There, she’d admitted it. Though it was clearly one-sided, her attraction to him was undeniable. She prayed it wasn’t apparent.
He mulled her offer for a moment. “Do you have friends willing to do the same?”
“Of course.” Why had she not thought of that herself? Proof he could make an addled mess of a reasonably intelligent woman. “I’ll send word round and gather a sewing circle. Plenty of Chatham women spin their own cloth or have the means to procure some. We’ll do what we can.”
She had General Harlow’s undivided attention at last. Shame flushed her face. Why would she want it? He was as different from her as night and day. A Virginian and a soldier she’d never see again once the army moved on. And certainly nothing like the man her father hoped she’d wed. Mulling the matter, she fisted her hands in her lap, hardly hearing the music as Coralie and James finished the piece.
Mrs. Hurst appeared at the parlor doorway. “Supper shall be served at seven o’clock.”
“We’ll make a little more music till then,” Coralie said, exchanging her spinet bench for a Windsor chair.
James took a seat beside Mae. “My sisters may well ruin me. I’m growing too used to the comforts of home.”
“Nonsense.” Mae smiled at him fondly. “You’re in need of some spoiling, given you’ve been away from home so long.”
She’d still not had time with James like she’d hoped, nor been able to ask him the questions she’d been saving since he left. Coralie was right. James seemed changed in ways she couldn’t fathom. Hardship and death did that to a man. He’d no doubt fought in brutal, bloody battles that felled men he knew well. Yet for a short interlude, at least, he was well-fed and warm and removed from the turmoil.
“I, for one, have no complaint about billeting here,” Captain Sperry said as he stood to one side of the crackling hearth.
Mae looked at James. “You’ve told us little about the hardships you’ve endured with the Continental Army, but I can tell they’ve taken a toll.”
His narrow face darkened. “War is a brutal business, though we’re led by the most fearless of men.”
Coralie lifted a newspaper resting on a side table. “Is it true Mrs. Washington will join the general at headquarters in Morristown?”
Captain Sperry took the paper from her. “Probably not till March when the weather warms. Would you ladies care to attend a dance at Arnold Tavern on the Green?”
Lowering her eyes, Coralie didn’t answer, her resistance plain.
Mae hadn’t reckoned with a ball. Since the war’s start, all merriment had seemed to stop. “I would,” she said, “if only to meet your commander in chief. I’ve heard so much about him.”
Coralie’s gaze rose and fixed on their brother. “What is Washington like?”
“Tall.” James seemed a bit flummoxed, as if Washington defied description. “Slightly scarred by smallpox. His hair is reddish-brown when unpowdered, and he rarely smiles on account of his terrible teeth.”
“Poor man,” Mae breathed.
“He doesn’t play the peacock like some officers and has a general’s bearing,” Captain Sperry added. “Commanding. Stern. He’s the most superb horseman I’ve ever seen.”
“I’ve heard he dances upwards of three hours without sitting down.” Mae had long heard accounts of his prowess in the ballroom. “He’s even mastered the cotillion.”
“Ah, the latest dancing craze.” Captain Sperry chuckled. “You’ll see it for yourself if you come to headquarters.”
Mae smiled. “If invited, we could stay with our Morristown aunt.”
“I’m sure the captain will keep you duly informed,” James said. “He’s as fond of dancing as Washington.”
Mae stole a look at General Harlow. Did he not care to dance? He seemed to prefer to let the rest of them carry the conversation. Maddeningly so.
They went in to dinner before returning to the parlor, where Mrs. Hurst served dessert along with coffee and cocoa.
“Ah, the aroma,” came a boisterous voice from the parlor doorway. “Are you drinking the last of my chocolate?” Aaron stood there, Hanna on his arm, the both of them smiling as if delighted to find it so.
“Guilty,” Mae told them as they entered the parlor. Mrs. Hurst hurried away to bring more chocolate cups, and James more chairs. “My favorite apothecary and his wife highly recommend it.”
“Cocoa aids digestion and is even thought to promote longevity, among other things,” Aaron told them. “We certainly do a brisk business selling it at the shop, though it’s hard to come by of late.”
“Enough about chocolate,” Hanna teased. “We nearly have enough numbers here for a dance.”
