These were the circumstances, then, in whichHincks carried on with his editor’s work at the Examinerand, along with Robert, composed letters to LaFontaine in Montreal,knowing full well that the latter would not be there to receivethem and that the Tory “eyes” in the George Street post officewould take note of their passage. Robert continued hiscorrespondence with Reformers in other parts of the province,visited his father out at Spadina as he did every Thursday, andeven ventured out the next day to Elmgrove (a calculated risk) ashe had often done throughout the winter. Meanwhile, Marc went toBaldwin House each day and assisted Clement Peachey, the firm’ssolicitor, with the everyday (and fee-generating) activities ofBaldwin and Sullivan. There was no need to hold a pre-conferencemeeting to plot strategy: all the arguments were known — on bothsides. Marc had read the correspondence between LaFontaine andHincks several times. They were ready.
Though no fresh snow fell that week, theweather remained clear and cold, assuring travellers along theKingston Road a smooth and speedy journey. On Tuesday morning ofthe following week, a message arrived at Briar Cottage from Robertinforming Marc that LaFontaine and an associate had safely reachedElmgrove under cover of darkness, in disguise and undetected. Whilegreatly relieved, Marc found his excitement diminished by Beth’sprecarious health. As with her first child, Beth was againsuffering from severe leg-cramps that kept her from sleepingproperly, which in turn had left her defenceless against amiserable cold. Dora Cobb arrived each day with copious advice andvials of “horse liniment,” which Marc was instructed to rub onBeth’s knotted calves.
“Don’t fuss so,” Beth said more than once.“The babe’ll come whether my legs are cramped or not. An’ when hedoes, I’m not likely to notice them, am I?”
But Marc enjoyed stroking Beth’s smooth legs,so much so that Beth remarked on his enthusiasm. “I figure it’s notthe oil that helps, but the rubbin’,” she smiled.
“And the rub-ber,” Marc said.
“I think I feel another little knot fartherup,” Beth said sleepily.
It was at this moment, after supper on thesame Tuesday evening, that the second messenger
from Robert chose to rap on the front door,startling Charlene into action and waking up Maggie.
Coming back from the vestibule, Marc said toBeth, “The other two delegates arrive tonight. Robert will pick meup in the cutter at ten tomorrow morning.”
“Then it’s begun,” Beth said, shivering.
It began snowing at dawn, a light, windless, steadydownfall. It was still snowing when Marc waved goodbye to Beth,Maggie and Charlene, and stepped up into the Baldwins’ two-seaterwith his leather grip in tow. Nodding to Old Henry up on thedriver’s bench, he sat down beside Hincks, facing Robert.
“The perfect camouflage, eh?” Hincks smiled,as he waved a mittened paw at the snow.
Robert spread a large buffalo-robe overMarc’s knees. Robert was wearing a fur trapper’s cap, and hadwrapped two scarves around his coat-collar. He was very much anindoor man, in an outdoor country.
“Did the other two Montrealers arrivesafely?” Marc inquired.
“If you mean, did they reach Elmgroveundetected,” Hincks said, “the answer is yes. Their successfullanding has been confirmed.”
“Good,” Marc said. Looking at Robert, headded, “I must admit, I am damn nervous. I feel a little bit like Idid when I went into battle for the first time.”
“I’m far too excited to be nervous,” Hinckssaid. “And if Robert here is nervous, he won’t show it.”
“We are well prepared,” Robert said. “We havecompelling arguments to make. If they are compelling enough, theywill win over our French allies.”
Hincks grinned. His excitement was palpable,and this in a man who was always quick of movement and rapid inspeech. “You have a way of simplifying the simplest situations,” hesaid teasingly to his friend.
They were speeding along King Street towardsthe eastern edge of the city, where the thoroughfare curvednortheast and became the Kingston Road.
“I am somewhat surprised,” Marc said, “thatLaFontaine decided to bring along three of his colleagues. I wouldhave thought that if he were trying to keep his contacts with usEnglish secret, it would be best to travel light and alone.”
“I agree,” Robert said, “but LaFontainedecided to explain his reasons in the last letter he sent toFrancis — ”
“One we didn’t have a chance to show you,”Hincks said to Marc, “as it just arrived yesterday.”
“In it,” Robert continued, “he said that hehad decided to bring with him three men who, while remainingcommitted to the Rouge party and its radical principles,would not in ordinary circumstances fraternize with the English andcertainly not cohabit with them politically.”
“These men are likely to oppose ourterms for a coalition?” Marc said, puzzled and not a littlealarmed.
“That is correct,” Hincks said. “Thesefellows will be a lot harder to convince than LaFontainehimself.”
“But I understood that he hoped to negotiatea reasonable entente with us first and then return toQuebec and attempt to sell it to his comrades.”
“And he still does,” Robert said. “But theman is both a lawyer and a seasoned politician. He was, remember,Papineau’s right-hand man until the actual fighting broke out. Whathe’s up to, I’m sure, is to have these hard-nosed colleagues engageus and our terms with a view to seeing whether a workable coalitionis even possible. And the sly fox wants also to make certain thathe ends up with as many concessions from our side as he canget.”
“I see,” Marc said. “If we can demonstrate tothese sceptical associates of his that we are sincere and practicaland don’t have cloven feet, then he’ll be willing to seal a pactwith us and take it home for approval.”
“Precisely,” Hincks said. “He’s a man aftermy own Irish heart.”
“What do we know about these men?” Marc said.“We don’t want to go into negotiations blind, do we?”
“Good arguments are always good arguments,”Robert said, as if that resolved the matter.
“In theory, yes,” Hincks said. “But I’venever underestimated the power of a little persuasion, a sort oftailoring the suit to flatter the gentleman, as it were.”
“How much tailoring may be necessary?” Marcsaid.
“Well, LaFontaine was good enough to give usa paragraph or two of background information on these fellows,”Robert said.
Before either Hincks or Robert couldelaborate, they were interrupted by Old Henry, their driver, whopointed to a pair of snow-shrouded stone plinths off to their leftand shouted back down to them, “Them’s the gates to Elmgrove.”
“Go right on, Henry, as we planned,” Robertsaid. To the others he said, “We could go in the front waywith all this snow about, but we’ll play it safe and circle aroundthrough the bush.”
Henry cracked his whip over the horse’s earsand the sleigh lurched forward. Somewhere a few hundred yardsahead, the Scaddings bridge lay across the frozen Don River. Justthis side of it they would find the logging trail that would arcnorthwest and bring them out above the Macaulay estate. Henry woulddrop them and their luggage off and return to Baldwin House via thesame serpentine route.