The next afternoon Carolyn was nervously climbing the steps to the manor house. Mentally she berated herself for that kiss. Taking deep breath she knocked on the door and was met quickly by Connor but he gave no indication that anything had changed. "This way." He led her around back where a fallen tree created a natural ramp. "The trick is to move with the branch and not look down. Try to keep your knees limber but your back fairly straight." Carefully she practiced climbing on the log and walking back and forth and then under his instruction how to sit down on the branch and get back up without losing her balance. "I think you're ready for a test." He said at last. "Follow me". The going was slow but they eventually made their way around the house to the balcony.
Here Connor had her sit as if she were going to draw. "You'll need be comfortable doing this to the point that you do not need to pay attention. You cannot draw and clutch the branch like that. " Carolyn turned a little pale from where she sat straddling the branch. "The ones on the ground don't move as much". Connor laughed. "Ships and horses are the same way. You must move with them." Carolyn pondered the branch in her hands thoughtfully. She carefully sat up right and swung her leg back over the side hooking her calf on the branch and resting her hands on her propped knee. "What are you doing?" Connor asked nervously, noting the distance above the ground they now were. Carolyn closed her eyes and adjusted her seat but he had to admit she did not falter and she looked more comfortable.
"You're right, it is a lot like riding a horse. I've drawn from horseback plenty of times." Sensing Connor's confusion she opened her eyes. " I've always ridden side saddle." She reached for her bag and pulled out her pad, practicing resting it on her knee and drew a few sketches glancing at Connor shyly where he crouched on the railing. Putting it away she swung her leg back over the branch firmly and climbed carefully to her feet. She regarded Connor, squatting on the edge of the balcony railing. "Are we going back around?" Connor shrugged. "You seem pretty comfortable. If you were trying to hunt you would need to build speed but this should suffice for your purposes. You can take the stairs down if you prefer." A wave of relief crossed her face and she walked carefully to the edge of the branch. Connor offered her a hand down from the railing and opened the door to the house.
"You know" she said entering in after him, her hand still in his. "I quite sure this is the first time I've ever entered a house from the second floor." "You get used to it", he laughed.
He walked her back to Ellen's as the sun began to set. To his surprise the house was brightly lit and he could hear a myriad of voices coming from the open window. She brightened and he looked at her curiously. "It's discussion night. I wasn't sure Ellen would be back in time but it appears she made it." She hurried up the steps turning when Connor stopped at the bottom. "You can come in if you like. We'd love to have you." He hesitated briefly but followed her inside. Heads came up as they entered. "Ah we wondered when you would get here! I've a new stack of papers from Boston for you!" Ellen smiled at her and turned to Connor. "Would you like to have a seat?" Carolyn took what was apparently her custom place on one end of the couch and flipped through the papers curiously. Chairs were scattered around the room and people conversed jovially. Dr. White sat in one chair near the couch reading a paper and Norris and Myriam curled up in a loveseat while he read her a poem in French and then translated it. Ellen rose from the other end of the couch and gestured for Connor to sit next to Carolyn. He leaned over and scanned the papers. There were a few newspapers but the majority were publications on a specific subject such as medicine or science. She picked up a newspaper briefly and ignoring the front page coverage of the war flipped back and scanned the articles.
She looked up at Dr. White. "Is there anything new in the medical papers?" He smiled. "In times of war there's always something new in the medicine. They think they can slow smallpox." Carolyn gasped. "You're kidding. How?" She leaned forward eagerly. "Well they think they can slow the deaths. Instead they're trying to intentionally give soldiers mild cases. Once you've had even a mild case you will not get it again after all. Apparently they've been doing this for the troops for a while now. " She nodded. "It explains why it hits so hard in people who have never been exposed to it. The deaths of the native populations were massive." She looked at Connor suddenly. "Have you ever had pox?" She asked. He shook his head. "I've not been sick." "With small pox?" He thought briefly. "With anything that I know of." She blinked in amazement. "Wow. That must be nice. I'm always catching someone's cold." She turned back to Dr. White. "It's a good thought. Still I don't think I want even a mild case of it."
Connor leaned over and selected one of the newspapers. For once he looked past the articles covering military maneuvers and turned to the later pages. They were full of random things; advertisements, cleaning tips, political discussions, stories on local events. His mind boggled. Lance looked up from where he was sitting with a paper. "Carolyn, can you make sense of this? I'm having a hard time picturing it." He handed her a sheet of paper. Connor looked over her shoulder and read the description of some sort of woodworking device. Carolyn looked at it thoughtfully and pulled out her notepad. Flushing briefly she quickly turned the page from a drawing of Connor squatting on the railing to a new blank page. She pulled out a piece of charcoal and worked briefly studying the paper. Finally she tore the drawing out and handed it and the paper back to Lance. "I think they mean this. Does that work?" He smiled at the paper. "Yes, that makes sense."
She put the pad away and sat back on the couch, looking over at the pages Connor held in his hands. "Anything interesting?" He looked up. "I suppose so. People are so different. And they print things that are contradictory." She smiled at that. "People are people. A lot of what people consider the truth is based on what they already think." He frowned. "It shouldn't be that way." She sighed at that. "Maybe not, but it is. That's one of the nice things about math and science. You can test to see if it holds." She settled back in the couch next to him and turned her attention back to her own paper.
The tavern was a bright and cheerful as always but Connor's attention was drawn to the little changes. A chalk board on the wall had the menu for the day written in the neat if blocky hand of Corrine and he saw Oliver standing in the corner reading a letter to a young sailor.
He headed over to the table where Dave, Lance and Dr. White sat bent over a sheet of printed paper. They motioned him over. "Connor, you have a Leyden jar, don't you?" He nodded, taking the empty chair. Dave showed him the paper. "It's a list of proposed medical uses for electricity. Brand new, very exciting. Of course Dr. White has the medical expertise but I would need to make the tools." They had a sheet of paper between them with tools sketched out suddenly reminding him of Carolyn.
"I've been meaning to talk to you three actually. I was thinking we should try to get Carolyn to stay." White patted him on the back "Trying to win her over to the patriot side, eh?" He shook his head. "No actually. The reason she needs to leave is to get to a guardian. The reason she needs a guardian appears to be because she has an unwelcome suitor back in Boston. I was thinking if she were married then she would have no need of a guardian." Dave raised a glass to him. "Congratulations, Connor!" Confused Connor continued "I know you have each expressed an interest in getting married. I was thinking one of you would make a good match. Her father was a doctor" He nodded to Dr. White. "And she's very interested in new machines and science." He gestured to the drawings David had made.
The men looked at each other and back to Connor. "Is there something wrong with her? She seems very nice." Dr. White offered at last "I don't think she has any interest in any of us." David looked in his drink "To be honest we were all thinking that you had your eye on her." Connor flushed at this. "Why?" "Well you're always wandering off together." "I'm teaching her of the woods! She's very interested in nature." Dr. White laughed. "Have you seen that sketch book she's always carrying? I'll wager a good 1/3 of the recent pictures are drawings of you. She's clearly fascinated with you." Lance sighed at that. "You're a good match anyway. Honestly when you brought up marriage we thought you were making an announcement. Why do you not marry her if you want her to stay? " Connor shook his head sadly "I do not have the time to be a good husband now. She deserves someone who can be there." "Ahh " said Dr. White "But is that what she wants? Women are stubborn creatures." Dave smiled at that "And look on the bright side. For now anyway she's stuck! To the Patriots!" He raised his class and the four of them drank.
Connor stood and watched Norris pull out another load of rocks. "How are you and Myriam these days?" Norris laughed. "Tres bien. Thank you. I am teaching her some French. I hope to take her to visit my family soon. They are eager to meet her." Connor looked thoughtful. "Do you understand her better now?" Norris nodded. "A little. Women are not all the same, Connor. Myriam is Myriam. She's not Prudence or Corrine… or Carolyn." Connor flushed but did not say anything. "You must take them as on their own terms. But if you're looking for advice…" he continued curiously and Connor nodded cautiously. "Carolyn not one for a knife, or a hat or something like that. The thing she loves most is knowledge." Connor looked thoughtful on that. "So like a book?" Norris laughed. "She has books. Show her something new. A gift does not have to be an item. It can be an experience." Connor sighed. "I will think on that. You won't tell anybody about this, will you?" Norris smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. "It's not much of a secret I'm afraid but I'll keep it. You deserve to work this out on your own time." He thought on the blockade. "Time may be the one thing I don't have."