Rutherford smiled, put a half-full glass of whiskey on the table in front of the Major, and then left, briefly interrupting them.

Allison replied openly, "I'm afraid, not the easiest." The coach got stuck in the mud with a broken wheel this morning due to an oversight with my accommodations on the first night. Allison thought he ought to thank those who had helped him.If the people in the area hadn't been so kind and helpful, I probably wouldn't have made it here on time.They seemed very thankful that the Army and Navy of His Majesty were here to protect them from the enemies that were threatening them.

Major Jake replied, "Yes," with a tone that suggested a different viewpoint. Even though that might have been the case in your situation, Lieutenant, you might be surprised to learn that not everyone is as thrilled as you are to have regular Crown forces in the colonies. First of all, I worry that the good people of Trenton won't like the idea of housing His Majesty's soldiers in their homes and hotels.I say, "damned ingratitude."

Allison wasn't sure what exactly prompted him to say that. Perhaps it was Jake 's aristocratic arrogance when he had just addressed the legal protests of his fellow colonists, some of whom probably lacked enough food to sustain themselves. Regardless, something had shattered his pride.

Sir, I was born in the colonies.

“Indeed?” Jake 's response managed to be both genuine curiosity and condescending resentment at the same time.

“Oh, yes, sir,” Allison continued, acting as though she had just changed the subject.I come from the frontier country of northern Pennsylvania. He let out a giggle. "I hadn't really considered it, but I'm now closer to home than I have been in a very long time. What Allison said was actually true, despite the childlike innocence of his claim.

Allison was now almost certain that Jake had no particular love for the colonists, but he didn't show any signs of being bothered.I can assure you, Lieutenant, that I am extremely far from my home;not to mention the fact that I'm also quite far away from the majority of my First Regiment brothers.

Jake had been putting an envelope and a different piece of paper on the table in front of him, but he had not said anything about them. He turned his attention back to Allison after glancing out the window, but he didn't seem to see what he had been waiting for. His whiskey had not changed.

"They are all currently defending northern New York and the Hudson Valley in Albany, or close to it." The Major went on. Naturally, you are aware of the Fort William Henry surrender from a month ago?

Although Allison had only received fragments of the news, he understood Jake 's meaning.

Yes, Mr. After the fort's honorable surrender, the native allies of the Marquis de Montcalm attacked British soldiers and civilians who were granted free passage.

"Exactly, Lieutenant!" Jake responded emphatically. Terms of honorable surrender were broken and ignored, our colonies were threatened by French victories in the North, and we were forced to walk through miles and miles of horrible forest while being attacked by wild animals.

Jake took a moment to look at him curiously. He then made an effort to pick up his glass with his right hand as he looked down at it, but he stopped and simply tapped his index finger on the table.He gave Allison a second look.

As I'm sure you are aware, "there is, of course, a much wider conflict being prosecuted."

Major, "Yes.The empire of His British Majesty is under threat everywhere."Exactly," Jake interrupted him, "and all who pledge their service to His Majesty and the Empire must and will perform their duty to the utmost if we are to be victorious!" in Europe, India, and the Caribbean.

Jake once more applauded him after his fervent, but very sensationalist, exhortation, but only after another sneaky glance out the window. At that late hour, Allison couldn't help but wonder exactly who or what was going to cross the street.What exactly is he seeking?

Allison's scarlet-clad companion appeared unperturbed despite those glances.He carried on, "But from time to time, Lieutenant, those responsibilities have to take on a different form. I'm talking about something that has the potential to become even less appealing than the bloodshed on the battlefield or the destruction of a ship to matchwood.I am not referring to merely a resemblance; rather, I am referring to a very real and genuine state of being that is, how shall I put it, bizarre and unnatural to genuine gentlemen?

Jake 's emphasis on the word "gentlemen" was a clear reference to Allison's acknowledged colonial upbringing. He was probably implying in a veiled way that Allison, regardless of his military rank, could never be placed in the same category as a genteel man like himself, who could easily make such a claim.When all he found the Major's attitude to be was truly pitiful rather than grossly insulting, Allison would not give him the satisfaction of watching him react.Tonight, Allison would not engage in personal honor duels.

The Major carried on. Mr. Allison, of course, I'm referring to the covert and the occult.I'm referring to the war of the mind and decisive action based on the most important commodity in times of war—information—not the canopied woodland verge, nighttime on the ocean's expanse, or starlit battlefield before dawn's combat.

I'm being enrolled as a covert operative! Allison had uneasy thoughts.