The Break by Lars D. H. Hedbor

Author:Lars D. H. Hedbor [Hedbor, Lars D. H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: revolution, canada, halifax, nova scotia, refugee, loyalist, american revolution
ISBN: 9780989441094
Publisher: Brief Candle Press
Published: 2014-10-05T00:00:00+00:00

As the snow piled up outside, and the meager fire in the hearth popped and sighed, Susannah resisted the urge to crumple the letter and toss it into the flames. Instead, she dutifully folded it and put it with the rest, in the tightly-packed writing box. She had no appetite to reply just now, and could not anticipate when she might.

While she sat despondent before the hearth, her step-mother was again taken to her bed, and her father had trudged out to town, doubtless with the object of attempting yet again to repair his shattered reputation.

The first sign of trouble was a wild rumor that had spread through the town one cold day the prior month. A cutter had appeared at the docks, bearing an officer who had brought word of a concerted rebel attack on the fort at Cumberland, with the aim of further emboldening the Whiggish settlers to the east of town, destroying the major means of defense against a full-scale invasion, and gathering up an even greater force to bring against the town itself, and the officials of the government who resided there.

These tales seemed too far-fetched to be true, but shortly after the cutter’s arrival, the Royal Marines mustered and marched in haste out of town, and observers reported that they had been seen to board a ship and depart under a full press of sail toward Cumberland.

When the Marines returned, the truth of the engagement began to be known around town. Upon their arrival at the fort—which had indeed been under siege—they had routed the rebel forces, some of whom had been invaders from Massachusetts and points along the coast on the way.

The rebellious locals had surrendered to the King’s mercy, and had been paroled, after hard questioning, but most of the invaders among the rebel besiegers of the fort had faded away with their Indian guides, and had disappeared into the forested inland. A detachment still pursued them, but the opinion around town was that the weather and terrain would soon bring the troublemakers to a higher justice than could be handed out by the Marines or the judiciary.

All of this was distressing enough, but at the time of the attack, Mister Black had been out traveling to the suppliers with whom he had made arrangements, taking deliveries of goods from them, with promise of payment upon delivery to Halifax, so as to conserve what capital the partners had, until the goods should be sold at market there, which would then provide ample funds to both repay the suppliers and purchase the next round of goods.

Susannah knew enough to understand that such an arrangement would have been unheard of, particularly in light of the chances of war, except that her father’s good reputation acted as a guarantee to all who knew him from his trade in Massachusetts. The suppliers felt secure in making such arrangements with him, against the promise of higher prices than they might otherwise have gotten for their goods, knowing that

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