Shadow Patriots

New York and Philadelphia, 1776. Quaker siblings Kate and Seth Darby are drawn into the Revolution despite a religious tradition that rejects violence and partisan allegiance. Seth joins the Continental Army, while Kate’s family connections place her close to British officers and Loyalist society. Robert Townsend, initially another reluctant Quaker, becomes part of the intelligence network later known as the Culper Ring.

As British forces occupy New York and the war moves through Valley Forge and the Arnold–André conspiracy, Kate is recruited under the numerical designation 355. Her fictional story is built around the unidentified woman recorded in Culper correspondence, linking domestic access and social invisibility to military intelligence. George Washington, William Howe, Benedict Arnold and Alexander Hamilton appear within a narrative about divided loyalties, coded information and the risks borne by civilians who could not openly claim their service.