Napier held out his hand. “Please give me the message. If there is to be a response, I will send it directly.”

“Sir, I am charged to ask you a question first.”

Napier raised an eyebrow. “Indeed?”

“Sir, is it true that there are no slaves in England?”

He took a deep breath. Slavery was evil and before him stood a victim of that evil. He should rebuke her for her impertinence, but he would not. “It is true.”

Abigail's confidence grew. He hadn't thrown her out. “Is it not true that England's alliance with the Confederacy is based on the fact that the South's slaves will be freed following this war?”

Napier's temper began to fray. He would not be interrogated by a damned servant. Or slave. “Do you really have a message for me or not?”

“Documents, yes. sir. but not a message.”

Now Napier was thoroughly puzzled. The colored woman was highly articulate and not afraid of displaying it. He'd heard of educated slaves, but most in the South went out of their way to hide the fact lest they become the victims of white anger and jealousy.

Clarke made a move towards the woman. Napier waved him back. “Madam, why are you talking to me like this?”

“Sir, it is widely spoken that the alliance is a marriage of convenience and that England would now like to get out of it. Is that true?”

“I don't think I will discuss matters of national policy with you,” Napier responded sternly.

Abigail smiled inwardly. He hadn't denied it. “Then, if England truly wishes to break from the Confederacy, these may help it to do so.” She held out a small pack of papers. “I only ask one favor.”

Napier's anger faded and he was thoroughly intrigued. “And what might that be? Your freedom? That I cannot give you.”

“General Napier, if these documents are as important as I think, then my freedom will come swiftly. What I wish, however, is my safety. If, as I said, they are important, then the Confederate government and General Hampton will quickly figure out how you got them. If they are worthless, then discard them and I shall leave. However. I think they are of great worth and I will need your protection. Ultimately, I would like to get to the North.”

With that, she handed over the papers. Napier took them and began to read. Halfway through, she noticed that he was sitting up straighter than he had been. When he finished, he read them a second time. Then he folded them and put them inside his jacket. He smiled at Abigail.

“Thank you. You have done us all a great service. Captain Clarke!” The aide jumped from his chair. “Sir.”

“First send a message to Lord Lyons to meet me here as soon as possible. Then get me Major Arbuthnot from the cable office. After that, see if General Wolsey is strong enough for a conference. Finally,” he paused and looked at Abigail, whose composure had finally broken and who was quietly weeping. “See to it that this, ah, lady is transported in utmost secrecy to the fleet with instructions from me that she is to be taken to Canada as soon as possible. From there, arrangements are to be made to get her to New York.” Abigail began to cry openly. “Could it be Boston, sir? I have family in Boston.” Napier smiled expansively. “My dear lady, we would send you any place on this earth if you so wished it.”

My Dear General Hampton.

In response to your letter, let me give you the utmost assurances that the rumors are wrong. There is no agreement between Her Majesty's government and that of the Confederate States of America regarding manumission for the slaves in the Confederate States. All that was agreed to was the possibility that such could occur should it be the wish of the states that comprise our sovereign nation. Indeed, it would have been an utter fraud on my part to have made a promise to free the staves as it is unenforceable according to our law. As you well know, our new and untested Constitution contains several references to the legitimacy of slavery and, therefore, such manumission could not take place without amending our Constitution. As President, I have many powers, but that is not one of them.

I cannot rule out that manumission might happen in the future, but, if it does, it will be as a result of the wishes of the people of the Confederacy, I think you will agree that such approval is highly unlikely in the foreseeable future.

As to the rumor itself, it seems to have originated in England and it puzzles me as to why the British government has not taken steps to contradict it. It could be because they think it too preposterous to dignify, or it might be because they, for political purposes, wish to have their population think that it might be true, thus pandering to their significantly antislavery population. England is capable of incredible deviousness, so that latter idea is what I think has occurred. When the war is ended and we are victorious, then the whole matter will be deferred eternally and simply forgotten.

In conclusion, dear General Hampton, please do not permit such matters to concern you. What our nation needs is your presence back on the field of battle. Pay no mind to absurd rumors. Concentrate solely on regaining your health.

Jefferson Davis

William Gladstone returned the copy of the cable to Lord Russell. “Who is this Hampton and why does he, a mere brigadier general, communicate thusly with the president of the Confederacy?”

Russell chuckled grimly. “He is one of the richest and most influential men in the Southern states. His power greatly exceeds his rank. In the American republics, wealth defines the man, and he is well defined indeed.''

“Has this letter been proven authentic?”

“General Napier and Lord Lyons agree that it is genuine. Both have correspondence from Davis and the handwriting and the stationery, they assure me, are the same.”

“Then the South has betrayed us.”

“Have they?” asked Russell. “Or did we permit ourselves to be deluded? It is my understanding that Jefferson Davis is a man of honor, which precludes him from performing an intentional fraud on us. although he is obviously capable of permitting us to defraud ourselves. Besides. Lord Lyons essentially concurs with what Davis wrote, and that there was only an implied agreement that may have been seen more clearly by us than by the Confederacy. Palmerston wanted war, and he appears to have believed what he wished in order to get Confederate support.”

“At least he will never know the ignominy of this.” Palmerston had mercifully passed away that morning. He had never regained consciousness. “How does this fit into your plans?” Russell smiled. “I will hold on to this letter for about a week or so, and then proclaim in Parliament.”

“Good lord, why? There will be an outcry to break the alliance. This Davis says there is no agreement regarding slavery and then calls us devious. The public will see it as an intolerable affront, perhaps even greater than the Trent Incident. They will see that British blood has been spilled in support of a spurious cause. The London papers will crucify us.”

“Indeed, but we will have had the opportunity to rebut the message and portray ourselves as the aggrieved party. By that time, Gladstone, I believe there might be one or two meetings in North America that would prove interesting. They, the letter, and the few other thoughts Id previously mentioned might prove quite significant.”

The hunting lodge was south of Montreal and at the head of Lake Champlain. Its exact position relative to the ill-defined border between Canada and the United States was unknown. For the moment, it served everyone's purposes to assume that it lay astride the border. Aside from that political nicety, the lodge was large, well appointed, stocked with food and beverages, and, more important than all other factors, well heated.