Amelia smoothed her skirts and looked away, hiding a smile. Hal shrugged, but Daniel noticed the vein, bloated like a worm, at his temple.
Daniel stood, winked at Amelia, then bent and kissed the little redhead’s hand. “You are absolutely amazing. Exaggerate all you want. I would never have thought to turn it around and arrange Mary breaking up with me. You are very clever.”
She nodded.
“Well, Summer and I both thank you.” He grinned at Hal’s scowl. “You have a treasure here, Hal, an absolutely delightful treasure.”
Fanny blushed and tucked her arm beneath Hal’s, leaning her cheek on his shoulder.
CHAPTER 12
THE BEST LAID PLANS
Fanny’s subterfuge worked. By nine o’clock the following morning Daniel’s agenda was completed. Mary wrote:
Dear Daniel, I wanted you to be the first to know that I’ve accepted Captain Hathaway’s proposal. We plan to be married before Christmas. Please send me your best wishes. Fondly, Mary Mc Gill.
He dashed off a note of congratulations to Mary and avoided all contact with his mother, who fortunately had-back-to back engagements with her varied political and social groups. He spent another necessary hour with his father going over finances, and managed to be slapped by Abbey, his teenage sister, for kissing that little French tart.
All in all, he felt his visit a success.
With his cheek still stinging, he turned Chester and pressed the horse to a full gallop as he ducked through the stable door. The ride to the St. Clair farm helped clear his mind. Racing along the river, he spotted Fanny’s bright blue, hooded cloak rippling in the wind, and halted Chester beside her. Hal stood with her, a hand on her shoulder. Daniel dismounted and grabbed Fanny, swinging her in the air.
“I owe you. I owe you my life.”
Hal threw his good arm around Daniel’s neck and chuckled. “Your life may not be very long. Mother heard the McGill boys want a duel.”
“Hell! No one duels anymore. They’re illegal.”
“No one needs to duel. We have a war going on where killing is legal.” He shook his head.
“I’ve been busy, Danny-boy. We’re catching the Washington train later today to finalize the sale of the land with Summer Rose’s brother. From Washington, we’ll catch the train to Gettysburg, register the deed, then hear the President’s speech at the cemetery there on the 19th. I told Captain Keogh we’d be there.”
I’m marrying her,” Daniel said. “No long engagement. No one will prevent me.” He laughed. “I’ll beg forgiveness after the deed is done.”
Fanny’s cloak crackled like a flag, making Chester snort and prance. She raised one tiny hand. “We want you safe and happy.” She leaned into Hal, her face aglow with adoration. “Listen to Hal.”
Hal slapped his friend’s back. “Come to Washington with me. Then I’ll go with you to Summer Rose’s lake.”
“Where are we meeting him?”
“Willard’s. In the lobby. Everyone in Washington meets at Willard’s. He’s bringing his attorney. I’ll deal with him.”
“You’re not a lawyer. Do we need a lawyer?”
“Dad and your father went over every possible scenario. Wait until the deal is signed, then ask for her hand in marriage. I, personally, don’t think you should ask.”
“I want it right for her, Hal.”
“Okay. Just wait till the deal is signed. We’ve agreed on a price, which includes the house, outbuildings, and the lake.”
In the comfortable atmosphere of Willard’s, Summer’s brother sighed heavily. “I wish you much happiness, Major. Me, personally, I feel as if the weight of Atlas has been removed from my shoulders. I’m glad to have both the land and my sister settled. You have no idea how I worry about her.”
At least three times every half hour, Jack’s neck twisted involuntarily and a great spasm trembled through his twisted body. I guess standing right beside your father and brothers when they’re killed could do that to you, thought Daniel.
As they parted, they shook hands, and Jack McAllister asked, “When you met Summer, was she dressed as a boy or a girl?”
Daniel didn’t feel comfortable telling her brother that he’d seen her in her ruffled underwear.
Fortunately, Hal spoke up. “Both.”
“Then you’ll understand how odd it all is. She rarely acts like a girl. I send her money, but she’d rather cure hides and sell eggs. Runs about pretending to be a boy.” He made a face. “I wanted her to go to her grandmother’s, but she refused. Stomped her foot and refused.”
Daniel watched her brother’s head jerk to the right followed by a shudder ripping down his left side. “My father and our oldest brother spoiled the girl rotten. Now, she claims her grandparents are senile, rattling around in that old mansion up near Chestnut Hill. I thought she’d be safe there. She refused. She’s a handful, Major Charteris. Best of luck.”
CHAPTER 13
DIAMONDS, FISTS, AND KISSES
While they waited to board the Baltimore train, they shopped at the stores around Center Market in the heart of Washington. They bought oranges and lemons, chocolates, and coffee. On a whim, something entirely unnatural for Hal, for Hal did not part with cash easily, he bought Fanny a pair of beautiful, blue kid gloves made in France, and an entire bolt of lovely Irish wool for his mother. He asked the merchant to wrap the packages and post them to the house in Washington.
Daniel bought two bottles of champagne then went off by himself. When he returned, he dragged Hal to the jeweler and showed him the ring he wanted for Summer: three huge diamonds, embedded in a platinum filigree basket, the center stone at least two carats.
“Good Lord, Danny. Sure you don’t want something cheaper?” He steered Daniel toward less expensive rings, but eventually gave up. Nodding to the jeweler, Hal asked, “May I use your loupe?” He studied the stones and negotiated a better price.
As they boarded the boxcar, Daniel asked, “How do you know so much about diamonds?”
“I don’t. I read a little, and I bullshit a lot. I’m good at asking questions and understanding money. Stick with me. Once we get this war out of the way, we’re going to build an empire.”
They traveled, along with their horses, in the chilly boxcar, playing poker with Pinkerton agents. Baltimore, which was usually a madhouse, went smoothly, but Hanover Junction promised a long delay. They decided to ride the rest of the way to Gettysburg.
Although the day was damp and overcast with a blackening sky, Gettysburg’s streets filled with somber-faced politicians from all over the North. Military officers, all solemn, milled about. Parents, soldiers of every rank, with raw grief written on their faces, etched in the slant of their spines, walked about in a daze.
Daniel and Hal stopped at the courthouse, where they registered the deed. They planned to stay overnight in Gettysburg with men from their regiment and attend the dedication of the Soldier’s Cemetery tomorrow. Right after the speech, they’d head for Camelann. They wanted to hear their president speak. Even more importantly, they wanted to honor their comrades.
As they turned left at the bottom of the back steps of the courthouse, a solid punch landed on Daniel’s jaw. He went down like a rock, and before Hal or he knew what happened, a boot kicked him in his midsection. He looked up to see Mary’s brother about to kick him again. All reason left Daniel. He grabbed Richie McGill’s foot and, using his tremendous strength, twisted. Richie howled and stumbled like a wounded bear.
While Richie regained his balance, Daniel jerked to his feet, swiping the blood from his jaw. Anger surged, flooding him. He’d always had a temper, and in battle it kept him alive. He used the rage now. In his peripheral vision he saw Richie’s brother, Bob, equally as big as Richie, in the shadows of the alley. As he and Richie jockeyed for position, Daniel unhooked his belt, which held the holster for his prized Baby LeMat pistol, then peeled off his jacket and handed both to Hal.
Hal took the belt and weapon and nodded toward Bob,
who took his brother’s belt in turn. Then he shoved Daniel’s LeMat alongside his Remington and glared pointedly at Bob. The four of them, actors in an ageless and macabre play, took their positions.
Hal had a formidable reputation. Daniel knew he’d only have to contend with Richie, though he was enough. Mary’s brother was a good inch taller than Daniel, and Daniel knew Richie boxed. He could tell by the muscles in his forearms, and by his footwork. They’d played together as children, and before this minute Daniel bore him no ill will. But now …
Daniel had boxed at PMC and taken the senior prize. Wrestling and kicking weren’t allowed there, and they were confined to three-minute rounds, gloves, and the ten second count for a downed fighter. At this particular moment, Daniel wasn’t planning to abide by any rules. He’d been attacked, his anger was alive, and his temper had escaped. This fight, although between officers and gentlemen, would be down-in-the dirt street fighting, like the New York boys fought.
His knee came up and slammed Richie’s groin. As Richie buckled, Daniel pummeled his kidneys then pounded another knee into the big man’s face at the same time his fists smashed into Richie’s ears. The bones of Richie’s nose crumbled like gravel crunching. Bright blood arched toward Daniel and sprayed down his front. Daniel leaned in again for the body blows, and Richie’s face, sodden with sweat and blood, red with pulverized flesh, lost resistance.
But Daniel couldn’t stop. He hammered the bigger man, kicked the side of Richie’s knee, fell on him, rolled with him, his fists still pounding.
Hal’s pistol fired. Richie was out. Hal grabbed Daniel’s arm, breaking his momentum, and pulled him off the unconscious Richie.
“I hear horses, Danny. Let’s skedaddle.”
As Daniel gathered Chester’s reins, Bob knelt beside his brother. He lifted his face to Daniel, his expression twisted between fear and fury. “You’re an animal, Charteris. You didn’t need to damn near kill him.”
Daniel lunged toward Bob, but Hal yanked him back. “Easy, Danny.”
“He started it,” Danny growled, then spat. “Keep that son of a bitch away from me.” He mounted Chester, wiping his bloodied hands on his thighs. “I mean it, Bob. Keep him away from me.” Chester pranced, inches from the McGill’s boy unconscious form. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Mary, but I didn’t deserve to be blindsided by you two.”
They changed plans and headed to Camelann. Daniel told Hal not to tell Summer about his temper.
Hal snorted. “She wouldn’t believe me, anyway. I doubt you could do anything wrong in her estimation.”
Tears glistened in her eyes when she saw him. “Oh, Daniel.”
Just seeing her melted the hardness inside him. Despite the pain, he hugged her tight against him, then pulled away so he could see her, and brushed a strand of hair back from her face. She tried to touch his face, but he gently blocked her hand. His teeth moved in their sockets on the lower side of his right jaw, and he could sense half his face swelling into a darkening mass as big as one of her birdhouse gourds.
She brushed away a tear on her cheek. “I can help you. Oh Daniel, does it hurt terribly?”
He nodded, and she led him to the big soft chair which he assumed had been her father’s chair. The fire’s warmth swept over him.
“Here. Let me have your coat.” She folded it over her arm and helped him sit down. “I have a special tea. It helps dull the pain.”
A wave of nausea filled him when he remembered the tea.
“I know it’s not your favorite, but let me fix a pot. It goes down easier if it’s mixed with whiskey.” She blinked innocently, but her smile hinted at mischief. “Would either of you happen to have any whiskey?”
Hal patted his chest. “I always have a flask.”
She lifted Daniel’s feet to an ottoman and deftly removed his boots, tucking a wool throw over his legs. When she returned with the tea, she urged him to down it. She then made a poultice of dark waxy leaves and added the salve that had cured his leg. She ground it in a mortar, then spread the green paste on a thin cloth, and tied it around his head. Hal made some comment about a jack-o-lantern with a diaper, which he didn’t think was funny at all. She sat on the ottoman, massaging Daniel’s feet, helping him fall asleep. He slept fitfully, interrupted every couple of hours when she or Hal changed the poultice.
When pearly light filtered in through the windows, he felt tentatively around his face, and was impressed when he discovered the swelling was down, his teeth were intact, and the pain was minimal.
Summer gently touched his face and held up a hand mirror. “I see a few bruises, but most soldiers show bruises.” She leaned forward and carefully kissed the edge of his mouth. “Hal still wants to attend the ceremony, so I laid out a clean shirt for you. Hurry. He insists we go with him. I put some warm water on the washstand in my room. Your kit’s there, too.” She stood and twirled, smiling like a young girl. “See? I’m all dressed up.”
She wore a split skirt of black corduroy with a matching short jacket, layered over a ruffled white blouse with jabot. Hal walked into the house just as Daniel tried to whistle and failed. Hal finished it for him and they all laughed, though Daniel didn’t smile.
He glanced in the mirror, studying his beat up face. The sight brought both anger and shame. Richie must be a mess. When, Daniel, will you learn to control that temper? But without his temper, Daniel was well aware he probably wouldn’t be alive. His quickness to fight gave him an edge and had saved him countless times. He just had to be careful when he used it.
He patted his breast coat pocket for reassurance then smiled when he felt the diamond ring. With great care, he brushed his teeth, washed, shaved, and changed his shirt, then found Hal outside and told him to go ahead.
“We’ll catch up with you.” Again he patted his breast coat pocket.
To Daniel’s surprise, Hal shook his head. “I know you, Danny. I’ll wait. Ten minutes. That’s all. We’ll stop for breakfast in Gettysburg. Chester’s already fed and saddled.”
“What the hell’s gotten into you?” His voice snapped. “Fine then. Let’s go. I’ll propose to her tonight.”
His anger dissipated once she was riding behind him, her soft curves pressing against his back, the lemony scent of her drifting to him.
The dedication was everything he’d hoped it would be: poignant and patriotic, sad and solemn. The black cloud of remorse still hung about him. Too many had paid the ultimate price.
“Four score and seven years ago,” Lincoln said, “our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
President Lincoln voiced the thoughts Daniel couldn’t put into words. Two of his great grandfathers had served as captains under Washington. As Daniel listened to Lincoln speak, he felt Summer Rose’s warm fingers find their way between his. She’d lost her father and brothers. Her loss touched him. He squeezed her warm hand, unaccountably pleased they shared this moment. As the speech continued, her attention, like his, was on the president, but her palm grew damp with emotion. He fought an urge to gather her to him, comfort her as best as he could.
“... that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain … that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom … and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
On the ride home, with only the stars lighting the road, he whispered to her over his shoulder. “Dulcey’s no match for Chester. Hold tight.”
Urging Chester into a loping gallop, he lost Hal, then slowed to a smooth canter, and rode to the foot of the switchback waterfall. In the starlight the water thundered, the mist like a veil of liquid lace studded with diamonds. He pulled her around so she sat on his lap, her legs dangling to one side, and snuggled his coat around them both. As he kissed her, Chester shook his great head and Daniel chuckled to himself. Even the horse keeps me honorable.
; As the huge moon inched over the mountains, Daniel held up the ring. The diamonds dazzled like white fire. He had a speech all prepared, but his words came out all choppy, not at all like he’d planned.
“I love you. I’ve loved you from the first moment I saw you,” he blurted, then swallowed hard. His hand gentled her cheek. “Will you marry me, Summer? Be my wife? The mother of our children? Allow me to share your life forever?”
Tears filled her eyes, and she nodded, mute.
He slipped the heavy ring on her finger. “I asked your brother for your hand. He said okay, and Hal and I purchased all of Camelann from him. Your home will always be here for you.” He glanced down at the ground, then back at her. “I’ll get on my knees, if you’d like.”
She wiped her tears on her sleeve and peered down. The moon silvered the puddles and mud. She shook her head then leaned against his shoulder. “Chester’s back is perfect. No sense ruining those trousers, too.”
Her eyes shimmered in the moonlight, as did the ring when she held her hand up. “I didn’t know diamonds could sparkle like the stars.” She sighed, and he thought he might drown in her gaze. “I am honored to marry you, Daniel. You’ve made my dreams come true.” Her voice caught and trembled. “You bought the land?”
He nodded. “Hal and I did. We plan to buy more, too.”
“I’m the luckiest girl in the world.”
“I’m the lucky one.” He kissed her a dozen or so times then stopped, squirming a little in the saddle and rearranging her on his lap. He hugged her tight against his chest, sure she could feel his heart beating under his shirt. “You’ve learned quickly.”
She giggled, touching the back of his neck, running her fingers through his hair, along his jaw line. “I like your kisses,” she whispered as she outlined his lips with her little finger. “My insides are all squiggly, and I’m hot as if it’s July, not November.” Her voice turned husky. “I’d like you to kiss me all night.”
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