Duty Bound (Shades of Gray Civil War Serial Trilogy Book 1)

by Jessica James

  Hunter grasped Daniel’s shoulder firmly. “You’re going to be all right, Danny boy,” he said in a voice that urged the man to live. “Just hold on.” Then Hunter raised his head and looked around. “Where’s the blasted surgeon?”

  Andrea looked incredulously at Hunter. She had never dreamed it possible to see so much compassion and concern shine in those cold, gray eyes.

  “Don’t think you can fix it…this time…big brother.”

  Andrea blinked and gazed up at Hunter, but the Confederate soldier was looking down at the wounded man’s hand, which Daniel had somehow found the strength to raise. Hunter grasped it, and Daniel smiled weakly.

  “You’re the best…Alex,” he whispered. “I wish that we…”

  “I understand, Dan.” Hunter’s voice trembled. “Don’t try to talk. Just rest.”

  Andrea took a deep breath during the ensuing silence, willing herself not to look up at Hunter, and yet half-afraid to glance down at Daniel. After what seemed like an eternity, Daniel opened his lids again; his eyes bright and glazed with pain. “You will…let no harm…befall her.”

  It was not a question, nor a statement, but was spoken clearly in the tone of an appeal.

  Hunter’s gaze lifted and met Andrea’s, then lowered again. “You have my word.”

  The promise had no effect on Daniel, save to make him more restless. He struggled to raise his head. “But there are things…things you don’t know.” He sounded frenzied, as he looked deep into Hunter’s eyes.

  Andrea pushed Daniel back down. “Daniel, please rest.” She felt Hunter’s gaze burning into her.

  “No matter the circumstances, Dan,” Hunter said reassuringly “You have my word.”

  Daniel closed his eyes and relaxed then as if a great weight had been lifted. When Andrea stroked a lock of hair from his forehead, his eyes fluttered open at the contact. He gazed glassy-eyed at her as if he wanted to speak again. Andrea leaned down close, her face just inches from his. “It was an honor…to have known you,” he murmured, his breathing growing raspy.

  Andrea kissed his cheek. “The honor, Daniel,” she said softly in his ear, “is all mine.”

  He must have heard the words, because he opened his eyes and took another deep, raspy breath. “Andrea, remember me…”

  Andrea barely heard his whispered, feeble words. She leaned even closer, waiting breathlessly for him to finish, but not another word was spoken. The gallant soldier closed his eyes and was still.

  Desperate to believe he was just gathering strength, Andrea continued to hold her breath and listen for the sound of his voice. After a few minutes, Hunter reached over and touched her arm. “He’s gone.”

  Andrea stared at Hunter intently for a long moment as if the language he spoke was foreign to her. Then to prove him wrong, she reached down and picked up Daniel’s hand to give it a gentle squeeze. It felt cold. It did not feel like Daniel.

  Dropping it in revulsion, Andrea heard the limb hit the floor with a thud. She sat back on her heels and looked at Daniel’s face. His eyes, half-open now, stared vacantly at the ceiling.

  Blinking repeatedly, Andrea looked at Hunter, somehow expecting him to do something. Stop time. Change time. SOMETHING. “But—”

  Hunter stood and offered his hand to help her up. “There’s nothing more we can do.”

  Andrea continued to shake her head, wringing her hands and rocking back and forth. Dear Lord, they killed him! She raised her eyes and glared at Hunter, who now conversed in low tones with an orderly. Already they wanted to move Daniel. They had a body, a living one, to put in his place.

  “I’ll take him back to my family home for burial,” she heard Hunter say.

  The orderly nodded. “Very well. I’ll get some men to help.”

  Andrea struggled to stand, grabbing Hunter’s arm as she stumbled to her feet. “Wait. No!”

  Hunter looked down at her hand like he was unaccustomed to people touching him without permission. “I beg your pardon?”

  “In the ground?” Andrea’s gaze darted from the man on the floor to the man standing over him. “You’re going to put Dan…in the ground?”

  Hunter looked her squarely in the eye and responded in an unemotional voice. “I don’t know how they do it where you come from, Miss Marlow, but that’s generally how they bury people in Virginia.”

  Andrea felt a wave of nausea overcome her. Suddenly the stench of the room, the sounds of dying men, the blood soaking into the bottom of her dress in this ghastly house of suffering was more than she could take. She picked up her skirts and ran out the back door, past the very tree where she had stood with Daniel a few weeks earlier—the same tree whose bare limbs now stood guard over a haphazard heap of mutilated arms and legs.

  Hand over her mouth Andrea ran, the cold air stinging her face, until at the river’s edge, she could hold it no longer. The sights and sounds and smells rendered her convulsively ill. Clinging to the side of a tree for support she choked and retched as the river lapped playfully at the banks below. For so long, death had passed her by. Now it was real.

  Andrea could hear the clods of dirt falling on Daniel as clearly as if they were falling on her own body, smothering her, choking her. Her heart shuddered; her chest ached. She was sweating and freezing; she shook, yet was numb. Daniel. Oh, Daniel. So many things she had meant to tell him. Dear Lord, I never even told him my full name!

  She started to pace. It was a dream. It must be a dream. She would wake up soon. Dear God in heaven, don’t let it be real!

  But when Andrea glanced to her left, the reality was all too real. Fresh mounds of earth told of the dead that already slept below. Even here by the river, the vaguely penetrating odor of blood and death was inescapable and overpowering. Andrea grabbed her chest, pulling and tugging at her cloak to give her heart more room to shatter.

  Hearing the sound of wood sliding on wood, she turned to see men loading a pine box in a wagon behind her. She flinched when an icy drop of sleet fell from the sky, stinging her cheek and confirming it was not a dream.

  “The favorites of the gods die early,” her Mammy had always told her, “and then the angels cry.” Andrea raised her face toward heaven and let the angels’ frozen tears fall unhindered upon her face. When she opened her eyes, she saw Union soldiers mounting to accompany the wagon back through the lines, and Hunter striding toward her. She turned back to the river.

  “Are you all right, Miss Marlow?” His voice came from just behind her shoulder.

  She nodded, but continued to gaze out over the water.

  “They will allow you safely back through the lines to Richmond?”

  Andrea nodded again.

  “Very well.” He turned to leave.

  “Captain.”

  “Yes?” Hunter came back to her and she turned around.

  “That is a good man you’ll be b-b-burying.” Andrea stumbled over the word, as if by saying it she admitted he was gone.

  Hunter took a deep breath as he gazed over her head. “I know that.”

  Andrea stepped forward when she heard the pain in his voice. She did not see him as an enemy at this moment, but Daniel’s brother, his own flesh and blood. Tentatively reaching out to console him for his loss, she felt him stiffen, but wrapped her arms around him nonetheless. When he hesitatingly returned the gesture, she knew he needed her comfort as much as she needed his.

  “The price is too high,” Andrea whispered, clinging to the coarse wool of his coat.

  “Too high indeed,” was the grave reply.

  And so they stood there holding onto each other as the sky spit snow—he fiercely devoted to the Confederacy; she, fervently dedicated to the Union…yet joined, at this moment, in solemn unity for a man they both had loved.

  Chapter 40

  The way to success is strategically along the way of least expectation and tactically along the line of least resistance.

  – Union General William Tecumseh Sherman

  Richmond, Virginia />
  May 1863

  The sky was spitting rain, but Andrea knew the storm would not amount to much. She hurried along the sidewalk with her head down, contemplating how soon—and how—she would depart from Richmond for good.

  Daniel’s death had settled over her like a dark cloud of despair. She no longer had the heart to continue her work in the Confederacy, or the will to keep up her charade as a loyal Southerner. As each day faded into the next, she grew more and more determined to leave.

  A loud scream and the sound of thundering horses broke through her thoughts. “Runaways!” She heard the word just as a two-horse team and wagon barreled into view. Running alongside was a Confederate soldier, who somehow jumped onto the fast-moving cart and began to haul on the reins.

  But the two panicked horses continued their forward rush, running straight toward dozens of unsuspecting shoppers at an open market only about a block and a half away.

  Without hesitation, Andrea stepped onto the road. “Whoa there, boys.” She spoke in a calm voice with her arms stretched out in front of her. Although the horses surged toward her, Andrea stood motionless, giving no ground. “Easy. Easy.”

  As the team drew nearer, they continued throwing their heads and grinding the bit in their teeth, fighting the person hauling on the reins. Andrea sidestepped out of their way when it became apparent they were not going to stop. But when they got directly beside her, she grabbed the side rein of the nearest horse.

  “Whoa, boy!” She yanked hard with both hands, throwing all her weight into the move as the leather burned her hands. The horses slowed to a walk, but still shook and snorted with fear.

  “Easy now, boys.” Andrea talked in a soothing tone while walking beside the frothing horses. She patted the nearest horse’s neck, knowing any sudden movement could cause them to erupt again.

  “Nice catch, Miss Marlow.”

  Andrea whipped her head around as Captain Hunter jumped lightly from the seat.

  “Captain Hunter.” She clenched the horse’s bridle tighter. “I didn’t know you were in Richmond.”

  “And I didn’t know you were such a foolish young lady.” His tone was harsh as he grabbed the bridle from her hand and pulled hard, bringing the horse to a complete stop. Andrea noted that his formerly bronzed face appeared pale.

  “Someone could have been hurt,” she murmured, glancing at her tender, dirt-stained hands.

  “Yes, and that someone could have been you!”

  “I thought—” Andrea felt like a child getting punished by a teacher. She couldn’t even finish her sentence.

  “I don’t believe you thought at all. No one who had any thoughts in their head would have stood directly in front of more than two tons of horseflesh!”

  Andrea did not have time to explain. A young man came running up the street, breathing heavily.

  “Thank you, sir.” He took the reins from Hunter. “Blasted kids lit a firecracker right under their feet.”

  Andrea backed up to the sidewalk, and was about to bid Hunter goodbye, when he spoke.

  “I just engaged a team from the livery. Will you permit me the favor of escorting you home safely?”

  Andrea thought his voice conveyed true concern, but with Hunter she could not be sure. She wanted desperately to refuse, but knew it was obvious to him by now that she was on foot and had no escort. She did not want to raise suspicions by declining the offer. “That would be lovely.” She took a deep breath, knowing her tone failed to communicate the words.

  “It’s right this way.”

  When he turned and started walking away, Andrea had to practically run to keep up. “Are you in Richmond for business or pleasure?” She took a deep breath as he helped her into the seat of the rented carriage.

  Hunter did not answer until he had climbed up beside her. Then he glanced down at her as if the word pleasure was foreign to his ears. “Business.” His tone conveyed she would hear no more about the purpose or significance of his presence in Richmond. “And what about you?” He slapped the horse with the reins.

  Andrea looked up at him confused.

  “Business. Or pleasure? This is not a part of Richmond where I would expect to see you.”

  “I-I was just visiting a friend.” Andrea realized Hunter could have been watching her. For all she knew, he had been following her. She remembered Daniel’s words about his brother. He would wait until the time is right…

  “Without an escort? This city is full of bad citizens of every conceivable description. Have you no regard for your reputation?”

  Andrea tried to make her voice sound cordial and light. “Do you regard all women with suspicion, Captain? Or just me?”

  “Why must you think I regard you with suspicion, Miss Marlow?” He gave a laugh that sounded forced. “Could it be because you seem to have fallen from the sky into Richmond with no one to vouch for your reputation other than your aunt, whose background is not above suspicion itself?”

  He gave the reins a snap, signaling the horse to pick up their pace. “Or because I find you walking through Richmond in a suspicious area of town without an escort? Or because—” Hunter paused and looked down at her hand. “Because you wear the ring of a dead Federal officer.” He paused a moment. “Shall I go on?”

  Andrea looked up at his face in surprise and then at the ring on her finger. Mechanically her gaze shifted to Hunter’s right hand, where she saw a ring almost identical to the one she wore. Now she understood the reason for his sudden callousness.

  What she didn’t know was how she would weave her way out of this web of deceit.

  “Daniel gave me this, uh, right before he died.” She took a deep breath while twisting the ring. “He…that is, we—”

  “Captain Hunter! Miss Marlow! What a surprise to see you both!”

  An officer drew rein beside them and Hunter pulled the horses to a halt.

  “Do you have anything for me Miss Marlow?” Colonel Robinson from the War Department smiled knowingly. “I have not gotten a chance to talk to you lately.”

  Andrea gave a worried glance toward Hunter, which did not go unnoticed by the officer.

  “Don’t be alarmed about the Captain my dear. I am sure he can keep our secret safe.” He turned his attention to Hunter. “Miss Marlow has been kind enough to offer her services to the Confederacy…and has done quite a fine job of it thus far. Why, she’s even crossed the lines to Fredericksburg twice.”

  Hunter looked down at her curiously, and not a little surprised.

  “I have nothing,” Andrea mumbled. “That is, I have nothing new to report.”

  “Oh well, just thought I’d ask.” Colonel Robinson tipped his hat. “Good day to you both.”

  The man was barely out of hearing range when Hunter spoke again, his voice tinged with anger.

  “It is all becoming much clearer to me now.”

  Andrea’s eyes jerked up to meet his. “You do not look with favor on my efforts to help the Confederacy?”

  “My brother was a good man, despite the color of the uniform he wore. He did not deserve to be used as a pawn in your game of deceit.”

  “A pawn?”

  “He was the one you manipulated for your information. Correct?” Hunter asked. “It is obvious he cared for you more than you cared for him…if you would use him in such a way.”

  “Use him?” Andrea’s mind was reeling. “I would never—”

  “Isn’t that why you went to Fredericksburg? To try to extract information from him on his death bed?”

  Andrea was too flabbergasted to reply.

  “And you continue to wear his ring after his death. It must be viewed as quite a trophy to you.”

  Andrea wasn’t sure how to respond. Though she was relieved to hear that Hunter believed she was a loyal Southerner, she did not wish him to think she dishonored Daniel.

  She looked away from him and clasped her hands on her lap. “Daniel was a friend before he was an enemy,” was all she said.

  “Then
please do me the courtesy of not considering me one of your friends.”

  Andrea did not hesitate in her reply. “Your wish is granted, Captain.”

  Hunter continued as if talking to himself. “Better perhaps that he died from a bullet. That ring meant much to him. He would not have given it to another without much consideration…or without being deceived.”

  “Please do not smell a crime where there is none, Captain,” Andrea retorted angrily, covering the ring with her other hand defensively. “It might possibly be that you don’t know the whole story.” She bit her lip when the words left her mouth, afraid she had said too much.

  “You seem overly defensive Miss Marlow.” Hunter looked down and studied her with furrowed brow.

  “Have I unknowingly insulted you?”

  “Not unknowingly, I am sure.” Andrea turned her head away and stared at the row of warehouses they were passing.

  Andrea wished the horses would move faster. She didn’t want Hunter to have time to mull over her words. But after they had ridden a long way with no exchange of speech, he spoke again.

  “Perhaps you are right,” he said.

  Andrea turned her head slowly toward him. He sounded a bit contrite. Perhaps he was going to apologize. “About what?” She looked up at him, trying to conceal any signs of the triumph she felt.

  “That I don’t know the whole story. Why don’t you tell me how it is that you and Daniel were acquainted? You never had the chance to tell me.”

  Andrea’s heart took a violent tumble, and she felt the blood drain from her face. Yes, his voice sounded gentler now, but she knew it was a ploy. Things were not adding up in his mind, and he wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass without getting to the bottom of it.

  “Well first, how is it that you happened to be brothers?” She tried to deflect his query. “You never had the chance to tell me.”

  Hunter glanced down at her with a look of annoyance. “Do you always answer a question with a question?

  “Does it seem like I do?” Andrea grinned at her joke, though it was obvious Hunter did not share in the amusement.

  He let out his breath in exasperation. “My father, Joseph Hunter, died when I was young. My mother remarried James Delaney and I got a baby brother, Daniel. Satisfied?”