given at the small boarding house did nothing to keep the hunger at bay. It was well past noon , and he was ready for something more substantial. He’d buy something for Abbie, then go get a hot meal somewhere before heading out of Savannah.
The information he’d come to collect was already hidden in a secret compartment sewn into his coat by Mrs. Mallory, detailing the number of British troops in the area, positions of cannon and stores of ammunition. An invasion of Savannah was being carefully planned by the Continental Army, so the information he was carrying would be invaluable. The whole thing had been relatively uneventful, the Redcoats disinterested in a young man in civilian clothes who sauntered past them with secrets for the Rebels. The soldiers were everywhere, but they seemed to move slower somehow, maybe from the heat, or maybe from the knowledge that there was no immediate threat. They called out greetings to each other as they passed, and snippets of laughter reached Finn’s ears as someone told a bawdy joke. The bayonets and gorgets at the soldiers’ throats gleamed in the sun, casting rays of light onto the faces of the already overheated men and blinding anyone who looked at them directly.
Finn just looked around, happy in the knowledge that they wouldn’t win the war. His mother didn’t remember details, but she remembered the important things, like some decisive battles which led to the defeat of the British. Too bad she hadn’t mentioned anything about Georgia. It would be nice to know that his reconnaissance wasn’t in vain. Finn stopped in front of a shop displaying colorful ribbons and swathes of fabric. This was exactly what he needed. Maybe he’d buy a bit of lace for Abbie to make a new tucker or trim her mob cap.
Abbie wasn’t hugely impressed by luxurious things and would likely save the lace for a special occasion, but his motives for getting it were entirely selfish. He knew how she fretted, and who could blame her after what she’d be en through in New York? Buying a gift was so much more than bringing something home with him. It was a non-verbal way of conveying to Abbie that he hadn’t been in danger. He had time to stroll around town, go into shops, and pick out a present before leaving Savannah. It would put her mind at rest to know that he’d been safe the whole time.
Finn was about to enter the store when something caught his eye. Two six-pointed stars were on either side of the sign; quite small, but distinctive. His contact had mentioned that many Sephardic Jews settled in Savannah, having come from Spain in search of a new homeland. Finn was curious about those people. Were they like Spaniards or were they like the few Jews he’d seen in New York, dressed all in black and wearing a little cap beneath their hats, their strange curled forelocks swaying above their cheeks. He pushed open the door and entered just as a bell chimed above his head.
The man behind the counter was about his age, tall and dark, with eyes that glinted like pieces of onyx in his swarthy face. He looked decidedly more Spanish than the men in New York, Finn concluded as he noted his uncovered head and lack of forelocks. A beautiful woman came into the store from the back; her lustrous black curls piled high on her head and covered with a lace cap which covered only the bun, and not the rest of her hair which framed her face. She had the same black eyes and an olive complexion, and bore a strong resemblance to the man – probably his sister.
Finn wondered if their family had at some point escaped the Inquisition and fled Spain. Where had people like them gone, and had it been better? Probably not, if they wound up in Georgia. They were strangers in a strange land, but at least they were better off than the Negroes who’d been plucked from their homes, and brought to the New World in chains, aboard slavers where they were treated
The information he’d come to collect was already hidden in a secret compartment sewn into his coat by Mrs. Mallory, detailing the number of British troops in the area, positions of cannon and stores of ammunition. An invasion of Savannah was being carefully planned by the Continental Army, so the information he was carrying would be invaluable. The whole thing had been relatively uneventful, the Redcoats disinterested in a young man in civilian clothes who sauntered past them with secrets for the Rebels. The soldiers were everywhere, but they seemed to move slower somehow, maybe from the heat, or maybe from the knowledge that there was no immediate threat. They called out greetings to each other as they passed, and snippets of laughter reached Finn’s ears as someone told a bawdy joke. The bayonets and gorgets at the soldiers’ throats gleamed in the sun, casting rays of light onto the faces of the already overheated men and blinding anyone who looked at them directly.
Finn just looked around, happy in the knowledge that they wouldn’t win the war. His mother didn’t remember details, but she remembered the important things, like some decisive battles which led to the defeat of the British. Too bad she hadn’t mentioned anything about Georgia. It would be nice to know that his reconnaissance wasn’t in vain. Finn stopped in front of a shop displaying colorful ribbons and swathes of fabric. This was exactly what he needed. Maybe he’d buy a bit of lace for Abbie to make a new tucker or trim her mob cap.
Abbie wasn’t hugely impressed by luxurious things and would likely save the lace for a special occasion, but his motives for getting it were entirely selfish. He knew how she fretted, and who could blame her after what she’d be en through in New York? Buying a gift was so much more than bringing something home with him. It was a non-verbal way of conveying to Abbie that he hadn’t been in danger. He had time to stroll around town, go into shops, and pick out a present before leaving Savannah. It would put her mind at rest to know that he’d been safe the whole time.
Finn was about to enter the store when something caught his eye. Two six-pointed stars were on either side of the sign; quite small, but distinctive. His contact had mentioned that many Sephardic Jews settled in Savannah, having come from Spain in search of a new homeland. Finn was curious about those people. Were they like Spaniards or were they like the few Jews he’d seen in New York, dressed all in black and wearing a little cap beneath their hats, their strange curled forelocks swaying above their cheeks. He pushed open the door and entered just as a bell chimed above his head.
The man behind the counter was about his age, tall and dark, with eyes that glinted like pieces of onyx in his swarthy face. He looked decidedly more Spanish than the men in New York, Finn concluded as he noted his uncovered head and lack of forelocks. A beautiful woman came into the store from the back; her lustrous black curls piled high on her head and covered with a lace cap which covered only the bun, and not the rest of her hair which framed her face. She had the same black eyes and an olive complexion, and bore a strong resemblance to the man – probably his sister.
Finn wondered if their family had at some point escaped the Inquisition and fled Spain. Where had people like them gone, and had it been better? Probably not, if they wound up in Georgia. They were strangers in a strange land, but at least they were better off than the Negroes who’d been plucked from their homes, and brought to the New World in chains, aboard slavers where they were treated
Similar Books
