Clovis took the glass of water and drank, being careful not to stir up the layer on the bottom. "No Evan, they did not. Ramsay was right. They overpowered us easily, shooting any man in the streets with a saber or dagger. Eighty of my hundred man volunteer force were gunned down in the first minutes of fighting. They forced the rest of us back into the citadel, which they then razed with volleys of cannon fire. I organized a retreat when there were only six of us left and we escaped to the well up on that hill," he said, pointing out the open door. "We camped there for two nights. The remaining five men all wanted to slip back into town and avenge the deaths of their fathers, brothers, and sons, but I held them back. At the end of the second night, I could no longer dissuade them. They saw the fight in me was gone. I awoke alone on the morning of the third day and bided my time for a week, living off of mollusks and water. I slipped back into town under the cover of darkness and stole a British wagon which I secretly loaded with stones from the collapsed citadel each night until I had enough to build this tower."

"How long did it take?"

Clovis shrugged. "A penance is measured by effort, not time."

"What happened to Ramsay?"

He swallowed the last of his stew and sat his spoon on the table. "He was put in irons and taken back to England in the belly of that ship where he was hanged for refusing to engage the enemy."

"And you?" I asked.

He sighed and sat back in his chair. "And I, I lived here."

"When did this happen?"

"A long time ago," he said, getting up from the table. "Can I take your bowl?"

"Yes," I said. "Thank you for the meal. It was delicious."

He nodded curtly and took my bowl. I could tell he was finished talking, and perhaps felt he had said too much. Drusel placed his bowl on top of the others and carried them outside. "Drusel will sleep in here. I will prepare our beds," he said, drifting into the side room. I followed him in and helped with his preparations. "I am sorry that I do not have a private room to offer you."

"Don't apologize Clovis. This is almost exactly like the place I lived in before I ran into Poppy."

A smile graced his lips as he fluffed his pillow. Drusel turned down the lantern and lay down in front of the hearth. The deep ticking of the clock mechanism atop the tower echoed through the silence.

"Thank you for telling me the story Clovis," I said into the darkness.

His blanket rustled as he turned to look over at me. My ears strained against the ticking for several seconds. "Thank you for asking."