Interesting Prospect
Anna felt at odds walking the streets of Richmond knowing that she would not be visiting Benjamin. He was most likely back with his regiment by now. She had had the impulse to walk by his uncle’s shop but squelched that immediately. Seeing the shop without her Shopkeeper in it would only serve to make his absence more real. No, she had business to attend to, and now that she was finally alone she could accomplish her task.
It had never been a question of whether or not Kady would accompany her to Richmond. Kady always accompanied Anna, but they would part ways upon arriving. Kady would spend the day visiting with friends or shopping, and Anna would rush through her shopping so that she could spend the majority of her day with Benjamin. With no Benjamin, Anna wasn’t sure what she would do all day. She knew that her routine needed to appear the same, lest she draw attention to her activities. Little did she know it would be Kady who varied.
When Anna asked which friends Kady would be visiting, Kady responded that all of her friends had fled the city. Anna knew this to be false. She named two girls who still remained, and Kady assured her that they were no longer friends of hers, for one reason or another, and that she would not be visiting them. Kady then announced that she had decided she wanted to spend the day shopping with her mother. Anna was stunned. Not only because they hadn’t spent a day shopping together in more than ten years, but because there was no way that she would be able to deliver her letter with the latest artillery numbers to Baker’s Daughter with Kady in tow. She would still be able to pick up Mary’s new shoes and any correspondence waiting for her, as all of that would be cleverly hidden in the goods that she would buy. The problem was that her missive was in the hollowed-out heel of her boot. Anna had easy access to her boot as her skirts were much smaller than Kady’s, but even so, Kady would notice that something was amiss if she saw her mother break off her heel and pull out a scrap of paper!
Anna found her salvation at the milliner’s shop. Kady found half a dozen things that she had to have. Normally, all extravagant purchases were left at the shop until the approval of her father could be gained. Without fail Andrew Bell would grant his approval; no price was too high if it was something his daughter wanted. However, Anna had learned years earlier that she was not allowed to be so generous with her daughter. All gifts were to come from Andrew, so Anna had given up trying. Today was different though, and Anna acquiesced on the stipulation that Kady not tell her father about the new hat and that she still beg for one of the others when she got home. Kady squealed in delight and readily agreed. With the milliner’s assurance that he could have it fitted in no more than an hour if the young lady was willing to stay, Anna was able to escape. She had the boy out front flag her a hackney cab.
She didn’t necessarily need a cab, as St. Anne’s was not far from the milliner’s, but Anna wasn’t sure if she would be able to get to the church and into the correct pew right away and she didn’t have much time. If anyone asked, Anna claimed she had begun to frequent this particular church after the war started. As it was called after her namesake, she said it granted her comfort. In reality, Anna and her other spies used this spot to exchange letters. If you knelt down to pray at the end of a certain pew, you would find a short floorboard (a patch from some earlier repair) that could be lifted up to reveal a small cubby hole. As long as no one was in that pew or the one adjacent, you could deposit or pick up letters with no one the wiser. It simply looked as if you were deep in prayer. The only drawback was that if someone was already in the pew, you had to wait until they left, and, for whatever reason, the devout in Richmond were fond of that particular spot.
As luck would have it, Anna was in and out in less than ten minutes. Having deposited her letter and collected one that was there, she was soon on her way back to the milliner’s. Her curiosity was piqued by the letter, as she wasn’t expecting one. However, she had learned long ago that trying to read anything before regaining the safety of her room at home was not worth the stress. Pushing the letter from her mind and enjoying the first solitude she’d had all day, Anna decided to take a meandering stroll in hopes that it would settle her nerves. Until the milliner’s shop, she had begun to fear that she would be unable to deliver her message. Now that it was safely tucked away, she could relax. Relaxing meant that her mind turned to Benjamin. With her daughter fixed at her side, she hadn’t dared to dwell on thoughts of him, but now that she was alone he filled her mind. She had not heard from or about him since his departure. Not that she expected word from him, but it saddened her all the same.
In fact, melancholy now filled her days since he had left. She needed something new in her life, something to distract her. Anna remembered there was a Confederate supply yard that one of her spies had been trying to infiltrate for several months, to no avail. If she had her bearings correct, it shouldn’t be far from where she was now. With renewed purpose, she turned in the direction she thought the yard lay. Anna was almost correct about its location but eventually was forced to ask a passerby for precise directions as the condition of the buildings around her had started to grow shabbier and shabbier, and her hollow heel had started to work its way loose. Apparently she hadn’t secured it back in place as well as she had thought.
Thankfully the directions she received were good, and Anna soon found herself standing in front of two giant wooden gates. It was immediately apparent why her spy had failed to gain any information: the supply yard was completely surrounded by a tall fence. Even a tall man would not have been able to see in, and from the looks of it, you had to be a Confederate soldier to gain admittance. Anna knew that she shouldn’t loiter. What possible reason could she have for being there if asked? Even so, she couldn’t help looking around to see if there was any avenue of entry that had been missed.
The fence was impenetrable, so unless she wanted to examine every board until she found a knot that could be worried out, looking there would be fruitless. Expanding her search, Anna’s gaze fell on the buildings across the street. Unlike those on either side of the yard, these had two stories. At street level, there were signs advertising the skills of the craftsmen inside. It appeared that the second stories were strictly residential. If only one of them had a room to rent, all of her problems would be solved. This thought made her smile. She had never before wished to rent a room, much less one in an undesirable part of town.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
Anna practically jumped out of her skin when the man touched her arm. She was so engrossed in the buildings across the street that she hadn’t realized that he had walked up or that he was talking to her.
“Please excuse me, I didn’t mean to startle you, ma’am, but you don’t look as if you’re from around here, and I was thinkin’ that you could probably use some help.”
Anna pressed her hand to her chest trying to steady herself and calm her breathing. The young soldier, really more of a boy, was now holding onto her other arm and looking at her with a startled look. He probably thought she was going to faint, and for some reason that amused Anna, which helped her to regain her composure.
“Some help, yes, I could use some.” Anna looked back across the street for inspiration, then back to the soldier. “I am supposed to meet my daughter at the milliner’s, but I’m afraid that I have gotten myself lost.”
The soldier smiled. “Why yes, you certainly did, ma’am. There ain’t a mill’ner anywhere near these parts.”
“Oh dear.” Anna tried to make her face look as helpless as possible.
“Never you fear, ma’am. You stay right here, and I’ll run over yonder to fetch you a cab.”
“I would be ever so grateful. You are too kind.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
The boy smiled widely, tipped his hat, and ran off down the road. Anna watched him go, thankful that he had believed her story, then made one more quick inventory of her surroundings. She wistfully looked back up to the second-story windows and saw a young woman awkwardly situating a chair in front of the window directly across from the supply yard. The woman sat and pulled out what appeared to be a pencil and small book. From that vantage point, Anna was sure that the woman could clearly see everything in the yard.
The young soldier returned with a hackney, and Anna redirected her attention to him as he gallantly helped her up and told the driver where to go. Anna gave him a coin and thanked him again. Thrilled, the boy tipped his hat and took off down the road, probably in search of some ale. As soon as he was gone, Anna turned to peer out the other side of the cab at the young woman in the window again. She had a perfect view. Anna turned back around and settled into the seat. Yes, she thought, she would have to send someone around to recruit that young lady. She would prove most valuable.