Free Valley Forge by David Garland

defiance of the agreed terms—there'll be a lot more people searching for a means to escape."
    "Do you really think that we'll get to New York, Jamie?"
    "We have to."
    "It's such a long way."
    "Would you rather stay in that crowded attic?"
    "No!" she said with a shiver. "It was gruesome."
    "There were no featherbeds in the barracks either."
    "It was just as bad for the German troops on Winter Hill. According to Baroness von Riedesel, they were treated no better than animals."
    "It can only get worse," said Skoyles. "Provisions are running low."
    Elizabeth let out a squeal of surprise as a little water came over the gunwales and wet her feet. They had reached the mouth of the river now and had to contend with the rolling waves of the bay. The increased undulations brought Polly Bragg awake and made Elizabeth cling more tightly to Skoyles. The sun was lifting above the horizon and throwing dazzling patterns across the green sea.
    As their gaze traveled over the wide expanse of Boston Harbor, they saw boats and ships of every kind and size. A harbor that had once been occupied by a menacing British navy was now filled with rebel craft. Frigates, schooners, sloops, brigantines, cutters, and galleys lay at anchor. Gondolas and pinnaces bobbed on the waves. The fleet was nowhere near as large or as imposing as its British counterpart, but it gave the rebel stronghold a feeling of reassurance.
    The women were still trying to adjust to the unruly movements of the sloop, but Skoyles had noticed something. A line of vessels was blocking the entrance to Boston harbor.
    "That explains it," he said.
    "Explains what?" asked Caffrey.
    "Why the transports failed to arrive from New York. Look at those frigatesguarding the harbor, Tom. They've been put there to turn away any British ships. The likelihood is that they've already done so."
    "Then there's no hope of the army being allowed back home?"
    "They can't sail without ships."
    Caffrey was bitter. "I wonder if they ever intended to release us?"
    "I'm sure that General Gates did when he drew up the terms of the convention. His superiors obviously thought he was too lenient. They won't let us off the hook so easily." Skoyles surveyed the panorama before them. "This is where it all began," he said.
    "What?"
    "The war."
    "Well, I wish they hadn't brought us to fight in it."
    "You're a soldier, Tom. You thrive on combat."
    "Only when I happen to be on the winning side."
    "That time will come again."
    "If we ever get off this boat alive!"
    Caffrey grabbed the gunwale to steady himself. Though the fisherman was doing his best to keep the boat on an even keel, it was starting to tilt and buck. The swell combined with a gusting wind to remind the passengers that their voyage would not be an easy one. Water splashed into the boat, spray moistened their faces, and the mast creaked more noisily then ever. As the sail was buffeted by a fresh gust, Caffrey had to shout in order to be heard.
    "Is it always this bad?"
    Mears cackled. "Do you call this bad?"
    "That's what my stomach is telling me," Caffrey complained.
    "This is like a duck pond."
    "Then I'd hate to be a duck!"
    "You'll get used to it, Tom," said Skoyles.
    "Not me. I'm a landlubber."
    "This is nothing. We're still in the harbor."
    "Yes," said Mears cheerily "Wait until we're clear of the Charleston Peninsula and Boston Harbor. Then you'll really get to see what the Atlantic Ocean can do."
    Caffrey shuddered. "I'm not sure that I want to," he said.
    "I'll make a sailor of you, Sergeant."
    "As long as you keep me out of the water."
    "I've never lost a passenger yet," Mears told him, then his face split into a wicked grin. "Not unless it was deliberate."
    Miranda Hughes was an unexpected partner for the rotund bookseller. She was short, delicate, and soft-spoken, a gracious, middle-aged lady who gave Ezekiel Proudfoot a much warmer welcome than he had first received from her husband. Wearing a pretty blue dress with a hoop skirt, she had the