by Diana Ballew
He gently slid his tongue across the small hollow of her neck and kissed the skin between each breast. He captured her nipple in his mouth, licking the pink peak, nibbling and sucking until his body stiffened in jolts of desire, and he poured within her warmth a torrent streaming from his very core.
He released her wrists, and she held him tightly as he gasped and panted against her neck, his body quivering with spasms of pleasure.
He moved first, slowly rolling off of her. He scooped her up, moved her up to the headboard, and they both lay down together, side-by-side against the thick pillows. Like a puzzle of flesh, their bodies fit together perfectly as they lay tangled against the rumpled sheets.
“What are you thinking about, Sweetness?”
Eden smiled, put her finger to his lips, and he kissed it. “I’m thinking you are the man of my dreams, Rayce Hampton, and I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
“That’s funny, because I’m feeling pretty lucky myself.” He trailed a finger down her chest, circling her breasts. “I’m thinking perhaps we should go another round, what do you think?”
She laughed and tossed a pillow at him. “You do not, you rat. Besides, I think we should get some sleep. We have a lot to do tomorrow to get ready to leave for Hampton Manor. Honestly, I can’t wait to get there.”
“Yes, yes, all right, my love.” He yawned. “Would you mind blowing out the candle next to you?”
“I will. But first, I’m going downstairs to find some food—I’m absolutely famished.”
Eden sighed wistfully as she opened the wooden trunk. While she felt an undeniable calling to stay and help the sick and wounded soldiers in Richmond, she was being pulled by a larger force—a force urging her to flee the filthy city and protect the child she carried. Diseases flourished in the overpopulated capital, and long lines of coffins swelled in the cemeteries, often popping open while awaiting burial by the overworked gravediggers. Each day, she reminded herself she needed the safe, peaceful environment Hampton Manor provided. After everything Rayce had done for the Confederacy, she was overjoyed he had been granted an extended furlough. He deserved a break, and she looked forward to spending each and every moment with him.
She had not told Rayce about the baby. Everything had been so perfect since he had come to Aunt Martha’s after his initial care at the hospital. Not now...maybe tomorrow, she would always tell herself. Then each tomorrow turned into another one...and another.
“I made lunch and brung you some tea, too.”” Eliza brought the tray into the bedroom and set it on the small table. She lingered in the doorway. “I’m gonna miss seeing you around here, Miss Eden.”
“Thank you, Eliza. We sure have been through some wild events together, haven’t we?”
“Lawdy, yes, we surely have.” Eliza cleared her throat. “Uh...I wanna thank you for helpin’ me with Miz Martha. While it might not be fittin’ for me to say this, in many ways she’s like a sister to me—both of us widowed and without our husbands, and all. I don’t know what I ever woulda done without her. Lawd, I thought she was gonna up and die for sure before you came.”
“I’m glad I came, too.”
Aunt Martha joined them in the bedroom. “When do you and Rayce plan to depart for the manor?”
Eden set her neatly folded lace shawls in the trunk. “Tomorrow morning at first light. Today I’m going to the hospital to say goodbye to Jimmy and the other boys.”
“Has Rayce already left for his meetings?”
Eden nodded. “You know him. He left bright and early.” She glanced up and saw tears welling in the corners of Aunt Martha’s blue eyes. She walked swiftly toward the older woman and put her arms around her thick shoulders. “Oh, I’m going to miss you, too, Aunty. Now you promise me you’ll come as soon as you can for a nice long visit.”
“I will...I promise,” she sniffed. “And now, dear, I need you to promise me something.”
“Anything...you know I will.”
Eliza slipped out of the room and headed downstairs.
Aunt Martha sighed and paused before speaking. “You must take good care of yourself, Eden. You care for others without regard for yourself, and while that may be a blessing for everyone else, sometimes a woman needs to know when it’s time to put herself first.”
Aunty was an observant woman with keen senses when it came to others. Eden wondered if she had guessed about the baby. “I will, I promise.”
By afternoon, she had finished her packing. With everything finally in order, she went out back to the carriage house, hitched the buggy, and headed off to the hospital to say her farewells.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am you’re doing so much better, Jimmy. The doctors here are very good.” She gingerly lifted the bandages and looked at his wounds, which were healing nicely. While three of his toes were gone, the bullet wound to his lower leg had gone straight through, missing the bone, and no infection had set in.
“Compared to most of these boys in here, I can’t complain, honey,” he said. “Still, I don’t think I’ll be much help with these missing toes. I’m gonna have to figure out how to walk without them, I suppose. I hate this damn war, but I’m not ready to go back home to Mama and the girls and just sit around.”
“I’m sure as long as you can walk, the army can use your help.”
“Yeah, but then again, without Patrick out there anymore, I’m the only man in the family.” Jimmy looked around the ward. “Lord, Eden, did we ever think it would come to this? All of us men had waited around eagerly, hoping and praying Virginia would split from the Union so we could go off and fight the Yankees, and look at this sad mess all around us.”
She sat on the stool next to his bed. “No, we surely never did, and I pray this war ends swiftly for everybody’s sake. I just don’t know what will become of us all if the South falls in the end.”
He smiled. “Something tells me by the content look in your eyes, you’re going to be just fine no matter what happens to the rest of us.” He sat up, and winced. “Eden, I’d like to apologize for the pain my brother put you through. I swear, I never knew what he was doing to little Jemmy. And I never would have imagined he was involved in your father’s death, either. Perhaps I should have figured things out—maybe paid better attention, but I had been caught up in my own life.”
Eden shook her head. “Don’t you dare blame yourself, do you hear me? Patrick’s the only one to blame, and he knew it in the end.”
“Perhaps so...perhaps so,” he said, his voice trailing off.
“I must be going. I wanted to make sure you’re all right. I’ll be leaving for Hampton Manor in the morning. I’m so looking forward to seeing Lucy and the baby again. You must tell Isaac his baby girl is so sweet and lovely when you see him.”
“And you tell everybody I said hello.” He fingered a small tear in his shirt. “Is Ann there—at the manor? Perhaps I’ll have a chance to visit.”
Eden looked into his jovial eyes and smiled. “Oh, my heavens, Jimmy, you’re sweet on Ann.”
“Well, maybe a little bit,” he laughed. “I was just thinking if I have the chance to come by I’d like to pay her a visit, too.” His eyebrows arched high. “Oh, you can stop looking at me like that; I know she’s already spoken for.”
“I’m just surprised you’ve looked at her in that way, is all.” She crinkled her nose.
He laughed. “Oh, and I know all too well the way the two of you spar like wild cats, and I even understand why. She’s nothing like you, of course, but she does have a certain way about her; well, I always found rather...alluring, I must say.”
“Alluring? Oh, stop, Jimmy, I can’t even imagine.” She stood, giggling. “Now, you take care of yourself. You know I love you like a brother.” She kissed the top of his head. “Please stay safe.”
“And I love you, too, honey.” He flashed a dazzling grin. “Now, you’ll be sure to tell Ann I said hello, right?”
“Oh, you’re incorrigible. Yes, I’ll mention it.
Well, I’d best get going. I need to check on some of the other boys. Good bye, Jimmy.”
Before heading to the other wards, Eden walked outside to take a break. The afternoon sun had slipped low in the sky, and the moist humidity felt like a warm, wet rag against her skin. She looked out over the massive grounds toward the James River and the wide ravine, Bloody Run Gully, below. Soon, she would be looking at the very same river from Hampton Manor with the man she loved by her side.
Upon arrival in the next ward, she quickly learned one of the more severely wounded boys she regularly tended to had died from infection during the night. The other boys were happy to see her and wish her well on her journey. The thought of leaving her favorite patients behind—likely never seeing any of them ever again—tore at her heart. The least she could do was wish them all well and offer words of encouragement before she left.
Private Sam Hollack was doing dandy, and Eden wrote another letter for him to his family in North Carolina.
“Thank ya kindly, Miss Eden,” Sam said, “I’m sure going to miss your smiling face. I hope it won’t be too long before I’m back on the lines. It’s mighty hard being laid up like this when you wanna be helping.”
“And you be sure to take good care of yourself, Sam.” Eden waved a finger at him for emphasis. “The army’s lucky to have such a devoted soldier. Oh, and I almost forgot—I brought you some of Eliza’s gingersnaps you like so much.”
She extended the cookies she had placed in her pocket before she left. Each small package she had wrapped in paper and tied with a tiny ribbon.
He unwrapped the cookies and took a bite. “Mmm-mmm. I adore these. My mama makes ’em, too.” He pointed at Robert. “Look at ol’ Robby over there; he’s so lucky. After all his beggin’ and pleadin’, Doc told him he can get outta here today. Where’d you say you gonna go, Robby?”
Eden turned to Robert, who sat quietly on his bed flipping through an old, tattered magazine.
“Doc just needs to fill out my papers, then I’m finally on my way. Gonna go to my cousin’s place around here for a few days before I head back.”
“Well, you are the lucky one. Getting out of here and on the mend. I’m happy for you, Robert.” Eden offered him a cookie.
“Thank you, Miss Eden.”
At Dr. Radcliff’s insistence, Eden spent the rest of the afternoon tending to some of the newly admitted soldiers, one after the other. Many of the men were in terrible shape, coming in from battlegrounds all over Virginia. She spoke words of support, wiped fevered brows, and cleaned wounds. The gratitude expressed from the men overwhelmed her, bringing fresh tears with each injury she cleaned and bandaged.
“Oh, my, look at the time.” She had stayed far longer than expected. When she went outside, she was surprised to see the stirring wind bending the tops of trees and the clouds darkening, signaling a brewing summer thunderstorm. Her skirt whipped wildly in the wind, and she wrangled with the reins as she tried to untie them from the post.
“Hello, Miss Eden,” a voice said from behind. “Let me get those for you.”
Eden gasped. “Oh, my, you scared me, Robert.” She caught her breath and looked him over from head to toe. “Why, look at you. Finally out of that place, are you?”
He handed her the freed reins. “And I couldn’t be happier about it. Time to get back to the war,” he said, smiling. “And timing sure is everything these days.”
“I agree.” She placed a hand on her hip. “Look at you, all mended up. And to think you almost lost your arm. I said my prayers for you every night, I did.”
He extended a hand and helped her into the buggy. “And I thank you kindly for those prayers.” He smiled. “Looks like your prayers worked. Say, Miss Eden, you headed home?”
“I surely am.” She put on her bonnet, tucked in the loose tendrils, and tied it securely. “And I best get moving with this sky turning all dark and spiteful.”
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “Say, could you tell me where this here address is? I don’t know this city much at all. It’s my cousin’s place, and I need to get there.”
She looked at the paper. The address was down near the water not too terribly far away, but certainly not within walking distance for a man who had just left the hospital. She glanced at the threatening sky above, then down at Robert. “You do have a way there, yes?”
“No...no, I surely don’t. My cousin’s at war.” He scuffed his feet and looked around. “Don’t think I can walk it, neither. Lost my vigor after being laid up so long.”
It would only be a short detour from her planned path. “Well, I suppose I could give you a ride. It’s not too far off my route, and it’s certainly the least I can do after all you’ve been through. Without you boys fighting on our behalf, Richmond would surely have fallen to the Yankees.” She patted the empty seat next to her. “Come on up here, Private Tracey.”
They wound their way through the crowded streets toward the old wood and brick buildings a few blocks from the docks. As Eden had feared, the storm was rapidly approaching, with rumbling thunder rolling across the dark sky in the distance. People scurried about, slipping hurriedly into homes and shops as the clouds gathered force and the wind picked up. The ribbons on her bonnet swirled wildly, smacking her in the cheeks and coming untied. She struggled to hold the reins and keep her bonnet in place.
“Let me take those reins, Miss Eden. It’s getting mighty fierce out here, and my arm’s well enough.”
“Oh, thank you, Robert.” He scooted closer, and she handed him the leather reins. “This storm is coming up fast, and I need to get back to the house soon.”
“I’ll get us there as quickly as possible so you can get home in a jiffy.” He urged the horse to a faster clip. “Hmm...with all these people scurrying around, I think we best try this turn—should be faster.” He smacked the horse and turned sharply around a corner, entering an alley.
“But, Robert, are you sure?” Eden looked around at the piles of garbage in the narrow alleyway and large rats scurrying about crawling over heaps of trash. Butts of old cigars, molded wads of chewing tobacco, and broken liquor bottles littered the ground. Loud music blasted from nearby gambling houses around the corner. The smell of thick tobacco smoke mixing with stale alcohol and raw garbage make her stomach turn.
They curved around another corner toward a boarded up warehouse on the docks, and she turned her head when they passed what she was sure were several prostitutes loitering outside.
“Robert, I’m quite sure we’ve made a wrong turn. This isn’t even close to the address. We need to head back up that way a bit.” She pointed in the opposite direction.
He pulled the buggy to a sudden stop, and Eden lurched forward. “My goodness!” She faced him. “Did you hear me? We need—”
Eden’s gaze met with eyes as dark and determined as the approaching storm. Instantly, she felt a sudden stab of pain in her side. A cold tremor ran the length of her spine when she saw the shiny pistol Robert had pointed in her ribs.
Rayce opened the door to the house, and the wind whirled like a spinning top through the door. “Damn,” he swore under his breath as he forced the door shut.
A steady growl of thunder echoed across the skies, shaking the window casings. He saw Aunt Martha scurrying up from the parlor divan, rushing toward him.
“Oh, Rayce...my dear boy, I’m so worried!”
He smiled. “Good grief, it’s just an evening thunderstorm. You’ll be fine, Aunty.” He rubbed her shoulder. “Where’s Eden?”
“Good Heavens, boy. It’s not the storm—it’s Eden I’m worried about!”
“What do you mean?” He frowned and walked swiftly past her, his gaze darting around the room. “Where is she?”
His aunt shook her head. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. She’s not here, and she was due back hours ago.”
“Well, where’d she go?”
“You know how she is. She went to the hospital to check on Jimmy and some of the oth
er patients one last time and say goodbye.”
“Alone?” He glared at Eliza, who instantly shrank like a wilting lily near the front door.
Aunt Martha put her hand on his arm. “Oh, Rayce, I’ve tried to tell her it’s not proper—or safe for that matter—to take the buggy out by herself, but you know her, she’s so strong-willed. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve offered for Eliza to take her; I’ve even insisted upon it.” She flopped down on the divan. “It’s after dark, there’s a storm, and I’m just so worried about her. She should have been back a long time ago.”
Rayce sat next to his aunt. “Now, take a deep breath and calm yourself. There must be some explanation.”
She nodded and inhaled steadying breaths.
“Now, I want you to think...where exactly did she say she was going?”
“Well, let me see...all I remember her saying was she planned to see Jimmy at Chimborazo. Yes.” She looked into his eyes. “Yes, she was headed to Chimborazo Hospital.”
“Then I’ll go there and—”
“Wait. Sometimes she goes to Winder Hospital to help out, but I don’t think she mentioned going there today.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I wish I could remember!”
Lord. The hospitals were a long way across town from each other. She could be at either hospital or anywhere in between.
“All right,” he said, his mind racing. “Joseph and I will go first to Chimborazo and search there. If I don’t find her, I’ll go to Winder and look for her.”
He could see his aunt working herself into a frenzy with worry. He put his hand over hers. “Now, calm down, I’ll find her—I promise. She may even be back before I return.”
He stood up to leave and headed for the front door.
“I’m just so upset. I never should have let her go to those filthy hospitals. Not in her condition. But, you see, she never personally confided in me about it.” She rose and walked toward him.