Read Online Freedom Bound by Jean Rae Baxter - Free Book Online

errands in the morning and
afternoon. But I’m here around noon.”
    â€œNoon, then.” He passed the laundry bundle into her
arms.
    Maybe he isn’t in trouble, she thought as she watched him
turn and walk away, but something heavy weighs upon his
mind.
    She opened the door and stepped inside. There was such
a lot to tell Mrs. Doughty! All about Phoebe and Jammy . . .
and about Elijah, too.

Chapter 10

    THE RAIN HAD stopped during the night, and now a watery
sunshine glistened over the wet rooftops. A few houses had
their windows open. In one open casement hung a yellow
canary in a small cage. From another window came the delicious aroma of baking bread—a fragrance powerful enough
to overcome momentarily the smell of the street.
    Charlotte walked carefully, for she had Noah in her arms,
on her way to Mrs. Perkins’ home for his morning feeding.
He was wide-awake, his eyes intent upon her face. He had
been fretful before they left Mrs. Doughty’s house, but now
she felt his body relax. He likes me, she thought, or maybe
he expects that when I take him for a walk, a breast full of
milk awaits him.
    Elijah was on her mind, as he had been ever since she
woke that morning. She had known that the army might
send him down south, but that could mean anywhere from
Virginia to East Florida. Yesterday it had been such a surprise, such a pleasant surprise, to find him in Charleston.
But her pleasure had quickly turned to concern. What could
it be that troubled him so much?
    She remembered his visit in November to the little cabin
she and Papa had built on Carleton Island. That visit, too,
had been a surprise. He had survived the defeat of the
Loyalist army at Kings Mountain in October. After being
taken prisoner, he had escaped. But instead of reporting to
Charleston Headquarters, he had travelled five times that
distance to Fort Haldimand, offering the feeble explanation
that he felt he should report to the same place he had enlisted in the first place, three years earlier. It made no sense.
    She had noticed a change in him even then. He had lost all
desire to fight, muttering about the stupidity of men dying
for a cause already lost.
    While she pondered this, she heard his voice calling from
behind her.
    â€œCharlotte, wait for me!”
    Turning around, she saw Elijah running to catch up.
    He overtook her, a little out of breath. “I know it’s not yet
noon. But the morning drill is finished, and I have two hours
free. Your landlady told me which way you were going.”
    â€œI’m taking the baby for his morning feeding.”
    Elijah leaned over to look at Noah. “So that’s the baby.
He’s very small.”
    â€œHe’s only one month old. And I don’t reckon he’ll grow
fast on two feedings a day.”
    Noah’s lower lip quivered.
    â€œWe must keep walking,” said Charlotte. “If we dawdle,
he’ll start to cry.”
    â€œI thought you and I could talk.”
    â€œWe can. While he’s with the wet nurse.”
    Elijah fell into step beside her. “This part of town hasn’t
been damaged at all,” he said. “It was lucky to be out of reach
of the heavy guns. We caused terrible destruction to some
other areas of Charleston.”
    â€œWe? Were you at the siege?”
    â€œAll forty-two days. I’ll never forget it.” He was silent for a
moment. “We had the rebel army trapped inside the walls,
and we threw everything at them: grapeshot, musket fire,
bombs, red-hot cannon balls.”
    â€œIt must have been horrible for the people living here.”
    â€œWhen you’re a soldier, you don’t allow yourself to think
about that. We firebombed houses. It’s hard to ignore the result when you’re close enough to hear children screaming.”
    Elijah was talking faster and faster, as if he had a demon
inside his head that had to come out.
    â€œNear the end, the defenders were shooting back at