Revelation: Change in one’s life; activity due to
the old order being threatened.
“All right, everybody. One more time. Shove it!” commanded Sheila.
“Do try to be careful about scraping the floors, though!” cautioned Claudia.
With combined effort, the Creole women slowly pushed the heavy, ornate sofa next to the grand piano, already moved against the wall.
“Good job,” Sheila congratulated her friends. “Now that we have cleared the center of the room, we’ll be able to take in more wounded. We’re lucky you have such a large house in the city, Claudia!”
“I’m happy to help, Sheila.”
“Let’s get back to sewing the quilts and pillows and cutting the petticoats into bandages. When we finish those, we can begin making blanket cloaks, shirts, and pants. It’s going to be a long night, my friends.”
The candles were lit, many of them in sconces in front of the multiple mirrors, providing a duplicate effect. As Sheila picked up some more fabric from the table, she glanced into the convex chaperone mirror and noted her friends’ grim looks. All were familiar with the reports that the British had raided the Atlantic coastal towns with impunity, assaulting old men, violating women, looting and burning. And now they were here.
The ladies labored on. They could hear the cannons from the Carolina firing east of the city. As the bombardment continued, they looked at one another, fear and apprehension now plain upon their faces.
Sheila interrupted her sewing for a moment and fingered the sheath of her dagger concealed inside her skirt. Some of the women stopped to see what their leader was doing. “Check your weapons, ladies!”
The women nodded, and all reaffirmed the locations of their defenses, touching knives, scissors, and cleavers. Some items were hidden within their garments; others had been placed conveniently nearby.
Sheila then shook her fist, saying, “And we will not hesitate to use them against those British barbarians!”
Along with the rest, Sheila heard another burst of cannon fire. Her face set with steely determination, she made the sign of the cross, took up her needle again, and ferociously stabbed the cloth.