The City Tavern was a spacious restaurant, known more for drink, a quick dinner, and conversation than fine dining. An open hearth sat in the center of the room, a kettle of stew or porridge normally cooking, a bar to the left, the stools filled with men stopping to quench their thirst or those staying for the evening, enjoying a generous intake of beer. The main floor was filled with plank tables of different sizes, holding anywhere from six to twelve guests. A narrow landing stretched three steps up from the lower floor, separated by a railing and holding a half dozen oval tables usually meant for two.
Barnabas Stone sat at a table beside the door, entertaining a British officer, playing the role of one of the city’s most devout Loyalists. Their dinner completed, they enjoyed a mug of b
