Mississippi Brides

by Diane T. Ashley,Aaron McCarver

  “I took him to the hospital.”

  Caroline was already halfway back up the staircase when Dinah recovered from her swoon. She could hear her slave’s happy exclamations as she reassured Grandma Darby. They hugged each other, their grateful tears mingling.

  Grandma Darby finally pulled away. “Can we visit the hospital at this hour?”

  Mopping her face with a sodden handkerchief, Caroline laughed. “No army in the world could keep me out.”

  The smell of death was strong inside Anchuca, the mansion being used to shelter the wounded. Caroline’s heart ached for the rows of groaning men as she followed Hezekiah. Here and there, blood-spattered doctors leaned over their patients, performing rough surgeries in the most daunting of circumstances.

  “He’s in here.” Hezekiah walked through the wide entrance to what had once been a ballroom. Every cot was occupied, as well as most of the oak floor. A breeze slipped through the open windows and doors, cooling the room somewhat.

  She barely recognized her husband as the gaunt, bearded man lying in the cot Hezekiah stopped at. Her heart clenched. What she could see of his face looked far too pale in the light of the candles. One of his legs was bandaged, and the tattered remnants of his uniform hung in rags on him. She was shocked to see him brought so low. Where was the healthy, confident man she’d married? Was he still inside somewhere? Then his gaze landed on her face, and her heart filled to overflowing with love. Heedless of the people around her, Caroline sank to her knees and reached for his hand. “Luke. Oh, Luke, my dearest husband. Thank God you’re alive.”

  His expression softened in wonder. “Caroline. Is it really you?”

  “Yes, my darling. It’s me.” She pressed a kiss on the back of his hand. “I’m so glad to see you. We had reports you were dead.”

  He coughed weakly. “If not for Hezekiah, I would be.”

  “He told us what happened on the way here. It’s nothing short of a miracle.”

  He nodded. “I have so many things to say.” He coughed again.

  “Not tonight, dearest. Tonight you must reserve your strength.” She raised his hand to her cheek. “Tomorrow will be soon enough.”

  One of the doctors approached them. “Excuse me, but you’ll have to leave, miss. He’s very weak and needs plenty of rest.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the room.

  Caroline turned her attention to Luke. She patted his shoulder. “I’ll be back tomorrow to check on you again. Please try to get plenty of rest as the doctor ordered.”

  Luke shook his head and motioned her to lean closer. “Take me home.” His gaze, dark as midnight and desperate with need, pierced her heart.

  Caroline nodded. She had no idea how they would manage, but she would honor her husband’s request.

  Chapter 19

  Caroline sat in the very back of the wagon next to the pallet holding her husband. “I wonder why so many people are out after dark.”

  Grandma Darby was seated up front between Hezekiah and Dinah, but she must have heard Caroline’s remark. “They are coming in for protection from Yankee soldiers.”

  Dinah nodded her agreement. “They’re saying the Yanks killed thousands of soldiers the night before last.”

  Caroline had heard the same reports. Champion Hill had been a terrible defeat for the Confederacy. The Union army seemed unstoppable now that they had managed to get across the Mississippi River. They had taken Jackson, the state capitol, a few days earlier and were now reportedly marching ever closer to Vicksburg, gaining momentum with each successful battle. It seemed only a matter of time before the city would be taken.

  Caroline noted that once they passed the outskirts of the city, the night closed in around them. “Can you see all right, Hezekiah?”

  “Yes, ma’am. But I’m gonna slow down a mite.”

  The wagon bumped through a series of holes and ruts, causing water to slosh around in the bucket on her far side.

  Luke made a sound between a groan and a grunt.

  Caroline leaned over him and placed a hand on his brow. “It’s all right, darling. I’m right here beside you.”

  “Where am I?”

  “In a wagon on the way back to Shady Oaks. Grandma Darby, Hezekiah, and Dinah are up front, so don’t worry. We’re going to take very good care of you.”

  She could scarcely make out his smile, but seeing it renewed her hope she was doing the right thing. It had been the hardest decision of her life, one she knew she would question many times in the days ahead. Would Luke have been better off staying in the hospital? Or would the miasma in that building have carried him off? She put a hand over the bandage on his leg, relieved that it did not feel hot. If only they could cure the infection in his chest. She hated to hear his racking cough. Caroline prayed it stemmed from something easier to combat than consumption.

  A gun was fired somewhere not very far away. She felt the wagon grind to a halt as Hezekiah pulled up on the reins. She held her breath and stretched her hearing to its limits. Was someone coming toward them? No torches gleamed through the woods or from the road ahead of them. Finally Hezekiah set the horse in motion once more.

  Caroline breathed a sigh of relief and dipped one of the rags she’d brought into the bucket of water before wringing it out and placing it on Luke’s forehead. She continued to pray silently as they moved through the night, beseeching God to spare her husband’s life and cast His protection over them on their perilous journey. The words of Psalm 23 floated through her mind, bringing her a measure of peace that lasted for nearly an hour.

  “Miss Caroline, are you awake?” Hezekiah’s whisper pierced the fog that had closed around her.

  She shook her head to clear it. “What’s wrong?”

  “I think we’re about to have some company.”

  Caroline’s heart clenched as she heard the thunder of approaching hooves. Her frightened gaze met that of Luke’s grandmother. Then another sound claimed her attention. Luke’s breathing had grown labored. Was he about to succumb to his illness? David’s words seemed to haunt her now. “ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” Could she be as strong as the psalmist? Could she hold her head high and push away the fear that threatened to consume her?

  Then the horses were upon them, rearing up at the last minute as their riders saw the wagon. For a few moments, everything was confusion. Hezekiah fought to keep their horse under control while the wagon rocked. By the time he had quieted the frightened animal, they were surrounded by soldiers—Yankee soldiers.

  A tall man who was apparently the commanding officer pointed a gun at Hezekiah. “Who are you? Where are you going?” His voice was clipped and had an odd tone. He was obviously not from the South.

  Hezekiah raised his hands to show he had no weapon. “My name is Hezekiah. I’m trying to get my master and his family back home.”

  “Don’t you know there’s a war going on?” Some of the men snickered at the leader’s question.

  “Of course we know that.” Caroline swallowed her fear and stood. Several pistols were immediately pointed in her direction, but she ignored them, raising her chin and giving the officer her coldest stare. “But what we didn’t know was that President Lincoln’s army would stoop to terrorizing women.”

  That stopped the sly laughter, but it raised the tension in the air.

  Now that her eyes had grown accustomed to the gloom of the moonless night, Caroline saw that the horsemen numbered half a dozen, so she assumed they must be advance scouts. “Our journey may seem peculiar to you, but as Hezekiah told you, my husband is very ill. He has expressed a desire to return home, and we’re doing our best to get him there. We are no threat to you and ask that you leave us in peace.”

  She ignored Dinah’s gasp of dismay. This was no time to be timid.

  The leader brought his horse toward the back of the wagon. “Where is this sick husband of yours?”

  Caroline pointed downward. “Right here next to me.”
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  The man brought his animal closer to peer at the floor of the wagon.

  “What do you say, Captain?” one of the other men called to him. “Is he the spy we’re trying to catch up with?”

  “I will fear no evil…”

  After a moment, the man pulled his horse away. “Nah. He’s about half dead from the look of it. Besides, I don’t see an extra horse. He’s not our quarry.”

  “For thou art with me…” Caroline clung to the promise with all her being as she waited for the soldier to decide whether or not to detain them. “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

  “Let them pass.” The man holstered his pistol and saluted her briefly. “We don’t make war on women or the wounded.”

  “Thank you, Captain.”

  Hezekiah called to the horse and slapped the reins.

  Caroline sat down quickly and watched as the small band of soldiers continued on their quest. Thank You, God.

  Chapter 20

  Grandma Darby entered the bedchamber with a steaming pot balanced on a serving tray. “I think this mint infusion may bring down Luke’s fever.”

  Caroline looked up at her from the rocking chair she had placed next to Luke’s bed. Grandma Darby was looking rather frail. The ride home last night had been difficult for all of them. “Thank you.”

  “How is he?”

  “Sometimes lucid, sometimes out of his head.” Caroline bathed his face with a cool cloth. “Do you know who Amelia is?”

  “No.” The older woman put her burden down on the table next to the bed. “Why?”

  Caroline sighed. “He’s called her name twice this morning. She must be important to him.”

  “He’s never mentioned anyone by that name to me.” She paused, and comprehension entered her eyes. “He did tell me one time that he’d given his heart to a young woman in Tennessee who had deceived him. Perhaps that’s who he’s thinking of.”

  The afternoon Luke had caught her teaching Dinah to read came back with sudden intensity. He had said something then about deceitful women and his first love. At the time she’d thought he meant Marianna, but he must have meant another girl—a girl who still held his heart in her hands—a girl named Amelia.

  Despair blanketed Caroline’s heart at the realization. Luke would never love her the way she loved him. She couldn’t hurt more if she’d been struck a mortal blow. But through the pain, she felt a movement inside her. The baby!

  Caroline’s chin lifted. She had one thing this Amelia did not: Luke’s family name. And she was carrying Luke’s baby. It might not be the marriage she had once dreamed of, but Luke was her husband for better or worse. She would look for blessings in every day they spent together.

  “Are you all right, Caroline?” Grandma Darby sounded concerned.

  She cleared her throat and summoned a smile. “Yes, I was just thinking.”

  The older woman pulled a straight-backed chair beside her and took Caroline’s hand in her own. “I’m so glad you’re the one my grandson married. He chose better than any of us realized.”

  Caroline’s smile became a bit more natural. At least she had won one family member’s approval. Together they watched as Luke’s chest rose and fell in the quiet bedroom. Even the sound of the mantel clock’s rhythmic ticking faded as the mint-scented steam filled the room.

  Sleep overtook Caroline, and her head fell forward. The motion startled her back into wakefulness, and Caroline leaned forward in the rocker. Grandma Darby had also succumbed to exhaustion, her head resting against the back of her chair. Caroline debated whether or not to wake her but decided against it.

  She stood and checked on her husband, laying her hand on his forehead. Was his skin cooler? She moved her hand to his chest. He was definitely cooler. Happiness flooded her. Caroline wanted to dance about the room. She wanted to shout the news from the rooftop. Luke was getting better.

  She checked the teapot. With a lighter heart and a renewed sense of purpose, she picked it up and took it downstairs to be refreshed. Luke was getting better.

  “You look especially beautiful this morning. I love the way your dress brings out the blue of your eyes.” Luke’s admiring gaze set butterflies fluttering in Caroline’s stomach.

  She bustled about the bedroom, fluffing the pillows on Luke’s bed and straightening the books on his bedside table. “Thank you, Luke. You are looking quite dashing yourself this morning.”

  Luke raked a hand through his dark hair. “I could use a haircut.”

  She stopped her nervous actions and took a moment to study him, trying to ignore how wonderful he looked sitting in the tall-backed chair next to the fireplace. “I don’t know if you’ll like the result, but I can try—”

  “Oh no.” He shook his head. “You may have faced down the Yankee army on my behalf and brought all of us safely to Shady Oaks, but I only trust Hezekiah’s steady hand with the hair clippers.”

  Rolling her eyes, Caroline took the tray from his lap, checking to make certain he had eaten all his breakfast. She treasured the banter between them. It was only one of God’s blessings that had come about as her husband recovered from his wounds. He had changed so much—the sometimes arrogant, always self-assured man she had fallen in love with had softened. If only she could be confident that she was the woman he loved.

  Several times over the past days his gaze had seemed to declare his love, but Luke remained mute on the subject. When she was with him in this room, all her fears and doubts seemed foolish, the imaginings of an overwrought mind. But the moment she left him to tend to her other duties, the specter of Amelia arose once more. And one question above all others came to the forefront of her erratic thoughts. Whom did he really love?

  Why hadn’t she told him yet that she was carrying their child? Was she scared of his reaction? Scared that he would express love for her only because of the baby?

  At first she had convinced herself to remain silent so he could focus on his own health. As the days wore on, it seemed there were so many other things to talk about. Luke read his Bible daily, and they discussed the meaning of many scriptures. Even though she was a pastor’s daughter, Caroline found herself challenged by Luke’s insightful questions.

  Earlier this week she had listened as he talked about his guilt over the death of his friend Hampton. She prayed with him for the men who fought on both sides of the war. They discussed heaven and the afterlife, the importance of spreading the Gospel and her family’s ministry. Yesterday they had even made plans to visit her parents in Jackson and her grandparents in Natchez as soon as travel became safe again. But still she had not been able to tell him about the life growing inside her.

  “After Hezekiah finishes, will you come down to the parlor today? It’s a bit chilly this morning to sit outside, but Grandma Darby and I would love to have you join us in the front parlor while we work on the mending.”

  He nodded. “I think it’s time for me to rejoin the world.”

  Caroline pondered her husband’s statement as she carried Luke’s tray downstairs and searched out Hezekiah. Was Luke referring to life on the plantation? Or did he think he needed to rejoin the Confederate army? She hoped he did not think he was strong enough to return to battle. She walked toward the parlor, smiling at Grandma Darby as she took her place on the sofa and picked up her needle.

  “How is our patient today?”

  “Stronger than ever. He should be down shortly.”

  “You’ve done such a good job caring for him, Caroline.”

  “We all do our parts, but it is God who deserves the praise. He has mended Luke and given him back to us.”

  The two of them worked in companionable silence, the only sound in the room the crackle of a cheerful fire that removed the spring chill from the air.

  A sound at the door brought her head around. Fully dressed, Luke didn’t much resemble the unkempt patient she had seen earlier. His face was brown in comparison to the frothy white cravat showing above the lapels of his blue frock coa
t. A part of her wished she could halt the forward march of time, even return to the days of Luke’s convalescence. Guilt washed through her with the thought. It wasn’t that she wished for Luke to be ill again, but she didn’t want him to reassume the imperiousness that had made her feel so disconnected from him.

  The sound of horses’ hooves on the drive outside interrupted her train of thought and made Caroline’s heart thump. Had the war come to them at Shady Oaks?

  Luke frowned and disappeared into the hall, returning a few moments later with a folded sheet of vellum in one hand.

  “What is it, Luke?” Grandma Darby asked the question uppermost in Caroline’s mind.

  Luke’s face was drawn, paler than when he’d first come downstairs. “A soldier has brought me a note from Major Fontenot.”

  Caroline’s heart clenched. “What news is so important it must be delivered by messenger?”

  “They need me to return to Vicksburg.”

  “You can’t go.” Caroline couldn’t stop the objections trembling on her tongue. “You’re barely recovered.”

  “I cannot cower here when my strength and expertise might do some good.” He picked up the sock she’d been mending and set it on the arm of the sofa before taking a seat next to her. “I hoped we would have more time together, but it seems that is not to be.”

  Caroline barely heard Grandma Darby make some excuse and leave them alone. Tears stung her eyes. This was a disaster. Would they never have time to mend their differences? And what about the baby? She had to tell him. It might not be enough to stop him from going, but perhaps it would give him a reason to look forward to returning. They needed to discuss so many things, but when? It seemed this was the only time they would have.

  “Do you know how expressive your face is, Caroline?”

  The look in his eyes made her heart beat faster. “Th–thank you.” He took her hand in his. “I sometimes forget how lovely you are.”

  Her gaze drank in every detail of him, from the soft, dark waves of his hair to the polished leather of his boots. “I’m not sure you’re strong enough.”