Savage Deception (Liberty's Ladies) by Lynette Vinet Page A

he the one called the Swamp Fox?”
    “Yes,” an officer named McCall spoke up. “He’s a wily creature and aptly named.”
    “Well, he can’t be entirely wily, gentlemen, if a supply wagon made it through,” Diana noted, and caught a warning glance from Harlan. “Perhaps he isn’t as smart as he is believed to be.”
    Farnsworth guffawed and took a piece of bread. “He shouldn’t be underestimated. He’s quick and knows the swamp. Somehow he constantly manages to elude capture. And as for the supply wagons, from now on they’ll be well protected.”
    McCall nodded. “That Swamp Fox won’t get any more of the supplies from Charlestown. Why, just tomorrow there’s one due through here—”
    “That’s enough, McCall! Farnsworth ordered. “Go see to your men. You too,” he said, speaking to Smythe.
    McCall, his cheeks red with embarrassment, followed after Smythe and left the parlor. Farnsworth smiled apologetically at Diana and Harlan. “Sometimes the men forget themselves.”
    Harlan nodded. “Your men are quite young, as are you, Captain. What do you plan to do after the war?”
    Samuel Farnsworth looked directly at Diana, his gaze raking over Diana’s face and form. “Perhaps I’ll marry, if I can find a woman who’ll have me.”
    Diana grew uncomfortable at Farnsworth’s perusal and jumped up to fuss over Harlan. “I think it’s time you went to bed now,” she remarked. “Naomi is upstairs and will help settle you for the night.”
    Rising from the sofa, Harlan laughed when Samuel rushed forward to take him by the elbow. “I remember a time when I could stay up until dawn. Now I have to retire before the sun even sets.”
    Diana watched as Samuel led Harlan up the stairs to his room. She found herself thinking that Samuel Farnsworth was a considerate man, though he was British. He too wanted more from her than friendship. But she had vowed never to be touched again by any man; just the thought of a man’s touch made her skin crawl.
    She returned to the kitchen, carrying the tray, and found that Hattie was gone. Little Jackie sat on a wooden bench, apparently waiting for her. When he saw Diana, he stood up and flashed her a beguiling smile. “I done been waitin’ and waitin’ for the longest time,” he admitted. “My Granny Hattie said if I was a good boy that maybe you’d give me a piece of that fresh bread. Can I have some, Miz Diana? Please? I been a real good boy today.”
    “Certainly you can,” Diana told him and handed the seven-year-old boy one of the pieces the soldiers hadn’t eaten. She watched as he scooped a large spoonful of jelly onto it and then devoured it in no time. When she offered him another, the child greedily wolfed that one down, too.
    Jackie licked his fingers and smiled again at her. “Thank you so much, Miz Diana. You real kind to me.”
    At that moment Diana felt like the biggest fraud. Evidently the child had never noticed that she resented him. But Jackie wasn’t the reason for how she felt. Neither was Jarla, his mother. It was Kingsley who had caused her to feel this way about an innocent little boy, and she was pleased that Jackie had no idea that sometimes just his presence could rattle her. Suddenly she realized that she didn’t feel that way any longer, not since Kingsley had left Briarhaven. So she smiled a rich, warm smile at Jackie, placed her arm around his slight shoulders, and gazed down at the child, whose eyes were light brown with a touch of green in them. Like Kingsley’s.
    “Anytime you want something from the kitchen, you don’t have to ask. Just come in and take it.”
    “You mean that? I don’t have to ask my papa or mama?”
    “No, I’ll tell Ezra and Jarla that you’re welcome.”
    “Thank you, ma’am. ‘Cause sometime I get real hungry.”
    Don’t we all, Diana thought, and watched Jackie rush outside. For the first time she understood why Hattie proudly claimed Jackie as her grandson. It wasn’t just because Ezra