The very next day—the day after the trial—Abbott learned from Hobhouse that the court had sent notice that Washington would not be sentenced immediately, as had been expected. The delay might be as much as a week. That kind of delay, Hobhouse had said, was “unprecedented” in his experience and added, “Something must be going on.”
Abbott knew, of course, what the something was. He and Lord North had met again briefly and agreed that they would make one last attempt to bridge the divide between the Americans and the British on the independence issue, using North’s suggestion of simply putting the issue of independence to the side for the time being. The negotiations, which they expected to take days, would be held at the palace. North was of the view that the setting would impress on the participants the importance of what they were trying to achieve and might lead to the agreement that had eluded them.
The negotiations were attended by Abbott’s entire delegation, save Forecastle, as well as by North himself, two other members of his cabinet and several undersecretaries. The discussions were civil, but difficult. It turned out that there were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of ways in which each side would have to agree to do something or not do something, to assert something or not assert something, if the question of independence were to be put to the side and saved for another day.
Hovering over the entire gathering, though, was the understanding that Washington himself would end up with the final say on the matter.
At the end of the second day of negotiations—they always finished their sessions in time for afternoon tea—things seemed to be progressing in a heartening way. For one, they had worked their way through a list of dos and don’ts, which included what images would appear on money in the colonies during what they had come to call the cooling-down period. Flowers, trees, farm animals, crops and Greek gods unrelated to warfare had all been proposed. The fact that it was being called the cooling-down period was, of course, a recognition that at some point in the future, the issue would have to be faced again.
Towards evening, Abbott took a chair to the government guest house, found Forecastle and invited him to go for a walk. He had put off confronting Forecastle, but the time had come. As they walked along, Abbott said, “Mr. Forecastle, quite a while ago you were seen talking with Mrs. Crankshaw on the street in what the person who observed you thought was a suspicious manner. My apologies for being blunt, but what were you discussing?”
Forecastle, without even breaking stride, said, “If I’m recalling the same incident you are making reference to, she simply greeted me as she passed by and wished me a pleasant evening. We have seen each other many times inside the Tower and established a cordial relationship.”
Abbott was struck by the fact that Forecastle seemed to know exactly what meeting with Mrs. Crankshaw he was referring to, which was hardly proof of it having been an innocent encounter. He considered whether to tell Forecastle what he knew, and decided he should. “Are you aware she is a spy for the British inside the Tower?”
This time, Forecastle stopped walking, faced Abbott and said, “No, I wasn’t aware of that.”
Abbott judged from the flush on Forecastle’s cheeks that the man was lying. He pressed on. “Lord North informed me that he believes you are not a physician at all, but instead a member of His Excellency’s Commander-in-Chief Guard.”
Apparently deciding that there was no point in further hiding the truth, he said, “I am trained as a physician, but I have spent most of my adult life as a soldier. I am a lieutenant in the Army of the Continental States and a member of His Excellency’s Life Guard.”
“Are you involved in a plot to rescue His Excellency?”
“Yes. But I do not believe that sharing the details with you would be prudent, lest you are tortured for the information.”
“I do not need to know the details right now. Is this with or without General Washington’s knowledge?”
“With.”
“Are you going to try to spirit him out of the country or hide him?”
“Perhaps both.”
“Has His Excellency changed his mind, then?”
“He believes that his escape will be a very large embarrassment to Lord North’s government and will cause it to fall. And to be replaced with one more amenable to agreeing to our independence.”
“I thought he wanted to make a speech from the gallows.”
“Our plans are not inconsistent with that.”
“If you are planning to rescue him from there, many people are likely to die.”
“If British soldiers die, so be it.”
“What about the others who are there?”
“If they have come to see His Excellency be hanged and butchered, let them die, too.”
“I will need to confirm all of this with His Excellency.”
“I hope you will do so. I will warn you, though—do not get in our way.”
“Mr. Forecastle, perhaps you have not noticed, but I was a soldier in our army once, too. It’s not wise to threaten me.”
The two of them parted without a word of goodbye.