Saved by Faith

by Jenna Brandt

  Saved by Faith

  Jenna Brandt

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Locale and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events, or actual locations is purely coincidental. All rights reserved.

  This book was previously published under the title, Love’s Mending Embrace while it was a part of Melissa Storm’s First Street Church Kindle World as well as Promised to a Soldier in The Rockwood Springs Series. Both versions were set in WWI but the book has been edited to remove references to that world and era and has been updated with new content, characters and historical information to reflect the civil war era. Names and places have been changed for historical accuracy.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email jenna@jennabrandt.com.

  Text copyright © Jenna Brandt 2019.

  The Civil War Brides Series © Jenna Brandt 2019.

  Photo copyright by Depositphotos.com and periodimages.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Epilogue

  Authentic Civil War Recipe

  A Note from the Author

  Also by Jenna Brandt

  Join My Mailing List and Reader’s Group

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  -To Dustin-

  You’re my personal soldier.

  Thank you for fighting for us.

  Chapter 1

  Late August 1864

  Myrtle Grove, South Carolina

  Faith Abernathy looked up into the afternoon sky as sweat trickled down the back of her neck and face. Clouds formed in the distance, which meant the imminence of rain. Rich soil overwhelmed her nose while her heart ached at the thought of not finishing the yam harvest before the storm arrived. Though it was dismal, it would be all they had to eat for the foreseeable future.

  Three years ago, she never would have thought she would be forced to trade her life of elegant dinners and fancy balls for one filled with back-breaking labor. Starvation was a harsh master, bringing everyone to their knees. She was only grateful her family hadn’t been forced to steal to survive, at least not yet. The war wasn’t over, and there was no definitive end in sight.

  The Confederacy insisted that in the end they were going to win, but with the recent heavy losses they had sustained, Faith wondered if the entire war was for naught. Already things were different and would never be the same again. Most plantations were in ruins either from untended crops or burnt out husks from Union soldiers. Wealthy southern families, like her own, that had thrived for generations, were reduced to poverty, and the very institution of slavery the Confederacy had fought to preserve was all but gone now. Though her own family had only used free workers, she knew that many other plantations depended on the system to sustain their way of life. Many of the Southern slaves, once seemingly loyal, had run away and joined the Union forces, adding even more turmoil to dire circumstances. With everything destroyed around them, she wondered how desperate her fellow Southerners would get before the war ended.

  She raised her hand and placed it over her brow. Her brothers were playing instead of working at the other end of the field. With a shout, Faith warned, "Boys, get back to your task."

  Her brother, Davis, shrugged. "I don’t need your bossing. You’re only older by a year," he teased in a Southern accent, common with most of the townspeople.

  They must have gotten the point though because after a few moments, both her brothers returned to picking.

  Faith wiped the sweat from her forehead with the edge of the apron she wore over her dirty dress, then re-adjusted the scarf which covered her long blonde hair, equally soiled from the long hours of work.

  As she placed the produce into the wooden pail, she sang a hymn she had learned Sunday. Church was a reprieve, a solitary hour in which her thoughts weren’t fixated on the war and her fiancé, Nathan Maddox.

  She remembered the final moments they had spent together before he reported for duty with the military. When Faith closed her eyes, she could still sense the warmth of his arms around her as she basked in his loving embrace.

  "It won’t be permanent. Keep faith in God and us because I’m coming home to you," he vowed.

  As she rested her head against his chest, she argued, "It’s not fair. You served your time. Why do they need you again?"

  "I must do my part for our safety. Promise me, you’ll wait until I return."

  Faith did not waiver. "Always and forever."

  Nathan leaned towards her and placed his lips on hers. It was a searing kiss, and it branded Faith his for eternity.

  Over a half a year had passed since his departure. In the beginning, he wrote often, but the war continued to claim larger chunks of his time. As of late, the letters were sporadic in arrival, prompting Faith to worry without end.

  Daily, she feared receiving the news of Nathan’s death, and as each week dragged by without communication, the concern deepened. During the day, she kept busy helping with the chores around the plantation, focusing on everything besides missing Nathan. At night with no distractions, however, the longing for him overwhelmed her. She missed staring into his bright blue eyes and running her fingers through his thick, dark hair.

  Faith knew she needed to trust God to protect the man she loved, so she whispered a quick, familiar prayer as she placed more yams into the bucket.

  A tear slipped down Faith’s cheek, which she quickly swiped away. "There’s no time for tears," Faith chastised herself. "I need to get these vegetables picked before the clouds come overhead."

  Most Southerners faced financial burdens due to the war, and every penny was precious. The family’s survival depended on the crops. Due to most of their workers running off or taking up with the Confederate military, the family had been left to try to sustain the plantation alone.

  "What are you doing?"

  Faith swiveled around to find her eight-year-old sister, Nancy, standing behind her. With a smile, she brushed the brown curls from her sibling’s face. "Picking yams."

  Her sister looked in the pail with skepticism. "You haven’t finished much since Ida returned home."

  As Faith glanced into her bucket, the emptiness shocked her. She should've noticed her slowed pace since their sister, Ida, had left. Chagrined, Faith tried to deflect, "What gives you that idea?"

  "Because Ida brought two pails back over an hour ago."

  For being so young, Nancy was astute. Faith blushed, feeling as though the red poured out from her green eyes to her muddy, boot-covered toes. It was vital that she finish her job before dusk. With a sigh, she turned to pick the vegetables again.

  "I could help if you want. Mother told me I didn’t have to be back until supper since it’s Ida’s turn to work in the kitchen."

  Faith stopped and spun around
, raising one eyebrow. "And why volunteer to aid me when you could play?"

  "Because that’s what sisters do; they help each other."

  Embarrassed over her suspicion, tears came to the corner of Faith’s eyes again. "Thank you, Nancy. I appreciate your offer." She reached out and handed a pail to her sibling.

  Faith sang, with her sister joining in, as they gathered up the remaining yams. Her spirits were lifted by her sister’s presence and her longing for Nathan ebbed for the time being.

  Chapter 2

  Early September 1864

  Undisclosed location, Union Territory

  The cold sweat from the preceding hours still clung to Nathan Maddox’s broken body as every inch ached with immeasurable pain. His wrists cried out for release from the ropes binding his arms behind the rickety, wooden chair he had sat in for countless days.

  Nathan closed his swollen eyes and pictured better times before the talk of war had tainted everything. He remembered standing in the fields fresh after harvest, listening to Pastor Howell speak Sunday mornings at church, and his fiancée, Faith’s, welcoming smile. If he kept his mind focused on his life in Myrtle Grove, he could survive this.

  Nathan let his mind drift back to his favorite memory.

  It was a warm summer evening as Faith curled up in the corner of his arm. They had stolen away from the elaborate party still in full swing in the nearby massive ballroom of the Abernathy plantation.

  The stars were shining bright and the night was flawless as they danced on the long, wraparound veranda that encompassed the back part of the house. It overlooked the gardens, which were glistening under the moonlight.

  "The sky is so brilliant tonight. I can see every star," Faith whispered in his ear as he held her close.

  "It's beautiful, though not as magnificent as you look tonight in that gown.”

  Faith looked perfect in her golden gown made of satin. It shimmered under the starlight and swished as it moved along the ground. Her white, full-length, silk gloves were smooth under his touch, but not as smooth as her skin, which he could feel where his own hand touched her back.

  "I can't wait until we’re married and don’t have to sneak away like this,” Faith sighed. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  “I’m only grateful your father is allowing me to marry you. I know I don’t come from a family like yours, but I will do right by you, Faith, I promise.”

  “I know you will, Nathan. My father does too, and that’s why he agreed to let you marry me. You worked hard, earning your right to be the foreman of my family’s plantation. You’ve proven to everyone what a good and honorable man you are.”

  “I know some still think it wrong he relented to our union, but I—”

  “Shh,” Faith whispered, placing her gloved finger against his lips. “You need not explain yourself to me or anyone else. I only wish that we could be married this very night, that this ball was to celebrate our wedding, and not another charity event for the war.”

  “I know, and as soon as I finish building the house on the land I bought from your father, we can wed,” Nathan stated with a smile. “It will be nice to settle into our own life together once it’s done.”

  "How long before you think they’ll finish?" Faith inquired with a hint of impatience in her voice.

  "Only a few more months. Then we can get married and start our family." Nathan pulled back to stare into Faith's eyes. "The night is perfect, but nothing compares to you."

  Faith smiled as she placed her gloved hand on the side of his face. "I love you so much, Nathan. I look forward to being your wife and making you happy for the rest of our lives."

  "You've got it backward. It's my job to make you happy and I plan to be an expert at it."

  With a laugh, she stated, "You're already off to a terrific start."

  Nathan pressed his lips against Faith's in another tender kiss. He savored holding her in his arms and the warmth of her lips against his own.

  "I love you, Faith, always and forever."

  Laughter outside his room jerked Nathan back to the present. He wished he could have stayed in the memory of Faith forever; however, he was forced to return to the awful place he was being held in.

  He sent up a prayer, knowing that only through God's strength could he bear what was coming. As long as he remembered what he was living for, he could survive what was to come. "Please Lord, give me the courage I need to endure this trial, for I'm nothing without you. Help me to not surrender to what they want from me. Comfort Faith as I’m separated from her. I know you’ll protect us both."

  His biggest regret was his decision to fake his age and enlist in the military as a young boy of sixteen. Nathan had done it for the wrong reason; the product of a childhood spent in orphanages with scarce food to eat and ragged clothes. A seasoned officer saw his desperation and preyed on it. He recognized desperate men will do desperate acts. Nathan willingly signed his life away just for his basic needs to be met.

  "Join us, and you'll never be without again," the officer had promised him. He didn't tell him what Nathan would lose in return.

  Trained to be a spy's spy after he had first joined the military, Nathan's unassuming looks worked well for him. Even now at 23, he looked years younger. Coupled with his shrewd intellect and ability to adapt to any situation, Nathan fit perfectly as an infiltrator.

  A shiver surged through him as he thought how devoid of emotions he used to be. He had learned to push away any real sense of compassion, as it had no place in the job he did. However, over time, his assignments had taken their toll.

  If only he had known the Lord before he had entered the military, but he hadn't found salvation until three years after in a rural Northern town. The details were etched in Nathan's memory.

  Nathan tried to dismiss the disgust he felt for himself over what he had done the previous day. He had located a lead on a traitor by lying to an unsuspecting source for several weeks. Nathan had been effective in his deception, pretending to care about the traitor’s niece to gain her trust. As quickly as he got the information, he disappeared, leaving the woman without so much as a goodbye.

  The snow flurries were drifting as Nathan opened the door. He felt the flakes land on his face and melt, leaving a wet kiss upon his cheeks. A chill shot down his spine and he pulled his coat around him tighter. As he placed his foot upon the slick ground outside, he lost his footing and found himself falling. He hit the earth with a thud and the wind was knocked from him.

  “Are you all right?”

  Nathan looked up to find a stranger offering a helping hand. As he looked into the other man's kind, brown eyes, he was compelled to learn what made the stranger so caring.

  After the man with dark-hair and friendly smile helped him up, he offered to treat Nathan to a cup of coffee around the corner at a café. He wasn’t sure why he accepted the invitation, but he found himself sitting in a wooden chair across from the man, who was much older than himself.

  Nathan watched as he politely conversed with the server, who in turn, smiled and laughed at the man’s jokes. He had a calming ease Nathan had never witnessed before, which instantly drew people to him.

  “Why are you the way you are?” Nathan blurted out. Normally, he would wait, get to know his target and coax out the information he wanted, but this man had a way of making him act contrary to his normal self.

  “Shouldn’t we introduce ourselves first? I’m Peter Hawarden and I’m a pastor here in Greenville.”

  Nathan flinched and looked away. He was religious. Nathan had never found comfort in organized religion. At the orphanage, they tried to force it on him, but he had resisted. He had wanted nothing to do with a belief system that allowed nuns to treat orphans the way they did at that horrible place.

  “Are you going to tell me your name?”

  He should lie to him considering why he was in town, but before he could stop it, “Nathan Maddox,” slipped from his mouth.

  Why did he just do that?
This man seemed to cause him to go against all his training.

  “Well, Nathan, to answer your earlier question, I believe in God and He makes me the way I am.” Peter stared at Nathan for several seconds before he asked, “The real question is why do you want to know?”

  It was a good question. Now that Nathan had the answer, did he plan to do anything about it? Peter didn’t act like the few Christians he had met over the years, which meant not all Christians were the same. Was it possible that depending on a person’s relationship with God, you were a different person? If that were the case, maybe religion wasn’t bad at its roots, but simply depended on the person wielding it.

  “I asked because I want what you have. You seem to have a peace I want to feel.”

  “Then all you have to do is accept Jesus as your Savior. I can show you how.”

  Nathan nodded as the man asked him to bow his head and repeat after him. Nathan felt relief flood him as he repeated the words.

  Once Nathan became a Christian, there was no turning back. When he had returned for reassignment, he had turned in his letter of separation. He was a new man, and wanted to leave the world of lies and secrets behind him.

  The solitary door to the room opened and slammed shut, breaking his train of thought. Footsteps echoed as they approached, and Nathan steeled himself for what was next. The Union officers would continue their task of breaking him.

  “Have you reconsidered your position, Nathan, and come to the right conclusion?”