“Open your eyes, Kitty. While we patriots strive for freedom, the king and his subservient Tories look to destroy our liberties, and General Gage is at the center of those actions in these colonies.”
The accusation in his face stabbed through Kitty like a dull table knife. Struggling to cling to the remains of her fading confidence, Kitty lifted her chin and clutched the chair. “I’ve already told you, but I will say it again. I may hold to different beliefs, but I will not go against your cause because that is the way my dear father raised me.” Rallied by her own words, Kitty stood taller. “In short, while you scamper about and struggle to secure your freedoms, I in turn, will abstain from involvement and will have peace in my decision.”
“That is where your ignorance is most painfully apparent.” Nathaniel’s angled features hardened and his eyes turned dark. “For apathy, dear Kitty, is the greatest enemy of peace.”
***
Not even Kitty’s sudden intake of breath or the flash of pain that turned her bright eyes a lifeless blue could convert Nathaniel’s pulsing frustrations to regret. How could she possibly be so ensnared by falsehoods? Kitty was too wise for that. Her father had been one of the bravest patriots in Boston, completely devoted to the cause, and yet she refused to believe the truth.
Without another word, she covered her quivering mouth and dashed upstairs. A loud wham of the door resonated through the otherwise quiet room entombing them in silence. Eliza shot up from her chair. Her eyes drilled through Thomas first than Nathaniel before she too darted upstairs.
Nathaniel’s chest heaved and he marched the length of the parlor. He opened his mouth to speak, but Thomas’s downcast stare and rounded posture blocked off his words like a gag. Stopping, Nathaniel wiped a hand over his face. The weight of the missing powder grew until it seemed every small black spec stolen from the magazine weighed as much as the stones from which it was built.
He sighed as the unshed tears in Kitty’s eyes smacked him away from his dreary thoughts and back to the parlor. Turning, he looked at Thomas. “I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”
Thomas slumped into the chair behind him. “I know.”
“She took my words too personal.”
“Did you not mean it to be personal?” Thomas peered up at him from beneath a raised brow.
Pride was a most difficult thing to shed. Nathaniel dropped into the other large chair and groaned. “She’s an educated woman and her lack of passion for this most vital cause makes my stomach turn.”
“You can’t force someone to come to this. They must accept it in their time.” Thomas leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knee. “Eliza changed. Kitty will too.”
Nathaniel shook his head and breathed out a mocking laugh. “I admire your faith in her, but you seem to forget that Eliza wanted to know. Kitty does not.”
‘Twas then Eliza emerged, her lip between her teeth and her head slightly bowed. Nathaniel and Thomas stood the moment she entered the parlor.
“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked.
“She’s beside herself. She won’t even speak to me.”
Thomas offered Eliza his chair and Nathaniel joined him in front of the hearth.
Only the popping sparks and the occasional brush of clothing sounded in the silent room. Nathaniel’s still pumping pulse scooped the unpleasant realities from his memory. “General Gage is an enormous threat. She has to know how dangerous he is.”
Thomas shifted his weight. “Powerful, yes, but I’m not sure about dangerous. The man’s a fop.”
“That may be true, but the threat he creates is undeniable.” Nathaniel moved around and stood behind the empty chair, pressing his hands against the top of it. “Our munitions are vital. I believe that man is behind the raids at the magazine and it is distressing to see someone like Kitty take so little interest in something that affects us all.”
“She cares.” Eliza stared at the floor and her voice was sullen. “We must be patient and have faith that in time she will come to see the truth as we have.”
Sighing, Nathaniel gripped the back of the chair even harder. He looked toward the stairs then refocused on his clenched knuckles. A strange feeling of relief—and at the same time, distress—nestled in his spirit. If Kitty never accepted the cause, then he never had to worry about losing his heart to her and risk the associated pain. If she did, all the better for the cause, and all the more dangerous for him.
***
Hot tears cascaded down Kitty’s cheeks and plunked onto her hands. Though the muffled voices from downstairs were all but whispers, the truth chopped like a freshly sharpened cleaver. They were talking about her.
Pushing up from the bed, Kitty clenched her fists and marched to the small table in the corner. She pulled out the chair and sat, then snatched James’s letter from her pocket and flattened it against the cool wood of the desk. The candle flickered, illuminating James’s elegant penmanship. His handsome face hovered before her as she read the words again. Resting her elbow on the table she leaned her head on her hand.
It was clear, wasn’t it? Accepting James would be impetuous, but keeping that window open, should situations here prove unbearable, would be wise. She slumped her head down into the crook of her arm. Father would have liked James. He supported the king, and his rank in society was highly favored—by those who cared for that sort of thing any more. Father, what would you have me do?
Her gut wrenched. Everything was changing. All around her the world she’d known had flipped on its head. Leaving Eliza would tear Kitty’s very heart from her chest. But if her presence brought such grief to all parties, perhaps it would be for the best?
She shot up and stared at the wall, her pulse crashing to a stop.
She couldn’t leave.