A Call to Arms Read Online Free

which bisected the city, each had the thought that they could just as well be in Amsterdam or Rotterdam. The red-brick and gray-stone construction characteristic of Dutch colonial architecture lined straight, wide streets intersected here and there by stinking canals with raised embankments. The center of the city was itself a fortress; nearly everything about this government hub had a military feel to it. Caleb took pleasure in identifying the buildings he had visualized from the descriptions of others. The nearby Koningsplein, a large open square, was surrounded by the three-story mansions of the social elite, each mansion separated from the others by rows of teak, rattan, and pine trees. Gardens full of orchids, sago palms, and flowering shrubs perfumed the air and masked the city’s rank odors. On the far side of the square, nestled between two European-style churches, he spotted the Stadhuis—city hall—a substantial gray-stone, red-roofed building with Greek-style columns at the doorway. The attractive two-story building to its right housed the Far Eastern headquarters of C&E Enterprises.
    â€œYou haven’t said a thing since we left ship, Will,” Caleb teased. In truth, he was equally awed by the unexpected dimensions of this exotic city, notwithstanding the many details that Jack Endicott had described to them back in Boston. “What are you thinking?”
    â€œI’m not sure what to think, Uncle,” Will replied as he absorbed the city’s sights and scents. Caleb had never seen his nephew so subdued. Perhaps he, too, was thinking that this city and others like it in the Far East were the future of Cutler & Sons.
    A knock on the front door of C&E Enterprises summoned a servant wearing red-and-white livery and a sugar-white peruke with a black bow attached to the queue at the nape of his neck. He bowed low when Caleb introduced himself and his nephew.
    â€œ Welkom, Herr Cutler. Wij verwachtten u. ” The servant caught himself and straightened. “ Excuseer. Welcome, Mr. Cutler. We have been expecting you.”
    â€œ Dank u. Is Herr Van der Heyden in residence?”
    â€œHe is, Mr. Cutler. If you will follow me, please.”
    The servant led them down a handsomely appointed hallway floored in black and white tiles. Numerous landscapes and seascapes adorned the wood-paneled walls. Here and there a chair or settee was strategically placed between long, thin, Chippendale-style tables set with blue-and-white porcelain vases full to bursting with fragrant flowers. The high ceiling kept the temperature in the hallway blissfully comfortable.
    At the end of the hallway the servant stopped before a door and turned to face the Cutlers. “If you would be so kind as to wait here,” he requested politely. He knocked on the door and disappeared inside.
    He reemerged in the company of a square-jawed man of medium build with white-blond hair, ice-blue eyes, and a thin mouth. Although the finely attired Dutchman appeared younger than Caleb, Caleb knew him to be in his early forties, the age of his older brother Richard. Caleb also knew that Jan Van der Heyden hailed from Groningen in northeastern Holland but had spent most of his adult life outside Europe in the employ of VOC. Despite his good looks, he was unmarried. He had remarked to Jack Endicott during an initial interview that he was married to his business, and she was a most jealous mistress. That single remark had confirmed for Jack Endicott the wisdom of hiring Van der Heyden to manage the business affairs of C&E Enterprises in the Far East.
    â€œMr. Cutler, I am so very honored to meet you.” He extended his hand and Caleb felt the strong grip as their eyes locked. Van der Heyden’s English bore only a trace of a guttural Dutch accent. “And this young man, I must assume, is William Cutler, eldest son of your brother Richard Cutler.”
    Caleb gave Will a brief nod.
    â€œYes, Herr Van der