“Lord, yes!” Mrs. Kern laughed. “And he wasn’t the first or the only—You mind Abednego Sellars, that’s deacon at the New South Meeting? He had a ladyfriend lived in rooms at the Mermaid, in Lynn Street; he was here all the time at evening, all cloaked up like he thought nobody here would see his silver shoe buckles, to buy the where-withal to do his doxy justice. Then when things didn’t work out just as he’d planned, he’d be back, midnight sometimes, a-poundin’ on the Fishwire’s door and screamin’ at her that she was a witch who’d put a word on him, to keep him from doin’ the deed.”

There was general laughter, and Abigail traded a startled glance with Surry. Both of them knew Deacon Sellars, if not well, at least for a number of years. He was a pious and prosperous chandler, a pillar of his church and—Abigail knew—likewise a pillar of the Sons of Liberty, whose pamphlets he was in the habit of taking out of Boston in his deliveries of soap and candles to surrounding towns.

While it was true that Boston was a bustling town that seemed both enormous and crowded to her—particularly when first she had come to live there—she realized that in the five years that she’d lived on and off in Boston, she had come to know, at least by sight, scores of its inhabitants to whom she had never spoken, and by reputation, many more. Those who, like Deacon Sellars, had lived all their lives in the town would know its byways, and where to come if they wanted to deceive their wives or play cards or get drunk out of sight of the elders of their respectable churches.

And heaven knew, you couldn’t throw a rock in Boston without hitting someone at least sympathetic to the Sons of Liberty.

On the other hand, she reflected, as she and Surry made their retreat past the Blue Bull and out into Love Lane once more . . . On the other hand, it was curious.

And it might behoove her to find out a little more about Abednego Sellars. And she couldn’t keep herself from mentally adding, Carefully . . .

It was nearly ten in the morning—and poor Pattie was once again saddled with keeping the children at their lessons and beginning preparations for dinner in between her own, heavier tasks—and Abigail turned the corner onto Middle Street with a pang of guilt. A door opened just ahead of her and three men staggered out, dressed for some evening party and laughing with the exhausted silliness of men who’ve spent the night in the back room of a tavern (and the door was, indeed, of that description). Surry leaped nimbly aside. Abigail, less quick, found herself with one of them in her arms.

She stepped back and released him with an exclamation of disgust.