by April London
“Grab her arms, you damn fool!” Another man’s voice came out of the darkness around them.
She swung again.
Another pair of hands encircled her waist from behind and instinct caused her to slam her head backwards. The rancid odor of an unwashed body wrapped around her.
He squeezed. When he managed to pin her arms against her side, she opened her mouth.
A sharp backhand to the face cut short her screams.
Stars exploded around her. Pain radiated into her jaw. Her arms tingled and she renewed her struggle to escape. She kicked again, hoping to land her boot against the knee of the man who held her.
When her kick missed, she slammed the heel of her shoe down on his foot. Her captor shoved her forward and pushed her face first onto the ground. The bag ripped away from her shoulder.
“Here, see what’s in the bread bag.” The man who held her ordered and tossed the bag to his accomplice.
“Bread,” the other man mumbled. He stuffed a piece in his mouth. “And a letter…”
She heard the crinkle of the paper and froze under the weight of her captor.
“Looks like we have caught ourselves a rebel spy.”
****
General James Steele shifted in the saddle. It shouldn’t take his soldiers this long to sweep the area. The entire regiment should have been back at their campsite hours ago. If they hadn’t happened upon the Confederate headed fast for the river, they would all be in their tents by now.
A short scream pierced the silent night and he tensed. His mare flared her nostrils, but remained calm. He slid out of the saddle and tossed the reins to the nearest soldier.
“A panther, sir?” The soldier adjusted his rifle, his gaze on the trees. “I’ve heard they can scream like a woman.”
He glanced again at his mare.
“No.” He nodded toward a slender soldier on his right. “Knowles, you’re with me. The rest of you hold formation on the road.” He hurried in the direction of the scream. “I suspect the men are up to no good,” he whispered. Near the commotion he signaled for Knowles to slip around behind them.
“What the hell is going on here?” He broke through the sharp winter undergrowth. Light from the moon filtered through the trees and he assessed the scene with one glance. His soldiers had a woman pinned to the ground.
“Sir, we’ve found a rebel.” Waxman sneered at the light haired woman beneath him.
General Steele arched a brow. Blood stained the front of Waxman’s shirt.
“It’s a spy, sir.” Waxman’s accomplice added. Tompkins didn’t look any better. His left eye swollen closed.
“Looks more like a hell-cat.” General Steele chuckled and ran his hands through his hair.
“We found this on her.” Tompkins held out the letter.
The sudden sobs of a child floated out of the trees and Knowles appeared. A redheaded girl squirmed in his arms.
“What the hell?”
“I heard her crying, sir,” Knowles reported.
The young woman on the ground renewed her struggles with the appearance of the little girl. Her feet pounded against the man atop her.
“Be still, bitch,” Waxman hissed. He shifted and pressed his knee deeper into her back.
“Let her up, Waxman.”
“But, sir,” Waxman protested.
“Let her up, now!” He glared at the angry soldier. It wasn’t the first time Waxman was slow to obey an order. He nodded for Knowles to let the little girl go. The child dashed to where her mother pushed up from the ground.
“Mama,” she sobbed against her mother’s skirt.
General Steele motioned for Tompkins to hand him the letter. The seal was broken. He unfolded it and read.
“Bring them back to camp.” General Steele ordered. He tucked the letter into his jacket pocket.
“Start walking!” Waxman shoved the woman. She stumbled with the child. Knowles moved forward, catching her before she fell.
“Waxman,” General Steele barked.
“Would you like me to carry her?” Knowles offered to carry the child.
With Knowles guarding over the woman, Waxman would keep his distance.
Back on the road his soldiers waited.
“Continue on. And someone bring me my damn horse,” he called to the front of the line. He turned back to the group emerging from the trees. The girl, wrapped around her mother’s neck, watched him with wide blue eyes.
General Steele smiled at her.
“Little Bit, would you like to ride a horse?” Lines of exhaustion pinched her mother’s face. The little girl perked up at the mention of the horse.
“No. She stays with me. I’ll carry her.” The woman shifted the girl higher on her hip.
“Suit yourself. It’s a long walk.” He moved to where a soldier stood with his horse.
Chapter Three
Tamsyn stumbled again.
A hand gripped her elbow. “Would you like for me to carry her?”
“No, thank you.” Her gaze slide over the beardless soldier called Knowles.
Maybe he’s sickly? But how would he have gotten into the army if he wasn’t healthy? She shook her head and looked away. Her gaze caught the dark glare of another soldier. He’d pinned her to the ground.
“He shouldn’t have been so rough, miss.”
Nodding, her thoughts turned to the letter Ben gave her. What the hell was written in the letter?
The soldiers called her a spy after they’d found the letter. The consequences for a spy were severe. She bit the inside of her cheek and blinked back tears.
Oh, God, what about Elizabeth?
The general approached on foot, but she kept her eyes forward.
Damn Yankee.
She stiffened when he fell into step next to her.
“Let me take her. It’s not much further and you’re exhausted.” He pulled Elizabeth away before she could protest and rested her against his shoulder. The glow of campfires came into view.
“Take the captive to the white tent.” He nodded to Knowles.
“Come along, miss.” Knowles grasped her by the elbow and directed her away from the men.
“Wait. No!” She gasped for breath and tried to pull away.
“Come along, miss.” Knowles’ grip tightened.
The Yankee general walked away with her daughter.
Knowles led her to a large tent. He pushed the flap aside and waited for her to enter. Inside a large table covered with papers dominated the space.
“Where is he taking Elizabeth? She needs to be here, with me.”
Knowles nodded and dropped the flap.
“Wait!” Tamsyn pushed open the flap.
“Ma’am, you must wait inside. General Steele will be with you shortly.” A gruff gray-haired soldier stood in her path. She backed into the tent and wrapped her arms around herself.
God help us.
“Water, miss, to wash.”
Knowles stepped back inside the tent. He carried a large porcelain basin of water and placed it onto a small table in the corner.
“Where is my daughter?”
“She’s safe.” Knowles hurried from the tent.
****
General Steele ran his hand through his hair. He could hear the woman pace inside the tent.
She’s nervous. Good.
He waited. The more nervous, the more willing to talk she would be. He stepped inside just as the woman reached into the cold water in the basin. His gaze swept over her.
“Knowles, bring a chair.” He forced a tired smile. “General James T. Steele, and who might you be?”
The soft candlelight shadowed her face. Something about the tilt of her jaw…
“Have we met before, miss?”
“I do not consort with Yankee vermin.”
He watched her in silence. Knowles appeared with the chair and he motioned for her to take it. He walked around the desk and sat in his own. Her honey blonde hair had begun to droop out of the t
ight bun. Something about the way she called him a Yankee tugged at his memory.
“Where’s my daughter?” She remained by the basin.
“Little Bit is sleeping. Sit.”
She moved to comply. Her dark blue dress, faded and worn, something he’d become accustomed to on the farm wives in the area. It hung limp around her shoulders.
Her daughter is healthy. Well fed.
“Who are you?”
He admired the rebel woman across from him. Green eyes glittered back at him. He sighed. He and his men marched hard all day to get close to Appomattox Courthouse. Tomorrow promised to be even longer. He wanted to sleep for a few hours.
“Do you know what the penalty is for treason? You have a beautiful daughter. I would hate for her grow up without a mother.”
Her eyes widened and she stiffened. He heard her sharp breath.
“Work with me.” He leaned forward. “So that I am not forced to watch you hang.”
She shivered.
“Who are you?”
“Tamsyn.” She choked back a sob. “Tamsyn Moody.”
It can’t be.
He shuffled through the letters on his desk until he found the right one.
I’ll be damned.
General Steele held the letter in his hand. His gaze flickered between it and the woman before him several times.
“Knowles.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Take Mrs. Moody to her daughter.”
“But, sir…”
“Take her, Knowles.” His jaw tightened. Private Knowles was the only soldier who ever escaped severe repercussions for second guessing his commander. “Set a guard outside the tent.”
“Yes, sir.”
****
Tamsyn followed Knowles through the dark camp. Most of the men were already settled in for the night, but a few guards remained scattered about.
“In here, miss.”
Knowles held back a flap on a tent set apart from the rest. Once she stepped inside, she understood. The general had given them his own tent for the night. Elizabeth slept on a cot in the corner. A thick quilt pulled around her. She walked to where her daughter lay and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Oh, God, Ben, what have you gotten us into?
She sat on the edge of the cot. Elizabeth mumbled in her sleep and rolled over onto her side. Tamsyn buried her face into her hands and let the tears roll down her face unhindered. The light in the lantern burned low when she stood and paced the tent. It was sparsely furnished. The cot and a trunk.
General Steele travels light.
She tiptoed to the flap and edged it back.
“Is there something you need, miss?” A young soldier’s face appeared before her. He smiled. He didn’t even have whiskers yet.
“No.” Dropping the flap she retreated back inside. Exhausted, she curled onto the cot around her daughter and closed her eyes. She didn’t expect her heart to slow down enough to sleep.
Chapter Four
Sunday, April 9, 1865
“Sir, with all due respect, it’s your duty to make an example of her.”
Tamsyn jerked awake. Her ears strained to hear the whispers of the men outside the tent. The light, filtering in around the edges told her it was just after dawn. She’d managed to sleep for a couple of hours.
“What would you have me do?” General Steele’s voice floated in. The Yankee lilt of his voice was a strange comfort. Last night, he’d offered to help.
“Hang her, sir.”
She gripped the edge of the cot and swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She didn’t recognize the second voice.
“The other men—”
“I’m still your commanding officer. The decision is mine to make.”
Silence.
“Order the men ready. We’ll march to meet General Grant this morning. Lee and his army are surrounded. This ends today, one way or another.”
Tamsyn heard Ben’s dying voice in her head. “Lee is going to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia. Everyone knows it’s coming. He’s backed into a corner.”
“But, sir, the woman…”
“Let’s not add to the death count just yet, Hawkins.” General Steele’s hand curved around the flap. “If this ends today, you’ll be home in time for your boy’s first birthday.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Mama?” Elizabeth stirred next to her, then sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and stretched.
Tamsyn sat up on the cot next to her daughter.
“Good morning, Little Bit.” General Steele pushed into the tent.
Knowles followed on the general’s heels in silence.
“Good morning.” Elizabeth returned his smile.
“How would you like for Knowles to take you to get something for breakfast?”
“Oh, yes, please.” She pushed the quilt off her feet. “Can Mama come too?”
“I want to talk with your Mama for a few minutes.”
“Come on.” Knowles held out a hand. “Let’s see if we can find something more than hardtack to fill your belly.”
“Don’t make my Mama cry, mister.” Elizabeth tossed General Steele a harsh look before taking Knowles’ hand.
“Elizabeth Moody!” Tamsyn said.
“It’s all right.” General Steele smiled and he inclined his head. “Cross my heart, Little Bit. I promise I won’t make her cry.”
Elizabeth left the tent and Tamsyn’s hands curled into fists. She recalled the angry voice of the soldier. “Will she be safe in the camp?” She pressed a fist against her stomach.
“Knowles will protect her.”
“But, he’s so… Why is he?”
“Small?” General Steele pulled a chair from the corner and he sat it in front of her “I’d trust him with my life. Little Bit will be safe.”
“Is there something wrong?”
He smiled and dropped into the chair. “Every soldier has their own secrets. It’s not my place to tell.”
Secrets, right.
“I sent my men to bury your husband this morning.”
She remained silent.
Another soldier brought in two tin cups and a dented tin pot of coffee.
“How did you know?”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” He offered her a cup of steaming dark liquid. “It tastes like shit, but it’s better than nothing.” His deep voice rumbled softly. “Pardon my language, Mrs. Moody.”
She wrapped her fingers around the cup. She sipped politely and glanced up at the general through her eyelashes.
A lock of black hair dropped onto his forehead and a sudden urge to brush it back swept over her. She dropped her gaze to the tin cup of dirt-colored coffee. The sun filtered in through the tent and she chanced another look. In the light, stubble covered a square jaw.
He’s handsome. Her eyes caught strong fingers wrapped around his coffee. For a Yankee, of course.
“You’re right.” She pressed her hand harder against her stomach. “It does taste like shit.”
His lips curved into a smile.
Perfect teeth.
His smile vanished. “Did your husband tell you what was in the letter he gave you?”
She stiffened and dropped her gaze to his hands. “No.” She set the tin of coffee on the ground by her feet.
“Did you know he was a spy?” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
“Not until yesterday.” Closing her eyes, she fought to control her breathing. Fear and foul coffee simmered in her belly and she swallowed hard.
“Can you read, Mrs. Moody?”
His question shocked her. Her eyes flew open and she glared at him. “Yes.” Ignorant Yankee thinks I’m uneducated. She pressed her lips together. Her fingers laced together in her lap.
“The seal was broken. Did you read it?”
“No. Your soldiers broke the seal.” She frowned. “How did you know where we lived?”
He waved her question aside. “Did y
our husband tell you there was a union regiment between you and General Lee’s army?”
She lowered her head again.
“Did he tell you a child and her mother would pass along the road in safety?”
Her hair fell around her face and hid the tears on her cheeks. Like a fool, I believed Ben.
A large warm hand covered hers. He squeezed and leaned forward. “Tamsyn.” He tucked her hair behind her ear and she leaned into his touch.
She looked up, his face blurred by her tears. “Will they let me take Elizabeth to my mother before I’m hung?”
His thumb brushed the tears from her face. His lips were so close. His breath warm on her face.
A soldier pushed the flap back on the tent. “General Steele, sir!”
Her breath rushed out of her and the general leaned back. His hazel eyes narrowed and anger flickered over his face. “What is it?” His gaze remained locked with hers.
“A messenger arrived, from General Grant, sir.”
“I’ll meet with him directly.” General Steele dismissed the soldier. “Come along.” He stood and offered his elbow. “The men are preparing to march.”
“Where are they going?” She hesitated before slipping her hand around his arm.
“We ride to meet with Grant and his army at Appomattox.” He hurried them through the camp. Soldiers scurried out of his way to let him pass. “You and Little Bit will ride with the doctor and the other prisoners.”
The general stopped and looked down at her. “You are my prisoner, Mrs. Moody.” His eyes narrowed. He lowered his head until his lips rested against her ear. “Until this is over, one way or another, you are my prisoner.”
Tamsyn shivered.
“The medical tent is over here.” He led her to a large white canvas structure. Inside, she heard Elizabeth’s squeals of laughter.
He pushed aside the closed flap and she stepped inside. Her gaze found Elizabeth settled on one of the cots. A patient sat with her and attempted to teach her how to roll dice. Knowles stood nearby, eyes alert to everything going on around him.
“Mama!” Elizabeth leapt from the cot. “Look!” She pointed with excitement at the patient. The blond man turned, a wide grin spread across his face.
“Davis?” Tamsyn’s knees gave out. Strong arms gripped her sides.