“Have you finished what you were doing here?”
“I only made one book, but I feel satisfied with it. Unless you’d prefer I stay and continue?” he asked both Weisses at once.
“Go on with your business, dears. We’re perfectly fine.” Mrs. Weiss patted her husband’s hand on her shoulder.
“Very well, come on, then, Ashby.”
Just as they turned to go, the doors to the chapel burst open. Mrs. Bowers and Whisper rushed into the building with white faces. “Get the children to safety,” Mrs. Bowers ordered.
Everyone was on their feet. “What on earth?” Mrs. Weiss breathed as she placed a hand over her heart. “What has happened? Is the mission in danger?”
Whisper nodded. “The planters on the St. Kitts Assembly have come to an agreement that this mission is putting their businesses injeopardy. I anticipate a fight. We must get anyone unable to defend themselves to safety.”
Mrs. Bowers stood tall and spoke with authority. “Let’s move. We have no time to waste.”
We split up. I went with Mr. Ashby without thinking, and we gathered women and children, trying to avoid causing too much alarm. Unfortunately, being told to evacuate did not paint a calm picture.
“Take everyone to the house,” Mrs. Bowers ordered. “I’ll stay here with Mr. Weiss and Whisper. Slate, call for Dan and Robert. They’ll intimidate those tyrants. Perhaps we can avoid fighting.” Among the children she had gathered were several I’d met earlier. They ran to me and clung to my dress.
I tried to soothe their worries. “Do not fear, we will keep you safe.”
Graham and Mrs. Weiss had women and children with them as well, but before we could set off for the house, a group of hostile men marched into the mission. We were surrounded by more men than I’d anticipated. I thought it would only be the owners and overseers, but there were also enslaved men armed with scythes and pitchforks.
“Slate, go,” Mrs. Bowers said urgently to Graham. He took off inconspicuously to avoid the mob that had us backed up against the chapel.
Mrs. Bowers and Whisper stood in front of us protectively. “What is the meaning of this, Mr. Grant?” Mrs. Bowers asked the man in front of the mob.
He sneered at her. “The Assembly has voted on it, and we have come to the decision to dissolve this mission and take over your plantation.”
Mrs. Bowers snorted. “You can try.” She walked straight up to him and put her nose in his face. “I’ve been here much longer than yougentlemen. My husband established this estate almost thirty years ago. I won’t be driven out by the likes of you.”
Another man came forward and pushed Mrs. Bowers’s shoulder. “Look here,MistressBowers. You may have inherited this plantation, but you’re just a woman. We can seize your land whenever we see fit.”
“Not if I report you to the Privy Council.” She stood with the posture of a soldier, daring him to touch her again.
Laughter rippled among the planters. “By the time it reaches England, you’ll have been driven out.” Mr. Grant looked around him. “I think you’ll find us very generous. We’ll even buy your land so you can find a new home elsewhere. Maybe you can take your little mission to another island. But you will leave St. Kitts.”
Mr. Weiss spoke up. “This mission was established by God as a place of refuge for those who seek Him. It is not something that can bedissolved. So I suggest you leave before I report you to the Church for threatening the ministry.” He pointed his finger at them. “Our headquarters are located in North Carolina. That means we have the backing of the United States of America. Do you wish to go against the U.S. Navy?” I knew Mr. Weiss was bluffing, but I silently applauded his efforts. The headquarters may have been in North Carolina, but the United States would not fight this battle.
“Preacher, you have no power here. Go back to headquarters. You’ll have no followers after today.” The mob began to close in.
Just then, there was a terribleboomthat came from far below us. With the mob obscuring our view, we couldn’t confirm what it was, but we all knew. Cannon fire from the shoreline.
Captain Jacque Corsaire was finally taking revenge on theMaelstromby attacking the farm that funded it.
Mr. Grant’s smile confirmed our fears. “Looks like our allies have arrived.”
“No!” Mrs. Bowers cried, running into the mob frantically. Hands grabbed her and threw her back toward us. “You cannot do this!” she shrieked at them. “Youmonsters!”
The children began to cry and we tried to shush them, but I felt like crying as well. I hugged those closest to me. “It’ll be all right. We’ll make it through this,” I whispered.
“Monsters, are we?” Mr. Grant said, one hand on his hip as he leaned toward her. “We’re only protecting what’s ours. Anyone, any court, would agree that your mission destroys our profits more than recent policies passed by Parliament. Putting thoughts of equality into the minds of slaves brings every kind of mischief.” He flared his nostrils and raised his voice. “If we left it to people like you, we would be bankrupt in a year.”
A commotion began on one side of the mob, sounds of yelling and fighting from the back startling everyone. Dan and Robert must have arrived.
“Go!” Whisper ordered. He led us all past the chapel and into the woods on the far side of the mission. Did they have somewhere to hide all of these people, or were we running blindly to escape from the fray?
“What about Graham?” I asked Mr. Ashby. My eyes were wide with worry, possibly terror. “What if he…what if the pirates…?”
