“Maybe not, but they do want you to maintain your place in society in St. Francisville. You couldn’t do that as a doctor’s wife way off in Texas.” Even as he said the words, he doubted Clarissa’s place in the social circles of home would change her love for Andrew.
As if to prove his point, Clarissa swatted at his arm and said, “Pooh, I don’t care about teas, balls, and concerts or anything else Mother wants us to do. I care about Andrew.” Then she giggled. “I made up a secret code for us so that when we write we can express our feelings without Mother or Father knowing.”
He had to grin at her news. “Now that was a clever thing to do. You don’t think Mother and Father will figure it out?”
“Oh, dear, I hope not. I don’t want to go against their wishes, but I do love Andrew, and I’m hoping that maybe with time, they’ll think differently.”
Stefan laughed at that and shook his head. What dreams his little sister had for the future. A stern glance and furrowed brow from his mother stopped his humor dead in its tracks. If she did discover the ruse, she’d go to great lengths to see no more correspondence between Clarissa and Andrew.
Despite his mother’s troubles as a young woman, she’d never given up the ways of the Southern belle she was before the war. Things that were not important to him or perhaps even to Clarissa ranked high on Mother’s list of living up to her heritage. Living in the plantation home of his grandparents helped her maintain that image. He’d made it clear that the plantation wasn’t for him. If something happened and he inherited it he’d sell it before he’d quit the military and oversee a crew of laborers.
Clarissa nudged his arm again. “Mother’s not happy, but you’d think that she’d understand. After all, Mrs. Whiteman married her doctor and went off to live in Texas. Mother sees nothing wrong in that.”
“It’s a little different for us. We have the plantation to maintain. Since I’ve made my desires clear to stay in the military, I’ll bet they’re hoping you end up with a young man who can take over the plantation for them someday.”
Clarissa sighed and slumped back against the seat. “I never thought of that.” She elbowed him. “You should quit the military and take over the plantation to leave the way clear for Andrew and me. Maybe then Molly would accept you.”
He stiffened. “The military is my life. I’ve made a commitment.”
“I know,” Clarissa said, her tone more compassionate. “I wish things could have worked out differently for the two of you.”
“So do I.” He turned his face again toward the window and the pine forest. One thing for sure, he was not a quitter. Until Molly completely rejected him and someone else claimed her heart, he’d never give up on doing everything possible to win her.
Andrew ambled into the parlor where Faith sat playing the piano. The evening now loomed long and lonely with Clarissa gone. When he sat on the sofa and picked up a book, she stopped the music and came to sit beside him.
“You look so sad since Clarissa left. Do you miss her that much?”
“Yes, I miss her with all my heart.” Only a little over ten hours had passed since her departure, but it may as well have been ten days or months or years what with the ache in his heart.
“I’m sorry, Andrew. I know she cares about you, but she’s in Louisiana or soon will be again and you’re here in Texas. What can you do?”
“We’re going to write of course, and that makes me appreciate Mayor Gladstone making sure we have a decent post office and are on the east-west route.” He hadn’t thought much about it when the mayor had announced the changes last winter, but with the new building and the train coming through regularly now, he realized how much sooner his letters to Clarissa would arrive.
“I guess Molly is in the same predicament as you are. Clara told me how much Molly cares about Mr. Elliot.”
“And he cares about her a great deal. The problem is that he’s in the military, and you know how Molly is about wars.” For a girl as smart as she was, Molly could sure be ignorant about some things.
Faith knit her brows together and bit her lip. “Oh, yes, I’ve heard her complain about guns and gunfights often enough. I don’t understand it. I’m glad we have a sheriff and lawmen who carry guns and will protect us if outlaws or Indians or whatever come in to rob or hurt us.”
Andrew reached over and laid his hand on top of his sister’s. “I am too, and I’m glad Pa taught me how to use a gun if I have to. I carry it with me when I make calls out in the country so I’ll have protection.” Mostly against wild animals, since he couldn’t wrap his mind around shooting a person.
“I’m glad Tom lives right here in Stoney Creek. He may be off to school for the next year, but I know he’s coming home, and I’ll be here waiting for him.”
Andrew raised his eyebrows and peered at his sister. “Oh, has he declared his intentions in that direction?” How could his little sister suddenly be so grown up? He’d been away at school and she’d become a very attractive young woman.
Pink tinged her cheeks, and a smile graced her mouth. “Not in so many words, but we have talked about when he comes home and what he will do. Mr. Anderson at the newspaper has already told him he’d have a place waiting for him there. I think Clara and Ted Gladstone will marry when he finishes school, too.”
Love sure had been busy around town right under his nose. Clara and Faith had been friends since childhood, and now both had young men interested in them. All the talk about love and marriage deepened his determination to share the rest of his life with one Clarissa Elliot.
He leaned toward his sister until their foreheads touched. “Little sister, you and I have some tall praying to do. We need God’s help to get the Elliots to change their mind about me, and even more praying to get Molly to support Stefan in his calling as a soldier.”
Two mighty tall orders for the Lord, but then God was bigger than any problem that may face Stefan and him. If Molly and Clarissa belonged in their futures, God had already worked out how to make that happen, but it sure would be nice if He’d let Andrew in on any such plans.
CHAPTER 19
TEN DAYS AFTER his return to his regiment, Stefan posted his first letter from Arizona to Molly at the post office on the fort grounds. He had written her a brief note when they arrived in Louisiana, but then he was caught up in the whirlwind preparations for the journey back to the fort. The return to military routine had been harder than he’d expected, and last night was the first time he had found the time or energy to sit down and write. The stage would be through today to pick up the week’s mail. He had no idea how long it would take for the letter to go across Arizona and New Mexico then into Texas, but it would get there eventually. He left one for his parents as well so his mother wouldn’t worry.
The hot sun bore down, and most everyone had retreated to the indoors where the shade made the temperature a few degrees cooler. No drills on afternoons like this, and in the summer they didn’t have to wear full uniform on the fort grounds, but it would be expected of them if they went on patrol or had escort duty or visitors came to the fort.
He passed by the family units on his way to the officer quarters, but all was quiet. Children usually napped this time of day, and the women stayed indoors sewing or taking care of hou
sehold chores. His imagination took flight, and he could almost see Molly on one of the porches, broom in hand, waiting for his return. For the first time in all the years since West Point, loneliness nudged its way to his heart.
He may be surrounded by men and some women, but none filled the void left by Molly. Stefan closed his eyes and her face filled his mind. He wanted to sit next to her, hold her hand, and perhaps steal a kiss like that one at the dance. His breath expelled with a swooshing sound. Seeing her again was not likely to happen anytime soon if ever. Andrew had promised to talk to her, but with her strong convictions and opinions, he may as well be talking to a stone wall.
He’d written about life here on the fort and how dull his routine would be for someone accustomed to the hustle and bustle of a town like Stoney Creek. He also wrote of the time they’d spent together, his new horse, and the trip back to Louisiana. He’d know from her response whether or not she cared to hear anything more personal.
Inside the officer quarters, men either lay on the beds resting or sat at the table in the corner jawing and playing cards. He could join in the conversation, but had no desire to sit in on the card game. He’d seen too often how card playing could take over a man’s life.
The bed assigned to him beckoned even though the mattress was not the most comfortable. Sitting on the side of his cot, he stretched his arms upward and moved his head in a circle to loosen the muscles.
One of the officers turned from his conversation and addressed Stefan. “Saw you writing a few letters earlier. Did you find yourself a girl while on leave?”
The smirk with which he delivered his question exposed his true intent. Stefan breathed deeply to avoid an angry retort. “I met a number of people while I recuperated at home. We visited old family friends in Texas, and their hospitality deserved a thank you.”
The man snickered, winked, and returned his attention to his friends. “If you say so, if you say so.”
Stefan shook his head and reclined on his cot. The officers were a good group of men, but he didn’t care to share with them the details of his furlough. The morning had been rough as he had ridden harder and worked harder than he had in months, but it tested his strength and found him in better shape than he hoped. Now he’d be ready for the next patrol or escort duty that may come along.
With July 4 coming up next week, the officers’ wives had planned a special dinner and dance for the officers in the main hall, and a separate dinner would be served to the enlisted men in the barracks. Major Rawlins’s two daughters would be in attendance and carefully guarded as to who their dance partners would be.
Stefan didn’t mind that as he had no thoughts for either of the girls. Even though they were born to the military and had lived on posts most of their lives, nothing about them attracted him to them. He may have entertained the idea at one point, but after meeting Molly again, the old spark he’d had for her returned with a force he had not anticipated.
The young lieutenant in the bed next to Stefan sat down. With his elbows on his knees he peered across at Stefan. “Did those old family friends happen to include a pretty young woman?”
Stefan blinked and then knit his brows. “What makes you ask something like that?”
Red flooded the man’s face. “I . . . um . . . I happened to see one of the envelopes was addressed to a Molly Whiteman in Texas.”
Seeds of anger sprouted in the pit of Stefan’s stomach. Nothing was private or sacred around this place. “I don’t believe that’s any of your business, Callahan.” Sharing any information about Molly would be the last thing he’d do around these men.
“Sorry, I miss my girl back home, so I thought maybe you might be missing one too.”
The young man’s sincere look of apology softened Stefan’s anger. “It’s difficult being so far away from those we care about. Are you planning on marrying her?”
Again Callahan’s face flushed red. “I’d like to, but this is no place to bring a new bride. Yes, we have other wives here, but it’s hard on them way out here in this desert-like country. It isn’t even a state, just a territory, and we’re so close to Mexico.”
That was true, and the threat of Mexican renegades coming in to raid and attack was real. The United States had taken much away from Mexico, and some rebels wanted the government to pay.
“I understand that. Unless a woman is as committed to the military as we are, bringing her out here is not a smart thing to do.” And once he’d returned, he realized even more so that this was no place for a woman like Molly. No matter her feelings and attitude toward his way of life, she’d never be happy in so remote a place without all the frills and extras provided by a town like Stoney Creek.
Molly checked the mail and sighed. At last a letter from Clarissa had arrived, but nothing from Stefan. “Mama, the mail’s here. I’m leaving it on the hall table.”
She tucked Clarissa’s letter into her pocket and climbed the stairs to her room with a heavy heart. A week had passed since she’d received his brief letter from Louisiana, and two weeks since their departure from Stoney Creek. She closed the door behind her and plopped across the bed. She hadn’t encouraged Stefan to write as much as she could have, but still, she’d expected something just to let her know if he’d made it to Arizona.
May as well read what Clarissa had to say. With the letter spread out on the bed, Molly propped herself on her elbows and read of two parties Clarissa attended and then a long narrative of how much she missed Andrew. Only one brief sentence mentioned Stefan and that they had not heard from him since his return to his regiment, but they weren’t worried because they knew the mail carriage only came through the fort once a week or so.
After the last word, Molly folded the letter and flipped over to her back and stared at the ceiling. Letters from Arizona Territory would take a long time to get to Central Texas, so she’d have to be patient. Although she couldn’t be the person Stefan needed for a wife, she still cared a great deal for him and wanted to know how he was doing.
She prayed daily for God to keep Stefan safe, but she wouldn’t know whether he was or not until she heard from him. Her imagination conjured up all sorts of situations in which he could be injured or even killed. She pushed off the bed and stood. Those thoughts would not invade her life today. Stefan was fine. If not, they would most certainly have heard from his parents.
Even with the window open, and a slight breeze stirring the curtains, the afternoon heat of a Texas summer bore down. No rain had fallen for weeks, and the grass as well as flowers had wilted and dried out. Some parts of the state had flooded from heavy rains, but not here. This was one of those days when she would love to shed her petticoats and wear only her skirt, but Mama would frown on that for sure.
The annual Independence Day celebration would be in four days. All her cousins and aunts and uncles would be in town, and Mama had a big family picnic planned. Of course Aunt Hannah and Ellie as well as Margaret would help, but Mama wanted to do most of the work, and she expected Molly and Clara to help. That was fine with Molly, but Clara had already complained to Mama about wanting to spend more time with Teddy Gladstone.
A knock on the door was followed by Clara’s voice. “Molly, come on downstairs. It’s a little cooler in the parlor and Mama made cold lemonade for us.”
&nb
sp; Cold lemonade sounded heavenly. Molly opened the door just as Clara started to knock again.
“My goodness, I almost knocked on your nose.” She giggled then lifted her eyebrows. “Are you coming down?”
Molly hooked her hand on Clara’s elbow. “Most definitely. I hope Mama has some of her sugar cookies to eat with the lemonade. I love you, Clara-Beara, and I can’t believe you’re all grown up and having a young man courting you.”
A frown crossed Clara’s face at the use of her childhood nickname, but Molly loved the name and liked to use it occasionally even if it did irk her sister.
When they entered the parlor, Mama sat on the sofa with the tray of lemonade and a plate of cookies on the table before her.
“Oh, girls, I’m so glad you’re both here.” A frown creased her brow and caused Molly’s heart to jump.
“What’s wrong, Mama? You look so worried.” Molly dropped down beside her mother on the sofa.
“Walter Braden just delivered a telegram from my brother. Mama took a fall and is in poor condition. She’s been confined to her bed. Tom says a letter will follow, but he wanted us to know right away.”
That couldn’t be. Grandma Dyer was so active and led a busy life in St. Francisville. She practically ran the ladies’ mission group at her church singlehandedly. There must be a mistake. “But Mama, she’s so healthy and busy.”
“I know, dear, and I’m worried about her, but we’ll have to wait for Tom to write and give us more information.” Mama lifted her handkerchief to wipe away a tear.
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