Touch the Sun Read Free

father, so Lion leaned back in his chair and let his thoughts wander.
    Sipping the brandy reminded him of the enormous amount of the stuff he had bitterly consumed since his return to Philadelphia three days ago. How was he to tell Dr. Franklin what was really on his mind? It was the old man's fault, after all! Persuading him to attend the Constitutional Convention on a permanent basis... including him in the elite group that met almost nightly in the dining room at Franklin Court. Washington, Madison, Robert Morris, not to mention Franklin himself. It had turned out to be the sort of experience that left Lion with a craving for more, a burning desire to be one of these men whose brilliant minds and courage were shaping the new, idealistic nation of America. Day after day in the stiflingly hot East Room of the State House, Lion had been unaware of the changes taking place inside himself; he only knew that he loved every moment of debate, even the longest, most pompous speeches.
    Yet, there had been no choice in his mind when the time came that autumn to return to the Orient. It never occurred to him that his experience that summer would have any permanent effect. He had always loved the sea. After fighting in the Revolutionary War and receiving a degree at Harvard, he had chosen the new China trade as a means to amass a fortune and lead an adventurous life at the same time. Where other ships seemed continually plagued by hostile men-of-war and destructive storms, he had found that as a captain he led a charmed life. Now, at thirty-two years of age, he was both wealthy and successful.
    And satisfied... until this last voyage.
    Setting down his glass, Lion looked up to find that Mrs. Bache had gone, and Dr. Franklin was watching him with a penetrating gaze.
    "You seem pensive," the old statesman commented. "Is something bothering you? A woman?"
    "God, no!" Lion replied vehemently. "Would that it were so simple! Do you really want to know? Are you certain?"
    Franklin was taken aback by this outburst from a man who was usually so cool and cynical.
    "Why, of course, if—"
    "Then I'll tell you, and you can have a good laugh! I ran into a storm off Macao on my way home that delayed me so much that I missed the elections for the First Congress!"
    Completely bewildered by now, Franklin inquired, "Should I understand what that means?"
    "It means that I intended to return in time because I hoped for a seat in the Congress!"
    "Am I hearing correctly? I could have sworn that you said—"
    "Yes! It's all your fault, you know. I became addicted during the Convention! After a few months at sea, I was a man obsessed. Lord, how I longed to be back at the State House, listening to Madison discuss the Virginia Plan. I tell you, it's in my blood and now I've missed my chance! What are you going to do about it?" Lion was leaning forward, his shoulder muscles outlined against his tailored coat, eyes blazing.
    "I?" Franklin echoed. "My dear boy, I do hope you have not directed, all your ferocious rage in my direction! I am an old man and very weak..." His eyes were twinkling, and Lion relaxed in spite of himself.
    "Devil take it, I've got to blame someone."
    "That's better. You know, this is quite a shock, though I must admit I suspected your interest even then. I did not, however, dream that it would reach such proportions!"
    "Neither did I," Lion growled.
    "At any rate, your frustration is not necessary. You would never have been elected anyway. That is not to say that the men who will make up the Congress are any better than you, for they are generally a sorry lot. I am simply afraid that you have too many strikes against you at this point in your life."
    Lion's amazing blue eyes flashed. "Such as?"
    "A well-known temper," he returned with bland amusement, lifting his eyebrows for emphasis. "Your age, your background, your marital status, your reputation as a womanizer and an adventurer—even your looks."
    Lion raised a hand to his jaw. "My