by Lynn Landes
He tosses the flower on the ground and bats at it playfully only to hiss and screech in indignation when the family dog, Libby comes running at her from the yard. Instantly, the two animals race off across the field, and Savannah’s eyes are drawn back to the flower.
“Poor thing,” she murmurs. Dirty, torn and ragged it lays in the dewy green grass and Savannah has the urge to photograph it and preserve its image. She rushes over to pick it up, ignoring the setting sun against her fair skin, feeling a sense of urgency, she can’t explain.
Cradling the flower in her trembling hand, she is saddened by the condition. Some of the lush petals are barely holding on, while others are crushed, and the remainder is torn and ratty.
“We aren’t so different you and I,” Savannah sighs, “I feel as battered as you look.”
“What’ve you got there?” Eli’s voice startles her.
Savannah jumps and whirls around to him, protectively curling her hands over the blossom. “Must you always slink about!” She hisses.
Eli smothers a grin, but she can see the curl of his lip, and it infuriates her.
“You were entranced Miss Ward, I called your name twice. What’ve you found?”
Curiosity has him moving closer to her, and he misses nothing. Not the slight blush from the sun on her fair skin, nor the haunted look in her beautiful eyes.
Interested in his response she unfurls her hands, revealing the flower to him. Eli frowns, “A white peony, where did you find that?”
“A hawk dropped it just now, I’m going to photograph it.”
Eli snorts and mumbles, “Figures.”
Savannah narrows her eyes at him “What does that mean?”
“Nothing, Miss Ward,” he turns to walk away but stops when she speaks.
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Savannah snaps. “You look, and all you see is the condition of the blossom, some things can’t be seen, they must be felt.”
Eli walks over to her, stopping within inches of her hand. Savannah refuses to back away from him, and she is stunned when he curls his large, warm hands around her own and draws the flower up to his nose.
The fragrance of the blossom is heady as he inhales its sweet scent. “I see more than you give me credit for.” When Savannah attempts to pull away from him, he holds on firmly, locking her in place.
“I can see why you and Oliver were… close.” He smirks, “You see the world through the lens, perhaps you should stop hiding behind it and step into the real world with the rest of us.”
Savannah doesn’t think, she simply reacts. “You know nothing about me!” she shoves at him with both hands, shocking him and crushing the flower in the process. Eli releases her and is ashamed to see tears in her eyes.
“The years I spent working with the Sisters of Mercy changed me. War damaged more than just the men who fought it.”
“Forgive me, Miss Ward, I didn’t mean to insult you.”
“Yes, you did. You can lie to yourself all you want, but I don’t have to listen to this. Your brother was on his death bed when I met him. I was his nurse, and that is all! Anger blinds you to everything, even the most obvious. Like that poor girl today who is blindly in love with you!”
“What do you know of love?” Eli snaps. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He turns to march away.
“The Bible says, ‘There is no fear in love,’ and when I look at you and Kristin, I see a great deal of fear.”
Eli turns on her and glares. “She made her choice and so did I.”
“From what your Mother said, she chose to protect her sister. Would you have done any less for Oliver?” Savannah sighs and tosses the crushed flower onto the ground. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m going home.” Rushing through the house, she carries his bags into the main room, determined to put an end to this journey and return home.
“I promised you, Oliver, that I’d bring home your images from the war and give them to your brother, Eli.” She places it behind a chair in the sitting room and steps to the mantle, drawing down a hand-drawn image of Oliver. “It is done and out of my hands now. I hope you rest in peace,” she whispers.
“I talk to him too,” Felicia says from the doorway causing Savannah to jump.
“What is it with this family scaring people all the time?” Savannah quips.
Felicia stares at her and laughs, “I didn’t mean to startle you, forgive me.” Her laugh turns to a cough, drawing Savannah to her side.
“Are you well?” Savannah checks her automatically for signs of a fever.
“You’re too kind, I can see why Oliver liked you,” Mrs. Irwin sniffs. “I am refreshed after our visit today. Kristin and little Lucas,” she sighs wistfully. How I wish things were different. I’d hoped to have a house full of grandchildren by now.”
Eli is passing through to go to his study when he hears voices. Curious, he listens from the hallway.
Savannah guides her to the fireplace and helps her sit, before covering her legs with a blanket. “It was nice to meet her. I can’t imagine raising a child on my own and working two jobs just to do so.”
“The poor child just lost her father, and she’s working too? Do you know where she’s working?” Felicia watches Savannah and waits for her to sit down.
“The Becker Hotel and two nights a week at the Saloon.”
Eli flinches at the thought of her working like that. No wonder she didn’t want him to escort her home.
“Now, tell me about your time with my Oliver,” Felicia gestures to the picture of Oliver that Savannah is holding.
“I’ve already explained,” Mrs. Irwin holds up a hand stopping her short.
“Not the version you cleaned up for me. I want the truth. Were you in love with my Son?”
“No,” Savannah sighs. “I only knew him for two weeks. He was a friend, nothing more,” Savannah murmured softly. “Oliver was a patient. I met him during the war, and he passed two weeks later.” Savannah pours a fresh cup of hot tea for each of them and hands one to Felecia, before sipping hers.
“I sense more to the story.”
Savannah looks at Felicia and places her teacup down, deciding at that moment to tell her the truth. She’s leaving in the morning, what difference does it make now?
“I have a secret obsession you see, some have called it a silly dream. I was a photographer before the war. In fact, the Sisters of Mercy agreed to let me travel with them and take photographs as long as I didn’t get in the way. I wanted to travel, get away, and this was my opportunity.” Her voice fades as the memories filter through her mind.
“It wasn’t what you expected?” Felicia prods.
Savannah shakes her head no. Eli leans in and listens intently.
“None of us were prepared for the flood of wounded and dying soldiers from both sides of the battlefield.” Savannah glances at the fireplace. “When we arrived at our first camp, it was like something out of a nightmare. Makeshift tents, filthy conditions. How could they have thought that ten nurses could make a difference?”
Eli runs a hand over his face, wondering if he misjudged her.
Mrs. Irwin doesn’t speak, she merely listens and watches as Savannah jumps from her chair to pace in front of the fireplace. “I dreamt of romantic pictures, showing the bravery of war, but instead I discovered the many shades of death.”
“I see. In the midst of that, you found no bravery?”
“Oh, I found it and much more. Bravery, courage, and hope.” Her voice grows stronger, “Men like Oliver.” Savannah smiles when Mrs. Irwin nods her head proudly. “Not just in the men and soldiers, but in those ten women who tried so desperately to make a difference.”
“Thank you,” she sniffs. “I strive to remember him as a hero.” She falls quiet for a moment, “Forgive my ignorance, but I don’t understand, Savannah, if you went in as a photographer how did you become a nurse?”
“Necessity.” Savannah sits back down and stares at the fire, wrapping her arms a
round herself to ward off the chill. “In the midst of all that filth; disease and infection spread. Five nurses died within two weeks of our arrival.”
Felicia gasps and covers her mouth with her hand as she pictures the images of war. Eli stomps into the room and glares at Savannah. Sitting so close to the fire with her flaming curls flowing loosely around her shoulders, he is stunned by her pure beauty and grace. The picture she represents infuriates him. He’s seen this mirage before.
“Mother, enough of this filth,” he forces himself to turn away.
“Eli Irwin you dishonor your brother’s last wishes. I need this, and I think the least we could do is hear this young woman out! Now sit down and be quiet or leave us!”
Eli turns back to Savannah who has fallen quiet. She glares back at him. How dare he come in with his dangerous, brooding, good looks and challenge everything she has to say! Who does he think he is?
‘The brother of the lost…’ a small voice echoes back at her, and she’s ashamed at her thoughts. “Continue, please.” Savannah rips her eyes from his and stares at Felicia.
“I’ve not spoken of this with my family, nor my friends,” her voice is hoarse and trembling, but she stiffens her spine and continues.
“We had two hundred sick and wounded at the first ward. Patients had been laying in filth, with dirty bandages unchanged for weeks and little to no food, except hardtack and salt beef. The first thing the sisters did was wash the blood-stained walls and floor. They instituted good nutrition, cleanliness, and gentleness with the patients.”
“I’m not sure I could have handled that,” Felicia replied.
“I wanted to run home, so badly,” Savannah exclaims.
“Why didn’t you?” Eli asks. She looks at him, wondering at the challenge she hears in his voice.
“Sister Beth was the first to get sick, and I offered to sit with her while the others worked. She asked me if I wanted to live a life of meaning.”
“How did you respond?” He asks.
Savannah laughs softly, “I was offended. Sister Beth, I said, I’m hoping to do that with my photography. She looked at me and said, “Give your lens to the Lord and stop hiding behind it.”
“Sister Beth sounds like a smart woman,” Eli quips.
“She passed three days later. They needed help, so I put my camera down and stepped into the real world. For two years I worked with the Sisters, and that is how I met Oliver. You know the rest.”
“You trained under fire with some of the best nurses in the world,” Felicia replies. “He was lucky to have you at his side, Savannah.”
“Thank you,” she murmurs.
“Thank you for sharing this with me.” Felicia stands and waves off any help. “I will retire now, the excitement of the day is catching up to me.”
“I understand. Goodnight.”
Savannah stands and waits for the fury she is sure to feel from Eli. After his mother leaves the room, he turns around and stares at her. Stiffening her spine, she ignores him and grabs the bags from behind the chair.
“Mr. Irwin, this is the promise I made to Oliver.” She marches forward and shoves the two bags into his chest, slightly smirking when he grunts.
“I suppose you enjoyed that,” he smiles and glances down. His smile fades when he recognizes his brother’s bags.
“A little bit.” Savannah nods once, “It is done.” She can almost feel the shackles of her promise release and fall.
Eli runs a hand over the dirty canvas and remembers his brother. “You’ve carried these for a long time.”
“Yes, I have,” she replies hoarsely. “It’s yours now. Inside you will find Oliver’s images of the war. I kept a few images for myself, the rest is yours. To answer your question of why it took me three years to fulfill my promise, I had to fulfill my obligation to the Sisters and the past six months I’ve been developing the rest of his images.”
“I don’t understand, please sit by the fire and explain,” Eli suggests.
Savannah is surprised by his sudden kindness, but she does as he suggests. Eli carries the heavy bags to the table and places them on top.
“Oliver was with us for two days before he spoke. He watched me taking care of the patients, but it wasn’t until he saw one of my own tintypes that he lit up. I didn’t completely give up my photography. We shared a love of the process, the joy of capturing moments. My own pictures were of the war-torn cities. As we traveled to new camps, I would photograph barns, churches, bridges, homes, etc. Oliver loved them,” she smiles at Eli. “As his time grew short, he had me collect his bags and secured my promise to give them to you.”
Savannah leans forward and speaks in earnest. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner, but his images… weren’t easy to get through. You may think me weak, but I caution you to carefully choose the ones you let your mother see. Once they are seen, they can’t be unseen.”
Eli is shaken so shaken by her words he can’t speak. “Goodnight.” Savannah rushes from the room and returns to her room. After laying out her dress for the next day, she packs her things. Leaving a quick note for the family. She mentions the publisher and tells them to do what they want with Oliver’s legacy.
“I’m done, Oliver, I want to go home.” Savannah whispers, and dreams of war.
Chapter 23
Fred slept most of the day and then paid Dahlia to tell him where the dark-haired saloon girl lived, and to his delight, finds that she has a son. She caused him a lost day with that map, which tells him that she knows this family. He was going to ride out and burn the house and barns down, but this might be easier.
“Listen to Mrs. Milton, while I’m gone,” Kristin calls and hurries from the house for work the next morning.
Fred grins when Mrs. Milton falls asleep on the porch, while the child plays with his stick. “Easy pickings,” he mutters.
Kristin grabs the bag of sheets to be laundered and carries then down the servant’s entrance of the Becker Hotel. She uses the handle of an old broom to prop the door, allowing her to walk through easier.
Lucas loved his time at the Farm and is already begging to go back and see Chuck. “A piglet? Really?” She is chuckling and talking to herself when a shadow jumps out and grabs her forearm.
“Mrs. Taylor, you and I have business to talk about!”
Kristin fights hard, thinking of Lucas, she stomps on his foot and inhales to scream when he slaps her across the face, splitting her lip and sending her slamming into a wooden crate.
“Now,” Fred glares at her, “I’d hate for something to happen to that cute little boy of yours, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”
Kristin freezes, and her heart almost stops. “No! You won’t touch my son!”
“Easy now, he’s fine. In fact, why don’t we go see him right now.” Eli grabs her but the arm and drags her to her feet and starts walking fast, shoving a pistol into her side. “Don’t make me shoot you!”
“What do you want?”
“I need to know where Savannah Ward is, and you seem to be the only person that knows her.”
Kristin shakes her head, “I’ve only met her once. Give me my son, and I’ll tell you where she is.” At the back of the alley behind the building is a carriage and Fred shoves her towards it. “Get in!” he shouts.
Kristin stumbles and is thinking about running when she hears Lucas cry out for her. “Lucas!” she runs to the carriage and tears open the door. “No!” Lucas is tied up and sobbing. On the ground beside him is his stick that he loves. “It’s okay, Lucas, I need you to be brave for me, okay?” He nods.
“Get in, before someone comes out here,” Fred demands and shoves her from behind.
“You’re wasting time,” Kristin tries to say, but Fred grabs a handful of dark hair and jerks her head back.
“I plan on wasting a lot of time on you,” he laughs when she attempts to turn away from him.
“No!”
“Get in!” he shoves her forward, and she scrambl
es to Lucas. Kristin runs her hand over his body and pulls the gag from her son’s mouth. Blood stains the rag and rage nearly blinds her. With a trembling hand, she picks up the stick her son loves and turns to face him.
“Little brat tried to stab me with that stick!” Fred grumbles.
Lucas turns his face away from her to the wall and tries to curl into a ball. “All I want is the location, and you can both go free,” Fred promises. Kristin glances at the gun and stands up slowly.
“She will be at the train station this morning, that’s all I know,” tears fill her eyes and she steps forward.
“Of course,” Fred grins. “How could I be so stupid. She’s with the dead soldier’s family? Perfect, then I can take care of all of them at once.”
Lucas starts to cry again, drawing Fred’s glance, and Kristin attacks. She leaps at him shoving the stick straight at his eye, and the weight of her body knocks them both back away from the carriage and onto the ground.
Fred screams, releasing the gun and grabs at his eye with both hands. Kristin grabs the gun and points it at Fred. “I’m taking my son!”
Stumbling to his knees and holding his eye Fred, shouts, “I’ll kill you now, bitch!”
Kristin swings the handle of the gun and strikes Fred, sighing with relief when he crumples to the ground. All she can think is to get Lucas to safety. She tucks the pistol inside the pocket of her dress drags her son from the carriage and unties his feet. “Come on baby, let’s get out of here.”
“My hands, Mama?”
“No time, baby, we have to go!” They scramble up to the driver seat, and she puts an arm around his shoulder. “I need you to be brave, Lucas!” With a snap of the reins they flee. Fear sends her fleeing to the only place she can think of, Eli.
Chapter 24
“I hope you’re happy with yourself,” his mother snaps when he walks into the kitchen late the next morning.
“What are you on about Mother?” Glancing around the kitchen, Eli wonders where Savannah is. “I didn’t mean to sleep so late,” he grumbles. “Where’s Savannah?”
