Authors: Lori Copeland
The redcoats drew closer, slowing to a walk now. “Halt! Who
goes there?”
Dawes and Prescott kicked their horses and shot past the
small patrol as Revere wheeled and took off in the opposite direction.
Shouts went up as the patrol broke into two groups, one
riding after Revere, the other giving hot chase to Willie Dawes and Samuel
Prescott.
Aaron tensed, about to leap to his friends’ rescue, when
Ashley reached over and grabbed his horse’s bridle. Lifting her fingers to her
lips, she shook her head.
“Why not?” Aaron whispered hotly. “They need my help!”
“They’ll be all right,” she assured him. “Watch.”
In the ensuing melee, Dawes and Prescott rode to escape the
patrol, but Revere’s horse was not as fresh as the other men’s and he was about
to be overtaken.
“You there! Stop!” one of the officers shouted. “If you go
an inch farther, you’re a dead man!”
Realizing that he would be of no use to anyone dead, Paul
slowed to a standstill.
A moment later the second patrol returned, ushering Dawes
and Prescott ahead of them.
Aaron and Ashley watched as Paul, Willie, and Samuel were
ordered into a pasture at the side of the road.
The patrol assembled again, and for the first time Aaron
noticed they had three other prisoners under armed guard.
“Who are those men?” Aaron whispered.
“I don’t remember the men’s names, but history says that
they spotted the patrol as it passed through Lexington. They attempted to
follow it and keep it under surveillance, but the British discovered them and
they were captured,” Ashley whispered back.
“Move along quickly,” the British soldier commanded to the
four captives, “unless, mayhap, you want your brains blown out?”
Aaron slid quietly off his horse, dropping the reins.
Moments later Ashley did the same. Keeping low to the ground, they crept
through the tall grass toward the gathering in an attempt to hear the
conversation.
A second soldier grabbed the bridle of Paul’s horse. “From
whence come you?”
Paul's voice rang out. “Boston.”
“What time did you leave there? And why are you traveling at
this hour?”
Aaron and Ashley crept closer. By now Ashley was almost
afraid to breathe for fear of being detected. The moonlight made the night as
bright as day, but the shadows created by the grove of trees and the tall grass
provided adequate cover.
Her foot suddenly encountered a twig, and it snapped loudly.
Ashley froze, reaching out to grasp Aaron’s hand.
The soldier whirled, his eyes searching the bushes. “Who
goes there!” he called out.
When he was met by silence, he turned back to Paul, smiling
lazily. “Mayhap it is a friend of yours?” he prompted.
“We travel alone,” Paul returned stoically.
“The man’s a liar,” one of the other soldiers snapped.
After turning his horse, he urged it into the undergrowth.
Whirling, Ashley and Aaron tried to run, but the British
soldier fired a shot over their heads.
“Halt!”
Stumbling, Ashley tried to catch herself, but she lost her
footing and pitched forward.
Aaron turned back to help her, but the soldier sprang from
his horse and knocked him to his knees with the butt of his rifle.
Ashley and Aaron were both jerked to their feet and marched
in double step time to where Paul and the other three were held prisoner.
The officer looked surprised when his men emerged from the
thicket leading a woman. "What say this! A fair maid you bring me?”
When Ashley failed to answer, the soldier holding her jerked
her arm to prompt her response.
“Gently, man. Gently,” the officer chided. “’Tis a comely
wench we have discovered.”
Ashley sensed rather than saw Aaron’s move toward the
soldier. She reached out to restrain him.
“Would that we had more time...and less company,” the
officer commented in a low voice that seemed meant only for Ashley’s ears. His
eyes traveled over her hungrily. “’Tis been a long time since I have feasted on
such beauty.”
His hand reached out and selected a strand of her hair
between his fingers, admiring the silky texture.
Aaron’s muscles flexed beneath her hand, and Ashley
tightened her hold on him.
The officer’s eyes reluctantly left Ashley to return to
Aaron. “You are here to help your friend?”
“We were...having a tryst,” Ashley answered before Aaron
could.
“Ah,” the soldier murmured. “A tryst.” His eyes met Aaron’s
enviously. “You are a lucky man.”
Ashley could see the muscle in Aaron’s jaw working tightly,
and she prayed he would remain quiet.
“And you, sir,” the soldier turned to Paul. “Who are you?”
The soldier prodded Revere with his gun. “State your name!”
“Revere.”
“First name!”
“Paul.”
The soldier stepped back. “Paul Revere? The silversmith and
patriot?”
“The same,” Paul stated.
“Then we have done well this day,” the red-coated officer
said with satisfaction. He glanced at his patrol. “Let us continue with our
growing band of prisoners.” He turned again to Ashley. “Mayhap you would do me
the honor of riding with me, lovely maid?” His smile broadened. “We can spend
the hours becoming...better acquainted?”
Aaron swore, taking a step forward, but Ashley firmly
restrained him.
“I would be happy to ride with you, Captain.” She smiled.
“If you would be so kind as to bring my horse?”
The captain signaled for their mounts to be brought around.
“Are you comfortable?” the captain inquired when Ashley was
safely aboard the horse again.
“Quite comfortable, Captain. Thank you.”
Lifting his hand, the captain moved the patrol out.
Two men rode in front, two behind. Two rode in the middle of
the group so that Aaron had no opportunity to exchange words with Paul. Ashley
could tell by Aaron’s expression that he was worried about what had happened,
but there was nothing she could do or say to him.
As they approached Lexington, the loud volley of gunfire
reached them.
Slowing the patrol, the captain listened as the shots grew
louder.
One of the three men captured earlier burst out laughing.
“Ha! The bells are ringing! The town has been alarmed. You’re all dead men!”
“What does he speak of?” the captain snapped.
“I don’t know, sir...unless the town has been warned.”
The patrol was halted, and, with their guns trained on the
prisoners, the officers hurriedly conferred among themselves.
Paul worked his horse closer to Ashley and Aaron.
“What happens now?” he whispered.
“I don’t remember,” Ashley whispered back.
Paul glared at her irritably. Wonderful! Now her memory
failed her.
Chapter
Thirteen
Ashley watched as one of the officers separated from his
companions and rode back to Elijah Sanderson, one of the first three prisoners.
“I must do you an injury,” the redcoat said as he quickly
dismounted.
Elijah drew back, and Ashley tensed as she watched the
officer draw out his knife. Was he going to kill the man right in front of
them? Would she and Aaron be next?
Edging forward in the saddle, she watched as the officer
stepped closer.
“Dismount,” the redcoat ordered.
Elijah got off his horse slowly. He stood beside his mount,
visibly quaking now. “Make it merciful, gov’nor. I have no wish to die a
lingerin’ death.”
Stepping forward, the officer firmly gripped the horse’s
bridle. The knife flashed in the moonlight. With a surgical slash the officer
cut the bridle, then the girth. The saddle and bridle hit the ground
simultaneously.
The officer then turned to Jonathan Loring and Solomon
Brown. “Dismount!”
The two men obeyed, their eyes fixed on the young Tory.
Again the knife flashed. Moments later three horses stood free of their saddles
and bridles, and three men were standing in the road, waiting to meet their
fate.
Ashley glanced apprehensively at Aaron and Paul, wondering
if one or the other would attempt to intervene.
“On your way,” the officer ordered with an absent sweep of
his hand.
Sanderson, Brown, and Loring stood rooted to the spot, their
eyes still fixed upon the young British soldier.
Loring regained his bearings first. Clearing his throat, he
stepped forward. “Uh...begging your pardon, gov’nor...did you say for me to be
on me way?”
“Yes, you fool. On your way,” the redcoat snapped. “We’ve no
time to be bothered with prisoners.”
The three men suddenly broke into a run, disappearing into
the thicket seconds later. Twigs snapped, branches popped, and bushes rustled
as the men beat a hurried retreat.
Remounting, the officer lifted his hand and the patrol moved
forward with Aaron, Ashley, and Paul Revere still under guard.
They hadn’t ridden far when the sound of gunfire reached
them. Ashley glanced reassuringly at Aaron as the patrol reined in.
The soldiers sat for a moment, listening to the shot echoing
over the countryside. By the frowns on their faces, they were clearly puzzled
by the loud volley.
The British began to confer in low, anxious tones as a
second volley sounded.
Ashley edged her horse closer to Aaron’s. “Why have they
stopped?”
“The militiamen have assembled,” Aaron returned quietly.
The officer in charge called over his shoulder to Revere.
“How far is it to Cambridge?”
“Some distance,” Revere returned vaguely.
The officers resumed their conversation in hushed whispers.
“What do you think they’re discussing?” Ashley murmured.
Aaron shifted in the saddle, his eyes riveted on the two
officers. “I would say that they’re trying to decide what to do. It would be
ill fortune for a small troop to be caught without reinforcements, under the
circumstances. By the looks on their faces, I believe they realize that.”
One of the officers turned and threaded his way back through
the pack. When he reached Paul, he reined the horse to a halt.
Viewing the soldier who sat guarding Aaron, the officer
asked, “Does your horse grow weary?”
“Stumbling, sir.”
The officer’s eyes motioned toward Paul. “Then take his.”
“Yes, sir.”
Turning to the guard sitting on the left of Ashley, the
officer asked, “And your mounts?”
“The same, sir. Extremely weary.”
The officer’s gaze fixed on Ashley coldly now. “I pray that
you will excuse our deplorable manners, lovely one, but our horses grow weary.
If you and your...gentleman friend would be so kind as to offer yours?”
Aaron and Ashley dismounted. Handing the guard her reins,
Ashley murmured, “Good luck. With this horse, you’ll need it.”
The guard raised an imperious brow at her.
“Believe me, you’ll understand completely a mile down the
road.”
The assigned guards dismounted, then turned to strip the
saddles and bridles. Slapping their horses’ rumps, they sent them off into the
night.
As they mounted the confiscated animals, they listened as
the sounds of gunfire grew closer.
“You’re a lucky man, Revere!” the officer called.
“As you say, Captain.”
The officer wheeled his horse, and the patrol rode off.
Ashley, Aaron, and Paul stood in the middle of the road,
choking on the British dust.
“Well, how do you like that?” Ashley complained.
“I can’t say that I do.” Aaron watched as the patrol grew
smaller.
“Now what?” Ashley sighed, sitting down for a moment on a
large rock.
“We go on.” Paul straightened his waistcoat irritably.
“I was afraid you’d say that,” Ashley murmured, getting up
again.
“The moon is too bright to follow the road. I know a less
traveled way. Follow me.”
Ashley fell into step with the two men as they started off
through a pasture.
Paul cursed as they hurried along. “History is being made,
and me without a horse!”
It seemed to Ashley that she had been in love with Aaron
Kenneman all of her life. As they walked along the moonlit road, she thought
about the men she’d dated over the past few years. There wasn’t a one—with the
exception of Joel—whom she felt so close to or trusted as much. She would trust
Aaron with her life—she was trusting him with her life—and somehow, though they
had barely come to know each other, she knew he’d changed her life forever.
Dropping back a few steps, Aaron urged Paul to proceed ahead
of them.
“We’re in the midst of crisis,” Paul complained as he took
the lead. “And all you two can think about is...each other.”
Drawing Ashley close, Aaron grinned then pressed his lips to
her temples. “Does he speak the truth? Are your thoughts consumed with me?” he
teased.
She blushed, realizing that somehow her earlier reflection
had been transmitted to him—which really didn’t surprise her. It seemed
everything about him was designed to make her think.
Becoming serious, Aaron said softly, “If this was a
different time...if we weren’t embroiled in this battle...” He paused, finding
it difficult to go on. “I would hold you close and make you promises,” he
finished gently.
Taking his hand, she smiled. “And I would nurture your
promises.”
He paused, caressing the outline of her face with the tips
of his fingers. “This Joel that you speak of. Is he good to you?”
“Yes...he is. In so many ways he reminds me of you.”
“Then when this is over, you must go to him.”
“I can’t. I was so selfish. I thought that if he loved me he
had to spend every minute with me.”
"I’m sure he wanted to.” He brushed a wisp of hair from
her cheek.
“But he couldn’t. Being with you has shown me that...and so
much more.” Her fingers rested against his cheek. “Now I understand that a
doctor’s life is different from a baker’s or a shopkeeper’s. People don’t need
you just between the hours of dawn and dusk.”
His smile was warm. “Would that sickness were so
considerate.”
“You see, I thought Joel could just tell his patients to
take an aspirin and call him in the morning. Now I understand why he couldn’t.
And I appreciate him all the more because he wouldn’t.”
“Then you must tell him so.”
“If I ever have the chance. He probably will never forgive
me, but I would feel better.”
“He’ll forgive you.”
“No, I was too thoughtless. You just don’t know...”
“I do know. If he’s the kind of man you could love, he’ll
forgive you anything. When this is over you’ll tell him how you feel, and he’ll
understand. And one day, after you’ve been married for a very long time, you’ll
look back and laugh at how afraid you were that he’d stopped loving you.” His
gaze searched hers in the moonlight. “And when you do, I hope you’ll remember
me fondly.”
“I’ll never forget you,” she promised. “Oh, Aaron, I’m so
scared.”
His eyes grew more tender. “I cannot believe the Ashley
Wheeler that I know is scared of anything.”
Ashley sighed. “But I am, Aaron. I’m such a mess.”
“You are reluctant to allow a man to love you?”
“No, I’m afraid that I'll never be able to commit to one
man. I’m terrified that if I marry, one day we’ll both wake up and not be able
to stand each other. Can you understand...does that make sense?”
“Mayhap it would be easier to understand if I, too, were not
the man who was in love with you.”
“Oh, Aaron.” She pressed toward him, engaging him in a long,
urgent kiss.
As their lips parted, his eyes searched hers again. “Have
many men asked to marry you?”
She nodded, ashamed to confess just how many chances she’d
been given to make a lasting commitment.
She frowned when she saw his look of disappointment at her
candor.
He draped his arm around her waist, and they began walking.
“Mayhap there is a bond between us that will remain long after we’re parted,”
he said. “I would like to believe this is true.”
“A bond?” She didn’t want to think about losing him. She
couldn’t bear to think about losing him. “No, if this is a dream, I don’t want
to wake up. Maybe it is a time warp and I won’t ever have to go back.”
His mouth lowered to hers again, stilling her protests.
Savoring the moment, she closed her eyes, trying to capture and hold him in her
memory forever.
Distant sounds of gunfire eventually drew them back to the
present. Aaron sighed. “Paul is outdistancing us. We must keep up.”
“Come, come!” Paul called, urging them to stop their
nonsense and get on with business.
Ashley clasped Aaron’s hand, and together they began running
across the field after Revere.
They raced through the night. At first, Ashley was able to
keep pace with the men, but after fifteen minutes or so, she began to lag
behind.
When they had gone a mile or more, her breath was beginning
to come in gasps. She had no idea where they were or where they were going; she
just kept running.
On they ran, scrambling through brush and thicket. Ashley
gasped as a branch came back to whack her in the face. The force of the blow
nearly knocked her off her feet, and Aaron’s hasty apology did little to dull
the sting.
They jumped a ditch, and her ankle twisted as she landed,
but on she limped, clinging to Aaron’s hand.
Stumbling over clumps of grass, she was certain she had just
stepped into a fresh cow pile, but she was afraid to stop long enough to
investigate.
The pungent aroma a few minutes later told her she had been
right. She winced, skidding into another wet pile. This time she pitched
forward, her eyes widening as she slid past the squashy patty.
Struggling back to her feet, she called to Aaron, who paused
only long enough to see that she was all right before he ran on.
Up ahead she could see Paul’s silhouette as he set an even
faster pace toward Lexington.
As they neared a small farmhouse, a stone wall loomed before
them.
She groaned aloud as she watched Aaron leap the wall behind
Revere, then reach out to drag her over after him.
Tumbling over the top, she lost her balance and fell,
landing on top of Aaron.
Collapsed beneath her weight, Aaron tried to struggle out
from beneath her, but she suddenly broke out laughing. This was so absurd!
“Ashley, we have to hurry,” Aaron scolded, struggling back
to his feet.
Rolling her head to one side, Ashley’s merriment dissolved
when she saw a granite headstone not more than six inches away.
“Oh!” She scrambled to her feet, backing away from the
gravesite.
“Come now, ’tis only a family graveyard,” Aaron whispered.
“Only a graveyard?” Now she was running around a graveyard
in the dead of night. She forced herself to swallow the lump of panic in her
throat. She refused to attend funerals, and it would take a team of pack mules
to drag her into a cemetery!
Muttering a quick apology to the occupant of the grave she
was trampling, she ran on.
“Paul is almost out of sight,” Aaron called. “Run faster!”
She groaned, trying to ignore a painful cramp forming in her
left side.
By the time Lexington was in sight, Ashley was gasping for
breath.
Collapsing on the steps of John Hancock’s house, she
listened as Paul rapped on the door.
Hancock opened the door a moment later, still pulling on his
coat.
“John! Am I glad to see you. I thought you might have left,”
Paul said, leaning against the doorframe to catch his breath.
“Paul?” Hancock was surprised to see Revere standing on his
porch again. “What’s wrong now? Adams and I are just leaving.”
Paul quickly explained the circumstances, and John summoned
his clerk, John Lowell.
“John, fetch my carriage,” he ordered. “Revere, Kenneman,
and Mistress Wheeler will be riding with us.”
John bowed, hurrying off a second later. In a matter of
minutes, the carriage was brought around. Aaron quickly helped Ashley aboard,
then Hancock, Adams, Lowell, and Paul joined them.
Inside the coach, Ashley sat squeezed into a corner next to
Aaron, who held her protectively as the carriage lurched forward.
The coach careened through town as the driver whipped the
team into top speed and sped back along the moonlit road. Ashley clung to
Aaron, wondering if they would live through the night. Aware of her anguish,
Aaron pressed his lips to her temple, holding her reassuringly.
Hancock and Revere were deep in conversation when suddenly
Hancock jerked to attention.
“I’ve left my trunk of papers in Lexington!”
“Confound you, John!” For the first time Aaron lost his
patience.