Chapter XVII
There was deadly silence after the wagon and horses rumbled up to where Jonathan was excitedly climbing off his "borrowed" horse. The house seemed empty, the windows dark and the curtains drawn. Up close, it was obvious that the grand old house had been neglected during the long years of war; the paint was peeling, some shutters were unhinged, the gardens full of more weeds than flowers.
"Catherine! Catherine, are you here?"
Jonathan's voice sounded near panic as he shouted for his sister. He'd never forgive himself if something had happened to her, while they all left her here alone. A million horrible thoughts went through his head; she'd been killed trying to defend their home, a deserter had murdered her, she'd been abducted by the Union troops as a spy.
Lou was gazing at him in pity when the door opened, which was why she saw his trembling sigh of relief. Her eyes quickly turned toward the doorway, where the first woman she'd seen since Washington D.C. was cautiously sticking her head from the doorway, shotgun in hand.
She was lovely. Tall and slim, with wheat gold hair and the same bright green eyes of her brother. Her face was thin and aristocratically lined, her neck long and graceful. She wore a fine silk robe over her cotton nightgown, obviously having been awakened by her brother's arrival.
Now, her eyes grew wide in amazement as they fell upon her brother, who was taking the porch stairs two at a time to greet her. She flung her arms out to him and tears of joy wet her eyes as he embraced her, picking her up and twirling her around several times.
"What is going on? Why are you in Virginia?" She finally asked, loudly enough for all the riders to hear, "And who are these people?" She said, looking shyly past his shoulder to the group of sheepish looking people on her stoop. Her fingers clutched her robe more tightly at her throat as she self consciously returned the stare of the five men and one woman below.
"We need your help, Catherine. I'm afraid I've gotten myself into some trouble."
Catherine's eyes fell on the pregnant woman sitting on the wagon seat and her lip curled unconsciously in distaste and shock.
Jonathan saw her look, and smiled briefly, letting his eyes rest on Louise, who had straightened with indignant embarrassment at the innuendo.
"No! Not that!" Jonathan said quickly, "I'm afraid I'll be needing to stay here for awhile, as will my friends. Until the baby is born."
"Whose baby?" Catherine asked curiously, still not altogether approving of the woman so bold as to be out while obviously expecting a child.
"Mine," Louise replied evenly, meeting the cool green eyes of the woman on the porch without difficulty.
"And her husband's--who is a Confederate soldier who has escaped from prison."
"What? Jonathan, I don't understand--what is going on? Why are you helping a Confederate soldier? And what are you doing here! If Robert comes back, there will be hell to pay!"
"I'll worry about Robert, Catherine. I've got bigger problems right now. Like treason. I've helped a man escape from the prison, and all of Point Lookout knows that. I must lay low for awhile, and so must they. And Louise is in no condition to make it home."
Catherine nodded slowly, still not understanding what in the world was going on, but loving her brother enough to trust him completely. Although the rest of their family had taken his decision to fight for the North badly, and had disowned him, Catherine hadn't allowed that to affect her love of her brother, misguided though he was. His act of treason against the North could only make her proud, and if these men were southerners, then she was all for taking them in.
She turned to the weary travelers. "I'm afraid I've forgotten my manners. It's been quite some time since we've had visitors at Monroe Hall. Any friend of Robert E. Lee is a friend of mine. Please, come inside. Leave the horses, I'll find someone to tend to them."
As if she'd conjured them, two tall black men appeared from out of no where to take the reins of the horses.
Jimmy, Cody, and Buck exchanged a glance, uncomfortable with the idea of a slave having to do their work.
"I'll see to my horse, ma'am," Jimmy spoke first, meeting their hostess' emerald eyes.
"There's no need. Quinn and Bram will be happy to see to them. That's what they are paid for."
"I didn't think that slaves were paid, Miss Monroe," Jimmy returned, "I just wouldn't feel right about it."
Catherine Monroe bristled, pulling herself to her full height, "You're right, sir. Slaves aren't paid. But seeing as Quinn and Bram are both free men compensated for their work here, your point is irrelevant. But if you feel the need to look after your own horse, I certainly will not stop you."
She spun on her heel and cast a deadly look at Jonathan. Just like him to bring a bunch of ignorant Yankees along, she thought. "I'll go prepare your rooms," she managed to growl as she walked back into the house, the door she left wide open the only indication that they were welcome to come inside.
Must to his chagrin, Jimmy noted the looks in the eyes of the two black men who came to take his horse's reins. Wounded pride and anger simmered there, but did not show in their impeccable manners, which were, he thought, much better than his own.
"I'm sorry," the words always came hard to Jimmy, but he'd never meant them as sincerely. He'd turned into what he hated, a bigot, automatically assuming things about a man because of his color.
"s'alright mister. Just a mistake," Quinn noted, but it was too late. He'd hurt them with his careless words, and he couldn't take them back.
Cody clapped Jimmy on the shoulder lightly as they started up the stairs, feeling badly for his friend. "You sure can make a first impression, Jimmy."
Jonathan waited for him at the top of the stairs, "Please, think nothing of it. Quinn and Bram were born slaves. Everyone left on this plantation but Catherine was. But when my father died, as the oldest son, I freed them all. Much to the dismay of my two younger brothers."
"And your sister?" Cody wondered.
"Catherine's difficult. Never could clearly tell where she stood on the issue of slavery. But I will tell you-or rather warn you--she's the most adamant Southerner you'll ever find. I keep expecting her to suit up and go find Robert E…"
"And Robert? Should we be aware of him?" Teaspoon wondered, as he finished leading Lou up the stairs. Buck struggled under the weight of Kid, who was leaning heavily against him.
"Robert's one of my two younger brothers. We had a falling out before we parted. His threats were quite clear of what would happen if I returned here. Of course, this place is rightfully mine, and I had every intention of returning…just not quite so soon. Robert is convinced we are enemies."
"Sounds like someone else I know," Lou couldn't stop herself from muttering, but felt bad when she saw Jimmy's already guilty eyes grow a shade darker.
"I'll worry about Robert if the time comes to do so," Jonathan assured them, "Now, let's get everyone settled and fed and rested. There's plenty of time to talk later."
Teaspoon nodded, "Son, I think that's a good idea."
Too weary to dispute either one of them, the riders all filed inside onto the gray marble floor of the foyer and up the thickly carpeted curving staircase.
Hours later, Lou stirred and stretched her arms luxuriously, wiggling her fingers. She was instantly sorry when pain shot through her cut palms.
Feeling her movement, Kid, who had slept unmoving for hours, looked up slowly. His fever had broken and his coloring looked better since they left Maryland.
"Good Morning," He muttered.
"Not hardly, my dear. I hate to tell you, but we've slept the day away, it is nearly nightfall."
Kid glanced outside to see the slowly sinking sun from under the partly drawn shade, "I guess you're right." His eyes rested tenderly on her for a moment.
Lou felt the intensity of his blue gaze and returned it. When tears rose in his eyes she gently reached out to touch his brow lightly. "What is it, Kid?"
"You. I just realized I hadn't really thanked you yet."
"Thanked me for what?" Lou wondered.
"Oh, I don't know. For following me into a war, for living in enemy territory. For traveling through dangerous country alone, only to find recruits to drag right back through the territory again. For trying to make me leave there, and for taking me back when I finally came to my senses. You saved my life, you know. I've put you through Hell since the day we were married, and yet you stay. Why?"
Lou smiled, and leaned forward to kiss his forehead gently, "Because I love you."
Kid reached out to touch her swelled abdomen slowly. It was the first time he'd really acknowledged the baby's presence since he'd been lucid. Lou lay perfectly still, watching his wondrous eyes, unsure of how he felt about the news.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked softly.
"Because you were in the prison, and…"
"No. The first time. Why didn't you tell me what happened?"
Lou could hear no anger in his voice, only heartache and confusion. "Because you had enough to worry about, Kid. I didn't tell you for the same reason you didn't tell me about all the boys you saw die out on the battlefield. I wanted to protect you from it."
"It's different," He began stubbornly.
"It's not!" Lou's voice trembled and raised slightly.
Kid sighed, deciding this was a battle he didn't want to fight. His hand still rested on her belly. "And this time? Are things alright?"
As if in answer, suddenly the child within Lou gave a mighty kick. Kid watched in amazement as his hand raised with the blow. Lou gasped and felt tears of relief well in her eyes. The child had been still for two days, but had been biding its time.
The look on Kid's face was too much for Lou. His mouth hung agape and his eyes formed perfect wide circles, his expression a perfect mix between terror and amazement. A laugh escaped her lips, and soon she was gasping for air with tears of hysteria rolling down her cheeks.
Kid smiled and watched her laughing, not sure whether to be offended at being at the brunt of the joke or not. Finally he leaned close to Lou's stomach and whispered with a wicked grin, "Sorry, but you've got lunatic for a mother."
Lou pulled Kid up to her and wrapped her arms tightly around him, "If I'm a loon, it's you who drove me to it. Thank God we're safe."
And with a trembling sigh, Kid nodded and wrapped his arms back around Lou, praying that they really were safe.
Lou sighed, and her voice was muffled against his thin chest when she muttered, "Virginia. Again. Now I know how Jimmy feels about Kansas."
The days passed quickly after the initial strain of settling into life on the plantation. Catherine was a skillful mistress of the house, ruling it with an iron hand. Lou was delighted to find herself put to work. Slowly, the two women gained respect for one another, which in turn developed into friendship.
Kid healed slowly, but surely. The scars on his shoulder would be with him always, but the light work the others insisted he do helped the muscles regain their strength. Even more slowly his emancipated form filled out. He tired easily and still had bouts of illness, but Lou dared to hope he'd recover fully with time.
The other boys busied themselves with helping to fix the house and buildings up, and eventually helped with the planting of food. Jimmy and Cody often shifted about restlessly though, and Lou could sense more than see that soon they would have to move on. She was horrified to overhear them talking of the war often, of riding to join up and become scouts as she drifted by an open window leading to the porch. She'd also heard Teaspoon flatly refuse to allow them to go, though they were grown men, until the baby was born.
"Lou's in a delicate condition. I don't want you boys upsetting her."
"Aw, Teaspoon," they had both groaned, but in the end had agreed to wait until the child was born.
Now in late June, Lou didn't know whether to wish the baby would hurry along or stay within her forever. She didn't let on that she'd heard the boys talking about signing up, choosing to save that battle until after the child was born.
Discomfort, it seemed, was to stay with her for the duration of her pregnancy, and the baby was still not due for three months, she realized with resignation one afternoon as she sipped tea on the porch. She could feel it in her every movement. She'd always been tiny, and remained so, except for the huge bulge from her middle. She often giggled at her own efforts to stand up and sit down, except on those days when her ankles were swollen to the size of her head, and her back carried a dull ache worst than normal. Her skin often felt as if it couldn't contain her, and she found herself eating ravenously.
Her eyes narrowed as she watched Jimmy and Buck working on a fence around the garden, and saw Catherine carrying a pitcher out to them. Interesting things tended to happen between Catherine and Jimmy. There was an electricity between them. At first, Lou had taken it to be hate, and not without cause, after a few screaming fights between the two at dinner. Now, however, she could see the change.
They still had very vocal disagreements, but more often than not Lou caught the quick, coy glances that Catherine shot him, or the wink of Jimmy's eye as he met her gaze across the table. She'd observed the two walking up from the river one night last week, hand in hand until they came into sight of the house.
A smile creased her lips. She enjoyed torturing Catherine about Jimmy, and she was delighted that they had grown attached.
Perhaps that would convince Jimmy to stay when the time came.
Lou would never forget hearing the wagon come lumbering up the drive at a speed that was far too great, considering the wobbly axles and creaky single tree. She recalled vaguely thinking something must be horribly wrong for Catherine to risk the valuable form of transportation, the scrawny mule, and her own neck.
She glanced out the window to watch her approach, her yellow hair whipping straight out behind her, her face flushed, and her eyes wide and dazed.
Was the war over? Lou dared to wonder. Or were the Yankees on her tail, coming to burn the house around their heads?
"Why is it always something?" She hissed in frustration.
Her hand curled over her heavy stomach, and her neck snapped back toward the river, where Jimmy, Kid, Cody, Buck, and Jonathan had just disappeared to go fishing. The Yankees would shoot Jonathan, and probably the rest of them too, and send Kid back to prison.
Despite her awkward shape, Lou maneuvered the curving staircase with agility. Her feet touched the hard marble as soon as the door swung open, crashing into the wall with the force of the woman behind it.
"What!" Lou exclaimed, running to Catherine and putting her hands against her flushed cheeks to make the girl's glazed eyes turn in her direction, "What's happened?"
"Oh God! Oh Lou, no!" Catherine suddenly shrieked and collapsed into the smaller woman's arms, the force of her sobbing nearly knocking Lou down.
"Catherine, what? Please, please, calm down!" Lou urged her, stroking her hair, and attempting to half lead, half carry her into the parlor.
In a moment, Lou somehow managed to pry the girl from her neck and bent before her, looking levelly into her eyes.
"Please, Catherine. You have to think. What happened? Are we in danger?"
It took several hiccoughing sobs for Catherine to breathe correctly, and several more for her to try to speak.
"My brother…Robert…his name is on the list," Catherine finally squalled, again launching herself into Lou's arms.
Lou felt tears well in her eyes for her friend. She had to say no more. She'd had her own nightmares with those damned casualty lists. Lou could think of nothing to say as she rocked Catherine slowly.
If Catherine heard the frantic male murmurs or heavy footsteps, she showed no sign of it. Lou craned her neck to look over Catherine's bobbing head, and sighed with relief. Bram must have run down to the river to get the boys after seeing Catherine drive up so frantically.
"Catherine, what is it?" Jonathan gasped, putting a hand on his chest and struggling to draw a deep breath. He looked from Catherine, who merely shook her head and pushed her face further into Lou's shoulder, to Lou, who met his gaze with a mix of dread and bewilderment.
"Well?" Jonathan demanded of Lou, who was looking at him rather dumbly, he thought.
"It really isn't my place to say…" Lou began.
"Tell me!" Jonathan's voice came out a roar that he'd probably used to make his troops quake in their boots at one time.
"Catherine, you have to tell Jonathan what's happened," Lou prodded the girl gently.
A loud sob was her answer. Sighing, Lou looked back to Jonathan, and knew it would have to be here. Catherine was rapidly becoming hysterical, and he deserved to know.
"Jonathan, I'm sorry, but your brother was on the list."
Lou was prepared for any number of reactions from the tall man in front of her. She fully expected him to scream, sob, strike out at her, or just stare blankly back. However, she was in no way anticipating that he would silently slump to the floor, unconscious.
It was only after the next few hours, when she'd gotten Catherine to bed, with the help of tea that was heavily laced with brandy, and Jonathan had come to and stalked off to be alone that Lou learned about the battle.
It had been a little town called Gettysburg. The Confederate soldiers, seeking shoes, had happened upon the sleepy little town in Pennsylvania, and it was almost chance that the armies happened to meet.
The results were devastating. A three-day battle in the heat of early July had ended in a blood bath, and a crushing blow to the South. Thousands of men lay dying on the battlefield for days. Brilliant maneuvering on the Union's part, and the failure of Jeb Stuart, leader of General Lee's Calvary-better known as his "eyes and ears"-to appear until it was too late had given the Union the upper hand. The Confederates had fled, but there had been no move to pursue them.
Yet.
Late that night, they all gathered in the parlor, with the exception of the Monroes. Lou had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched Jimmy and Cody glance restlessly at each other several times. It had been Cody to ask them to meet him there.
"Teaspoon, Kid, Buck, Lou," Cody began, looking so sober that Lou hardly recognized him, "Jimmy and I've been talking and…"
"No you don't!" Teaspoon began, "We had a deal."
"Teaspoon! There are good men dying! We can't just sit here and let them fight our fight!" Cody said, "After Gettysburg, the army is still going to need more troops. I've taken as much leave as I can, and I have to go back. If we wait, then the war may be over, and how will we live with ourselves?
"Much easier to live with yourself if you ain't dead," Buck observed.
Jimmy shook his head, "You know that ain't true Buck."
"Weren't you the one that always said I was too anxious to get blood on my hands, Jimmy?" Kid asked, "Now you're gonna go do the same?"
Jimmy nodded, "I-We couldn't do it before Kid. Not knowing you were out there fighting. But now, we ain't got no excuse not to go. It's our duty. We owe it to Noah."
"No you don't!" Teaspoon growled, "You think Noah would want you two to die out there on a battle field? You think all the work will be done when the North wins? Because, the North is gonna win boys. Gettysburg just nailed the coffin lid shut. Now, the only question is how long the South will struggle before crying for mercy. And when this war is over, the real work begins, and the United States is going to need men like you who can think and reason, to put her back together. Enough boys have died."
"Teaspoon, we have to do this. We owe it to our country, even if not to Noah, and the boys that have already died."
"You're being fools. Tell them Kid, tell them what they're gonna see when they go out there. Which one of you wants to hold the other's head in your lap in the middle of some Godforsaken field while he chokes on his own blood?"
"Scaring us won't work," Jimmy began, but both of them looked paler.
"Think about Catherine, Jimmy! I know something's going on between you two! Do you want to leave her now? She's just lost her brother," Lou was surprised by the vehemence in her own voice. Teaspoon, Buck, and Kid, she thought, didn't sound nearly as outraged. She knew they expected Jimmy and Cody to go fight, but that didn't mean they had to just roll over and let them.
Jimmy met her eyes, "Catherine and I aren't in love, Lou. We're friends, but that's it. And I knew before I met Catherine that I was going to go fight. She knows that too."
"But you promised! You both did! You said you'd wait till the baby was born!" Lou cried out.
Jimmy and Cody glared at Teaspoon, who raised his hands slightly to indicate he hadn't been the one to tell her about the bargain.
"Lou, please try to understand," Cody began.
"No," Lou said, pushing herself up with as much dignity as was possible. She used Kid's leg for leverage, not noticing him wince as she ground her elbow into his thigh in her hurry to stand up, "I won't try to understand. I've been understanding too damn long. Leave. Go tonight."
"Lou, don't…" Jimmy began, standing up.
"Leave me alone," Lou said flatly, and Kid realized her eyes were too dry for the emotion that was heaving inside of her.
She walked from the room, holding her hand up, with her palm out and fingers rigid, when Jimmy moved to follow her.
Late that night, Jimmy and Cody sat on two of the horses they'd taken from the hotel and smiled bravely down at Teaspoon, Buck, and Kid, who clasped their hands one last time.
"It's hell out there boys," Kid said softly to them, "Stick together."
"We will," they said in unison.
"I hear Grant may need a few good scouts. You boys would do well at that," Teaspoon said huskily. He was getting much too old for these goodbyes, he decided, "Try that. It'll keep you out of the thick of it."
Jimmy and Cody nodded. "We will, Teaspoon," Cody promised.
"Well then, I guess you'd better get going. You'll want to get as far out of Virginia tonight as you can," Teaspoon said.
Jimmy smiled at Kid, "You tell your son that his two uncles are some real life heroes when he gets here."
"Tell him yourself," Kid smiled, and reached out to take Jimmy's hand one more time. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words seemed to stick in his throat. He looked away from Jimmy's eyes and then forced his gaze back up.
"I want you to know…the baby, we're naming him-or her-after you Jimmy."
"Aw, come on now, surely you can think of something more imaginative than James. Especially for a girl!"
"No, we can't. Jimmy, what you did for us at Point Lookout, there's nothing in the world that we could ever do to show you that we love you as much as you've shown you love us. But this is a small step. It will be James, or Jamie. I ain't even gonna argue with you about your politics any more Jimmy. You're the best friend I ever had. Thank you."
Tears were gathering in Jimmy's eyes, "Tell Lou, tell her…"
"She already knows, Jimmy, and so do I," Kid responded.
Kid smiled and stepped back, letting go of Jimmy's hand only when the length of his arm required him to do so.
"Ride Safe, my boys," Teaspoon whispered to them, tears flowing freely down his face.
"We still remember your bag of tricks, Teaspoon. Don't bury us just yet," Cody grinned.
Buck laughed out loud, "Hey, Cody, you got to come back…you still…"
"I know, I know. I still owe you money."
"And me," Kid pointed out, "And Jimmy."
"I'm good for it," Cody reassured them and grinned slightly at Jimmy, "Ready, Hickok?"
"Let's ride," Jimmy responded.
The three men on the ground stood back so and allowed them to turn the nags down the drive.
They rode straight and proud, their ease on horseback from days spent in the saddle apparent.
I made those boys riders, Teaspoon thought.
But they made themselves men.
Jimmy wasn't sure why he pulled his horse to a stop at the top of the rise to look back at the house. It wasn't as if he'd formed any real attachment to the Southern Manor. Except one. A movement in a window caught his eye, and a wave of regret washed over him as he caught sight of pale yellow hair in the moonlight. A similar movement in another window made him sigh as well.
Two women, different as night and day, both disappointed in him beyond all measure because he was going to fight. One, he'd left without saying goodbye. The other had refused to say good bye to him.
It didn't matter, he decided. Love would outlast hate, he reminded himself. As he saw both curtains abruptly draw closed, he wondered if he was right.
With a sigh, he nodded to Cody, and together they went to join the fray.
To be continued…Chapter XVIII
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
The Way Station
Campfire Tales