Chapter Six | Austin Roe
Thanksgiving ends up being less than satisfactory, but it does make Margot realize what she is most thankful for, which is after all the entire purpose of the holiday. Unfortunately, this realization comes somewhat too late.
"Miss Risdon, how nice to see you again!" Samuel Townsend greets when she arrives at his doorstep that evening. Her journey from Setauket had only taken a few hours; Oyster Bay is not very far from her own home on the edge of Setauket, and as she hadn't wished to travel through the darkness, she arrives just as the sun is beginning to go down.
Samuel Townsend is certainly a jovial fellow. She dismounts from her horse and sends him a pleasant smile, calling, "Mr. Townsend! How are you? It's been some time since last we saw each other."
She leaves the horse by the post for now, though she'll want to go back to ensure the animal's comfort soon. She isn't sure how long she'll be staying.
Robert's father bustles down the front steps and reaches for her hand, clasping it in his. "I am very well, Margot, thank you. Come inside, I'll get you a drink. Sherry, perhaps?"
As he gestures for the door, she smiles, "Ah, perhaps just water for now. Is Robert here yet?"
The question makes Samuel chuckle fondly. "No, and I don't expect him to arrive for some hours still. My son is a notoriously hard worker, but I'm sure you're well aware of that by now. You have been meeting with him for some time now, after all."
There is something in his voice that has her pausing; some indulgent merriment that makes her feel as though she is missing something. She casts a glance at Samuel as he holds the door open for her, but he merely grins at her and nods for her to step inside. Margot sends him a confused smile in return and does.
"I know our…arrangement was only supposed to be for a short time while you recover," she hedges, wondering if perhaps the elder Townsend is riled by his being left out of the ring. As she stands in the front hall and hands him her cloak, she muses, "I suppose you'll want to begin making the trips to York City once again."
As she says this, she feels a quiet disappointment at the notion. She's very much enjoyed traveling to the city. It's given her a purpose to work toward, and furthermore, she's grown rather fond of the man she travels to see. Robert had, initially, been something of a mystery to her, but she has since realized that he is a good man with a kind heart; irritable at times, perhaps, and difficult to read when he wishes, but in possessing of a remarkable ability to stir her heart to warmth.
Samuel takes her cloak, sending her a sideways glance, and responds, "I do miss having the excuse to see my son, but I must admit that the frequent trips to the city were beginning to tire me. And besides," he adds with a secretive smile, "I believe Robert has grown accustomed to you. It does take him some time to warm up to people. No, no, I believe it would only upset the balance if I resume the courier duties. And in any case, if you stop visiting him, that Rivington fellow will doubtlessly assume that Robert wasn't a good enough catch, which we both know isn't true."
Margot, who had been in the middle of admiring the fine interior of the Townsend home, promptly flushes.
"…Ah, yes, I suppose you're…right," she responds, outwardly referring to Samuel's words regarding upsetting the balance, but inwardly agreeing to the latter point. Robert is quite a good catch in her humble opinion, and judging from the growing smile on Samuel's face, he seems to know this.
"Let me fetch you that water," he cheerfully tells her, eyes twinkling. "Please, make yourself at home, my dear."
As he walks down the hall and disappears into what is most likely the kitchen, Margot takes him up on his offer. She resumes her perusal of the place, stepping slowly toward a wide archway that leads into a sitting room. Across from it is a fine dining room, whose table has already been set in anticipation for Thanksgiving dinner. She stares at it for a moment, smiling at the thought of Robert sitting there, and in only a short time, too, before stepping into the sitting room and taking a seat on one of the upholstered chairs.
She has never been inside the home of a Quaker before, and she is surprised that it isn't as plain as she might have imagined. Her brief meetings with Samuel in the past had been orchestrated outside and she had politely declined any invitation to enter the home. But now, as she sits and studies the handsome room, she finds it quite appealing. Unadorned navy-blue paper decorates the walls, which are mostly barren but for a few small paintings. The fireplace is a large enough to warm the entire room, the flames flickering and crackling in the grate. Above the mantle is a set of silver candlesticks which are unlit for now, but she imagines that once evening falls, the entire room will glow very pleasantly indeed. She sits back and admires the space with a small smile, trying to imagine a younger version of Robert existing here in these rooms, running about in the fields outside, sitting before this very fire…
The thought makes her chuckle to herself. She absolutely can't imagine Robert as a child. The only thing that comes to mind is that he surely was a very reserved one, if the present version of his character is to bear any hints.
"Something amusing, Margot?" Samuel wonders as he enters the room. He is carrying a tray with what looks like tea, which he sets down on the low table before her and says, "I thought perhaps you might like to try some Redroot tea. My own special blend. Not quite as good as proper English tea, but then again, we'd have to go all the way to Boston harbor for that!" He chuckles.
Margot smiles, "I'd love some, thank you."
As he pours her a cup, he glances up at her and muses, "You know, Robert has become rather fond of you, my dear. Forgive me for meddling; I'm only pleased that something good has come from all this spy business." As he watches her reaction, he shrugs, "In his letters, he calls you an 'infuriating creature', which is very complimentary of him, you know."
She can't quite stop herself from laughing at this, even as she flushes at the thought of him writing about her at all. In an amused voice, she murmurs, "Yes, I believe I know precisely what you mean when you call it complimentary of him."
Samuel chuckles and pours himself a cup of tea as well. "That he would even bother including you in his letters at all is telling enough, Margot. I hope I don't cause offense by asking…whether you have also grown fond of him?"
The question is rather forward, and suddenly she understands what Robert had meant when he had said: 'He enjoys meddling in my life whenever possible. If that is what you might consider 'jovial', then yes, I suppose he is.'
She takes a sip of her tea and doesn't outright respond to Samuel's hopeful question, though she does smile at him in such a way as to make him grin back, seeing the answer clearly enough in her eyes.
"Well enough about that," Samuel says, still smiling in a satisfied way. "Shall I regale you with the menu I've planned for the evening's meal?"
And Margot, smiling, nods.
Margot is on her second sherry by the time Abraham arrives. Her and Samuel are having a cheerful evening as they await the remainder of the guests. According to the elder Townsend, he is hoping that Abraham and his wife and child will come, but he hasn't received a full promise of their arrival. Besides the Woodhulls, they are only waiting on Robert, who Samuel believes will surely be on his way by now, for evening has begun to fall upon Oyster Bay. There will be no other guests, the reasons for which being that all of Samuel's close friends are Quakers, and "Quakers don't usually keep to the traditional holidays, my dear – such celebrations are considered too extravagant for our humble palates!"
In any case, when they hear the sound of a horse approaching the farm, the both of them stand up to see who has arrived, eagerly walking to the front door to welcome their guest. Margot is hoping that it is Robert, of course, which is why she's slightly disappointed to see Abraham instead. Not that she doesn't appreciate Abe's friendship, but she's seen quite a lot of the latter and not quite enough of the former. She sometimes finds herself wishing that Robert lived in Oyster Bay with his father instead of residing in the city, for the distance between them would be much shorter, but then again he wouldn't do much good around here where it concerns the Culper ring. His position in York City is precisely what makes him so important to the cause, and she doubts she would have even met him at all if he had never tried his hand at entrepreneurship. Regardless, though she often sees Abraham around Setauket, having grown up there herself, she is glad enough to see him and lingers in the front hall as Samuel steps out to greet him.
"Abraham, oh how wonderful!" Samuel exclaims, reaching out to grasp Abe's shoulders. "You've decided to accept my invitation after all," he grins, though as Abe shoulders his way into the house, his smile grows a touch confused. "Ah – did you bring the family?"
Abe doesn't answer at first, because he's somewhat surprised at the sight of Margot just within the house, and stops to give her a quizzical look. The expression makes her pause. There is something in his eyes that tells her he hasn't come to Oyster Bay to enjoy dinner. She knows that expression well enough to immediately be put on guard.
Still staring at her, Abe responds, "No…it's just me, I'm afraid." He purses his mouth and steps closer to her, casting a glance around the home as if he suspects someone to jump out at him at any moment. It is quite irregular.
"What are you doing here?" he hisses as he passes her to peer into the dining room. Whoever, or whatever, he's looking for is apparently nowhere to be found, for he turns back to her expectantly a moment later.
Samuel, still confused, goes to close the door. As for Margot, she sends Abe a bewildered look and whispers, "I was invited. Why else would I be here?"
The response makes Abe narrow his eyes at her. "Invited? By who?"
She'd like to berate him for being rude, but there's something about his appearance that is too hazardous and anxious, so she just frowns, "Well – by Robert."
Abe's eyebrows rise into his hairline at this. She supposes she can't be too surprised at his reaction. She rarely talks to him around Setauket unless they are meeting by the dead drop, and the last few months have been too dangerous to do so. This is one of the few moments in which they've actually spoken face-to-face for some time.
"Robert? You two seem to be growing close," he hisses suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her.
Margot narrows her eyes right back. This time, she does intend on berating him for his rudeness, but before she can, Abe turns to Samuel and abruptly tells him, "You're gonna have to leave."
Samuel and Margot both fall silent and stare at him.
"…Leave?" the elder Townsend repeats, looking even more confused than before.
Abe paces to the other side of the dining room to glance out the window, and hurriedly explains, "The Queen's Rangers are moving down Long Island again and they're raiding homes along the way. We're gonna have to go." When no one moves, he adds, "Right now," in a firm voice, and walks past them to the stairs.
Samuel looks at Margot, but she has no idea what's going on. Her expression must be telling. He huffs in exasperation and follows Abe, who is bounding up the stairs and opening doors in search of Samuel's bedroom. Margot, after a brief deliberation, quickly follows them.
"Are we not being a little too hasty?" Samuel demands, entering the room just in time to see Abe throwing spare clothes into a leather rucksack.
Abe barely looks up as he promptly responds, "Better safe than sorry. You're gonna go stay with Robert for a while, alright?"
Margot reaches the threshold just as he's saying this, and frowns, "Robert might already be on his way here, Abe."
Her friend lifts his head to send her a stern look. She guesses that this information isn't helping his cause, whatever said cause is. Honestly, when he gets like this, he's practically unbearable.
Samuel, growing impatient now, strides to the bed to move his leather rucksack out of Abe's reach and testily suggests, "Why don't we wait here until he arrives and then we can all go together, hm?"
Abe sighs and tilts his head back, equally impatient. He's obviously hiding something, and he's being quite anxious about whatever it is. Margot knows him well enough to realize that whatever his plan is, he doesn't have much time to enact it. She just wishes he'd tell her what the point of all this is, but she supposes he doesn't want to say anything in front of Samuel, because he sends her a secretive look that is rife with impatient restlessness, and purses his mouth as if he wishes he could let her in on what's really going on. Instead, he just grabs Samuel's rucksack and strides out of the room in a hurry, and Margot sighs.
"Margot, what is going on?" Samuel demands, as he rushes after him.
She, in turn, rushes after Samuel, muttering, "I really have no idea, Mr. Townsend."
So much for their pleasant evening. Abe's arrival has put a rather abrupt end to that.
As Samuel rushes down the stairs in Abraham's wake, Margot hurries after the men, feeling quite out of place. She feels as if she is running in circles, the end of which cannot be found nor the purpose explained. In front of her Samuel attempts to stop Abe, who is hastening to the door. She reaches the bottom of the stairs just as Abe draws to a sudden stop only meters from it, halted by the sound of a loud and impatient knocking.
They all of them freeze where they stand, staring at the door. Something foul is afoot, and Margot grips the banister of the stairs tightly. Abe turns to Samuel and whispers, "…Does Robert have a key?"
She sees Samuel nod, and deflates. Their latest guest is obvious not Robert, then. He wouldn't be banging on his father's door in such a manner if he had in his possession a key to unlock it.
As the knock sounds again, even more impatiently, Abe glances over his shoulder at where Margot is standing. He clenches his jaw, then bursts into action, patting Samuel's shoulder before darting towards the table to grab a knife. Then, striding quickly to Margot, he grabs her wrist and drags her forcibly along with him, gesturing to Samuel to open the door as they duck out of sight.
"Abraham – " Margot begins.
He sends her a stern look and hisses, "Not now, Marge."
His usage of his childhood nickname hardly makes her feel any better. She wrangles her wrist out of his bruising grasp and hisses back, "What is going on?"
"Not now!" he snaps in a whisper.
Beyond the room, they hear Samuel open the front door. Her heart hammers in her chest. She suddenly wishes she had grabbed one of those dinner knives too. She falls silent as Samuel's murmured voice sounds, though it's too muffled to hear what he's saying. It seems as though he's addressing a woman, though, which naturally makes Margot even more confused – until, of course, she recognizes the lilt of that woman's voice. Abe reaches the same conclusion in the very same moment, and silently tilts his head back as if he's praying for patience.
Why is Anna Strong in the Townsend home? The answer will have to remain a secret to Margot for now. Abe, however, seems to be aware of what she is not, and with a huff he steps out of the room to confront their friend. Margot hesitates before following, edging to the doorway and remaining just behind Abe. She wishes Robert would hurry up. Perhaps his logical approach to all things might settle this confusion once and for all.
Anna falls silent upon seeing them. Samuel, assuming that she's fallen into a skittish hesitance at realizing that the house is not as empty as she'd thought, quickly says, "It's alright, it's alright. Abraham and Margot are also friends of my son…of course, I wouldn't expect you to know each other."
Anna and Abe, still staring at each other, sigh, "We do," as one, and Margot rolls her eyes.
When Samuel casts a glance at her, she dryly says, "We all know each other, Samuel. We all hail from Setauket."
This information makes Abe turn to glare at her, silently telling her not to speak. She huffs but obeys.
An awkward silence falls upon the room, and it is only slightly broken when Anna turns to Samuel and haltingly says, "Mr. Townsend, my name is Anna Strong, and I have come from General Washington's camp in Middlebrook – "
"And now you have to go," Abe interrupts, striding towards her to take her elbow.
Anna, looking quite frustrated with him, insists, "No, I'm afraid you'll have to. I've come with news – "
"Ah, well it can wait," Abe cuts in again.
"No it can't," Anna insists.
Abe looks towards the ceiling to send up another prayer for patience, then takes Anna's elbow again and looks at Samuel. "Will you give us a moment?" he asks, and drags her towards where Margot is standing in the doorway. Her confusion only deepens when Abe whispers, "How did you even get here?"
Anna huffs, "How do you think? Brewster."
At this, Margot raises her eyebrows. "Caleb? Why would Caleb know where – "
"Don't worry, he's been ordered to stay out of sight," Anna says over Margot, though she sends her an apologetic glance in the process. It doesn't exactly make Margot any less frustrated at being left out of the loop, though. Anna sighs and turns back to Abe, "Your secret is safe…but Ben knows, and it's another reason you – you're being cut out."
Margot turns to stare at Anna in surprise. So does Abe. Cut out? Of Culper? But Abe is Culper. Her mind reels. It seems that every word she hears only adds to her confusion.
"Cut out?" Abe repeats incredulously, and stops Anna when she tries to walk around him. "Cut me out? I'm General Washington's man on Long Island…this doesn't have anything to do with what's happened between us – "
Anna shakes her head and insists, "This is not about that. This is an order from Washington. The letters take too long to reach him and we've already suffered because of it. Accept it, Abe. You're out."
They stare at each other for a long, drawn out moment. Margot remains completely silent, watching the scene in much the same way that Samuel is from the center of the room. But, unlike Samuel, she understands a bit more of what they are saying. She knows all about their love affair and their adultery – but what she doesn't understand is what happens next.
Anna, sighing, steps towards Samuel and says, "Mr. Townsend, as I was saying, I have come directly from Washington's camp, and Mr. Woodhull can verify that." She glances over at Abe and then turns back to Samuel to say, "From now on, the General wishes Robert's letters to be transmitted by a more direct route." She pauses, then declares, "I will be the new courier."
Margot's eyebrows lift. Samuel, too, looks surprised. He stares at Anna skeptically and asks, "You?" When Anna nods, he scoffs out a laugh and admits, "…This is all very confusing."
Margot can't stop herself from saying, "Indeed…I would have thought that I'd be the first to know this, seeing as I've been Robert's courier all this time." She locks eyes with Anna and crosses her arms. She's missing a large piece of the puzzle here. Anna sends her an exasperated look.
"First Abraham, then Margot, then Austin Roe, and now you?" Samuel says, sounding quite mistrustful of the whole situation.
Anna and Margot are both confused now. "Who's Austin Roe?" Anna asks, and Samuel scoffs again and gestures at Abe, as if he has the answer.
Abe purses his mouth again as the two women turn to stare at him. It takes all of two seconds before arguing breaks out.
"Austin Roe?" Anna demands. "Who's Austin Roe, Abraham? Who did you send here?"
"Look, we don't have time for this," Abe insists loudly.
"Well I think we'll have to make time," Margot says with a glower. "If you've sent someone else here then not only is Samuel compromised, but so is Robert!"
Abe runs a hand through his hair and hotly says, "We have no time to discuss this, alright? The Rangers are coming. We need to leave and we need to leave now!"
Anna sarcastically replies, "Oh, the Rangers. I see."
Abe glares at her with a staunch, "Anna, you don't know what you're saying – "
But, evidently, no one has any more time to say anything at all, because at that moment a familiar man that they have all seen before appears out of the darkness behind Samuel, and the sound of a gun being cocked fills the silence. Samuel freezes and turns, swallowing fearfully as he stumbles back and raises his hands into the air. Meanwhile, Abe and Anna back away too, and Margot presses herself back against the doorway of the dining room with a gasp.
Robert Rogers chuckles at them. "Up against the wall," he sings, holding them at gunpoint. "Up, all o' you."
Abe exclaims, "Do as he says!" in a tone that doesn't seem overly surprised.
Margot shoots him a look. She no longer feels inclined to ask questions though, or indeed to speak at all, when Rogers turns his gun on her and silently gestures for her to lean back against the wall as per his instructions. She does, her heart now hammering so loudly that she fears he can hear it from where he stands.
It is at this very moment that the door slams open, and none other than Caleb Brewster strides into the house with his gun drawn on Rogers, evidently having seen him enter. The next moment is a frenzy as Rogers grabs Anna around the neck and presses his gun to her temple, just as Caleb draws his on Rogers. Margot watches in horror.
"Drop yer iron," Rogers growls, staring Caleb down.
Caleb, though, is nothing if not stubborn, and growls back, "You drops yours."
Abe loudly says, "Caleb, do it!"
His presence is apparently not expected by Caleb, either, who promptly turns his gun to Abe and swears. The resulting confusion is apparent to everyone, especially Rogers, who watches the two men go back and forth.
"What are you doing here?" Caleb demands. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
The altercation only comes to a standstill when Abe exclaims, "I know him! I know him, alright?"
Silence falls. Caleb searches Abe's eyes, bewildered, confused…
"What in God's name is going on?!" Samuel demands in annoyance, and casts a glance at Margot. She purses her lips but can't answer, because in truth, she isn't sure herself.
She can only imagine that Abe knows the full story as to why Robert Rogers has found his way here, and judging from the manner in which Abe had stormed through the house before Anna had arrived, he knew the man was coming. Queen's Rangers indeed. As for Anna and Caleb, Margot has little idea as to what they're doing here, but they clearly came together. Surely they could have waited to inform Samuel of the change in the courier? Why did they have to pick tonight, of all nights?
Samuel scoffs, "Of course you know him! That's Austin Roe!" He gestures to Rogers with an impatient flick of his wrist, and the room freezes once more.
With a rising anger, Margot turns to stare at Abe. "…Robert Rogers is Austin Roe? Are you insane Abraham – "
Abe sends a glare at her before turning to Rogers and insisting, "We are on the same side here. But if you hurt her, you die."
Rogers chuckles darkly. "Yer in no position to threaten me." He presses the pistol harder against Anna's head and growls, "I warned you not to follow me, boy."
Caleb turns to Abe and mutters, "What's he talking about, Abe?"
The sound of Caleb's voice seems to remind Samuel of his presence. He turns to stare at Caleb with a frustrated glint in his eye and demands, "And who are you?"
Nearly livid with impatience, Abe swings around to face Samuel and says, "His name is Brewster, but none of our names are gonna mean shit past tonight once the Rangers show up." He ducks his head, rubbing his forehead in frustration, and says, "We all just need to leave."
Rogers laughs and murmurs, "We're not going anywhere. I came here to see Robert Townsend, and I'm not leaving till I see Robert Townsend."
Margot stiffens upon hearing this, and turns to stare at Rogers, and then at Abe, who seems to be refusing to look at her. He's pacing the room now, ignorant of Margot's growing concern.
"What do you want with my son?" Samuel demands.
Rogers runs his thumb along the side of his pistol and murmurs, "…Same thing all these children want. Information."
At this, Abe turns to stare at Rogers and shakes his head. He approaches Anna and Rogers with a clenched jaw and, in an undertone, says, "Simcoe is coming here."
Margot snaps her head towards Abe to stare at him in shock. Again, he ignores her, but she cannot let herself be ignored any longer.
"This is ridiculous," she snaps, pushing off from the wall. "Whatever you need to say to Robert, you can – "
"Up against the wall, girl!" Rogers growls loudly, and roughly pushes Anna away to instead turn his gun to Margot. "Don't test my patience."
Margot grits her teeth and shuffles backwards in a submissive manner. The moment Rogers turns back to Anna, though, she sees an opportunity and takes it. He had left the front door open, and perhaps if she can get to her horse, she'll be able to find Robert on the road and warn him against coming here. But the moment she starts running, a gunshot tears through the silence and her arm explodes with pain.
"Margot!" Caleb shouts, catching her as she stumbles. She clutches his shoulder with a gritted gasp and he growls, "You – stupid girl – "
"Shut up Caleb," she hisses, and turns to glower at Rogers. "You shot me!" she incredulously, and rather unnecessarily, exclaims.
Rogers is already switching guns, twisting a new pistol into his hand that must already be loaded with gunpowder. "Aye, and yer lucky I wasn't aiming for your pretty little head," he says, and turns the fresh gun onto Anna, wrangling the pistol against her temple with a grisly, humorless laugh. "You try that again, girl, and your life won't be the one hangin' in the balance."
As blood begins to seep down her arm, Rogers smiles at Abe and pleasantly says, "As for Captain Simcoe…Long Island is a very big place, and we've got plenty of time."