"Bugger! Emilia exclaimed. "Okay, Patrick you keep them busy long enough for us to get out." Patrick nodded and rushed back out of the room. Emilia turned to Connor as she pulled on her woolly coat. "We're going to have to run."
"Lead the way." Connor said.
Emilia rushed over to the nearest window and pushed it open. She stepped onto the tiles on the lower roof and shimmied along the edge. Connor followed closely beside her. Cold air nipped at their exposed flesh as the two adolescents reached the end of the roof where the building went up another floor. Emilia held up a finger to stop them. They could hear muffled shouting coming from the tavern. Connor looked at Emilia worriedly. She replied with a not to confident reassuring look. She pointed down; they silently climbed down the wooden framing and onto the snow. They pressed their backs against the cold brick wall as the English guards entered the house behind the tavern.
'Follow me and stay quiet.' She mouthed. They waited a few seconds before leaving.
"Quick! Alert the others that she's escaped!" An Englishman demanded from the room they where once in.
They crouched keeping quiet and low and sulked through the back alley with their ears alert for the sounds of marching boots. The snow crunched underfoot as they swiftly crossed a busy crowd in the street into the opposite alley. Connor thumped his back against a wooden fence when Emilia did the same. A lone guard marched towards them.
'I have this one' she mouthed soundlessly. She whistled to attract the guard's attention before grappling with him and punching him in the back of his head, knocking him out. She hid him in the hay and they ran.
They sprinted across another alley before jumping into a nearby hay stack as a group of redcoats marched in front of their path.
"Why are they after you?" Connor asked with a little snap in his voice.
Emilia glanced at Connor through the hay then back at the outside. "The man we've got to kill his name is Jeremiah Blackwell. We had tracked him to Spain and Halon almost killed him but he got away. I was with Halon standing behind him because I was guarding the door. He saw my face and has no doubt told the British all about me."
"That's the reason why you adopted the name Mary Baker." Connor uttered. The adolescent nodded. "Is that also the reason why you have that scar?"
Emilia shook her head and rubbed her nose, "No. Don't mind about that." Connor nodded in understanding. The sound of marching boots faded. They had finished searching the area. "Quick let's go."
They jumped out of the bale and sprinted through the alley. "Hey, you! Stop!" An Englishman shouted behind them.
Connor glanced around to see a throng of redcoats charging at them with their rifles and swords ready. But Connor had his tomahawk out ready to fight them. Emilia grabbed his forearm firmly. "There's no point fighting. Come on!" She pulled him from his fighting stance and dragged him into a nearby house.
They leaped over the tables and chairs and ran into the street. Connor looked left, redcoats, he looked right, more redcoats. "Um..." Emilia thought. She grabbed Connor's arm again, he looked irritated at her. She noticed this and speedily let go. "This way!" They slid under a hole in the fence and ducked into another building.
The woman in her house stared at them with wide, fearful eyes. Connor's heart raced. Emilia put a finger to her lips, "Please don't scream." The woman nodded. "The market's out that door?" The startled woman nodded again. Emilia quickly handed the woman a piece of paper. "Hand this to the first orphan you see, please." The woman nodded once more before heading to the market.
"How do you know she won't tell the guards where we are?" Connor asked. "What did you just give her?"
"I don't, is the answer to your first question." Emilia replied with her back against the wall. "Most of the orphans around Boston are my eyes and ears. If I need someone finding, or in this case lose someone, they take care of it without me having to show my face.
"Resourceful idea."
"Yep, and for their continued support I give them a few shillings when they do something good. I also bribe-" The woman returned looking much less shocked than before. "Did you do it?" Emilia asked quickly.
"Yes." The woman squeaked.
"Thank you." She told the woman. She nudged Connor, "Come on."
Emilia slowly opened the front door and peered out into the market place. Connor peeked over her shoulder and watched groups of orphans run at redcoats begging them for money. Standing by a tree not far from the house a young boy nodded in their direction.
"Let's move, Ratonhnhaké:ton." Emilia whispered.
Connor stayed close to Emilia as they walked into the street staying close to a crowd and keeping an eye out on the redcoats. Emilia wrapped her coat tighter around her and kept her head down.
"How the hell are you not cold?"
Connor glanced at her. "I am cold but I can tolerate it."
"I grew up in London, I should be able to tolerate the weather but I sure don't."
A young boy bumped into Emilia and they muttered something to each other. Connor could just about hear the last word the boy whispered "...clear..." then he walked away like nothing happened. Emilia nudged Connor and they sprinted the rest of the way to her loggings without so much as a head turned in their direction.