evening, gentlemen, my lady.” He tipped his hat to the room and left.

Moments of silence hung in the air until Hamilton clapped his hands together once and said, “Good ole Thomas! Always good for some fiery rhetoric before dinner. Let us eat and not speak of politics again this evening. You are amongst friends here. What can we do for you?”

“We are looking for lodging for a night or two,” Jack replied.

“There is a farm nearby that I am minding for the owners. They left for England a few months ago and are hoping to find a buyer. You may stay there until you are ready to journey north again. I can show you the way. I am going to stay there myself this evening. It is not far, just near St. Paul’s Chapel, a really lovely sanctuary. George doesn’t miss a service there when he is in town.”

“We appreciate anything you can offer us,” Nora said gratefully.

“He is not without his points though, Thomas is,” Mr. Knox spoke up. “When the British come, they will come ashore at New York and Boston harbors, and we do not have the forces to stop them.”

Hamilton shrugged and brought his soup to his lips. “Perhaps they will choose Baltimore.”