by Jenna Brandt
Depression took hold of him, causing Wyatt to fall back on his bed. Was this to be his life now? Was he to never know a day of happiness again? His eyelids fluttered for a few moments before he welcomed the darkness that claimed his weary mind, temporarily releasing him from the constant dread that filled his heart.
Chapter 3
Though the South hadn’t won the war, Myrtle Grove was still proud of the soldiers who fought gallantly. They wanted to celebrate their safe return. In honor of them, the mayor decided to host a social in the town square. Grace hadn’t been anywhere since her arrival two days prior, and was relieved to have something to distract her from the troubling thoughts that plagued her. This would be a chance for her to take her mind off of the past.
She placed the final pin in her hair, securing her curls. Her cousin, Faith, had told her there would be a picnic in the afternoon, as well as a dance in the evening, which meant it was going to be a long event. She wanted to make sure her curls held up for the entire night. Once she was certain they wouldn’t fall, she inspected her green, satin dress a final time in the mirror. It was the last of her good dresses, the rest being either ruined or stolen during the war. Pilferers had raided most of the wealthy homes, and hers had been no exception. This one only managed to survive because it had been misplaced by one of the servants before they had fled the city. She added her solitary set of gold earrings and necklace, saved by the fact she had worn them on a regular basis. The rest of her jewelry had been sold to support the troops or stolen like her dresses, clutches, and shoes.
“You look beautiful,” her Aunt Tabitha said, reaching out and gently placing her hand on her shoulder. “A vision of perfection. You’ll land a husband in no time.”
Grace pressed her lips together, forcing herself not to snap out that she had no intention of doing so. The last thing she wanted was a husband, especially after what had happened to her.
“Are you both ready?” she heard Faith ask from the doorway. “Hope and Davis will be waiting for us at the social.”
“We are,” her aunt said, picking up the cream shawl from the bed and handing it to Grace. “I’m looking forward to a nice evening with family and friends.”
“Me, too,” Faith said with a smile, stepping out of the way to let Grace and her mother pass through the door. “It’s been a long time since the town has had something to celebrate.”
“You mean, besides your wedding? Oh, let’s not forget to mention Hope and Davis’ wedding, too.” her mother stated with a quirk of her eyebrow.
“Well, that’s true, but this is the first time Grace gets to attend a town social with us. I can’t wait to introduce her to everyone. I wish Wyatt was home, but last I heard, he was delayed in Virginia. You would like Wyatt, Grace. He’s a true war hero, a good man, and a handsome doctor. If you—”
“That’s enough matchmaking, Faith,” her aunt corrected gently. “She’ll meet Wyatt soon enough when he returns, and she can make up her own mind about him.”
“Yes, Mother,” Faith said with a nod. “I just want Grace to find a husband and to be as happy as I am with Nathan.”
Grace pulled her shawl tightly around her chest, twisting the edges in frustration. Why was everyone so determined to marry her off? She knew that everyone was suffering due to the aftermath from the war—her aunt and uncle were no exception. They had had to resort to sharecropping. The land had been owned and operated by the Abernathys for several generations, but now they had to take on outside farmers. Sharing the profits just to keep from losing their land was not uncommon, but it was difficult. Grace didn’t want to be a burden to her family, but she also didn’t want to marry a stranger, especially a soldier. Of course, Wyatt wasn’t exactly a stranger. Not many people knew this, but they had danced at a ball in Charleston while he had been at university and she a debutante. There had been sparks, and for a moment, she thought he might court her. Then the war happened, and it took over everything, including the pursuit of anything romantic. He left without saying a word, causing her to realize she had read into the situation; assuming it was more than it was. Now, he was a returning soldier, and she was a different woman. It didn’t matter what had passed between them five years ago. To her, it seemed it was a lifetime ago.
The women made their way downstairs where the men were waiting.
“Did I tell you how pretty you look in that dress?” Nathan asked, reaching out to take Faith’s hand and placing it in the crook of his arm.
“You say that every time I wear this dress, which is a lot since we can’t afford any new ones.” Even though it was a true statement, there wasn’t any bitterness in Faith’s voice. She was simply stating a fact.
“You could always borrow one from me. Though they aren’t new, they would be new to you,” Grace offered.
“That’s very sweet of you, cousin,” Faith said with a grateful smile. “I wouldn’t dream of wearing one of your dresses and ruining it, though.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that. This is the best one I have by far, but you’re welcome to any of the ones I have.”
“You’d be surprised how quickly I can stain a dress,” Faith said with a small laugh.
“That’s true. Faith tends to be clumsy, especially now with her being—” Nathan’s eyes rounded, as he glanced away, his cheeks tinging red with embarrassment as he stopped himself from continuing.
“Now with her being, what?” her mother pounced on the unfinished sentence. “Is there something we should know?”
“Is there something wrong with you, Faith?” her father asked, joining in on the inquisition.
She shook her head, then glanced over at Nathan and gave him a dirty look. “It’s too early to be talking about this, Nathan.”
“Are you both that blind?” Ida asked, entering the room with Jack and Nancy behind her. “She’s been ill regularly lately, and her clothes aren’t fitting like they used to. It’s obvious; Faith’s going to have a baby.”
“You are! I can’t believe it,” her mother gasped with excitement. She rushed over and threw her arms around her daughter. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to, but I wasn’t sure how it was going to go,” Faith explained.
“I’m going to be a grandfather. It seems you’re keeping up on your end of the deal, Nathan,” Thomas said, coming up and patting the younger man on the back.
“I’m going to be an aunt,” Nancy squealed with delight. “I can’t wait to tell all the other kids at school.”
“Don’t you dare,” Faith said, pulling back from her mother. “We don’t want to make an announcement quite yet.”
“Listen to your sister, Nancy. And that goes for you, Jack, as well. Both of you need to respect your sister’s request,” their mother reprimanded kindly.
Nancy’s lip came out in a pout as she placed her hand on her hip. “This is my first time getting to be an aunt,” she whined. “I want to tell the whole world.”
“There’ll be plenty of time for that down the road,” their father said, “But for now, it’s just going to be an Abernathy/Maddox secret.”
Secret. Grace hated that word—and all the negative emotions it invoked for her. Wanting to escape, Grace knew she needed to properly congratulate the couple before leaving. “That’s wonderful news,” Grace said, despite feeling like she was an outside spectator in someone else’s life. She quickly added, “I think I will wait outside.”
She slipped out the door and headed over to the rundown wagon. She climbed inside, being careful to avoid the sections of wood that were splintering from excessive use. Gone were the days that the Abernathys arrived in carriages. It was a luxury that they could no longer afford. She reminded herself she should be grateful they didn’t have to walk to town, like so many people had to do now.
A few minutes later, the rest of the group came out and joined her in the wagon. No one addressed her sudden departure, but she could tell they were curious as to why she did it. She was glad for the absence o
f questions. She didn’t want to discuss her reasons. The truth was, ever since what had happened to her back in Charleston, she didn’t react to situations the way she used to. It was like the part of her that used to care and celebrate was gone. She was left with a shell of her former self.
Faith stretched her arm out across the wagon and squeezed Grace’s hand. She gave her cousin an encouraging smile, without making it seem condescending. Grace liked that. Faith always had a way of making her feel better. She was glad to see that hadn’t changed after all these years.
They arrived in town, checking their wagon and horse in at the livery before walking the short distance to the town square. Families were already there, setting up their picnics. A few faces looked vaguely familiar, but Grace couldn’t put any names to the faces. Not surprising, since it had been nearly seven years since the last summer she spent in Myrtle Grove.
The Abernathy children placed the blankets on the grass, then set the picnic baskets upon it. Eagerly, they rushed off to join the other children in the games.
“There you all are,” she heard the familiar voice of her other cousin, Davis, say from the side. He came into view, with a pretty, strawberry blonde clinging to his arm. Again, her face looked vaguely familiar, which made Grace believe it was her cousin’s new wife, and Faith’s best friend, Hope Hammond. Grace supposed it was Hope Abernathy now, since they had gotten married right before Davis left to join the war effort.
“Where are your parents?” Tabitha asked, looking for the other couple.
“We just arrived a few moments ago. Everyone else should be joining us in a minute,” Hope explained. Glancing over at Grace, she reached out her hand. “You must be Grace. I recognize you from when we were children.”
Grace took the extended hand, and shook it in return. “As I did with you.”
“I hear you’ll be staying with the Abernathys for a while. You should come with Faith and me to the next knitting party at the church. Though with the war being over, I’m not sure what we will be knitting. I suppose there’s always a need for scarves and socks. There’s so many orphans now due to all the soldiers who—”
There was a cough from Thomas Abernathy and the other women looked uncomfortable. Hope must have realized she was speaking about matters that were still a sore subject. She looked mortified, as her eyes darted to the ground.
Grace decided she would rescue the other girl. “I would love to join you, Hope, though I have to admit, I have the least masterful hand when it comes to a knitting needle.”
The other woman looked up with a relieved smile. “You can’t be much worse than me.”
“Hey now, I loved my scarf you sent with me,” Davis teased, kissing the top of his wife’s head. “Though I have to admit, I much prefer your baking to your knitting.”
“You should never tell your wife you prefer one talent over another,” Nathan jokingly rebuked. “As far as we’re concerned, they’re experts at everything.”
“He’s right, son, don’t make the same mistake that many a man has made,” another older man said, joining the group with an older brunette woman beside him.
“Luke, you made it,” Thomas declared with a pleased tone.
“We said we would, but we ended up running a bit late because we had to wait on this one.” Luke stepped back to reveal a handsome dark-haired man behind him. Again, he looked familiar, but this time it wasn’t vague memory. Grace could tell by his unforgettable, piercing, hazel eyes, she was staring at Wyatt Hammond.
Chapter 4
As his eyes locked with Grace Abernathy’s, Wyatt was instantly transported back to five years ago. It had been the last ball before the South seceded from the Union—though no one had known it would at that time.
The ball was thrown to raise funds to support the university, in hopes of increasing the number of applicants that they could accept into the medical school. Dr. Abernathy, Grace’s father, was the head of the medical school. Wyatt was one of his star students, garnering him an invitation to the elite and prestigious Charleston event.
“I can’t believe that soon we will graduate and finally be one of them,” Michael Reed whispered in awe, leaning towards Wyatt and adding, “I can’t wait to nab one of these pretty debutantes and make her my wife.”
Of course, Michael would think it as easy as that. He came from a long, pedigreed Charleston family, while Wyatt was an orphan. With only an aunt and uncle living on a distant plantation, he had little family to speak of. What man would approve of his daughter marrying a man who had so little?
“Take that one for example; isn’t she a looker?”
Wyatt glanced over at the woman Michael was referring to. She was gorgeous, with her golden-blonde hair and hour-glass figure that was enhanced perfectly in her golden gown, with green and burgundy trim. She was one of the most striking women in the room, and he couldn’t tear his eyes from her. At least until the moment Dr. Abernathy approached her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Because of the age difference, Wyatt assumed she was his daughter, which meant she was strictly off-limits. He tried to put his reaction to her in check. He’d worked too hard to impress the head instructor at the medical school to let it all be ruined because he was fascinated by his daughter.
“We should head into the cigar room and listen for any clues about the secession,” Wyatt said, grabbing Michael by the arm and dragging him away. “If we go to war, they’re going to need doctors more than ever.”
Two hours passed without any definitive facts about what was going to happen between the North and the South. Wyatt was tired, and decided he was ready to head back to the dormitory. He made his way out of the cigar room and along the edge of the ballroom dance floor, which was currently filled with couples dancing a waltz.
“He looks like a good candidate,” a young brown-haired girl said, pushing the gorgeous blonde from earlier into his arms. “You haven’t danced with him, yet.”
“Elizabeth Moore, how dare you,” the blonde woman protested, her head turning towards Wyatt with an astonished expression on her heart-shaped face.
The moment he looked into her bright, green eyes, he knew he’d be a fool to let her out of his arms. He tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her onto the dance floor. He gathered her up into his embrace, whispering, “Remind me to thank your friend later.”
“For what?”
“For giving me the chance to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room.”
“Do you really think I’m gullible enough to fall for that?” she asked in an irritated tone. “I get paid twenty compliments a night like that.”
His brows shot up in surprise. “That might be so, but let me assure you, you’re the first woman I’ve spent a moment with tonight, let alone uttered such a declaration to.”
Her face softened. “You didn’t come here to join in on a bride hunt? Many men would love to land the daughter of Dr. Abernathy.”
“Is that who you are?” Wyatt asked, pretending not to know. “I simply thought you were a maid that stole a dress and came to the ball.”
She let out a giggle. “Wouldn’t that be something. Sometimes I wish I could blend in like the maids do. Between my mother trying to marry me off to the richest men in Charleston, and my father using me to prove women can understand medicine, I’m somewhat notorious around here.”
“None of that matters to me, though I do agree that women are capable of understanding a great multitude of things far more than most men give them credit for.”
“How forward thinking of you,” Grace said with approval. “Not common around here, at all.”
“I consider myself broad-minded. I’m smart enough to know, I don’t know much at all. It’s why I value my education at the university so much.”
“What are you studying? My guess, based off your ability to be a free thinker, philosophy, or perhaps literature.”
He shook his head. “I’m completely engrossed by science—have been since I was a child. I wante
d to know how it all worked. Why God created everything the way He did, and how we all figured into it.”
“Sounds like you have a little bit of a poet in you, after all,” she teased, her laughter filling the space between them. It was intoxicating, and Wyatt realized he would be willing to listen to it the rest of his life if that was an option.
“I have to remember to keep you laughing. It’s infectious,” he declared.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone quite describe it like that.”
“Well, it’s true. I could listen to it without ceasing, and never get tired of it.”
Before she could say anything back, the song ended. Wyatt wished he could pay the band to keep going. Knowing that wasn’t possible, he reluctantly let go of her. “Would you care to grab a bit of fresh air with me?”
She nodded, letting him take her hand and place it in the crook of his arm. He liked the feeling of her hand resting there. The cool evening air brushed across their faces as they made their way onto the veranda, and she shivered slightly. He removed his jacket and placed it across her shoulders. They continued to walk along the garden path until they were covered by shadows towards the back.
“Thank you,” she whispered, glancing up at him with her forest green eyes. “Even though it’s April, the evenings are still chilly.”
“You’re welcome,” he whispered back, his face drifting closer to hers. “I’m not sure how you’re doing it, but I think you’re casting a spell on me. That’s hard for me to admit, as a man of science, but I swear it to be true.”
“There you go again; such a poet’s heart residing in that soul you protest is so strictly reserved for scientific purposes.”
“I guess you’ve managed to draw it out in me. I’ve never had this happen before,” he muttered, his lips moving even closer to her. “I know none of this makes sense. I shouldn’t be here with you like this.”
“Why not?” she asked, turning towards him and placing her hand on his chest. “Don’t you want to be?”