Chapter Text
Edmund woke up late morning and looked around the room. He remembered some of the events of the previous evening. He remembered limping to the inn to bring Anna back to Whitehall and seeing Simcoe at the inn. Anna was happy to see Edmund when he lumbered into the room, and she even ran over to him and kissed him on the cheek. When they returned to Whitehall, Mary greeted them, and both Anna and Mary helped Edmund back to bed.
Now, the sun was shining in the window and Edmund wondered what time it was. Just then, Anna knocked on the door to see if he was up as the doctor was at Whitehall to check on his condition and to change the bandage on his foot. Edmund had her come in and informed her that he was up and ready to see the doctor. Anna then with a cheerful smile informed him that she would bring him some tea and toast as it must have been awhile since he had anything to eat. She then was interrupted by the doctor who had just come up the steps and stepped into Edmund’s room.
After a thorough examination, the doctor left and was very happy with Edmund’s progress. The foot was so far free of infection and his lungs sounded clear. The doctor still wanted Edmund to stay in bed for a few days and to get plenty of nourishment. After the doctor left, Anna came into Edmund’s room with a tray that had his tea and toast. As Edmund drank his tea and began to nibble at his toast, Anna wanted to know if he needed anything else. “This should be fine for now and I am very grateful for you looking after me” responded Edmund. “It is the least that I can do considering all that you went through,” replied Anna as she remembered hearing from Mary the night before some of the details regarding Edmund’s capture and escape.
Because Anna only knew a few of the details, she did ask Edmund to explain what happened only if he felt like it. Edmund did relate the rest of the story. He described how Simcoe set him up, how he was in a cage for weeks on end with only a blanket and very little food, and how he ended up having to amputate his own toes. Edmund then continued with how he made his escape. “Simcoe came to finish me off. What he did not know was that the rebel lieutenant had left with me a knife in order for me to end my own life rather than having to continue to wait for the execution order. I used the knife to stab Simcoe, but in my weakened condition, I was not able to finish him off. I did manage to escape and hid from him until I could make it back to Setauket.” Edmund spared her the details of how he hid in a dead animal, but Anna actually did know this part of the story from Mary as Mary ended up burning the clothes that Edmund traveled in. And, before Edmund initially went to bed the afternoon that he returned to Whitehall from captivity, he had enough strength to wash up as he could not even stand the smell.
As Edmund told his story, Anna’s eyes widened and showed real sympathy. She was horrified about the fear, dread, and hopelessness that Edmund must have experienced during this ordeal. She could not imagine what it would be like to wake up and wonder if this was the day of her execution or whether she would get to live another day. She could not imagine the despair that Edmund felt in even considering taking his own life. And, she thought about the pain and fear that Edmund must have had in having to amputate his own toes. She found that Edmund showed real courage and fight in surviving the ordeal.
What Anna, however, was also very upset about was that she was the one who had asked Simcoe to save Edmund when Simcoe all along wanted to kill him. How could she have been be so stupid? “Edmund, I am so sorry!” Edmund looked puzzled and asked “Why are you so sorry?” Anna replied, “I asked Simcoe to rescue you as I was so naïve to think that he would in fact put all differences aside and help you.” Edmund looked at Anna with sympathetic eyes and said “How could you have known that he was such a demon, that he could be so despicable and murderous in his intentions?” Anna still wanted his forgiveness and Edmund continued to insist that there was nothing to forgive.
With that Anna mentioned that she should let him get some rest and that she would check on him later. Edmund related that he was not tired as he slept through the night and most of the morning. “Would you like me sit here for a bit and keep you company?” asked Anna. “I also can get you more tea and toast if you would like?" Edmund replied, “I don’t want to inconvenience you on both accounts,” but Anna quickly jumped in and said that it would not be an inconvenience at all. She mentioned that she was off for a few days as Mr. DeJong wanted her to look after the Major, and he would even make sure that she received her wages. Edmund nodded saying that it sounded like DeJong always trying to stay on his good side to ensure that his tavern stayed open in order that his profits were not impacted.
Within a few minutes Anna returned with a cup of tea for Edmund but also one for herself as well as some corn muffins that Mary had just baked. She sat down on a chair next to his bed and told him that she had heard from the doctor that his foot was doing well but that he needed to continue with bed rest. Edmund stated that he did not know how long he could stay in bed as he needed to get back to the garrison headquarters and check on what he missed, especially since Simcoe was back in town. Anna shaking her head no, “You need to make sure that you follow the doctor’s orders in order to make a full recovery!” Edmund gave her a little smile and said that he would take her opinion under consideration.
Anna and Edmund sat in silence for a few minutes as they sipped their tea and ate the corn muffins. Anna then asked Edmund if she could ask him a personal question, and Edmund looked interested and responded that it was fine. “So tell me what Edmund Hewlett was like as a boy?” asked Anna inquisitively. Edmund sat up and looked puzzled how to answer that question. Edmund stumbled a bit at first, but as he started recalling his boyhood memories, he was more confident and even somewhat excited in his speech. “I had a fairly normal childhood as I lived with my parents and my older brother and sister. I did have another brother who was closer in age to my older brother but he died at age 9 from a fever. I was only about age 4 at the time but I do remember him."
Edmund continued. "My father was very adamant that his sons were educated and so I attended the local church school and later attended Oxford University. My father exposed my brother and me to books on various subjects ranging from history, philosophy, religion, astronomy, and science. I enjoyed many hours curling up with a book in my father’s library and I remember many interesting conversations in the evening with my father and his friends. My father was the one who bought me my first telescope and I was hooked! I spent many hours in my backyard with my telescope, sometimes with my father and brother, using books to identify the constellations. When I was older, my father even took me to the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. I looked forward to those evenings, studying the heavens with other scholarly astronomers. It was such an idyllic time!”
He seemed very happy and even smiled as he talked about his visits to the Observatory. Edmund, however, stopped smiling as he realized that his talk about his scholarly background and interests must have sounded very boring to Anna. He asked Anna, “I hope that I am not boring you with all of these details about my academic interests?” Anna quickly responded, “No, not at all! I find your background to be interesting and admirable. It is not everyday that I get to sit and talk with a scholar.” She further added. “Besides, I enjoyed my evening with you looking at the stars. It was so fascinating!” Edmund at first looked relieved when Anna responded, but when she spoke about their evening under the stars, he looked somewhat embarrassed.
Noticing Edmund's expression, Anna went on with the conversation and asked what else he enjoyed as a boy. Edmund responded, “When I was not studying, I did help out at my father’s businesses. One of my favorite jobs was acting as a messenger between warehouses, offices, and loading docks. I learned so much by spending time with the adults as they had some really good stories.” He seemed to laugh as he thought about some of these stories although he admitted that some were not appropriate for mixed company. He further discussed how his father made sure that he and his brother excelled at the “manly sports” of fencing, riding, and shooting/hunting. Edmund admitted “I really enjoy fencing and am fairly good at it. I have not been able to fence here as no one in Setauket seems to know the sport. Now, with some toes missing I wonder how my balance will be impacted. At least it will not impact my riding as that is my first love.”
Anna knew that Edmund loved horses and started to ask about this. Edmund now had a big smile on his face as he talked about his love for horses. “Both my mother and father love horses and are excellent riders. I was raised around horses and my father always bought good quality horses. My father enjoyed going to the races and took my brother and me when we were older almost every Saturday during the racing season. I also continued to go to the races after Oxford. I guess that gambling on the horses has been my one true vice although I have always been careful not to gamble too much. I must admit though, without sounding like I am bragging, that I am very good at evaluating horses and so I usually won more money than I lost."
Edmund continued talking about horses with even more enthusiasm. “Besides watching horse races, I learned to ride and take care of my horses. I still remember my horses. My first horse was a brown and white horse called Hampton as he was raised at a nearby farm called “Hampton.” My second horse was all white and I called him Pericles after the famous ancient Greek leader. I raced Pericles which was not only fast but also was a good jumper. I remember the group of friends that I had when I was about 14, and we all were fairly good riders. There was a farm near my house and the owner allowed us to run our horses on the farm. We created our own obstacle courses and our own racetrack. As Pericles could jump, I had the horse to beat for the jumping events. Pericles was also very fast and so I could beat most of the other horses in the sprint races. We did bet pocket money on the races, and when my father found out, he was not upset as the amount of money was small and I won more races than I lost. Only when my father learned that adult punters started to show up for these races and started to put some serious money on the races was I then precluded from participating. So were my other friends.” “
The races stopped about the time that I started my studies at Oxford. My three years at Oxford were wonderful! I studied Latin, Greek, literature, and philosophy, but most of my coursework focused on astronomy and science. My father’s plan was for me to finish at Oxford and then join the family business. I really enjoyed my studies but I also enjoyed the fellowship of my classmates. There were strict rules at Oxford that controlled every facet of our lives at the University but we had fun bending those rules.” Anna was very interested in this revelation as she knew Edmund as the officer who stressed “law, order, and authority,” and now he was admitting to being a disobedient student?
Anna pleaded for some good stories for Edmund to tell about how he “bent the rules.” Edmund told her how he and his friends would sneak over the walls at night to go to the pubs to drink. Scaling the wall to return home after a night of drinking though was another matter. Edmund recalled “I do not know how I got home some nights trying to get back over the wall or seriously injure myself after falling off the wall. I think at times the porter knew that we were breaking curfew as he had to have heard us returning, but I think that he just would watch us for the entertainment value and not turn us in. But I can say that trying to avoid the headmaster who sometimes patrolled the hallways sobered us up very quickly.”
Edmund mentioned some other antics that he and his friends participated in, and although Anna found that they were fairly minor, especially in comparison to what she and some of her friends did when they were kids, she was still amused that Edmund had a light-hearted and fun loving side to him that she had never seen. Of course, he was a teenager then, but she never even imagined him as a teenager who could be involved in mischief.
After Oxford, Edmund discussed how he returned home to join his father’s business. This was the part that Anna now took an interest in as she learned at one of the Whitehall dinner conversations that Edmund had married after returning home from Oxford. She did not have any details except that is wife’s name was Elizabeth and that they were only married for less than two years as she died in childbirth. Anna tactfully asked about how he met his wife. Edmund softened his expression and voice as he discussed this part of his life. “Beth was one of my childhood friends. We were just children, but when I returned from Oxford, well she was no longer a child! I was amazed at how she matured into a fine young lady, and I think that upon my return, my mother and Beth’s mother were arranging a marriage, especially as her mother and my mother were good friends. It actually did not take much persuasion from the mothers for Beth and myself to come together as I really fell for her. We were married within a year and we started off married life fairly well. Beth loved horses and I still remember how we would on a Sunday after church pack a picnic lunch and go riding. She loved animals and I remember giving her a puppy spaniel named "Dudley" as a wedding present."
Anna could definitely see that Edmund was getting somewhat emotional as he spoke but he continued. “ I also remember the evening that she told me we were going to have our first child. I was so over the moon! I was going to be a father! Then it all came crashing down.” By now his speech was very slow trying to find the exact words. “She went into labor and the child, a boy, died within minutes of his birth. Then two hours later, Beth died. It was very difficult to accept and those days after were very hard.” At this point, Edmund’s voice become even softer and began to reflect on this loss. “I guess that is where faith in God comes in as we need to accept God’s plan even if it seems so unfair and we have no understanding about it. I have very good memories of my life with my wife and I found consolation that she was with God. And, as hard as it was, I had to stop myself from being bitter about the past, but learn how to live for the present and the future.”
Then Edmund went quiet as he realized that the conversation was getting too philosophical and he was beginning to reveal more than he wanted to. Anna also mentally noted how much he had shared with her. She knew that Edmund sometimes would ride to the next town on a Sunday to attend the Church of England service (He was certainly not a Presbyterian), but he never seemed comfortable sharing his inner beliefs as he was a very private person. And yet, he opened up to her and shared his emotions with her. Edmund then quickly collected himself and ended his conversation by stating “It was a lifetime ago and I have since moved on. I then ended up joining the army and well you already heard that story.”
Anna could sense that although he moved on in his life, he still had to deal with some of those painful memories. She could see that he had suffered some great disappointments and losses, and combined with their conversation that night that she first spoke with him at the telescope, she realized that his life was not what he wanted to be but somehow he seemed a better man in dealing with and handling these setbacks. She was very impressed by his courage and spirit . Moreover, Anna now had a better understanding of the role that his parents had in shaping his life. Based upon previous conversations at the dinner table at Whitehall, it seemed that Edmund was close to his mother, and his mother seemed like a quiet, gentle, and sensitive person. From their conversation today, it seemed that Edmund’s father was instrumental and even somewhat dictatorial in overseeing Edmund's education and childhood activities. It seemed to Anna that Edmund’s father was more like the drill sergeant, the teacher, and the disciplinarian. He was very demanding in trying to mold Edmund into his own image of manhood, and Edmund had to work hard to please his father. It was of no surprise now to Anna that Edmund joined the army only to please his father.
Edmund finished his tea which by now was cold and the last corn muffin. He then changed the conversation to ask Anna a personal question, “Tell me about the childhood of Anna Smith Strong?” Anna tried to deflect the question by asking him if he wanted to get some sleep or if he wanted additional tea. Edmund laughed and said that she now had to answer the question.
Anna laughed as well and commented that it did some like a lifetime ago. She thought for a minute and talked first about her family. “My mother died when I was 12, and after her death, I grew much closer to my older brother and my father. I also had some very close friends with whom I spent a lot of time with.” At this point, Anna realized that she needed to be careful in what she said as she was talking about people that now were regarded as the enemy.
“There was six of us that were very close. I had two female friends, Margaret and Rachel. We were like sisters and seemed to share everything. We would talk about the guys that we had crushes on, our first kiss…,” At this point, Anna stopped as she was getting too personal but Hewlett looked at her like he was waiting for more juicy details. Anna back-tracked and commented “Well you get the idea of what young girls talk about.” Actually, she knew that Hewlett had no idea what young girls talked about, but she wanted to change the subject. “Anyway, my female friends moved away which was tough on me. Margaret moved with her family to Connecticut at age 17 and Rachel moved away when we turned 19 as she married a sailor.” Anna confessed that she was not very good about staying in touch with her female friends and then thought that maybe she should try to locate them and reconnect with them.
Anna then continued to talk about her male friends. “The guys in our group though stuck around. Of course, there was Abe and then there was Caleb Brewster and Benjamin Tallmadge. Yes, Caleb and Benjamin are now with the rebel army but they are very good men. You might remember Benjamin Tallmadge from the Battle of Setauket. You might recall that he was the rebel officer with whom you brokered a peace.” Edmund shook his head and replied, “Yes I do remember him and I found him to be a very honorable soldier. He would have made a very good British officer.” Anna went on about Benjamin. “Benjamin was the serious one of the group. He was an excellent and serious student and later went on to study at Yale. He was the member of the group who always walked a straight line and served as our conscience when we got some crazy or tempting ideas to do something wrong or stupid.” Edmund gave her a puzzled look as he could not imagine that Anna would ever do anything stupid or bad, and Anna responded to his look by stating that she had not yet talked about Caleb Brewster.
Then Anna moved on to describing Caleb. “Caleb was the ring leader of the group when we were up to no good. In fact, Caleb and I were always getting in trouble for skipping school or for pulling pranks. We never did any real damage except for maybe once or twice, but when our parents found out, we were severely punished.” Edmund again acted surprised but he was very intent on listening to her antics. Edmund admired that Anna was willing to take risks, to push the envelope, and to try new things. He adored how she lived life to the fullest and enjoyed life in a way that he wished he could. And she was so gorgeous, refined, and lovely.
“Now that you started, you must continue with your story!” replied Edmund. Anna began laughing as she thought about two major pranks that now were very funny but at the time got her and Caleb into serious trouble. Anna described the first prank. “Caleb got the idea to ride over to the neighboring town of Stony Brook and burn its bonfire the night before Guy Fawkes Day (the bonfire would be lit the night of the Guy Fawkes celebration). It was in retaliation for when some of the young guys from Stony Brook found out that Caleb’s uncle had ordered two special kegs of brandy for his daughter’s wedding. The kegs were delivered and were kept in the cellar of the tavern as that was where the reception was to be held. Caleb’s uncle made regular trips to Stony Brook as he had business there and that was probably how the guys found out about the expensive brandy. Sure enough they came to Setauket in the middle of the night and raided the cellar. We could never prove who actually took the brandy, but Caleb knew and even heard from a reliable source that the kegs ended up in the neighboring town. Therefore, Caleb and I rode to Stony Brook just before dark and when it turned dark, we sneaked into the town center and lit the bonfire right under their noses. By the time the people in town realized it was burning, we were on our way home.”
Next, Anna described how all six of them were in on the famous haunting of Setauket. Edmund was again intrigued. She described how they rigged a house to make it look like a ghost was haunting it. The old couple who owned the house had died and the son was returning to town to claim the property. They almost chased the son and heir out of town as he started to really believe that the house was haunted.
Edmund was so entertained and was even so much more impressed by Anna’s spirit and cleverness! Anna then sat back in her chair and took a sip of tea. She became quiet as she reflected upon how her friends were no longer around, except for Abe. Edmund picked up on this and commented how difficult it must have been to see her friends leave Setauket and how even more difficult it was for her to watch her friends choose the rebel side in this war. He complimented her on how brave she was not to join them but to stay and support the Crown. If only he knew!
Anna did not discuss Abe up to this point and it did not escape Edmund’s notice. Yet, he did not ask her about Abe. Anna then continued to talk about her family. “With the death of my mother, I grew closer to my brother and father, but my brother died just before I turned 20. It was then my father started to think about my future and began to speak with me about settling down and marrying. I could talk to my father about almost anything, and so I confided to him that I was very serious about Abe and that Abe and I were talking about getting married. My father was not happy about the prospect of a union with the Woodhulls, especially as Richard was so arrogant and even nasty toward our family, but my father also was only interested in my happiness. Therefore, in the end he consented to my marriage to Abe and agreed to keep the engagement a secret until Abe could talk to his father. Yet, it was not meant to be as I found out from my friend, Ben, that Abe proposed marriage to Mary instead.”
At this point, Anna’s voice grew quiet and she seemed to show some sadness in reliving this. Edmund picked up on this and quickly told her that she need not continue if she did not want to. Anna then perked up and said that it was not a problem as it happened years ago. She then gave credit to how her father was there for her after Abe had “deserted” her, and how her father helped her get over the “betrayal.” In fact, her father suggested that she might want to consider a courtship with Selah Strong. Anna’s father was friends with Selah’s father, and although Selah was at least 6 years older than Anna, Anna’s father pointed out that Selah had real prospects as he was already running his father’s tavern that he would someday inherit. When Abraham married Mary, Anna then decided to see Selah Strong. After her father died unexpectedly of a heart attack, she agreed to marry Selah.
After relating this information about her past, Anna realized that she had given more details about her relationship with Abraham and Selah than she had before to someone who was not part of her inner circle. She also realized that she did not say that she fell in love with Selah, only that it was a good marriage as determined by her father. Did she just settle for Selah? Was he just a good prospect?
Meanwhile, Edmund came to admire Anna even more. She was “betrayed” by the man who pledged to marry her and this same man did not even have the courage to tell her in person that he was breaking off their engagement to marry someone else. Anna had to find out about her betrayal from a third party. Anna, however, moved on with her life. And, Anna was loyal to her father unlike many young ladies at that age. She took the advice of her father and showed that she trusted his judgment. After listening to Anna’s story, Edmund was only more enchanted with her.
Anna did notice that Edmund was starting to fight to keep his eyes open and recommended that he get some sleep. He agreed but only if she would tell him more about her childhood at a later date because he suspected that she did not tell all. She agreed and left the room . As she walked down the steps, she thought about how easy it was to talk with Edmund about her past. She recalled happy times as well as some painful memories. As she began to come to terms with her past, she now wondered what her present and future life would be.