Summer Rose swallowed hard.
Louie cleared his throat. “You heard, didn’t you? That Sheridan left for the border?”
When he realized they hadn’t, he explained that General Sheridan wouldn’t be riding down Pennsylvania Avenue at the head of his seven mile long column of horse soldiers.
“Grant had a hell of a time convincing him he was needed on the border of Texas and Mexico to keep down defiance by the French in Mexico. Maximilian was pro-Confederate during the war. Now he needs to get out of Mexico. His ilk on our borders isn’t good. We need someone tenacious and single-minded like Sheridan to convince them to leave.”
He frowned, and Summer thought his eyes flitted strangely.
“I’m surprised he didn’t take you, Daniel,” he said. “Sheridan, of course, argued for all he was worth, trying to delay his departure until after the Grand Review, but Grant convinced Sheridan to speed to the border. He’ll be in New Orleans sometime tomorrow.”
After he left, Summer asked, “Did he seem odd to you?”
Daniel chuckled and gave a halfhearted shrug. “My father always acts squirrelly.”
Summer Rose managed to go to the first day of the Grand Review. Although the parade meant to celebrate the end of the war, the music, even the cheering brought her sadness. It didn’t help that she sat with an empty lap. Mercy held Gus, and Becca held Mac. Hank stood on Amelia’s lap, waving a tiny flag. It amazed her how the babies had so quickly become family.
Meade’s infantry marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, twelve abreast, in close order drill. The weather was perfect, and the Union’s grand army sparkled with pride as division after division passed the stands in front of the Executive Mansion. Despite the excitement of the day, it was impossible not to notice how so many divisions were a shell of their former strength. Summer Rose’s eyes, as well as most of the other spectators, blurred. The ranks were filled with men in their prime who looked no different from the marching soldiers, except a shade paler. These were the ghost soldiers, memories of men, like her father and brothers, men who had given their full and true measure for the great republic. Line after line, company after company, thousands upon ten thousands who had died, joined and marched beside the men who would carry on.
She stopped her tears when the cavalry came into view. She held up Mac’s arm and waved it. Seven long miles of horsemen, a great many of whom she knew. She pointed out Daniel and Hal, and waved to Sergeant Landon, who somehow managed a horse with his ankle still splinted. Flamboyant George Custer was instantly recognizable, with his foot-long blond curls and flashy showmanship. His horse spooked—no doubt startled by a spur—and cavorted wildly in front of the viewing stands, putting on a show. Handsome Myles Keogh, then Tom Devin, Wes Merritt, Bill Rosecrans, Jim Wilson, many of Sheridan’s generals trotted by. Memories rode with them: General Sheridan’s bowling game, dancing with the generals in the warehouse at Harper’s Ferry; singing around the campfires.
She caught the eyes of Ed Kincaid and Jake Hunt. She waved. Ed winked at her. He’d stopped by the house after Louie had left, and told Daniel he planned to ask Abbey to marry him. “I’ll ask your father, but I wanted your blessing, too.” Her eyes misted again at the thought of all the men who didn’t return, men like her father and brothers, who would never have a chance to marry or hold their own child.
They didn’t attend the second day of the Grand Review. While General William Sherman’s great army and ragtag followers marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, Summer Rose and Daniel sat outside on the upstairs porch. Mac and Gus lay sound asleep in their bassinets just inside the door. Summer had sent Mercy with Becca and Amelia to the grandstands. Daniel and she needed time alone.
Huge magnolias and roses, all in full leaf, kept the porch shaded and cool, and dimmed the greenish light. The long, sheer curtains at the French doors billowed and fanned perfume from the white climbing roses. Summer and Daniel sat next to each other on a long swing. She leaned against him, her legs curled beneath her dress of white batiste. Daniel, in uniform, but jacketless, seemed a million miles away, his big hand slowly made its way up and down her back. They could hear drums and cannon, even horses, but they also heard bees feasting on nectar from the roses.
They had begged off attending the review, using Mac’s fussiness as an excuse. Both babies were fine; their parents were not. Late last evening, Daniel, out for a walk amidst all the celebrating, had been shocked almost speechless by what he’d seen.
Even though he’d related the whole encounter the night before, Summer asked again, “You saw her with your father?”
She ran her hands across the straining muscles of his upper arm and felt a knot tightening in her stomach, erasing the tranquility of Amelia’s porch.
His voice came out parched and bitter. “Oh, yes. And the whore knew I saw her. The carriage stopped a block from Willard’s. When the door opened and Mary’s father stepped down. I couldn’t miss her. A streetlight shone right into the cab. She leaned against him, her hands clamped on his arm like she owned him. She wore that damned ruby bracelet, too.”
“Did you father see you?”
“No. He and Hugh were talking. Arguing, actually.”
“Maybe there’s an—”
“Hell, sweetheart, what possible explanation could there be?” He pulled her tight against him and growled and kissed the back of her neck, then unbuttoned the top button of her dress. His arms tightened around her pulling her onto his lap, and he pushed his head against the back of the swing.
“I don’t give a damn who he’s sleeping with. I just want to know if he’s involved with the children.
“I knew children were abused, but I’d never really thought about it. Seeing the house with all the contraptions, the straps, the lotions, it brought home what child prostitution is. They use boys, too. Can you imagine someone abusing our boys?” He shuddered and clenched his fists. “I’d tear them apart.”
Summer Rose’s heart ached for him, but she didn’t have any magic words.
Finally, she said, “He certainly has demonstrated that he likes grown-up women. I’m sure he’s not part of such evil.”
He didn’t seem to hear her. His eyes darkened. “Abbey? I’ve racked my brain, but I’ve never seen anything odd with Abbey? Nothing. If he touched her, I don’t know what I’d do. Thank heavens for Ed. I’ll be glad to get her out of that house.”
When he turned to Summer, his face was creased with tension, his eyes dark and smudged. “I can’t speak to anyone. Maybe Jack. Where is he?”
The tension left her body. She sighed. “On Saturday, when we go to Philadelphia, he’ll be traveling with us. I thought he could come with us to my grandparents’ house. I know they weren’t his family, but he might like some of the furniture before we auction the rest.”
They had planned to make a fast trip to Philadelphia to go through her grandparents’ home, and see if they could use any of the furnishings to replace the things Hobbs’ gang had destroyed. They had already arranged with Louie and Harvey’s firm, as well as Mr. Crenshaw of Girard Bank, to sell the house and auction the furnishings.
“You could talk to him on the train,” she said. “Jack would be a good choice. Why don’t you see if we could go visit your family later that day? You don’t really think he was involved with the children, do you?”
Daniel shrugged. “Did he know about the children? And do nothing.”
They heard the crowd roar, then several cannon firing. The long white curtains danced and billowed like sails on the high seas above 18th Street. His hands moved through her hair, and she smiled, pulling his face into where her neck and shoulder met.
“I sort of like your hair short,” he murmured, changing the subject.. “How much time before a child awakens? I want some time where I just don’t think.”
She shrugged and leaned into him.
He sat her up and kissed the back of her neck, then eased her down to the cushion. “Can you smell the roses?”
Tha
t evening after dinner, Amelia and Hal surprised them. “Next week,” Hal said, “Mother and I are sailing from New York for Southampton. I’ve been writing to Fanny and we plan to meet in London.”
Daniel hesitated. “Does that mean you and Fanny …”
Hal shrugged. “Danny, I have no reason to believe she’ll have me.” He chuckled. “I’m not sure of much of anything right now. But I want Hank to know his mother. I won’t live abroad, and Hank is going to live where I live, but I want him, at the very least, to know her. If it entails an ocean voyage every year or so, I’ll do it. I don’t know if she’d be content to come back here.” His voice cracked a little. “God, I was such a bastard. I don’t blame her at all for leaving me.”
He shrugged again. “I wouldn’t mind spending the winters in town, but I want to live in the valley most of the year. You’re going to have to put up with me, with or without Fanny.” His eyes slid from Daniel to Summer, then back to Daniel. “I want my son to grow up in the valley, grow up with your sons. We’ll see. Perhaps his mother will come back so we can raise him together.”
Amelia was holding Hank and frowning. “Mark my words, Hal. She’ll come back with you. How could she resist this darling boy? I’ve been writing to her father. They’re meeting us in London. I believe Fanny’s father would like to see her settled. Her grandmother passed away a few weeks ago.”
She cleared her throat. “Regardless, when I return, Harvey and I want to buy some land near the lake and build a house, a summer house for us. I have to be near Hank.” She kissed her grandson’s forehead. “I guess you’ll have to put up with me, too.”
Daniel stooped and kissed her cheek. “Amelia, I can’t think of anyone I’d like to put up with more than you.” He straightened and rested his big hand on Hal’s shoulder.
PART FIVE
CAMELANN
CHAPTER 59
PIECES OF THE PAST
On the morning train to Philadelphia, they arranged to have two compartments, one for Daniel and Summer, and Jack, and one for Mercy and the boys.
Daniel was pale while he spoke. “I have trouble even talking about it. Regardless of what he has done, he is my father. Thoughts of repercussions make me ill. My mother, my sister …”
Jack nodded. “I’ll be discreet. Perhaps I’ll find that he’s just enamored. He won’t be the first middle-age man to be infatuated with a hooker. If that is the case, I’ll warn him to back away from her. I’ll keep you out of it.”
“If it’s the worst scenario?”
Jack shrugged. “We can’t charge her. We’ll just have to watch. One step out of line, and I’d have to arrest either of them.”
“Would you let me know before that becomes necessary?”
Jack nodded again. “I’ll do what I can, Daniel. Thank you for this information. It gives us another avenue to investigate. A judge. Now your father. We’ll look under every rock, every business deal. I have to tell you, much is done to cover up this kind of evil. Powerful men and women tend to protect the wrongdoers rather than the children. It’s the children who should be protected, but that’s not how it works. We’re still hunting for the money.”
He changed the subject. “I heard your mother is ill. I hope she’s better.”
“She sent a note yesterday. Apparently she’s improved. We plan to stay at the house tonight. Remember Colonel Ed Kincaid? He proposed to my sister. There’s a small celebration of their engagement, a dinner. Plan to come with us and stay at the house. I’ve already made arrangements. It might prove helpful.”
Mr. Crenshaw met them at Fitzmartin Manor, and they spent several hours there. Summer walked through the gardens with Pat McCall, the gardener. She remembered him from when she had visited her grandparents as a child. The excess of early spring had passed, but the shadow of the earlier garden still showed. Mercy sat on a blanket near the lily pond, in the dappled shadow of a sycamore, and played with the babies.
“Thank you for coming today,” Summer Rose said to Pat McCall. “I want to preserve some of the things he loved: his roses, the tulips, the lovely irises, and especially the lilies. My love of gardening probably came from him.”
Pat nodded. “I’ll put together a couple of crates of bulbs and tubers. He loved that climber rose back by the garden shed. I’ll send shoots of all the roses, and I also have envelopes of seeds. I’ll include those, as well.”
She smiled brightly, “Mr. McCall, why don’t you come along with all your packets? I’d love it. We have close to 8000 acres, now. Plenty of room.”
He surprised her. “I’m tempted. I may show up on your doorstep some morning. I have nothing to keep me here.” Mr. Crenshaw had told her he’d lost two sons in the war and his wife had died.
“We’d love that.”
Once they were inside the house, she, Daniel, and Jack moved from room to room. A lifetime of debris and sadness permeated every corner like dust. Their lives seemed so futile. They were dead, dead forever. Like a dandelion blowing in the wind, she was the single seed, the one left, the one to pass some of the good forward. Her grandfather had left enough money that, if she and Daniel were careful, they could fund generations and keep their valley pristine for years. They would pass on Micah’s strong pride in America, both grandfathers’ work ethic, their love of the land, and their tenacity.
Now, as she walked through the rooms, she admired the good taste beneath the dust. She tagged the piano—she’d teach all her children to play—several pieces of furniture, and all the books in the library. She collected a large set of flow-blue china, to replace what Hobbs’ gang had smashed.
When she took kitchen dishes and a copper kettle, Daniel lifted a blond eyebrow. “Why? We have lots of our own.”
She arched one dark eyebrow. “Daniel, the twins won’t be our only children. Be forewarned. I want a flock of children. And they’ll grow up and have children.” She closed her eyes. A dreamy expression spread over her face. “Envision long tables down by the lake, covered by fluttering white tablecloths, filled with friends, family, and children. You and Hal can build an empire. I’m going to build a family.”
Mr. Crenshaw smiled. “We’ll have it all packed up and shipped. The auction is scheduled for the third week in June. Do you plan to come?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure I’ll regret not taking more, but no, we won’t attend. The war is over. We have a lot to do.”
She knew that the Grand Army of the Potomac was scheduled to dissolve by mid-June, since it was costing a million dollars a day to maintain. The vast multitudes of veterans were eager to melt back into society.
She hoped to plant her garden soon. Margie had written that the boys had plowed and raked the ground, and Margie had planted a big patch of onions and potatoes just for Summer Rose. At Harper’s Ferry, Summer Rose had started hundreds of vegetable plants, and now imagined the expression on Daniel’s face when he saw what she planned to haul to the valley.
From Fitzmartin Manor the six of them piled into a large carriage, and as they neared Daniel’s childhood home, Summer turned to Jack and Mercy. “I haven’t seen the house but I’ve heard it’s magnificent.”
Daniel shook his head. His mother’s grandiose ways embarrassed him. She laughed at his expression. “Honest. It has a greenhouse. Can you imagine, Mercy? Daniel tells me they grow lemon and orange trees in a glass room that has chairs and tables and palm trees. The kitchen is big enough to feed the garrison at Harper’s Ferry. At night they light a mile of gaslights.”
The carriage turned, heading into the long lane of gaslights and elm trees. Daniel’s mother came out to greet them.
Flora held out her hands, beaming, and wanting to hold one of her grandsons. “I’m all over my cold,” she said, assuring them. To Summer Rose she added, “I imagine you’d love a bath and a nap. Come, Mercy. I have bassinets in the children’s old nursery. May I hold Micah?”
She smiled at Jack. “Colonel McAllister, so good to see you. I’ve put you around the corner from you
r sister. I know how seldom you see each other.”
As the three of them walked up the grand staircase, Daniel leaned in close and whispered. “Was that my mother?”
CHAPTER 60
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
While Summer napped and Flora’s household saw to the twins and Mercy and Jack, Daniel walked in the gardens, thinking of Hugh McGill, Mary’s father, and his father, all together in the carriage with Mrs. Mason the other night. He shuddered slightly. God, I hope they both wanted her for fun and games, not business. As unpleasant as the picture of his father in bed with Pearl Mason was, the thought of his involvement in the business end of prostitution sent bile into his throat.
He rounded a rhododendron and came upon Ed and Abbey on a bench, tangled in each other’s arms by the fish pond. Daniel decided they appeared very much as if they needed to be interrupted. He chucked a small rock over their bench and it plunked noisily into the pond.
Ed turned and, when he saw who it was, hollered good-naturedly, “Go away.”
Abbey stood and ran to Daniel. Her cheeks were flushed, her blouse askew, and her mass of blonde curls mussed. She looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen her. She jumped in his arms and hugged him. “I’m so glad you could come. Are the babies here? Summer Rose?”
“Mother’s with them in our old nursery. Please let Summer Rose sleep. She’s exhausted.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to hold them!” Abbey blew a kiss to her fiancé and ran toward the house.
Daniel hollered. “Tuck in your blouse!”
She stopped short, straightened her clothes, then waved and ran off again.
Ed stood and Daniel shook hands with him. “So you made the big step?”
Ed was several inches shorter than Daniel but well-built. Dark haired, clean-shaven, with bright whiskey-colored eyes, he was a good looking man. “Yes. And I’ve never been happier, General Charteris.”
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