This chapter is dedicated to tallmadgerose, who managed to get me out of my writer's block with her review.:)

~*~ Summer 1770~*~

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Twelve, nearly thirteen-year-old, Lydia Woodhull set the book she had been reading down on her desk by candlelight. She glanced at her door and listened, to make sure she didn't hear the sound of footsteps coming toward her room.

Tap.

Another pebble pelted against her window. Excitedly, Lydia practically jumped from the chair she was seated on. She quickly walked across the floor in her stockinged feet and pushed the window open. The moon was in the sky, the stars twinkled overhead, and a cool evening breeze blew. It was the perfect evening.

"One of these days you're going to break that window, Benjamin Tallmadge," Lydia said without even looking down to see if it actually was him. She knew that it was him. He was only the one that ever knocked on her window. Lydia glanced down to find him grinning at her, which made her smile. Ben motioned for her to climb down. She glanced toward her door once more and listened carefully. There were no noises. Her father was not coming, something she always fretted about. With a great sense of relief, Lydia whispered, "Just a moment, Benj."

By this point, she had been corresponding with Ben Tallmadge for nearly a year now. Lydia enjoyed his letters, hearing of his misadventures at Yale. His correspondence was regular too. He responded to her letters promptly and it seemed like she was the one who took forever to respond. But Ben never said anything about the matter. And since he had been back in Setauket, Ben always managed to seem to make time for her. In the day, he often spent his time with Caleb and Abe; but he came calling quite often in the evening.

Lyda struggled to get her shoes on. If she would have known that Ben wanted to see her this evening, she never would have taken them off. The wretched things were a pain to get on. When she finally had them on her feet, she pulled her cloak off its peg and then walked to her open window. She carefully swung her legs over the window ledge before she climbed down the trellis. Ben reached up to help her down and she allowed him to assist her. He quickly took her hand and helped her reach the ground safely.

"What took you?" Ben asked, still holding her hand.

"My shoes," Lydia frowned. "I didn't know you were coming."

This time, it was Ben who frowned. "I placed a black-eyed Susan on your porch." That was their signal when he wished to meet with her in the evening. He would place a black-eyed Susan on her front porch.

"Let's go have a look then." Still holding onto Ben's hand, Lydia dragged him along with her as she quietly made her way around to the front of the house. Ben showed her where he had placed the flower, but it was not there nor had it fallen to the ground. "Perhaps Aberdeen swept the porch after you placed it."

Ben shook his head. "I made certain she swept before."

Lydia sighed. "Well, either we can continue looking for it or we can do otherwise."

Without even taking a moment to mull things over, he whispered, "Otherwise." Ben then tugged her along behind him as they ran away from Whitehall. Lydia felt exhilarated as the cool night air stung her cheeks. She couldn't help but smile.

They were almost to the trees when Lydia's cap fell off her head. "Benj! My cap!" she shouted. She pulled her hand out of Ben's and ran back to pick up her fallen cap. Ben stopped and watched her in amusement as she plucked the earth from her cap.

"Does that thing ever stay on?" Ben laughed tugging her cap in front of her face.

Lydia groaned. He was always doing that. So, she fixed her cap and stood a little taller, eyeing him, before she responded, "No." She grinned and then took off in a sprint. "Catch me, Benj!"

Ben easily caught up to her, but Lydia knew he would. He grabbed her from behind and swung her around once, causing her to lose her cap once more. Releasing her, he chuckled and picked up her cap. He handed it to her. Lydia accepted the cap, but instead of putting it on, she jumped up and tried to put it on Ben's head. Due to their height difference, she missed.

"What are you doing?" Ben laughed as he caught her arm.

Still, on her tiptoes, Lydia answered, "Since you're always teasing me about my cap, I think you should give it a go."

Ben shook his head as he plucked the cap from Lydia's hand. He placed it on his head. "How do I look?" he asked, sounding far more serious than he actually was. When Lydia started to giggle, he removed the cap and placed it on her head. He then tugged it in front of her face for good measure.

"Benj," Lydia groaned.

They eventually found their way to "their" tree that overlooked the sound. This tree had been "theirs" since Lydia had found Ben there, after his mother had died. She had climbed the tree right after him and stayed there until he finally came out. Whenever someone couldn't find Ben, this was the first place she looked. This was also where they usually came for their nightly visits.

The moonlight shone off the gentle water. The place looked so serene, it could take one's breath away. Ben offered his hand to help Lydia down. She held onto his hand as she sat down on the ground. Lydia leaned her back against the tree as Ben took his seat beside her.

"I want to show you something," Ben said. He pulled something from his coat pocket. It was metal and glinted in the moonlight.

"What is it?" Lydia asked quizzically.

"It's a Cardan grille. They're used to encode secret messages in everyday correspondence." Ben then procured a letter from his pocket. "See here, Nathan sent me a letter using it." Ben placed the grille over his letter. Sure enough, words appeared precisely in the holes of the grille to reveal a message. Lydia wasn't quite sure what the message meant, but it must have meant something to Ben and Nathan Hale, his roommate at Yale, because he smiled.

Lydia grabbed the grille and examined it, holding it up in front of her and looking out to the sea through the holes. She caught Ben staring at her. She shook her head and went back to looking at the grille, but Ben still would not stop looking at her with a stupid grin on his face. Lydia arched an eyebrow. "What?" she questioned, laying the grille on her lap.

"I'm going to marry you someday, Lydia Woodhull," Ben said rather confidently.

"Sure you are," Lydia scoffed, nudging him with her shoulder. That wasn't the first time she had heard that. In fact, the people of Setauket assumed as much. "Meaningless. Meaningless." She waved her hand through the air as she jokingly quoted Ecclesiastes back to him.

While Ben knew that Lydia was only teasing him, it still riled him up enough that he jumped to his feet. It was as if a fire had been lit beneath him. "I am. And I will prove it to you."

Lydia curiously watched as Ben dug through the bramble. He grabbed a rock, looked it over in his hand from the light of the moon before he tossed it away. Ben did this several more times until he found the type of rock he was looking for. Then he started pressing the rock against the bark of the tree. Lydia stood and brushed off her petticoats to better watch what he was doing.

Ben looked very solemn as he carved a letter B and then a T into the bark. When he was done he turned toward Lydia and held the rock out for her. "Go on," he said.

Lydia accepted the rock and began to carve her initials into the tree. It took much more strength than she had anticipated. Ben made it look easy. It took Lydia nearly twice as long as Ben to carve her initials into the tree. The W gave her some trouble, but Ben helped her. He gently placed his hand on hers and added more pressure to finish off the W. He then moved her hand so that they made a + between their initials.

When they were done, Lydia leaned backward to admire their work, accidentally leaning into Ben. Lydia quickly apologised and made to move, but Ben's arms held her in place. Her face flushed. For a moment, her thoughts quickly flitted to her mother. A mother she knew very little about, but she did know that her mother was only fourteen when she wed Richard Woodhull. Lydia was a little over a year from being fourteen herself...

Ben cleared his throat, knocking her out of her reverie. "It could use a heart, don't you think?" Lydia said teasingly.

Ben rolled his eyes. He reached over her shoulder and carved a heart around their initials. When the heart was finished, he glanced at Lydia to see if she was satisfied. It was a good thing the moon was their only light because Lydia's face was quite flushed when she nodded her head. Ben's hand traced the wood after the W. "Perhaps we should add a T after that W, just for good measure."

"Benj!" Lydia gasped as he started to etch into the tree once more. She quickly reached out her arm and tugged at his. "Benj! Someone might see."

"Let them," he laughed.

"Benj!" Lydia tugged at his arm again. Ben laughed and dropped his arm to his side. The faintest trace of the start of the T was etched into the bark.

"We're going to finish that one day," Ben told her. Lydia smiled softly. "But for now..." he continued. "I should get you home." Ben offered Lydia his arm and she accepted. Together, they walked away trusting that one day they would be back.

~*~ November 1776~*~

Anger burned within her as Lydia stood on the Brooklyn ferry, overlooking the water. She stood there with her cloak wrapped tightly around her, hoping that perhaps Abraham was wrong, but knowing that he was right about their father. It was so like him to endeavour such a thing and she wanted nothing to do with him. So, Lydia purposely stood a safe distance away from him and Abraham, lest her temper get the better of her. It would hardly be appropriate to make such a scene in public. But it would be even worse to do so on the ferry, for it would leave her no route for escape. Instead, she sat there stewing on Abraham's words, wishing that Ben were there to save her from this fate. But he wasn't and she knew that.

Lydia glanced around the ferry and rolled her eyes. Every passenger aside, from herself, was a man. She could almost feel her father sizing each of the men up as a suitable match for her. Although, from the looks of the men, none of them would likely be deemed worthy. But if her father was intent on securing a match before leaving York City, then he would certainly be lowering his standards considerably. For the last few years, that had been her saving grace, that her father found no man acceptable for her. It had given her time with Ben that she wouldn't have otherwise had, had her father been more intent on her settling down. But everything had changed with the war going on.

Richard Woodhull slowly made his way over to his only daughter, leaving Abraham standing by himself staring out at the water. When he approached her, he gently patted his hand on her shoulder, but Lydia shirked from his touch. She knew it was childish, but she had no other way to show her displeasure. He didn't know that she knew, so Richard looked at Lydia with a confused expression on his face. Lydia said nothing.

"Are you feeling well, Lydia?" Richard asked her.

Lydia stood there with her head held high and again, she said nothing, pretending that she hadn't heard him. Again, quite childish, but perhaps there was a small hope if he saw she was still quite immature, he might change his mind on the matter and find her not yet ready to make a suitable wife.

Richard cleared his throat. "Lydia, I asked if you were feeling well," her father pressed.

Clutching her cloak a little tighter, holding her head a little higher, she answered without looking at him. "I'm well enough, Father." Her response was curt and her tone cold.

Knowing that the journey had been long, Richard chose to ignore her tone. Instead, he fished a rosette out of his pocket and tried to hand it to her. But she continued to stare out at the water. "Give me your hand," he commanded his daughter.

Lydia reluctantly raised her arm and opened her hand in front of her father. He set the rosette on her palm almost gleefully. "This will show our leaning at a glance," he told her.

Our leaning? She questioned in her head. Her father knew nothing about her leaning. The only one who knew a thing about it was Benj. She had seen firsthand the aftermath of Lexington and Concord with him and the rebel caused had been fanned into a flicker of a flame there. She had tried to comfort a man inflicted with gunshot wounds with the words of the twenty-third Psalm from the good book, only to watch him die in front of her very eyes. That had changed things for her. She understood her father's leanings, but her experience and Benj sided her against him. It was certainly a precarious situation.

Having not grasped her fingers around the rosette, a gust of wind blew if from her hand and into the sea. Richard tried to catch it, but Lydia simply watched it fall into the sea with no expression on her face, her hand still out in front of her. He hissed his daughter's name, but she said nothing. She did nothing. She just stood there with a streak of defiance on her face.

Richard seemed quite baffled by his daughter's behaviour. This wasn't like her. She usually reserved her defiance for matters privately in the confines of their home, not in public and certainly not in front of strangers. He had raised her better than that and her behavior sparked his temper to flare. "What is the meaning of this, Lydia?" he hissed, only for her to hear.

Lydia continued staring out at the water. For a moment, she stubbornly didn't respond. But even when she finally did respond, she did not answer her father's question. "Why did you bring me to York City, Father?"

He shifted his stance and set his jaw. He had not anticipated that question from her...at least, not before they set foot on York City. "I thought it would be nice to bring you and Abraham along...like old times."

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Lydia was angered by his response. It was quite rare that she and Abraham went along with him to York City, especially given how frequently her father made the trip. It also angered her that he was choosing to appeal to her sentimental side rather than tell her the truth. Lydia turned and looked directly at her father. She asked, "Are you not feeling true, Father?"

Those were words she had heard her father utter on several occasions when he knew the person was lying. He should recognise them. And he did.

Richard was taken aback by her use of his words on him. This was not where he had anticipated their conversation to head. He glanced at his daughter, who stood there with her jaw set and her position seemingly firm. If she knew that he was not being true, then she knew his true reason for bringing her to the city. That explained things, but it didn't excuse them. "How do you know?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Lydia refused once again to look at him. She directed her response to the water.

"I asked you a question, Lydia."

She took a deep breath and spoke, but refused to look at her father. "I was suspicious from the onset, Father. You never allow me to accompany you to York City anymore. But it was Abraham who confirmed it."

"I never should have told him," Richard muttered.

"You're right. You should have told me." Lydia's eyes narrowed at her father. This was probably the most disobedient she had been with him for some time. She could tolerate most of his misgivings, but she refused to be made a fool especially when it concerned the prospect of marriage. She refused to be one of those girls. That was where she drew the line.

Richard grabbed hold of his daughter's arm and eyed her suspiciously. "Watch your tongue, daughter."

"Or what? You'll marry me off?" Lydia arched an eyebrow at her father before she turned to walk away from him, but the grip on her arm tightened.

Richard leaned in close toward her and whispered in her ear. "This sort of charade is precisely why I am doing this. I see now that a husband is exactly what you need to grow you up. I've tolerated your behavior thus far, but do not expect a husband to do the same."

Lydia narrowed her eyes at her father. "You will no doubt pick one that will make me the most miserable." Her words were meant to sting. If he truly loved her, he wouldn't do this. But she also knew that her father would never accept that sort of logic because he believed the opposite to be true. That because he loved her, he should find her a suitable husband. The only problem was that Lydia had already found the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her father just didn't approve.

Richard found his daughter being insufferable and was about to tell her so, but Abraham interrupted them wanting to discuss something further about the business venture they were to undertake. He released his daughter's arm and walked away with him, leaving Lydia to sulk.

She sat down on a barrel, trying to keep her tears from spilling from her eyes. Abraham glanced her way, while their father's back was to her. He nodded his head at her. So, he had saved her. Lydia's thoughts on her brother were conflicted. One moment, he's all for spying for the Rebels. The next, he's telling her to abandon the notion and anything to do with the love of her life. Then this. Lydia was not sure what to think of Abraham anymore. She wished Ben were here to sort out the matter. But he was not and there was nothing in her power that she could do.

When the ferry made it's landing, Lydia quickly scrambled to be one of the first to disembark. She refused to wait for her father or Abraham to help her off the ferry. No, she wanted nothing to do with either of them right now. She moved to help herself off when a hand extended toward her from the pier. "May I?" a voice asked.

Lydia looked at the stranger. He stood tall dressed in his Royal Army uniform. His hair was pulled back neatly into a braid. He also sported a thinner braid, which she found rather odd, but she said nothing. She vaguely recognised him from the ferry trip but he likely saw the scene she had caused.

Lydia didn't have time to think much on the matter because the passengers behind her wished to disembark. She nodded her head, accepting the man's offer. He took her hand firmly in his and helped her onto the pier.

"Thank you..." Lydia said trailing her words because she was not sure whom to thank.

The man smiled a thin smile and slightly bowed before her, still holding her hand. "Major John Andre at your service."

"Thank you, Major Andre." He released Lydia's hand and stood there tall beside her, waiting with her. It was rather unnerving. Lydia was not quite sure what he could possibly want.

"You are quite welcome, Miss Woodhull."

In confusion, she looked at the man. How did he know who she was? Major Andre must have picked up on this because he chuckled. "Your reputation precedes you."

Lydia wasn't sure whether to be flattered or offended.

But Major Andre continued, "Star of Setauket, Jewel of Long Island, many a name I've heard for you. While they each have a certain ring to them, they hardly do you justice."

She blushed at Andre's attempts to flatter her. She didn't blush because of the man giving her the compliments, but rather the fact that people outside of Long Island had heard of her. "How-how is it you know who I am?"

"I make it my business to know who comes in and out of this city, Miss Woodhull," Major Andre answered before he relaxed his expression to a soft smile. "Not to mention that your father visits York City frequently and I've heard speak of you. I made an intuitive leap that you were his daughter judging from your...interaction back there."

Her already pink face blushed even more. He had witnessed the tense exchange with her father. She cast her eyes downward. She mused that she should apologize for the exchange, but she hadn't the opportunity to do so because it was then that her father and Abraham appeared at her side.

"Major Andre," Richard Woodhull greeted, extending his hand toward the man. It was clear the two had met before. Although, Lydia wasn't sure the exact nature of their relationship.

Major Andre accepted Richard's handshake. "Judge Woodhull," the British officer greeted. "What brings you to York City? I was expecting you at the end of the month, good sir."

"Ah, yes, well, matters at home are increasingly requiring my attention. I thought I'd bring my son Abraham to explain to him our business in the city." Richard released Major Andre's hand. He then looked at Lydia rather scornfully. She knew that he did not want her to create another scene. Major Andre did not seem to miss the look between the father and daughter, but he said nothing on the matter.

"Where are my manners?" Richard chuckled. "Major Andre, this is my son Abraham," he gestured toward his son. Abraham stepped out from behind his father shook the officer's hand. Richard continued. "And this is my daughter, Lydia."

Lydia forced a smile.

"We've already had the pleasure," Major Andre chuckled. Lydia nodded her head and gave a slight curtsy toward Major Andre. The British officer bowed his head before he turned once more to the men. "Perhaps I can escort you through the city," he offered.

"A fine idea," Richard agreed.

Major Andre offered Lydia his arm. Richard glanced at Lydia, his expression telling her to accept...or else face the consequences later. So, she accepted his arm. Lydia gently placed her hand on Major Andre's arm and walked down the cobblestone streets of York City. It was much more different here than in Setauket. The streets were filled with all sorts of people. The place was quite bustling. Lydia thought she could lose herself in the madness had it not been for Major Andre's arm guiding her.

Two immoral women attempted to stop them, offering to show the men a good time. They even offered to teach Lydia their ways to please a man. The comment made Lydia blush, clearly uncomfortable with such talk. But Richard simply chuckled and told them maybe later before pushing ahead. When they were several feet away, Abraham and Major Andre burst into laughter.

"Maybe later?" Abraham laughed.

Richard chuckled in response.

Lydia glanced backward at the women. She could not help but wonder how those women had ended up in their situations. She then made a silent prayer that she would never be forced into such a situation herself. She just couldn't bear the thought of being reduced to something such as that. Although, she highly doubted most of those women chose their profession and were instead forced into it.

Holding her head a little higher, Lydia faced forward again and turned her thoughts back toward the business of York City. She was not sure that she would ever like to live in York City, but if that was where Benj...She stopped herself from continuing with such thoughts. If her father's plan succeeded, she would be leaving York City an engaged women. Perhaps, even married. Lydia frowned. There had to be a way around all of this.

Shouts of Judge Woodhull echoed through the streets, causing the Woodhulls and Major Andre to come to a halt. Lydia glanced around curiously, trying to find the person shouting for them when her eyes spotted a man donning a red coat waddling toward them. The man smiled at her father but when he spotted her, something about his smile changed. His eyes appeared more lustful. Lydia removed her hand from Andre's arm and pretended to be fuss with her hat to distract herself rather than be forced to watch that man lust after her.

"Magistrate," the man greeted her father, extending his hand. Richard and the man shook hands. "You're a sight for sore eyes and salivating palate." The man paused and glanced at Lydia. "Brought the bacon, have we?" he asked with a sly grin which sent shivers up Lydia's spine.

Richard glanced at Lydia. She could see something in his eyes that hadn't been there before. There was now no doubt in Lydia's mind that her father thought of this man as a potential suitor. He should know that she would never be happy in such a marriage. To this man, she would be nothing but a pair of hips to birth children and a pretty piece to have on his arm when necessary social occasions arose. This man could never love her. Not like Ben did. She wanted to cry. But she continued to uphold her composure.

Her father cleared his throat. "Just my children, Abraham and Lydia."

The man shook Abraham's hand as her father introduced him as Colonel Cooke. Cooke then took a step toward Lydia and took hold of her hand. He bent slightly and kissed her hand. It took everything in her not to show how repulsed she was by this man's action. Lydia made brief eye contact with John Andre, who was still standing there observing. Major Andre pursed his lips and appeared deep in thought as Colonel Cooke stood upright once more.

"Pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Woodhull. Your father talks a great deal about you. To think I thought he was overselling you. That no one could quite possibly be as beautiful as he claimed, but it appears he may have undersold you."

Lydia forced a smile on her face and daintily nodded her head, as every good lady should. Thankfully, before she had to say anything, Major Andre cleared his throat to take his leave. "I'm afraid I best be off," Andre said, his tone rather pleasant.

"Won't you join us for dinner this evening, John?" Colonel Cooke said before turning toward Richard. "John always has the best stories to tell and he's just returned from a trip. Surely, he has something good to share."

Lydia looked at him with pleading eyes. She was not sure why, but she felt she would be more comfortable at dinner if he was present. He would not be the man lusting after her, a father trying to sell her off to the highest bidder, or a brother convinced this was for the best. For some reason, Major Andre brought her a small sense of comfort.

Major Andre smiled slightly. "I have some affairs to put in order, but I shall be there," he told Colonel Cooke.

"Splendid!" Cooke agreed.

Major Andre bowed his head and then took his leave.

Colonel Cooke approached Lydia and offered her his arm with a sly grin on his face. Lydia had the mind to refuse his arm, but before she could say anything, Colonel Cooke grabbed her hand and placed it on his arm for her. Her eyes widened in horror at his bold gesture, but her father just laughed it off. If Ben had ever done the same thing in front of him, he would have gotten angry. But now he was rather jovial. It unnerved her.

Lydia had no opportunity to flee because Colonel Cooke began dragging her along with him down the cobbled street. She made pleading glances to her brother to save her, but after making contact once he kept his gaze cast downward. Just when she thought things were getting better with Abraham, he had to do this. She never understood his indifference toward her. It angered her now.

When they arrived at the place where they would spend the next few nights, Lydia marched straight to her room claiming she needed to freshen up. She would certainly need to do so after she had herself a good cry. She flung herself on the bed and began to sob. It all felt too much for her. She wanted to go home, a home with Benjamin Tallmadge. For years now she could perfectly imagine their home. She could see the curtains fluttering in the breeze, a warm and inviting hearth, and Ben sitting in his study. But if she could not find a way past her father, that life would never be hers.

If only her father wasn't as scheming as the best of them, she might be able to resolve her situation. But Richard Woodhull had the law on his side and even if it wasn't, he could manage to make the law on his side. For years she had been proud of that fact, but now, it would likely be her downfall. Especially if he knew the truth of the matter. There would be no stopping him.

A knock came at the door. Lydia roughly wiped at her cheeks before she walked across the room to open the door. She expected it to be Abraham or her father there to scold her for being childish, but she was surprised to find a dark woman outside her door, holding onto one of her silk gowns. "Your father sent me to help you get ready for dinner, ma'am."

"Ready for dinner?" Lydia asked quizzically.

"Yes'm." The woman held up Lydia's blue silk gown toward her.

Lydia sighed and then allowed the woman to enter her room. When the door was closed, Lydia began to peel off the layers of traveling clothes she was wearing. When she was in nothing but her shift with her pockets strapped around her waist, she glanced at the woman. "Are you employed by Colonel Cooke?" Lydia asked.

"Yes'm," the woman answered as she spread Lydia's things out on the bed.

Lydia exhaled a breath. Apparently, the woman wasn't much in the mood for discussion, but that was fine by her. She reached into her pocket to make sure the leather pouch was secure. When her hand found it, she gave it a pat for good measure before the woman began helping her into the fresh gown. They then moved on to fixing Lydia's hair. The woman then deemed Lydia acceptable for dinner and said that Lydia should join her father, brother, and Colonel Cooke shortly.

She nodded her head and stiffly sat down on the edge of her bed. A quick prayer was said to the Lord that he would somehow deliver her and send her a path that did not lead to marriage with Colonel Cooke. She prayed that Ben be kept safe and that he would one day be able to come for her. Lastly, she prayed that her father would change his heart on the matter, despite knowing it would take a miracle for it to ever happen.

After rising to her feet, Lydia squared her shoulders and walked downstairs where she found the men waiting for her. They all stood at her entrance into the room. Colonel Cooke immediately came to her side to escort her toward the dinner table when Major Andre came through the door.

"John! How good of you to join us!" Colonel Cooke greeted the major, moving toward him to shake hands. Lydia was glad for the reprieve from Cooke's touch. She knew she was probably being too quick to judge the man, perhaps he would make a fine husband to some woman. Just not her.

Lydia took the opportunity to reach for her brother's arm, sending him a you owe me glance. Abraham simply nodded his head. From her brother's arm, Lydia made eye contact with Major Andre. He nodded his head toward her and she returned the gesture. She did not even know the man, but she was glad that he was able to distract Colonel Cooke from more advances.

Once they were seated at the dinner table, Lydia sat across from Major Andre and to the right of Colonel Cooke. While the food was delicious, sitting at the table was almost unbearable. Colonel Cooke, whom she was now told to call Jonathan, accidentally brushed his foot against hers several times and his hand strayed to her knee nearly a dozen times. Each time, she would try to brush his hand away and he would grin at her. It was like he considered this a game of cat and mouse. The harder Lydia tried to refuse him, the more brazen he became and Lydia was fairly certain her father knew what was happening. If Ben was here he would never stand for it.

But Ben wasn't there nor would he come waltzing through the door to save her. There was only one thing she could do.

"I'd like permission to be excused," Lydia said to her father. Her tone was demanding, not seeking permission.

Richard opened his mouth to refuse her, but Lydia had predicted such a move. So she announced, "The journey was quite taxing on my weary body."

Colonel Cooke was the first to respond, clearly trying to win her favour. "If you're quite certain, my dear," he said reaching for Lydia's hand.

Lydia nodded her head.

"Then by all means. You'll need your rest for tomorrow."

Tomorrow? Lydia's brow furrowed in confusion and before she could question him, her father bid her good night. With a sigh, Lydia stood up and walked to her father. She pressed a chaste kiss on his cheek as she was in the habit of doing before she took her leave. Her thoughts were still focused on Colonel Cooke's words.

Lydia was just about to undress when a knock came at her door. The woman who had helped her dress earlier stood outside her door. "Major Andre would like a word in private, ma'am," she said. "He's in the front hall."

With a sigh, Lydia walked back downstairs to find Major Andre pacing the front hall. She stopped to look at him quizzically. He looked over his shoulder before he motioned for her to follow him. So, Lydia did. She followed him into Colonel Cooke's study.

For a moment, they stood there in silence. Lydia was not sure what to say to this man. He was everything she was against. He stood for a king, whereas Lydia did not. He represented what Lydia resented. And yet, for some reason, there was an odd sense of peace that Lydia could not describe with him. Although, had the man known Lydia's true feelings, things might be different.

Andre closed the gap between them and made an intense eye contact with her. "Have you yet been made aware of tomorrow night's proceedings?" he asked her.

Lydia's brow furrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Precisely as I thought," he sighed. Andre pursed his lips for a moment and contemplated moving forward. But he did. "Colonel Cooke is hosting a dance in your honor tomorrow in hopes of finding you a suitable match, or so he is claiming. He, of course, intends on announcing his engagement to you at the end of the evening. He and your father have it all worked out. From what I have heard, I believe a Christmas wedding has been proposed."

Lydia's face blanched. Her eyes widened in shock. For a moment she could not speak. She could not process Major Andre's words. Her world was crashing down around her, much faster than she had anticipated. "Why-why tell me this?"

"Clearly you are not interested in marrying-let alone marrying him- and you are being forced into an engagement by your father."

"That does not explain why you are telling me this," Lydia said folding her arms stubbornly across her chest.

"This is going to sound insane, but please hear me out, Miss Woodhull. I propose that we announce our engagement at the start of the party."

Lydia choked, looking at him incredulously with her mouth wide open perfectly shaped in an o. "Excuse me?" First, he was telling her that her father planned on forcing her into an engagement with Colonel Cooke and now he was proposing marriage. Was he mad? She looked at him incredulously.

Major Andre held up a hand. "From what I hear, your father simply wants to see you engaged before leaving York City. Colonel Cooke just happened to be the most interested his last few trips."

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Does everyone know my father's plans but me?" She shook her head and looked Major Andre in the eyes. "As you so perfectly pointed out, I have no interest in marrying. Why do you think I'd want any part in this?"

Major Andre smiled. "I never said we'd marry. I proposed we announce our engagement. There's a difference. I too have no desire to marry. An engagement would seem to solve both our problems with the world outside. I was thinking we would have a nice long engagement. Perhaps a couple of years. During that time, I suggest we correspond as to not raise suspicions. Should neither of come to have feelings for the other in due time, I will take full responsibility when the engagement breaks."

"A charade? You want me to participate in a charade with you?" Lydia arched an eyebrow. "What's in it for you?"

"Your father has nearly driven me and my men insane with all his talk of you. I would consider it sweet revenge to help his daughter from fully satisfying his wishes. I also have no desire in seeing a woman of your stature forced into a loveless marriage as many are in the practice of doing. Call me a romantic, but I do believe in marrying for love. I am trying to help you."

"And?" Lydia questioned, resting her hands on her hips.

"And?"

"I assume there's something more on my part, should I agree."

Andre clasped his hands behind his back and nodded his head. "And...I'm adjutant of gathering intelligence and in need of a female agent on Long Island."

"A spy?"

"An agent. No one ever need know."

"You have men on Long Island. I see no use for a female agent."

"Very well, there may not be a use for one, but there could be. As a citizen of Long Island, you know the people better than my men ever could. You might hear things my men might not otherwise be privy to. You're not the first woman I've drafted into service."

Lydia's brain was swimming. She was not sure what to think. While she did not want to be engaged to Major Andre, she also did not want to be wed at Christmas to Colonel Cooke. Andre's deal almost sounded too good to be true. But there was the detail about the spying. It was odd for a man to entrust such a thing to a woman. But she could not in good conscience pass along information to him. She could not betray Ben like that.

"I need an answer, Miss Woodhull," Major Andre whispered.

Lydia inhaled. She needed to do something to protect herself. She could run away. Although she would never make it very far. She would likely only make it as far as Holy Ground and that was not a path she was interested in pursuing. She could turn down Major Andre's proposal and find herself engaged to Colonel Cooke tomorrow evening and married before the end of the year. That seemed like a path she could never get off. She couldn't hurt Ben like that. Andre was right, his proposal was likely her only option. It was the only thing she could do to buy herself time. Time to figure out what to do next.

Glancing at Andre, she was nearly shaking. This was not how she had imagined things would go, but she had no other choice. This was not what she had expected as an answer to her prayer, but if it was what God was giving her, she better take it. She thought of Ben before she made her decision. "I accept," she barely choked out.

Major Andre nodded his head. "Until tomorrow, then."

With that he turned swiftly on his heel, leaving her standing there in shock. Lydia was not entirely sure what she had gotten herself into. She only hoped that she would be able to explain things to Ben before word of her engagement somehow reached him.

Author's Note: Don't kill me! I am fully aware this is a BenxOC story. Please trust me. I promise that I have a plan. Sorry, it's been so long. Life. Ugh. The next two months are gonna be kinda crazy for me. I'm moving across the country for a new job, so please be patient with me...as you all have already been with me. I truly appreciate it. Much love! Thanks to tallmadgerose for their constant support and to nixdragon and Renny Autumn for beta-ing and fangirling with me.