"I agree." Virginia packed their meager supplies in the empty sack.
Caroline retrieved the musket and led the way up the horse path. The sun began its final descent and still they trudged along. Her hopes of finding decent shelter dwindled with each step. Would they be forced to spend another night sleeping under the trees?
Finally, they reached a clearing. No cabin in sight, only a pier that stretched into the river.
"Godsookers, would you look at that?" Edward pointed.
Caroline's mouth dropped open. On the opposite bank of the river, a green lawn spread before an enormous white house in the Georgian style.
"Perhaps they will take us in for the night," Virginia suggested.
"But how do we get there?" asked Edward.
"There must be a way." Caroline ventured onto the pier. A second pier on the other side of the river taunted her. So close and so far away.
"There should be a boat of some kind," Virginia said. "They obviously cross the river to use this path."
Caroline scanned the riverbank. "There, I see it!" She pointed downstream to a rowboat partially hidden by cattails. Thank God it was on their side of the river. She strode to the river's edge to retrieve the boat.
It was stuck in shallow, muddy water. As she waded in, the mud sucked her feet down and filled her shoes. She grimaced at the cool, squishy sensation. With effort, she dragged the boat to the pier. It was a small boat, too small for them all to cross at once.
"May I row?" Charlotte asked when her mother helped her board the boat.
"No," Virginia replied. "Let your aunt row. And keep your hands inside the boat."
"Why?"
Edward climbed aboard. "Because an alligator will bite your fingers off!"
Charlotte squealed and rocked the boat.
"Enough, Edward." Caroline rowed the children across to the opposite pier and ordered them to remain there. Then she returned for her sister.
"Don't fret," Caroline told her sister as she rowed. "I shall speak to the owner of this place and procure us lodging for the night."
"Have a care what you say. They could be Loyalists."
"I know I tend to say unfortunate things at the wrong time, but I will succeed in this. I promise." Caroline tied the boat off and helped Virginia climb onto the pier.
She passed the musket and supplies to Edward. "Hide these over there." She pointed to the nearest grove of loblolly pines. Before leaving the boat, she untied her apron and dipped it into the river so she could clean her face and hands.
Leaving the dirty apron in the boat, she stepped onto the pier. "There. How do I look?"
"Allow me." Virginia retied the ribbons that gathered Caroline's red curls behind each ear. "There. You look quite . . . presentable."
Charlotte gave her a dimpled smile. "Like a princess."
Having just returned from his task, Edward glowered at his sister. "Don't be silly. Princesses aren't covered with mud."
"Thank you, Edward. I needed that." Caroline faced the house and took a deep breath. She marched forward, squishing in her muddy shoes.
White columns supported the deep porch and second-floor balcony. Caroline ascended three brick steps and paused in front of a wide double door, flanked with narrow windows. She knocked. Nothing.
She knocked again. Was the place deserted?
Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door. A young woman peeked out the window, her face pale and frightened. Strands of lank brown hair had escaped her cap and dangled around her thin, narrow face. She turned away.
Caroline heard voices inside the house. Female voices. She glanced back. Virginia and the children had followed her and waited at the porch steps.
An older woman peered out the window. A lacy mobcap perched on her blond, gray-streaked hair. She smiled.
Caroline smiled back. So far, so good. She heard the scrape of a bolt. The young woman opened the door. Dressed in the plain clothes of a servant, she bobbed a curtsy, then stepped back so her mistress could greet them.
The older woman hesitated in the doorway. "Forgive us for taking so long, but one must be careful these days."
The scent of rose water and freshly laundered cotton presented Caroline with a painful reminder that she was in dire need of a bath. "I apologize for my appearance. 'Twas a difficult journey."
"I see. Still, you arrived sooner than I expected."
Caroline blinked. "I have?"
"Of course. I only received your letter last week. But never fear. All shall go according to plan."
Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but hardly knew