Unfortunately, one big catch loomed: If Aggie escaped, then Mother was right. Therese would have to move back home to care for her brother in Aggie’s stead. And while she knew that a person’s freedom was worth almost any cost, the thought of giving up all she’d gained by coming to Richmond simply broke her heart. She would make the sacrifice for Aggie’s sake, but it would be the hardest thing she’d ever done.
“Are you all right?” Alec held an umbrella over her head as they walked.
“I’m fine. Just thinking…” Therese clutched her skirts tighter, pulling them up as they crossed the street. Her feet felt each of the cobblestones through the thin soles of her boots as she hurried along, matching Alec’s stride.
“What are you thinking about?”
Therese answered, “Warner. Mother. Other things.”
“The lacerated livers?”
“Yes.”
Alec whispered, “I see. Well, I already told you my cousin is a nurse, but did I mention that she’s had quite a bit of experience with lacerated livers?”
Therese’s hope grew. “Really?” She needed someone who had done this sort of thing before. “When is she arriving?”
“I’m not sure exactly, but soon.”
Therese nodded. “Good. In the meantime, I’ll keep working on Mother, trying to talk her into… handling the matter in a different way, if you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do.” Alec’s walking slowed as he added, “But perhaps there’s something else you need to speak to your mother about.”
“Oh? What is that?”
“We haven’t known each other long, but it truly seems as if we have. I can’t bear the thought of leaving—in fact, I’m hoping you’ll go back to Maine with me.”
Therese stopped and looked up into his eyes. “Are you asking me to?”
“Yes.” He gently cupped her cheek in his hand. “Will you return with me, Therese? Will you marry me?”
She barely noticed the rain beating against the top of the umbrella, or the water soaking through the bottom of her boots. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
He smiled, just a little. “I know it’s sudden. Perhaps that’s the way it is in times of war.” He dipped his face closer to hers. “You don’t have to tell me now. Think about it. Talk with your mother. If your answer is yes, I’ll ask Warner for his permission.”
He shifted the umbrella and reached for her hand. She let go of her skirt and took his. His skin was warm even in the cold. His hand held hers firmly. “We’ll pray for a solution to all of this,” he said. “For us. For the slaves at River Pines. For Warner. For the hospital.”
She looked into his eyes. “Yes,” she answered.
His expression grew even more serious. “Yes to praying? Or yes to my proposal?”
“Both,” she answered, smiling up at him. He hugged her until a group of soldiers with a drummer and a flutist marched by to the tune of “Dixie.” As Therese and Alec started walking again, she promised to talk with Mother soon, though she dreaded the conversation.
“Good,” Alec said. “But I doubt we should tell anyone else, not yet, except perhaps Polly. I don’t want Ruth finding out from someone in the hospital before she finds out from me.”
“I agree.” Therese was happy to hold the news close to her heart. And it would make things less complicated, in the long run, not to tell even Polly—at least not just yet.
Besides, she wasn’t ready for Michael to find out either. And not because she was afraid of his teasing. It was absurd, she knew, but she felt as if she were betraying him, which was absolutely ludicrous. Those days were behind her.
The next morning, Therese read the Daily Dispatch after Mr. Galloway was finished with it, searching for the news from Petersburg. She found it on the third page.
There was considerable firing Monday night on our left centre. There was a heavy fog at the time, and doubtless there was an attempt made by one picket line to capture the other. Nothing definite is known, but the cannonading was very heavy, and so was the musketry.
She thought of Michael and hoped he was all right, but then the three girls thundered down the stairs. Therese folded the paper and put it away. He hadn’t been to the hospital since he came to procure the supplies. She hoped that, between all of the hospitals he’d visited, he found what he needed.
As the rain continued to fall outside, Therese spent the day teaching Florence to read and working with Eleanor on her times tables. Lydia was engrossed in drawing a picture of soldiers marching through town, and although Therese didn’t think it was the right use of the child’s time, it was a relief to have her sitting in a chair on a rainy day when they couldn’t be outside.
Throughout the morning, Therese’s mind kept going back to last night’s proposal and what it could mean for her future. Then, with a start, she realized that this could affect Badan and Aggie’s future as well. If Therese headed north, she could take the two of them with her, as long as Mother freed them first.
That still left one problem, however, because if both Therese and Aggie left, there’d be no one to care for Warner at River Pines. She puzzled on that for a while until it struck her that perhaps Polly was the answer. If the hospital closed down, Polly’s work there would be done, and if Alec left town, the spy network would likely close. Given all of that, maybe Polly would be willing to take a leave from her governess job in Richmond, move back home for a month or two, and spend her days taking care of Warner. It was certainly something to think about.
As Therese and the girls were walking out of the parlor after the lessons were done, she noticed a document Mr. Galloway had left on the table beside his chair. She peered closer. It was a memorandum with the title: “Grant Headed to North Carolina.” She didn’t dare read more.
At four p.m., before Polly arrived, Therese stood on the stoop of the row house. The afternoon sun was low in the sky, and the rain had stopped, but the weather had turned icy cold. As she waited, she debated if she should tell Polly about the memorandum. If she really did want the North to win so that the slaves could be freed, then she needed to tell her friend what she’d seen—even if it felt as if she were betraying the kindness of her employers. In this case, it wasn’t that the North wouldn’t know what General Grant had planned—but they might not know that the Confederate Army knew. There were spies on both sides, and obviously someone from the North had leaked the information to the South.
Polly came around the corner, her head high and her stride long. Therese’s heart warmed at the sight of her. She hurried down the walkway and through the gate, greeted Polly, and then linked arms with her.
“I read about a medical case today,” she said, “one that you might want to share with Dr. Talbot—although I’m not sure of the correct terminology.”
“Tell me,” Polly said. “I’ll translate it for him.”
They began to walk, and Therese waited till they were well away from the row house. Then she lowered her voice, explained where she’d seen it, and gave the title of the memorandum.
“Sounds as if there’s a possible bleed to the brain,” Polly replied. “And a clot in the left hip. I’ll tell Dr. Talbot about it today.”
When they arrived at the hospital, Alec stood in the foyer, with his back to the door, conversing with Matron Webb. “No,” he said. “She won’t try to displace you. She’ll assist you.”
The matron scowled at Alec but then looked past him and greeted Therese and Polly. Alec turned, but instead of his usual warmth, he appeared downcast.
“Is everything all right?” Therese feared Warner’s fever had grown worse.
“Mostly,” Alec said. “My cousin Ruth arrived this morning.”
“She’s early.”
“Yes,” Alec said, “and she’s already stirred up trouble, criticizing things about the hospital, I’m afraid. To say the least, it doesn’t meet her standards.”
“Oh, dear.” Now Therese understood the scowl on Matron Webb’s face.
Alec’s eyes brightened. “At least she brought word that Lincoln has in fact been reelected.” He nodded toward the stairs. “Come up and I’ll introduce you to her. She’s working in the east ward today.”
Therese glanced at Polly, wishing she’d thought to ask her about Ruth when they were alone. The woman was a Talbot, after all. Surely Polly knew a bit about her, whether or not she’d ever met her in person.
Both women hung their cloaks and then followed Alec up the stairs, but when they reached the top, he fell back and let Polly lead the way. As she did, Alec slipped Therese a piece of folded paper. “It’s for you to read later,” he whispered, eyes twinkling. “Just some words of endearment from me to you.”
When they all reached the ward, Ruth—a woman who appeared to be at least a decade older than Alec—was bending over a soldier with a chest wound. She wore an austere gray dress, and her dark hair was pulled back in a tight bun.
“Ruth,” Alec said, “I’d like you to meet two of our nurses.”
The woman looked up.
“This is Polly, one of the Talbot cousins I told you about, who assists me in surgery, and this is Therese, who demonstrates her tender heart toward our patients on a daily basis.”
“Pleased to meet you both.” Ruth smiled at Polly and added, “Cousin.” Then she looked directly at Therese and said, “I need more gauze and a sponge.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Therese quickly replied. Alec certainly had never minced words, but it appeared his cousin was even more abrupt. Therese stepped to the cupboard and, as she retrieved the supplies, noticed there were only a few more pieces of gauze left. At least there was more morphine than there had been the day before, behind the locked door on the left.
When she returned to the gathering around the cot, she excused herself, explaining that she needed to restock the cupboard with gauze.
“That’s all there is,” Alec replied. “Our quartermaster hasn’t been able to procure any more.”
“How about the morphine?” Therese asked. “There’s more today. Funny he could get that but not gauze.”
Ruth pursed her lips.
“What?” Therese glanced from Ruth to Alec.
“I brought it,” Ruth said. “Wrapped in cloth and tied to my hoops.”
“Oh.” Therese smiled, filled with admiration for the woman. The Northern Talbots, or at least these two, weren’t just resourceful but brave as well. They really did want to help soldiers—no matter what side they fought on.
“What will we do about the lack of gauze?” Polly asked.
“Start washing dressings,” Alec answered. “And reusing them.”
Ruth looked up from the wound. “That’s ridiculous.”
“It’s the South,” Alec retorted.
“Speak to Dr. Moore,” she snapped back. “Surely, as surgeon general, he can help you.”
Alec sighed. “It’s not that simple.” They all turned to look at him as he added, “Besides, the surgeon general plans to shut the hospital down by December.”
“Already?” Polly’s voice was heartsick.
Therese tried not to react. She’d liked it better when it was just a rumor. With the closing of the hospital imminent, Alec would be leaving soon. And she with him.
“I’m not happy about it closing either,” he said. “I’m holding out hope that he’ll change his mind.”
At the most, it seemed Therese had a month to convince Mother to free Aggie and Badan so that they could go with her and Alec.
If only the war would end by then and set them all free.
A few minutes later, Therese ducked into the supply closet and pulled Alec’s note from her apron pocket. Therese, my love, it read. You’ve made me so happy. I look forward to being your husband. Alec
A smile crept onto her face as she refolded it and slipped it back into her pocket. She was blessed indeed.
Friday after dinner, while the girls sat quietly in the parlor working on their lessons, Therese scanned the Daily Dispatch until she found what she was looking for, an article confirming the reelection of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency of the United States.
Next she scanned the runaway slave notices, something she did occasionally even though it left her feeling ill. Today, she prayed for the people by name. Nat. Margaret. Pete. Even though they weren’t on the list and hadn’t run, she added Aggie and Badan to her prayers. Then Auntie Vera. Old Joe. And Sonny. God, help them.
Help us all.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Therese
On Saturday morning, Therese slipped the carte de visite of the escaped slave into her bag before she left the Galloway home. She needed to speak with Mother one last time, and she planned to use the image to make her point.
As Therese and Polly arrived at the hospital, three army wagons pulled away. The photographer they’d met before, Mr. Jay Lewis, stood on the sidewalk with his camera equipment beside him. He slipped a glass plate into a bag.
“What’s going on?” Polly asked.
“They’ve started transferring patients,” he said. “Dr. Moore asked me to document the event.”
Alarmed, Therese headed up the stairs. Surely, no one would have allowed Warner to be moved, but she needed to know for sure. Polly called out a goodbye to the photographer and followed her friend.
When they entered the building, Ruth stood in the middle of the foyer, berating an orderly for not having finished a job she’d given him. Apparently, Matron Webb had pulled him away to perform some other duty.
“Now go up and do what I asked you to do half an hour ago.” Ruth ended her scold, and then she turned and headed up the stairs, not even bothering to tell Therese and Polly hello.
“Was Captain Jennings transferred?” Therese asked the orderly.
“I don’t know, ma’am.” He hurried after Ruth.
Polly grabbed Therese’s hand. “Let’s go check.”
They hung their cloaks in the closet and tore up the stairs. As they stepped into the east ward, the bright morning sun shone through the windows. Therese’s eyes adjusted to the light, and she began searching for Warner. There were fewer soldiers in the room, and the cots had been rearranged.
Finally, she spotted her brother in the far corner. He was still here, thank goodness.
Therese hurried to Warner’s side and felt his forehead. It was hotter than she expected.
Polly lifted the blanket and studied his stump. “It doesn’t look good.”
“Could you examine his stomach too?” Therese couldn’t bear to do it herself.
Polly stepped to his side and spoke softly, “Warner, I’m going to check your other wound.”
He didn’t open his eyes, but his mouth twitched a little.
“Are you in pain?”
He nodded.
Polly lifted the blanket and then removed the dressing. Therese glanced away, back to her brother’s face.
“It doesn’t look good either,” Polly said. “I’ll go find Dr. Talbot.”
As soon as Polly stepped into the hall, litter bearers came into the ward carrying another lieutenant. Therese stood. How odd that some soldiers were being transferred while others were still arriving. As she stood, two more litter bearers brought in another wounded officer. Behind them was Michael, covered in mud and limping.
Polly called out. “Are you hurt?”
“No,” he answered. “But our unit took a big hit. Most of the soldiers went to Chimborazo, but I brought the officers here.”
Warner stirred and opened his eyes.
“Michael’s here,” Therese said. “He brought in two injured officers.”
Michael stepped close, looking down at Warner. “How are you?”
Warner shrugged. “What happened out there?”
“A mortar,” Michael said. “It hit the field hospital.”
“How many killed?”
“Three. An orderly and two who were already wounded. Eight others were injured—worse than they already were.”
“Anyone I’d know?”
Michael replied, “Maybe…” But Therese didn’t hear any more of the conversation. Alec had returned to the ward, Ruth and Matron Webb right behind him. They headed to the new officers, who the litter bearers were transferring to cots. Therese hoped Alec would be able to take a closer look at Warner soon.
“Nurse Jennings.” Therese turned to face Matron Webb. “The Confederacy is not paying you to stand around chatting.”
“I wasn’t, ma’am.”
The matron crossed her arms. “See to your duties, please.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Therese got busy with her morning chores, keeping an eye on all that was going on around the ward.
Michael stayed by Warner’s side while Polly and Ruth helped Alec tend to the two officers. Therese washed the faces and hands of patients. She thought through the girls’ lessons for the coming week as she worked, mentally making notes so it would be easier to jot everything down that night. When she finished, it was time for breakfast. First, she delivered bowls to all of the soldiers who could feed themselves, including Warner. He said he wasn’t hungry, but she insisted. Michael took the bowl from her and said he’d make sure Warner ate.
Therese began feeding soldiers who couldn’t feed themselves, and after a while Polly came to help. As she retrieved a bowl from the tray, she said, “Dr. Talbot is looking at Warner’s wounds now.”
Therese glanced toward her brother. Alec and Ruth examined Warner’s stump with serious expressions on their faces. Therese started toward them as Michael stood and drifted away from the group.
“How is Warner?” Therese asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“We may need to operate on his leg again,” Alec said, “and his stomach wound is definitely infected.”
“Mother still wants to take him home,” Therese said.
“Well, she can’t,” Ruth snapped. “Unless she wants to kill him.”
Therese’s eyes began to sting with tears, both because of the sharpness of Ruth’s words and because of the threat to her brother. She turned, accidentally catching Michael’s eye, and he gave her a sympathetic smile.
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