The Charleston Chase (Phantom Knights Book 2) (10 page)

“I am not proposing to forget all
they have done for us—the sacrifices made—I choose to honor them in
a new way. It is for that reason that I will be requesting that
you, John, move to Washington to lead the new team of guards who
will protect me as I travel.”

All I could do was stare, as
the
inside my body was coiling tightly
with that old feeling of being trapped. I had yet to find Guinevere
or the Holy Order. I had only just tasted true freedom. I was not
prepared to give that up, but I was not sure I had a
choice.

George was practically purple with rage. “You want
to uproot the Phantoms in Charleston and Philadelphia and make them
your own personal guards?”

James smiled. “No. As I understand it, the team in
Philadelphia is no more, and the Charleston team is comprised
mostly of women. They shall be released, as will the Washington
team. John will choose what men to join him as my guards.”

George was near to sputtering. His dreams for the
Phantoms had been shattered, and his goals gone in a few words
only. There was a tiny part of my mind that was happy, knowing that
I would have the power to save Guinevere, and there was nothing
George could do.

“I will not allow it,” George said.

To my surprise, James smiled again. “You have no
choice in the matter, George. I appreciate, as does Gideon I am
sure, all you have done for the Phantoms, but this is the time for
moving forward. We must look to the future, not remain clinging to
the past.”

George stood. Every line of his
body was rigid as he glared at Monroe. He looked as if he wanted to
throttle James. The tension in the room clung to me like a leech as
I viewed the open hostility of a man I had admired for years. There
were times when I was vexed with George, but it had always been
Bess who claimed George wanted more for the Phantoms. He never
approved of Bess being the leader, which should have shown me his
character flaws. Bess was the best leader our team had ever had,
for she had given us freedom.

“Thank you for all you have done, George, and for
your understanding. Good day to you.”

Being so thoroughly dismissed George had no choice
but to take his leave.

When James and I were alone, a loud sigh escaped me.
That had been uncomfortable, and I feared that what I was about to
say would be even more. “Sir, I thank you for the great honor that
you do me by choosing me to lead your guards, but I do not believe
I am the best man for the job.”

“Nonsense. I remember what your
father always said about you, John, loyal to your cause, dedicated
without despair to one other, and faithful to your beliefs, braver
than any
.
You are
the man for the job.”

Having never known that my father said all of that
about me, my gut clenched. William Martin was not a man to praise
the actions of his children. Quick to judge, slow to praise.

“Sir, before I can accept this most auspicious and
generous offer, I must first locate the Holy Order. It is what my
father would expect of me.” I held my breath, waiting for his
response. If he denied me, I would have to turn down his offer and
risk his disapproval.

After a few moments of watching me intently, James
agreed. “I will have Frederick stand in for you while you are
away.”

“With all due respect, sir, I would speak to you
about Frederick.” James nodded. “I am afraid that he has shown
himself to be untrustworthy. He was caught trading information with
a group who is responsible for the death of Ben Shultz.” After a
thoughtful moment, I added, “Under George’s order.” James needed to
know.

James appeared struck with disappointment. He, of
course, remembered Ben. For no one having the good fortune to have
met Ben could ever forget him. He had been a man of great heart and
a penchant for justice.

“Whom then do you suggest?”

The answer sprang to my mind immediately. It would
not only serve the purpose, but it would make Frederick seethe with
indignation.

“There is a man on the Washington Phantoms team, his
name is Arthur, and he has been faithful to our cause for three
years. I believe he would serve you well, sir.”

Monroe agreed and said he would see to it that
Arthur began immediately. Art had been the only member on
Frederick’s team to survive the length of Frederick’s rule, and I
could tell that he had not wanted to accost me earlier. He would do
well for Monroe.

“I believe three months sufficient time to
accomplish your goal. I shall expect you here to take up your post
by the end of June.”

James rose, signaling the end of our meeting. After
shaking his hand, and moving to the door, he halted me.

“John,” turning to face him he said, “give my
regards to your sister and the Charleston team. Be sure to thank
them for their years of service when you tell them of the new
changes made.”

So, it was left to me to tell them. How Bess would
take the new changes gave me some qualms. She was determined to
find the Holy Order, and no new order would force her to surrender
her mask until she had accomplished her mission.

Stepping out of James’ house, George was pacing the
sidewalk, waiting for me. “John, I must have a word.” He was
frenzied, but not without reason. His work for the past seven years
had been taken from him. There were beads of perspiration on his
forehead as he walked beside me down the street. He knew where I
was going without my having to say.

Leo was awaiting me at the tree, the house we owned
in Washington. Leo had booked passage on a ship earlier in the
morning that would take us to Charleston. Thoughts of Guinevere
surfaced, and a physical ache settled in my chest. Washington was
the city where I had first come across her. She had been dressed as
the white phantom, but I would never forget the way she spared my
life, choosing to graze my shoulder instead of shooting me in the
back as she could have done.

“What are your plans, John? Are you going after the
Holy Order?”

Stopping to look at George, his eyes were glassy,
like he had been drinking, but that was impossible, unless he was
now carrying it on his person.

“Of course,” I replied cautiously.

George nodded. “I had hoped.” He gripped my arm
tightly. “John, Bess is in great danger.”

“Yes, George, from the Holy Order,
and the guards
you
sent there. It is why I am going after them.”

“No! No,” he said, shaking his head, “from someone
closer.”

“Who?” I demanded curtly. Bess was with his nephew’s
team, but if George knew something against Samuel Mason and had
still sent Bess there, neither would be safe from my wrath.

“I sent Bess to Charleston with Gideon so she could
be safe, but she is not.”

“She has your nephew to watch over her, George,
along with Gideon, Mrs. Beaumont, and Levi. She is plenty
safe.”

“No! That is the problem, John I did not send Levi
with her. He has gone to steal the artifacts, and to give them to
the Holy Order.”

Bess

18 March 1817

E
very day
since Sam had sailed away with Guinevere had been filled with
training the girls and searching for the Holy Order. Levi helped me
each day by either questioning the people on the list of names Sam
had left me or by helping me train Charlotte and Betsy. Rose had
needed little instruction before she became adept at each weapon.
When it came to the use of the small sword, she wistfully explained
that her late husband, a military man, had trained her in the art
of swordplay. He wanted someone to fight with to keep his mind and
skill sharp, along with wanting his wife to be able to defend
herself.

Char picked up on both knife throwing and archery.
She could often be found pitting her newly acquired abilities
against Levi, who at times let her win. They fought as much as they
flirted, looking like a heat ray of the sun and a dark thundercloud
when they argued. Char and Levi were so alike that it was often
humorous to watch them argue. They were each spitfires, but since
Levi had been doing this job much longer, he usually bested Char,
and in turn she would retaliate by kicking his shins, knocking off
his hat, hiding his favorite knife, or stealing his pistols.

Lucas Marx had three times come to call, once taken
me driving through the city, and he escorted Rose, Char, and I to a
picnic at a plantation. He was handsome, kind, intriguing, and he
made me laugh with his witticisms, but he elicited no strong
feelings from within me. Only one man had caused sparks of
excitement to surge through me, and he had been away three weeks
and five days. I kept telling myself that I was angry at Sam; that
he had known what he was doing by having Guinevere on board his
ship, but as the days passed, my anger had faded, and try as I
would, I could not garner a spark of ill feelings toward him. As
annoying as I often found Samuel Mason, I missed his ready banter.
If he stayed away many more days, he would miss his own race
party.

At the beginning of the month, Charlotte had gone to
Sam’s house every day to help Mrs. Lacey prepare for the upcoming
boat race and all the events surrounding it. Charlotte, as Rose
informed me, loved to plan parties and was talented at it. The day
of the pre-race party was drawing near, and I still had not decided
to attend.

For the last two weeks, I had been training the
women on what to listen for while in society. Some of the best
secrets could be garnered and traded while at a ball or a picnic,
if one knew what they were listening for.

Levi had suggested that we also
train them in the art of seduction, much as we had learned when we
were being trained. Charlotte had insisted that she was an expert
in the art of seduction; so naturally, Levi put her knowledge to
the test. He waited until Char was not expecting it and cornered
her in the parlor. Rose, Betsy, and I were seated on the sofa and
could not hear what he said to her, but it made her flush; then he
kissed her palm and wrist. He leaned in and whispered something in
her ear that had her leaning toward him with her face raised
expectantly toward his. When Levi stepped back, grinning, Char lost
her temper and slapped him before flouncing from the room. That had
been a week ago, and I had a feeling that if Sam had been there, he
would have taken Levi to task. Levi was not the innocent that I had
been thinking him when it came to women.

Seduction was not something I relished teaching, nor
did I believe that the Charleston Phantoms would ever have to
employ such tactics. They were not mission-ready, and there were
not the same threats in Charleston as there had been in
Philadelphia and Washington. But, Sam had instructed me to train
them in every art form that I had learned, so there I was.

Saturday was to be the race party,
and that would be the first occasion when they would put what they
had
learned to good use. For, anyone could
be a member of the Holy Order, as I had learned in Philadelphia
when my mother’s betrothed turned out to be the leader of
Levitas.

When I awoke the morning of the
eighteenth, I decided to visit Martha again. I had gone to see her
twice since Guinevere sailed away with Sam, but each time Martha
had been conveniently away from home. It was as if the woman
somehow knew I would be visiting, as ridiculous as that was to
think of.

Deciding to take the women with me after I had
dressed in my work clothes, I went to each of their doors at a
little past seven and told them to come into my chamber for their
next lesson. Rose had been up as had Betsy, but Char came in quite
disheveled from sleep and yawning.

“I have a small mission that I want to take you on
today, but first you must be properly attired.”

Mrs. Beaumont appeared in my doorway with my morning
coffee, but I had her set it aside to help me pull articles from my
trunk. “If you want to succeed in this way of life, you must have
the presence of mind to think ahead. When considering the proper
disguise, first think about what your surroundings will be. Out of
doors, a warehouse, a ballroom or drawing room? Each place will
require different, but equally proper attire.”

Mrs. Beaumont removed the fake bottom to my trunk
and pulled out my brunette wig that she had made from my natural
hair when I had cut it off in a moment of annoyance, my raven mask,
several smaller patches of hair, a pair of spectacles, a blonde wig
that she had made while we were on the ship to Charleston, and a
stack of hats. The selection of weapons she left in the trunk.

Choosing a patch of black hair, I sat before my
dressing table. Mrs. Beaumont came over and started mixing up a
paste to adhere the hair to my face. Upon close inspection, it was
possible for a person with a keen eye to detect that the short
beard was not my own, but if someone were that close to me, they
would not be long for the world.

Mariah, my former maid and fellow Phantom, had
worked with me for years on perfecting the arrangement of facial
hair on my face. I preferred a clean look like Sam’s. Jack told me
it made me look like a rogue, and with my all black attire, I
rather agreed. No matter how much I had wanted to be away from the
Phantoms, the excitement of becoming someone else still sparked to
life in moments like those. I could have made a great stir as an
actor on the stage if I had not been blessed with a great
fortune.

“For society outings, I trust that you can choose
your own raiment, but for most other missions, you will wear your
designated work attire. Mrs. Beaumont has graciously made each of
you a set of clothing with secret pockets for your weapons, and
Levi has purchased you each a sturdy pair of boots.”