Molly awoke the next morning to someone shaking her awake. She didn't even bother to show surprise or worry at who it might be. As soon as she was conscious again, the feeling of dread and illness possessed her. And, although she had just woken up, she suddenly felt exhausted, and in need of a nap. She didn't want to be there. She didn't want to be awake.
"Molly. Wake up."
She opened her eyes groggily and found herself looking up at her sister-in-law.
"What?" she mumbled,
The tavern didn't open for a couple more hours.
"Aren't you going to see Cicero off?"
Molly closed her eyes again and exhaled heavily. She had completely forgotten. Last night, after all the chaos ended, Anna and Abe had walked her to the edge of town before returning to Whitehall. Anna had told her the news on the way. Akinbode received permission to escort Cicero to York City. They were to leave in the morning… that morning.
Despite how miserable she felt, Molly managed to push herself out of bed. She didn't both getting dressed or pulled a blanket over herself to be modest. Anna didn't question her decision. She knew that Molly was still reeling from what happened last night. She followed Anna out of the small room and out to the front of the tavern.
Simcoe, Akinbode, and Cicero were waiting for them. Anna had already said her goodbyes, so it was Molly's turn. Molly smiled tiredly and pulled Cicero into a hug. She squeezed him tight.
"It won't be the same here without you." She said.
"I'll miss you too."
They pulled away, but Molly stood there with her hands on Cicero's shoulders for a minute. She just looked at him.
"What?" he chuckled.
She smiled, in spite of everything, "I'm making sure I don't forget your face. I am going to miss you. Truly… Good luck. Tell your mother we send our love."
Akinbode rolled his eyes at the comment, but Molly ignored him.
"I will." Cicero promised.
He hugged Molly and Anna a final time and then Akinbode helped him onto his horse before mounting his own. Cicero waved at them as he rode, following behind Akinbode. They waved back. After a few moments, Anna turned and reentered the tavern. But Molly stood there, beside Simcoe. They watched Cicero and Akinbode until they were out of sight.
That's when Molly realized that Simcoe was looking at her. She briefly glanced at him. She couldn't blame him; she knew she must be quite a sight. She was barefoot, in only her nightgown. Her hair was unpinned and loose, and she knew her hair was tangled and sticking up on one side of her head from where she had slept on it. Then there was her smell. After she'd returned to the tavern last night, she had trouble falling asleep. So, she got drunk. That morning, she could smell the stale alcohol on herself.
"What?" she asked.
She didn't even bother trying to be formal. For the first time, she didn't care what Simcoe thought of her. That feeling of numbness that had swept her last night, it was still with her.
"Are you alright, Ms. Strong?"
She exhaled sharply through her nose. It was meant to indicate some sort of amusement, but she doubted it translated. "No."
A beat.
"Do you want a drink?" Molly asked.
She wasn't sure why she asked him that. It came to her mind, and she just started speaking.
"No." He replied hesitantly, "No, thank you."
Molly shrugged, "I think I'll have one."
Without another word, she turned and walked back inside the tavern. Simcoe did not follow her. And she did just what she said. She walked behind the bar and began pouring herself a drink.
"Don't you think you've had enough?"
Molly narrowed her eyes. Anna was stood beside the staircase, watching her sister-in-law.
"Don't you think you should mind your own business?" Molly muttered, taking a swig from her cup.
She wasn't sure why she said that either. Whenever Anna, or anyone for that matter, said something that annoyed her, Molly just ignored them. But she didn't want to ignore Anna this morning.
Anna ignored the remark and walked over to the bar. The bar separated the women. She pulled something out of the pocket hidden in her skirts. It was MacInnis' flask. Molly eyed the flask for a second, then she took another long drink
"We need to talk about how we're going to plant this." Anna whispered.
Molly scoffed. "Don't look at me." Anna raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I'm not having anything to do with that."
She finished her drink and began pouring herself another one. Anna reached out and grabbed Molly's wrist, stopping her from fully filling her mug. Molly glared at her.
"What?" Molly snapped.
"You've had enough."
They looked at each other for a second, then Molly lashed out and grabbed Anna by the collar of her dress, pulling her forward, so that she was half laying on the bar top. Anna yelped in surprise and watched the scowl form on Molly's face.
"I used to beat you up when we were children. Don't think I won't do it again." Molly growled. She shoved her away and returned to pouring herself another drink.
Anna placed a hand to the collar of her dress, trying to steady her breathing. Molly had not made her feel that way in a long time. Although Molly had been older than most of the other neighborhood children, she had no problem picking fights with any of them.
Anna remembered how Molly used to torment her. When Molly was ten and Anna was eight, Molly liked to tease Anna about her dresses and dolls – back then, Molly used to dress like a boy. Anna had never been sure why Molly had singled her out. All the other girls had those same things, but Molly still treated Anna the worst. Molly had only bullied Anna for a short period of time, but Anna never forgot. The two would not truly speak to each other until they were adults, and Selah began courting Anna.
Anna dropped the subject. But Molly's behavior troubled her deeply.
By midday, the tavern was open and bustling with people. Molly worked silently and mechanically, wandering around and filling and refilling mugs. The redcoats and Rangers were drinking on opposite sides of the tavern. Despite the differences between their leaders, the men were currently engaged in a competition regarding drinking songs. They were arguing over which song was better. The redcoats sang the verses of their preference while the Rangers sand the verses of their preference. They were talking turns chanting the lyrics throughout the tavern.
Molly had to admit, she was very invested in the competition. It was one of the more memorable happenings at the tavern. She took a break to lean against the wall on the Rangers' side of the tavern and listen to the men playfully shout at each other.
Several of the Rangers had risen to their feet to walk over and taunt the redcoats. Their laughter quickly disappeared though when one of the Rangers said, "Hey, where'd you get that flask? That's Maclnnis'."
The redcoat in question looked down at his table and picked up the flask. He seemed surprised by its presence.
He shrugged, "Oh. What's it doing here and where's my bloody flask?"
The Ranger spat, "To hell with yours! Where's Maclnnis and Tanner? They ain't showed today and they didn't show yesterday."
Molly noticed more of the Rangers rising to their feet, walking over to confirm if it was MacInnis' flask.
Molly looked around for Anna, but she couldn't see her over the sea of men. This was Anna's doing. She had switched out the redcoat's flask for MacInnis' to prevent his disappearance from connecting them – Molly, Anna, and Abe – to the crime.
The redcoat rolled his eyes, "Well, when they do show their sorry selves, tell them to return my property, the thieving toyles!"
The Ranger attacked the redcoat. Soon the entire tavern erupted into a brawl. Molly pushed herself into the furthest corner, trying to avoid becoming a victim. After a few seconds, several of the Rangers managed to get ahold of a redcoat and they threw him out the tavern window. The fight began to migrate outside as the men struggled against one another.
Just as quickly as the fight started, the fighting ended. When the redcoat went flying out the window, the redcoats on sentry duty outside drew their muskets. Upon seeing this, the Rangers drew their muskets. Both groups of men stood there in a stalemate.
Despite what had happened, Molly couldn't help peeking her head outside the destroyed window frame. She wasn't sure why, but she didn't feel afraid. She watched as further chaos ensued.
"Stand fast!"
It was Simcoe who said it. He ran over to his men and roughly grabbed the one Ranger by the collar of his uniform.
"They have Maclnnis's flask!" the man tried to explain.
Molly could see the anger in Simcoe's eyes. "I should never have allowed Akinbode to leave for New York. You idiots cannot keep yourselves in line." He hissed.
Molly noticed that Anna now stood beside her. She looked at her briefly before turning her attention back to what was happening outside.
Word must have traveled fast because a few moments later, Major Hewlett came running into town with more of his troops.
"Captain Simcoe!" Hewlett bellowed. "Order your men to stand down their arms."
"After you, sir." Simcoe challenged. His voice was calm once again.
The two leaders glared at each other. Just like their men, they seemed to be at a stalemate. Finally, Simcoe stepped forward.
"Allowing two British forces to bloody each other wouldn't be good for either of us, now would it?" he warned.
"Blood has already been spilled." Hewlett replied. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave this town."
"You're in luck. Major Andre has called us to New Jersey on an assignment of actual importance. But per his orders, I shall return here when that's done."
Simcoe didn't allow Hewlett to respond. He turned on his heels and stalked away.
Anna and Molly looked at the damaged. The soldiers had quickly dispersed from the tavern. They didn't bother finishing their drinks. What enjoyment they had had was over. The two women weren't quite sure what to do with the window. Although they didn't discuss what had happened with the flasks, Molly could tell that Anna didn't expect something like this to happen.
"Should we try to board it up?" Anna asked.
Molly shrugged, "Should one of us go tell DeJong? Or do you suppose he already knows?"
They continued offering solutions instead of actually doing anything for several more minutes.
"Ms. Strong!"
Molly looked up. Simcoe was walking towards them.
"A word?" he asked.
Molly shrugged and stepped over the damaged window and walked over to where Simcoe was stood.
"Aye?" she asked.
"You wouldn't happen to know the whereabouts of Lieutenants MacInnis and Tanner?" he asked.
He wasn't accusing her of anything. It was simply a question.
"I saw them last night." Molly admitted. "I was talking to MacInnis, but then Tanner came over and pulled him away for some assignment."
Simcoe swore under his breath.
"What is it?" Molly inquired.
She felt weird. She had always been so careful with how she spoke to Simcoe before. But now, she didn't care. She was no longer afraid of him, but she didn't know why.
"Do you trust Major Hewlett?" he blurted.
She didn't even hesitate, "Aye."
"Why?"
"I suppose because he doesn't do things like corner me alone in rooms and send his soldiers to follow me."
Simcoe pondered her words for a second. He wasn't angered by anything she said. If Molly didn't know better, she'd say it was almost like he appreciated her honesty.
"Are you alright?" he asked again.
"No."
A beat.
"Are you really going to York City?" she asked.
He nodded, "Yes."
She thought about that for a moment.
"When do you leave?"
"A few days."
Then she said, "I'm moving into Whitehall. Mary's offered me a room."
She wasn't sure why she said that either. It wasn't the entire truth, but still. She had spent the last several weeks stressing over how she would reveal that information. But he ended up taking it much easier than she initially thought.
Simcoe shrugged, "Probably for the best." He gestured toward the ruined tavern window.
They stood there for a moment in silence. Molly didn't have anything else to say, so she didn't say anymore. Simcoe sensed this, and the two of them wordlessly parted ways. Neither knew that that would be the last they saw of each other for some time.
Anna ended up going to tell DeJong about what happened at the tavern. He traveled back with her to assess the damage himself. He was initially angry. But when he heard that the damage was because of the Rangers, he quickly changed his mind. No one in town quite trusted Simcoe since what happened a year ago. However, his presence still intimidated most of the townspeople.
The three of them were inside the tavern. DeJong was thinking out loud, and he had asked Anna to transcribe what he was saying. He was trying to formulate a plan for whether or not he was going to have the tavern closed ruing the reconstruction. DeJong's only interest was earning a profit.
Molly was sat at a nearby table. She really didn't have anything to do, so she began to zone out. She became lost in her thoughts. She really couldn't comprehend what she was thinking. It was like her mind was all muddled. She could honestly still go for a nap; she was still tired.
"Mr. DeJong, I'd like to resign."
It took a few seconds for her to process what she had just said. She said it on impulse, but she wasn't sorry for saying it.
DeJong and Anna both became silent as they looked over at her.
"Sorry?" he asked.
Molly repeated what she had just said. "I'd like to resign… I don't want to work here anymore."
After much discussion with both DeJong and Anna, both finally accepted her wishes. DeJong said he would give her the last of her pay and he would supply her with references within the next few days.
It was nearly evening, and Molly and Anna were walking to Whitehall. They hadn't spoken to each other since leaving the tavern. Anna wanted to take a carriage, but Molly refused. She was content to carry her single bag of belongings.
"Are you alright?"
Molly rolled her eyes, "No."
They walked for a few more moments.
"Why did you resign?"
Molly was surprised Anna was just asking her this now.
"It's like I explained to Mr. DeJong, I don't feel like being a tavern wench anymore."
"We're not wenches!" Anna exclaimed.
Molly disagreed, but she said nothing.
A wench simply referred to a young woman, but if a single woman worked in a tavern, there was always the stigma that she could be a prostitute. Although that wasn't the case with Molly and Anna, Molly did feel dirty in a way. For the last year, she felt as if she'd been prostituting herself by befriending and appeasing men such as Captain Simcoe to get information.
"I don't know why you're so shook up what happened last night."
"Annie, you killed a man as well."
"Yes, a man who intended to rape me!"
Molly remembered the way Tanner had roughly grabbed Anna and forced her to kiss him.
"You still killed him though. Do you feel no regret at all?" Molly inquired.
"I don't." Anna admitted. "He's our enemy, Moll, they all are."
Molly thought about that for a moment. There was some truth to that, but she didn't agree that it was as simple as that either.
"And what? You feel sorry for killing MacInnis? Molly, the man tried to kill us?"
"I know you were never acquainted, but Alex was always kind to me. He was my friend." Her voice broke, "I liked him."
Anna shook her head in disbelief.
"What?" Molly snapped, "And do you not feel the same way for Edmund?"
Anna didn't say anything.
She continued, "If that had been him last night, you would not have hesitated to kill him?"
Anna looked at her sister-in-law briefly. Then she turned to look at the path in front of them. They didn't say another word until they reached Whitehall.
The redcoats on sentry duty didn't even look at the Strong women as they entered Whitehall. As soon as they stepped into the threshold, Molly realized they were interrupting something. Hewlett and Abe were sat in the parlor. They abruptly ended their conversation upon seeing them enter.
"Molly." Abe said in surprise.
He and Hewlett quickly got to their feet. They both noticed the bag Molly carried.
Hewlett smiled, "What happened this morning at the tavern, was that an ample excuse?"
Molly nodded briefly, "Aye."
A few seconds later, Judge Woodhull emerged from his office. He removed his spectacles from his face and eyed Molly suspiciously.
"Ms. Strong, to what do we owe this pleasure?" he asked.
"Major Hewlett's offered me a room here."
The Judge shot Hewlett a look. The truth was, Hewlett did not consult with the Judge about this decision.
"Did he now?" the Judge asked, his voice filled with annoyance.
Hewlett continued smiling, ignoring the Judge. "Yes, well, I knew it wouldn't be a problem. Anna, perhaps you can show Molly to her room?"
"Of course."
Molly and the Judge exchanged a tense look before Anna ushered her upstairs.
Mary was upstairs as well. She was ecstatic to hear the news about Molly. She showed Molly to a spare bedroom – Whitehall was a large estate, and there were still several spare rooms despite how many soldiers were staying there. Anna quickly left the two friends, and Mary helped Molly unpack the couple of items she had in her bag.
"I have been telling Major Hewlett for weeks to invite you to stay here. He never told me he actually invited you though." Mary said.
Thomas was sat on Molly's bed, playing with a toy and watching the two women.
"He did. As soon as he escaped the rebels. But I did not accept it. I needed to settle some things."
"What sort of things? If it has to do with traveling to and from the tavern, the Major's men will be gladly drive you into town."
Molly sat down on the bed beside Thomas.
"I no longer work there." She shrugged.
Mary's eyebrows knitted together in confusion
"Mr. DeJong fired you?" She stepped closer to the bed, "He can't do that!"
"I quit."
"You what?"
Molly sighed. She was tired of being expected to explain herself.
"Will you not respect my decision?" she asked.
"Molly, it's not that, it's just-"
"Don't you think I'm tired of working in the same place and seeing the same men who were involved in Selah's arrest."
Mary looked down at her feet.
"You don't know what it's like." Molly added. "You don't know how they look at me."
And that was true.
Molly and Selah had few friends left after the war started. Most of their acquaintances in town were Patriots. Since the trial last year, Molly was certain that she and Anna and Abe were among the last Patriots left in town. Between her neighbors' memories of Molly's childhood and their memories of her former friendships, Molly had next to no one truly loyal to her.
She knew that her friendship with Mary only existed because Mary was an outsider to Setauket. She had only known Molly for the past two or three years. There was nothing for her to remember about Molly's past.
"Well then." Mary said, sitting beside her friend on the bed, "Know that Abraham and I will never look at you that way."
Molly spent the next few days settling into Whitehall. It was strange to be sitting a dining table for meals, and to have so much free time. It was also the first time, in a long time, that Molly had a room to herself. She had almost forgotten how much she missed having a bed all to herself.
Anna was still working at the tavern, so she was gone for most of the days. Abe was gone to the remains of his farmhouse; he was already talking about rebuilding. Hewlett and most of his men were at the church all day. Molly looked forward to being in Mary and Thomas' company for most days. But that was not the case every day.
Molly collected her messy embroidery and went downstairs to sit with Mary and Thomas. But she soon discovered that they were not home. She walked about, checking the other rooms. Finally, she found herself in Judge Woodhull's office. The Judge was sat at his desk, working on something.
"Have you seen Mary?"
The Judge didn't look up from his papers.
"She's stepped out for a minute… Take a seat."
Molly shrugged and sat in one of the armchairs near the desk.
"I do not approve of you staying here."
She rolled her eyes. That was no surprise to her.
"I am curious though, are you involved in the business with Abraham and Anna?"
Molly froze. What? She was unsure if she had heard him correctly.
"I-I don't understand."
The Judge chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He was looked over at her now.
"I suppose it only makes sense. You're the one who involved them in all this business, no doubt. When I heard of Selah's arrest, I wondered if something like this might happen."
Molly stared at him. He knew. He knew about Abe and Anna's involvement with the rebels. But how? She asked herself.
"How long have you known?" she asked quietly.
She was suddenly feeling Déjà vu. Wasn't she involved in this same conversation when she revealed her knowledge to her friends in the tavern cellar?
"Long enough." The Judge sighed.
"And what you think I am involved? Perhaps I'm like you?"
"You are a lot of things, but you are nothing like me."
Molly looked out the window for a moment. There was a reason he was telling her this now.
"Why are you so keen on telling me this? It's not like you're going to tell the Major anything." She noticed him clench his fist. "You shouldn't bluff, Mr. Woodhull. I'm well aware of what you're willing to do to protect your son… May I go?"
They glared at each other for a long time. The Judge said nothing else to her, so Molly finally took that as a sign. She rose and departed the office. No matter how much she didn't like it, she had decided to trust him.
That evening when Molly returned to her room, she found a note tucked under her pillow.
Tomorrow morning. Root cellar.
She knew it was from Abe.
So, the next morning, she made her excuses and said she was going for a walk. When she arrived at the root cellar, Anna and Abe were already there.
"How long has your father known?" Molly immediately asked.
Her friends avoided making eye contact with her for a moment.
"Annie, you knew about this?"
"Yes." Anna admitted.
"Did my father say something to you?" Abe asked.
Molly shrugged, "Aye. Oh, but we have nothing to fear," she sounded more sarcastic now, "Your father is only bluffing. It isn't like he'd had a vendetta against me and Annie or anything. Isn't that right, Annie?"
"Molly-"
"Shut up, Abraham. It doesn't matter. I don't know how long he's known or suspected, but he hasn't sold us out yet… Now why have you called us all down here?"
Abe eyed her for a second. They hadn't talked properly since Molly moved into Whitehall.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
Molly rolled her eyes.
"I wish everyone would stop asking me that."
Abe rubbed his eyes and waved her off.
"Alright, alright." He began to explain, "We have problems bigger than my father. Hewlett had asked me to compile a history of my spying in York City. He still believes I made contact with the Sons of Liberty, and he wants to send a report of their activities to Major John Andre, the head of intelligence for the King. But as well all know, I never did any of those things. Everything I have told Hewlett had been lies, and if he sends that report, I'll be found out. We'll be found out."
"So, what do we do?" Molly asked.
"We silence Hewlett."
They stood there for a moment to digest that information.
"I don't understand." Anna spoke up.
"Which part?"
"Silence Hewlett. Do you mean... you mean kill Hewlett?"
Abe slowly began pacing.
"I know, it seems impossible, all right, but it's not." He said.
Anna scoffed.
"Have you lost your damn mind?" Molly was shaking her head in disbelief.
Abe continued, "Anna, all right, he still fancies you. So, you take him out tonight, you take him down by the water, I can get the drop on him."
"No."
"No, no, no, it'll work. It's going to work. We just make it look like Simcoe ordered it just like we did those other two Rangers.
"No, Abe." Anna said firmly. "No, I won't do this. I won't take part in this."
"All right, why, why?"
"Because it's murder and it's done in cold blood."
Abe laughed aloud.
"If I recall, you and Molly had no problem with murder last week."
Molly punched him in the arm before grabbing him roughly.
"You shut your mouth."
He shoved her away. "What?" he asked. "So, then you... you're not hearing me, all right? Hewlett plans to pass on my name to Andre." Abe turned to Anna, "You remember him from New York?
Molly knitted her eyebrows in confusion. What? When did that happen?
Abe continued, "Listen, when he hears the name Woodhull again, when he hears Setauket, where he already sent Robert Rogers to look into the ambush that we planned…"
"Ambush?" Molly blurted. "What are you talking about?"
Anna groaned loudly.
"I told you we should've told her!" Anna said.
"Tell me what?" Molly demanded.
"Do you remember when Simcoe went to Connecticut and he was missing in action?"
"Hmm, faintly."
That was over a year ago, Molly's memory was a little hazy.
"That was us." Anna explained. "Abe had just been recruited by Caleb. That was the first information we passed along."
Abe chuckled darkly, "Yes, and that's where all of our troubles started. Simcoe was supposed to die in that ambush."
"What do you mean?" Molly asked.
"Benjamin led that ambush." Abe said. "He promised to kill Simcoe, but he waited to question him. It's his fault Simcoe escaped."
Molly was taken aback. Everything made so much sense now. That was why Simcoe had inquired about the Tallmadges and Brewsters when he returned to Setauket. That was why he had singled out Molly. It was not chance. Ben made a mistake, and he never told her about it. No one had.
Abe and Anna continued the conversation regarding Hewlett.
"There has to be another way." Anna insisted. "Edmund is... he's not..."
"Wait, Edmund?"
"Major Hewlett."
"Yes, Major Hewlett of His Majesty's Royal Army. Have you forgotten who our enemy is? Have you forgotten we're at war?"
"You've changed. Ever since you got out of prison, you're different."
"Yeah, prison will do that to you. Are you going to help me get this done... or not?
Anna didn't say anything.
"All right. You'd better run along before he gets suspicious."
Anna huffed in frustration and stormed out of the root cellar.
"You're going to get us all killed." Molly glared at Abe one last time.
Then she turned and followed her sister-in-law outside.
"Anna."
Anna was pacing, running a hand through her hair.
"Annie, obviously we aren't going to let him kill Edmund."
"Then what are we going to do?"
"I don't know." Molly admitted.
She honestly couldn't think of a way to get around this without involving Hewlett himself. But that was out of the question. Anna suddenly stopped pacing and began to walk in the direction of Whitehall.
"Where are we going?" Molly asked, following her.
"I have an idea."
Molly sat on her bed tapping her foot anxiously. She was waiting for Anna to return. Anna had a plan, and although Molly wasn't entirely convinced it would work, it was their only option.
The door handle turned, and Molly jumped to her feet and turned to see Anna and Mary entering the bedroom. Mary eyed her friend for a second.
"Anna said you weren't feeling well." Anna kept herself pressed against the door, blocking it in case Mary tried to bolt. Mary noticed this. "What's this all about?"
"We need your help." Molly said.
"Help with what?"
"It's Abraham." Anna continued. "He intends to kill Major Hewlett."
Mary immediately turned her attention towards Molly. Molly felt herself blush; she was embarrassed. Mary never knew about her involvement, and now Molly knew she'd been caught lying to her own real friend in Setauket.
"You've been helping them?" Mary asked.
Molly looked down at her feet for a moment, then she nodded.
"Aye."
"You said I could trust you."
"And you can! I have never done anything to endanger you or Abraham."
Mary scoffed, "Of course. All you did was involve Abraham with the rebels. No danger there."
Molly tugged at her hair in frustration. Mary said the same thing Judge Woodhull had.
"Why does everyone assume I am responsible for all this?" she demanded, still trying to keep her voice down. "I did not involve Abe! He went out and he did all this himself, and then he dragged me into it."
Mary rolled her eyes.
"Mary, don't look at me like that! You're no more innocent than the rest of us. I know it was your idea to burn down the farmhouse." Molly snapped.
Mary looked surprised. She didn't know Abe had told them all this.
"Please, Mary," Anna said, "we need your help?"
"What is it you want me to do?" she asked.
They began to plot.
That evening, Abe reluctantly sat with Hewlett in the parlor and they compiled his false reports for Major Andre. Mary had gone downstairs to get Abe. He had no idea that Molly and Anna were waiting upstairs in his bedroom, waiting to verbally ambush him.
After a few minutes, Mary returned with Abe following at her heels. He glared at Anna and Molly when he noticed their presence.
"Anna came to me and told me what you intend on doing." Mary said as she closed the door behind them.
"She already knows we're involved with the ring." Anna added.
Molly shot her sister-in-law a look. She didn't know that. She was suddenly impressed with her friend. Mary had obviously figured out that Anna was involved some time ago. Molly suddenly felt guilty. It was just like what happened with her when she first learned about the ring.
Mary continued, "We can't let you do this, Abe."
Abe scoffed, "No?"
"You do not have to kill Hewlett."
"Oh, I don't? I don't have to?"
Abe and Mary were toe-to-toe.
"No." Mary replied.
"No. All right, then why don't you tell me what I have to do?" His tone was filled with sarcasm.
"You only have to kill his courier."
Molly, Anna, and Abe all twisted their faces in confusion.
"What?" Abe and Molly said together.
Molly had no idea what was happening. This hadn't been the plan they discussed.
"Think about it." Mary said. "Hewlett will likely send one courier as he can't afford to spare a whole detachment."
"Eastin, yeah." Abe replied, saying the likely courier's name.
Molly and Anna exchanged a series of glances, but they were being ignored by the Woodhulls, who were busy now plotting amongst themselves.
"You get ahead of him on the road," Mary said, "you ambush him, make it look like Simcoe did it, revenge for the men that he lost.
"What are you talking about?" Molly blurted, "We can't just go around killing people!"
"Mary, I came to you for help." Anna tried to cut in. Her voice was strained, and Molly could tell she was close to tears.
"You did the right thing." Mary addressed her calmly.
Abe was thinking over the plan. "Wait, what about Andre? Hewlett will just send another courier."
"Please don't do this." Anna was crying now.
"Why not?" Abe hissed. "Eastin's a rat. He's the one that tried to kill my father under Simcoe's orders. There is no one more deserving than Eastin… What changed for you? What happened to 'Raid the armory, storm the church, shoot Hewlett'? Did you find some hidden love for the king? Or is it just for Hewlett?"
Anna silently stormed out of the room.
Mary was still lost in thought. Molly wanted to say she was surprised by all this, but she wasn't. She had not forgotten what Abe had told her a long ago.
It was Mary's idea to burn the farmhouse.
"You forge a response." Mary finally said.
Abe turned back to his wife, "What?"
"The story will be that Eastin was ambushed returning from New York. You forge a letter from Andre thanking him for his efforts, but making it very clear that he's not interested in pursuing the matter any further. Hewlett won't dare to challenge him."
"No." he shook his head. "Listen to me. Hewlett will be expecting a message that is encrypted."
"What do you mean?"
Molly stepped forward and gave her two friends a shove.
"Have you two lost your minds?" she turned to Mary, "You can't be serious."
Mary waved her off.
"Mary!" No response. "Mary!"
They were ignoring her now.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked Mary, "Huh? Why did you change sides?"
"I haven't changed sides, Abe. I don't believe in your cause, I believe in you. And I'm done trying to change you. Though I do think I can help you be a little less sloppy."
Molly continued listened in disbelief.
Mary kept talking, "Now, your father keeps a pistol in the house. I know where it is. It's going to be all right, I promise."
Finally, Molly pushed past her friends. She had her hand on the doorknob.
"You're going to get us all killed!"
Author's Note: Why do I have that random Anna POV thrown into the middle of this? Because Molly is an unreliable narrator. Sure, we know the whole story bc we've watched the show and we know how everything's connected. But that's not true for the individual characters. Keep that in mind for upcoming chapters.