Defiant Hearts Page 24

  As he put on his garments, she propped on an elbow and asked, “Why did you sneak out the last time?”

  Jayce sat to pull on his boots and glanced over his shoulder to answer, “Because I was afraid I might look at you or speak to you in a way somebody might guess our secret. I’ll be leaving again very early in the morning.”

  “But you’ll miss breakfast and you need a good meal.”

  He couldn’t tell her that wasn’t a problem for him, for any soldier under Grant’s command. “I’ll be fine, so stop worrying about me so much. I look plenty healthy, don’t I? Besides, it’s better to miss a meal than to miss roll call and have my movements questioned and restricted.”

  Laura sat up, leaned against his back, and encircled his waist with her arms. “You’re right, but I miss you already. When will you return?”

  “As soon as possible, woman. Now, stop rubbing against me and tempting me to forget my duty and stay here with you,” he teased.

  “Would that be so terrible?” she retorted with a laugh, releasing him.

  “To shirk my duty, yes, to be with you, never. One day, it won’t be like this for us, and you’ll probably get tired of seeing my face so much.”

  “Never, and I can hardly wait.”

  Laura almost hated to go to the hotel the following morning because she knew Jayce was gone; she had seen him ride out at first light, and had quelled the urge to race outside and bid him farewell, dressed or not. With reluctance, she headed to work at six-thirty as usual.

  When Laura met with Ben the day after Jayce left, she learned that Mosby had attacked the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, stolen a Union payroll of $173,000, and burned the train, just as she had warned him weeks ago the Rebels were planning to make such bold moves. He told her Lincoln had requested that soldiers be allowed to go home to vote, since he felt they were in favor of his reelection, and their support would send a message to the South and its fighters that Federals agreed with his platform. He said the President was facing huge odds against him because war costs and casualties were high and Northerners felt that little had been accomplished so far to justify those numbers. It was known that McClellan wanted peace, a workable compromise, immediately, if elected. It also was known that the anti-war Copperheads believed the war was a failure, and would reestablish the Union and mostly on the South’s terms with a return to half-free and half-slave states. He said Early was all but beaten in the Valley and that Kershaw’s reinforcements wouldn’t prevent Sheridan’s conquest.

  “There was a minor victory for the Rebs at Johnson’s Farm yesterday, but it only delays the inevitable, Miss Laura. We got word Lee suspects Grant was plannin’ to fake an attack on Richmond usin’ the Chickahominy River, so that strategy’s been dropped. Surely wish we knew who told him.”

  “I can’t venture a guess for you, Ben. It seems as if your other agents are doing a better job for you these days than I am, but I can only gather the information that falls into my lap and pass it on to you.”

  “I know, Miss Laura, and we’re mighty grateful for all you do.”

  As President Davis returned to Richmond on the fifteenth and sent General Bragg to take command of Confederate forces in Wilmington, Sherman was still boasting in the Deep South that he could “make Georgia howl.”

  Another important promotion occurred on the seventeenth when Beauregard assumed command of the Confederate Military Division of the West. On that same day, General Longstreet returned to duty after healing from the wound he had received at the Wilderness battle last May.

  As the month hurried past and winter approached, things surprisingly heightened. Sherman quit chasing Hood and headed back into Atlanta, sending other troops after the elusive target. The Pro-South Ladies in England gave a benefit to earn money to aid the Confederacy, irking Northerners. In the Indian Territory, Rebels struck at a Union wagontrain and escaped with $1,500,000 in goods. Early and other generals plotted a full-scale attack on Sheridan in the Valley.

  What began as a glorious triumph when Kershaw pulled off a surprise attack on Union forces at dawn on Cedar Creek faded into a fiasco when Sheridan returned from a Washington trip that morning, rallied the men, and defeated the enemy. There were huge Rebel losses, including the lives of Generals Ramseur and Rodes; the Valley was placed for most intents and purposes in destructive Union hands. Even so, Early and Mosby continued to plague the Federals, as did Longstreet against Butler in the Peninsula.

  In another astonishing episode, Rebels robbed three northern banks in Vermont, just as Laura had warned Ben weeks ago about that plot.

  As Lincoln set aside the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving, Curtis was sent to contain Price and his Rebels in Missouri where violent guerrilla attacks were in progress, as in Kansas and Arkansas.

  On the twenty-seventh, Laura told Ben about Rebel plans to raid City Point under Grant’s nose at his headquarters on the James River southeast of Richmond. The daring foray for supplies, food, and ammunition using fake papers and stolen uniforms was to take place on Sunday. If it worked, the items would be divided and brought up the James River to Richmond and down the Appomattox to Petersburg. “As you must know, Ben, Rebel supplies are dwindling steadily, while the Union has plenty and has no problem getting more. Sharpshooters and light artillery units will be concealed along the banks of both rivers to fire on any Federal troops that go after them. There might be a second raid on the U.S. Military Railroad that distributes food and munitions along the Union siege line.” Laura hated to report that information, since Jayce could be involved in either episode. Yet, if she didn’t and the Confederates were resupplied, fighting would continue, perhaps increase. She confirmed, “One of my guests mentioned impending talks focused on plans to retake the Arizona and New Mexico territories; scattered skirmishes are already in progress. It seems to me as if both sides should be trying to protect the settlers from Indians instead of trying to wipe out each other. I’ll let you know if I learn more about that possibility.”

  “You did good, Miss Laura, thanks. When I arrived and found your coded message in the tree hole, I figured you weren’t comin’ today.”

  “I stopped by early before I delivered dolls to the children hospitalized in Petersburg. I had the papers concealed inside their heads in case I was stopped and searched. After I removed and hid the pieces, I stuffed the heads with cotton I’d brought along and restitched them. Needless to say, soldiers can be anywhere these days, so I have to be extra careful. I wanted those papers out of my possession fast because I didn’t want to get caught with them or miss getting them to you in case I was delayed en route to or from Petersburg. One of the nurses told me General Hill repelled Yankees who attacked the railroad at Hatcher’s Run. She also said there were victories at Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road. Anything else going on around Petersburg?” Were you at any of those skirmishes, my love? If so, are you safe and sound?

  “The Confederate line runs for thirty-five miles from the Appomattox River east of town to its banks west of town,” Ben explained. “They got her half encircled, usin’ the river to protect her north side, but they’re outnumbered two-to-one, so they can’t hold her much longer. In some places, the Yanks and Rebs are almost eye-to-eye; and in others, they’re a few miles apart, but with the land cleared, they’re visible to each other.”

  Laura realized that defense line traveled past several forts, and Jayce could be assigned to any of them. As always, she asked, “Any news about Father, Tom, and Henry?”

  “Schofield’s headin’ for Nashville like I told you he would be. Forrest is raidin’ on the Tennessee River. They think he’ll be joinin’ up with Hood to attack there, but they’ll be ready to greet him good and proper.”

  Laura discovered Ben’s words were accurate about Forrest’s actions, but were wrong about him heading toward Nashville. Forrest was capturing Union boats on the river and creating a victorious “navy” for himself, or so southern newspapers boasted in bold print.

  On the last day of t
he month, Nevada became the thirty-sixth state, and Plymouth, North Carolina, fell to the Union. Laura was saddened to think that the country was growing in one direction but coming apart in another.

  November arrived, and trees were still adorned in lovely colors. The weather shifted between warm days and pleasant nights to chilly days and cold nights. If the approach of winter was slowing down the war as usual, it didn’t appear that way to her from the news she received about daily skirmishes, shelling, and snipings. She wondered if Jayce was being fed regularly and was staying unharmed. She assumed her family was faring well with tents, blankets, and meals, since the Union was so well supplied.

  Laura was happy her hotel was busy and earning money, though the Confederacy currency she was compelled to accept as payment dwindled in value every week. She was feeding her guests adequately, but was being careful not to expose her hidden stores, which might be needed during winter and the remainder of the war. She was disappointed she gleaned no facts that would be helpful to her family, but was relieved she culled none that would be detrimental to Jayce if she reported them to Ben.

  As the days passed, she clipped articles for Ben, as they related the only news she learned for a while. General Lee moved his headquarters into Petersburg on the first. The Olustree, the old Tallahassee, sailed with ease into Wilmington and took six Union ships during its first week in that area. Forrest captured five Union boats on the Tennessee River, increasing the size and strength of his “navy.” He also attacked and inflicted heavy damage to Johnsville, but Ben already possessed all of that knowledge prior to her rendezvous with him on the third.

  He told her Forrest had headed to hook up with Hood to challenge Nashville, and she worried over the peril looming ahead for her family.

  At least she was relieved of another worry that week; she had managed to prevent any repercussion from her passionate nights with Jayce.

  On a cold and wet November eighth, Richmond newspapers featured headlines and reports of the reelection of President Lincoln. They revealed that McClellan got forty-five percent of the votes, proving that part of the northern mood was against the war, but Lincoln won on a majority of electoral votes. Entire regiments had been furloughed to go home to vote, quietening the war for a while in many areas. Republicans now controlled both the House and the Senate. It was believed that the victory at Mobile in August, the one in Atlanta in September, and the one in the Valley on October nineteenth won the election for Lincoln. It also evoked a win for Andrew Johnson as Vice-President, a Southerner from Tennessee!

  Now that Lily’s training was complete and she was in charge of the hotel, Laura spent as much time as possible working at hospitals. She watched for Jayce’s face among those brought in and prayed all the while she wouldn’t see it on one of those cots. She listened to tales of horror, comforted tormented souls, and asked no suspicious questions. After each episode, she went home exhausted and depressed and praying harder for peace.

  When she read about the First Meeting of the Arizona legislature on the tenth, she thought about her uncle who was assigned there. She wondered how his family was faring in West Virginia since her relatives wouldn’t or couldn’t respond to her queries; but it was possible they hadn’t received her letters in the war-torn area. She also wondered if Jacob had changed his feelings about the breach between him and her father over a joint business matter before the war. It was terrible, she felt, for brothers to be at such odds with each other, though blame for the rift, in her opinion, did not rest with her father. But she had learned from the war that relatives could turn against each other and even slay family and kinfolk in battle.

  “I don’t have much news today, Ben,” Laura reported, “but the second session of the Confederate Congress is in progress. I heard that two military leaders named Baylor and Hastings are urging Davis and Congress to get serious about recapturing Arizona and New Mexico, as I’ve already warned you in the past. Davis spoke in favor of peace but only with independence. I suppose you’ve heard by now that Mosby hanged seven Yankees in retaliation for six Rebels hanged by Custer and one by Powell with labels affixed to their coats saying ‘this would be the fate of Mosby and all his men.’ What is this war coming to when such brutalities are allowed to happen?”

  The following day’s newspaper answered that question for Laura when a message to Sheridan from Mosby about his new hanging-for-hanging policy was printed for the public to read: “Hereafter any prisoners falling into my hands will be treated with the kindness due to their condition, unless some new act of barbarity shall compel me reluctantly to adopt a line of policy repugnant to humanity.”

  Laura, along with many residents of Richmond, was appalled, believing the men being executed should not be punished for their leaders’ unconscionable actions. They also were horrified when news swept the city that Federals had razed Rome, Georgia, burning bridges, foundries, warehouses, mills, shops, homes, and “other property of use to the enemy.” That shocking deed was done before Sherman cut local telegraph lines and returned to a vulnerable Atlanta. Laura wondered if the nefarious officer had severed communications with his own side to prevent interference with his plans.

  Within four days, the capital of Georgia and cities of Stone Mountain and Decatur were in flames. All military, manufacturing, transportation, and communications abilities of the once beautiful and peaceful area lay in the ashes of ruin and desolation.

  That next morning, according to local newspapers, Sherman left the devastated city to begin a march across Georgia. Reports said he was using four routes to the east and south, creating a fifty-mile-wide swatch, and was aiming to cover a two-hundredseventy-five-mile distance to cripple the entire state, thus doing irreparable harm to the Confederacy.

  Laura feared that pernicious trek would create a hatred and bitterness that would last far into the future. How, she mused, could peace come from defiant hearts and minds? Such abomination would provoke Southerners, she fretted, to fight harder and longer to avoid being conquered and ruled by such noxious people.

  At six o’clock, Lily hurried to Laura’s house to tell her, “I just registered Jayce at the hotel. I put him in Room 4. He’s taking a bath and shaving; then he’ll join you for supper over here. I’ll bring over food and coffee at seven, so you two can have a quiet meal alone. Belle can help me serve our guests tonight; you needn’t worry about anything.”

  Laura hugged Lily and smiled. “Thank you, my dear and thoughtful friend. I shall do the same for you when Richard comes to visit.”

  “Well, get busy so you’ll look your prettiest,” Lily jested.

  As soon as Lily left, Laura rushed to carry out her friend’s instructions. She donned a green velvet robe with ivory lace trim and matching slippers. She brushed her dark-blond hair and let its curls and waves tumble over her shoulders. She dotted perfume on her throat, between her breasts, and on her wrists.

  Afterward, she started cozy fires in the dining room and bedroom; she turned down the linens and fluffed the pillows in those rooms. She doused all lamps except for one in the hallway to make it appear no one was home so she wouldn’t have an unexpected visitor. She placed a lacy cloth on the dining-room table and lit candles on it and the mantel, soft glows which were sufficient for eating but not bright enough to be seen from the street, especially with the thick drapes covering the windows on either side of the hearth. She tossed herbs into the fireplace to give off a stirring fragrance. She set the table with Clarissa’s best china, glassware, silver utensils, and linen napkins. She finished her preparations as Lily arrived with a tray of covered dishes and a small pot of coffee.

  Lily grinned and said, “You look beautiful, like a tempting dessert.”

  “Thanks, and I hope he thinks so, too. Everything is ready. I’m so excited, Lily, I can hardly believe my good luck.”

  Lily embraced her and said, “I’ll disappear fast, but ring if you need anything, which you won’t because you’ll have it all here with you.”

  “Stop
teasing me,” Laura pouted as she heard Jayce’s knock. “He’s here, Lily, my beloved has returned to me.”

  “I’ll lock both doors after me,” Lily said and left.

  Laura rushed to the door, closing and locking it behind him. Her gaze drifted over his stalwart physique to make certain he was unharmed. She smiled. “You look wonderful; I’m so happy you’re here.”

  Jayce’s blue gaze roamed her from golden head to slippered feet. The green garment enhanced the almost matching shade of her expressive eyes. Her flawless complexion was rosed from excitement and her floral fragrance wafted into his nose. “So am I, Laura, and you look ravishing. Good enough to devour.”

  “So do you. Lily just brought our food, so your timing is perfect. I thought we would eat in the dining room; it has a fireplace and it’s chilly tonight,” she murmured and guided him there.

  Jayce noted details about the romantic setting and grinned before taking a seat at the head of the table, with her to his left. “It was nice of her to arrange a private dinner. I was amused by the way she was whispering and planning this evening like a clever matchmaker.”

  As Laura uncovered the bowls and poured coffee, she replied, “Lily Hart is a true friend. She’s so worried about Richard with matters so grave in Georgia. He does manage to get a letter to her on occasion to let her know where he is and how he’s doing.” I wish you could do the same, my beloved, to ease my worries and loneliness, she pleaded silently. “Please, help yourself before it chills.”

  Jayce served his plate, intentionally not remarking on her previous words; he hoped she didn’t request he do the same as Richard.