0 comments/ 3368 views/ 0 favorites The Fall of York Ch. 17-24 By: nicecthulhu Thank you to searchingforperfection and catbrown for their hard work in editing and all of their suggestions. I appreciate all votes, feedback and comments, and I do read all the comments. This story is a sequel to The Doctor's Daughter. Both are set during the War of 1812. Since the death of Major General Brock in the fall of 1812, neither side has scored a decisive victory. There have been minor accomplishments for both the Americans and the British, but the War Hawks in Washington are eager for more promising actions that will validate Jefferson's boasts that the conquest of Canada is "a mere matter of marching". In the spring of 1813 Major General Henry Dearborn is ordered to lead his forces in an attack on Kingston, Ontario. He considers those orders and then attacks the town of York (later known as Toronto), instead. 17 Candles were lit and spread throughout the dining room and Lawrence thought that in other circumstances he might have viewed this as a romantic dinner with his wife. The other four in the house were upstairs and eating quietly. It was almost easy to forget their intrusive presence and believe that Abigail and he were all alone. He took another spoonful of stew, letting the delicious juices run down his throat while he chewed the tubers and meat. "Lawrence." He looked across at his wife, who had her head bowed to her bowl. "There's a shadow across the window behind you. The curtains are drawn, but they are slightly parted." He froze and considered what to do. If he had been seen and he turned around, the man at the window would flee with the certain knowledge that Captain Lawrence Orr was at home. On the other hand, if it was an American soldier then their home was soon to be invaded by the man and his confederates. If the man were friendly and seeking refuge or a meeting with him, a sudden movement might scare him off needlessly. "Can you describe the man at all, Abigail?" She glanced up at him and her eyes darted slightly to her left. "No. But someone is there and that person is looking through the gap in the material. I cannot tell if it is a man or woman," she added. She smiled at him and laughed as if he had said something witty. A woman, Lawrence wondered? He dismissed the possibility of the skulker being one of the fairer sex. "I'm going to get up, as if for more stew. Let me know what the man does." He stood, reached for his bowl and... "He's gone!" called out Abigail in excitement. Lawrence ran for the front of the house and threw open the door. He was just in time to spy a figure running across the roadway. The light was dim, but he could still identify the man as a civilian from the clothing he wore. With a silent curse, Lawrence gave chase. He raced across the road. A hail at the corner alerted Lawrence to the presence of an American patrol, and he gave up from the chase and hid himself in the darkness between two homes. He listened to the soldiers accost the spying man. There was an exchange, which quickly became friendly. The man mentioned having important news for their commanding officer and then the rest of the conversation was impossible to hear. The brief snatch he had heard had allowed Lawrence to identify the speaker as one of his neighbours. A neighbour, he remembered, who had seldom expressed republican ideas. Captain Orr silently cursed his foolish neighbour as he made his way through the darkness to the next road. He reached it in time to watch the spying neighbour walk into view, glance around nervously and then continue on his way. Lawrence sprinted across the road and dashed into the darkness between more buildings. He waited for the man at the next street, realizing his target would have to turn in his direction or else walk right down into the lake. Wondering exactly what he was going to do, Lawrence listened to the sound of waves lapping against the shore. The American ships had moved directly into York Harbour, a little east of where he waited now. At last the man walked into view. He seemed to be in no hurry and confident that he was close enough to his goal that he was no longer in danger. Lawrence waited until the man was immediately before him and then stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight. "Good evening, Mr. Henry." His neighbour froze and turned to face him. "You should not have left your home, Captain Orr. All I have to do is call out and American soldiers will rush to this spot. I would suggest you flee York right now." "I would like to know your intentions, Mr. Henry," Lawrence said calmly. Although his fists were opening and closing in anticipation of action, he felt as if there were some supernatural calmness around him and the other man. "I am going to report the presence of a spy to our new governors, if you hadn't guessed. You really should have fled with the other British forces, Captain. Why did you stay?" "I wanted to protect my wife." The man tsked. "If you had fled, then she would most likely just have been expelled by the Americans when they learned that she was the wife of a British Captain. Now, you'll probably both be accused of spying and she'll likely hang beside you." "So you're going to inform on us?" "Of course! You're traitors! I'll be rewarded for my loyalty to the Americans. I might even be given some title or position such as mayor." Lawrence could feel his muscles twitching in eagerness. "It is you who are a traitor. You are a British subject and aiding the enemy is treason." "You're just not looking at this in the proper way, Captain. The Americans are going to take the whole continent and I'm going to be rewarded." The neighbour took a step away and glanced down the road, looking towards where he expected help to come from should he call out. Lawrence charged and before Mr. Henry could cry out, he wrapped his hands around the man's throat and began squeezing. The two men fell to the ground, but Captain Orr desperately kept his grip on the man's neck. He knew that if he faltered his opponent would call out and he and Abigail, and likely anyone found in their home, would be doomed. The neighbour batted at his head with his fists, but Lawrence held on. The man tried to pry his fingers loose, but Lawrence held on. Mr. Henry wrapped his own hands around Captain Orr's throat and began squeezing, but Lawrence knew that he was going to win that battle. He had started strangling his opponent first and he was slightly stronger than Mr. Henry. His opponent's face was going red, but this fight was taking far too long for Lawrence's liking. He let go with his left hand and began reaching out, searching for a rock to pummel his opponent. Mr. Henry concentrated on prying Lawrence's remaining hand from his throat. He was loosening the strangle hold when Captain Orr's fingers found a stone. He clutched the rock, raised it above him and struck down on his enemy's face as hard as he could. There was a spray of blood. Lawrence lifted the rock and struck again and again. At last his opponent went limp. He struck three more times, partly in fury and partly with cold intent to finish what he had started. After a few seconds, Lawrence pushed himself off of the corpse and sat in the dirt on the road. No-one seemed any the wiser to what he had just done. And he wondered: what had he just done? He had killed a neighbour to prevent a foreign invader from killing his beloved Abigail. This war was so unlike any he had ever fought before. It was easy to kill when you were lining up and you saw the ranks of enemy uniforms across the field. This war had enemies as friends and friends as enemies. Your worst enemy might be dressed as any other civilian, and certainly looked and sounded no different than anyone on your side. He was growing to despise war, he realized. A hand fell upon his shoulder, startling Lawrence. "Captain Orr? We should get back to your home before a patrol spots us," said John. Lawrence looked up at him and was astounded that the young man had made no mention of the body. "He was my neighbour and he was going to turn Abigail and myself over to the Americans. I had to kill him." "Let's leave him here as a warning to others who might befriend the enemy, sir." John stood and his eyes shifted nervously. "No." Lawrence couldn't stand the idea that the body of the man he had just slain would lay in the street, seen by all who happened by. "We have to hide the body." John shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose we could tie him to some stones and drop him in the lake..." "Excellent!" Lawrence rose to his feet, then bent over to lift Mr. Henry's corpse. John gave an impatient sigh and then he reached down to help. The two men carried the body to the shore. They found some stones, which they used to weigh down the body's clothes, and then they carried the corpse out into the water. Keeping themselves hidden from view by wading alongside a dock, they stopped once the water was chest-high and released their burden. John turned to leave. Lawrence stood in the cold water for a few seconds, silently giving prayer for his victim's soul. 18 "You did what you had to do!" Millie heard Abigail say to her husband. The maid had listened to the story Captain Orr had told immediately after returning home. She could find no fault in his behaviour. Mr. Henry had turned traitor and had to be silenced before he reached the Americans. She could not understand why the Captain seemed so upset; hadn't he killed men before? Millie had retreated as the conversation between her Mistress and Master became more private. She had turned to the stairs and was halfway to the second floor before she realized that she was going to see the American prisoner. Pierre greeted her at the top of the stairs. "How is everything, Millie?" he asked with concern. "One of the neighbours saw Captain Orr and was going to the enemy to turn him in. The Captain was forced to kill the man and seems very upset about it." "Ah," said Pierre, knowingly. "What is it Pierre? Why would he be so upset about this one man when he has probably killed so many others?" Pierre gave her a kindly look, as one might give to a child. "When you shoot at an American, you shoot at someone you don't know. Besides, there are many of your friends beside you shooting at the same group of Americans. Maybe your ball hits the enemy, maybe it's your friend's that kills him. But to kill someone you know?" "That would be a hard thing," she finished, thinking fondly of poor Captain Orr. "Oui. I think it might be best if we leave before the Americans come to this house..." Millie stood straight and looked Pierre in the eye. "I'll not leave unless Mr. and Mrs. Orr order me to!" "Now, that shows spirit!" said John, from the stairs behind her. Millie froze and slowly turned to see the large, young man ascending toward her and the Frenchman. "Perhaps you and Pierre had best show some spirit and go out and harass the enemy!" Millie said, surprising herself at her cheek. John stared at his French friend. "Pierre, go downstairs and keep watch." Pierre raised an eyebrow and glanced at Millie, then slowly walked down the stairs leaving Millie alone with John. "Now, my girl," began John. "I am not your girl!" interrupted Millie, haughtily. "You will be. I've saved your precious Captain Orr. What price do you think he'd be willing to pay?" Millie shivered. Was John intending to blackmail her master, she wondered? Would he go to the Americans and tell them that Captain Orr killed Mr. Henry? "What do you intend to do, John?" The man smiled down at her. "Why I would do nothing to Captain Orr or his wife, Millie. But this family owes me." He put his finger under her chin and lifted her face. "You're going to pay their debt, Millie. Come to my room tonight, after everyone else is asleep. If you don't then I'll come looking for you." His smile widened. "Maybe you want me to come looking for you?" Millie stepped back from him and glared at the rogue. John merely winked at her and then headed back downstairs, with a bounce in his step. 19 Millie closed the door behind her and glared at the American, who was sitting up in his bed. "I suppose you were eavesdropping?" she accused. "No, miss. But the two of you were talking rather loudly and the Captain has confined me to this bed. Actually, Mrs. Orr has confined me to this bed until she thinks me fit enough to be up and about." The black-haired maid was bristling and eager to lash out, but quickly realized that this poor young man had done nothing to her. She tucked a few stray hairs back under her cap. "I am sorry, Jacob," she said, shaking her head sadly. "I'm upset about something else." "I understand, Millie." There was a few seconds of silence as Millie wondered how much Jacob had heard and he wondered what he should say to this young woman that he barely knew. "So, I assume that you're becoming bored?" she asked. He gave her a wry smile. "I'd prefer to be active rather than confined to a bed, but what's a prisoner to do?" "You know..." she hesitated to say it in case he took advantage of her idea, but Jacob seemed such an honourable man, "you know, if you called out then your own soldiers would likely rush in and free you?" "The thought had occurred to me, Millie." He watched as she pouted a little. "But I have given the Captain my word, so I won't cry out. I am bored, though." "I can only spend so much time with you before it seems improper." "I know." Now she watched as he looked melancholy. "Can I bring you a book to read? Mr. and Mrs. Orr have quite a few to choose from." "I can't read, Millie. But maybe you could read to me?" "I can't read either, Jacob. Not yet, at least. Mrs. Orr is planning to teach me how to read and write." "Pretty and literate!" Millie's cheeks went red. "I'd best leave now, sir." Before she slipped out the door, Jacob called out to her. "I apologize, Millie. I spoke too freely and I didn't mean to upset you." She hesitated, then nodded at him and left his room. 20 Later that evening, Millie noticed that Mrs. Orr spoke very quietly and tenderly to her husband. The maid felt as if she were intruding whenever she was in the same room with them. She also observed that Captain Orr kept a wary eye on the windows and it made Millie so nervous she almost cried out. "Millie, please put out the lights and make sure the lock on the door is set. I'm taking Lawrence to bed," her mistress informed her. Millie cringed at the thought that she would be alone downstairs in the dark. The threatening presence of John on the floor above made her skin crawl. She watched her employers go up the stairs together and heard them bid good night to the York militiamen, and then obediently began to put out the lights on the first floor. Her ears picked up a creaking floorboard at the top of the stairs and she froze, nearly dropping the bronze candle snuffer. She listened in fear for further sounds of a large man descending the stairs, but heard nothing. Releasing her breath, she passed into the final room and doused the candles. Then she heard a creak halfway down the stairs and she nearly dropped the snuffer again. John must be making his way down the stairs to find her, she thought. Her heart pounded and she looked about frantically in the darkness for some place to conceal herself. Strangely, time seemed to slow down and she felt herself thinking very clearly. The thought occurred to her that she knew this house far better than John did, so it was very likely she could find a few places that he would never think to look. However, she didn't think she could get to them quietly. She reached down and slipped off her shoes. "Millie!" John called out from the bottom of the stairs in a loud whisper. She placed the snuffer down quietly on the table and tiptoed to the hallway that followed the wall opposite from the stairs. She reasoned that if John had been watching, then he knew that the rooms at the front of the house had been the last to go dark and he would be expecting to find her in one of them. She listened as the sound of John's shoes indicated he was walking to the front of the house. Then she quickly walked along the hallway until she reached the kitchen. Glancing about she saw and heard no sign of her pursuer. Millie crossed the kitchen and hesitated at the far wall. She felt her way to the dark doorway and listened for John. There was the occasional sound of moving furniture up at the front of the house and then John swore. Millie held back a chuckle at the thought that John was likely colliding with a fair amount of furniture in the darkness. Holding her breath, she slowly made her way through the sitting room, until she felt another doorway. The door, she knew, was closed and the hinges needed oiling. She placed her hand on the cold handle and felt her heart pounding in her chest. She knew that a squeaking door might bring John to her in a second or two. Slowly pulling the door open, Millie stopped every time a small squeak issued forth. Eventually, she had the door open enough for her to slip through and she held her breath and listened for John. Her heart beat raced as she realized she could not hear him! He could be anywhere, even waiting on the other side of this door with a big grin on his face and his hand ready to cover her mouth. She wondered why she hadn't called out for help before this. She knew that Captain Orr would not let anything happen to her, but she also knew she had a responsibility to not let anything happen to him. The Captain was depressed over his killing of Mr. Henry and John was younger, bigger and stronger than her master. If there was a fight between them she had no doubts about who would have the worst of it. Millie resolved that her only course of action was escape. If she could avoid John tonight then perhaps he would take her hint and balk at chasing after her again. She realized that she could not merely hide in her room as she had no lock on her door. The only place that John would not expect her to hide in would be the American's room. Millie's eyes went wide as she heard a footstep in the kitchen. She took a big breath, squeezed through the door and walked quickly to the stairs. She kept to the wall as she ascended the stairs, avoiding the creaks in the steps that she was very familiar with. Once on the second floor, she ran her hand along the left wall until she came to the door to Jacob's room. She opened the door, slipped inside, closed the door behind her and then listened. She heard John's heavy step at the bottom of the stairs and then nothing. Millie guessed that he must have decided to recheck the first floor before looking for her upstairs. She let her breath out in relief. "Millie?" called out Jacob. "Yes, Jacob, it's me. I'm sorry to wake you," she replied in a whisper. "I didn't expect this, Millie. This seems so unlike you." "What?" asked Millie, not following Jacob's meaning. "It's just you seemed like such a proper girl-a lady. I never expected you to come to my room like this." Millie opened her mouth in shock. Creaking boards on the stairs brought her out of the shock quite quickly. She rushed over to the bed and put her hand on Jacob's bare chest. "Please! John means to have his way with me! I must hide!" she whispered desperately. Millie felt Jacob's hands lift hers from his chest and close over them protectively. "Can you squeeze under the bed, Millie? Or perhaps you can conceal yourself in the wardrobe to my right?" "Oh, thank you, Jacob!" Millie pulled her hand out of his and dashed to the wardrobe. She opened the doors, squeezed inside and concealed herself behind the clothes there. Her hands blindly reached out for the doors and then pulled them shut, just as she heard the door to the room open. The Fall of York Ch. 17-24 She heard heavy feet cross the room and then stop, just outside her hiding place. "What do you want?" asked Jacob, gruffly. "None of your God-damned business, Yank. Have you seen the girl?" asked John. "I haven't and I wouldn't tell if you even if I had. I heard what you said to her in the hallway, earlier today." There was a sudden, choking noise. "You had best watch your mouth, Yank. Captain Orr owes me and he's likely to turn the other way if I break a few of your bones. Hell, I could kill you now and no-one would even care. I heard about what your friends are doing to the militiamen taken prisoner. Maybe I should get a little revenge for that right now." The choking noise turned into a gurgling noise and Millie's blood went cold as she realized that John was strangling Jacob. She started to push her way to the front of the wardrobe, when she heard the American taking in great gasping breaths. "Next time I might just finish the job, Yank. So if you see the girl, you tell me." Jacob coughed a few times as Millie heard John walk to the door. "Maybe the next time I see Captain Orr I'll tell him you were planning on raping Millie. I'll tell him everything I've heard," said Jacob, struggling to talk clearly. John's heavy steps approached the bed again. "Or maybe Millie's in their bedroom right now, telling Captain Orr exactly what you've been saying to her." Jacob coughed three times. "What do you think an honourable man like the Captain would do to a guest in his house who threatened his innocent, young maid?" Millie readied to rush out of the wardrobe if the choking sounds began again. Instead, she heard John walk out of the room. She waited a minute and then slowly pushed her way out of the wardrobe. "Are you all right, Millie?" asked Jacob. "Am I all right? What did he do to you, Jacob? It sounded like he was strangling you." She went to his bed and sat down beside him. "Do you need anything?" She felt his hand on her cheek and she leaned her face into his palm. "You're such a brave girl. You're really willing to go out there to get me a glass of water if I ask for it? Even though you know he's out there?" Millie pushed his hand away, suddenly. "This isn't right. I should return to my room." "Stay here tonight, Millie. John isn't coming back in here. He knows he can't bully me." "I can't stay in your room! Alone? Just the two of us?" "You'll be safe. You're welcome to share the bed and I'm really in no shape to do anything but sleep, Millie. But, if you're concerned about propriety, then sleep on the floor or in the chair in the corner." "All right, Jacob." She grabbed some blankets from the bottom of the wardrobe and set them down on the floor. Then, she lay down on her back and whispered a quick prayer of thanks for her deliverance. Belatedly, she added a prayer of thanks for Jacob's recovery. "Thank you, Jacob." "You're welcome, Millie." 21 Millie heard Mrs. Orr's voice in the hallway and she opened her eyes. "I don't know where she is either, Lawrence." "Well, none of them are downstairs and the door is unlocked. I cannot believe Millie would have fled in the night, Abigail." That was Captain Orr's voice and it gave Millie a warm feeling to know that her employers were concerned about her. Then she remembered where she was and she sat up. The room was lit by early morning sunlight and it was well past the time that she should be up and about. She had duties! She hurried to her feet and noticed Jacob was awake, as well. He put a finger to his lips and nodded to the door. Millie gave him a smile and then crept to the door in her bare feet. The door opened just as she reached it and Abigail and Millie stared at each other in surprise. The maid's cheeks grew warm as she realized what conclusions might be drawn by her presence in this room. "Have you found her, Abigail?" asked the Captain. Mrs. Orr's eye travelled to the bed and then returned to Millie's face. A brief smirk appeared. "Yes, husband, I've found her. She must have woken early to check on Jacob." Millie backed away from the door with her eyes downcast, in shame. Her employers came into the room. "Did either of you talk with John or Pierre before they left last night?" asked Captain Orr. The maid wished she could disappear and remained silent. "I spoke with John last night, but he said nothing of leaving, sir. They both left during the night?" Jacob asked, propping himself up on his elbows. "They stole away like thieves in the night," answered Mrs. Orr. "And they raided the larder before they went. I would have given them food for their families, if they had told us they were leaving," she added, a little hurt. "What the...?" Captain Orr bent over to pick up the blankets that had been Millie's bed for the night. He looked at Jacob and then stared at Millie. "You slept here last night, Millie?" She stepped back and saw all three pair of eyes locked on her. "I...I...I slept on the floor, sir." "Well I can see that, young lady. Why did you sleep here instead of your own room?" he asked. There was silence in the room as everyone stared at Millie and Millie wished she could evaporate. A bird called outside. "Oh, Lawrence, I just remembered! I asked Millie to stay here and keep an eye on Jacob, last night." Captain Orr stared at his wife thoughtfully and it seemed to Jacob and Millie that something unspoken seemed to pass between the husband and wife. The American and the maid watched the couple without comprehending what had just transpired. "I guess we can talk about this later, then. Millie, can you fetch the three of us some breakfast, please?" Captain Orr asked her in a soft voice. "I'll give her some help, Lawrence. Will you spend some time with Jacob?" asked Mrs. Orr. "Yes, I have a few things to discuss with him. If you don't mind, Jacob?" The American nodded and watched as the women left the room. Captain Orr pulled the chair over to the bed, sat in it and stared out the window for a few minutes. Jacob waited patiently, fairly sure he was going to receive at least a verbal thrashing for compromising the honour of a Canadian woman. He still didn't feel fit enough to stand under his own power and he respected his captor, so he was willing to take whatever punishment Captain Orr decided on without complaint. "Jacob, would you like the freedom to move around the house?" The Captain's eyes remained fixed on the window. The American laid back on the bed. "Sir, I must inform you that Millie in no way sullied her honour or that of your..." "Oh, that's been decided. She was asked to stay here by Abigail. Millie was merely following instructions and nothing untoward happened between you. Would you like to be free to move about the house, Jacob?" The American was perplexed: surely Captain Orr didn't believe that sudden story his wife had concocted to protect Millie's reputation? "Uhm, yes sir." "Very good! Please don't go outside and try to avoid standing by any windows where the curtains are drawn open. If either you or I are seen in this house..." the Captain hesitated and then seemed to find strength and continue, "then it might draw the attentions of your compatriots. That could easily mean harm befalling Abigail and Millie. Do we understand each other, sir?" Captain Orr turned from the window and the two men stared at each other. "Sir, I will do nothing that might result in harm coming to Millie, or you, or your wife. Is there some oath I could take to affirm your trust in me?" "No, you made that promise already and you've given me no reason to doubt your word." The officer's eyes diverted to Jacob's throat for a second. "So, are you willing to explain to me where those marks on your neck came from?" Jacob thought for a few seconds. "No, sir. However, I will say that you had best not put any trust in that militiaman named John. He isn't worthy of your respect, sir." Lawrence frowned at hearing that comment repeated. 22 Abigail watched as Millie deftly broke and scrambled the eggs. She smiled as she remembered that eggs were difficult to come by right now and her husband would be well aware of that fact. Let him wonder, she thought, it was good for a wife to surprise her husband every once in awhile. That thought had her glancing at Millie and wondering exactly how much the young woman knew about men and women. Since the maid had spent the night in the American's room this seemed like a good time to have a serious talk with her. "Millie?" Abigail hesitated a few seconds before asking the indelicate question. "Exactly how much do you know about what goes on between men and women?" "I don't eavesdrop between you and Captain Orr, ma'am. I do hear things, but I try to ignore what isn't my concern." Abigail's cheeks grew warm. "Ah, I suppose you do hear things. But, do you understand what the noises mean or what causes them?" "What the noises mean, ma'am?" Millie gave her such a perplexed look that she felt sorry for the young woman. Then Abigail realized that they were talking at cross purposes. "What are we talking about, Millie?" "Why about me listening to your private conversations, ma'am. And I don't eavesdrop on you and your husband, ma'am. I really don't." "I believe you, Millie." Abigail wondered how to get this conversation back on track without embarrassing herself further. "Are you upset with me? That I spent the night in Jacob's room?" "No, Millie. I am curious as to why, though." The maid dropped the spatula she had been stirring the eggs with and sent a guilty look towards her mistress. "Rinse it off in the bucket there, Millie. The hot pan will dry any excess water and the eggs will be fine." The younger woman did as she was told and then returned to stirring the eggs. "John has been rather pressing with me, ma'am." "Oh?" "And he suggested that Captain Orr owed him...and that I was to...pay off the debt." Abigail held back her fury so as not to upset Millie. "Go on." "Before you took me in, John had offered me food in exchange for...favours. I refused him, but he was trying to do the same thing again. So I hid down stairs last night. Then John came looking for me. I managed to sneak past him in the darkness and Jacob's room seemed to be the most unlikely place for me to be, so I went in there. I hid in the wardrobe and Jacob refused to tell John where I was. He suggested to John that I might have gone to tell you and the Captain what he was doing. I think that was why he left." Abigail was hurt that Millie had not confided in her before this, but she had been very busy tending to Lawrence. She knew it was like Millie to not want to intrude upon the two of them. "I felt safe with Jacob. He let me stay in his room and I lay on the floor all night. We didn't...fornicate, like they say in church." Taking a deep breath, Abigail absorbed everything that Millie had just told her. She could find no blame in the maid's behaviour. Perhaps she had been timid in not coming to her or Lawrence, but she had been trying to protect the two of them in her own way. "I will convey to my husband what you have just told me, Millie." "Oh, please don't!" implored Millie, desperately. "He'll confront John and get hurt. John is younger and stronger!" Abigail tsked. "You should have more faith in Captain Orr. He's a trained soldier. He's fought many men before and that was to the death. Lawrence can deal with John, despite the youth's size and strength. Besides, there is also the matter of class." "Ma'am?" "Lawrence is the son of a Lord. John is a mere commoner, like you and I. It's a very serious offence for him to offend or threaten a member of this household. My husband doesn't flaunt his family standing, but for something like this he would hunt down a magistrate and have the law deal with John." "I had no idea, ma'am." Millie had a hand over her mouth in awe. "Or is it your ladyship?" "It's ma'am to you, Millie. Lawrence is no Lord. In fact, we haven't even received congratulations from his father or his two brothers over our marriage. But the mail can move slowly, especially when crossing an ocean." "Ma'am?" Abigail raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Millie?" "Why haven't you and Captain Orr told anyone here about his family?" Abigail put down her kitchen utensils and stared at Millie. The girl was so innocent in some ways, she thought. "There are those who would curry favour from myself or Lawrence if they knew. There are others who would not be as easy in our presence. He has two elder brothers and is very unlikely to inherit the title. So, he decided to make his way in the world according to his own character and abilities. And I have chosen to stand beside him. Maybe you'll understand better once you find a husband for yourself, Millie." Abigail watched Millie discretely and noted that the maid glanced up and in the direction of Jacob's room with a thoughtful look on her face. 23 After breakfast, Lawrence carried Jacob down from his room and placed him in a comfortable chair in the parlour. Both women noted that Lawrence seemed to favour one leg and Millie recalled that the Captain's left leg sometimes troubled him. Despite Mrs. Orr's best care, the wound received at Queenston Heights had never completely healed. Jacob beamed and examined every detail of the room. The change seemed to brighten his spirits considerably and Millie found his mood infectious. She found herself returning to the parlour far more often than she had legitimate reason to. "They are very wealthy." "Excuse me, Jacob?" asked Millie. "Your employers are very wealthy. Look at those books! And the paintings! Even the furniture looks as if it were purchased!" Millie found herself looking about the room differently. She had come into this house with just a single set of clothes and her name. Of course the Orrs had seemed wealthy to her, but so did anyone who had a place to live and regular meals. She hadn't really noticed the differences between this house and any other she had been in. Looking through Jacob's eyes, she did see the signs of wealth. Many of the paintings were portraits, going back a few generations in Mrs. Orr's family. Millie barely remembered what her own parents looked like. She had little understanding of the value of the books, except for one. That was a family bible that had been passed down to the eldest child in Mrs. Orr's family. To know the names of your grandparents and great-grandparents seemed alien to her. Millie looked at the furniture, as if for the first time, and realized that Captain Orr had made none of it himself. It had all been bought or given to them as wedding presents or had been part of Miss Abigail Aimes' dowry. "What's your home like, Millie?" "It was a little shack," Millie recounted, brushing a tear from her eye, "and it burned down and my Ma and Pa died. They found me on the ground, below a broken window. I don't really have a home, now. Well, this is the closest thing I've known to a home." "Oh, I'm sorry Millie." She could see the sympathy in his face. "That's all right. It was a long time ago, almost fifteen years now. What about your home, Jacob?" "Well, I'm the second of three sons and I have a sister, as well. My father and his brother each own farms in New York State, in fact my whole family farms. Even Gran' makes herself useful milking cows and plucking chickens, on occasion. My parents' house is a little bigger than this, but everything in it was made by someone in the family. It's a nice place, Millie. It's wild like your country, but the people look out for each other." "It sounds nice, Jacob. So you'll work on your parents' farm for the rest of your life or are you going to soldier?" "Signing up for the military was something I was stupid to get talked into. A Colonel came through and sweet-talked a number of us into signing up so we could come north and free all of you from the tyranny of the British. But as soon as my time is up, I'm taking my pay and heading back home. I'll work hard and earn some money so I can buy some land and start a farm of my own. Then I'll find a wife and..." his voice trailed off. "That sounds very nice, Jacob. Your wife will be a very lucky woman." Millie noticed that Jacob was not listening to her. Instead his attention was focussed on something outside. "What is it Jacob?" she asked, trying to peer out between the curtains without approaching the window. "Go get Captain Orr. Right now." Millie ran from the room and found her employers in the kitchen. The two were chuckling quietly about something, but went silent and emotionless the moment they spied her. "Jacob wishes to see you right away, sir. I think something is wrong." The three quickly returned to the parlour. "There's a group of soldiers on the street outside, sir. I don't see an officer among them and they appear to be looking at the houses carefully." Millie didn't understand; she had seen plenty of soldiers on the street in the past year. Captain Orr's face went very serious. "Abigail, get my pistols and sword. Millie, go over to the window and peak outside, but very discretely," Captain Orr ordered. Then he turned to the American. "Don't worry, son. I'll not harm any of them unless they give me no choice." "Captain," whispered Millie, peering out through a gap in the curtains, "they seem to be discussing this house and comparing it with the Whitehouse's home." Abigail returned with her husband's weapons and he began putting them on. "Sir," said Jacob, "should I go upstairs?" Lawrence thought for a few seconds and then shook his head. "You'll be of more use where you are. If the Americans do force their way in then they'll see you sitting there in your uniform. They'll be less likely to start shooting, so Abigail and Millie will be safe." "Captain," called out Millie in excitement, "they're coming this way!" "Damn!" was his response. "Abigail, take Millie to the back of the house...Abigail?" Lawrence, Millie and Jacob stared at the door, which Abigail was closing behind her, as she slipped quietly outside. Captain Orr raced for the door and then froze with his hand on the handle. He took a few deep breaths and then headed for a window, where he could keep an eye on his wife and the Americans. Millie went over to Jacob and stood beside him with her hand on his shoulder. 24 Abigail had confronted the Americans a few yards from her front door. She adopted a pose of a mother catching her sons at mischief. "So what do you young gentlemen want here?" she asked imperiously. "You have a fine home there, ma'am. We're here to protect you from the British and the Indians. We want payment," said one of the group of five American soldiers. "So, now you're going marauding about and stealing from the homes of honest people?" A couple of the soldiers looked uncomfortable with the assessment, but the other three kept eyeing the Orr's home. "It ain't like that, ma'am. We're here to take what the British left behind. You're free now. I'm sure you've some valuable goods inside that will reward us for coming all the way to York." "Out of the way, lady!" called out one of the other soldiers. "Is this how you treat honest women in the United States of America? You rob their homes when their husbands are away?" asked Abigail. From the facial expressions on two of the soldiers she could tell her resistance was changing their minds about looting. "Are you going to stand aside, ma'am? Or must this go roughly?" One of the reluctant Americans grabbed the arm of the speaker. "Come on, Paul. There's booty to be had in the public buildings; we don't need to go robbing people's homes." The Fall of York Ch. 17-24 "If you don't want any compensation for risking your life freeing these ungrateful Canadians from the British then you can leave, Mathew." The man shook off his friend's hand and turned back to Abigail. "Now get out of our way or we'll put you out of our way!" Abigail glanced at her neighbour's houses and saw frightened faces peering out of windows. Since the Americans had called her bluff, she wondered if she should try to physically delay them or simply step aside and give Lawrence a clear shot at them. The men advanced on her, giving her little time to make a decision. The entire story is completed and a portion will be posted every couple of days.