Lake Champlain, The United States of America, close to the Canadian Border March 1814

“It was about time ye and Amelia got hitched. I had nearly lost all hope,” said Jake. He slurred slightly. The occasion had merited the opening of a cask of whiskey Jonathan had insisted they take along on the journey when they were still back at Fair Weather Heaths’.

“Yes…we did do a merry dance. All that is in the past now,” said Jonathan, casting a fond eye at the back of Amelia’s head. She sat in front of him, nicely embedded in his strong arms.

The fire before them hissed and sizzled as the occasional bit of wood shifted in the flames. The four people surrounding it had orange tints on their faces that flickered along in harmony with the lively dance of the fire.

“Does that mean we can turn back?” asked Anna. She looked at Amelia whom she knew was the one who would ultimately decide on that matter.

“Yes,” said she without a moment’s hesitation.

Jonathan pulled Amelia in closer to his frame when he heard her response. “Had you answered differently, we would have left you here for the wolves.”

Amelia laughed. “Would you now – most ungentlemanly behavior if you ask me.”

“Stupidity must be punished,” said Jake, who continued to enjoy his whiskey more than the others.

“We are still not out of the woods quite just yet. There is a British outpost not that far from here. Judging by what I heard on the way up here, the British do not shy away from venturing south onto American soil,” said Jonathan, getting serious.

“Always the captain,” said Amelia. Hearing his words did not scare her. She had never felt safer in her life. His arms around her were like a fortress.

“I prefer to be prudent. I will not lose you again because of some ill-fated decision.” Jonathan spent a moment to gather his thoughts. “We leave on the morrow at daybreak with great haste.”

Everyone nodded their agreement. All of them were keen to get as far away as possible from the hostilities. The longer they stayed where they were camped, the more chance existed that they would fall victim to a British scouting party. If that happened, they would not have a chance no matter how martially adept both Jake and Jonathan were.

“What happens when we get home?” asked Amelia. She turned around so that she faced her betrothed.

“I will send word to your mother and father about your change in circumstance. It is only fair to inform them about your whereabouts and that you are well.”

It was not what Amelia wanted to know. She was more interested in the good captain’s intentions concerning the war. She was aware of the fact that his ship was ordered to remain in port. But knowing Jonathan, Amelia was certain that he would not sit out the war acting out the gentleman plantation owner. He was far too patriotic and manly for that. Jonathan would most certainly seek out a commission in the land forces.

“I still wonder to this day why your family in Canada never responded to my letter.” Jonathan pleated his brow. “I did not word it too insolently. I was courteous and frank. They sent nothing; it was as if they didn’t care.” He shook his head. “Even if the letter never reached your family, someone official in Montreal should have sent it on to England to inform your parents…we should have had word by now.”

Amelia shrugged. She had turned back to face the fire, resting her back, like before, against Jonathan’s torso. She decided that she would ask Jonathan about his intentions concerning the war when they got back to Fair Weather Heaths’.

“I might have something to say about that,” said Jake, looking the soberest he had all evening.

“What, about the letter?” Jonathan glowered at him. He looked almost wraithlike in the fire’s light.

“Aye, about that.”

“Out with it, man.”

Anna shuddered at the force of Jonathan’s voice. She snuck furtive glances at Jake who looked as if he was attempting to pluck words from the night.

“I might’ve redirected that letter to which ye refer, Jonathan,” said Jake at last.

“Redirected it?” Jonathan shifted his weight forward so that he looked over Amelia’s shoulder.

“Well, ye see when that letter arrived from Canada, I sort of hid it from ye.”

The expression on Jonathan’s face was incredulous. “Hid it…what on earth for?”

A smile flickered into action on Amelia’s face. She had understood immediately what Jake meant. However, she did not vent her suspicions, preferring to see the two men hash it out themselves.

“Do ye want me to be frank?” asked Jake, taking another swig of whiskey to fortify his resolve.

“Please do, Jake…and pass that over; I have the niggling feeling that I might be in need of a taste of whiskey once you start shedding some light on the matter.” He gratefully accepted the vessel containing the drink and took a hearty gulp. “Go on,” he said, smacking his lips.

“Ye sees, I knew that ye wished to ransom off the ladies to Amelia’s family…and judging by the contents of the aforementioned correspondence, they agreed to yer proposal.”

“I see,” said Jonathan, still looking very serious. “So, you read a letter addressed to me?”

“Aye…they offered a fair penny too. The Duke of Brandon’s son was very insistent on the matter that the ladies in question be returned to him as soon as possible.” Jake cleared his throat. “I didn’t want that, and neither did ye for that matter. So, I burned the damn thing, and ye were none the wiser.” He shrugged. “It was for the best. Think if ye had sent them back; we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

“Don’t you think I should have been the judge of that?”

“NO!” chimed in both of the ladies.

“I would never have agreed to it,” said Jonathan with authority.

“Poppycock – you would’ve sent me packing the moment you saw the amount my former betrothed was willing to offer,” said Amelia, turning to look at Jonathan again. “I suppose it was significant?”

A playful grin materialized on his face. “That depends on the amount…how much was it Jake?”

Jake furrowed his brow in thought. “About ten thousand pound if I am not mistaken.”

“Mm…a substantial sum, indeed.” he mumbled some words that were incomprehensible. “Does that offer still stand do you think, Jake?”

A few heartbeats passed before Jake hooted his mirth like a grizzly bear sow in gestation. He rolled onto his back hooting his hilarity.

“You wouldn’t?” said Amelia. Her gaze never left Jonathan’s face the entire time. She could not hold the disbelieving expression on her face for long when she saw his features collapse into laughter. “You scoundrel, you.” She hit him in the chest with her fists, inducing him to even greater hilarity. “You nearly had me there.” She squealed when he flipped her onto her back and held her down.

“I may have entertained the matter for a sum such as that back then, but never now. You, my love, are beyond money; you mean the world to me and I could never part with you.”

“You mean that?” asked Amelia, no longer squirming. She was lost in his piercing gaze that oozed sincerity.

“Of course, I do, dearest.” Jonathan kissed her on the lips before he helped her back up. When they were seated again, he refocused his attention on Jake. “I am grateful to you, my friend. However, in future, I would like to receive my mail without it going amiss because my loyal first lieutenant deemed it unfit for my eyes.”

Jake nodded. “It won’t happen again, Jonathan.”

“Glad to hear it.”

After that, the conversation returned to other matters which are not important to us at this juncture for they came to an end quickly when Jonathan urged everyone to bed because of their early start the following morning.

“So, you expect to share my tent this night?” asked Amelia playfully.

“Yes, I do. But do not worry, I only wish to hold you in my arms and not let you go until the morrow. That other thing will have to wait until we are married proper,” said Jonathan holding up the flap to their tent.

“In that case, I have no reason to decline such a tempting offer,” said Amelia with the biggest smile on her face.

“Oh, it was the most magical night, Anna. Jonathan held me until dawn when we awoke. I just can’t believe I denied myself that pleasure for so long,” said Amelia with dreamy eyes half clouded over because of the memory.

“I know – there is nothing better.” Anna thought a moment as she rubbed a cloth with soap. “Did you…you know?” she asked.

Amelia frowned. “Do what?” she asked, innocently. When she saw her friend struggle with her words, her eyes opened wide as understanding dawned on her. “Oh, my goodness, Anna, most certainly not. We are not man and wife yet.”

“Oh,” was all Anna managed to say. After thinking some more on the matter, she added, “I thought that did not matter in the New World.”

Amelia rolled her eyes as she lowered herself into the stream to continue her washing. Somehow, she wished she was just as free-spirited as Anna. No, she countered in her mind. I wish to be married to Jonathan before we tread down that road. She lost herself more and more in the world of love as she washed in the creek that was not far from the camp.

“Good morning, ladies,” said a voice in an accent Amelia recognized at once.

She snapped her head up in its direction. Sitting astride of horses before her was a troop of at least thirty mounted men. They were attired in all manner of clothing, except for one of them. He wore the scarlet tunic of an officer in his majesty’s armed forces. It was a British officer and a detachment of colonial dragoons.

“Good morning,” croaked Amelia. She at the same time waved her hand to forestall any protests or cries of anguish on Anna’s part. She would not place Jonathan and Jake in peril because of their unfortunate situation.

Amelia was a lady and the daughter of a very wealthy man. She could handle this officer whom she prayed was a gentleman as well. It would take some cunning on her part, but she was confident that she would get Anna and herself through their predicament.

“You are English by the sounds of it?” asked the officer.

“I am,” said Amelia, lifting her chin. “Do you mind if my lady’s maid and I put on some more clothing. I feel quite uncomfortable in this state of near undress, Lieutenant…”

“Captain…it’s Captain Geoffrey Higgins, at your service ma’am. And yes, please do get dressed and then we can escort you back to a safer place than this. Yanks are all over the place ‘round here – not very pleasant.”

Amelia gulped as the young officer barked some orders that his men put up a perimeter around their position. She urged Anna to dress quickly while they were doing this. Her heart thumped at triple its usual rate. How far had she come that she was fearful of her own people? A few months ago, she would have praised the day.

“May I have your name, ma’am?” asked the captain kindly when he saw that they were fully clothed.

“I am the Honorable Amelia Carlyle,” she said haughtily. When she saw the curious expression on the militia captain’s face, she swallowed down her anguish.

“My Goodness, this is a propitious encounter. The garrison in Montreal is up in arms because of your betrothed’s machinations. He has offered a substantial sum for your safe return to his loving arms…fine gentleman that. I played cards with him on a few occasions. Damned lucky rogue, if you ask me…and not only at cards,” said the captain, eyeing Amelia closely.

“You will take me to him?” asked Amelia, nearly breaking into tears. Next to her Anna shivered. Amelia just managed to place a soothing hand on her before she screamed. “You must be quiet. If you scream Jake and Jonathan will attempt to free us – it would mean their certain death,” she whispered.

Anna nodded meekly. Already tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Yes, of course, ma’am,” said the captain, inclining his head a tad. He looked around and frowned. “Ma’am, are you alone and without escort?” he asked. Seeing two women, especially ones as lovely as Amelia and Anna, had momentarily robbed him of his senses.

Amelia felt her heart thumping in her ribcage. She had hoped that the captain might not have noticed them being two women alone. “The men we hired to escort us to Canada abandoned us here…”

“We barely escaped when their intentions became more…how shall I say…carnal,” said Anna, coming to Amelia’s aid. She had calmed down after Amelia’s words about Jake and Jonathan’s safety. All she wanted to do was get the British as far away from them as possible before they did anything foolishly heroic.

“I see,” said the English captain, understanding dawning upon him. “The rogues. When was this?”

“Last night. We slipped away under the cover of darkness while they were ruffling through our belongings,” said Amelia, feeling slightly more confident.

“I will send a detachment of men to hunt them down,” snarled the English officer.

“No! No need, Sir. They are long gone by now.” Amelia adopted the most helplessly feminine mien she could muster. “Please, Captain…all we want is to enter British territory and feel safe.”

The captain nodded reluctantly. “Yes, please accept my apologies for being so insensitive to your plight.” He swiveled his body in the saddle and issued some sharp orders. In moments, Anna and Amelia were allotted horses. “The column will advance,” ordered the captain when the ladies were mounted.

“Soon you will be on British soil and safe, Ma’am,” said the captain, riding next to Amelia. Without waiting for a reply, he started to tell her all about life in Montreal and how the British would defeat the Americans in the not too distant future.

Amelia heard none of it. Her mind was for Jonathan alone – to have found him only to lose him so shortly after their heartfelt reunion was the cruelest twist in fate imaginable. She regularly stroked Anna’s hand in a gesture of comfort. Yet, although lost and ripped from the warm embrace of her man, Amelia vowed she would see him again.

A little behind their position, Jake and Jonathan and the slaves lay in the shrubbery, watching with dismay as the column moved further and further away from them.

“No, Jonathan, this is a battle we cannot win,” hissed Jake when he saw his friend cock his musket.

“I don’t care; I won’t lose her, not after all that has happened.”

“Ye will if you enter this course of action; there are thirty of them to our ten. All of them are trained soldiers, and we are but two. We’d be dead before the sun truly starts its ascent. Ye must see reason, Jonathan.” Jake begged him with his eyes.

“But…”

“We won’t go back to Fair Weather Heaths’ until we have them – I promise. We will follow them to Canada before then and all the way to England if we must.”

At last seeing reason, Jonathan nodded with a thin smile on his lips. “All right, we wait until they are gone, and we will make our plans.” He looked ahead, venting a deep sigh. Amelia moved away slowly until only a part of her was visible and ultimately, she vanished from view.