Chapter 10-- Loyalists Call

By the time they arrived home, Midnight was dragging her hooves. Yawning, Robyn dropped to the ground and opened the barn door. She led the mare inside and closed her in her stall. The black horse promptly closed her eyes.
The door squeaked, and the Shadow Fox spun around. Agent Chaplen leaned against it. Dark circles were under his eyes and his hair was quite messy. He look as if he hadn’t slept since she had rode off, and it was nearly dawn. Doubtlessly, the agent was as tired as his opponent.
“You are quite ingenious. Very clever. But,” he held up a finger, “one day, you will let your guard down, and I will have outsmarted you. Excuse me, “ he amended, “outfoxed you.”
“Don’t bet on it.” Robyn yawned, and Chaplen followed suit.
Agent Chaplen stepped away from the door and opened it. He waved a sleepy hand out into the yard. “Until next time, little fox.”
Robyn saluted wearily and strode through the door. She was too exhausted to consider he might have tricked her. Luckily, the agent was too tired for such a thought to even cross his mind. Although, she did have the presence of mind to pass the house then slip back in.

It was late morning when Ben entered her room. Robyn woke with a jolt, and tried to attack her brother with a pillow. After he had gotten her awake enough to tell him what was going on, Robyn told the entire story. Once she was finished, Ben hugged her and said, “ I glad you’re safe.”
He looked at her for a few minutes then asked, “What should I tell them? You can’t go down there looking like a nightmare. You need to sleep. I know, “Ben said suddenly, “I’ll tell them you are sick, sound good?”
Robyn nodded and lay back down. Ruffling her messy hair, Ben slipped out of the room so his sister could get some rest.

It was three in the afternoon before Robyn rolled out of bed. She yawned and stretched. The rest had restored her. Smiling at her refection in the mirror, she rubbed her mother’s old stage makeup over her scar. The girl winked at it, then strode down the stairs.
She was most surprised to hear voices other than her brothers and the British officers. They came from the kitchen, so Robyn made her way towards it. Other than her brother, Jacob and Alice Sumpter sat around the kitchen table. Ben was sipping coffee, but the Sumpter were drinking some of the officers’ tea. The two boys were arguing about politics, and Alice was daintily keeping out of it.
Just then, Agent Chaplen strode in from outside. He apparently had recently risen, and his black hair was pulled back into its usual pony-tail. He sat down at the table. Remembering her appearance, Robyn swiftly poured him a cup of coffee.
He sipped it, thinking it was tea. With a slight cough, the agent asked, “ Miss Rivers, would you pour me a cup of tea?”
“Oh goodness, certainly, Mr. Chaplen.” Robyn reached for the teapot and a new cup, but Alice beat her to it.
“Here, Agent Chaplen.” She shot a snobbish glance at Robyn.
Robyn shrugged. If Miss Sumpter wanted to wait on Chaplen hand and foot, it was perfectly fine with her. Ignoring Alice’s smirks in her direction, Robyn turned her attention to Ben and Jacob’s argument. The two had been good friends before the revolution had started, but were now on opposite sides.
“You heard the Shadow Fox got caught last night, no doubt,” Jacob said in a high and mighty tone.
Robyn chortled into her coffee.
Ben glanced at her with a slight smile. “I can assure you that he got away with out a scratch.”
His sister rolled her shoulder. It was still a bit sore, but she decided that there probably was not a scratch on it.
“And how can you be so sure?”
Agent Chaplen seemed to have gone unnoticed by Jacob. He was slightly glad of this because his sister was asking him if she could get anything for him every few seconds. He sipped his tea and wait for Ben’s reply with interest.
“I saw him come in last night.” Ben poured himself and Robyn another cup of coffee.
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Alice spoke up. “He’ll be hanged soon. Won’t he, Agent Chaplen?”
“Undoubtedly.” Chaplen gave her a look of annoyance.
Ben laughed. “I do not think so. He slipped right through the Redcoat’s fingers last night. As I understand, the whole thing was a trap.”
“He just got lucky,” Jacob sniffed.
“What does he look like, Ben?” Alice asked, batting her eyelashes.
“Well, he’s about this tall,” Ben held his hand up, “and wears a cloak and carries a sword.” He picked up his coffee and took a sip.
Alice frowned. “That’s not what I mean. Surely, you know who he is.”
Ben shrugged his shoulders. “Who’s to say I do?”
Alice opened her mouth to tell him he most certainly did, but Robyn spoke first. “If my brother knows anything about this “Smoke Wolf “ person, he most certainly would not tell you.”
Agent Chaplen rolled his eyes. She seemed to refuse to call people by their proper names. She was extremely dense.
Ben laughed into his coffee.
“It’s the Shadow Fox, Robyn. You are so daft,” retorted Alice with her nose in the air.

After the Supmters had left, Ben and Robyn went out to the barn to talk. Ben fed Midnight now that she was awake. The horse munched happily as Robyn stroked her neck. Smiling, the boy leaned against the stall door.
“The ‘Smoke Wolf,’ Robyn? That was hilarious! Did you see Chaplen’s face?” He laughed at the memory.
Robyn smiled. “Well, I wanted to say something to that annoying twit, but I’ve been avoiding mentioning my knowledge of the Shadow Fox in front of Chaplen. So, I changed the name a bit to make it seem I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
“Clever.”
“Thank you.”
They stood in silence for several minutes. A thought came to Ben’s mind, and he spoke it. “Are you planning another escapade any time soon?”
Robyn shrugged. “That all depends on what happens.”

-----
Hi from college! IT'S EATING MY LIFE!!!
Ahem. Anyway.
So, *quickly checks post* Alice went through several name changes. First, she was Jessica, until my Ethiopian sis picked that for her American name. Well, obviously, I couldn't have an annoying character with the same name as my sister, so, I changed it to Mary--a common name in those times. Babs has a little sister named Mary. So, now, she is Alice, until my parents adopt again and name her Alice, or Babs finds a long-lost cousin named Alice, or something. I just know they will do something mean like that. (naming her Alice, not adopting.... I mean, I have so many sibs already, one or four more won't change much!) Alice is so helpful in the future!! Plus more will be done with them. What, you didn't I'd be boring and just have them be the annoying loyalist neighbors, do you? No, they're really the ones with the uranium!!! Wait.... wrong story....
I know this may sound silly, but us creative types (be ye painter, writer, sculptor, or cook) like feedback. WE WANT YOUR OPINIONS! Yes, we are the few who actually care about your stupid--I mean, valuable, thoughts. So, when I see "0 comments" I do this----> :( *sniff* Because what us artist types really see is: "You have no comments! Wow, your work must smell worse than your roommate's 'man' scented air-freshener! Everybody hates your guts! They wouldn't care if you died and left this piece of muck unfinished!"
I'm just kidding about the air-freshener Dana--if you're reading, heh, just covering all my bases--it really smells niiiiiiiiice. ^.^"" Don't hurt me!
Anyway, you now know my feelings on this sad, depressing subject. I'm going to go cry in my emo corner now.
See ya'll next week if my roommate doesn't kill me first!

C.P. Out!