Destiny's Temprtress

by Janelle Taylor

  Blane and Shannon neared the outskirts of Savannah late Sunday, December 23, to discover that Sherman had entered the city on Friday. Blane insisted they make camp and not enter such a tense area at night. She waited in dread to view the despoilment of her city and home. She couldn’t help but be grateful to the vicious Sherman when she learned of his decision to spare her beautiful city from being burned and plundered. However, she was dismayed to hear of his plans to remain there for a month while his men rested and prepared for their conquest of South Carolina and made certain they were in full command of the area. She astutely and bitterly realized how and where those men would regain their strength—by confiscating Southern homes and supplies!

  As they mounted Dan for the last time early the next morning, Blane informed her, “We’re going to present ourselves to General Sherman immediately to prevent any problems or troubles for us and Greenleaf. You need to make your loyalty and claim known to him.”

  Naturally Shannon wanted to head directly home. “We’re so close, Blane. Please take me there first. You can return to town and see that monster. I don’t care to ever meet him. At last, home, clean clothes, regular baths, hot food, and a warm bed,” she hinted temptingly. “If we go into town, we can’t make it home tonight. Who do you want to spend this evening with, me or Sherman?”

  He chuckled and pulled her hair playfully. “We’re too close to take foolish risks, Blue Eyes. We need to check out the conditions in town and make our identities known to General Sherman. We’ll need passes and letters of defense for our safety and your property.”

  She protested, “But you can obtain those tomorrow, while I’m sleeping and stuffing myself. I want to see if there’s any word from Corry and…see how things are at home. Please,” she wheedled.

  Shannon’s mention of Corry and her avoidance of the subject of Hawke ripped into Blane’s confidence and happiness, reviving his concern over those two unresolved matters. He hadn’t thought about either man in a long time, and certainly not as threats to his future with Shannon. She did not realize that her reasons for rushing to Greenleaf were the very same reasons he wanted to stall their arrival as long as possible.

  “Don’t be childish, Shannon,” he scolded her sternly, surprising her with his coolness and firmness. “Right now, victory and our lives are more important than your first glimpse of home. We could be mistaken for locals or Rebels or Confederate agents. We have to settle matters with Sherman first. Besides, I have to report to him, for he’s the superior officer in control of this area. I’m supposed to fill him in on the movements of troops and weapons between here and Charleston. We’ll spend the night in town, then head for your plantation tomorrow.”

  “You’re going to provide the information for that beast to raze South Carolina like he did Georgia? How can you?” she reasoned.

  “It’s my duty, Shannon. I’m a Union officer, and I want this war done with quickly. I have a woman to marry and take home to Texas.”

  “Texas?” she echoed. “It’s a wilderness with Indians and outlaws. I don’t know anything about being a settler. You never said we would live there.”

  “Did I need to?” he jested, observing her shock and distress. “Wives usually move in with their husbands, and my home is there.”

  “You could live at Greenleaf with me and my family.”

  “I’m a rancher, Shannon, not a plantation farmer. Don’t worry. You’ll love Texas and the Stevens ranch. We’ll be married and together.”

  Shannon remained silent as Blane urged Dan forward toward the city.

  To his surprise, Blane had no difficulty getting into town or in to see General Sherman, as if he were well known and his visit expected. Shannon was peeved when she was told to sit in an office across the hall while the two men talked privately. As she waited for Blane, the victorious men’s stares and whispers grated on her nerves, for she erroneously assumed they were laughing at her dirty and disheveled appearance. She didn’t like being seen like this, especially in her home town. She didn’t like being shut out of the conversation in Sherman’s appropriated office. She didn’t like Blane’s current mood and conduct, and she didn’t like the idea of leaving Georgia for wild Texas.

  Noon passed, and still she waited. She was tired and tense. She wanted a hot bath and a meal. She yearned for a soft bed and clean garments. These ill-mannered Yanks hadn’t even offered her hot tea or coffee; nor had they provided water and a place to freshen up after her journey. She longed to see her home and her brothers. Her anger and vexation increased by the hour, for it had been three since their arrival!

  When Shannon could tolerate this treatment and her fatigue no longer, she tried to approach General Sherman’s office to tell Blane she was leaving. The officer on duty halted her. After she explained her need to speak with Major Stevens briefly, the man informed her that Blane had left an hour before and was expected to return any moment. He smiled and said he would tell her when the major arrived.

  Shannon was furious. How dare he take her for granted! How dare he behave in this inconsiderate and rude manner! “I’ll wait for twenty minutes, no longer. If Major Stevens doesn’t arrive by then, you may tell him he can locate me at home.”

  Instead of returning to the office where she had been told to wait, she strolled into the entry hall and gazed out the window. From rooms to her right and left, she could hear tales of bloody battles and awesome triumphs. As the Union soldiers laughed and joked about their superiority and conquests, Shannon’s fury began to mount once more. When they started to boast of their matching intentions for the Carolinas, she was sorely pressed to remain silent. She kept warning herself of the dangers to her family and property if she behaved like a rebellious and insulting Rebel. Under these conditions, she had to force herself to keep still.

  Suddenly familiar names and astonishing facts caught Shannon’s attention. She strained to hear the conversation between the officers standing at the foot of the stairs, twenty feet behind her. She was glad they were making no attempt to whisper. Why should they? They were bragging of another Union victory, in their headquarters. Her heart drummed heavily as the staggering information filtered over to her.

  “As soon as Major Stevens returns,” one officer was saying, “General Sherman wants a meeting of all head officers on duty. Right now, he’s sending reports to General Grant and Admiral Lee. With the facts he’s supplying us with today, between Sherman and Grant we’ll have those Carolinas bagged and ready to serve Lincoln at his picnic on the first day of spring; and Admiral Lee will find that taking Charleston and Columbia will be as simple as plucking dead or stunned birds caught in his sails.”

  “Did the major say why he wanted to question the captain and crew of the Angel Wings? He’s lucky Captain Elisha Carter survived the trap they set with Blade’s information. How does he get so much done?”

  “Captain Carter or the Blade or Major Stevens?”

  The other officers laughed. “Carter’s been a pain in our blockade for years. They nearly caught him last month. Got to hand it to him; he’s got guts and wits. Too bad he decided to work for the Rebs.”

  “Yep,” the man who had just arrived agreed. “’Cause I just heard he died from his wounds. Sure was a waste. Handsome devil and money to toss overboard. Blade’s gonna be rankled with the Navy. He told them to capture Carter, not sink his ship and kill him.”

  “Probably couldn’t be helped. Carter isn’t one to surrender. Did they learn anything useful from him before he died?”

  “Now that you mention it, you know what the guard told me? He said Captain Carter kept mumbling about being betrayed by a bewitching temptress and being a fool for trusting her twice. From the threats he was vowing, she’d best be thankful he can’t return.”

  Before the man could say more, another said, “Must have been some stormy romance gone sour before he sailed. At least we got one less runner to battle.”

  “We got the best runner out of our hair,” the man corrected him. “But g
uess who Carter thinks betrayed him to the Union? Flame,” he announced with an appreciative whistle. “From the way Carter was carrying on, he had to have known her. If she had walked into that cell, Carter would have forced himself from his bunk to slay the beauty. If there’s such a thing as a ghost, his will surely haunt the Flame.”

  One of the men debated, “But it was the Blade who arranged Carter’s defeat. The way I heard it, he sent word from Charleston even before Carter left port. I wonder if Major Stevens has met this Blade or Flame.”

  The men chuckled again. “Word is the Blade put that Rebel Flame to rest, after he enjoyed her for months.”

  “Serves her right for trying to steal glory from our Union Flame. She had to be a fool to pit herself against the Blade.”

  “Who knows, maybe she enjoyed him as much as he enjoyed her. I wouldn’t mind sharing a bunk or bedroll with either woman.”

  “’Cause you’re crazy, Bo. That Rebel temptress would slit your throat and brand you like she done her other victims. Blade must have put her out of business. Ain’t been no word or sight of her since her treachery in Wilmington. I bet Stevens didn’t take kindly to her betrayal.”

  “I wonder if he killed her,” a youthful officer suggested.

  “Wouldn’t surprise me none. Major Stevens and the Blade have one thing in common: they get their missions done any way they have to. Let’s grab a cup of coffee before we start our meeting. Sounds like it’s going to be a long one. Sherman says we take Columbia next.”

  “I hope we finish before dark. I plan to round me up a pretty little Rebel treat to feed this aching in me gut.”

  Lusty chuckles echoed in the room. “I must admit, these Southern belles are fine specimens of womanhood. If we play our cards right, we could find our stay here most entertaining. When females are scared and hungry and alone, they become real pliant.”

  Shannon was relieved to be dressed like a man, to be wearing a floppy felt hat over her fiery hair, and to be standing with her back to the men. Anguish filled her heart and mind. Elisha was dead, and he had died cursing and blaming her. And Blane—what was he doing and what had he done? The trip here had been an assignment…

  Shame and fury flooded her as she thought of how she had been discussed so crudely and openly. How difficult would it be for another agent, from either side, or for any clever person, to investigate and to prove she had been with Blane on countless occasions? It would be fairly simple; and it could be exceedingly perilous for her.

  What would these lecherous officers think when Major Blane Stevens married a flaming-haired woman, one who had been traveling with him? She assumed she could prove her identity as the Union Flame, but could she disprove an accusation that she was the Rebel Flame? She tried in vain to push new doubts and fears from her mind.

  If only she didn’t feel so miserable. She was exhausted. She felt bloated, even though her stomach was so empty. She couldn’t seem to get rid of the tension and nausea that had been assailing her for the past few days. But she felt certain that once she reached home, bathed, rested, and ate properly, her body would return to normal. There could also be another explanation for these physical problems, she realized, for her monthly flow was late again. And even if she was feeling somewhat light-headed at the moment, she would not ask for nourishment from these smug foes!

  Shannon went to inquire about Blane’s lengthy absence. She asked the officer for a pass as protection during her ride home. Her request was refused, and the man told her to wait in the other room until given permission to leave. Her glare challenged his authority and words.

  “Major Stevens ordered me to guard you, Miss Greenleaf. I was not to let you venture out alone. There are Rebels and marauders lurking in and near town. You must wait for him.”

  When the officer left to respond to another summons, Shannon departed by the front door. To halt her exit, the blue-clad man would have to arrest her! Dan was nowhere in sight. She frowned, then noticed a wagon moving southward. A triumphant smile brightened her dirty face and she ignored everyone to hurry after it.

  “Mister Barnes,” she called out as she approached the wagon’s tail. “Mister Barnes, wait up, please. It’s Shannon Greenleaf.”

  The wagon halted and the man turned to look at her. Shannon went to stand near the front wheel and gazed up at him. Tears of joy, relief, frustration, and turmoil made streaks down her grimy face. She tried to regain control of her breathing. “I finally made it to Savannah, sir. Can you give me a ride home? Has Corry or Hawke returned?”

  The startled man gaped at the lovely and bedraggled creature. “Is that really you, Miss Shannon?” he asked in amazement.

  She smiled, then laughed. “It’s me, sir. I was trapped in Boston when the war started. Papa and Temple…are gone. I don’t know where Corry and Hawke are. I’ve been trying to get home since August. It’s awful everywhere, sir. The Union is devastating us. Can you please take me home?” she begged shamelessly.

  “You sure you want to go out there alone?” he asked, knowing what she would view, unaware she was ignorant of those facts.

  “I have to go home, Mister Barnes,” she replied wearily.

  He slid over and invited, “Climb up, Miss Shannon. But if you want, you can come home with me. We don’t have much after those Yanks claimed most of our animals and supplies, but you’re welcome to share what little we got left. Them devils ain’t wasting no time stealing from us poor. I should warn you; because your family sided with them malicious Yanks, most folks here won’t be kind or forgiving or charitable. Even if them Yanks don’t appreciate your loyalty.”

  Shannon did not question his meaning. She did not want to discuss her family’s choices, right or wrong. She had her home and Blane. What more did she need in her future? Only her two brothers and peace.

  The wagon traveled for an hour, reaching Greenleaf property by four o’clock. Shannon’s blue gaze grew large and troubled as she viewed the increasing signs of vandalism. Fences had been torn down. Pasture sheds had been burned. Their lovely entrance had been marred by painted words, by the obliteration of their name and magnolia carvings, and by the crushing blows of tools on many tabby sections. “Which despicable villains did this criminal deed, Mister Barnes? How could anyone be so malicious and cruel as to wantonly damage or destroy such beauty? The wall and arch will have to be repaired and painted.”

  By then, they had reached the entry arch. Noah Barnes reined in his mule. “I can’t take you any closer, Miss Shannon. You sure you want to go up there and look around? It ain’t a pretty sight.”

  The unsuspecting Shannon glanced from the elderly man toward the house. She went pale and shuddered in rising panic. She could not be viewing her drive and home! This was some horrid nightmare, some wicked delusion! The moss-draped majestic live oaks that had formed nature’s tunnel from the tabby arch to the yard had been mutilated. Yes, that was the right word for what her eyes observed. Some trees had been chopped down, others had been scarred with axe blows, and others had been set aflame—trees that had been large and beautiful and almost ageless. Worse, she could see what was left of her home, a blackened ruin amidst utter and wanton destruction. There was no sign of animal or human life. The stench of smoke and soot remained in the still air, telling her that this evil despoilment had been recent. She feared she was going to faint in shock. “Why, Mister Barnes? Do our neighbors hate us this much? Did they do this before or after that sadistic Sherman conquered our city?”

  The man looked at her oddly. “Your neighbors didn’t do this, child. It was those Yankees, Miss Shannon.” When he saw her disbelief, he related the stunning tale, “Me and Reverend Peters and Thad Jamison saw them doing it. The Yanks had us hauling supplies into town for their soldiers. We saw the fire and came to see about it. Jamison thought it was a good mistake, seeing as how the Greenleafs were Unionists. But me and Peters tried to stop them. We told them your family was siding and fighting with the Union. They said…” The older man shifted anxiously a
nd fell silent.

  Shannon probed, “They said what, Mister Barnes?”

  “It ain’t worth repeating, child. It was nothing more than crazy words to excuse their evil. I’m taking you home with me.”

  “Tell me what the soldiers said,” she demanded. “And how can you be sure they were Union soldiers?”

  “I know everybody around these parts, Miss Shannon. They were wearing Federal uniforms and they had papers with orders and seals on them. Besides, I’ve seen two of them in town with other Yanks.”

  “But why would they raze Greenleaf? It can’t be true.”

  “They said you and Corry are…Rebel spies, Miss Shannon.”

  She was visibly stunned by his words. “That’s insane! How could they destroy our home and lands based on wild suspicions? Corry’s a Union soldier! As for me, the charge is too absurd to argue. Someone is going to pay for this crime,” she vowed bitterly.

  “That ain’t all, Miss Shannon,” he hinted worriedly. “They come by here every morning to see if you and your brother have returned. They told us you two will be arrested and…punished.”

  This time, Shannon swayed on the wagon seat. Noah seized her arm and steadied her. “This is all a terrible mistake,” she whispered.

  “You should be careful, child. Those Yanks said they had a long list of crimes and witnesses against you. I’m afraid you might not be able to prove your innocence before…before trouble strikes.”

  Shannon realized she might need this man’s aid, so she did not proclaim her innocence by revealing her ties to the Union spy system. “Don’t worry about me, Mister Barnes. Major Blane Stevens won’t let the Union soldiers harm me. He’ll learn who did this to us.”

  “Major Blane Stevens, the Union officer?” he probed fearfully.

  “That’s right,” she replied, watching his alarm increase.