Title: Firebrand

Rating: T

Summary: What happened in the four months between episodes two and three? Close encounters with the British keep getting closer. Soon everyone is in danger. Can James, Sarah and Henri put aside their differences to stay together though the turmoil of an occupied city?


Chapter One:
A/N: If you had a friend who loved to cook invite you to try a new recipe and you ate it, then just left without telling her if you liked it or not? Even though she knew you tasted it? Well, it's the same with writing. So if you read, please just review.


Because this is anonymous, I can shamelessly tell you that I dreamed about getting reviews for my stories last night. Yes, really.


"Here you go, Henri." said Moses, depositing the last small package into the little boy's arms. "Now you can open them."

James and Henri tore the paper off theirs while Sarah slowly untied the packing string and unfolded the paper. Back at home on Christmas day, they would open gifts that morning over the breakfast table from their parents. There would be a Christmas ball that night for Major and Lady Philips to go to and during the day Sarah and her cousins Tom, Jane, Georgina and Kate would be allowed free reign of most of the house after coming back from religious services.

She opened the package to see a small ivory box painted with roses and smiled. Dr. Franklin had sent presents from England! Sarah concealed a small smirk.

Wouldn't that make James angry? Speaking of James, he had just unearthed a new small notebook and pencil from his package, while Henri had a little box of chocolates, half of which he had already eaten. From his employer, Moses received a wrist-clock. As was the custom, gifts were only given from employers to workers or parents to children, so the children did not exchange gifts with one another.

"Thank you, Moses—I must write and thank Dr. Franklin as well."

Sarah had been with Moses, James and Henri for a little more then a week and felt both with them and far away. Her ideals were different and she couldn't help but feel a little nervous, the only British girl in a house full of war-ready Patriots.

"It's snowing today, so we'd better get the sleigh ready quickly. Come on, James, help me. The rest of you get ready for church."

As Sarah passed Moses, he said to her a bit quietly, "There's something from your mother on the table." she understood his discretion. She didn't want to spoil Christmas for James and Henri by showing that she had presents from her mother and they had no mothers to give them presents.

She delayed unwrapping the present until she had unbraided and pulled back her hair and put on her shoes (obviously she had dressed beforehand—this might have been America but she wasn't letting anyone see her in her shift).

The gift was quite large for Christmas and came with a small note from her mother wishing her well, but Sarah supposed her mother meant it grander in order to make up for the fact that Sarah was not with her family for the first Christmas ever. It was a dress.

It was a magnificent dress, sent in a crate, made of blue silk with a pale, rose-colored second skirt and delicate stitching everywhere. It was rather flat, for her mother knew Sarah had brought all of her hoops and petticoats with her on a separate ship. They had arrived a few days before. She had to write her mother soon to thank her and Dr. Franklin.

Sarah left the gown crumpled on her bed and ran outside and into the sleigh to join the religious services.


"I hate snow." moaned James as he paced outside the window. "It never stops."

"That's not what you were saying a few weeks ago when you couldn't wait for it," Sarah observed, carefully stitching on her sampler. It was the alphabet, and she was on 'R'. She had always been the best stitcher among her friends but had found little time to complete it here in America.

James barely suppressed a shudder at the disgustingly girlish (and boring) activity. "That was before I couldn't go out and look for stories because of it."

"Well, not much is happening anyway, with all the snow. I don't think you're missing much." Sarah continued with her work. Henri bounded in, munching on a piece of bread bought from the bakery for Christmas. Moses couldn't cook, though he tried, James wouldn't cook, Sarah, being from an upper-class British family, wasn't sure how to boil water, and Henri was best left alone about cooking. They usually paid a widow named Mrs. Nates to make their meals.

"James, Sarah! The mail!"

"Finally!" Sarah leapt up, 'R' forgotten. "They haven't been getting through recently."

"I guess it is snowing less." agreed James as he searched the mail. Sarah had two letters for her—one from her mother and one from her cousins. She read her mother's letter quickly. It was in response to her thank you letter she had sent after receiving her Christmas present. But the letter that got her excited was the second one, sent by her girl-cousins, Georgina, Jane, and Katherine.
All close to her age, Tom's sisters had played with Sarah as her best friends all her life. She missed them terribly.

December 26, 1773,
Dear Sarah, how are you? We all miss you so very much and hope Major Philips is well and returns soon so that you may make a home for us to visit or return to England.

Everything has been alright at home. Christmastide was lovely. We all received the most cunning little sets of combs, which Kate has worn to her FIRST BALL! (These letters were underlined several times, and while the rest of the letter was Jane's handwriting, these two words were written by Kate) Yes, Kate has gone to her first Christmas ball. No one can believe it. In two years, Sarah, it will be you and I (Jane) going to our own first balls and Georgina will follow us the next season. Kate's gown was most enviable! We all saw the one your mother sent for you, Sarah, and this gown resembled it, but it was hunter green and trimmed with black fur around the cuffs. When Kate first tried it on she almost fell over from all the jewels on her person! I have sent you the sketch our seamstress drew for her.

Kate's sixteenth birthday was quite a success, almost two hundred people attended and it was held in the garden. Father believes she will be married before she passes her nineteenth, judging by the suitors there! Perhaps we shall have nieces and nephews to look after before long.

We have been keeping up with our studies fairly well but Georgina and I do seem to fall behind with you not there with us, Sarah. I have a feeling Mr. Matthews knows this as well—you were always the most terrific reader and writer and now our poor tutor despairs of giving us any writing assignments at all.

It is hoped by all who know you that you are safe in the colonies. We have all heard stories of heathens who kidnap young women and uncouth colonists. America is a dangerous place for a girl of upbringing such as yourself, Mother says. She does not approve of your mother sending you there alone.

You say you have others in the house; Moses, a former slave, and two boys. I burned your letter instead of saving it as I do others, for you mustn't reveal this information to anyone in England anymore. I am sure in this America of yours such behavior is acceptable but you must know what it means for your reputation here in England if it were to come out that you had lived with young men. The gossips—Hattie and Susana, you know the girls—would certainly twist your words so that you will return to England a harlot.

We pray for your safe return. All colonists are uneducated, brash, arrogant, cruel, untrustworthy, and crude and we fear for your safety most severely.

With love always, Your cousins Jane, Georgina, and Kate

Postscript: Jane has finally finished her samplar! She is now onto the religious verses.

Sarah had never felt so lonely in the colonies as she had then. Despite her spark of defensiveness over Jane's last words about her living arrangements and slander of the colonists, she still understood that much had happened in the time she'd been away. The letter had been sent four days ago. Even more could have happened since them.

She sighed audibly, catching James's attention. "Something wrong?"

"My cousins just wrote me a letter." she said. He frowned.

"I didn't know you had cousins."

"I have four—Tom, Kate, Jane, and Georgina." she said. "We used to play on our fathers' estates all the time. Tom got away with everything, though. He was always the favorite." she didn't sound disappointed at this, just fond. "He enlisted in the King's Army just this fall—"

"So he's a Redcoat?" said James, unimpressed.

"James Hiller, do not talk that way about His Majesty's Army. My father and uncle are officers besides Tom." Sarah scolded, widening her eyes in annoyance.

"I cannot believe that a patriot like Dr. Franklin could be friends with your family." James replied, flopping into a chair with a sigh. Sarah resisted the urge to roll her eyes (her deportment teacher had always told her it made young ladies look like crazed horses) and instead folded her arms.

"I cannot believe that an intelligent, educated man such as Dr. Franklin could interact with you."

"I can talk about the Redcoats however I like," replied James. "Because we're not going to be part of England much longer."

Sarah turned away and went to her bedroom to respond to her cousins' letter, wondering if she could ever fit into this new world.

What would she write to them? She could tell them about the destruction of the tea, but was that a good idea? Would they think she was uncivilized as well?
Would they completely forget her? Sarah felt very alone and very far from home.

December 30th, 1773

Dear Kate, Jane, and Georgina,

Sarah tapped her quill against the table. What to write? She couldn't tell them about her housemates or escapades. She reread their letter and the last few words—disparaging adjectives about colonists—now made her frown with disconcertion.


"Sarah? Are you in here?" James looked into the room. The spare room, now Sarah's, was neat, the bed made and no bags or girl frivoles in sight. In all honesty, by looking at the room it could be debated whether Sarah Philips existed. It was a lonely feeling room.

"Sarah?" he strode further inside; he had come to apologize.

"I'm coming!" Sarah's voice floated up the stairs. As he passed the only sign of inhabitance, an unfinished letter, the words she had written caught his eye.

Dear Kate, Jane, and Georgina,

All Colonists and Patriots are brash, cruel, uneducated, crass, and arrogant

The words were not finished, but it was all James needed for his admittedly-quick temper to flare. He turned on his heel and ran all the way downstairs and towards the press, where he had expected Moses to be setting type.

He was not. Frowning, then seething as he heard Sarah's voice upstairs, calling out to ask where he had gone, he ascertained from Henri that after the sun had come out and melted most of the snow, Moses had gone to the store for ink and would not be returning for an hour. After Moses returned, supper was held and there was no time for discussion. He could barely look at Sarah for his anger at her.

After supper he went to Moses, who was writing a letter of his own in Dr. Franklin's office, somewhere he often went to take refuge from the children's noise.

"Moses, Sarah hates us. She—"

"James," Moses said, frowning at him concernedly, "Sarah has done many kind things for us. Don't spread rumors."

"I'm not! She wrote to her Tory cousins and told them that all colonists were dumb and crackpates! She hates us!" James was angry at the insult, but beneath that he felt strangely...hurt. He tried to brush off the feeling without success.

"James, I'm sure—"

"What's this about, James?" Sarah demanded, coming into the room, probably hearing her name.

"I'm sure you know." replied James, glaring at her.

"Nothing. James just had a misunderstanding, right, James?" asked Moses, looking at him severely. But James turned away, missing the distress in Sarah's eyes at his next remark.

"Why don't you just go back to England if you hate the colonists so much?" he asked, making Moses frown deepen and Sarah look confused.

"What are you talking about, James?"

"Your letter! The one you wrote your cousins. You wrote that all colonists were stupid and cruel."

"What?" Sarah looked completely dumbfounded. "That's not what I meant."
"Show us the letter, then. Tell us what you meant by that." James crossed his arms, continuing to try to push the hurt feeling away.

"Sarah, you don't have to show us anything. I'm sure there's a reasonable—"

Sarah looked livid. "Well! I don't have to prove anything to you, James Hiller, but I will get the letter anyway if only to prove how rude you have been not once but twice today. I had finished that letter after I came back. Come with me, please."

After shooting James a 'you're in trouble' look, Moses followed Sarah and James to the British girl's room. Sarah held up the letter and thrust it into James's face, where he went slightly ashen upon reading the words.

Dear Kate, Jane, and Georgina,

All Colonists and Patriots are brash, cruel, uneducated, crass, and arrogant, you say? I must disagree with you. While some fit your Description, I suppose Men in England could as well. There are a great number of eloquent Speakers and brilliant Thinkers residing here in our Colonies. I do wish my father would come and help me to set up our Household here, though. I am finding it hard to make Friends and settle in...

The letter went on from there, but the beginning sentence in question made James look like...well, a brash, cruel, uneducated, crass, arrogant fool.

"Sarah, I—"

"I'm getting quite tired. I think I'll retire. Moses and James, I think you can see yourselves out?" her voice was cold and slightly higher then usual. Moses sent a concerned look at the two before stepping out of the room.

"Sarah—"

"Goodnight, Mr. Hiller." said Sarah, turning around. Awkwardly James left. So they were back to Mr. Hiller and Miss Philips.

Well, this day had gone to complete rot.