“Well…” With all that had happened overnight, I hadn’t had much chance to think about Lieutenant Duncan. Now I realized I did feel anxious about seeing him again. He’d been genuine and charming. A true surprise. But even Sewel had once seemed charming to Mama, and I couldn’t let myself forget that I was a purse to be won by Lieutenant Duncan. A financial consideration, not a romantic one. I couldn’t forget—or help resenting it.

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Oh, you are nervous! This is good. This is very good. We must find him immediately.”

“I don’t think he has arrived yet,” Lucy said.

“Perfect. When he does, he must see our Miss Coates conversing with the most eligible gentlemen here. A man does not value a tree if its fruits are left untasted.”

Lucy and I looked at each other. Charlotte didn’t read, but she liked to sound as though she did and occasionally created her own questionable quotes.

I couldn’t resist. “Am I the tree or am I the fruit, Char?”

“Never mind. Come. This is no time to shilly-shally.”

She hooked her arms through mine and Lucy’s, and we strolled toward the officers playing games in the sunshine. Charlotte fell into conversation with Benjamin Stone, a Loyalist refugee from South Carolina. Lucy chatted with Rebecca about Evelina, which Rebecca had finished overnight and adored. I placed myself near the most prominent gentlemen. One in particular I knew to be an influential Loyalist.

The men were discussing the French impact on the war. A year ago, in great part because of Dr. Benjamin Franklin’s diplomatic efforts, France had allied with America against England, their age-old enemy. The man who’d drawn me closer was Dr. Franklin’s own son, but unlike his father, William Franklin was staunchly loyal to the king.

“With the French alliance,” Mr. Franklin was saying, “this dispute between a nation and its unruly colony has turned into global chaos. Now our problems have spread like a pestilence. The Spaniards have entered as well—even as they continue to threaten Gibraltar—while the French have one foot securely in Senegal. Our Baltic shipping channels and West Indian interests are no longer secure. Even our home shores cannot be considered safe! We have the mightiest navy in the world, but we cannot be everywhere, holding sway over every corner of the globe.”

“You have a point,” said a man with olive skin and black hair. “ ’Tis unfortunate we’ve had to divide our naval might, but our southern strategy is sound and doesn’t depend on marine assaults.”