fought for the future of his son. The small one crawled along the floor, laughing hysterically when he tickled him. He wrapped his tiny arms so readily around the father he loved. His small eyes brightened upon his father’s entrance into the room with his hands waving to be picked up.
Jonathan saw within his son the look of his mother, although little William had his eyes. William had his mother’s laugh. Jonathan wished desperately to hear that laugh once more.
Jonathan debated and finally decided to invite Lydia. He couldn’t leave William without someone he trusted fully. He had been in correspondence with her and understood she had much to deal with herself. He wrote he would understand her reluctance to do so. He waited for her reply, but none came by letter. Instead, a knock came upon his door a couple of weeks later. Lydia herself appeared on his doorstep, prepared to care for his family.
Chapter Four
Hannah was disturbed beyond measure. Since the British occupation, Marcus Durham had become a frequent visitor to the Clay’s mansion. Without question, his attention was directed on her. Having been left alone in New York without a contact hadn’t been easy. She knew well she walked on dangerous ground and Marcus only added to the pressure upon her.
She had been cut off from Tepper. He remained in a holding prison where the British continued their questioning of him. In that she knew, but not much more. The British had held several suspected of being loyal to the Patriot cause.
She had chosen to take one day at a time. She had no choice. In an odd way, she looked forward to Marcus’s visits. He was attentive to her in a way no one else could be, for he had known her before the raid…when she was a different person.
Hannah sensed his desire to find out why she stayed within New York and she enjoyed the challenge. In a sense, she liked the thrill of the game…a game where she made the rules. Yet disturbing in the way she felt at times he could read her mind and seemed to know her every thought.
Marcus socialized within her grandfather’s circle in which Alexander Clay as of late had included Hannah. With ease Hannah smiled and danced with the British and Loyalists. To her dismay on her every turn she found Marcus by her side, which left her little opportunity to obtain the information she so desired.
Susanna had questioned Marcus’ attentions, but Hannah understood he suspected she was here for more than a visit with her sick grandmother. She had made up her mind she wouldn’t be intimidated by his presence. Though she would wager his attention toward her had been an attempt to do so. She would never allow him to come between her and her objective.
Marcus seemed to take great pleasure in taunting her. She would never confess even to herself the flutter in her heart when he danced with her or held her hand in his. Nor would she ever acknowledge the way he looked upon her in a manner which took her back to their first meeting when his arms wrapped around her or his lips upon hers… No, she reprimanded herself harshly. How could she feel so with poor Gabriel out fighting for their cause?
She had a mission. She would take solace in the fact her grandfather’s manner toward her had eased greatly. His excitement with the appearance of the British within New York set his mood high. And at the moment, he gave little thought to her for her grandmother seemed content.
An unseasonably warm early November morning found Hannah in her grandmother’s garden. Having risen early, she had in mind to plant tulip bulbs outside her grandmother’s window. She wanted it to be a surprise for her grandmother in the spring. With the emergence of flowers that had bloomed beautifully, Hannah was confident her grandmother’s spirits would lift as it would her own.
A memory of her home in Williamsburg surged within her. Briefly, she wondered how her home looked now. Her heart pained. With her manner in dealing with