by Cathy Peper
He froze, “Cole is that—”
“The enemy? Yes, but we’re under truce while we’re swimming. The patrols arranged it. They even organized a trade. We’re to bring our excess tobacco tomorrow for coffee.”
Jesse grinned. “I ran out of coffee several days ago.”
“I told you this would be fun.” Cole plunged back into the water, darting like an otter. Both sides made sure not to come too close or cross the center line of the river. Jesse grew more at ease as he realized he wasn’t the only non-swimmer present. Many of the men stayed near the bank, although none appeared to feel the dread that snaked down his spine.
Cole knew he couldn’t swim, but no one except his family realized the extent of his fear. His father had even tried the sink or swim approach, throwing him into the water and only coming to the rescue when it became clear Jesse would sink before he ever learned to swim. After that, his father had given up in disgust. Jack and Janet had made a few half-hearted attempts to coax him into coming along with them, but eventually had stopped inviting him.
He would never have thought himself capable of crossing Reelfoot Lake under any condition, but when the moment came, he’d gotten on the raft. He might have been too delirious with fever to realize what he was doing, but the fear of exposing Diamond to Union reprisals, if they captured them trying to escape, had spurred him to take actions he would not have thought possible mere days before.
Diamond had done all the work and taken most of the risk, but it had not been easy to climb aboard the tiny platform of sticks held together by bungee cords. He could even be grateful for the fever which left him with only fractured memories of the long haul.
Cole popped up beside him. “It surprised me to hear you escaped by crossing Reelfoot Lake since I know you can’t swim. Is it shallow enough to wade through?”
“In places. We built a small raft and Diamond helped me. I was also sick with fever and suffering from a head wound, so we were lucky to make it.”
“So is that why you married her? To repay a debt?”
“In part. She lost her parents and has no family except some distant relatives in St. Louis.” Maybe some day he could tell Cole the truth, but for now he stuck to the story they had concocted. “But she’s smart, pretty and the bravest woman I’ve ever met. You’ll see that yourself when you meet her.”
“The war can’t end too soon for me.” He cocked his head toward the Yankees. “Today we’re having a spot of fun, but tomorrow we might have to kill each other. Why couldn’t the Union let us go our separate ways?”
“Why didn’t the South compromise?”
“We tried. The Union wouldn’t give an inch. But keep your voice down or the men might question your loyalty.”
“I’m as loyal as you are, but the waste of human life makes me sick.”
“We’ve all lost enthusiasm since signing up, but it will all be worth it when we send the Yanks back home with their tails between their legs.” Cole lay back in the water, floating on his back with his hands behind his head.
Jesse managed a fake grin. No way could he tell his friend the truth. Thousands of lives would be lost on both sides and much of the South destroyed before the war ended. And for what?
He was happy to learn from Diamond that the government would outlaw slavery, but righting that wrong came at a huge cost. One for which he might still have to pay the ultimate penalty.
Twenty Three
Chapter 23
Diamond spent the rest of the day shopping for stationery supplies, walking the residential streets and savoring a bracing cup of coffee at a small coffee house and bakery. While at the coffeehouse, she jotted down notes about stories to submit to the Gazette. By the time she returned to the house, she no longer felt anxious, although she hoped for Jack’s sake his father didn’t cast him out.
Janet was already there, helping the servants carry serving bowls to the table. “We’re to serve ourselves tonight,” she told Diamond. “Father has given the servants the night off.”
Not out of the generosity of his heart. Ian didn’t want anyone overhearing their conversation. Diamond poured glasses of water and wine and Janet dismissed Betty and Sarah. They disappeared before Ian could change his mind.
Ian joined them, filled his plate and gestured for the women to do the same. Apparently they weren’t waiting for Jack.
“There are several members of Quantrill’s gang in town, either hiding out or nursing wounds. According to my sources, most of the town supports the bushwhackers.
“Guerrilla warfare is effective. They keep the Federals on their toes but also use their position to carry out vendettas against civilians. They’re unpredictable and dangerous, but that’s not the point. We will table this discussion until Jack deigns to join us.”
“If he does,” Janet mumbled.
Diamond was sure Ian heard the comment, but he pretended he didn’t. “This is the third time this week we’ve had pork. Why aren’t you serving any beef?”
“It’s difficult to get beef in the market and the price of meat of any type has risen steeply,” Janet said.
“It will only get worse,” Diamond added. “If the war continues, there will be food shortages.”
Ian frowned. “Start stockpiling nonperishables.”
“I will need more funds. I’ve barely been able to make do with what you’re giving me.”
Ian poked his fork at his potatoes. “I’ll go to the bank tomorrow. I wasn’t expecting to feed so many people.”
“Jesse left me some money. I can pay for room and board.”
“It may come to that, but I’m not tapped out yet.” Ian shoved the potatoes into his mouth.
Knowing the war would drag on for another three years, Diamond hoped they could return to New Madrid. Food shortages in the North were not nearly as bad as in the South.
They had only been eating a few minutes when Jack showed up. He scooped food onto his plate and slid into a seat, seemingly unconcerned with his ambiguous position.
Raised to be a gracious hostess, Janet tried. She discussed the weather, the latest news from the war and their newly hatched plan to stock pile some food.
Jack and Ian made little contribution, so Diamond mentioned she’d stopped by the Gazette and planned to submit articles to them.
“For what purpose?” Ian asked.
“I’ve previously worked as a journalist.”
“Bah, women have no place in the news business. Now that you’re married, you will behave properly.”
“I see nothing improper in writing for the paper. There are other women working there.”
“Only because they can’t hire enough men,” Jack said.
“Perhaps, but women are just as capable of writing as men.”
“You will do nothing to embarrass the family,” Ian said.
“Fine. I’ll write under a pseudonym.”
Her father-in-law’s bushy white eyebrows drew together. “And they will pay you for this?”
“A small fee for every story they accept.”
“Ha. More fool them. Keep our name out of it and I’m not opposed to you earning a little pin money.”
Good, because I’m not asking for your permission. Guessing this would be one of those times Jesse would want her to back down, she bent her head to her food.
“Janet made a good point earlier today. She and Finn may be our only remaining connection to the North. I’ll contact him and ask him to reconsider an upfront dowry.”
“I should be the one to write him,” Janet protested.
“Write him a love letter, but I will handle the business angle.”
“What about me?” Jack asked.
“Sign with a proper regiment and I won’t change my will.”
“I can do far more good for our cause working outside the system.” Jack leaned forward to refill his plate. “Jesse’s done nothing but retreat from one place to another. I’ve picked off Yankee soldiers before they even knew they weren’t alone
and settled scores with Union sympathizers.” He met his father’s gaze without flinching. “I’ll not fight for a regular unit again.”
“Then you won’t come home until the war is over. You will continue as one of my heirs, but I won’t support you. If you choose this dangerous course, you will travel it without backup.”
Jack slammed his fist onto the table. “Guerrilla forces rely on local support for survival. It’s rare for us to range this far from the border, but there might come a time when I need to hole up here.”
“I can’t afford to be connected to Quantrill or his like. Some day they may be held accountable for their actions—and you with them.”
“I’m not ashamed of anything I’ve done.”
“Then you’ve made your choice.” Ian pushed back his chair. “I’ve got important business elsewhere. Jack, I expect you to be gone by the time I’m home.”
“You claim to do everything for family and then turn your back on your own son.”
“Just go, Jack,” Janet said.
“Oh, I’m going, but you’re making a mistake, relying on strangers. Real Southerners will never accept Finn and you may never get your hands on Diamond’s dowry.”
“Push me another inch and I’ll cut you off without a penny.”
Ian’s face had grown so red Diamond feared he might have a stroke. Jack looked equally angry as he crumpled his napkin and dropped it on the table. His chair squealed as he pushed it back. “Talk to the other exiled members of the legislature and I’m sure they will agree. Men like Quantrill and the James brothers are the best shot you have of getting back into power. The Confederate Army has abandoned Missouri.”
“A temporary setback,” Ian said.
Jack smirked. “We will see. But don’t worry. Not all doors in Little Rock are closed to me.”
* * *
Jesse regretted the loss of the river when the army moved on. The sweltering heat of summer made long marches torture and sleeping difficult. Cholera had struck some forts but had not yet reached Jesse’s division. He would never have thought he would miss any water-related activity, but he and his men wilted without relief from the heat.
Coming back from patrol duty, he stopped at the supply tent and found he had a letter from Diamond. Cole punched him in the arm.
“Letter from the missus? Guess you’ll want some privacy to read it, but be sure to tell me any news of your sister, my folks, or any of the people back home.”
“Diamond and Janet are still in Little Rock with my father so I don’t think she will know anything about your family. She will probably mention Janet, but as I’ve told you before, don’t get your hopes up. Janet is determined to marry Finn” He didn’t mind Cole teasing him about his “missus,” but hoped Cole was also joking about his feelings for Janet. Even if Janet didn’t end up marrying Finn, he suspected she would never see Cole as anything but her little brother’s annoying friend.
As soon as he reached his tent, he stripped down to his shirt and trousers and unfolded the letter.
Dear Jesse,
Your brother has come for a visit, so I have now met your entire family. My presence surprised him since he hadn’t heard we were married.
A few days ago, conversation at our weekly Ladies Association meeting centered on the recent defeat of some bushwhackers by the Union Army. Opinion was mixed, but most of the women appear to support the outlaws. Janet and I returned the following day to speak to Amy. She had some suspicions which I can’t relate here.
I thought her concerns unwarranted, but she knows your brother far better than I do. Your father is furious.
Ian threatened to disown your brother, but after consideration, has only barred him from any contact with the family. Jack left, but under protest.
Janet then pressured your father to support her marriage to Finn. She suggested part of my dowry be used to finance hers, which I oppose. I told them I have equal control over the funds, but Ian may contact you asking for your support. Please make it clear you will do nothing to jeopardize my security. I don’t want to stand in the way of Janet’s happiness, so perhaps we can reach a compromise.
In other news, I signed up to write stories for the Gazette on a freelance basis. It’s not the same as my old job, but it feels good to get my feet wet again.
I hope you are well and away from the worst of the fighting.
Yours,
Diamond
PS: We just heard that Amy eloped with your brother. You assured me you didn’t return her feelings, so I hoped you are not hurt by this news.
Jesse dropped the letter, his mind in a whirl. Diamond had avoided putting anything damaging in writing, but it appeared Jack had joined the bushwhackers. He’d always known Jack favored the South over the North, but couldn’t imagine his brother deserting. If the Union Army caught him, they’d shoot or hang him. Jack had gone back on his word. Why couldn’t he have waited until his term expired before switching sides?
Their father had always favored Jack, but he wouldn’t accept a betrayal of this magnitude. The harshness of Ian’s reaction didn’t surprise him. He thought his father had gone easy on Jack.
He wasn’t sure how he felt about Diamond’s decision to write for the Gazette. He was all for it if it made her happy and more at ease in the nineteenth century, but why now? Bryce Poole had offered to help her find a position on a St. Louis newspaper and she’d derided the suggestion as an inadequate substitute for her job as a TV reporter. Jesse still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of plays being beamed through the air and showing up on little boxes in everyone’s homes, but writing for a paper, even in a big city like St. Louis, seemed a demotion. Writing for a paper in a small town was even further down the ladder.
Was Diamond afraid he would give her dowry to Janet? Did she intend to write for the paper as a backup plan in case she had to earn her own living? It hurt to remember she had only agreed to marry him because Bryce would not give the money to her without a husband to oversee her interests. Would she give up on the idea of writing for the paper if he asked her too? Not that it mattered, he wouldn’t ask it of her.
And then there was the postscript. He’d told Diamond the truth when he said he didn’t have feelings for Amy. But the elopement still felt like a punch in the gut, as if he and his brother were interchangeable. And Amy came from a wealthy family. Before the war, she’d known no hardship. Even since evacuating to Little Rock, she’d lived in relative luxury. Living as the wife of an outlaw would be a shock to her, and he felt responsible.
Frustrated, he tracked down Cole and found him by at his tent, cooking his meager rations over a fire.
“Go get yours and you can tell me the news over dinner,” Cole suggested.
Jesse wound his way through the tents, cook fires and soldiers to the commissary. After receiving his hardtack and salt pork, he grabbed his mess kit and rejoined Cole. Throwing the pork in the frying pan, he held it over the flames, hearing the fat spit and sizzle. Cole remained patient until Jesse’s food was ready.
“So what did your wife have to say?”
“A group of bushwhackers ran into some trouble with Union troops and retreated to Little Rock to lick their wounds.”
Cole shrugged. “Unfortunate, but that’s the risk we all take. Guerrillas don’t have the support of regular troops, but they are not bound by the same rules.”
“I think my brother, Jack, was one of them.”
“Jack? Thought he was fighting for the Union?”
Jesse took his time chewing a bit of grisly meat he would never have eaten before the war. “Sounds like he’s left the Union to ride with Quantrill and his men.”
“Well, good for him. Never set right with me that he fought for the Yankees.”
“My father is angry. He wanted to ensure we had someone on the winning side of this conflict.”
Cole took a swig of water from his canteen and chased it with a hit of whiskey. “So that’s why Jack signed with the North? Struck me as st
range, him being pro-slavery and all.”
Jesse dug out his own whiskey flask and swallowed. The alcohol was about the only thing edible about the meal, but he was too hungry to be choosy. “I think Father miscalculated. Should have sent me to the Union and let Jack sign with the Confederacy.”
“You would have fought for the Northern Aggressors?” Cole asked.
Jesse nodded. “I’m in favor of states’ rights and consider myself a son of the South, but slavery should have been abolished years ago. I hoped it would never come to war, but I could in good conscience fight for either side.”
Cole glanced at the surrounding tents. “Keep that to yourself or you might find yourself shot in the back.”
“My loyalty is not in question.”
“Isn’t it? Will your father want you to desert and join the Union now?”
“No, Janet has convinced him to reconsider her engagement to Finn. When Finn insisted on a dowry, Father let it go since he never wanted the match, anyway. Now he will try to persuade Finn to marry Janet for her share of the estate and a future cash payment.”
“You wouldn’t have to pay me to take her on. Your sister is a fine-looking woman.”
“Forget about Janet. If Finn doesn’t take the deal, he’s a fool.”
“Stabbed through the heart.” Cole clasped his hands to his chest and sighed.
“That’s not all.”
“I don’t know if I can take any more.”
“Jack eloped with Amy.”
“Your Amy?”
“She’s not mine. But yes, Amy Verdine.”
Cole laughed. “That’s rich. She can’t have one brother so she takes the other. You wouldn’t happen to have another sister, would you?”
“It’s not funny. Amy’s not made for a life on the run.” Not like Diamond. Diamond had managed just fine, although he wouldn’t want to subject her to constant hardship and danger.