November 17, 1779
The next day, Lillian helped Cassandra tend to some housework. Since business was slow, as most of their usual patrons had gone off to war, Mr. Mortner decided to close the tavern for the day and had the women tend to some of their chores, dusting and doing the dishes and washing the laundry. When they were finished boiling shirts and sheets, Lillian and Cassandra put on heavy capes to keep themselves warm, and went outside with two baskets to hang the laundry up on a clothesline. The weather was growing colder and the snow would start falling down soon.
As she was hanging up one of Mr. Mortner's shirts, the cawing of a raven caused Lillian to look upward and see her feathered friend flying overhead. Her eyes followed the raven and watched her land on a fencepost outside the church, where the town leader, Peter Van Garrett, was seen consorting with the town elders. The group of men consisted of Dr. Thomas Lancaster, the magistrate Samuel Philipse, and the minster of the church, Reverend Steenwyck.
While the town elders were seeking counsel with each other, the Reverend took notice of the raven's presence and shooed her away, telling her to go back to the void from whence she came.
Lillian's angered eyes remained locked on Reverend Steenwyck, suspicion filling her heart about the righteous man. He was as strict as any holy man could be, but to Lillian, he was a very strange man, even for a priest.
The dark-haired woman continued watching them, until Mrs. Van Garret came over and asked to borrow her husband, wishing to discuss something private with him. Peter Van Garret excused himself and allowed his wife to lead him away. Dr. Lancaster and Magistrate Philipse looked to Reverend Steenwyck, who notified they would continue their conversation another time. Both men walked away, and the priest went back inside the church.
Lillian went back to hanging up laundry on the clothesline and asked Cassandra, "What do you suppose the elders were talking about?"
"Who knows?" Cassandra answered, folding a sheet and hanging it up. "Then again, what woman knows anything that goes on in the world of men?"
Lillian kept her eyes on the Van Garretts, watching Peter take hold of his wife's hand and speak something in her ear that made her giggle. They shared a kiss, then Mrs. Van Garrett wrapped an arm around her husband's and took a walk with him through town. Her face was glowing with the sign of motherhood, and Lillian could already foretell that the Van Garretts would be blessed with a healthy baby boy who they would name Dirk.
"The Van Garretts are most fortunate, don't you think?" Lillian asked.
Cassandra looked at her and asked, "I beg your pardon?"
"About the new arrival they're expecting", said Lillian.
"Oh, that", said Cassandra, sounding uninterested. "Yes, I suppose so, but I don't see why I should be happy for them just because they're expecting a baby."
"Because it's wonderful news. The whole town is excited about it and-"
"Lily, the only news I'd rather discuss is news about the war. I told you before, I have no interest in children, and only wish to hear about the death of that Hessian tyrant who's been terrorizing the countryside."
"Well, I can assure you Van Garrett's son won't-" Lillian clasped a hand over her mouth, stopping herself from revealing the future, then lowered her hand and said, "I mean, his child won't be the one to kill him."
Cassandra put a hand on her hip and asked Lillian, "Is there something you would like to tell me?"
"About what? You said it yourself, you have no interest in children."
"Yes, but just now, you sounded very sure that Van Garrett's child would be a boy."
"Would you rather it be a girl?" Lillian asked, hoping to throw her off. "After all, a girl has no place in the world other than staying home and raising children. Even if she were to join the war, she would only be useful as a nurse."
Cassandra stared at Lillian, trying to figure out what she was talking about. Shaking her head, Cassandra chose to ignore it for now and bent over to pick up another sheet to fold it. "No, of course not", she said.
Lillian reached into the basket for a pair of trousers and hung them up, then mentioned to Cassandra, "You know, I had a talk with your father about having a family of my own the other day."
"That again? What did he say?" Cassandra asked.
"I told him I was uncertain if I could trust another man because of what happened to me, but he thinks I just need more time to find a suitable husband."
"Do you think you'll ever be able to trust a man ever again?"
"I don't know", Lillian answered. "I want to trust men again, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to find one that's good enough for me. What do you think?"
"That's up to you, I'm afraid", said Cassandra. "But I know what Father's really up to."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? Father's getting older and doesn't want us to waste anymore time trying to find suitors, especially me. I understand he wants grandchildren, but not every woman wishes to settle down and have a family."
"Have you told him how you feel about it?"
"I wish I could, but I'm afraid of disappointing him and breaking his heart. You won't tell him, will you?"
Lillian smiled softly and asked, "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"
Cassandra chuckled and answered, "Not yet, you haven't." Reaching into one of the baskets for a shirt, Cassandra held it up and sighed in annoyance. "Oh, dear, Father's lost a button again", she said.
"Here, I'll fix it", said Lillian, taking the shirt off Cassandra's hands. She was about to walk over to the tavern, but then stopped herself and turned back to look at her friend. "Cassandra, can I ask you something?"
"Like what?"
"Do you fear the Hessian Horseman?"
"What should I have to fear that thick-headed German? The Continentals will catch him, sooner or later. If not them, I'm sure somebody else will."
"You sound so sure."
"I like to think that I am."
"You'd loved to see him die, wouldn't you?" Lillian questioned.
"I'd do it myself, if I could", Cassandra answered. "I'd cut off all my hair just see his wretched head removed from his shoulders. Wouldn't you do the same?"
"Well, I certainly wouldn't cut my hair off, but I don't think I would mind watching him die in front of me", said Lillian, lying through her teeth. "Maybe you're right. If one of our men doesn't capture him, I'm sure somebody will."
Cassandra nodded and told her, "See you for supper in an hour."
Turning away, Lillian walked over to the tavern and climbed up the exterior stairs to her room. She closed the door and went to the chest at the foot of her bed and opened it, searching for a small box that contained needle and thread. While she was sewing a button back onto Mr. Mortner's shirt, Lillian couldn't help but feel hurt by Cassandra's careless response to the news of the Van Garrett's baby. The way she saw it, Cassandra cared more about wanting to join up with the Americans to fight in the war than a new life growing inside a womb. It was her own eagerness to kill the Hessian Horseman that left Lillian feeling very disturbed and concern for her friend.
Lillian paused her sewing for a minute to look out her window and stared out towards the Western Woods, a heavy fog casting over the trees. Her father had forewarned her of an evil that lurked in the forest, and though he mentioned the evil was far greater than the Hessian, Lillian wondered what he could have meant by that. The only evil she could think of was a woman who had been accused of practicing dark magic and was cast out by the people of Sleepy Hollow. Miranda Archer was her name. She, along with her husband and two young daughters, were banished from town and went to live in the Western Woods after losing their home to the family of Peter Van Garrett's cousin, Baltus Van Tassel.
Looking away from the window, Lillian thought back to the little blonde girl from her dream last night and slowly began to realize it was Miranda's oldest daughter, Mary. Unlike her twin sister, Tessa, who Lillian remembered was a well-behaved child, Mary was a wicked little girl who liked to cause trouble and mischief. Miranda cherished Mary and Tessa both, and started teaching her daughters how to cast spells and evil charms against the townsfolk, one of which was Cassandra's mother, who died from a mysterious illness. For this, the Archer family were labeled as demon worshipers and told never to return to Sleepy Hollow, less they would be hanged.
Just then, Lillian heard a tapping noise and looked over her shoulder, seeing the raven was perched outside her window. Setting the shirt aside, she stood up and went over to open it immediately. Once inside, she allowed the raven to perch on her arm and stroked the dark plumage of her breast.
"Hello, again", said Lillian. "What are you doing here?"
The raven cawed loudly, flapping her wings as though she were trying to communicate with her mistress, but it was no use. Lillian couldn't understand her, but when she looked out the window towards the Western Woods, she suddenly got an idea on what her feathered friend was trying to tell her. Right away, Lillian started to figure out a way on how to put the raven's skills of flight to good use. The raven flew over to perch on the chair, while Lillian went to the foot of her bed and knelt down to open the chest, this time to look for a bottle of ink and some parchment. Once she found the items, she closed the lid and sat down on her bed and plucked out a feather from the raven's back to write a short message to the Hessian and attached the letter to the raven's leg with a piece of lace from the hem of her dress.
Lillian looked outside to make sure nobody was around or looking out from their windows, then whispered to the raven perched on her arm, "Fly to the Hessian, my friend. Find him."
The raven took to the sky and flew away at her mistress's command, as Lillian watched her feathered messenger disappear beyond the horizon, vanishing into the heavy fog high above the Western Woods.
Meanwhile, far on the other side of the forest, there was an encampment of British soldiers. The Hessian stood alone inside his tent in front of a mirror, using a straight razor to shave off unwanted facial hair. His cape was hanging up and he had removed his breastplate, revealing a long black tunic that was opened in the front, exposing a part of his pale, smooth chest.
The sound of flapping wings caught him off guard and he barely nicked his skin as he turned his head with a gasp and saw a raven had landed on a small writing table, cawing as it fluttered its wings to attract his attention.
The Hessian set the razor down and wiped off the remaining lather from his face with a towel and went over to the feathered creature, seeing there was something attached to its leg. He discovered it to be a letter tied up in a piece of lace from a woman's dress and detached the handwritten message from the raven's leg and unscrolled it to read what it said:
To my dearest friend, I am writing to you to tell you I am well and hope you are the same. I think of you every minute we are apart and wish to see you again, but until then, I shall keep you in my prayers and hold you in my heart.
Lillian didn't expect the raven to return that night, but around midnight, the sound of a beak tapping on glass woke her up. She sat up at once and threw off the blanket and got out of bed and went over to the window, opening it to let the raven inside. There was a letter from the Hessian attached to the raven's leg. Lillian untied the message from the blackbird's leg and broke the seal and opened the letter to read his response:
To the person whom this letter concerns, I am glad to hear you are well and appreciate your concern for my well being, but I must advice you not to send out anymore letters. Enemies could be watching at anytime, and it would unwise for you to be seen consorting with me. Your friendship is not lost to me, for I, too, think of you every minute we are apart. You are a very brave and noble young lady, and I admire your spirit and personality, but you must not get your hopes up that you and I shall ever see each other again. In the case that we shall never meet again, I wish you nothing but happiness, and hope you will find someone who will love you for who you truly are. To you and you alone, I send you my best.
Sincerely, a friend.
Lillian's heart swooned while reading the Hessian's letter, as she held it close to her breast and sighed deeply. She allowed herself to fall backwards onto her bed, her face beholding a content smile.