chapter 15: wordsmith

June 20 1776

Sarah pov

After the mail run, Sarah took to stationing herself in the print shop whenever James was working. There, she'd write letters to her mother, handle customers, and do whatever menial chore she could without leaving the room. Contrary to Moses, Henri and Dr. Franklin's opinions, she and James were not 'making cow eyes' at each other, and she was not 'just there to watch James work'. She was a proper English lady, and proper English ladies do not make cow eyes to or watch their fiancés work (even if said fiancé's sweat made his shirt cling to him like a second skin after a while, inadvertently showing off his hard earned muscles or if said fiancé made the cutest puzzled face whenever he found a mistake in the type).

Sarah was perched on her seat one hot June day, waiting for something, anything to do, when doctor franklin, john Adams, and a man she could not recognize marched in, nodded hello, and marched upstairs.

"What was that all about?" James voiced everyone's question.

"John Adams just proposed a document to break from England. They must be discussing it upstairs." Moses explained

"WHAT?" this final treason was the straw that broke Sarah's camel's back. Ever since the start of June, the world around Sarah had gone mad with talk of revolution. Everyone from the butcher to the baker to the sliver smith had their own opinion on the matter, and half of the time, it was treasonous. To break from England would mean certain doom.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah spotted James slowly made his way up stairs. She followed him, taking extra care to avoid being seen by any party. She found James kneeling against the door of dr. franklin's study.

"What are you doing?" her whisper cut through the silence of the hall. James jumped, shushed her, and motioned her closer to the door.

"We need a document to explain our reasons for breaking with England!" Adam's boisterous voice cut through the murmurs behind the door. A gasp worked its way out of Sarah's mouth before she could stop it. The conversation pause momentarily and James placed a reassuring arm around her waist.

"It'll be okay. Just wait and see." James whispered in her ear. Their closeness sent chills down her spine. She hesitated, and then laid her head on his shoulder, feeling him straighten underneath her.

"I write for my own enjoyment. That leaves only one man. Jefferson?"

"Me? Why"

Adam's interjected. "Clearly, you're the only one in a- how should I put this- favorable position to write this important piece of history."

"But-but- I've never written anything before in my life!"

"You'll be prefect. Just write what needs to be written."

"That's easier said than done, franklin." And before they could react, Jefferson threw open the door. Sarah and James topped one on top of the other into the open doorway, landing in a very indecent position. Both their faces reddened, and James withdrew his arm from Sarah's waist.

"Oh, I do beg your pardon." Jefferson blushed. Adams smiled and murmured something about "young love" to franklin. Sarah dusted herself off, curtsied politely and darted to her room. The nerve of that boy! She'd never been more embarrassed in her life, and all because of him! Sarah knew it was equality her fault, but it was easier to blame him.

Sarah gave him the cold shoulder the next couple of days, even going so far as relinquishing her post in the front of the shop. James tried to apologize at first, but after her cold response, he entered her snubbing game. An air of agitation settled over the print shop, everyone walking on eggshells to avoid the inevitable flare up between to two. Finally, doctor franklin broke the silence for them.

"I can't take this any longer. Sarah, James. Here's a list of things we need. Either go out together and get them or clear out the stable separately." They had just enough time to grab their baskets and the list before being unceremoniously pushed out the door. They walked in silence for some time, speaking only to the shopkeepers. Halfway home, James grabbed Sarah's arm and pointed through the window of a boarding house.

"Look, its Jefferson! I'd give anything to know what he's writing." A dreamy, longing look crossed his face.

Sarah smiled. "That can be arranged." She didn't leave time for James to answer. She sauntered to the door and knocked.

"Go away! I'm busy!"

"Chambermaid."

"Oh, all right. But be quick."

Sarah entered, emptied the trash bin and exited as quickly as she could. James was dumbfounded for a few minutes, but finally, just before they reached home, he spoke.

"You're amazing…"

A blush crept to Sarah's checks. "Thanks. It's all about using the right words."

A confused expression crossed James' face "what do you mean by that?"

"Well, the right word can make all the difference in a situation. The pen is mightier than the sword, after all. Words are a powerful force. Picking and choosing the right word is like picking and choosing the right house or land."

"Huh. I never thought of it like that."

They had reached the print shop by then. James opened the door gentlemanly for Sarah. The shop was empty, with only a note to give explanation.

Gone to a congressional meeting

-franklin, Moses, Henri

"Those little sneaks!" Sarah could tell James was enraged by his miss opportunity.

"Don't worry. Now we can look at these" Sarah placed the bag full of Jefferson's rejected drafts "without getting into trouble."

James picked one from the top "while in the course of a man life, it becomes". Frowning, he picked another "while in the course of human events, it becomes attractive to" Sarah grabbed one or herself "while in the course of human events it become necessary to "

She stopped reading. It never seemed real, until she'd seen it in writing. The world had come crashing down. She felt so many emotions wash over her. Fear, anger, and- dare she say it- joy, all mixed into one.

"I can't believe it!" the colonies are really breaking with England."

End

DUNDUNDUH! Though, if you didn't see America breaking from England coming, you need to take a better history class.

I thought the lesson on the importance of words was a little heavy fisted in the original episode, so I interjected some of my own personal opinions.

I'm not sure if Jefferson ever wrote anything before the declaration. I can tell you all about his political ideals and octagonal house, but after 11 years of schooling, I know next to nothing about the founding father most famous for his writing. That's public education for you!

So summer's coming up, and I have good news and bad news. The good news is SUMMER IS COMING! The bad news is that I'm going to be having surgery to correct a problem with my back. It's an easy procedure, but I will need a month or so to recover. I might be able to post a chapter beforehand, but if not, the next chapter will probably come late July or august (I'll have a lot of downtime during recovery, so I'll be able to write more).

Fan fact: the house where Jefferson wrote the declaration is now a burger stand. 'MERICA!